Guarding His Flock Ministries

A Serial Book Review & Theological Interaction: Part 5
Review of Chapter 4: Recovering Our Spiritual Inheritance by Bill Johnson [1]

“God is glorified by not speaking in plain language to you. He’s glorified by speaking in parables, symbols and dark sayings.” (TPOH, 31)
–Bill Johnson

Though this chapter does not fit The Physics of Heaven’s exploration of the ways quantum science can energize the Christian faith (i.e., tap into Pentecostal power by harnessing the universe’s quantum “sounds, vibrations, or frequencies”), the authors decided to include Bill Johnson’s teaching “on recovering our spiritual inheritance . . . because there are whole realms of insights that belong to the people of God we’ve failed to explore and, therefore, haven’t been leaving as a legacy for future generations.” (TPOH, 29) If today’s indifferent Church fails to move forward by reclaiming “lost ‘God truths’,” “a vacuum forms that the enemy fills” and “future generations of Christians” will loose the inheritance this generation should have left to them. [2] (TPOH, 29) In developing this theme, Johnson employs the word “inheritance(s)” and “generation(s)” numerous times. [3] The chapter’s title, “Recovering Our Spiritual Inheritance,” suggests that there’s an inheritance out there to be recovered, reclaimed and bequeathed to future generations. “It’s time to start constructing . . . a hundred-year vision,” he says later. (TPOH, 37) So what does Johnson mean by the “legacy” he wants this generation to reclaim and pass on to future generations of Christians?

The Inheritance—“Hidden Things”
The inheritance has to do with “anointings, mantles, revelations and mysteries that have lain unclaimed . . . because the generation that walked in them never passed them on.”  (TPOH, 30-31) Along with other of the book’s contributors, Johnson believes they possess the potential and possibility “to recover realms of anointing, realms of insight, realms of God that have been untended for decades . . . and perpetuate them [in what he calls a “domino effect”] for future generations.” (TPOH, 31) He believes that “there are realms opening up right now to people because they realize their destiny . . . that God has ordained and given them access to hidden things” [Ed. hidden means occult]. (TPOH, 32) To buttress his hand-me-down theory, Johnson quotes Deuteronomy 29:29 (italics in the NKJV translation, emphasis added), [4]

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. (TPOH, 31)

Extracting the word “secret” from this verse, Johnson then leapfrogs to the Gospel of Luke (though he fails to cite the verse’s location) to connect Moses’ statement to one Jesus made to His disciples when He told them (Johnson rewords Luke 8:10), “It’s the Father’s good pleasure to give you the secrets [Greek, musterion, “mysteries”] of the Kingdom.” From this verse Johnson observes that, “Jesus taught in parables, not to reveal truth, but to hide truth.” (TPOH, 31) Then he gave this stunning opinion embracing esotericism (that only a limited number of initiates can comprehend meanings):

Truth is not hidden from you; it’s hidden for you. . . . God is glorified by not speaking in plain language to you. He’s glorified by speaking in parables, symbols and dark sayings. (Emphases added, TPOH, 31)

Seekers of the Secrets
According to Johnson, it thus becomes the responsibility of the “royal priesthood”—the king’s kids—to realize they have “legal access” to explore and unlock the secrets (the parables, symbols and dark sayings) and leave the things they discover as an inheritance for future generations. [5] (TPOH, 31) So “trip out” into the mysteries all ye seekers, and delve into the “realms of science, of politics, of business, of creativity in the arts” to discover God’s secrets. From these realms this generation will discover a legacy to hand down to future generations because Jesus told Johnson, “The things that are revealed are for you and your children forever.” (TPOH, 32) A legacy then “enables us to start our Christian life at spiritual levels that might have taken us years to reach. Another generation’s ‘ceiling’ in God can become our spiritual ‘floor’.” (TPOH, 30) What exactly constitutes an inheritance is vague, but in addition to personal revelations from God, may involve recovering the experiences of “mystics” and “revivalists” that in past centuries “broke into realms of the Spirit to leave something . . . .” (TPOH, 38) But regardless of the past, Johnson says, “We’ve never seen the accelerated spiritual growth that comes from inheritance. We’ve never fully seen what a spiritual ‘jump start’ can mean to the next generation.” (TPOH, 30)

But before addressing other issues raised in this chapter, Johnson’s twisting of Scripture ought to be noted. Bill Johnson’s mixing of words Moses spoke to Israel in Deuteronomy 29:29 and those spoken by Jesus to His disciples in Luke 8:9 serve to illustrate the author’s misuse of Scripture.
Read the rest of this entry
»

A Serial Book Review & Theological Interaction: Part 4
Review of Chapter 3: Vibrating in Harmony With God by Bob Jones [1]

“Both men and women are being given authority of badges and there are six things they have ‘blank checks’ to do: healing, holy confiscation, prayer, petitioning, teaching, and ushering in prosperity.”
—Bob Jones (TPOH, 22)

Introduction
Authors Judy Franklin and Ellyn Davis have constructed this chapter from material garnered from interviews with Bob Jones (1930-2014), one of the Kansas City Prophets who, in association with the Olathe Worship Center of Kansas City’s Metro Vineyard Fellowship, rose to prophetic prominence during the 1980s. It is this reviewer’s intent to critique the prophetic words and thoughts of Bob Jones (not to be confused with the Bob Jones of Bob Jones University) as they appear in this chapter of The Physics of Heaven. During a lifetime of ministry, first within the Vineyard Movement and later independently, Bob Jones is credited to have been one of the most visionary of the Kansas City Prophets. [2]  As indicated by the inclusion of the selected interviews with him in this book, his influence presumably remains worldwide. So we begin with “the coming sound” predicted by the prophet and the prophetic scenario it portends.

A New Pentecost is Coming
Heaven is Vibrating—Power Up!
The opening of the chapter states the prophet’s thesis, and it is that, “God is beginning to ‘breathe’ on His people again to prepare us for a second Pentecost that ‘tunes’ us and brings us into harmony with God.” (TPOH, 21) A later statement from Bob Jones further clarifies that,

We haven’t received Pentecost yet. We received a token 110 years ago [the Azusa Street Revival, 1906-1913]. But we didn’t get the main. We’re preparing for the main Pentecost and millennial power, our priesthood power. We’re being prepared for the priesthood of Melchizedek, and not only to be holy priests but also kings—living stones united together, vibrating together. (TPOH, 25)

So two Pentecosts have passed; the first recorded in Acts chapter 2, and then one that descended from heaven at a “portal” located at Azusa Street in Los Angeles during the years 1906-1913. But neither are considered to be “the main” Pentecost which is yet, perhaps soon, to come. [3] According to Jones, a fuller and more powerful Pentecost is ready to overpower earth. Heaven is vibrating and correspondingly charismatic Christians are vibrating, and the mutual shaking indicates that God is about to dispense a new sound to earth (like the sound and shudders of the tracks and ground when a train approaches in the distance). As exhibited by “signs and wonders” happening within the New Apostolic Reformation, even now, as a later chapter puts it, there’s a Whole Lotta Shaking Going On. (TPOH, 147) God is getting ready to “breathe” the Pentecostal fullness of His ruach (Hebrew for spirit) upon Christians, and the breath of it will smell “like apples.” [4] (TPOH, 23) But the shaking (think of a salt shaker) is about to become worldwide as a greater-than-Pentecost experience is about to descend and be distributed through a network of 328 geographical “portals” between heaven and earth. The portals, funnels or doors number twenty-eight in the New Testament in addition to three-hundred in the Old. So Christians, be on the alert. There’s another more powerful Pentecost vibrating in heaven and the sound of it is about to be jettisoned through various “wormholes” (or shortcuts through space-time) to earth.
Read the rest of this entry
»

A Serial Book Review & Theological Interaction: Part 3
Review of Chapter 2: Extracting the Precious From the Worthless by Ellyn Davis [1]

“Therefore, thus says the Lord, / ‘If you return, then I will restore you— / Before Me you will stand; /And if you extract the precious from the worthless, / You will become My spokesman. / They for their part may turn to you, But as for you, you must not turn to them’.” Emphasis added, Jeremiah 15:19 [2]

Introduction
Seeking
In their searching for spiritual truth, Ellyn Davis proposes that Christians engage New Age Religion (NAR) to seek for and take back truths which originally belonged to citizens of the Kingdom of God. (TPOH, 15) In that counterfeits prove the existence of the genuine, Davis, a former hippie from the 60s, has decided to commence a search for truth amidst a spirituality of lies. By her admission, she views much in NAR that is “worthless,” but also thinks that its spirituality possesses truths which are “precious.” This assumption derives from her observing and being intrigued by “healings and mystical experiences and revelations” in New Age Religion which rival anything she “had seen or experienced” in the charismatic church; hence the chapter’s title—Extracting the Precious From the Worthless. (TPOH, 14)

Science and Soul
Additionally, Davis’ scientific training and background has aroused her curiosity to discover how the natural and spiritual worlds connect and interact. She had sensed that a relationship existed between soul and science, but had never considered adapting her spirituality to it. So her goal is to not only to seek out what is “precious” in NAR and incorporate it into her belief system, but also to integrate, as New Agers are doing, the Quantum Mysticism believed to be essential in our understanding of the universe’s spirituality. To lend scriptural support to this pursuit, Davis uses, or misuses (you decide), a prophecy taken from Jeremiah which she subtly combines with a personal revelation God gave her. We turn now to observe her permuted prophecy.
Read the rest of this entry
»

Can “new apostles” do “greater works” than Jesus?

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.”
Emphasis added, Jesus, John 14:12, NASB [1]

Introduction
Essential to the claim being made by today’s new apostles or “manifest sons of God”—that they can perform greater “signs and wonders” than Jesus did—is the promise (cited above) the Lord made to Philip and the other Disciples (John 14:12). Referring to this promise, one of the authors of The Physics of Heaven stated: “Jesus said that we would do greater works than He did, but no Christian in history has exceeded Jesus’ works.” [2] The apostlette then adds that doing “greater works” than Jesus “should be an everyday occurrence for us.” [3]

Jesus words are foundational to claims of performing “signs and wonders” by advocates of a New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). John 14:12 serves as their validating text to be able to perform greater miracles in the 21st century than Jesus did in the 1st. Therefore, understanding what Jesus meant when He made this promise to His Disciples becomes imperative for believers today. Should we really expect to perform greater “signs and wonders” than Jesus did? At face value, Jesus seems to have said so. Thus, the context and content of what Jesus actually said must be considered.
Read the rest of this entry
»

A Serial Book Review & Theological Interaction: Part 2
Review of Chapter 1: The Power of the Zero-Point Field by Judy Franklin [1]

“At present, nobody knows how to exploit the zero-point energy in a macroscopic device that delivers sizable amounts of energy. There is, however, a considerable fringe element (similar to those attracted to UFOs, astrology, numerology and so on) of people who speculate and fantasize about the possibility of exploiting the zero-point energy to achieve various technical marvels and the long-sought ‘perpetual motion.’ Consider yourself warned.”
Atomic Physicist Steven K. Lamoreaux, quoted by John Obienin, Materials Science Researcher at the University of Nebraska [2]

The Manifest Sons of God
The Apostle Paul told believers that “the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God” (Emphasis added, Romans 8:19, NASB). About this verse and others in the passage, Judy Franklin testifies that something “latches onto your spirit and you just have to understand what they [the verses] mean.” (TPOH, 1)  So she asks, “Hadn’t the children of God already been revealed by the time Paul wrote this letter to the Romans?” (TPOH, 2) Well . . . her answer is a qualified “yes” and “no.”

Because Paul wrote Romans years after Jesus’ life and death, and according to Acts “miracles and healings and deliverances and even resurrections from the dead were almost common-place,” (TPOH, 2), the author reasons that in part, the wait was over. With “signs and wonders” as their calling card, sons of God were manifested during the apostolic era and intermittently throughout church history. But Judy felt there was a deeper meaning in the verses (Romans 8:18-22). So she “began earnestly seeking the Lord as to what they meant.” (TPOH, 2) In three stages, God explained to her the future and deeper meaning of “the revealing of the sons of God.”
Read the rest of this entry
»

A Serial Book Review & Theological Interaction: Part 1

Judy Franklin, Ellyn Davis and others, The Physics of Heaven: Exploring God’s Mysteries of Sound, Light, Energy, Vibrations and Quantum Physics (Crossville, TN: Double Portion Publishing, 2012): xiv + 188.

Introduction

Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?
Emphasis added, Zophar to Job, Job 11:7-8, KJV

Beginning about the time of Albert Einstein (1879-1955), Quantum or theoretical physics has influenced the way people view life’s reality, the way in which “we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:28). Whereas “the old physics,” championed by Sir Isaac Newton (1643-1727), assumed that the infinite universe worked like “a clock”—an ordered and predictable cosmos—“the new physics” observes an infinitesimal universe playing itself out like “a game”—a disordered and unpredictable chaos. So in a “blended system” where cosmos and chaos are ever interacting at reality’s macro and micro levels (“as above, so below”), it’s theorized that a butterfly flapping its wings in Africa could stimulate the formation of a hurricane in the Atlantic. This new science, or theoretical way of “observing” the universe has caused many within Christendom, even claimed evangelicals, to adapt their faith to it. [1]

From the Quantum way of looking at reality have emerged theological movements such as Process Theology and Open Theism. [2] To accommodate the way in which quantum physics observes a changing and gaming universe, these theological systems deemphasize God’s ruling over nature (God is creator.) on the one hand, while they emphasize God being in nature (God is evolver.) on the other. But now others in evangelicalism’s “big tent” are slanting their Christian belief system to accommodate a Quantum worldview in another way.

Whereas the former theological adaptations (Process Theology and Open Theism) assert God’s overall impotence as regards the overall functioning and outcome of the universe, some within the Charismatic movement assert that a Quantum merger is taking place between the powers heaven and the energies of earth. They claim that this merger will soon be exhibited in the coming of a second Pentecost in which Spirit filled and transformed Christians will play a “strategic role in releasing the glory of God on earth,” which means that by the exhibition of divine powers God donates to them, they will transform earth into God’s kingdom. No longer will Christians have to pray for God’s kingdom to come (Matthew 6:10). Rather, by exercising supernatural powers they will possess when the coming planetary Pentecost arrives, they will help God to introduce heaven to earth (“as above, so below”).
Read the rest of this entry
»

From Meditation into Hallucinations

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
Emphasis Added, 1 Peter 5:8, NASB

As borrowed from the eastern mystical religions, meditative or contemplative spirituality—the operation of which involves engaging in ascetic practices and retreating into solitude (getting alone with God) and silence (remaining quiet before God)—has emerged among evangelical Christians as a popular way to experience God’s love and receive revelations from Him, for intimacy breeds communication. [1] Interestingly, this discovery among evangelicals about how to find “spirituality” now parallels the “mindfulness” revolution taking place in secular society.

By shucking their ever-present cell phones, tabloids, I-pods and other distractions, increasing numbers of people from all walks of life—athletes, educators, corporate execs and workers, politicians, government workers and members of the military—attempt to “de-stress” their lives by attending “mindfulness” retreats where under the direction of spiritual tutors, they learn to meditate with the hope they will discover “a new consciousness” to help them cope with life. [2] To promote “mindfully” working, playing, parenting, test taking, and even going to war, the practice of meditation is rising in America. Based on the increase of its popularity over the last decade, it’s estimated that in the near future more than 27 million American adults will engage in meditation. [3] To cope, they contemplate.

But amidst the rising popularity of this mindfulness revolution, a dark secret lurks in the background. One advocate of “Christian” contemplation, the Quaker Richard Foster, recommends meditation as a means for developing a deeper spirituality. But as to its practice, he also issues a disclaimer (Mark this quotation!):

I also want to give a word of precaution. In the silent contemplation of God we are entering deeply into the spiritual realm, and there is such a thing as supernatural guidance that is not divine guidance . . . there are various orders of spiritual beings, and some of them are definitely not in cooperation with God and his way! [4]

Though a significant majority of non-Christian meditators report benefits derived from the activity, some indicate that the exercise does not invariably promote psychological wellness. [5]

So it would be well for any would-be meditators, Christian or otherwise, to consider what could happen to their minds if they engage the practice. Meditation can go mad. Examples where this has happened, both modern and ancient, are known. We begin with reports from a rehab center which focuses on helping people restore the soundness of mind they possessed before they began to meditate.
Read the rest of this entry
»

God’s Truth versus Men’s Traditions [1, 2]

“Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men . . .”  Emphasis added, Jesus, quoting Isaiah 29:13 in Mark 7:6-8, KJV

The Jews and “the Oracles of God”
Amidst all the spiritual chaos in the world, ancient and modern, arising from mystics claiming that God has revealed “this or that” to them, the Lord committed His “oracles” to the Jews. After indicting the Jews for having lived hypocritically under the Law, the Apostle Paul rhetorically asked, “What advantage has the Jew?” He then answered, “Great in every respect” because “they were entrusted with the oracles [Greek, ta logia] of God” (Romans 3:1-2, NASB). The Lord chose to speak to the world through the Jews. Moses noted the incomparable nature of God’s revelation to the Israelites when he asked them before entering the Promised Land, “What great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today?” (Deuteronomy 4:8, NASB). In his book The Gifts of the Jews, Thomas Cahill says that, “The Bible is the record par excellence of the Jewish religious experience, an experience that remains fresh and even shocking when it is read against the myths of other ancient literatures.” [3]

God’s supernatural endowment of Israel with the Torah (the Law of Moses) and the Tanakh (the rest of the Old Testament) distinguishes the Jews from all the other peoples and nations of civilization, whether ancient or modern. Though the Lord gave the Law, the Prophets and the Writings (i.e., the constitutive parts of the Hebrew Bible Jesus recognized, Luke 24:44) for the benefit of the Gentiles, He did not originally give it to them. Torah was and is a part of Israel’s peculiar national identity. But from the time of Moses to the Babylonian Exile (for about ten centuries) Israel neither appreciated nor obeyed the Law.
Read the rest of this entry
»

Quantum Physics and the New Age/New Spirituality

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. (Emphasis added, Colossians 2:8, KJV)

In explaining the universe’s origin, the theory of evolution neither wants nor needs God. Assuming matter’s temporality, evolution proposes that by chance something derived and organized itself from nothing; or assuming matter’s eternality, the theory asserts that something evolved from something. So what matters is matter. Thus, the study of it—is it a wave or a particle?—becomes primary in explaining “the system” in which we live, where matter came from and why “It” continues.

By observing the interaction of particles and/or powers at the subatomic level, the science (Latin scientia for “knowing”) of theoretical, particle or Quantum physics attempts to understand why “the system” keeps working. But in light of a possible obliteration of the universe (if gravity should suddenly give up), evolution-based physics offers no comfort to the human soul. Hearts cry out, “How can meaning be found in this immense and threatening universe which many scientists assume commenced and continues by chance?”

Esotericism, or the mysterious spirituality of secrets, proposes to salve the angst. By combining the mystical religion of the East with the science of the West, the New Age/New Spirituality imagines to bring meaning to disturbed human hearts. In American culture, this blending of science and spirituality has become popular and as such, can enamor Christian hearts “after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” So believers need to understand how the spiritualization of science can “capture” their souls.
Read the rest of this entry
»

Did Jesus promise “revelations” would continue?

“I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” Jesus to His Disciple/Apostles, John 16:12-13, KJV, Emphasis added.

The New Apostolic Reformation (i.e., NAR), a charismatic movement within evangelicalism’s “big tent,” believes that just as the Holy Spirit guides Christians into “all truth,” He also reveals new truths—i.e., “things to come.” In their belief, not only does the Spirit bear witness to the Bible He inspired (which He does, 1 Corinthians 2:6-15), but He also anoints contemporary apostle/prophets and apostlette/prophetesses to receive and reveal authoritative new revelations. These latter-day and latter-rain seers argue that Jesus’ promise to His disciples authorizes their reception of new revelations. (See above citation.)

Continuing Revelation
For instance, Sandi Freed tells her followers she believes “in anointed times and seasons.” Then after citing John 16:12, she comments that for “King’s Kids” engaging in spiritual warfare, “This is an amazing passage—it explains why we receive revelation at specific times.” [1] Again, another advocate of latter-day-latter-rain revelations tells readers,

Throughout the world millions recognize this present day as the consummation of the ages and God’s grand finale with latter rain truth. The Scriptures tell us that [John 16:13] the Spirit of Truth is promised as our heritage to guide us into all truth and to show us things to come. [2]

He then explains: “The Lord is standing at the door knocking with a personal invitation for profound fellowship and the unveiling of latter rain revelation.” [3] He tells followers that they must “soar with” the Holy Spirit so that He will give them revelations like the one the Spirit gave him; which revelation was, “Go deep in order to go high!” [4] But using John 16:12 to endorse reception of “new revelations” is not restricted to Charismatic Christians. Cults and other religions have hitchhiked on Jesus’ words to validate their extra-biblical revelations.
Read the rest of this entry
»