What do you think?
Rate this book
Face to Face with God: Transform Your Life with His Daily Presence
THE ULTIMATE QUEST TO EXPERIENCE HIS PRESENCE
We all want to be a part of something that is greater than ourselves, to knowthat God loves us and has a plan for our lives. What better way to find outthan to stand daily in His presence and ask?
In this expanded edition of Face to Face With God Bill Johnson offersquestions for reflection and prayers at the end of each chapter. He helps youpursue God for greater measures of His presence in your own life by sharingthe principles he has learned as well as real-life stories from his church andministry. You will
We all want to be a part of something that is greater than ourselves, to knowthat God loves us and has a plan for our lives. What better way to find outthan to stand daily in His presence and ask?
In this expanded edition of Face to Face With God Bill Johnson offersquestions for reflection and prayers at the end of each chapter. He helps youpursue God for greater measures of His presence in your own life by sharingthe principles he has learned as well as real-life stories from his church andministry. You will
227 pages, Paperback
First published August 21, 2007
191 people are currently reading
1536 people want to read
About the author
Bill Johnson
758 books533 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
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews
August 11, 2014
Face to Face with Bill Johnson
When I first picked up his book a couple years ago I knew nothing of Bill Johnson. I intended to preview Face to Face with God for our church library. The cover is beautiful. The tagline enticing: “The ultimate quest to experience His Presence”. Ever on the lookout for books that encourage the believer to grow in his knowledge of God, this one seemed promising.
Then I read the first chapter. In it Johnson defends his personal quest for ‘deep encounters with God’. He illustrates by describing his own electrifying experience of being wakened in the night with ‘power surges’ running through his limbs such that he had no control over them. No voices. No visions. Just a sense that this was God’s response to his prayer for ‘more of Him, at any cost’. He interpreted this experience (which returned for consecutive nights) as being ‘actually a face-to-face encounter with God’ and sensed God offering him ‘an increased manifestation of his presence in exchange for [his] dignity.’ (11)
This experience came as the culmination of Johnson’s travels in quest of more ‘power and anointing in his life’ to many cities where God seemed to be working in unusual ways. He went on from this experience to assume the pastorate of Bethel Church in Redding, California and precipitate a dramatic church split with no qualms of regret or questioning of God. A thousand congregants exited as ‘revival’ commenced. Johnson’s dreams and visions made God’s will and favor ‘too obvious to miss’. The year was 1996, the beginning of the Johnson era which is now percolating throughout the world via iBethel TV and ‘School of the Supernatural’ training courses to even such remote locations as mine. Because of the ongoing attention given to this controversial figure I have dusted off my copy of the book and re-attempted to read beyond the first offsetting chapter in order to write a review. Chapter One’s disconcerting emphasis on subjective experiential reality as the evidence of God’s favor and also the means of personal transformation continues throughout.
Topics covered include:
--God’s favor—how to get it, increase it, and pass it on;
--God’s manifest presence and how to position ourselves to experience it and even ‘attract’ it;
--Jesus, our perfect role model;
--Classic encounters with God—the testimonies of such as Evan Roberts, John G. Lake, Finney, Wigglesworth, T.L. Osborn and the apostle, Paul;
--Healing, as included in the atonement;
--The Joy of the Lord (and holy laughter);
--Reflecting the Glory of God
But the overriding theme of the book is the necessity to “lock into [God’s] manifest presence and live for nothing else”(60), an emphasis that calls into question whether we as believers are really called to live by faith or by tangible experiences. Is experiencing God’s manifest presence in this lifetime truly our primary calling? There seems to be confusion over what a growing relationship with God is expected to look like, and an unhealthy emphasis on pursuing subjective encounters with God as the primary means to growth.
In handling his themes Johnson’s matter-of-fact writing style often gives flawed logic and rhetoric the place of sound exegesis of Scripture. Conjecture comes across as established fact. Biblically based objections are brushed aside as irrelevant. These factors make his book an unlikely read for the serious Bible student, while offering a potentially toxic mix to the undiscerning—toxic in its intolerant sectarian bent. Johnson’s inaccurate representation and even mockery of orthodox theological points-of-view that differ from his own is unfortunate. His use of snide aphorisms undermines his ability to communicate effectively with those who oppose him. For example: “Two thousand years ago all sickness was from the devil and healing was from God; today people teach that sickness is from God and those who pursue a healing ministry are from the devil (or out of balance, at best.)”(105) Confusing divisive misstatements such as these and the fluid mixture of truth and error on any given page make this a book I cannot recommend despite the scattered bits of wise insight.
However, it would be inaccurately disparaging to imply that Johnson’s entire book is about experiences, or that none of it is based on objective truth. To the contrary, Johnson does cite Scripture throughout and makes many valid points. For instance, he underlines the importance of such things as: seeking God’s approval rather than man’s, knowing God experientially--not just intellectually, and understanding and extending to the world God’s compassionate nature. Johnson is passionate about seeing the power and love of God transform lives.
Where he errs is in extrapolating from a verse or Scriptural illustration with the use of logic (often flawed) to reach a predetermined conclusion, rather than comparing Scripture with Scripture and confirming his suppositions from a careful exegesis of the whole counsel of God. His self-assured style of writing (similar to his speaking) gives an impression of absolute truth where in fact he is speaking from supposition, conjecture or opinion. His narrowly defined usage of terms like ‘the favor of God’, the ‘manifest presence’ and ‘passion’ give a subjective fogginess to his teaching.
Bill Johnson writing is reactionary. Herein lies his greatest vulnerability. He has obviously had many critics and refers repeatedly and disparagingly to ‘some people…’ In his frustration with anything that smacks of powerless religion (59) (or lacks external displays of the supernatural), Johnson voices a strong bias against theologians, Bible teachers, and those well versed and trained in Bible study, likening them to the Pharisees who alone received Jesus harsh judgment. “The ones most trained in Scripture were the ones who didn’t recognize Him for who He was” and claiming it is those aware of personal need that will be enabled to “recognize that which God is doing in the earth.” (112) Johnson sharply condemns ‘self-appointed watchdogs’ who are ‘slandering some of God’s best friends’ (those with ‘signs’ accompanying their ministry). He faults those who want to be ‘doctrinally safe’ at the expense of ‘relationally safe’ and foresees a desirable move away from churches centered around good doctrine (denominationalism) to those gathered around ‘fathers’ (those exhibiting power). In separating power from sound doctrine in this way and calling criticism ‘slander’, Johnson cuts himself off from the part of the Body he most needs in order to grow soundly in Christ. He opens up himself and his followers to the likelihood of serious deception.
Ironically, it is Johnson’s unbalanced emphasis on the earthly ministry years of Christ, to the exclusion of the whole counsel of Scripture, that lead him into some of the most serious doctrinal errors. He teaches that Christ laid aside His deity and became entirely human as a role model for believers of all time to follow. This is the kenosis heresy that was battled in the early church. It is a subtle deception that leads to the assumption that Jesus’ life was primarily about being a role model and that whatever He did, every believer has a mandate to do also. As Johnson states: “Jesus Christ is perfect theology….He is the will of God.”(184) We need not pray “If it be Thy will” as though it were unclear. If we see it in the life of Christ it is God’s will for us today. If not, not. Johnson specifically cites Jesus’ commissioning of the twelve to: ‘heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, and cleanse lepers’ (Mt.10:8) as the job description of all believers—the ‘overflow of the face of God encounter’(107) What he neglects to emphasize is that the gospel is about Jesus’ death and resurrection. His miracles were specific evidence that He is indeed the Son of God (Jn.20:31), and are Biblically cited as evidence of His deity (Jn.10:38). Furthermore, God’s will for believers differs from one to another believer. We do not all have the same calling or gifting, nor will each individual relationship with the Father be accompanied by overt supernatural encounters with Him.
I close with some of Bill Johnson’s own sayings for your consideration. With which do you agree? Can you find Biblical support? Which contain logical fallacies?
“There’s no clearer way (to Christlikeness) than through personal encounters with Him.”(70)
“…our commission [is] to imitate Christ in destroying the works of the devil and performing signs and wonders.”(30)
“Most of what we need in life will be brought to us, but most of what we want we’ll have to go and get.” (107)
“Today it is accepted for leaders to teach that God brings calamity because He knows it will draw us nearer to him. If that line of thought were true, then mental hospitals and cancer wards would be glowing with God’s manifest presence as all their patients would hav drawn near to God and been transformed into the likeness of Jesus.”(104)
“One of the most important features of the gospel message is that the nature of the Father is perfectly seen in Jesus Christ.”(106)
“What was the nature of God that Christ reveals?”(102)
“If we don’t know how to receive [honor] correctly, we will have no crown to throw at His feet.”(205)
“We tend to manifest his likeness in equal measure to how deep our encounters have been.”(219)
“Powerlessness demands an explanation or a solution. Blaming God seems to be easier than it is to take responsibility and pursue an encounter with Him that changes our capabilities in ministry.” (105)
“The absence of the supernatural is intolerable.”(84) “It’s never ok to live short of the miraculous… We owe Him (Jesus) miracles as a testimony that He is alive and that His face is turned toward us.”(189)
“Full repentance and transformation can only take place through real encounters with God—through actual experiences with His power and grace.”(72)
“God is in a good mood.” (194)
Until we ‘attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood’…
--LS
note: I read the actual paperback, not the Kindle edition.
When I first picked up his book a couple years ago I knew nothing of Bill Johnson. I intended to preview Face to Face with God for our church library. The cover is beautiful. The tagline enticing: “The ultimate quest to experience His Presence”. Ever on the lookout for books that encourage the believer to grow in his knowledge of God, this one seemed promising.
Then I read the first chapter. In it Johnson defends his personal quest for ‘deep encounters with God’. He illustrates by describing his own electrifying experience of being wakened in the night with ‘power surges’ running through his limbs such that he had no control over them. No voices. No visions. Just a sense that this was God’s response to his prayer for ‘more of Him, at any cost’. He interpreted this experience (which returned for consecutive nights) as being ‘actually a face-to-face encounter with God’ and sensed God offering him ‘an increased manifestation of his presence in exchange for [his] dignity.’ (11)
This experience came as the culmination of Johnson’s travels in quest of more ‘power and anointing in his life’ to many cities where God seemed to be working in unusual ways. He went on from this experience to assume the pastorate of Bethel Church in Redding, California and precipitate a dramatic church split with no qualms of regret or questioning of God. A thousand congregants exited as ‘revival’ commenced. Johnson’s dreams and visions made God’s will and favor ‘too obvious to miss’. The year was 1996, the beginning of the Johnson era which is now percolating throughout the world via iBethel TV and ‘School of the Supernatural’ training courses to even such remote locations as mine. Because of the ongoing attention given to this controversial figure I have dusted off my copy of the book and re-attempted to read beyond the first offsetting chapter in order to write a review. Chapter One’s disconcerting emphasis on subjective experiential reality as the evidence of God’s favor and also the means of personal transformation continues throughout.
Topics covered include:
--God’s favor—how to get it, increase it, and pass it on;
--God’s manifest presence and how to position ourselves to experience it and even ‘attract’ it;
--Jesus, our perfect role model;
--Classic encounters with God—the testimonies of such as Evan Roberts, John G. Lake, Finney, Wigglesworth, T.L. Osborn and the apostle, Paul;
--Healing, as included in the atonement;
--The Joy of the Lord (and holy laughter);
--Reflecting the Glory of God
But the overriding theme of the book is the necessity to “lock into [God’s] manifest presence and live for nothing else”(60), an emphasis that calls into question whether we as believers are really called to live by faith or by tangible experiences. Is experiencing God’s manifest presence in this lifetime truly our primary calling? There seems to be confusion over what a growing relationship with God is expected to look like, and an unhealthy emphasis on pursuing subjective encounters with God as the primary means to growth.
In handling his themes Johnson’s matter-of-fact writing style often gives flawed logic and rhetoric the place of sound exegesis of Scripture. Conjecture comes across as established fact. Biblically based objections are brushed aside as irrelevant. These factors make his book an unlikely read for the serious Bible student, while offering a potentially toxic mix to the undiscerning—toxic in its intolerant sectarian bent. Johnson’s inaccurate representation and even mockery of orthodox theological points-of-view that differ from his own is unfortunate. His use of snide aphorisms undermines his ability to communicate effectively with those who oppose him. For example: “Two thousand years ago all sickness was from the devil and healing was from God; today people teach that sickness is from God and those who pursue a healing ministry are from the devil (or out of balance, at best.)”(105) Confusing divisive misstatements such as these and the fluid mixture of truth and error on any given page make this a book I cannot recommend despite the scattered bits of wise insight.
However, it would be inaccurately disparaging to imply that Johnson’s entire book is about experiences, or that none of it is based on objective truth. To the contrary, Johnson does cite Scripture throughout and makes many valid points. For instance, he underlines the importance of such things as: seeking God’s approval rather than man’s, knowing God experientially--not just intellectually, and understanding and extending to the world God’s compassionate nature. Johnson is passionate about seeing the power and love of God transform lives.
Where he errs is in extrapolating from a verse or Scriptural illustration with the use of logic (often flawed) to reach a predetermined conclusion, rather than comparing Scripture with Scripture and confirming his suppositions from a careful exegesis of the whole counsel of God. His self-assured style of writing (similar to his speaking) gives an impression of absolute truth where in fact he is speaking from supposition, conjecture or opinion. His narrowly defined usage of terms like ‘the favor of God’, the ‘manifest presence’ and ‘passion’ give a subjective fogginess to his teaching.
Bill Johnson writing is reactionary. Herein lies his greatest vulnerability. He has obviously had many critics and refers repeatedly and disparagingly to ‘some people…’ In his frustration with anything that smacks of powerless religion (59) (or lacks external displays of the supernatural), Johnson voices a strong bias against theologians, Bible teachers, and those well versed and trained in Bible study, likening them to the Pharisees who alone received Jesus harsh judgment. “The ones most trained in Scripture were the ones who didn’t recognize Him for who He was” and claiming it is those aware of personal need that will be enabled to “recognize that which God is doing in the earth.” (112) Johnson sharply condemns ‘self-appointed watchdogs’ who are ‘slandering some of God’s best friends’ (those with ‘signs’ accompanying their ministry). He faults those who want to be ‘doctrinally safe’ at the expense of ‘relationally safe’ and foresees a desirable move away from churches centered around good doctrine (denominationalism) to those gathered around ‘fathers’ (those exhibiting power). In separating power from sound doctrine in this way and calling criticism ‘slander’, Johnson cuts himself off from the part of the Body he most needs in order to grow soundly in Christ. He opens up himself and his followers to the likelihood of serious deception.
Ironically, it is Johnson’s unbalanced emphasis on the earthly ministry years of Christ, to the exclusion of the whole counsel of Scripture, that lead him into some of the most serious doctrinal errors. He teaches that Christ laid aside His deity and became entirely human as a role model for believers of all time to follow. This is the kenosis heresy that was battled in the early church. It is a subtle deception that leads to the assumption that Jesus’ life was primarily about being a role model and that whatever He did, every believer has a mandate to do also. As Johnson states: “Jesus Christ is perfect theology….He is the will of God.”(184) We need not pray “If it be Thy will” as though it were unclear. If we see it in the life of Christ it is God’s will for us today. If not, not. Johnson specifically cites Jesus’ commissioning of the twelve to: ‘heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, and cleanse lepers’ (Mt.10:8) as the job description of all believers—the ‘overflow of the face of God encounter’(107) What he neglects to emphasize is that the gospel is about Jesus’ death and resurrection. His miracles were specific evidence that He is indeed the Son of God (Jn.20:31), and are Biblically cited as evidence of His deity (Jn.10:38). Furthermore, God’s will for believers differs from one to another believer. We do not all have the same calling or gifting, nor will each individual relationship with the Father be accompanied by overt supernatural encounters with Him.
I close with some of Bill Johnson’s own sayings for your consideration. With which do you agree? Can you find Biblical support? Which contain logical fallacies?
“There’s no clearer way (to Christlikeness) than through personal encounters with Him.”(70)
“…our commission [is] to imitate Christ in destroying the works of the devil and performing signs and wonders.”(30)
“Most of what we need in life will be brought to us, but most of what we want we’ll have to go and get.” (107)
“Today it is accepted for leaders to teach that God brings calamity because He knows it will draw us nearer to him. If that line of thought were true, then mental hospitals and cancer wards would be glowing with God’s manifest presence as all their patients would hav drawn near to God and been transformed into the likeness of Jesus.”(104)
“One of the most important features of the gospel message is that the nature of the Father is perfectly seen in Jesus Christ.”(106)
“What was the nature of God that Christ reveals?”(102)
“If we don’t know how to receive [honor] correctly, we will have no crown to throw at His feet.”(205)
“We tend to manifest his likeness in equal measure to how deep our encounters have been.”(219)
“Powerlessness demands an explanation or a solution. Blaming God seems to be easier than it is to take responsibility and pursue an encounter with Him that changes our capabilities in ministry.” (105)
“The absence of the supernatural is intolerable.”(84) “It’s never ok to live short of the miraculous… We owe Him (Jesus) miracles as a testimony that He is alive and that His face is turned toward us.”(189)
“Full repentance and transformation can only take place through real encounters with God—through actual experiences with His power and grace.”(72)
“God is in a good mood.” (194)
Until we ‘attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood’…
--LS
note: I read the actual paperback, not the Kindle edition.
May 28, 2024
This book was challenging for me. Being raised in works-focused churches and jumping into self-improvement post college, I fully embrace the responsibility of apprentice to Christ and what it means to die for Christ to be revealed through me.
The problem (which Bill addresses in this book) is that when we give ourselves too much agency for our own transformation, we miss out on the overflow of God's presence when we surrender.
This book is all about surrender: why we surrender, how we surrender, the importance of surrendering.
It is difficult to swallow, but if one listens with a softened heart and discernment from the Holy Spirit, there is so much important truth in this content.
The problem (which Bill addresses in this book) is that when we give ourselves too much agency for our own transformation, we miss out on the overflow of God's presence when we surrender.
This book is all about surrender: why we surrender, how we surrender, the importance of surrendering.
It is difficult to swallow, but if one listens with a softened heart and discernment from the Holy Spirit, there is so much important truth in this content.
August 1, 2012
Good book. Created a hunger for God. I didn't agree with all of the book, but loved the passion it created in my heart to experience God in a real and meaningful way.
August 29, 2019
I have watched several videos from Bethel to include Bill Johnson, Kris Valloton, and Heidi Baker. So I was already aware of their views on miracles, Jesus, the kingdom, and those of us who hold to sound doctrine. I underlined something on most pages and made comments. Rather than go through each one, let me cite what I believe to be major errors in Bill's theology. He believes that Jesus was merely a human relying on the Holy Spirit during his three years of ministry. Though he acknowledges that He was always God, he seems to believe there was a period of time He wasn't. This belief leads to his next major departure from the faith: that all believers can do what Jesus did and, in fact, should do what Jesus did, to include healing, raising the dead, controlling the weather, and creative miracles. He craves the power of God and sees it as normative for believers. He believes we will usher in God's kingdom by applying our righteousness to the surrounding culture. Hopefully, we will do better than Redding, CA where Bethel is located, where violent crime increased by 53% from 2007 to 2012. Not blaming Bethel, but he made the claim that if believers acted out their faith, the surrounding societies would improve. He twists many Scriptures and completely misses the point of others. Perhaps his worst misapplication of the Scripture was Isaiah 60 where sees the Light that is shining is a believer's glory that will change nations and leaders and bring nation's wealth to the church. That section of Isaiah is for Israel and the Messiah. Bill believes all believers should be completely healthy, wealthy, and have the power that only Jesus possessed. He has negative things to say about orthodox churches and uses the straw man argument that they are works based organizations. In reality, there can be no more works based theology than his, which expects God's miracles at the hands of men. On that, it is my belief that if Bethel has had even one person raised from the dead, one missing limb created, one truly blind person receive their sight, they would have video and documentary proof that could not be refuted all over their web site and the news media. I don't see it. I believe in miracles and I have no doubt that some people have been healed of some illnesses at Bethel in spite of their excesses but I fear most of it is hype. The insane laughter and odd behaviors I have seen in videos look nothing like what Pentecost was reported to be in Acts. Avoid this book. I only read it to discern Bill's "theology" and found it sorely lacking.
November 11, 2013
Bill Johnson has for many years been moving n the power of the Holy Spirit and teaching others to do the same. I love his style both in writing and speaking because he has a rare talent for making the spiritual seem practical.
In this book he talks about meeting God face to face which should be the normal experience for christians. He tackles subjects such as growing in favour with the Lord, seeking His presence and receiving joy.
One stand out quote in the book is this: “In the Old Testament if you touched a leper you became unclean.; in the Kingdom, when we touch lepers they become clean.”
This book will develop in you a hunger for more of God.
In this book he talks about meeting God face to face which should be the normal experience for christians. He tackles subjects such as growing in favour with the Lord, seeking His presence and receiving joy.
One stand out quote in the book is this: “In the Old Testament if you touched a leper you became unclean.; in the Kingdom, when we touch lepers they become clean.”
This book will develop in you a hunger for more of God.
August 9, 2016
If you are a hyper-charismatic Christian and believe in this nonsense, you will love this book.
If you are a mainstream Christian, this book may offend you and is full of claims that are inconsistent with the bible and Christian doctrine.
From the point of view of a skeptic, this book is full of magical mumbo-jumbo in the name of Yahweh and has no place on any bookshelf. It is a time waster and full of nonsense deepities. Your time will be well spent elsewhere.
If you are a mainstream Christian, this book may offend you and is full of claims that are inconsistent with the bible and Christian doctrine.
From the point of view of a skeptic, this book is full of magical mumbo-jumbo in the name of Yahweh and has no place on any bookshelf. It is a time waster and full of nonsense deepities. Your time will be well spent elsewhere.
April 13, 2010
Nothing beats the face of God, His hand is great, cause it displays His power and strength. But His face shines His amazing love over and through us.
September 16, 2012
Amazing book about deepening your intimacy and walk with the Lord.
October 4, 2015
So good and confirmed what I've been learning!
March 11, 2019
As I have sought God throughout my life, I found myself questioning why, oh why, were we not encountering God in the ways HE said we should as a mark of the Believer. Sitting in a church pew, being on committees, volunteering, etc...and yet not seeing the miraculous that we should be seeing if Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and tomorrow. (Hebrews 13:8). I have been seeking out where God is moving and Bethel is one of those places. Bill Johnson not only seeks His face, but invites you to do the same as well as trying to help you along the way. I have been truly blessed by his sharing of the miraculous as I've seen God answer prayer in ways that many would say are miracles. He is who He says He is. Great book.
I implore you to seek unity rather than judgemental devisiveness as I've seen in some reviews. If we are to be effective in this world, we must read, embed ourselves, believe and act on the Word. Thank you, Bill Johnson for seeking God's face, allowing Him to use you and guiding the way!
I implore you to seek unity rather than judgemental devisiveness as I've seen in some reviews. If we are to be effective in this world, we must read, embed ourselves, believe and act on the Word. Thank you, Bill Johnson for seeking God's face, allowing Him to use you and guiding the way!
July 26, 2021
All I can say is "WOW". What amazes me is this book was published in 2007 and I'm just now reading it. There have been so many books in that time frame and I once asked the Lord "Why didn't I get this before now?" His response was, "Because the revelation to receive this wisdom wasn't ready for me to receive until I received other revelations prior to this." Listing this in my top 5 Christian books I believe all Christian should read.
The face of God is synonymous with the Presence of God. Reading this book explains how and how His presence is what grace is based. "Rise and Shine" from Isaiah 60 is so deep, I will never read that passage the same again.
In the long run, I believe my faith level has risen a few notches so that when I speak His word, I will expect to see what I've spoken to come to past. Revealing God's presence in the earth is the key to seeing prayers answered and salvation received by those who don't know Him as Lord and Savior.
The face of God is synonymous with the Presence of God. Reading this book explains how and how His presence is what grace is based. "Rise and Shine" from Isaiah 60 is so deep, I will never read that passage the same again.
In the long run, I believe my faith level has risen a few notches so that when I speak His word, I will expect to see what I've spoken to come to past. Revealing God's presence in the earth is the key to seeing prayers answered and salvation received by those who don't know Him as Lord and Savior.
July 25, 2020
Another great book by Pastor Bill. I love reading his books because you see his love for the Lord and his love for people. He wants his readers to see and experience “God’s love for people (us) is beyond comprehension and imagination”. Pastor Bill, also, touches on some of the “controversial” issues/theological beliefs of the Charismatic Movement that may cause some confusion. He did a wonderful job in explaining and working through those issues. This book was an excellent companion to my morning devotions. I highly recommend this book, as I do with all of his books!
May 17, 2017
A life changing book.
To truly understand what has been given to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and to really see and know the presence of God in worship will never leave us untouched. I was taken to new and greater places in the Holy Spirit while reading this.
To truly understand what has been given to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and to really see and know the presence of God in worship will never leave us untouched. I was taken to new and greater places in the Holy Spirit while reading this.
May 2, 2019
I wanted more!
This book stirred and provoked deep within. Bill Johnson's books always do. I savored it - just one chapter a night before bed. I didn't want it to end.
Had a powerful encounter while reading this - fire baptusm. Posed, ready, anticipating more and more transforming face to face encounters.
This book stirred and provoked deep within. Bill Johnson's books always do. I savored it - just one chapter a night before bed. I didn't want it to end.
Had a powerful encounter while reading this - fire baptusm. Posed, ready, anticipating more and more transforming face to face encounters.
April 14, 2023
In any Bill Johnson you might read you’ll find gems and a richness of thought that’s hard to find in other Christian books. Bill has had decades of experience and time to think through what he writes about. He’s lived it out and his books are well worth the time you spend reading them. This one is no exception.
September 15, 2017
I highlighted more of this book than I have any other in a very long time! So much depth. At times, it was a little meaty and I'd have to read a paragraph over and over to meditate on it before moving in. But it challenges me in the way I've been living and praying and seeking God.
October 10, 2017
Face to Face with God and shine His glory.
I love this book that lead us expressing with glory of God by face to face with Him. Every chapter, Pastor Bill reflection main point and lead us pray with him.
I love this book that lead us expressing with glory of God by face to face with Him. Every chapter, Pastor Bill reflection main point and lead us pray with him.
October 11, 2017
This book was awesome. Bill Johnson is a man who exudes passion for God and invites others to do the same. If you are feeling dead in your relationship with God or looking for a Biblical and honest approach to what it means to have a real ‘encounter’ with God, please read this book.
March 30, 2018
Exactly what I needed to read in this very season of hunger for more of God in my life. So many simple and profound truths, wisdom and insights (underlined pretty much the entire book as I always seem to do with Bill Johnson’s books).
January 9, 2020
Where 'Heaven Invades Earth' is written to try to convince you of Bill Johnson's approach, 'Face to Face with God' assumes you are already on board with the miraculous, and takes you deep into the rationale and experience.
April 26, 2020
Timely read in the season our world is facing. Bill Johnson ties together Scriptures that are prophetic for what’s ahead and how we as believers are being prepared to reflect God’s glory to draw people to Christ. Inspiring and exciting.
November 16, 2018
He lays out the biblical principle that lives are changed by dramatic encounters with God and that we should pursue such encounters.
December 5, 2018
So encouraging!
This book has been such an encouragement in my faith. Be in the presence of God and see Him do amazing things in and around your life.
This book has been such an encouragement in my faith. Be in the presence of God and see Him do amazing things in and around your life.
January 3, 2019
Hands DOWN the best book on being Face to Face with God. I must have highlighted every other sentence. Read it multiple times. Great book.
January 3, 2019
For me the best book that Bill Johnson has released. Still a valuable read.
January 12, 2019
It was good. Pretty easy to read. Goes outside of some of my comfort zones.
February 22, 2019
Amazing insight from ot and nt!!! A gotta read 4 sure!!!
Read
September 13, 2019Another Bill Johnson eye opener.
May 23, 2020
Maravilhoso
August 17, 2020
Descent book with good bible references.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 81 reviews