WesleyGospel Ministries

Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock. –1 Peter 5:3 (KJV)

Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived. –Job 3:3 (KJV)

To be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. –Romans 8:6 (KJV)

I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? –1 Corinthians 3:1-3 (KJV)

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. –Matthew 7:15 (KJV)

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. –1 John 4:1 (KJV)

Such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. –2 Corinthians 11:13-15 (KJV)

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” –Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV)

When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.” –Acts 8:18-23 (NIV)

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Thomas C. Oden, John Wesley’s Scriptural Christianity.

—. John Wesley’s Teachings. (perhaps Thomas C. Oden is represented by the Thomas the Tank Engine vision)

Harald Lindstrom, Wesley and Sanctification.

Kenneth J. Collins, Wesley on Salvation.

Daniel Jennings, ed. The Supernatural Occurrences of John Wesley.

Henry Rack, Reasonable Enthusiast, pp. 420-436.

Frank Billman, The Supernatural Thread in Methodism.

Robert Tuttle, Mysticism in the Wesleyan Tradition.

The Works of John Wesley (Baker Books, 3rd ed).

John Hayward’s The Horrors and Terrors of the Hour of Death (1690) – click for text.

Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God. –Leviticus 19:21 (KJV)

There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord. –Deuteronomy 18:10-12 (KJV)

Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. –1 Samuel 15:23 (KJV)

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. –Galatians 5:19-21 (KJV)

Many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. –Acts 19:19 (NKJV)

The fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone. –Revelation 21:8 (KJV)

Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. –Revelation 22:14-15 (KJV)

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Walter Martin, The Kingdom of the Occult.

Heinrich Kramer, Malleus Maleficarum.

Cotton Mather, The Wonders of the Invisible World.

Richard Baxter, The Certainty of the Worlds of Spirits.

Herbert Thurston, The Physical Phenomena of Mysticism, ch. 1.

Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. –1 Timothy 6:9-10

Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. –Jeremiah 6:16 (KJV)

And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it. –Isaiah 30:21 (KJV)

His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said…I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes…The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters. The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers. –Job 2:9-10; 42:6, 12-15

“I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” –Matthew 19:24-26

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WesleyGospel, Biblical Economics.

William Mathews, Getting On in the World.

Larry Burkett, The Word on Finances.

Richard Steele, The Religious Tradesman.

Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls. –Hebrews 13:17 (KJV)

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Crossway, “The Crisis Facing Our Pastors.”

Desiring God, “The New Pastor’s Library: My Ten Favorite Books for Ministry.”

C. H. Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students. Zondervan, 1979.

Richard Baxter, The Reformed Pastor. The Banner of Truth Trust, 1974.

Thomas C. Oden, Pastoral Theology. HarperOne, 1983.

—. Classical Pastoral Care. 3 vols. Baker Academic, 2000.

—. Care of Souls in the Classic Tradition. Fortress Press, 1984.

—. John Wesley’s Teachings, Volume 3: Pastoral Theology. Zondervan Academic, 2013. 

John R. Rice, Evolution or the Bible: Which? Sword of the Lord, 1963.

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

A Man Called Peter. 20th Century Fox, 1955.

When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.   –Luke 17:10 (KJV)

I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. –Romans 12:3 (KJV)

We cannot by our best works merit pardon of sin, or eternal life at the hand of God, by reason of the great disproportion that is between them and the glory to come; and the infinite distance that is between us and God, whom, by them, we can neither profit, nor satisfy for the debt of our former sins, but when we have done all we can, we have done but our duty, and are unprofitable servants: and because, as they are good, they proceed from His Spirit, and as they are wrought by us, they are defiled, and mixed with so much weakness and imperfection, that they cannot endure the severity of God’s judgment.   –Westminster Confession of Faith, ch. 16.5: “Of Good Works”

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It shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. –Acts 2:17 (KJV)

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? –Romans 6:1-2 (KJV)

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Jack Deere, Why I Am Still Surprised by the Power of the Spirit. Zondervan, 2020.

Mark Jones, Antinomianism. P&R Publishing, 2013.

Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.   –Titus 1:9 (KJV)

I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.   –1 Corinthians 5:11 (KJV)

Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.  –1 Corinthians 14:1 (KJV)

Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.  –1 Timothy 1:19-20 (KJV)

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Dr. Jack Deere, Why I Am Still Surprised by the Power of the Spirit. Zondervan, 2020.

—, Why I Am Still Surprised by the Voice of God. Zondervan, 2022.

Dr. Sam Storms, Understanding Spiritual Gifts. Zondervan, 2020.

Robert Graves, ed. Strangers to Fire. (596 pages; refutes cessationist texts).

Dan Corner, The Believer’s Conditional Security. (801 pages; refutes OSAS texts).

The Shunning (Hallmark movie, 2011). An Amish girl gets shunned by her family and church, because she gets into acoustic rock music and wants to wear normal clothes. Baptists are distantly but spiritually related to the Amish and Mennonites.

Charles Spurgeon, “The Danger of Carnal Security.”

Regular Baptist Ministries, “Shunning.” There is absolutely no Biblical support for IFB people to shun Pentecostals, either 1. for the cause of upholding cessationism (deism and unbelief, 1 Corinthians 14:1), or 2. for the cause of eternal security (usually with a no-lordship cheap grace and antinomian idea, 1 Timothy 1:19-20). But it seems that these are still the two main reasons why IFB people shun Pentecostals. They conclude that its all supported by Romans 16:17 (KJV): “I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.” But again this doesn’t stand up to contextual Bible interpretation: “For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple” (Romans 16:18). In other words, the Bible teaches here exactly what it teaches in 1 Corinthians 5:11: that antinomian preachers with morally lax attitudes are the ones who are supposed to be shunned. There’s absolutely no support in Romans 16:17 for a Baptist to shun a charismatic or a person who believes you can lose your salvation if you stop walking in the Spirit. That’s really bad hermeneutics and just plain rudeness and intolerance to other members of the true body of Christ: especially if you have reason to believe that those charismatics are godly people. Shunning godly people who have different theological views than you: not Biblical at all.

S. Hassan, “Shunning: The Trauma of Being Cut Off,” Psychology Today.