Bill Johnson - Dreaming With God

Finding familiar revelation

I just finished reading Bill Johnson's book "Dreaming With God" and felt the Lord used it to confirm some things He has revealed to me.

In the book, Bill writes that Scripture is multidimensional:

The Word of God is living and active. It contains divine energy, always moving and accomplishing His purposes. It is the surgeon's knife that cuts in order to heal. It is balm that brings comfort and healing. But the point I wish to stress is that it is multidimensional and unfolding in nature. For example, when Isaiah spoke a word, it applied to the people he spoke to - his contemporaries. Yet because it is alive, much of what he said tehn has its ultimate fullfillment in another day and time. Living words do that.


That is what I wrote about in my post called "Multi-Dimensional Scripture"

Bill also writes about growing in favor and equates favor with grace:

But I do know this - if Jesus needed more favor from God to complete His assignment, how much more of an increase do I need!

As with most everything related to the Kingdom of God, we receive increase through generously givingaway what we have. It is no different with favor - grace.


That is what I wrote about in my post "This Thing Called Grace"

Peter, Paper, Scissors

What "Rock" is the Church built on?

I’ve already written about the Gates of Hades and the Keys of the Kingdom but I would also like to address the incident when Jesus says he will build his church on the “Rock”

Matthew 16:18
And I tell you that you are Peter (The name “Peter”, means “rock”), and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

Some think the church was built on Peter, some on Peter’s confession or revelation. But I believe the Church was built on Christ.

To get a better picture, it helps to take a look at the use of the word “rock” used earlier in Matthew:

Matthew 7:24-27
"Therefore everyone who hears these words (logos) of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words (logos) of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

In the parable, the house was built on the rock and the rock is symbolic of the “word” (logos). All throughout Matthew, it talks about receiving the “Word”. And we see in John that Jesus is also the “Word”:

John 1:14
The Word (Logos) became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

When Jesus said he would build his Church on the Rock, he was referring to himself! Which Peter had just mentioned:

Matthew 16:16
Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

The Church is built on “the Christ, the Son of the living God”!

It may seem odd that Jesus was referring to himself in the third person but we find that elsewhere in Scripture as well:


John 2:19-21
Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" But the temple he had spoken of was his body.

Besides, doesn’t it just make sense? If the church was going to be built on anyone, wouldn’t it have to be Jesus!?

Just like Peter was renamed “Rock” by Jesus, so do we all become rocks when we believe in Jesus. Like living stones that are all built on Christ!

1 Peter 2:4-8
As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:
"See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame." Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
"The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone," and,
"A stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

Gates of Hades or Hades Gate?

Where are the Gates of Hell?


Matthew 16:18
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

This verse is often interpreted as if the gates of Hades could sprout legs, lift itself off its hinges and come over to the Kingdom of Heaven, banging on the door, trying to get at the Church inside. I disagree with that interpretation.

I think it should be interpreted as The Kingdom of Heaven having a "Hades Gate" that leads to Hades, as opposed to viewing Hades as a walled city with gates. This view would be similar to how ancient Jerusalem had the “Harsith Gate” (see Jeremiah 19:2) that led to the Valley of Hinnom (an area known as Gehennah).

With that understanding, Mathew 16:19 makes more sense:

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

The “keys of the kingdom” are the keys to the gate – to let people into the kingdom. This concept parallels that of the imagery of other parts of Matthew such as the parable of the 10 virgins. The 5 foolish virgins were outside the door, trying to get in.

Matthew stresses the idea of not judging but bringing the sinner back through forgiveness (Matthew 6:12,14, 9:6, 18:21,35). And forgiveness is equated with "loosening":

Matthew 18:27
Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.

This loosening refers to the “binding and loosening” in 16:19 (already quoted above) and also in 18:18.

I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

And we see similiar wording in John 20:23 but instead of binding/loosening, it speaks of forgiveness:

If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.

Hades was understood to be the realm of the dead and those in the church were once dead but now are saved and brought into the Kingdom (through the gate).

Colossians 2:13 (similar to Ephesians 2:1)
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,

So the gates of Hades are not “attacking” the church but trying to “block” it from entering. But the gates of Hades will not prevail because of forgiveness of sins.

Ask For Wisdom? Or Something Else?

Challenging Assumptions in James 1:5

The originally readers of the letter from James wanted things. Those things were primarily riches and high position. James addresses those issues throughout his letter, such as the following:


James 2:2-5
Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

Also, the readers were trying to obtain riches and position through, what they thought, was wisdom. And they were boasting of such wisdom. But James counters and writes that they didn’t have true wisdom and they should not boast as if they did:

James 3:13-18
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

James 4:13-16
Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.

James then moves to point out that since they didn’t have the wisdom to get what they wanted, they should try another way – by asking:

James 4:2-3
You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

James is making the same point in James 1:5:

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

Many have misinterpreted this verse by reading it, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God for wisdom.” But that is not what James is trying to say. He is saying, that if you don’t have wisdom to get what you want, then you should ask God for whatever it is you are wanting.