Wesley and Accountability

While still a student at Oxford, John Wesley started a group that met regularly for the purpose of keeping each other spiritually accountable — what scoffers called “The Holy Club.”  His time as part of this group was foundational to the Methodist societies Wesley and his brother Charles would later form, and the principle of spiritual accountability was one that Wesley cleaved to his whole life. Wesley’s diary from 1729 or so contains a list of over 20 questions that the Oxford group asked themselves regularly, and that Wesley later gave to the various bands and societies.

1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?

2. Do I confidentially pass on to others what has been said to me in confidence?

3. Can I be trusted?

4. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work or habits?

5. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?

6. Did the Bible live in me today?

7. Do I give the Bible time to speak to me every day?

8. Am I enjoying prayer?

9. When did I last speak to someone else of my faith?

10. Do I pray about the money I spend?

11. Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?

12. Do I disobey God in anything?

13. Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?

14. Am I defeated in any part of my life?

15. Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy or distrustful?

16. How do I spend my spare time?

17. Am I proud?

18. Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican?

19. Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold a resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I doing about it?

20. Do I grumble or complain constantly?

21. Is Christ real to me?

What do you think of these questions? Are there questions you would add or remove?