By John Lanagan
The Word Like Fire ministries
Below is a video of the Alabaster House of Bethel Church of Redding, California. According to the Bethel Redding website, it is a place to “be in contemplative prayer and enjoy God’s presence.” You are listening to the voice of Bill Johnson from a sermon given some years ago, and Johnson is poisoning his flock with the heretical doctrine of kenosis. He wants them to believe that Jesus gave up his divinity and performed miracles etc. solely via the power of the Holy Spirit. This is false. This is not what Philippians 2:7 means at all.
“but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” (Phil 2:7)
According to Bill Johnson (Start at 2:37):
If the Spirit of God is on a person, so what’s going on? Jesus was so empty of divine capacity. Eternally God, but He chose to live with the restrictions as man. Why? To set a model. To set something to follow, an example. His lifestyle … if He did all of his miracles as God I’m still impressed, but I’m not compelled to follow. I just stand back and go that’s amazing God, do some more, that’s awesome do some more God but when I find out that He set aside divinity… Click here to continue reading.
Video: start at 2:38 minute mark (use caution and discernment)
Related Articles:
Beware of Bethel: A Brief Summary of Bill Johnson’s Unbiblical Teachings
BOOKLET: Did Jesus Identify Himself as God?
(photo from cover of Mike Oppenheimer’s booklet, Did Jesus Identify Himself as God?; photo from bigstockphoto.com; used with permission)
Without much effort anyone today can look
up a long list of ancient heresies and the well reasoned refutation.
Ignorant people misunderstand the purpose of historical conferences. It was not to establish new doctrines. In truth they were called to formally codify long held doctrines because a yet another heresy was infecting the uninformed on a mass scale including kenosis.
Dear Lindsay,
I see much evidence of the truth about Jesus Christ which refutes the nonsense spouted by Bill Johnson. in Colossians 1 and 2, and in Hebrews 1 and 2. John 1 also makes it clear.
Hope this helps!
CW
Would you be able to firmly and clearly explain what the truth is for this error, essentially refuting the lies with this view? I was led to the Lord by some wonderful ladies whom the Lord put in my path. Unfortunately, in my zeal for more of the Lord, I foolishly got involved with a local ministry and many of the people and teachings in this movement. Strangely, thanks to some hardship in my personal life, I’ve had to seek the Lord and pare down many of my influences. It has been a strange blessing in disguise, as it has forced me to evaluate the things I have been taught without the aids on which I had come to depend. But I fear I have blind spots and am not certain of where I may believe error. I believe there must be more people like me, who are not fully aware of where their blind spots are when coming out of the signs and wonders movement. Would you be willing to point me and others to resources or scriptures that may help? Also, if you would pray for those coming out of these ideas. There are many who truly love the Lord and want to follow Him and are misguided like I’ve been.
The thing I notice: Calvinism comes in sheep’s clothing to snatch people who are searching for truth in the midst of this. There is a false dichotomy being made between those who are for signs and wonders and those who are Calvinism and “truth-loving.” (E.g. The American Gospel movie, which is exposing darkness, then immediately upholds unbelief and Calvinism as the alternative.) They’re both wrong but I find I am mostly having trouble understanding what the truth is between the two.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Lindsay
The fact that Jesus performed thousands of miracles here on earth proves that Jesus still retained His divinity while in a human body, and that He rose from the dead. He was always the Son of God with all the power that that entails. Jesus was obedient to His Father in Heaven until the end of His ministry here, seeking the Father’s will in all things. He is coming soon!
Has this guy not read the whole counsel of God, not taking one verse and building a whole doctrine on it? He is obviously not led of the Holy Spirit.
I could not bring myself to watch the video. Just reading this much here was plenty (toooo much) for me to stomach. 🙁
Oh how we need godly men who will preach the Word of God with the unction of the Holy Spirit on them! Have mercy, oh Lord!