WesleyGospel Ministries

1.44.00 – Because the International Holiness Mission (IHM) forbade people from speaking in tongues (against 1 Corinthians 14:39), Ravenhill and another evangelist separated from the Trekkers group that was commissioned by Samuel Chadwick. This explains why he preached with A. W. Tozer in the Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA), David Wilkerson in Assembly of God (AG), John Wimber in the Vineyard, Church of God (Cleveland), and Charles Stanley in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). All of these groups allowed and still allow people to speak in tongues during worship, provided it is kept under control. It seems to be though, that the InterChurch Holiness Convention (IHC), which exists today, and is the most closely aligned with Schmul Publishing and Wesleyan theology, would be just like the IHM, and likely to forbid tongues, as well as Christian rock, television, sports, video games, non-KJV Bibles, non-prairie dress clothes for women, etc. The same dynamic exists in many of the Independent Fundamental Baptist (IFB) churches and Sword of the Lord Publications.

Both of these fundamental groups have strong theology for preparing evangelistic sermons, but because of their anti-tongues stance, they’ve left many of the tongues-friendly people in the dark about sound doctrine and gospel preaching. While Ravenhill would’ve probably found Adam Clarke’s Christian Theology (Schmul, 1967) to be a great general overview on sound doctrine, I think it would be right to say that while he might not have agreed with every line and every paragraph in Harold Horton’s The Gifts of the Spirit (Gospel Publishing House, 1975), he seemed to lean in the Assembly of God direction, without endorsing the teaching totally, because he never personally spoke in tongues himself. It might be more accurate to say that Ravenhill was raised in an IHC / Schmul sort of church environment, then came to lean towards a CMA (A. W. Tozer) / Christian Publications direction, and even an AG (David Wilkerson) / Gospel Publishing House direction at times; but because he had a “catholic spirit” like Wesley, he came to read and quote a whole lot of Banner of Truth books as well, which he probably got from SBC preachers (like W. A. Criswell).

3.36.00 – Because Ravenhill was a staff preacher at Bethany Fellowship in Minnesota, his book Why Revival Tarries (1959) got published by their booksellers outlet: Bethany House Publishers. It sold 200,000 copies. This was after he left Tozer’s Southside Alliance Church in Chicago. This is the publication that opened up the door for many invitations to preach at churches for the rest of his life. (It happened the same way for David Wilkerson after The Cross and the Switchblade (1963) came out, as his son Gary’s book says.) It was around this time that Reformed Baptist churches started inviting him to preach. Bethany was founded by T. A. Hegre, who published The Cross and Sanctification (1960), which was a Wesleyan soteriology book, to be used for evangelistic preaching and personal devotion. The massive invitations to preach, however, came along with single airline or cruiseline tickets just for the preachers, and would make both of these great evangelists travel away from their families for weeks and weeks at a time. Billy Graham did the same thing in his 30s, 40s, and 50s. All of their wives and kids suffered emotionally because of these long absences. The evangelists of the early church, however, traveled around with their families (1 Corinthians 9:5).

4.15.00 – “He prophetically spoke like a trumpet blast.”

That they should seek the Lord,
if haply they might feel after him, and find him,
though he be not far from every one of us.
–Acts 17:27 (KJV)–

They were all filled with the Holy Ghost,
and began to speak with other tongues,
as the Spirit gave them utterance.
–Acts 2:4 (KJV)–

On the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. 
For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God.
–Acts 10:45-46 (KJV)–

When Paul had laid his hands upon them, 
the Holy Ghost came on them;
and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
–Acts 19:6 (KJV)–

—

Dr. Jack Deere, …Power of the Spirit (Zondervan, 2020). Has an AUDIO BOOK.

Dr. John R. Rice, Great Soul Winners Were Filled with the Holy Spirit (Sword, 1949).

E. S. Williams, Systematic Theology, vol. 3 (Gospel Publishing House, 1953), chs. 6-9.

P. C. Nelson, Bible Doctrines (Gospel Publishing House, 1948), ch. 8.

Harold Horton, The Gifts of the Spirit (Gospel Publishing House, 1934).

John Sherrill, They Speak with Other Tongues (Chosen Books, 2018).

This is some strong, anointed,
Pentecostal preaching against sin.
More sir! MORE!
–J.B.–