Book Review: When Heaven Invades Earth by Bill Johnson (Bethel Church)

When Heaven Invades Earth was my second book/read by the pastors of Bethel Church and it did not disappoint… far from it. In fact, what was so incredibly neat to me while reading through its pages was the realization that I had heard many of the same messages from God while traveling through my own season of healing and growth and writing my book, A Time to Dance: Chasing Joy in Difficult Seasons. That said, my depth of understanding, experience, and growth was like a dipped toe into a very deep pool compared to what Bill Johnson offered in his book.

“Heaven is not just our eternal destination, but also is a present reality, and it’s within arms reach.”

Because I try to be upfront and honest in my reviews, I will share that I struggled initially in the book. It’s not a reflection of Johnson’s writing, but rather my personal struggle (at times) to fully understand due to the depth of the concepts. In other words, early on in the book sometimes I just struggled to keep up. I think it’s important to note this because Johnson speaks/writes almost like a professor… Very deep, very knowledgeable, and not always in layman’s terms. I’m a simple girl and sometimes it just went a bit over my head. That’s 100% a reflection on me, not him, but I thought it was worth mentioning for those that may find themselves in the same boat early on in the book. That said, I finally found my rhythm and greatly enjoyed everything that I learned. So, all of that ^^ is to say this >> … if you struggle initially in the book, don’t give up. Stay with it and like me, you’ll find your footing and you’ll also find a really great read!

“Christianity is not a philosophy; it is a relationship”

When Heaven Invades Earth will encourage you, challenge you, and inspire you. Why? Because it moves us right out of the safety of our familiar (easily understood/explained) and instead speaks 100% to several possibly-uncomfortable but necessary discussions, topics, and truths so often avoided in the modern Christian world:

Relationship vs. Religion

Pride vs. Willingness to be Misunderstood and Judged, even by other believers (to Offend)

Middle of the Road vs. Radical and Regular Discomfort and Stretching (“Off the Map”)

Holding onto Our Anointing/Blessings vs. Letting it Pour Out Onto Others

The Comfort of What We Can Explain (or explain away) vs. Fully Embracing and Totally Depending on God and His Supernatural Presence and Touch

The Safety of What We Can Reason/Understand vs. Complete Obedience to God

Believing that the Supernatural (Heaven on Earth) is within our grasps and we are the ones placing the very filter that restricts its flow… not God or others.

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In conclusion, I found this book to be a beautiful challenge to my own journey. It was a reminder that God is never (ever!) limited by what I can see and understand, but that His ability to move through me and pour onto others around me can be limited by the filters that I place in my life, my heart, or my willingness to obey.

I need to invite Him into all circumstances and allow myself to step beyond the comfort of what I think will (or should) happen. I have to be more comfortable with pleasing Him than pleasing those who will misunderstand or judge, even if they are religious leaders or fellow Christians. I am called to continually grow in my relationship with Him so that I hear and feel His nudges and His calling in my every day. And I will pray for discernment in all situations so that I value His voice and reason above my own, even when the enemy’s taunts of pride, fear, or discomfort challenges my steps. And most importantly, I will invite and expect to experience His supernatural, His heaven, His Holy Spirit in every day of my journey! Because I will choose and be intentional about inviting Him to be with me everywhere I go and, as a result, I will watch Him make the impossible possible.

One of my favorite parts of the book was when Johnson described how he often walks through stores and prays quietly for people as he walks down the aisles. What a beautiful thought – that we can be a powerful vessel for the Holy Spirit in our every day, in our most mundane, even in our trip to the hardware store.

I am fully inspired and ready to embrace God’s voice in my big and my little today! He will push me out of my comfort zone, I know this. He will ask me to follow His lead, even when my brains screams “this is too vulnerable!” But I also know this… He is a good, good Father and He loves me too much to only operate within my realm of possibilities. And when I allow my relationship with Him to become more important than anything else, when I move with His calling and not my own, I will grow closer and closer to the heart of my Father and I will dance in His presence more and more! The obedience in me will release something that I have held onto for too long – fear – because as I watch my Father move through me and show up day after day, my faith in our relationship will grow and I will rest in His promise that He will be with me always.

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To wrap up this post, I’d like to share some of my favorite quotes from the book:

And it was the supernatural invasion of God Himself that was rejected by religious leaders.

While He never contradicts His Words, He is very comfortable contradicting our understanding of it.

When we get introspective, we restrict the flow of the Holy Spirit.

Loving people is Christ’s agenda, and surrender of my own agenda makes me available for His.

The spirit of control works against one of God’s favorite elements in man: faith. Trust is misplaced as it becomes anchored in man’s ability to reason.

Being led by the Holy Spirit is an ongoing God encounter. Religion idolizes concepts and avoids personal experience.

If our study of the Bible doesn’t lead us to a deeper relationship, (and encounter), with God, then it simply is adding to our tendency towards spiritual pride. We increase our knowledge of the Bible to feel good about our standing with God, and to better equip us to argue with those who disagree with us.

Teaching must be followed with action that makes room for God to move.

God cannot be known apart from experience… He is a person, not a philosophy or concept. It’s time for those who have encountered God to stop pandering to fear by watering down their story. We must whet the appetites of the people of God for more of the supernatural. Testimony has the ability to stir up that kind of hunger.

Revelation that doesn’t lead to a God encounter only serves to make me more religious.

Jesus offended these religious leaders most.

There is a growing company of people who have the Father’s business in mind. They consciously take Him wherever they go.

If you want to kill giants, hang around a giant killer. It rubs off.

The supernatural is (God’s) natural realm.

The simple act of sharing a testimony about God can stir up others until they expect and see God work in their day.

They were thoroughly equipped to win. They just lacked courage.

Miracles cause a shift in priorities. They are an important aid in helping us hear more clearly. Without them we are more inclined to be directed by our own minds and call it spirituality.

What kind of men God was giving His charge to – greedy, prideful, angry, and self-centered. Yet Jesus called them to change the world. What was the one word of assurance that He gave them before departing from sight? “I will be with you always….”

The anointing equips us to bring the world into an encounter with God… when we are smeared with God, it rubs off on all we come into contact with.

Getting us to heaven is not near as great a challenge as it is to get heaven into us.