WesleyGospel Ministries

Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart?
–2 Kings 10:15 (KJV)–

—

Richard J. Foster, Streams of Living Water (HarperCollins, 1998).

John Wesley, “Catholic Spirit.”

Thomas C. Oden, Classic Christianity: A Systematic Theology (HarperCollins, 2009).

A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God (Christian Publications, 1993).

—. The Christian Book of Mystical Verse (Christian Publications, 1991). Mostly songs and poems about spiritual subjects; there could be some prophetic poetry in here as well–that is, dream interpretations set to poetry, like the writings of the Old Testament prophets probably were compiled.

Robert Tuttle, Mysticism in the Wesleyan Tradition (Zondervan, 1989). Shows that Wesley was very careful about what he borrowed from the writings of Christian mystics–what he called separating the gold from the dross–his favorites are found in “A Christian Library,” such as Macarius of Egypt, Looking Unto Jesus by Isaac Ambrose, The Spiritual Guide by Michael Molinos, The Spiritual Letters of John of Avila, “Thoughts Concerning the Present Revival,” “The Distinguishing Marks,” and the “Religious Affections” by Jonathan Edwards, The Life of Monsieur De Renty, The Life of Gregory Lopez, Letters by François Fénelon, The Life of Madame Guyon, The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis, and The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. While Guyon, Molinos, and Fénelon might have said some good things, I would warn their readers to beware of any anti-emotional stoicism or any hyper-prophetic quietism that leads a charismatic to believe that the Holy Spirit supposedly leads Christians, to make the smallest and most insignificant decisions in life, like always where to go and what to buy.

In the beginning
God created the heaven and the earth
That’s what the Word of God says
On the very first page

But then I went to school
And the science teacher taught me
That the world was formed by itself
Over millions of years

And so the animals began to come about
From different kinds of animals that came before
And starfish turned into dogs and cats
Hedgehogs and monkeys turned into people

The teacher showed us a painting all about it
And that means that it’s the truth
Because dinosaur fossils were found in the ground
That means the world is billions of years old

I was told not to believe in God
And the Bible’s just a fairy tale
That the paintings in my science class were true
And that people are just really smart monkeys

The paintings in my biology book
The pictures in my geology book
The verses in Genesis chapter 1
Some people said to just mix ’em all together

Box! Box! Box! Box!

Yesterday I was just a boy
In days of youthful hero worship
My kind have been molded by images on the screen
Brought up to emulate the big guns

Just another guest on death’s best show
The influence cuts deeper than mom’s
Those electric waves
The demons fly

Now could we just be
Bred to kill or die

There must be somethin’ else
For the blame I place on myself
Behind the tired eyes
The tears go uncried

In the box
Doin’ time
In the box
Just like doin’ time
In the box
Doin’ time
In the box

Now that I’m grown
Abandoned childhood toys
But still what danger
Have I retained
To grab the brass ring
To go in for the kill
And covet the good you know ‘dem got for murder

It’s just another guest on death’s best show
The influence cuts deeper than mom’s
Those electric waves
The demons fly

Now could we just be
Bred to kill or die

There’s got to be somethin’ else
For the blame I place on myself
Behind tired eyes
The demons stir
The tears go uncried

In the box
Doin’ time
In the box
Just like doin’ time
In the box
Doin’ time
In the box

Minds are locked down

–Snot, “The Box”–

—

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
–Galatians 5:22-23 (KJV)–

To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it. Therefore I am full of the fury of the Lord; I am weary with holding in: I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly of young men together.
–Jeremiah 6:10-11 (KJV)–

Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the descendants of Jacob their sins…Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
–Isaiah 58:1, 6 (NIV)–

While Paul was waiting for them at Athens,
his spirit was greatly angered when he saw that the city was full of idols.
–Acts 17:16 (AMP)–

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking,
be put away from you, with all malice.
–Ephesians 4:31 (KJV)–

Note that “blessed are the meek” (Matthew 5:5) is not about nor a teaching against expressing anger or indignation against injustice–like sexual perversion and abuse for example, preaching sermons against sin, preaching repentance, or about preaching sermons against injustice, as is required in evangelistic ministry. This is about the way we carry ourselves in relation to others in the church, in business, in family, etc. There is a sense of self-control there. This is more related to people in pastoral ministry, because of their constant interaction with people acting annoying with petty irritations and nuisances. Not being easily provoked by people’s comments or crazy behavior. To say that Matthew 5:5 is a teaching against the whole idea of preaching with anger against flagrant societal sin, would be to condemn John the Baptist, Jesus Christ himself, Stephen, Peter, and Paul (Matt. 3:7; 23:13-39; Acts 7:51; 8:20; 13:10).

—

Watchman Nee, The Spiritual Man. (Teaches Quietism; all emotions are called “soulish”).

Augustin Poulain, The Graces of Interior Prayer, pp. 491-492, 495. “This is the principle that stands out from the writings of this sect. Given that some practical resolution is to be made, action will be taken solely when we are urged thereto by God. As long as the Holy Spirit has not set the soul in motion, she will wait without doing anything whatever…abandonment, exaggerated to the point of reducing oneself to a passive state of expectation…in this way desires and abandonment were falsely considered as two dispositions incompatible with one another…Let us not think of God as a jealous, intractable, sullen king who will not tolerate any initiative and who wishes to reduce us to a slave’s mute obedience.”

Richard J. Foster, Streams of Living Water, ch. 5. (On Social Justice).

John Wesley, “A Letter to the Rev. Dr. Rutherforth,” Part III. (On feeling the fruits).

Dr. John R. Rice, Why Preach Against Sin? (Sword of the Lord, 1946, 1985), p. 6. “I preached so hard against sin that some pastors of the city criticized me severely.”

—. What Is Wrong With the Movies? (Sword of the Lord, 1938).

—. Adultery and Sex Perversion (Sword of the Lord, 1978).

Leonard Ravenhill, Revival Praying (Bethany House, 1962), ch. 14: “Be Ye Angry.”

—. “Be Ye Angry And Sin Not” (Last Days Ministries, 1985).

—

I was born behind these eyes
Sewn into this skin
One with the flesh machine I’m embedded in

I hold my children’s breath
Feel their mother’s pain
Share my brother’s blood
Within my sister’s veins
Cry my mother’s tears
Through my father’s eyes
Tethered to this realm
In consciousness’ disguise

A promise unspoken, for it could never be kept
Offering passages of safety so the host won’t disconnect

Yet the mouths of our graves sing songs of unknown places
And laugh as we struggle to escape

I have lived behind these eyes
Existed in this skin
Defined by the flesh machine I’m embedded in

The mouths of our graves call these bodies home

I will die behind these eyes
Shed away this skin
Detach from the flesh machine I was embedded in
Separate perception conscious separates

–Zao, “Jinba Ittai”–

—

What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
  Leaning on the Everlasting Arms!
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
  Leaning on the Everlasting Arms!

Leaning on Jesus, leaning on Jesus,
Safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning on Jesus, leaning on Jesus,
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.

O how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
  Leaning on the Everlasting Arms!
O how bright the path grows from day to day,
  Leaning on the Everlasting Arms!

What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
  Leaning on the Everlasting Arms!
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
  Leaning on the Everlasting Arms!

—

What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world,
and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
–Jesus in Matthew 16:26 (KJV)–

Choose you this day whom ye will serve.
–Joshua 24:15 (KJV)–

Out of the belly of Hell cried I,
and thou heardest my voice.
–Jonah 2:2 (KJV)–

War a good warfare; holding faith, and a good conscience;
which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck.
–1 Timothy 1:18-19 (KJV)–

To day if ye will hear his voice,
harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
–Hebrews 3:15 (KJV)–

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)–