WesleyGospel Ministries

GOOD PREACHING.

The overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil.
–1 Timothy 3:2-6 (NIV)–

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Wesleyan denominations that teach the second and third uses of God’s law after justification, in other words, gradual imperfect obedience to the moral law for sanctification–the Free Methodist Church, the Church of the Nazarene, the Wesleyan Church, Church of God (Anderson), and Church of God (Cleveland) which is Pentecostal; and when it comes to Calvinist denominations–the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC), the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), the United Reformed Churches (URCNA), and the Confessional Baptist Association (CBA).

Ronald Enroth, Churches That Abuse (Zondervan, 1992).

Dr. Thomas C. Oden, Pastoral Theology: Essentials of Ministry (HarperOne, 1983).

—. John Wesley’s Teachings, Volume 3, Pastoral Theology (Zondervan, 2012).

Stanley Gundry, ed. Five Views on Law and Gospel (Zondervan, 1996).

Thomas Watson, The Ten Commandments (Banner of Truth, 1965).

Dr. John Gerstner, Jonathan Edwards: A Mini-Theology (Tyndale, 1987).

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

Mark Jones, Antinomianism: Reformed Theology’s Unwelcome Guest? (P&R, 2013).

John Fletcher, Checks to Antinomianism (Beacon Hill Press, 1948).

Many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.
–Acts 19:18-20 (ESV)–

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I HAVE THE DEEPEST RESPECT EVEN FOR PAGAN MYTHS,
STILL MORE FOR MYTHS IN THE HOLY SCRIPTURE.
–C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, p. 66–

I CANNOT GIVE PEDERASTY (PEDOPHILIA) 
ANYTHING LIKE A FIRST PLACE AMONG THE EVILS…
I THINK THAT OF VERY LITTLE RELEVANCE TO MORAL JUDGMENT.
–C. S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy, p. 109–

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Wilson, Weldon, and Martin have great Bible-based material that clearly show the real life occult influences in the area of modern day witch cults. However, only Harry Potter is condemned by Martin. Both books teach that Narnia and Lord of the Rings are spiritually safe, because of the presence of Christian allegories in them. I personally believe this was a blind spot on their part, because the heroes of these books and movies are still using occult power to fight their enemies. However, both of them clearly condemned the Force in Star Wars to be none other than New Age pantheism. Figure that out! Truth be told–all of these fantasy stories are influenced by occult concepts; and should be avoided by Bible believers. But in terms of the blatant and obvious use of a hero’s occult power as a means of fighting his enemies–in terms of actual occult clarity in these stories–I suppose I would rank them like this: 1. Harry Potter. 2. The Lord of the Rings. 3. The Chronicles of Narnia. 4. Star Wars. I’d say that the first three should make a Christian seriously ask questions; and drive you to your Bible about whether or not they are sinful in the eyes of God; but I’d say that number 4 leans more towards the area of personal conscience. This isn’t me saying that I think the Bible supports Star Wars–its me saying that the vagueness of Star Wars’ spirituality really is so vague and general–that I don’t think it would lead kids to join up with some witch cult at the local school. But Harry Potter on the other hand, should be considered at the extreme opposite end of the occult spectrum, because so much of it actually reflects real life cults like Wicca and Satanism. 1 Samuel 15:23: “Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee.” If this verse hits home; if you think that one of your little ones could be seduced into some witchy group at school, and that any of these movies are playing a role at influencing this rebellious anti-Christian behavior, then it should be a no brainer for parents: throw it out!

William Perkins, A Discourse of the Damned Art of Witchcraft (Cambridge, 1610).

Clifford Wilson and John Weldon, Occult Shock and Psychic Forces (Master Books, 1980).

Walter Martin, The Kingdom of the Occult (Thomas Nelson, 2008).

Harry Potter: Witchcraft Repackaged (Jeremiah Films, 2001).

The Nervous Witch (Chick Publications, 2001).

Discover the Secret Behind the New Age (Good Fight Ministries, n.d.).

Breaking the Spell (Good Fight Ministries, n.d.).

Halloween: Trick or Treat? (Good Fight Ministries, n.d.).

Kathryn Ann Lindskoog, C. S. Lewis: Mere Christian (Regal Books, 1973).

David Cloud, C. S. Lewis and Evangelicals Today (Way of Life Literature, 2000).

—. “Tolkien and the Lord of the Rings” (Way of Life Literature, 2005).

John Allen Jr., “Exorcism and Harry Potter” (National Catholic Reporter, 2006).

Dr. Elizabeth Heilman, ed. Critical Perspectives on Harry Potter (Routledge, 2009).

Dr. Paul Elliott, “C. S. Lewis: The Most Reluctant Convert — But to What?”

Discovery Institute, “C. S. Lewis: Not On Our Side Exposed As a Heretic and Occultist.”

Stephen Dollins, “The Occult In Your Living Room.”

North American Anglican, “The Salvation Theology of C. S. Lewis.” “It is not possible to ignore the urgency and necessity of George MacDonald and his universalist ideas in the development of C. S. Lewis’ theology. While it did not force Lewis into a total belief in universalism, it is certainly the case that it broadened Lewis’ theology of salvation, to the point that it differs considerably from orthodox, traditional beliefs within both Protestantism and the Roman Catholic Church. It is likely, as can be seen in The Great Divorce, that Lewis leaves open the possibility of universal salvation, limited only by our own innate ability to deny God, even in death. This results in a reality that renders the possibility of universalism unlikely, even within Lewis’ expansive theology of salvation. We must again acknowledge his fairly unorthodox belief that other religions contain truth that points back to God. This is a very large leap of faith on Lewis’ part because it flies in the face of many accepted and traditional beliefs within the universal church. Again, however, in choosing to argue for this possibility, Lewis is ultimately arguing for the supreme sovereignty of God to act in any way God deems fit. Lewis does not outright reject the idea of universalism. Instead, Lewis makes provides explicit and detailed examples that together show salvation, while not being universal, is much broader, merciful and understanding than the church has often taught.”

DANG.

Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness
of the flesh and spirit,
perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
–2 Corinthians 7:1 (KJV)–

¹⁶ But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. ¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴ And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
–Galatians 5:16-26 (ESV)–

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It is nothing more nor less than that habitual disposition of the soul which, in sacred writings, is termed holiness; and which directly implies, the being cleansed from sin, “from all filthiness both of flesh and spirit,” and by consequences, the being endued with those virtues which were also in Christ Jesus; the being so “renewed in the spirit of our mind,” as to be “perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect…” Perfection in the sense of infallibility does not exist on
the face of the earth.*
–John Wesley–

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* Leonard Lovett, in Aspects of Pentecostal-Charismatic Origins (Logos, 1975), p. 128. This is said to be a direct quote from John Wesley, but it appears to be a mixture of things he said on the nature of Christian perfection–which we might call the addiction breaking stage of sanctification. Lovett cites the following as the source of this quote: Thomas Jackson, ed. The Works of John Wesley (Zondervan, 1959): XI, p. 394. The quote is also referred to in William Cannon’s The Theology of John Wesley (Abingdon, 1946), p. 241. It seems to be based on Wesley’s sermon “The Circumcision of the Heart,” 1.1 and A Plain Account of Christian Perfection (Lane and Sandford, 1844), p. 55, where he said, “It does not make a man infallible; none is infallible while he remains in the body.” Last but not least, the quote above is filled with King James Bible verses without the proof texts: 2 Corinthians 7:1, Ephesians 4:23, and Matthew 5:48.