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When Heaven Invades Earth: A Practical Guide to a Life of Miracles
It is truly possible for human people to walk in the divine, and Christ came to show us the way. It is by rediscovering our true identity in Him that we can begin to move into the promises of God regarding the miraculous. Bill Johnson not only teaches the supernatural, he imparts it by changing the way we think. If you are not walking in the miraculous, you're living far below your birthright! By laying a carefully constructed biblical foundation for walking in the supernatural power of God, When Heaven Invades Earth provides all the equipment you need to experience miracles every day.
231 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2005
601 people are currently reading
3867 people want to read
About the author
Bill Johnson
765 books540 followersBill Johnson and his wife Brenda (Beni) Johnson are the Senior Pastors of Bethel Church in Redding, California. Johnson is a fifth generation pastor.
Johnson was born in Minnesota in 1951 and became a Christian as a young child. Soon after, Johnson read seven books on prayer, which significantly affected his perspective and subsequent ministry.
Bill Johnson and his wife have three children: Eric, Brian and Leah.
Johnson speaking at a conference
Bill Johnson and Beni (Brenda) began as singles pastors under his father at Bethel. In 1979, they became senior pastors of Mountain Chapel in Weaverville, California.
While pastoring in Weaverville, Johnson attended a 1987 conference led by John Wimber, founder of the Vineyard Church Movement. According to Johnson "A number of healings and manifestations broke out and I didn't know what to do with it. I didn't object to it, I wasn't opposed to it; I just didn't know how to pastor it in a way that it would continue and increase".
In 1995, Johnson attended the Toronto Blessing revival at the Toronto Airport Vineyard church. Johnson relates: "In Toronto I said, 'Lord, if You touch me again I will never change the subject.' So I went up for prayer every time it was offered. I didn't have anything dramatic happen, but I came home and said, 'I am going to give the rest of my life to this.'"
In February 1996, after 17 years of leading the Weaverville church, the Johnsons were invited to become senior pastors of Bethel. Today Johnson describes Bethel as a church where "everything we do either fuels revival or is fueled by revival." Under his leadership, Bethel left the Assemblies of God in 2006 to become a nondenominational charismatic church.
According to a recent book written by Johnson, "Face to Face with God", Bethel is "a church where supernatural encounters with God happen regularly, miracles are common, and the congregation has an infectious passion for spiritual growth." The church has approximately 1,500 members, and a School of Supernatural Ministry.
Their Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry has 1,200 students enrolled with over 370 from other countries. Johnson leads a network of churches dedicated to global, multi-generational revival, Global Legacy. Johnson has written a number of books and travels extensively as a featured revival conference speaker. Johnson is also involved with the Northern California Revival Fellowship, a group of north Californian pastors committed to revival.
Source: Wikipedia
Johnson was born in Minnesota in 1951 and became a Christian as a young child. Soon after, Johnson read seven books on prayer, which significantly affected his perspective and subsequent ministry.
Bill Johnson and his wife have three children: Eric, Brian and Leah.
Johnson speaking at a conference
Bill Johnson and Beni (Brenda) began as singles pastors under his father at Bethel. In 1979, they became senior pastors of Mountain Chapel in Weaverville, California.
While pastoring in Weaverville, Johnson attended a 1987 conference led by John Wimber, founder of the Vineyard Church Movement. According to Johnson "A number of healings and manifestations broke out and I didn't know what to do with it. I didn't object to it, I wasn't opposed to it; I just didn't know how to pastor it in a way that it would continue and increase".
In 1995, Johnson attended the Toronto Blessing revival at the Toronto Airport Vineyard church. Johnson relates: "In Toronto I said, 'Lord, if You touch me again I will never change the subject.' So I went up for prayer every time it was offered. I didn't have anything dramatic happen, but I came home and said, 'I am going to give the rest of my life to this.'"
In February 1996, after 17 years of leading the Weaverville church, the Johnsons were invited to become senior pastors of Bethel. Today Johnson describes Bethel as a church where "everything we do either fuels revival or is fueled by revival." Under his leadership, Bethel left the Assemblies of God in 2006 to become a nondenominational charismatic church.
According to a recent book written by Johnson, "Face to Face with God", Bethel is "a church where supernatural encounters with God happen regularly, miracles are common, and the congregation has an infectious passion for spiritual growth." The church has approximately 1,500 members, and a School of Supernatural Ministry.
Their Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry has 1,200 students enrolled with over 370 from other countries. Johnson leads a network of churches dedicated to global, multi-generational revival, Global Legacy. Johnson has written a number of books and travels extensively as a featured revival conference speaker. Johnson is also involved with the Northern California Revival Fellowship, a group of north Californian pastors committed to revival.
Source: Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 238 reviews
November 26, 2011
This book was so abysmally bad I'm not even sure where to begin. It's not worth one star, but sadly Good Reads doesn't have a "no stars" rating option. When the Introduction begins by stating Johnson's affinity for Aimee McPherson and Smith Wigglesworth it doesn't bode well. I resent wasting time reading trash of this nature, but as a pastor it's sometimes necessary in order to respond to questions raised by church members who are exposed thanks to other churches and pastors that lack an understanding of basic credal orthodoxy and any sense of godly discernment. Johnson epitomises the absolute worst of Pentecostalism--a sectarian movement itself that is the convergence of the absolute worst theology, practise, and sectarianism to which Protestantism ever gave rise; a movement that claims to abound in charismata, but utterly lacks the gift of discernment; and that has succeeding in reviving every heresy known to Church history.
Most serious of Johnson's errors is a revival of the kenotic heresy. His basic premise is that Jesus gave up his divinity in the Incarnation and performed his miracles strictly in the power of the Holy Spirit. For Johnson this then means that any Christian indwelled by the Spirit can do the same--or greater. This is an abandonment of basic credal orthodoxy. What we believe of the Logos and the Incarnation is at the core of Christianity and when it is abandoned one is left with something less than Christianity. Johnson's Jesus is a false Jesus, not to mention a Jesus who could never accomplish his saving ministry. Granted, in later comments I've found from Johnson on the Internet, he affirms the divinity of Christ, but such affirmations ring hollow in light of Johnson's consistent teaching. While he may affirm Christ's divinity ontologically, he very clearly denies it functionally.
One could go on and on. The core teaching that undermines the Incarnation is the worst, but Johnson affirms the usual Restoration and Dominion theology that is common to the "signs and wonders" movement. His teaching is also strongly gnostic and as with much Pentecostal teaching, is strongly elitist. Those who study the Bible and take sound exegesis and theology seriously are condemned as holding to the letter rather than the spirit of the law, which of course, he says brings only death. (This is itself an example of his abysmal exegesis found through the book--and almost every other book I've read from the Pentecostal camp.) According to Johnson, those who have the Spirit--the elite corps--and are guided by the Spirit are the real Christians and from them will arise "Elijah's Army," ready to greater things than even Jesus did in the final generation. Hogwash. St. Paul addressed thinking of a similar nature when he chastised those in the Corinthian church who called themselves "Spiritual". Jesus established his kingdom two thousand years ago and has empowered all his people with his Spirit and to anyone who has the blasphemous hubris to claim he can outdo Jesus I simply ask: What can you do to top dying, rising again, and ascending to heaven for the redemption of mankind?
Don't bother with this book. It has no redeeming qualities. It undermines the most basic teaching of Christianity and is itself sub-Christian. And if you find any church or group enamoured of Johnson and his rubbish, run away.
Most serious of Johnson's errors is a revival of the kenotic heresy. His basic premise is that Jesus gave up his divinity in the Incarnation and performed his miracles strictly in the power of the Holy Spirit. For Johnson this then means that any Christian indwelled by the Spirit can do the same--or greater. This is an abandonment of basic credal orthodoxy. What we believe of the Logos and the Incarnation is at the core of Christianity and when it is abandoned one is left with something less than Christianity. Johnson's Jesus is a false Jesus, not to mention a Jesus who could never accomplish his saving ministry. Granted, in later comments I've found from Johnson on the Internet, he affirms the divinity of Christ, but such affirmations ring hollow in light of Johnson's consistent teaching. While he may affirm Christ's divinity ontologically, he very clearly denies it functionally.
One could go on and on. The core teaching that undermines the Incarnation is the worst, but Johnson affirms the usual Restoration and Dominion theology that is common to the "signs and wonders" movement. His teaching is also strongly gnostic and as with much Pentecostal teaching, is strongly elitist. Those who study the Bible and take sound exegesis and theology seriously are condemned as holding to the letter rather than the spirit of the law, which of course, he says brings only death. (This is itself an example of his abysmal exegesis found through the book--and almost every other book I've read from the Pentecostal camp.) According to Johnson, those who have the Spirit--the elite corps--and are guided by the Spirit are the real Christians and from them will arise "Elijah's Army," ready to greater things than even Jesus did in the final generation. Hogwash. St. Paul addressed thinking of a similar nature when he chastised those in the Corinthian church who called themselves "Spiritual". Jesus established his kingdom two thousand years ago and has empowered all his people with his Spirit and to anyone who has the blasphemous hubris to claim he can outdo Jesus I simply ask: What can you do to top dying, rising again, and ascending to heaven for the redemption of mankind?
Don't bother with this book. It has no redeeming qualities. It undermines the most basic teaching of Christianity and is itself sub-Christian. And if you find any church or group enamoured of Johnson and his rubbish, run away.
November 10, 2012
Having been encouraged to read this book by someone who puts a lot of stock in Bill Johnson, I found about 15 significant theological problems in the first 11 chapters. Johnson's errors appear to stem from two main sources. First, he admits that the sole purpose of his life is to perpetuate the blessing he received in Toronto. (page 88) As a result, it is the font of everything he teaches and believes. Second, he states, "The acceptable way of studying Scripture puts the power of revelation into the hands of anyone who can afford a Strong's Concordance and a few other miscellaneous study materials." (page 93) [emphasis mine]
As a result of basing everything on perpetuating Toronto (and deliberately not considering any criticism of it - pages 115-16) and a severely flawed view of approaching the Scriptures, Johnson ranges from error to heresy on such things as anointing, the spirit of anti-Christ, the Greek word dunamis, the role (or even the supremacy) of personal experience, personal revelation, the nature and purpose of the Scriptures, the person and work of the Holy Spirit, the purpose of teaching, healing, the person of Christ, inheriting "God's DNA"... those are just some I see while flipping through the book again.
As a pastor and teacher in a charismatic church, I share a commonality with Johnson with regard to reality of miracles. However, as Johnson veers away from basic, established principles of hermeneutics and exegesis, free to interpret Scripture as he inwardly processes his various experiences, I find less and less in common with him.
As a result of basing everything on perpetuating Toronto (and deliberately not considering any criticism of it - pages 115-16) and a severely flawed view of approaching the Scriptures, Johnson ranges from error to heresy on such things as anointing, the spirit of anti-Christ, the Greek word dunamis, the role (or even the supremacy) of personal experience, personal revelation, the nature and purpose of the Scriptures, the person and work of the Holy Spirit, the purpose of teaching, healing, the person of Christ, inheriting "God's DNA"... those are just some I see while flipping through the book again.
As a pastor and teacher in a charismatic church, I share a commonality with Johnson with regard to reality of miracles. However, as Johnson veers away from basic, established principles of hermeneutics and exegesis, free to interpret Scripture as he inwardly processes his various experiences, I find less and less in common with him.
September 10, 2013
This book is trash. I'm only three chapters in and I've already marked all over it. Johnson rips scripture out of context, distorts it by either misapplying it or not using the entire verse to prove his point. He uses subtle manipulation and strong language to condemn anyone with a brain. This book will appeal to very spiritual people, because he promises greater spiritual experiences......which is why this book is so dangerous. I want to know and experience more of God too, but the bible calls us to worship in spirit and in TRUTH. But Johnson uses manipulative language to make you think you are more spiritual (and also more superior) if you understand what he's revealing to us through this book. For those wanting to know what's theologically wrong with this book, read the other reviews on here (there's too many to list). I'm going to try to finish reading the book, but the more I read it, the angrier I get at his distortions. The implications of what he is teaching is very very dangerous.
April 24, 2012
Quite simply a must read. The Western church is divided into two distinct camps. However they are are not 'liberal versus' evangelical', as too many assessments assume. Rather it is 'those who in practice believe the Holy Spirit has come in power among us', versus 'those who in practice believe that was for another time, or another place'.
Bill's books clearly fall into the former category. After reading this book and the testimonies of the miraculous he shares, I could not help but agree that the Holy Spirit has come in power among us, and it is our privilege and duty to be a part of His work to extend the Kingdom of God.
Bill's books clearly fall into the former category. After reading this book and the testimonies of the miraculous he shares, I could not help but agree that the Holy Spirit has come in power among us, and it is our privilege and duty to be a part of His work to extend the Kingdom of God.
January 28, 2012
As if I were a child wandering too close to the road, I had received stern instruction of caution before reading Bill Johnson. While the instruction may have provided temporary novocain , the shock-factor -approach to Johnson's writing soon exploded past the numbing. Overall, I found the book refreshing. Finally, I'm starting to see some conviction within the church to believe in the same Jesus we read about in the Gospels. Johnson, leading by example in his church in CA, is urging us to infiltrate the dark world with power made possible through Christ by the presence of the Helper, the Holy Spirit. When we live boldly and with obedience, we will find that Heaven has invaded Earth. While I love the central message, in my opinion he was a little scattered and the book seemed to ramble. Instead of filling the last half of the book with more preaching, he should've filled it with more testimonies of his home church. I loved the examples of faith he describes rather than the laborious description. With that said, I'm glad I read it and blew past the warnings!
December 11, 2010
Johnson's book is representative of the neo-charismatic movement, full of anecdotes and stories to prove unbiblical doctrines along with badly applied Bible texts. Add to that healthy soil your run of the mill power in positive thinking in spiritualized language and you got yourself a movement. Probably the worst thing about the book as I recall having read it a few years back is that Johnson literally described the gospel (Christ dying for sinners to save them from the wrath they deserve) as but the first step in an empowered life. I'm sorry but the gospel is the WHOLE Christian life, I need a Savior everyday not just 10 years ago at my conversion. Simply put this book is as Luther would have put it, representative of a theology of glory, man's glory as opposed to the theology of the cross.
August 10, 2010
Terrible.
Verses taken out of context to make points that don't make sense.
Plus, it supports the heresy known as “kenosis theory”.
Bill Johnson has high respect for Benny Hinn.
And associations like that is enough for me not to trust his teachings, judgment and discernment.
Verses taken out of context to make points that don't make sense.
Plus, it supports the heresy known as “kenosis theory”.
Bill Johnson has high respect for Benny Hinn.
And associations like that is enough for me not to trust his teachings, judgment and discernment.
September 4, 2024
My five-part review can be found here:
https://spoiledmilks.com/tag/bill-joh...
and
https://spoiledmilks.com/?s=when+heav...
I would prefer giving this book zero stars. Most books I review, if I don't like them, I'll explain why and still give them a decent score. There have been a mere few that I didn't like, but not because of a historical heresy. Saying Jesus set aside His divinity is no small matter. Anything that seems good in this book needs to be placed within the framework of Johnson's twisted theology (as seen in this book). I wanted to find something good in this book. I really did. There is nothing of merit in this book. Whether it be that Christians who suffer have a lack of faith, or that they can command God's power as if he's a toy, or that Paul was confused and spoke out against Pentecost. There is more to my reviews than that, and there is, unfortunately, more to Johnson's book than those few slip-ups. I have no apologies for my reviews. This is truly a terrible book.
"But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God" [2 Cor 4.2].
https://spoiledmilks.com/tag/bill-joh...
and
https://spoiledmilks.com/?s=when+heav...
I would prefer giving this book zero stars. Most books I review, if I don't like them, I'll explain why and still give them a decent score. There have been a mere few that I didn't like, but not because of a historical heresy. Saying Jesus set aside His divinity is no small matter. Anything that seems good in this book needs to be placed within the framework of Johnson's twisted theology (as seen in this book). I wanted to find something good in this book. I really did. There is nothing of merit in this book. Whether it be that Christians who suffer have a lack of faith, or that they can command God's power as if he's a toy, or that Paul was confused and spoke out against Pentecost. There is more to my reviews than that, and there is, unfortunately, more to Johnson's book than those few slip-ups. I have no apologies for my reviews. This is truly a terrible book.
"But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God" [2 Cor 4.2].
October 25, 2012
Just reading the introductions, there were enough comments to throw up a red flag, so I read the first few chapters with my discernment goggles on. He made lots of unusual points that I had never heard before - also a red flag - and brought together several ideas from different passages in the Bible that were interesting...but also kind of iffy as far as being theologically sound. I wanted to like this book, as I am desperate to learn more about the Holy Spirit, but I would prefer to learn about it from someone whose teaching is actually soundly based on the Bible, not on nice theories he concocted in the shower one day by taking Bible verses out of context. If it's not Biblically sound, into the trash it goes! I did it the honour of briefly flipping through the rest of the book, out of curiousity mostly, but what I found only confirmed my decision not to read any more of it. I caution you, if you decide to read this book, don't read it mindlessly! Compare what it says to what you know of Christ from the Word, and don't just swallow his teaching whole!
January 13, 2016
I am currently reading this book. I first listened to the author speak at a conference. The impact he had on me is affecting my view of the book. What I sense when I see him in person is humility, boldness, confidence in God and honesty. The book reflects his character. If the same words were written by someone with less believability, it would be easy to dismiss. But there is something weighty about the book that challenges me and even makes me feel uncomfortable - in a good way.
May 7, 2012
This book is very rich spiritually. I am reading it slowly and taking it in a little at a time. The meat of the message is too multifaceted to take in quickly. Also, the read will draw your soul into the fire of the LORD that removes lies, carnality, and anything else hindering your living a life of miracles. This book burns off the carnal. You get into deeper realms of knowing God just opening it up. This book is meat for the hungry soul. I highly recommend it to those who are wondering why the church is not operating in miracles more than it is.
March 14, 2009
This is one of my favorite inspirational, inspiring, instructive Christian life books I have ever read. It was challenging, convicting, and opened my eyes to the kingdom of God. I am not living life the same after reading this book.
September 9, 2011
This book emphasizes the spiritual war that is going on in this physical world. I considered the emphasis of the book to be on the power we have as believers of God through the Holy Spirit to combat evil. I rate it as amazing because the author gives excellent ideas and examples of when the Holy Spirit is used to produce miracles in this world. The Holy Spirit produces real results. It gave me a new perspective on God's power and how as believers we are called to use it at times.
I once heard a sermon that described God's power like a power outlet just waiting for us to plug into and I got that sense reinforced from this book. I highly recommend this to any Christian. It also can help Christians understand the idea of the trinity as well. At the time I read this I was struggling with the concept and found this book helpful in understanding it.
I once heard a sermon that described God's power like a power outlet just waiting for us to plug into and I got that sense reinforced from this book. I highly recommend this to any Christian. It also can help Christians understand the idea of the trinity as well. At the time I read this I was struggling with the concept and found this book helpful in understanding it.
June 30, 2012
If you had filled me with random theological/bible/christian vocabularly and then shook me until I vomited, something similar to this book would have come out. This has to be one of the most poorly written and contradictory books I have ever read. Johnson's exegesis is inconsistent and his use of the scriptures is generally abominable. While I appreciate my Charismatic brothers' passion and love for Jesus, I pray that they won't be sucked into this kind of nonsensical chicanery. Hardly a developed thought in the entire book, and Johnson explicitly denies the sufficiency of God's revelation in scripture in numerous places.
April 19, 2022
When Heaven Invades Earth is a great book to encourage followers of Jesus to have a more powerful and impactful ministry. The book goes into very, very helpful advice and direction to empower your prayer life, your healing ministry, your personal walk with Jesus, your worship experiences - in fact every area of your faith walk. I have good friends who say this book is their number one book to give away too their friends, whether they are relatively new believers or have followed Jesus for many years.
The title says the book is a practical guide and I'd say the book delivers on that. There are many "favorite" sections of the book, but one of my tops is in a chapter where the author is discussing how our encounters with God can serve other people. For me, it showed that the process of bringing heaven to earth is not mysterious, but very practical. Here's a quote:
"But why do some walk with a greater sense of God's presence than others? Some people place high value on the presence of God, and others don't. The ones who do enjoy fellowship throughout their day with the Holy Spirit are extremely conscious of how He feels about their words attitudes and activities. The thought of grieving Him brings great sorrow. It's their passion to give Him preeminence in everything. That passion brings that believer into a supernatural life - one with the constant activity of the Holy Spirit working through them.
In other words, to become more of a person who brings heaven to earth (a) place a high value on being very close to the Lord - lean into Him as much as you can, (b) don't sin and if you do, be a repenters (c) filter all you do and say and think through the Holy Spirit. I believe that doing those three things will bring me in very close fellowship with Jesus, and enable my ministry to reflect Him and His desires for me and my life.
Anyway, that is just one of the very practical ways to learn how to bring heaven to earth. I strongly recommend this book to any and all followers of Jesus.
The title says the book is a practical guide and I'd say the book delivers on that. There are many "favorite" sections of the book, but one of my tops is in a chapter where the author is discussing how our encounters with God can serve other people. For me, it showed that the process of bringing heaven to earth is not mysterious, but very practical. Here's a quote:
"But why do some walk with a greater sense of God's presence than others? Some people place high value on the presence of God, and others don't. The ones who do enjoy fellowship throughout their day with the Holy Spirit are extremely conscious of how He feels about their words attitudes and activities. The thought of grieving Him brings great sorrow. It's their passion to give Him preeminence in everything. That passion brings that believer into a supernatural life - one with the constant activity of the Holy Spirit working through them.
In other words, to become more of a person who brings heaven to earth (a) place a high value on being very close to the Lord - lean into Him as much as you can, (b) don't sin and if you do, be a repenters (c) filter all you do and say and think through the Holy Spirit. I believe that doing those three things will bring me in very close fellowship with Jesus, and enable my ministry to reflect Him and His desires for me and my life.
Anyway, that is just one of the very practical ways to learn how to bring heaven to earth. I strongly recommend this book to any and all followers of Jesus.
August 10, 2016
If everyone could get "on earth as it is in Heaven" then this world would be radically different. Christians would pray with expectation that Heaven will indeed come to earth. One of the best books I've ever read.
May 20, 2012
Absolutely one of my favorite books!! Life changing. Since reading this, have now heard Bill Johnson teach in person 10-15 times and have several of his book and many of his CDs. I beleive God chose him as one ot give fresh revelation to.
May 12, 2012
Foundational paradigms are outlined in this book, which will help you realize the hopes and desires for this world that are on your heart. And your the only one with your heart, so read this book!
May 1, 2014
Very encouraging and inspiring! :)
Let's sum this up in one of my favourite bibleverses:
"For the kingdom of God is demonstrated not in idle talk but with power." ~ 1. Corinthians 4:20
Yay baaam
Let's sum this up in one of my favourite bibleverses:
"For the kingdom of God is demonstrated not in idle talk but with power." ~ 1. Corinthians 4:20
Yay baaam
May 26, 2016
Sometimes reading books suggested to you by others proves to be a real blessing and other times it puts you into a predicament because you don't like the book. It's taken me a while to figure out which category this book falls into.
I have many friends who are and have been greatly impacted by the ministry of Bill Johnson and Bethel Church in Redding, California. In fact my mother-in-law is currently spending a year at Bethel Church and so I respect them and what God is doing in their lives. So as Bill Johnson says you need to 'chew the meat and spit out the bones'. Sadly When Heaven Invades Earth is more spare rib than rump steak.
First let's spit out the bones.
#Bone 1: Language. There are a few issues I have here. One is that although I recognise all the words I don't understand many of the sentences. There's a church culture and a theology that lies behind it that I simply have no comprehension of. For example:
"Burning within my soul is a piece of the original flame from the day of Pentecost. It's been handed down generation after generation."
Is he talking about the Holy Spirit? A piece of the original flame? There were plenty more of those.
Then there's an awful lot of 'invading', 'colliding', 'warring', 'infiltrating', 'plundering' going on. It's all a bit Kapow, Thwack, Sock, Wham, Bam. I don't know if that's the reality or not but why God has to invade His own earth and infiltrate governments that He presides over or why anything would 'collide' into God is a little beyond me.
Lastly on language this is writing by soundbite. I'm fairly sure there couldn't have been a sentence more than about 15 words long. It's all pithy, punchy stuff but after 189 pages you're just longing for some half decent writing. Bill Johnson may have authored any number of books but he's no writer.
#Bone 2: Some of it is just silly. OK, here are two examples of what I'm talking about.
"When we are smeared with God, it rubs off on all we come into contact with..." (p135)
Well, I'm just a little bit uncomfortable with talking about God in the same way as I do grease. You get smeared with oil if someone anoints you, to say that when a person is filled with the Holy Spirit they are 'smeared with God' is well, just a bit silly. That's confusing the action with the meaning.
And
"We are to be a witness of God. To give witness is to 'represent'. This actually means to re-present Him." (emphasis original p119)
No, Bill it doesn't. That's simply not what the word means, sorry about that. Represent and re-present are two different words meaning two different things.
#Bone 3: Theology. Of course language often betrays our theology and some of what I've already said is theological. However, on the basis of this book I think there are genuine questions about how Johnson understands the person of Christ, the Trinity, Scripture, the Holy Spirit, the church, eschatology and spiritual warfare and money. So, just a few minor areas of concern then.
To take one example he functionally elevates personal revelation above scripture and makes it the key to successful interpretation. We have enough trouble working out what scripture means without everyone claiming their personal experience the key to successfully interpreting the Sermon on the Mount.
#Bone 4: Bridge burner not bridge builder. If I wasn't convinced about the gifts of the Spirit for today and I was reading this book to try and understand what was happening, I think I'd come away incredibly offended and not because of the conviction of the Spirit. Johnson argues (p81) that the spirit of the anti-christ is at work in churches that are cessationist, that those who do are of a 'religious spirit' which is demonic.
Now I happen to think that cessationism is wrong along with infant baptism and an egalitarian view of leadership for example. I don't think that those who hold those views are essentially influenced by the devil and the anti-christ. I just think they're wrong, but let's sit down and chat it over. Hard to do that when the bloke opposite thinks God has his back and the devil has yours.
There's more but to carry on just makes me feel hyper-critical and we'll miss the good stuff that should be chewed on.
#The Meat
I've no wish to believe anything other than the miracles Johnson writes about actually happened. I'm sure those people were healed and healed by the power of the name of Jesus. His ministry and His church has seen more people healed than I've met and who am I to be churlish about that? No, there's something there that is good and I'll praise God for that.
Secondly, there is a genuine concern for the poor and vulnerable. There were sufficient mentions in a very understated (unlike the rest of the book) way of care and compassion. The opening story alone of the wedding is wonderful and challenging. I absolutely applaud and desire to see more of this.
Thirdly, there is a deep passion for God, for an intimate relationship with God and a recognition that we need God. Amen.
Fourthly, real conviction that prayer and seeking after God is fundamental. If anything stood out, it was this. The rest of his teachings were so-so at best, but I think the key is this. He prays, his church prays and they pray a lot for God to be at work and He does. I don't know why God blesses people whose theology is up the creek except that I'm pretty sure if He didn't he might never bless me.
Lastly, an expectation that the Gospel is powerful, that God is powerful, that the future is bright and not bleak and that we can hope for healing, deliverance, freedom and grace to triumph in the lives of many.
God is at work, lives changed and the power of God is clear. I'm just not sure I'm any the wiser about how to see that happen after reading this book.
I have many friends who are and have been greatly impacted by the ministry of Bill Johnson and Bethel Church in Redding, California. In fact my mother-in-law is currently spending a year at Bethel Church and so I respect them and what God is doing in their lives. So as Bill Johnson says you need to 'chew the meat and spit out the bones'. Sadly When Heaven Invades Earth is more spare rib than rump steak.
First let's spit out the bones.
#Bone 1: Language. There are a few issues I have here. One is that although I recognise all the words I don't understand many of the sentences. There's a church culture and a theology that lies behind it that I simply have no comprehension of. For example:
"Burning within my soul is a piece of the original flame from the day of Pentecost. It's been handed down generation after generation."
Is he talking about the Holy Spirit? A piece of the original flame? There were plenty more of those.
Then there's an awful lot of 'invading', 'colliding', 'warring', 'infiltrating', 'plundering' going on. It's all a bit Kapow, Thwack, Sock, Wham, Bam. I don't know if that's the reality or not but why God has to invade His own earth and infiltrate governments that He presides over or why anything would 'collide' into God is a little beyond me.
Lastly on language this is writing by soundbite. I'm fairly sure there couldn't have been a sentence more than about 15 words long. It's all pithy, punchy stuff but after 189 pages you're just longing for some half decent writing. Bill Johnson may have authored any number of books but he's no writer.
#Bone 2: Some of it is just silly. OK, here are two examples of what I'm talking about.
"When we are smeared with God, it rubs off on all we come into contact with..." (p135)
Well, I'm just a little bit uncomfortable with talking about God in the same way as I do grease. You get smeared with oil if someone anoints you, to say that when a person is filled with the Holy Spirit they are 'smeared with God' is well, just a bit silly. That's confusing the action with the meaning.
And
"We are to be a witness of God. To give witness is to 'represent'. This actually means to re-present Him." (emphasis original p119)
No, Bill it doesn't. That's simply not what the word means, sorry about that. Represent and re-present are two different words meaning two different things.
#Bone 3: Theology. Of course language often betrays our theology and some of what I've already said is theological. However, on the basis of this book I think there are genuine questions about how Johnson understands the person of Christ, the Trinity, Scripture, the Holy Spirit, the church, eschatology and spiritual warfare and money. So, just a few minor areas of concern then.
To take one example he functionally elevates personal revelation above scripture and makes it the key to successful interpretation. We have enough trouble working out what scripture means without everyone claiming their personal experience the key to successfully interpreting the Sermon on the Mount.
#Bone 4: Bridge burner not bridge builder. If I wasn't convinced about the gifts of the Spirit for today and I was reading this book to try and understand what was happening, I think I'd come away incredibly offended and not because of the conviction of the Spirit. Johnson argues (p81) that the spirit of the anti-christ is at work in churches that are cessationist, that those who do are of a 'religious spirit' which is demonic.
Now I happen to think that cessationism is wrong along with infant baptism and an egalitarian view of leadership for example. I don't think that those who hold those views are essentially influenced by the devil and the anti-christ. I just think they're wrong, but let's sit down and chat it over. Hard to do that when the bloke opposite thinks God has his back and the devil has yours.
There's more but to carry on just makes me feel hyper-critical and we'll miss the good stuff that should be chewed on.
#The Meat
I've no wish to believe anything other than the miracles Johnson writes about actually happened. I'm sure those people were healed and healed by the power of the name of Jesus. His ministry and His church has seen more people healed than I've met and who am I to be churlish about that? No, there's something there that is good and I'll praise God for that.
Secondly, there is a genuine concern for the poor and vulnerable. There were sufficient mentions in a very understated (unlike the rest of the book) way of care and compassion. The opening story alone of the wedding is wonderful and challenging. I absolutely applaud and desire to see more of this.
Thirdly, there is a deep passion for God, for an intimate relationship with God and a recognition that we need God. Amen.
Fourthly, real conviction that prayer and seeking after God is fundamental. If anything stood out, it was this. The rest of his teachings were so-so at best, but I think the key is this. He prays, his church prays and they pray a lot for God to be at work and He does. I don't know why God blesses people whose theology is up the creek except that I'm pretty sure if He didn't he might never bless me.
Lastly, an expectation that the Gospel is powerful, that God is powerful, that the future is bright and not bleak and that we can hope for healing, deliverance, freedom and grace to triumph in the lives of many.
God is at work, lives changed and the power of God is clear. I'm just not sure I'm any the wiser about how to see that happen after reading this book.
October 12, 2017
Excellent book! It's really more than a book, it’s a guide for how God is here on earth, and people just need to understand how His blessings and miracles happen around us every day. There are a number of ways to achieve this understanding, but the pivotal, essential, really only one is to know that God was on earth as Jesus Christ—the anointed one—who died to provide salvation for our sins. Therefore, Jesus lives in us who have faith so we must be ready for God to do miraculous things on earth because what’s not in Heaven should not be here. Check it out for yourself.
September 18, 2019
This is my second Bill Johnson book and third from Bethel. When Heaven Invades Earth possesses the same basic error as the first book I read by him: the church rather than Christ will usher in Christ's Kingdom, a complete lack of the events of Revelation and rapture, and the belief that man must have the power of Christ to preach the Gospel. Christ is just a man who was Spirit filled therefore we can do all He did. He admits He was God but has an odd procedure in which He gave up His Godness for a time. He skews the Scriptures and constantly misapplies prophecies regarding Israel to the Church. His focus on miracles completely ignores the utter rejection of Christ by the Jews in the face of real miracles. Two odd quotes: "Without miracles, there can never be a full revelation of Jesus" and "Miracles provide the grace for repentance." Regarding the first, Jesus performed miracles and was still rejected as Messiah and as Abraham said to the rich man in Hades, "they will not believe though one rise from the dead." As to the second quote, see Roman's 3:24. Bill talks of his concern for the religious folks who reject his miracles and looks down on them as some lower class of Christian who may be hindering the establishment of the Kingdom. Avoid this book, and all books by Bethel folks, and those who insist of usurping God's plans for Israel and those who alter the Book of Revelation, which is what Bill Johnson appears to have done.
January 29, 2014
this is indeed an interesting and challenging book for us as believer. It gives us a deeper and new meaning as a Christian. apart from the normal conservative and orthodox believers...
this is truly liberating…and that is what we need, receiving the new revelation to gain the confidence in living for Christ.
my recommendation for reading to a new revival..
Praise & thanks the Lord for this godly anointed Pastor/author, Bill Johnson - May God bless him richly and prosper his wonderful work.
this is truly liberating…and that is what we need, receiving the new revelation to gain the confidence in living for Christ.
my recommendation for reading to a new revival..
Praise & thanks the Lord for this godly anointed Pastor/author, Bill Johnson - May God bless him richly and prosper his wonderful work.
July 22, 2012
I had high hopes for this book. On the surface the things this books says are the greatest thing ever. But with every faith based book it is necessary to check if what is being said lines up with scripture. I found that the author manipulated scripture for his own purposes. And many times he was very hard to follow. I simply could not stand to continue reading this book, and threw it in the trash when I quit reading.
August 9, 2011
This is one of the most challenging books I've ever read. It is definitely a faith builder, although it does go against a lot of what I was taught growing up, or at least what I've always believed. I am anticipating miracles in my life for sure and this book gets me geared up for seeing God's Kingdom come in power. I would suggest this book to anyone, especially if you want a challenge and new things to pray and hope for. I certainly enjoyed this book.
September 20, 2007
Oh, I will probably read this through the night tonight.
How about this: sickness in the body is like sin in the heart. That should tell us all that God desires to heal. Much to ponder about this. Reading this is like having a light shine in dark places of my life I never knew existed.And as I read my heart beats faster and I am longing for all that the pages speak.
How about this: sickness in the body is like sin in the heart. That should tell us all that God desires to heal. Much to ponder about this. Reading this is like having a light shine in dark places of my life I never knew existed.And as I read my heart beats faster and I am longing for all that the pages speak.
Currently reading
November 11, 2010This book is ruining me. But in the best way possible. It's shattering some of the mindsets I've head for years about being a believer. After finishing I'll probably read it again because I might be missing so many amazing points he made about being a Christian.
March 25, 2013
I read this when it first came out ten years ago, and it was wonderful then. It is just as good now. Though, I do have to confess, I'm not in to devotionals, which is contained in this volume as well.
April 16, 2025
I appreciated reading this right as the American Gospel series is putting out a 3rd project that's hard not view as a hit-piece on Bethel Church. I was planning on starting off my review with the things I didn't agree with in this book, but I don't even want to do that.
Bill wrote this book because he believes in a gospel of Power, and a God who physically and spiritually transforms things through the supernatural on this earth, and I do too.
It's so exciting to imagine the possibilities and participate in the realities of bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to earth through miracles, signs, and wonders (among the classic disciplines OF COURSE). I really hope they become as accepted and celebrated as they are in the parts of the world where Christianity is exploding right now. So I'm very thankful this book was written.
Bill wrote this book because he believes in a gospel of Power, and a God who physically and spiritually transforms things through the supernatural on this earth, and I do too.
It's so exciting to imagine the possibilities and participate in the realities of bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to earth through miracles, signs, and wonders (among the classic disciplines OF COURSE). I really hope they become as accepted and celebrated as they are in the parts of the world where Christianity is exploding right now. So I'm very thankful this book was written.
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