Posted on 04/23/2018 9:24:19 PM PDT by Sontagged
One of the core beliefs at Bethel Church in Redding, California, is the need for new revelation from God, which is in contrast to the so-called old revelation of the Bible as it has been understood for the past 2,000 years.
New revelation can refer to many different things.
It includes knowledge about what’s currently taking place in heaven and new interpretations of Scripture that are based on direct revelation from the Holy Spirit, apart from a historical and grammatical hermeneutic.
It also includes what Johnson calls “new revelation of Jesus.”
And it includes creative ideas–such as fresh music lyrics that will result in mass conversions to Christianity and breakthrough inventions in science and medicine.
However, Bethel’s teachings about the need for new revelation inevitably shift the focus away from the written Word of God in Scripture, insofar as it has been understood for the past two millennia.
Their teachings also place Bethel outside of historic Protestant Christianity, based on the 16th century Protestant Reformation, which has taught that the church is to look to Scripture–not new revelations–for its beliefs and practices.
On this note, consider that even Pentecostals and charismatics–who believe in present-day miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as the gift of prophecy–have held that the Bible contains all that is necessary for living the Christian life. See, for example, a position paper published by the Assemblies of God—the world’s largest Pentecostal denomination—which upholds the sufficiency of Scripture.
It’s titled “The Inspiration, Inerrancy, and Authority of Scripture.” And see the post written by charismatic theologian Wayne Grudem titled “The Bible is enough.”
But, clearly, Bethel leaders disagree that the Bible is enough. To show you what Bethel teaches about new revelation, take a look at these words written by its senior leader, Bill Johnson.
Bill Johnson On The Need For New Revelation
“I’m convinced that the pace of revelation will increase very rapidly in these last hours of history…. That acceleration of revelation is beginning in our day… ... It’s about the purposes of God being unveiled on the planet. On-going revelation and encounters with the power of God launch us into understanding of things we’ve never understood before.” (The Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind, page 68)
“It is absolutely impossible to live the normal Christian life without receiving regular revelation from God.” (The Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind, page 58)
“The key is to be spiritually discerning–to open our spirit man to direct revelation from God.” (The Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind, page 60)
“We are the most to be pitied if we think we’ve reached the fullness of what God intended for His Church here on earth. All Church history is built on partial revelation. Everything that has happened in the Church over the past 1900 years has fallen short of what the early Church had and lost. Each move of God has been followed by another, just to restore what was forfeited and forgotten. And we still haven’t arrived to the standard that they attained, let alone surpassed it. Yet, not even the early Church fulfilled God’s full intention for His people. That privilege was reserved for those in the last leg of the race. It is our destiny.
As wonderful as our spiritual roots are, they are insufficient. What was good for yesterday is deficient for today. To insist that we stay with what our fathers fought for is to insult our forefathers. They risked all to pursue something fresh and new in God. It’s not that everything must change for us to flow with what God is saying and doing. It’s just that we make too many assumptions about the rightness of what presently exists. Those assumptions blind us to the revelations still contained in Scripture. In reality, what we think of as the normal Christian life cannot hold the weight of what God is about to do.” (When Heaven Invades Earth, Kindle edition, pages 162-163, emphasis mine)
“I am convinced that as His government and Kingdom rule increase on this earth … the Church will receive revelation like we’ve never known…. But first we must learn to hunger for and receive revelation as part of our everyday lives. That revelation will help us to carry out our earthly assignments with greater precision and wisdom.” (The Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind, page 56)
“There are vast resources of revelation in heaven for the areas of education and business, the arts and music, and these resources have yet to be tapped anywhere near to their fullness…. Our job is to tap the revelation of the Lord in our area of talent or gifting so that we can accurately and powerfully reflect the King and His Kingdom.” (The Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind, page 67)
“Presently, every denomination, church, and group seems to have revelation into certain Kingdom matters. Nobody has the whole picture…. But in these last days God is going to release a Spirit of revelation over the Church… We are coming into an hour where there will be a common revelation…. an hour when the people of God will simultaneously hear and see similar revelations, no matter the church or group.” (The Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind, page 68)
“The anointing on a coming generation will be great enough that the natural order of things will no longer apply. With a low-grade anointing and revelation, we have to live by natural principles and restrictions to get spiritual results. But Jesus brings this revelation, which is almost frightening.
He says, ‘Lift up your eyes,’ meaning, ‘With the way you see things right now, you cannot operate on the revelation I want to give you. But there is something available for a coming generation where the anointing is so extreme that every person will be ready for the harvest.'” (The Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind, page 153) “Revelation comes piece by piece, layer upon layer, to generation after generation.” (Hosting the Presence, Kindle edition, page 52)
“In this hour the experience will help to open up those portions of Scripture that have been closed to us. No one in their right mind would claim to understand all that is contained in the Bible for us today. Yet to suggest that more is coming causes many to fear. Get over it, so you don’t miss it!” (When Heaven Invades Earth, Kindle edition, pages 104-105)
Allegedly, new revelations will enable Christians to perform greater miracles than those performed by Jesus, reap the greatest harvest of souls in history, and bring God’s kingdom to earth. We wouldn’t want to “miss it,” would we?
But, notably, apostles and prophets like Bethel’s own Bill Johnson and Kris Vallotton are the gatekeepers to these new revelations.
So here’s Bethel Redding’s bottom line on new revelation: you’ve gotta have it, and they got it.
But are you willing to trust their interpretation of what God really means rather than contending for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3)? —– Holly Pivec is the co-author of A New Apostolic Reformation?: A Biblical Response to a Worldwide Movement and God’s Super-Apostles: Encountering the Worldwide Prophets and Apostles Movement. She has a master’s degree in Christian apologetics from Biola University.
Everything doesn’t have to be in the Scripture but it does tell you everything you need to know.
“Traditions” are not Scripture. It doesn’t matter if they are Jewish or Christian. They are sometimes nice, so long as they don’t trade in error, but in and of themselves traditions are at best men fluffing up what doesn’t need fluffing up.
If ya can't believe the First Pope; then; by golly; just who CAN ya believe???
2 Peter 1:3
God's divine power has given us everything we need for life and for godliness
And the JWs that claim the bible is HIGHLY deficient in the use of the word JEHOVAH.
Or; I daresay; NEED it!
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
4 to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
5 who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.
6 who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.
7 who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.
8 the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
9 the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.
10 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt
His love endures forever.
11 and brought Israel out from among them
His love endures forever.
12 with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;
His love endures forever.
13 to him who divided the Red Sea[a] asunder
His love endures forever.
14 and brought Israel through the midst of it,
His love endures forever.
15 but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;
His love endures forever.
16 to him who led his people through the wilderness;
His love endures forever.
17 to him who struck down great kings,
His love endures forever.
18 and killed mighty kings—
His love endures forever.
19 Sihon king of the Amorites
His love endures forever.
20 and Og king of Bashan—
His love endures forever.
21 and gave their land as an inheritance,
His love endures forever.
22 an inheritance to his servant Israel.
His love endures forever.
23 He remembered us in our low estate
His love endures forever.
24 and freed us from our enemies.
His love endures forever.
25 He gives food to every creature.
His love endures forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever.
4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
5 The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. 6 The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. 7 So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
It does NOT say the GIANTs mated with the Humans; it merely says they were on the earth. ??? So; just WHO are the sons of God and the daughters of humans??? The BOOK says: Let Us create Man in Our image. So there you get some 'sons of God'; right?? The BOOK also says, in Genesis 5:3-4 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. 4 After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. These things happened BEFORE Genesis chapter 6....
I like the Psalm, but could you not be so biblical, as it defeats some of the arguments being made? Just kidding! :-)
And I like your tag line.
Perhaps some intentional, heartfelt repetition is what our attention deficit hyperactive disordered society/culture today needs to allow biblical truth to sink into our beings somewhat past the entry level of the cranium — which is merely one aspect of our makeup as created in God’s image.
When GOD has said, "...he shall live; even though he dies."?
--John 11:25
Psalm 116:15
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints
Are you bold enough to state that a person CANNOT get saved without it?
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
Well, I DON”T think Bill Johnson is a brother in the Lord.
I think he’s a false prophet who is preaching a different gospel than that which Paul preached, which makes hima wolf in sheep’s clothing.
We are warned against them and the only way to determine if men are or are not, is to *gasp* JUDGE them by their fruits, JUST LIKE JESUS TOLD US TO.
We are commanded in plenty of places in Scripture to judge but to do so with righteous judgment.
My authority by which I determine if someone is from God or not is Scripture. It’s easy enough to use. Just read it and compare.
There's a PERFECT example of one of the areas where Johnson has gone wrong.
EXPERIENCE is NOT how portions of Scripture are to be opened to us.
That is the job of the Holy Spirit. When experience is being elevated to the place of the Holy Spirit, do supposedly do the work that it is HIS job to do, clearly the person has gone off the rails in teaching the truth.
From the above quotes it looks like Johnson is peddling a thinly veiled form of gnosticism.
Which does not give people license to make stuff up and claim the apostles believed and taught it, with no proof whatsoever, that that was ever the case.
Besides, as usual when Catholics appeal to that portion of Scripture, they misquote and misapply it and leave parts of it out.
Here's the passage in question.
John 20:30-31 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
And, if you will note, it says that Jesus did many other SIGNS that were not written down. That in no way implies that there was other teaching that He did that was not written down.
Holy Tradition is of utmost importance, for these people knew Christ and the Apostles!
*holy tradition* is not referred to anywhere in Scripture, nor is it commanded by God anywhere in Scripture.
It's a complete fabrication used by Catholicism to justify its extrabiblical, unblibical teachings.
Thanks for the link.
I will look into it.
Oh, and I question everything I don't see in Scripture. God would NEVER say something in Scripture and then reverse it. I have had several prophesies come true said over me, but it was for me and agreed with Scripture. Because a man says he's a prophet doesn't mean he is. And I always wonder who's voice told him what.
Yes. I didn’t think you meant that, but just wanted to kid you a little.
To back up your perspective:
1 Peter 3:15 King James Bible
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
2 Timothy 2:15 King James Version (KJV)
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
And there is NOTHING in this to indicate that any NEEDED lessons were given especially to the disciples; either.
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