The International House of Prayer is now selling an eight day course on usurping the power of God, only $199!

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To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. -- 1Corinthians 12: 7-11 (ESV)

Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?But earnestly desire the higher gifts. 1Corinthians 12: 29-31 (ESV)

One of the growing trends in false beliefs these past ten years has been the proliferation of the false signs and lying wonders network of churches. Once considered more on the fringe, we have seen places such as Bethel and IHOP grow among the impressionable and biblically illiterate youth to the point that now there is a generation of 30-somethings that have been raised on this radical distortion of God and His Word. Anyone who dares point out the unbiblical nature of these teachings is branded as a legalist who needs a deeper revelation of the Spirit of God. To which I would respond no, you need an entry level revelation to the Word of God. But the Word is secondary to this crowd. Bill Johnson is proud to preach that he does not worship the Bible, even though it clearly says that Christ is His Word. Now I understand why someone as unbiblical as Bill Johnson would choose to not worship the Word of God. The problem is he is raising up an army of like-minded biblically indifferent "Christians." As is Mike Bickle and the International House of Prayer (IHOP). Please do not confuse this with the pancake franchise which has far sounder theology and tastier waffles.

Within this network, we have seen the growth of the false notion that the gifts of the Spirit are easy to manipulate by man. Bethel started their own "School of the Supernatural"; where they teach people the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This notion has caught on and spread because there is money to be made from gullible Christians. It is fully supported by the growing network of false prophets such as the Kansas City Prophets, General's International, the Council of Prophetic Elders, New Apostolic Reformation and the gaggle of false prophets found on Charisma News. They have constructed a massive network designed to protect the brand, sell their prophecies, and make some coin. Thus we turn to a new article on Charisma News written by Adam Wittenberg. Don't know who he is? Neither did I until this morning. Turns out Adam works for the Marketing Department of IHOP. Yes, the Marketing Department. You must understand beloved, when you do not preach the Gospel you are forced to "sell" God. Let us reason together and use the Bible to show how wrong Mr. Wittenberg is to believe God needs marketing and that the gifts can be manipulated by man. Here is a link to the article:

http://www.charismanews.com/opinion/63660-foundational-truths-to-remember-as-you-prophesy

"It might surprise you, but prophesy is for all believers. Paul encourages us to desire the spiritual gift of prophecy, which is entirely different from the office of prophet. God continues to speak today, and He wants to use you to strengthen and comfort others (1Corinthians 14: 1-3). -- Adam Wittenberg

From the start we see the false underpinnings of the thinking of Mr. Wittenberg. Now keep in mind we can expect no more from him as his four years of ministerial training were provided at IHOP, a virtual cesspool of false teachings and heresy. One might wonder why this article at this time. Skipping to the end we discover this is not just a random article but it is actually a giant promotion for an upcoming eight day teaching conference called "Immerse" at IHOP. For only $199 you too can sit in to learn how to prophesy and avoid pitfalls in prophecy. Remember, it is a network and a racket. It generates revenue. Hallelujah, pass the offering plate. Back to the quote however, does Paul encourage us to desire prophecy?

Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. -- 1Corinthians 14: 1 (ESV)

Yes, the Word does say that we should earnestly desire all of the gifts, but especially prophecy. That does not however mean that prophecy is for everyone. The desire of the spiritual gifts is for everyone. Paul is actually encouraging believers to be more mature in desiring prophecy over tongues because tongues builds the self up whereas true prophecy is edifying and encouraging for others. It is as if Paul could see into the future and our present day "look at me" Pentecostal experience where it seems everyone wants to shout out incoherent babble during church services. In many ways the gift of tongues draws attention to the speaker but true prophecy redirects people back to God. So it does surprise me that someone like Adam Wittenberg has been so poorly taught to actually believe that every believer can prophesy, especially since all he had to do was read the rest of that chapter he referenced, from which both of our key verse sections have been taken.

Verses 7-11 make it abundantly clear that the gifts are given for the common good. That one might get wisdom while another gets the utterance of knowledge. One might be given the gift of faith while another might receive the ability to work miracles. Another receives prophecy while someone else might receive tongues. The language is unmistakable. Individuals receive different gifts. Not all of them. The concluding line here is what destroys this silly notion about being able to teach the gifts. They are apportioned as the Holy Spirit wills. Not as Bill Johnson wills. Not as Mike Bickle wills. Not as Adam Wittenberg markets. To claim to be able to teach something that only the Spirit wills is to usurp God Himself. This is common among most false teachings in the church. When you peel away the human wisdom and logic, you usually arrive at man wanting to be God. As if Paul knew that this kind of false teaching would arise, he goes on later in the chapter, in our second set of key verses, to make it even clearer. Within the original language there is an implied answer to these questions and that answer is NO. Are all prophets? No. Do all speak in tongues? No. Now, the followers of these heresies have tried to parse out that the prophecy part is only forbidding that all are not prophets and the office of prophet is different than the gift of prophecy. By their twisted logic, then everyone can be an apostle and everyone can be a teacher. Clearly Paul is not changing what he intends to say in mid-sentence. So, should we desire the higher spiritual gift of prophecy over that of tongues? Absolutely. That does not mean however that the Spirit wills prophecy to everyone. Wittenberg would continue:

"He created us to be a prophetic people, and the Word says it it's for all flesh." (Joel 2:28). -- Adam Wittenberg

Wittenberg engages in the same error that the false prophets use to defend things like the schools for the supernatural and a prophet on every street corner. Does the Word actually say that prophecy is for all flesh? Let's refer to the scriptures in question:

"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit."And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls. -- Joel 2: 28-32 (ESV)

The first problem that Wittenberg faces is that this is referring to a time that has yet to come. The term "afterward" means in the last days, which clearly we are in but will not end until the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. How can we know that is when Joel is referring? The immediate context. Sure verse 28 alone looks tempting to support a present dispensation but has the sun turned to darkness? The moon turned to blood? Are we actually at the great and awesome day of the Lord? Of course not! That would be Judgment Day! Some false signs and lying wonders will point to Acts 2, where Peter refers to the Joel prophecy as being fulfilled that very day in the explosion of foreign tongues that preceded the Pentecost sermon. That however does not quite hit the mark either. As John MacArthur says, "He's poured out His Spirit, right? On all flesh, wrong." Remember that God sees all time simultaneously. A day is like a thousand years. We think in finite terms with our finite minds. The immediate context of Joel 2:28 however reveals clearly that we are talking about the Day of the Lord and the immediate time leading up to it.

If that is too close for you, the second problem is the actual verse does not claim that everyone will prophesy. It says the Spirit will be poured out on all flesh but Wittenberg automatically correlates this to everyone prophesying. Yes it says your sons and daughters will prophesy but not your old men! They will dream dreams. So is it an age thing? Not at all because then it says that your young men will see visions. When you step back objectively you must conclude that the only thing promised to be poured out on all flesh is the Spirit. What that manifestation is per person is still decided by the Holy Spirit in synch with our key verses. Perhaps the most glaring problem is Wittenberg's assertion that God created us to be a prophetic people. While it may sound grandiose or even partially pious, it is unbiblical. Nowhere does the Bible suggest that God created us to be prophetic. Wittenberg continues:

"Prophecy scares some people, but it doesn't have to. When we give ourselves to hearing God's voice and humbly and obediently speak what He says in His timing, the whole body is built up. And all throughout Scripture, God speaks to people in different ways. Sometimes it is through a quiet whisper, or other times a voice like rushing waters, or even through the mouth of a donkey. But the Bible is clear -- our God speaks, continually, and He is still speaking today! -- Adam Wittenberg

Now comes the set up for the sales pitch. After challenging people to not be afraid, which is a play to our emotions, Wittenberg states that the whole body is built up through prophecy and he is right. Through correct prophecy. Not through the nonsense they espouse at IHOP and Charisma News. Here is a sampling from "prophecies" offered by Charisma recently:

"Pray for Milo to Break the Leviathan Spirit."

"Prophetic Dream Reveals 'Glory Torrent' Strategy to Combat Rising Witchcraft."

"Decoding the Apocalypse With End-Times prophecy."

"Hubie Synn Offers Clear Principles for Prophesying."

"Beware of the Sneaky Squid Spirit."

Ah yes, that deadly squid spirit. I do not recall the Scripture that warns of vexing calamari we must endure in these last days. Wittenberg here is setting up a false premise. Yes we must learn to hear from God. Yes God is always speaking to us if we are willing to listen. To bring up the various ways He has spoken in the Bible, primarily the Old Testament is to miss the point of the new covenant we live under. God has already revealed His will to us beloved in the Bible. If we want to hear from God, we need to read our Bible. While Wittenberg correctly emphasizes the Word of God he is also busy setting up this notion of being able to hear God. The small whisper or mighty roar for example. He comes from IHOP remember and they are deeply entrenched in Eastern Mysticism and things like "soaking" prayer. They believe in the emptying of oneself to hear from God but the Bible never says any such foolishness. The idea here being if you empty your mind to draw "closer to God" and repeat chants or mantras over and over again as "worship" then you invite His "presence." Then you just have to faithfully report it and voila! You're prophesying! Except you're not because these things do produce God talking but rather, the wickedness of our own deceitful hearts. This is how you get ridiculous prophecies involving spiritual squid. Now that he has paid lip service to the Word of God, Wittenberg flips to IHOP theology:

"The Bible is the only sure door to learning to hear God's voice. Scripture is meant to introduce us to a man, Jesus -- the One who loves us, guides us, and has promised to speak to us. Bible study, prayer, and hearing God's voice are all about "encountering the man hidden between the lines," says Kirk Bennett, a senior leader at IHOP. -- Adam Wittenberg

Wittenberg does an admirable job of trying to talk up the importance of Scripture but then he unravels what says. Scripture is not meant to merely introduce us to Jesus, who then in turn will speak to us. That is absurd. The Bible IS Jesus speaking to us! The Bible says that The Word is good for all things. Teaching, reproof, correction. Jesus is not "hidden between the lines" beloved. He is there for all to see if they are searching for Him and truly want to hear what He has to say. The shift pulled off here by Wittenberg was oh so subtle. In one sentence he moved the importance of hearing God's voice to the same level as prayer and reading the Word. Why would he do such a thing? Because this is the theology of the false signs and lying wonders network. They believe that practicing to hear God is equally important as a spiritual discipline as prayer and reading the Word. The truth is that prayer or reading the Word of God should result in hearing from God. The disciplines are reading the Word and prayer but hearing from Him is a result of being disciplined. But Wittenberg and IHOP want to make it all very mysterious and supernatural. Jesus is hidden somewhere between the lines and you have to seek out his voice. Nonsense. Jesus is always there for us in prayer and His revealed Word. But remember, Wittenberg works for the Marketing Department at IHOP:

"One way to grow in the prophetic is to learn from experienced believers. At Immerse, April 1-8 in Kansas City, leaders from IHOPKC will offer hands on training in the prophetic." -- Adam Wittenberg

With the faux biblical groundwork laid down and the sales pitch made, Wittenberg goes for the kill. For only $199, you too can learn to prophesy. To hear that voice of God you have been unable to hear. He claims topics will include prophecy within singing, preaching, and evangelism as well as common pitfalls when prophesying and how to avoid them. As we wrap up this IHOP blue plate special of heresy let us realize that even these topics reveal that they are dangerously ignorant about all things prophetic. The reference to prophecy in singing is one of their own creation called "prophetic worship." They train their worship leaders; as does Bethel, to do the "mind emptying-hear what your wicked heart is saying" routine in the middle of a worship song and whatever comes to mind they teach them it is from God. They are then instructed to sing it out and lead the congregation as well. I have seen this phenomenon live and it is disturbing to say the least if you have an ounce of discernment. The visiting worship leader at a church I was attending started weaving into some kind of trance in the middle of what was an alleged worship song. Suddenly she claimed God showed her a river and Jesus was in the river! For the next 15 minutes was a repeated mantra over and over of "jump in the river if you want a hug form Jesus." I kid you not. One of the elders was writhing on the ground shouting "I'm soaking wet!" The entire display was demonic. I would leave the church shortly after that display. There is nothing prophetic about it and nothing that is worshipful.

Prophetic preaching is equally unbiblical. There is a reason why these are separate gifts beloved. Now, if you want to teach about prophecies within the Bible that is fine but that is not what IHOP is selling here. They are talking about allowing the interjection of new revelation while preaching the revealed will of God. Think about that for a second. Has God forgotten something? Did He divinely inspire the entire canon of Scripture and then one day realize He forgot something He wanted to say but thank goodness He has Mike Bickle to convey it? Please. If you are watching a preacher who suddenly exclaims they are getting "fresh download"; that is not from God. Next up is prophetic evangelism and these are merely parlor tricks and clairvoyant games. If you want to see this in action watch the heretical Holy Ghost movies. Their evangelism technique is to find gullible and emotional people and pretend God is giving them a "word of knowledge about them prophetically. "God is showing me that you have some sort of ailment." Well gosh, who doesn't? "He is showing me to pray for your legs"or is it your upper body"" and what the huckster is looking for is a reaction from the person so he knows what area to "focus on." He then prays and using the power of suggestion the person usually claims they feel better. The charlatan then claims a prophetic healing that never took place. We see this in local churches all the time when itinerant "prophets" visit. I had a good friend go up for healing on a hip that needed replacement surgery. He was "healed" and even danced on stage. Two weeks later he still needed surgery. Beloved hear me well. I am not saying God cannot heal. He most certainly can but He is not going to do it through vessels that falsify that they hear from Him.

The last topical area reveals for sure that this entire venture is false. Pitfalls of prophesying? Are you hearing from God or not? In the Old Testament, the pitfall for prophesying is that if you were wrong you were stoned to death. In modern false prophet circles that is just an oopsie. Again, we must realize they are being taught to empty themselves and listen and the first thing that pops into their minds they are trained to accept as being God's still small voice but it is not. It is their own wickedly deceitful hearts. The folks who are considered the top prophets in these circles all agree that a 65% accuracy record is admirable. Are you kidding me? That means at least 35% of the time you are either lying purposefully or you cannot tell the difference between Satan and the Lord! Isn't 65% the bare minimum to pass academically? Isn't that a "D" student? This is not a game beloved. To claim to speak on behalf of God is bad enough but to pretend to have heard from Him directly is even worse. That is why you see these false prophets now casting new predictions with 50-50 chances or such absurd time frames that they assume it must come true eventually. Benny Hinn once prophesied in 1990 that Fidel Castro would die in the 1990s. He gave himself a ten year window and he still missed it by over 15 years. The year of Hurricane Katrina, Pat Robertson claimed God showed him that the following summer would be the worst in recorded history for hurricanes hitting the eastern seaboard of the United States. That summer zero hurricanes made landfall. God will not be mocked beloved. We as Christians need to stop feeding this beast. Stop chasing silly predictions and our carnal desires to have a "word spoken over our lives." We already have a Word spoken to us directly from God Himself. It is entirely true and accurate. It is entirely prophetic. It is entirely available to all.

Reverend Anthony Wade -- March 21, 2017

Authors Bio:
Credentialed Minister of the Gospel for the Assemblies of God. Owner and founder of 828 ministries. Vice President for Goodwill Industries. Always remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.