The following blog is Part Two in a three-part series entitled: Whole & Holy: Finding the Life You’ve Been Missing

In the last post, we began with a longing—something deeper than exhaustion, deeper than performance, and thankfully . . . deeper than religion. We named it for what it truly is: a longing, a hunger, and a desire for holiness. Not a rigid, rule-based kind of holiness, but a whole and holy life—one shaped by the love of God and rooted in relationship with Him (see Ephesians 1:3-6 in the Message).

But let’s be honest: even if we believe that kind of life is possible, it can still feel . . . out of reach.

Because the truth is, wanting to live differently doesn’t mean we automatically know how. We want to be more patient, more present, more forgiving, more peaceful, more prayerful—but how do we actually become the kind of people who live that way?

If holiness is the destination, what’s the path that gets us there?

The answer, in the Wesleyan tradition, is one of the most life-giving truths I know: God not only desires us to be holy—He provides the grace to make it happen.

When Grace Takes Root in Ordinary Places

I’ve shared this before, but I didn’t grow up going to church. I was vaguely aware of God. We said prayers before meals and bedtime, but church attendance was scant and infrequent at best. Church wasn’t even something we went to on holidays or when grandparents were in town. It was only after encountering Christ in my mid-teen years and later did I start attending church.

Change in my life wasn’t instantaneous – but it has been a very slow and undeniable work like yeast working its way through a batch of dough.

• I began to read my Bible regularly.
• I learned how to pray and carry on a conversation with God.
• I joined in worship and began to experience the mystery of Holy Communion.
• I started to serve in the church and outside the church.
• I joined a Bible study where we discussed the Scripture.

One Sunday, after receiving communion, I sat back down in the pew and felt overwhelmed—not by emotion, but by peace and what I now know was the Presence of God. In that moment of remembrance and reception of bread and juice I know that Jesus Christ, by the power of the God’s Spirit, was with me. I may not have been able to say it quite like that at the time, but I knew something was different. I was experiencing God!! I felt whole and was beginning to feel the effects of God’s holiness at work in my own life.

Holiness Is Not Earned—It’s Received by Grace

John Wesley believed that we don’t become holy by sheer effort or spiritual striving. Scripture also backs this up as well (see Ephesians 2:8-9).

Holiness is God’s work in us. But—and here’s the key—we participate in that work by placing ourselves in the means of grace: those sacred habits and spiritual rhythms through which God’s transforming love flows into our lives. While some authors call them disciplines, I prefer the term rhythm, which feels less intimidating and performance oriented and more natural and . . . well, rhythmic.

Dallas Willard once wrote:

“Grace is not opposed to effort. It is opposed to earning. Effort is action. Earning is attitude. You have never seen people more active than those who have been set on fire by the grace of God.” 

That’s exactly the heart of Wesleyan holiness. God’s grace isn’t a passive permission slip—it’s power. And when we receive it, it propels us to act—not to prove ourselves to God, but because God is already at work in us (Ephesians 2:10).

Some of these means of grace (i.e. sacred rhythms) are familiar:

• Searching the Scriptures—not just reading the Bible but allowing the Word to read you!
• Prayer—not polished words, but honest conversation with a God who listens.
• Holy Communion—a holy mystery where we meet and receive Jesus anew.
• Christian fellowship—gathering with others in vulnerability, honesty, and truth.
• Acts of mercy and justice—serving the poor, reconciling with enemies, practicing compassion, etc., etc.

These practices aren’t checklists to impress God. They are channels—grace-filled pathways where God meets us, shapes us, and gradually conforms us to the image of Christ. Scriptural holiness happens not all at once, but over time, as we return again and again to these sacred places where grace flows freely.

There Is No Holiness But Social Holiness

Wesley famously said, “There is no holiness but social holiness.” In other words, our growth in grace is never isolated or self-contained.

The holy love God pours into us is meant to overflow into our relationships, our homes, our communities, and even our enemies. Others should feel the effect of God’s grace working through you (in a good way) on their own lives after having been with you!

In other words, how do others feel when you leave after having been with them? Tired? Drained? Frustrated? Content? Encouraged? or Hopeful?

That’s why participating in the means of grace is never just about personal piety—it’s about public witness. Christian faith is simply not a private matter. Yes, it might be strengthened in private places and in private ways, but our faith is as public as the nose on our face! It’s how we learn to forgive people who don’t deserve it.

How we find strength to stay faithful in our commitments. How we raise godly children in a deviant culture. How we love and cherish our spouse when we “aren’t feeling it.” And, how we resist the pull of culture and live lives shaped by the Word rather than the world.

Scriptural holiness isn’t about escaping reality. It’s about being reshaped by the Resurrection of Jesus. (Re-read that.)

Resurrection Isn’t Just an Event—It’s a Way of Living

This season of Easter reminds us that resurrection isn’t confined to one morning some 2,000 years ago. The risen Christ is still at work, making all things new — including us. Paul said,

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! – 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)

A resurrection-shaped life is one that daily rises—rises from bitterness, from despair, from anxiety, from distraction, from greed, from self-centeredness, from arrogance — and walks in newness of life. The means of grace (spiritual rhythms of scriptural holiness) are how we train our hearts to do just that.

God’s grace is not passive. It’s power. It changes things. It changes us.

Try This: Choose one means of grace this week—just one. 

• Read a passage of Scripture slowly and prayerfully. OR, let it read you.
• Receive Communion with fresh awareness that Jesus is with you
• Reach out to someone in your small group or class for prayer.
• Serve a neighbor or stranger, expecting nothing in return.
• Forgive someone who wronged you. Don’t tell them.
• Frame your day by sitting in silence for 60 seconds.
• Practice the Sabbath.

Then pause and reflect:

Where did I sense God’s grace at work in me? Write it down. Sit with it. Thank God for it. And return tomorrow.

Next month, we’ll conclude this series by exploring how holiness isn’t just for individuals—it’s God’s vision for the whole church. When we live resurrection-shaped, Holy Spirit-filled lives together in unity we become a community the world CANNOT ignore.

Until then, may grace not just lead you—but change you. 

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