Dear Bethel, Church Is NOT An Experiment!

Bill Johnson’s Response and the Charge of False Teaching

Hey guys, Colin here, and welcome back to the channel where we bring you Christian commentary about the things that matter. In today's video, we're going to be taking a look at a clip of Bill Johnson speaking to Michael Brown.

And before we begin this video, let me establish this is not meant as an angry attack, but rather as a genuine biblical critique. Just to clarify, Bill Johnson is the lead pastor of Bethel Church, a hyper-Pentecostal megachurch in Redding, California, largely known for its worship music.

In the clip you're about to see, Bill is responding to criticism which comes from many people who take issue with the consistent doctrinal errors of Bethel Church, as they should. Here's a clip of his response.

Watch this. That's all we're trying.

To do, and we're, you know, we're just one big against things we don't, but that's all we're really trying to do, but not ignore. The people know they must repent. So first, I want to recognize.

Love, Kindness, and Truth in Christian Life

What Bill got right in the video. He's absolutely correct when he says that Christians should be marked by love and kindness. Ephesians 4 .32 says, quote, be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you, end quote.

Christians should be marked by, among many other things, love, goodness, and a genuine care for other people and their souls. Of course, the Bible defines how we ought to do that. But with that said, of course, we should also be marked by a burning passion for the truth of God's Word and sound doctrine, which accords with that Word.

In John 8 .32, Jesus says this, quote, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. So we cannot excuse the consistent false teaching that comes out of Bethel Church in the name of Christian love.

Why? Well, because it would be neither loving nor Christian to do that, letting these people live in serious error. We are told in Romans 16 .17 to mark and avoid those who teach unsound doctrine that does not accord with Orthodox biblical teaching.

Sanctification and the Limits of Human Imperfection

So with that said, let us recognize that Bethel and Bill Johnson do get some things right. In the video I showed you, Bill talks about loving others and also about never ignoring the issue of sin. That is very true, and I wholeheartedly agree with it.

But let's also consider another point he made in the video to which we should respond with only a humble correction, certainly not with agreement. Bill at one point said this, quote, that's all we're trying to do, and we're just one big experiment.

Some things we do really good, and some things we don't, end quote. This is seriously concerning as a section of the clip for many biblical reasons. First, there is error mixed in with truth here, and you need to be made aware of that.

He says that some things they do well, and other things they don't. And this will undoubtedly be true for every person, every Christian in the entire world. We desperately need sanctification. We are not perfect yet.

Our churches are not perfect yet. But we pray that God would make us more and more like his perfect son each day. Philippians 1 .6 says, quote, and I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ, end quote.

With faith in Christ, you are fully and completely saved right then. Yet, the process of sanctification is not fully complete. So the statement, nobody's perfect besides Jesus, or you're never going to find a perfect church, these are true statements.

But of course, these should never be used as an excuse for false doctrine, as they too often are. Bill Johnson is absolutely correct on this one point, and I appreciate the humility that comes with it.

The Church Is Not an Experiment

But before that comment, he says this, quote, that's all we're trying to do, and we're just one big experiment. This is a point that all Christians should wholeheartedly disagree with at every level. Church, the body of Christ, is not an experiment.

An experiment, by definition, is a test, a trial run of some sort, a tentative procedure by which you figure out some unknown thing. But this is not true about the church. You see, the church is not an experiment trying to find the truth or trying to figure out how to act in light of the truth.

Rather, the church is a group of people who already have been shown the truth and are collectively growing in that truth. The outcome is not unsure, it's completely sure. We know the basics about how a church should operate, and we know the outcome of that church's ministry.

There are many scriptures that prove this definitively. In Matthew 16, 18, Jesus says this, quote, and I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, end quote.

Does Jesus suggest that Peter should run some tests, do some experiments, Peter, figure it out? No. It's clear and definitive that not only does Jesus know exactly what the church ought to do, but also he knows exactly the level of victory the church is going to have.

Namely, that the gates of hell don't stand a chance. In other words, there's nothing experimental or uncertain about this. On the contrary, both the process and the outcome are absolutely certain. Colossians 3, 16, among many other passages, talks about church practices, saying this, quote, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Biblical Worship and Ministry Practices

So what does the church do? Well, we worship God in many ways. We are thankful. We encourage one another. We sing psalms and hymns. We receive biblical teaching. We break bread together. We even worship through communion and baptism, etc.

Why do we do all these things? Well, we didn't make them up. We do them because God specifically told us in his word that the church should do this. Again, there's nothing experimental about this. The process is laid out for us in scripture.

I mean, think about it. The grand majority of the New Testament text is just compiled letters from inspired authors literally instructing the church on what they're supposed to do. So how on earth could we say with any degree of accuracy then that the church is just one big experiment?

Humbly, I just want to say it doesn't make sense at all. And this may very well be leading to the many problems at Bethel Church. You see, if church is just an experiment, then using new, exciting, and potentially unbiblical ministry methods isn't necessarily wrong.

It's just one of many experiments you're doing. Our worship music doesn't need to be theologically deep. After all, it's just an experiment. We can sing the song Reckless Love even though it misrepresents God because after all, church is just an experiment, right?

We're just experimenting with different songs. We can have wacky Pentecostal practices like sticking our heads in a barrel while we scream because we're filled with the Holy Spirit because after all, it's just an experiment, right?

By the way, I didn't make up that last example. They actually do that at Bethel. Here's a picture to prove it. But again, humbly, I just want to say I don't think any of this experimental view of church is helpful or accurate.

In fact, I think it may very well be extremely dangerous. Fundamentally, the church is not a group of people looking for ministry methods through a flippant process of human trial and error. Rather, it is a group of people trying, by God's grace, to follow the clear directions for ministry that are already outlined in God's Word.

If church is merely an experiment, then why did God give us pages and pages and pages of written instructions about how to operate as a we figure out in our own way? God has graciously given us tons of revealed truth so that we don't have to make things up as we go along.

We should praise God for His Word, then, rather than experimenting on our own. That's when we run into the issues that you see at Bethel church, and we don't want to do that. So in summary, Bill Johnson, leader of Bethel, believes that church is an experiment.

This statement is dangerous, and it utterly lacks biblical support. Therefore, it should be avoided. And please know this, I do not offer any of this correction from a high and mighty position. I am nothing but a wretched sinner saved by the grace of Jesus Christ.

And let's also pray for Bill and for Bethel church that they would stop this false teaching, this deception, and turn to the truth of God's Word. Thank you so much for watching that video. Please give us a like and subscribe so that you don't miss any content.

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