WesleyGospel Ministries

The Christ that Adolf Harnack sees, looking back through nineteen centuries of Catholic darkness, is only the reflection of a liberal Protestant face, seen at the bottom of a deep well. –George Tyrell

If an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”   –1 Corinthians 14:24-25 (NIV)

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Grace to You, “The Illuminating Role of the Holy Spirit (John 14:24-26).”

I felt the presence of God come on me lightly a few times, while I sat in my chair and contemplated God, and this was playing. I really like the “Holy Is the Lord” song at 11:36.

It came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him. –2 Kings 3:15 (KJV)

David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him. –1 Samuel 16:23 (KJV); cp. Luke 11:20

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)

In thy presence is fullness of joy. –Psalm 16:11 (KJV)

Come before his presence with singing. –Psalm 100:2 (KJV)

Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost…ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you. –Acts 1:5, 8 (KJV)

Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the Scriptures? –Luke 24:32 (KJV)

The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. –Romans 5:5 (KJV)

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. –Romans 8:16 (KJV)

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Whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. –Matthew 12:32 (KJV)

Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God. –Matthew 22:29 (KJV)

Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. –Acts 7:51 (KJV)

I’ve never felt the presence of God. –Dr. John MacArthur

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Grace to You, “The Promise of the Holy Spirit, Part 2 (John 14:15-24).”

P. C. Nelson, Bible Doctrines, ch. 7.

Ronald Kydd, Charismatic Gifts in the Early Church. Hendrickson Publishers, 1984.

Harold Horton, The Gifts of the Spirit. Gospel Publishing House, 1975.

Don Basham, A Handbook on Holy Spirit Baptism.

Robert Graves, ed, Strangers to Fire: When Tradition Trumps Scripture.

Cecil Robeck, ed. Charismatic Experiences in History. Hendrickson Publishers, 1985.

LaMar Boschman, A Passion for His Presence.

Exploring the Worship Spectrum, “Charismatic Worship.”

Augustin Poulain, The Graces of Interior Prayer (1910), ch. 5: “God’s Presence Felt.”

Based on this portion, it seems that John MacArthur believes the Holy Spirit is an influence on the Christian’s mind as he studies the Bible. It is also a moral energy to resist temptation. While he claims that the Holy Spirit is the living presence of Christ dwelling within the believer, the teaching is so brief and cursory as to be described by nothing but a few adjectives along the way (e.g., indwelt, led, filled, enabled, gifted, taught, illuminated by the Spirit). One is left with the impression that, because he rejects all charismatic experiences, his view of the Holy Spirit is only one based on trusting what the Bible says about its influence on the Christian’s mind in Bible study. There is no real presence of Jesus known by a felt experience: this is all something that has to be taken on faith as a Bible teaching, and logged away as yet another Bible fact: that we can all make the logical inference the Holy Spirit helps us to study the Bible and resist temptations. But there’s nothing supernatural going on here. He’s probably just taking his own mind and sense of right and wrong; and then humanistically calling that the Holy Spirit. So here we have nothing more than a deistic view of the Holy Spirit: he’s there because the Bible says, but not because he speaks, intervenes, or his presence is felt in any tangible way. MacArthur says, “The Spirit of God is still indwelling you even if all the good qualities just mentioned are not now present in your life. You may not sense the Spirit’s presence or feel like following His guidance every moment, but his presence is dependent on God’s promises, not our feelings” (The Silent Shepherd, pp. 112-113). So apparently he does believe that Christians can have moments when they “sense the Spirit’s presence,” and so that means something. But then shortly he denies the need for feelings of God’s Spirit and confidently asserts that our belief in the Holy Spirit should depend on “God’s promises,” in other words, what Jesus promised the Church about the indwelling of the Spirit in John 14. So Baptists and Presbyterians and non-charismatics are just left to trust what the Bible says: that Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit even though they practically never feel his presence at all. Their experience will reflect what they are taught. If people are taught to have faith to feel the presence of God, then the Holy Spirit will honor that faith. But if people are taught unbelief towards the presence of God, then the Holy Spirit will not honor such unbelief. Matthew 9:29 (KJV): “According to your faith be it unto you.”

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Grace to You, “The Promise of the Holy Spirit, Part 1 (John 14:15-19).”

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”–

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John Hayward’s Hell’s Everlasting Flames Avoided (1696) – click for text.

Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  –Romans 5:1 (KJV)

Being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.  –Romans 5:9 (KJV)

That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.   –Romans 8:4 (KJV)

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.  –Romans 8:16 (KJV)

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WesleyGospel, 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. Listen to the audio here.

Adam Clarke, Christian Theology (Schmul), 1990.

Harald Lindstrom, Wesley and Sanctification (Zondervan), 1998.

Kenneth J. Collins, Wesley on Salvation (Zondervan), 1989.

P. C. Nelson, Bible Doctrines (Gospel Publishing House), chs. 4-9, 15.

E. S. Williams, Systematic Theology (GPH), vol. 2.

Myer Pearlman, Knowing the Doctrines of the Bible (GPH), pp. 219-280.

French Arrington, Christian Doctrine (Pathway Press), vol. 2, chs. 9-13.

Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, chs. 27-43. Grudem is a charismatic Calvinist. He holds to the Wesleyan teaching on the witness of the Spirit which is great (Rom. 8:16). But I differ with him about his eternal security view (Heb. 6:4-6; 10:26-31; 1 Tim. 1:19-20).

The natural man doth not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for to him they are foolishness, and he is not able to know them, because spiritually they are discerned. –1 Corinthians 2:14 (YLT)

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.  –Romans 8:16 (KJV)

Faith is the power to see into the world of spirits, into things invisible and eternal.   –John Wesley

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Thomas C. Oden, John Wesley’s Scriptural Christianity (Zondervan), pp. 118-120.

Ronald Kydd, Charismatic Gifts in the Early Church. Hendrickson Publishers, 1984.

Harold Horton, The Gifts of the Spirit. Gospel Publishing House, 1975.

Robert Graves, ed, Strangers to Fire: When Tradition Trumps Scripture.

Cecil Robeck, ed. Charismatic Experiences in History. Hendrickson Publishers, 1985.

Jeff Doles, Miracles and Manifestations, ch. 2.