God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship him in Spirit and in truth. –Jesus in John 4:24 (KJV)–
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. –Jesus in John 15:4 (NIV)–
Dr. Thomas C. Oden, John Wesley’s Teachings, 4 vols (Zondervan, 2014).
Adam Clarke, Clarke’s Christian Theology (Schmul Publishing, 1990).
P. C. Nelson, Bible Doctrines (Gospel Publishing House, 2009).
Ernest S. Williams, Systematic Theology, 3 vols (Gospel Publishing House, 1953).
Mack Tomlinson, In Light of Eternity: The Life of Leonard Ravenhill (Free Grace, 2010).
Gary Wilkerson, David Wilkerson (Zondervan, 2014).
Many cessationist evangelicals with an anti-supernatural, if not a fully deist worldview, will counsel people to ignore what they think is the devil acting on their minds. They’ll even say things like, “We can’t see demons, because that’s from the occult. Dreams and visions are from the realm of the occult. Just read the Bible, ignore the supernatural, and live in the realm of the intellect.” The Bible doesn’t say to IGNORE the devil through anti-supernatural deism and science, which is unbelief. It says to RESIST him after you recognize his presence (James 4:7). Big difference! What does the Word of God say? And what should you do if you have a demonic experience? The answer: JESUS! JESUS! JESUS! Just say it…even in your nightmares, say it. Works every time (Mark 16:17). –J.B.
MARTIN LUTHER SAW THE DEVIL when he was translating the Bible into German. He was so startled that he threw an inkwell at it.
19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, WHY COULD WE NOT CAST HIM OUT? 20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of YOUR UNBELIEF: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. 21 Howbeit THIS KIND GOETH NOT OUT BUT BY PRAYER AND FASTING. –Matthew 17:19-21 (KJV)–
I SAW THREE IMPURE SPIRITS THAT LOOKED LIKE FROGS; they came out of THE MOUTH of the dragon, out of THE MOUTH of the beast and out of THE MOUTH of the false prophet. –Revelation 16:13 (NIV)–
I SAW SATAN FALL LIKE LIGHTNING FROM HEAVEN. –Jesus in Luke 10:18 (NIV)–
The woman said unto Saul, I SAW GODS ASCENDING OUT OF THE EARTH. –The Witch of Endor in 1 Samuel 28:13 (KJV)–
RESIST THE DEVIL AND HE WILL FLEE FROM YOU. –James 4:7 (NIV)–
These signs will accompany those who believe: IN MY NAME THEY WILL DRIVE OUT DEMONS; they will speak in new tongues. –Jesus in Mark 16:17 (NIV)–
Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, DAVID WOULD TAKE UP HIS LYRE AND PLAY. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, AND THE EVIL SPIRIT WOULD LEAVE HIM. –1 Samuel 16:23 (NIV)–
17 Then Micaiah answered, “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, ‘These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’” 18 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?” 19 Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I SAW THE LORD sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left. 20 And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’ “One suggested this, and another that. 21 Finally, A SPIRIT CAME FORWARD, STOOD BEFORE THE LORD and said, ‘I will entice him.’ 22 “‘By what means?’ the Lord asked. “‘I will go out and be A DECEIVING SPIRIT IN THE MOUTHS of all his prophets,’ he said. “‘You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the Lord. ‘Go and do it.’ 23 “So now the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you.” –1 Kings 22:17-23 (NIV)–
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 THE TEMPTER came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” 7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to him, “AWAY FROM ME, SATAN! FOR IT IS WRITTEN: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” 11 Then THE DEVIL LEFT HIM, and angels came and attended him. –Matthew 4:1-11 (NIV)–
Satan himself may put on the appearance of an angel of LIGHT. –2 Corinthians 11:14 (Mace’s NT)–
His appearance was like LIGHTNING, and his clothes were white as snow. –Matthew 28:3 (NIV)–
He makes his angels WINDS and his ministers a flame of FIRE. –Hebrews 1:7 (ESV)–
To another discerning of spirits. –1 Corinthians 12:10 (KJV)–
6 One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” 8 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” 9 “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. 10 “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11 But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” 12 The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. –Job 1:6-12 (NIV)–
Certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, OUT OF whom went SEVEN DEVILS. –Luke 8:2 (KJV)–
Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. –Hebrews 3:12 (KJV)–
9 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. 10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in WITCHCRAFT, 11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will DRIVE OUT those nations before you. 13 You must be blameless before the Lord your God. –Deuteronomy 18:9-13 (NIV)–
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Athanasius, The Life of Antony (Paulist Press, 1979).
Gabriele Amorth, An Exorcist Tells His Story (Ignatius Press, 1999).
—. An Exorcist: More Stories (Ignatius Press, 2002).
Francis MacNutt, Deliverance from Evil Spirits (Chosen Books, 2009).
Herbert Thurston, Ghosts and Poltergeists (Burns Oates, 1953), “The Exorcism of Haunted Houses.”
John Wimber, Power Healing (HarperCollins, 1987), ch. 6: “Healing the Demonized.”
Let forth the hateful The murderous Let their malignant prayers resound The reverberant Odious request The wish of death abound So enticing The retaliation–chords of man The all deafening Oscillation of the damned
–Meshuggah, “Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion”–
I disagree with some of his semantics here, but agree with his general message. While there never will be a sixty-seventh book of the Bible ever added to the canon of Scripture–at the same time, the Holy Spirit continues to convict, encourage, comfort, and guide his people by experiences such as dreams, visions, voices, sensations, signs, and prophetic words from other Bible believers. But all such experiences are supposed to remain subordinate to the authority of godly elders using the Word of God to test the authenticity of such experiences. I personally believe it would be right to wrap together all such things into a general category called the “gift of prophecy” (1 Corinthians 12:10). –J.B.
The devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be TORMENTED DAY AND NIGHT FOR EVER AND EVER…And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. –Revelation 20:10, 15 (KJV)–
A fire is kindled in MINE ANGER, and shall BURN UNTO THE LOWEST HELL, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. –Deuteronomy 32:22 (KJV)–
Knowing therefore THE TERROR OF THE LORD, we persuade men. –2 Corinthians 5:11 (KJV)–
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Dr. John R. Rice, Hell: What the Bible Says About It (Sword of the Lord, 1945).
Charles G. Finney, “Doubtful Actions Are Sinful.” Then the Universalist. Where is one who can say he has not so much as a doubt whether there is not a hell, where sinners go after death into endless torment. He is bound to stop and inquire, and search the Scriptures. It is not enough for him to say he does not believe in a hell. It may be there is, and if he rejects it, and goes on reckless of the truth whether there is or not, that itself makes him a rebel against God. He doubts whether there is not a hell which he ought to avoid, and yet acts as if he was certain and had no doubts. He is condemned. I once knew a physician who was a Universalist, and who has gone to eternity to try the reality of his speculations. He once told me that he had strong doubts of the truth of Universalism, and had mentioned his doubts to his minister, who confessed that he, too, doubted its truth, and he did not believe there was a Universalist in the world who did not…The hypocrite is unwilling to be enlightened, he does not wish to know the truth, because he don’t wish to obey the Lord, and so he hides behind his doubts, and turns away his eye from the light, and will not look or examine to see what his duty is, and in this way he tries to shield himself from responsibility. But God will drag them out from behind this refuge of lies, by the principle laid down in the text, that their very doubts condemn them.
Guy Chevreau, Catch the Fire (HarperCollins, 1995). The whole book is about comparing the Holy Spirit outpouring at Jonathan Edwards’ church in Northampton, Massachusetts to the Toronto Blessing. Just before the poop hit the fan with New Age influences the following year. Endorsed by John Wimber.
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”–
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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)–
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).
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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).
Miguel de Molinos, author of The Spiritual Guide, and father of Quietism. He taught mental passivity, emotional stoicism, and self-annihilation. To mortify the flesh and allow the spirit to find its place in perfect contemplation on God. His anti-emotional teaching was condemned by the Catholic Church in 1687. The Spock-like expression in the painting is clear. You can almost hear him calmly say, “Don’t be angry, just look at the candle.”
Dr. John R. Rice, Why Preach Against Sin? (Sword of the Lord, 1985), p. 6. “I preached so hard against sin that some pastors of the city criticized me severely.”
And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? –Matthew 6:28-30 (KJV)–
Fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. –Matthew 10:28 (KJV)–
Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. –Matthew 26:36-39 (KJV)–
Gladly suffer to-day, for his name’s sake, whatsoever he permits this day to come upon thee. But look not at the sufferings of to-morrow. “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Evil it is, speaking after the manner of men; whether it be reproach or want, pain or sickness; but in the language of God, all is blessing: It is a precious balm, prepared by the wisdom of God, and variously dispensed among his children, according to the various sicknesses of their souls. And he gives in one day, sufficient for that day; proportioned to the want and strength of the patient. If, therefore, thou snatchest to-day what belongs to the morrow; if thou addest this to what is given thee already, it will be more than thou canst bear: This is the way not to heal, but to destroy thy own soul. Take, therefore, just as much as he gives thee to-day: To-day, do and suffer his will! To-day, give up thyself, thy body, soul, and spirit to God, through Christ Jesus; desiring nothing, but that God may be glorified in all thou art, all thou doest, all thou sufferest; seeking nothing, but to know God, and his Son Jesus Christ, through the eternal Spirit; pursuing nothing, but to love him, to serve him, and to enjoy him at this hour, and to all eternity! –John Wesley
Thomas C. Oden, John Wesley’s Scriptural Christianity (Zondervan, 1994), p. 111.
Basil Miller, George Muller: Man of Faith and Miracles (Dimension Books, 1972). Read this if you want to understand how financial miracles can happen for God-fearing people.
Ray Comfort, Overcoming Panic Attacks (Bridge-Logos, 2005).
WesleyGospel Ministries 