Dr Paul Allen

"I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God , which is in Christ Jesus our Lord ." ( Romans 8:38-39 ) Charles Wesley wove into his lyrics the very words and thoughts of Scripture. Such it is with the deeply moving hymn "Jesus, Lover of My Soul." Jesus lover of my soul, Let me to thy bosom fly While the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high. Hide me O my Savior hide, Till the storm of life is past, Safe into thy harbor guide, oh receive my soul at last. "Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved" ( John 13:23 ). How often do we lean on Jesus' bosom, and partake of that intimate agape love ? There we find safety both in this life and the life to come, for Jesus Himself "is in the bosom of the Father ...

English: Charles Wesley (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Sometimes people ask authors, "Which of your books is your favorite?" The first time the question is asked, the response is likely to be "I am not sure; I have never really thought about it." But forced to think about it, my own standard response has become, "I am not sure what my favorite book is; but my favorite title is  A Heart for God ." I am rarely asked, "Why?" but (in case you ask) the title simply expresses what I want to be: a Christian with a heart for God. Perhaps that is in part a reflection of the fact that we sit on the shoulders of the giants of the past. Think of John Calvin 's seal and motto: a heart held out in the palm of a hand and the words "I offer my heart to you, Lord, readily and sincerely." Or consider Charles Wesley's hymn:  O for a heart to praise my God! A heart from sin set free. Some hymnbooks don't include Wesley's hymn, pres...

Charles Wesley’s hymn “And Can It Be” (1738) is one of the greatest hymns of all time. It’s a powerful proclamation of the good news of the Gospel , and full of amazing images of the freedom that Jesus purchased for us on the cross. s. Related articles Wesley's Chapel, the Museum of Methodism, and Me (aprilyamasaki.com) Moravian Musical Influence (haskerj.wordpress.com) The History of Christianity in 25 Objects: Olney Hymns (challies.com) A Thousand Tongues (thehaynesblog.com) Sunday, January 26, 2014 (musicatwesley.wordpress.com) John Meunier on Charles Wesley's "Let Us Plead for Faith Alone." (tbolto.wordpress.com) The heart of Methodism in 16 lines (johnmeunier.wordpress.com) Sunday, December 29, 2013 (musicatwesley.wordpress.com) Amazing love! (theonegaz.wordpress.com)

Christians have a long history of disagreeing with each other over doctrine. There is nothing new about that. Sometimes that disagreement can get quite heated. So for example, in the time when Wesley and Whitefield were arguing over  Calvinism , Charles Wesley wrote a shameful hymn called “ The Horrible Decree ” which says of Calvinism: O HORRIBLE DECREE Worthy of whence it came! Forgive their hellish blasphemy And much more besides. As I concluded my  post responding to MacArthur’s first session , such violent disagreements do dishonor to the one who saved us, and who prayed that we might be one. I was saddened then by the hubris and the grandstanding, and even by the predictable confusion about exactly what happened  when Mark Driscoll turned up  (in a moment of high emotion its easy for people to get conflicting impressions of what transpired, see also  this article ). Since I reported that MacArthur  accused the Charismatic Movement...

English: Charles Wesley (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Is your all-time favorite Christmas carol is Charles Wesley's , Hark! the Herald Angels Sing ?  I trust you will see why as we move through its stanzas and consider its message. While you may be used to the three-stanza version found in most hymnals (e.g., Psalter Hymnal #339; Trinity Hymnal #203), I will use a five-stanza version my congregation sings every Christmas Eve at our service of lessons and carols. The fact of the Incarnation of the Son of God is for us a powerful invitation to worship him. This is what the first stanza is all about. The angels sing, "Hark! The herald angels sing, glory to the newborn King; peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!" Because of their cry, we are invited to echo back: "Joyful, all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies; with th'angelic host proclaim, Christ is born in Bethlehem!" The second stanza is a meditation on why the a...

Image via Wikipedia "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." ( Isaiah 26:3 ) The touching stanzas of the old hymn "Jesus, Lover of My Soul" reveal Charles Wesley's response of love to Christ 's gracious love. Verse three seems to reflect the walk of a believer who desires a full and fruitful oneness with Christ. Thou, O Christ, art all I want; more than all in thee I find; Raise the fallen, cheer the faint, Heal the sick, and lead the blind Just and holy is Thy name; I am all unrighteousness, False and full of sin I am; Thou art full of truth and grace. Paul's prayer for his growing converts was "that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God " ( Ephesians 3:17-19 ). He stated his ow...