This will be off topic from TK's original question, but I want to respond to Steve's thoughts on Bill Johnson and my response really is to Steve.
Steve, I appreciate you. You have a terrific ministry and teaching and I completely respect you. You are a brother! All I would ask that you are a little more careful in your critique of someone like Bill Johnson and I will explain why I ask you to do so, but first I feel I need to give you a little of my background so hopefully you won't think that I'm completely goofy............maybe to a point......but not completely goofy!
I grew up in very fundamental churches. I love Bible teaching and the study of the Word. I am the man I am because of it. I think I was probably in my 20's when I felt a restlessness inside of me, though. I started to wonder why I really never heard much teaching on the Holy Spirit. There was a lot of teaching about God and Jesus, but very little on the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. I wondered if I was missing something. If "we" were missing something. For myself, I saw no where in the Bible where I was told that certain gifts ever went away. My family and I began to visit a non denominational, but charismatic church and continued to remain with this type of church even after we moved to Ohio 15 years ago. There were things that bothered me about our church in Ohio, however, like how we would all be encouraged to speak in tongues, but there would be very little interpretation, plus it was the same woman that always interpreted which raised my eyebrows. Soon we left that church and ended up settling in with what I felt is a very solid Vineyard church in Cleveland, Ohio. I felt this church had a great balance of the teaching of the Word and the gifts of the Spirit. I remember our pastor teaching on tongues and how that it was a wonderful gift, but it had to be used biblically and that he would not allow us to ever become what looked like a circus to a non believer or a visitor. I loved that church. I saw people who had demons cast out of them and I remember a lady being healed of cancer. We ended up moving due to a change in my work location, and were too far away to continue attending that church, but I missed it greatly.
Thanks for reading through that. I said all that to give you an idea of where I am in my walk with the Lord. In the more recent years I began to feel myself challenged again. This time I began to wonder why we aren't outside of the church walls more doing what Jesus did and what the apostles did. I wondered why we weren't out praying for people that were hurting. Why wasn't I out offering to lay hands on the sick and praying for them to be made whole? Why was I even afraid to think of doing such a thing? I read in 1 John that if I abide in Christ that I should also walk like He walked. I took this to mean I should do what He did. It was around this time that I began to hear of Bill Johnson and Bethel and even became acquainted with people who offered teaching and training on some of Bethel type teachings. I loved the idea the Bethel encouraged people to be more like the apostles and I wanted to have that boldness.
Today I am involved in a Bethel church. Now I will admit that there are still some things within the Bethel movement that cause me to just sit back and observe and ponder. I'm not going to go into those things, but just will acknowledge that element. However, since I have read some of Bill Johnson's teachings and sat under the teachings of Bethel leaders, or Bethel type leaders, I have to say that I have a new excitement. I have learned how to go up to someone in a very polite, non threatening way and offer to pray for them and I have to say I see things happening like I never did before. I won't be foolish and try to make believe that everyone I pray for gets healed if it's a physical need. Far from it. I wish it happened more, but I will tell you that I've seen it happen more than at anytime before. One day while in Wilmington, North Carolina, I felt led to walk over to a man along a river walk and let him know that I believed that I was supposed to pray for him. I always ask the person if that is okay with them before I do. He was amazed that I was wishing to do such a thing for him. He didn't have a physical need, but he was kind of lost in life and wandering around, squandering what he did have. To my amazement when I asked him if I could pray for him he got down on his knees and lifted his hands, so there we were, praying arm in arm along a well visited river walk. Another time I went to see a 5 yr. old boy at the Cleveland Clinic who had brain surgery to remove a tumor. The swelling in his brain was not going down and there was great concern over this boys very life. I met his dad and asked if he would allow me to pray for his boy and he said of course. I've learned to pray expectingly and to pray with authority and in when I prayed I was aware that I felt that the Holy Spirit was giving me authority over this boy's body. I spoke wholeness and healing to that body. I told the swelling that it had to go down in Jesus name and for the body to come in line with wholeness. The room was filled with a sudden, incredible and intense feeling of power and peace at the same time. While that little boy didn't rise up in bed, his medical situation turned immediately. I got a call that shortly after I left the room, everything began to turn around. Even when I pray for someone in a store and if they don't experience an immediate difference they are usually very touched that God would send someone to minister to them. After praying for a woman outside of a Walgreen's, she looked at me and said, "My daughter became a Christian and is always talking to me about it. Maybe there is something to it." She thanked me for caring enough to talk and pray with her. It is through the teaching of someone like Bill Johnson and Bethel that I have learned how to do this without being rude or arrogant. Again, I wish I saw immediate results it every time, but very honestly things like happen way more now than they ever did before. I have never heard Bill Johnson, or any of the other 3 Bethel pastors that I know ever say that everyone that they pray for gets healed either, yet they get accused of such things by people who don't really know them.
Bill Johnson gives glory and honor to Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone. The Bethel pastors that I have encountered do the same. They love people, have compassion on people and want people to come to Christ. They teach Christ crucified.
Steve, I ask that you are careful in how critical you are of people like Bill. I have seen you do that before. You picked apart Bill's comment about Peter's shadow. I wonder if you read into that something that you didn't need to because of not caring for Bill's teaching? What I thought of when I heard that comment was how someones countenance can change a situation entirely. How many times have you heard of someone where it is said of someone, "He could brighten up a room just by walking into it." Other times I've been in a meeting where the leader has been so negative, or depressing that it brings everyone down. If I am walking around under the shadow of Jesus, people should be able to sense the goodness of Christ in me. I hope that my shadow does release Jesus, His kindness, love, compassion and healing when I walk into a room, because that is Who I am under. How does that not make sense? Is that not the way it should be if I am walking "just as He walked....?" (1 John 2:6)
Again, Steve, I am thankful for you and for the ministry that you have. God has used you and continues to use you greatly. I praise God for you. I just encourage you to sometimes be a little more careful that you don't go to far in your critique of others. Now.....let's go seize the day!!!!!
Prayers and blessings to you and everyone here,
Mark S.