Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. –1 John 4:8-11
If you love Me, you will obey My commandments. –Jesus in John 14:15 (GNT)
The Gospel of Jesus Christ – A Wesleyan approach to soteriology. Presents the order of salvation from Hell, repentance, faith, justification, regeneration, sanctification, conditional security, and Heaven. Also, a response to non-judgmentalism. Extensive bibliography. Intended as preparatory study for evangelistic preaching. 170 pages. Get the paperback here.
—
—
John MacArthur, The Gospel According to Jesus. (Although he’s an eternal security guy, he still believes the Biblical gospel requires obedience to the commandments of Christ). Calvinist.
—. Ashamed of the Gospel. (This is an exposé of the seeker-sensitive movement; and how it censors the message of lordship salvation in many churches).
John Foxe, Foxe’s Book of Martyrs. (English Reformers killed for lordship salvation). Calvinist.
John Gerstner, Jonathan Edwards: A Mini-Theology. (Great Awakening lordship salvation). Calvinist.
Richard Baxter, A Call to the Unconverted. (1600s Puritan lordship salvation.) Arminian.
Joseph Alleine, A Sure Guide to Heaven. (1600s Puritan lordship salvation.) Calvinist.
Kenneth J. Collins, Wesley on Salvation. (John Wesley’s lordship salvation views). Arminian.
Charles Finney, So Great Salvation. (1800s lordship salvation). Arminian.
William G. T. Shedd, Dogmatic Theology Vol. 2. (1800s lordship salvation). Calvinist.
Steve Hill, White Cane Religion. (Lordship salvation sermons from the Brownsville Revival). Arminian.
William J. Seymour, Azusa Street Sermons. (Lordship salvation sermons from the Azusa Street Revival). Arminian.
CBN Responds to Andy Stanley’s Rejection of the Ten Commandments.
WesleyGospel Ministries 
Hi John, another question for you. When you experience God’s presence does it feel ultra real compared to ordinary sensory experience? Thanks
It feels like a person (Jesus) is standing in front of you, but more than that, a comforting blanket of peace, love, and holy fear of God. Pentecostal worship is the best way to experience it.
I’m trying to find out if the experience of that is more real than normal life experience seems to be when that experience is not happening.
Is it more real compared to when it isn’t there in ordinary life experience of reality?
I would say that the presence of God feels equally real as when another human being is standing closely by you.
Well, my experience of God, being enveloped by light etc., seemed to me to be extremely real compared to ordinary mundane life experience.
That’s incredible David! I can’t say I’ve ever experienced that. Just the occasional presence of God while in charismatic worship. That’s the shekinah glory you’re describing. Jesus and the transfiguration, St. Columba, St. Symeon the New Theologian, an Anglican mystic named Lilian Staveley in a book I read once called “The Protestant Mystics,” and Catholic saints have all experienced that (Joan Carroll Cruz, Mysteries Marvels Miracles, ch. 11, 22; Herbert Thurston, The Physical Phenomena of Mysticism, ch. 5). – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symeon_the_New_Theologian#Divine_light – and also this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabor_Light
No it wasn’t that. I mean the light of God filled up my mind. It wasn’t a physical thing.
In that case, I did experience that while in contemplative prayer around 2009. Its what the Quakers call the inner light.
Yes, I know some of the early Quakers had a similar idea with the inner light but as time passed they changed a lot. I looked up a Quaker website a few months ago and it seems like a kind of inter-religious club type of thing, it didn’t interest me. More like an AA meeting setup. I wanted to find some literature of the Quakers that had testimonies of the Light but I couldn’t really find anything online (I searched and came up short). I know you have experienced the Light because you wrote about it in your book How to Experience God. Actually for me the light started to shine off the pages of the Bible after I had been reading it more and getting into it, and then the light engulfed my entire vision, like it was transplanted from off the page and then to my mind (Hard to explain). My eyes were open the entire time, I wasn’t praying or anything. It was blinding light brighter than the sunlight except at the same time it was mellow somehow so that I could still see. Out of the light or inside the light in the middle in my minds eye I saw a static picture of the crucifixion of Christ, except his face was blurred out. This is what I take to be the meaning of Christs words about coming back on a cloud. I believe it is related to the Near Death Experience (see Stephen’s experience in Acts, for example). I do not believe the popularly accepted Orthodox Christian interpretations of eschatology. I find them absurd and contradictory. And I’m not for bizarre esoteric interpretations either. I find the writings of Paramahansa Yogananda correct (even though he had a Hindu influence). I know you would frown upon this but you should read his interpretation of the Gospels, a 2 volume set called The Second Coming of Christ.
Although I would say you’re experience was 100% genuine, and AWESOME!, yeah there’s no way I would ever encourage anyone to read a yogi. I’d point you to Catholic mystical theology: if you read enough of it, or the lives of the Catholic saints, you’ll find confirmation of something like this eventually. What an incredible experience.
I know what you mean about the Yogi. Honestly, I really do. After I was saved I read books by Dave Hunt and others like Ankerberg, I think you know what I mean. I believe in the Bible of course, how could I not after my experience with it? But lately I am getting frustrated about Biblical eschatology. It doesn’t seem to make much sense to me. I’ve tried really hard to make it make sense, to make it fit, and it just doesn’t.
I’d recommend getting a copy of the Zondervan Counterpoints: “Four Views on Hell,” “Four Views on the Book of Revelation,” “Four Views on the Role of Works at the Final Judgment,” “Three Views on the Rapture,” etc – https://www.logos.com/product/53799/zondervan-counterpoints-series?campaignid=18467614031&adgroupid=142254639305&keyword=&device=c&utm_source=google&utm_medium=advertising_cpc&utm_campaign=google_search-keyword_dsa_logos_us_en&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwkY2qBhBDEiwAoQXK5UIwLeLx2rB6kqgp9yVxzu1ICdQLVZkYKBUNHn3iutRG9INHZcwd3RoCDdcQAvD_BwE
Ok thanks, I’ll look into those books. On a different note, I know you distinguish between psychic phenomena and the gifts of the spirit but has your practice of meditation given you any ability to know the thoughts of others (telepathy)?