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Pastor Bill Johnson at Bethel Church said that while many Christians are uncomfortable with the supernatural and refrain from miraculously healing God through the sick, every believer’s responsibility is to “take some risk of giving God a chance to show up and do what only he can do. “
Johnson, a pastor of megachurch in Redding, California, who also runs one school of supernatural ministry, attended Thursday’s session at the Q 2020 Virtual Summit, an annual event that allows Christian leaders to carefully engage with culture from a Christian worldview.
During the session, the pastor was asked by host Gabe Lyons to talk “why we should lean more into the supernatural” and “trust God to do things we may never ever understand in the supernatural.”
“If everything is about [God] is something I understand, then I’ve reduced him to my size, “Johnson replied. “It requires me to live with mystery. And if I’m a follower of Jesus, I have to at least try to do what he did and say we would do. “
Johnson referred to Matthew 10: 8, where Jesus sends out the 12 apostles and tells them: “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, cast out demons. You have freely received; freely give. ”
“Part of what he gave his disciples was this mandate to heal the sick, raise the dead whatever it may be,” I explained. “It’s the miracle area. The miracle area is not the bonus, it is not the controversial side issue. It is the heart and nature of who Jesus was and what he showed [on earth.] I might never do well, I just don’t have the right to change my job. “
Johnson urged Christians to give Jesus “the opportunity to show up and do the extravagant thing.”
“My responsibility is to carry the truth and take some kind of risk to give God a chance to show up and do what only He can do,” the pastor said. “I still want to present the gospel so that people come to Christ. So my responsibility is to carry the truth and take some kind of risk to give God a chance to show up and do what only He can do. “
According to Johnson, two things keep Christians from pursuing a lifestyle of allowing God to work extravagantly through them: “Poor teaching where we learned it ended some time ago,” and “disappointment.”
“I think it is in our DNA as a believer to see God do extravagant things through us,” he said. “It’s part of just a normal desire, … we actually have to learn from it. And it is normal for us to long to see God use us in a significant way. The mistake occurs when we take it upon ourselves that it is because of our great faith or our great strength or courage, whatever it may be. It’s a mistake, but it’s also a mistake to go the other way and say, ‘Well, if God wants it to happen, he’ll just do it, and I don’t have to pursue a life at risk.’ It’s just not as it is played in Scripture. “
The California priest also discussed his view of God’s presence, explaining that because “the Holy Spirit is the greatest gift we have been given,” the Holy Spirit in my life must be better than Jesus, standing right next to me my side. “
“So Jesus beside me by my side is less than the Holy Spirit in my life growing in me,” said the priest. “We have to learn to host him so he is constantly resting on us.”
The church of 12,000 members is known for its focus on faith healing. Bethel is currently hosting online spaces available from 6 p.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week. In addition, many of the 2,400 students at the church’s School of Supernatural Ministry are approaching and praying for people in hospitals and health centers, though not without controversy.
In April Bethel shifted their healing space for online events weeks after their faith healing ministry was suspended in hospitals due to coronavirus.
Chris Gore, the church’s head of healing told the Washington Post that the most common disorder among the approximately 100 calls they receive daily from around the world is mainly related to stress around the coronavirus.
Johnson urged the church to “come alongside” their communities in the wake of the coronavirus, stressing that “we have to erase the line between us and then we have to stop thinking that we are the inner group . “
“If we treat them as a project, we will always try to change them instead of loving them,” he said. “What we have chosen to do is get along with our civic leaders and the system, not try to change them, but try to honor them for who they are, because God puts them in the position area and serves them for the well-being of our city. . “
“We believe in miracles and we see extraordinary things happen … but we can also serve and help them carry out their responsibilities, whatever it may be. We can offer our facilities for this pandemic to serve people in need. It does not mean anything. There is no separation. “
COVID-19, Johnson emphasized, presents “a first time” for the church to experience “significant breakthroughs” in its interaction with secular culture.
“People are becoming increasingly aware that they do not have an answer, and they are aware that their politicians do not have the answers either,” he said. “We have to make sure that we maintain hope in our lives because people are crying out for hope … And if we come under the influence of circumstances instead of under the influence of Almighty God and His heart for people, then we does not carry the message as we should. We do not hear the possibility. “
“I think we are positioned for a great awakening and a mighty, mighty and mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit,” I have declared.
The large gathering of the church is where identity is established and prophetic direction becomes clear to the whole group; the small group is where the “authority and strength” of the church appears, Johnson said.
“Fathers have to put aside any uncertainty that anyone else will be honored, breakthrough … and celebrate that this is the moment for the Church to really be strong, where God has called us to be strong, and it’s in the two or three. “
The annual Q conference was founded in 2007 by Gabe and Rebekah Lyons. The two-day event featured a number of influential thought leaders, pastors, and notable members of the Christian community.
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