- Dec 31, 2010
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Back in the Methodist days of the 1800's here in the Southeast US they had three stages of service...
1. Worship
2. Preaching
3. After
During the after service people were invited to the altar to prayer. As there was no TV in those days and things were in a rural environment our entertainment was in the after service. An example story was written in the mid-1800's by a George Clark Rankin on these services...
http://www.christianityboard.com/topic/18564-the-life-of-george-clark-rankin/
Back in those days, as given in the story above, there were two classes of experience...
Those not religious - Maybe saved, but not emotionally affected
Those religious - Saved and emotionally affected
In which the old timers would stress folks to remain around the altar until they had received the pearl of great price. There was a story about a farmer man seeking this experience. One day while trying to plow straight wind rows his horse veers off course and he begins to beat the horse. His wife then yells out the door, "Not yet honey! Not yet!" When you get religion the old Wesleyan way the first person to know about it will be the family pets. Instead of kicking them you will rub them and show a little love.
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. - Matthew 19:24
This experience can be tough for most to get. And if I can explain
The true spiritual light and energies - faith, hope, charity, love, warmth, motivation, gentleness, goodness and etc...
Spiritual darkness darkness and emptiness - The opposite of light and energy - fear, despair, hate, laziness, etc.
There is a third form of spiritual energy, which stems from the hatred, flesh, and ego that has its origins in the satanic fall so many eons ago. To experience the true light and energies, or to go through the eye of the needle, one must leave the ego behind.
Over the years this Wesleyan doctrine has cascaded down different denominations. Our Pentecostal Holiness church held this as three...
1. Saved - Simply acknowledging Jesus
2. Sanctified - With the sweet spirit
3. Baptism in the Holy Ghost - Some may get it with tongues
I believe once someone gets sanctified the Wesleyan way the Baptism is not far away. Our Pentecostal Holiness church would simply let the people get the Holy Ghost in their own way. Some would shake, some would weep, some would shout, some would speak in tongues, some would interpret. But none of the experiences were exactly the same.
Once someone got religion in this way, they were every time free from the fleshly bondage's and ego. They had a sweet spirit and Christ came shinning through. As our area in Virginia lies between the North Carolina Mayberry and the Virginian Walton's mountain, our folk were like people out of the Walton/Mayberry show. I can remember after a revival services lying in bed listening to the kady-dids sing. Or sitting on the front porch listening to the Virginians fellowship. All accompanied with a rich spiritual virtue.
So the Wesleyan cure all is to 'get religion' around the altar. When this was effectively done one need not emphasize bible study, the Holy Spirit himself will direct the professor down those paths.
1. Worship
2. Preaching
3. After
During the after service people were invited to the altar to prayer. As there was no TV in those days and things were in a rural environment our entertainment was in the after service. An example story was written in the mid-1800's by a George Clark Rankin on these services...
http://www.christianityboard.com/topic/18564-the-life-of-george-clark-rankin/
Back in those days, as given in the story above, there were two classes of experience...
Those not religious - Maybe saved, but not emotionally affected
Those religious - Saved and emotionally affected
In which the old timers would stress folks to remain around the altar until they had received the pearl of great price. There was a story about a farmer man seeking this experience. One day while trying to plow straight wind rows his horse veers off course and he begins to beat the horse. His wife then yells out the door, "Not yet honey! Not yet!" When you get religion the old Wesleyan way the first person to know about it will be the family pets. Instead of kicking them you will rub them and show a little love.
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. - Matthew 19:24
This experience can be tough for most to get. And if I can explain
The true spiritual light and energies - faith, hope, charity, love, warmth, motivation, gentleness, goodness and etc...
Spiritual darkness darkness and emptiness - The opposite of light and energy - fear, despair, hate, laziness, etc.
There is a third form of spiritual energy, which stems from the hatred, flesh, and ego that has its origins in the satanic fall so many eons ago. To experience the true light and energies, or to go through the eye of the needle, one must leave the ego behind.
Over the years this Wesleyan doctrine has cascaded down different denominations. Our Pentecostal Holiness church held this as three...
1. Saved - Simply acknowledging Jesus
2. Sanctified - With the sweet spirit
3. Baptism in the Holy Ghost - Some may get it with tongues
I believe once someone gets sanctified the Wesleyan way the Baptism is not far away. Our Pentecostal Holiness church would simply let the people get the Holy Ghost in their own way. Some would shake, some would weep, some would shout, some would speak in tongues, some would interpret. But none of the experiences were exactly the same.
Once someone got religion in this way, they were every time free from the fleshly bondage's and ego. They had a sweet spirit and Christ came shinning through. As our area in Virginia lies between the North Carolina Mayberry and the Virginian Walton's mountain, our folk were like people out of the Walton/Mayberry show. I can remember after a revival services lying in bed listening to the kady-dids sing. Or sitting on the front porch listening to the Virginians fellowship. All accompanied with a rich spiritual virtue.
So the Wesleyan cure all is to 'get religion' around the altar. When this was effectively done one need not emphasize bible study, the Holy Spirit himself will direct the professor down those paths.
