In Fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit: 5 Practical Phrases, International House of Prayer leader Mike Bickle gives instructions on how to experience contemplative prayer–which he calls “communing prayer.” Like all Christian contemplatives, Bickle works hard at presenting this as biblically acceptable. He states there is “…a lot of counterfeit mysticism…” Before teaching his Christianese mantra method, he again emphasizes he is not talking about Eastern or Oprah religion.
According to Bickle, “I use sentences, better yet phrases. Eventually on these five phrases I’m gonna give you in a minute, I reduce those to one word…” (42:13 of video, give or take)
There is much throughout this entire video to cause concern. (click_HERE_for_video)
I am sorry to say contemplative prayer seems foundational to IHOP, which means much deception has occurred, and will continue to occur. As covered elsewhere, Mike Bickle wants Fire Within, a book promoting the teachings of Catholic contemplatives Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, to be the “manual for IHOP-KC.” (click_HERE_for_article)
Mike Bickle “claims that God is restoring contemplative prayer to the church. He goes on to claim that contemplative prayer is a God-ordained means of entering into the fullness of God, and that the brightest lights in church history have been Roman Catholic mystics who lived during the dark ages. He went on to say the western church had much to learn from these mystics,” writes Jocelyn Andersen. [1] I am quoting Andersen because the contemplative teaching where Bickle says these things seems to have been removed from the web.
Long time IHOP teacher and Missions base senior leadership member Dana Candler is the author of Deep Unto Deep. A reviewer writes, “[Deep Unto Deep: The Journey of His Embrace] is inspired by the journal of Dana Candler who spends most of her time in contemplative prayer in KC, Mo. at the Int. House of Prayer.” [2]
In Communion With God: Deep Unto Deep, Candler states, “Contemplative prayer is the way into the Ocean of Divine Love. It is the way that this fire of intimacy ignites within our being. In this love communion, the tremendous experience of God in the inner man takes place. Until this inward fire is ignited, stewarded, and released within us, we will walk as dead men. For we are only alive in the realm of love.” (Italics Candler’s) [3]
Contemplative prayer, Candler writes, “is the great missing element of the prayer ministry in the Church today: touching the very core of what the New Covenant is about. This very reality brings the highest transformation in this age.” [4]
…and them that worship and that swear by the Lord, and that swear by Mal-cham. (Zephaniah 1:5)
What Candler has unknowingly asserted is that the gospel is not enough–we are “dead men” until we experience the “transformation” through contemplative prayer. She, of course, would not see it this way at all. To the contemplatives, this deceptive meditative state is what Jesus intended for us all along.
Since Candler is not only a teacher, but influential in missions, are some IHOP missionaries teaching contemplative practices?
If we are to believe Fire Within, the contemplative book Mike Bickle wants as “the manual for IHOP-KC,” we need the contemplative teachings of Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross to understand some biblical passages. Author Thomas Dubay quotes 1 Corinthians 2:9: But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
Then, incredibly, Dubay writes, “Once again, without the teachings of saints like Teresa and John we would be at a loss to suggest what Paul actually had in mind. This, no doubt, is why the mere biblical technician can say so little about ideas like this one. It is only in the perspective of what the mystics say of the culmination of contemplation on earth that we come to see in concrete terms what the apostle had in mind.” [5] (Italics mine)
The mere biblical technician…?
Fire Within, incidentally, was one of the prizes offered in an IHOP related contest several years ago. [6]
Unfortunately, when it comes to contemplative prayer, it is people who are the prizes, and darkness is the winner.
Endnotes:
1. Jocelyn Andersen, http://hungryheartsministries.com/id419.html
2. http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7678500
3. Communion With God: Deep Unto Deep, Dana Candler http://danacandler.com/pdf/Communion%20with%20God_Deep%20Unto%20Deep_Dana%20Candler1.pdf
4. Ibid.
5. Father Thomas Dubay, Fire Within, pg. 12
6. Facebook Contest, I’m going to onething ’09
Bonus: Question and Answer
Question: What is the deal with mysticism, contemplative prayer, spiritual formation, and all this stuff?
Answer: http://solasisters.blogspot.com/2011/03/what-is-mysticism.html and (very important), http://solasisters.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-is-spiritual-formation.html
Reader, you can find more MikeBickle/IHOP/contemplative information at Kim Olsen’s DiscernIt site, HERE. Also Jocelyn Andersen’s research, which you can link to here: http://hungryheartsministries.com/id419.html
Jo,
Thank you for describing your experience there. I know and love people who are deep into IHOP, people who will not consider anything negative (but true) about Mike Bickle and contemplative prayer. We are even now watching contemplative blend with twelve step theology blend with emergent blend with…well, you get my point.
I am grateful for your article and the way you presented it. I just came across the contemplative movement within the church and the first thing I thought of was my experience at Ihop in ’02 as a student there. I became somewhat confused when Mike Bickle introduced us to a Catholic priest and said how Christians and Catholics can be champions of the faith together. Basically I took it as him saying yes we don’t agree to all Catholic teachings but we believe in Christ so therefore we should work together. I was puzzled. I never could make sense of it, but I would say it stood out to me as significant. I have had a great appreciation for Ihop and what I learned there. I never myself got into practicing contemplative prayer but that was due to me slacking as a student more than anything else. I learned a lot from my time there, yet as I begin to understand the contemplative and the masking of what the Roman Catholic church truly is I find myself connecting the dots so to speak. I will sum it up.with saying that I find it interesting and revealing, very reveling for myself personally. I know many who love Jesus whole heartedly there, yet could see how easy it would be to follow Mike bickle like a sheep even if it all seemed to add up.
Hi Diane,
I do not question Mike Bickle’s motives, and I have friends who are close to IHOP. The thing is, contemplative prayer is very dangerous–it is an invitation for deception, and IHOP is riddled with it.
I think some people are taking this out of context. It is so easy to take anything someone says and not know what has been said before that ties in….Mike Bickle simply admires the way the monks in the past used to spend 24/7 in prayer and meditation….for many many years history teaches us. So, in Mike Bickle’s attempts to try to teach how to really develop a wonderful relationship with Christ and to learn how to pray, he may have used some words in his enthusiasm to convey this that others were confused by. This is all about the context of what he is trying to teach. It isnt easy to try to teach people something like this, and I dont think he crossed any weird lines in christianity by attempting to put words to his thoughts and scriptures. It may not have come across letter-perfect, but his attempts were not meant for deception or anything other than what I stated above.
Thank you for taking the time to respond. I find, somewhat to my surprise, that I view contemplative prayer as one of greatest threats to His people. I arrived at this conclusion after much study, which began as I became a regular reader of Lighthouse Trails.
For years I have been attempting to warn about Twelve Step spirituality, and how that is destroying the Body of Christ.
Now, these (Twelve Steps and contemplative spirituality) seem two sharp edges of the same bloodied sword.
In this state a person is prey to deceptive spirits. The devil is the father of lies, and this arena gives him the opportunity to practice deception at many levels.
As for the discernment you speak of, you have now read this and probably other articles. Research, my friend, and may the Lord guide you.
Why are you so afraid of contemplative prayer? Yahweh freely gives to those who ask the gift of discerning spirits. So then test the spirits in who they say Jesus is. We were warned of the spirits in and on people in Ghana, Africa last July. To lay hands on them may transfer their spirits onto us. Wait one minute, I have the mind of Christ who has given me all authority over spirits. So we laid hands and watched people get set free by Jesus, that is what happened.
I believe Satan counterfeits everything. He does this with music, Religion, and advice in our ears. “For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:43-45 (in Context).
I believe false Religions copy the things of Yahweh but twist them into little lies. Our last days churches do much harm as well, for they have a form of religion but deny Holy Spirit power.
So, I am trying to make a point that Holy Spirit loves to reveal Jesus. In contemplative prayer Holy Spirit has free reign over my spirit. He teaches me, trains me, shows me the secret things of Yahweh, Jesus and Himself that those who are not yet mature enough to handle do not comprehend. It is line upon line with Holy Scripture and full of love for GOD and our neighbors. “I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me” Acts 2.25
For You have abandoned Your people, the house of Jacob, Because they are filled with influences from the east, And they are soothsayers like the Philistines, And they strike bargains with the children of foreigners. (Isaiah 2:6)
Acts 7:51
“You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit!
Acts 7:50-52 (in Context) Acts 7 (Whole Chapter)
Acts 10:44
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.
Acts 10:43-45 (in Context) Acts 10 (Whole Chapter)
Acts 15:8
God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.
Acts 15:7-9 (in Context) Acts 15 (Whole Chapter)
Acts 19:2
and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
Hi Jan,
I can never get these to go in the right order. I was responding to ali’s comment when I wrote that I hoped you saw it. I think it is very hard for those who are or have been involved with IHOP to realize something might be wrong.
It is full of caring people, many who seem more “on fire” for the Lord than the average churchgoer. But Jan, this contemplative state is an arena of deception. Just because someone attempts to make it about Jesus doesn’t change where it takes people. It is a serious, serious thing.
If you have time, read this article. The author notes:
Unfortunately, many Christians today are very innocent and naive about what mysticism is, its core theology, and the dangers of the occultic realm (which is precisely where mantra meditation leads), because they have not been warned about it by their pastors and they have had no direct personal experience with it (and in this postmodern age, direct personal experience seems to trump everything). Yet, instead of (1) following the clear mandate of scripture on this and (2) listening to those of us who have had direct personal experience with the occult and who attempt to warn about how dangerous it is, many Christians today blindly follow their leaders into any and every new teaching (Contemplative Prayer, Lectio Divina, Monvee, breath prayers, Jesus prayer, etc.). And those who sound the alarm are labeled as narrow-minded, intolerant, Pharisaical, and judgmental….not by the world, but by their fellow Christians!
Also, among professing Christians there is almost an attitude of, “Hey, I can’t be deceived, I’m a Christian!” As if somehow just being a Christian renders one “deceit proof.” But if this were true, then Jesus would not have given warning after warning for us to vigilantly guard against false teachers and false doctrine, and to take care that no one deceive us. As a former mystic, I would caution anyone who would listen: promoters of Christian mysticism today say “Embrace the silence!” and will tell you that “the silence” is how you “hear from God.” But the Bible says, test the spirits and flee from deception (I John 4:1), hold fast to what is true (1 Thess. 5:21), don’t assume immunity from deception (Matthew 24), and that we “hear from God” by studying his Word (Heb 1:1-2). http://solasisters.blogspot.com/2011/03/what-is-mysticism.html
Dear mywordlikefire, I saw both of your comments (I guess there is two of you), and I guess we will have to agree to disagree for now. I haven’t read “Fire Within” which was not written by Mike Bickle, but we did sit under full time teaching from the leaders at IHOP for 6 months full time, and much more time via the internet. I realize people can interpret scripture differently, but they backed up everything with scripture and encouraged people to challenge their interpretation if our’s was different. I aim to keep alert, but I am actually more concerned about my home church of 30+ years, which seems to be slipping into the emergent church teachings. Many blessings to you!
Amen. And I hope Jan who just commented reads your comment.
Thanks Jan. I know people I love very much who are involved with IHOP. I like the emphasis on prayer and worship, and many other things. Unfortunately, when Mike Bickle not only recommends a book like Fire Within, but wants it as the manual for IHOP-KC, people should be very concerned. This Christian contemplation, really, is the same technique as Eastern/new age meditation, and takes one to the same place–the realm of spiritual deception.
If Bickle himself is deceived by this, and he is, IHOP people tend to feel, hey, Mike knows what he is doing. I would say to you Mike has no idea what he is doing in this area.I really appreciateal you stopping by and commenting, and I will evaluate what you have said.
I can’t say I can totally be objective as the International House of Prayer has brought much grace into my life. But I have actually been there and experienced the IHOP community. I attended two three month internships there with my husband (we are in our fifties) in the summers of 2008 and 2009 and our son went to Bible school there in 2004-2006. We have been blessed with IHOP’s main themes of prayer and intimacy with the Lord and end-times teachings. Neither of which we were getting in our non-denominational church of 30+ years, though at the start of our church there was more of this. I too, have been very concerned about the emergent church, it’s denial of sin, that there is no hell, and inclusion of many different religions as ways to heaven. I have been researching diligently on this for 9 months and have tried to be open to researching things on IHOP as well, as I see the kind of criticism on this blog. Which is why I clicked on this link. I do not see that IHOP is part of the emergent church. I personally have heard Mike Bickle say many times, that you don’t empty your mind, that this could invite evil spirits, but you mediate on scripture and Jesus’/God’s attributes, etc. And yes, you listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit. They definitely teach that we are sinners, and can only approach the Father through Jesus and His atonement for us. These people fast, and give and study the Word and love Jesus, like no other group I have ever met. I am someone who loves the genuine touch of the Lord. I despise spiritual dishonesty and “fleshiness”, and certainly I saw some of that at IHOP, which is a very large community with many visitors. I believe Mike Bickle, understands that we can’t clamp down on the working of the Holy Spirit, to try to eliminate this type of “fleshiness”, which I see in all groups of Christian’s, regardless of denomination, because we are human. Mike is one of the most humble men I know, and he encourages us to be Berean’s also, not to take his word for it, and to challenge him if we see something different in scripture. The enemy of our souls is out to counterfeit all that God has for us, to discredit the real and to pull people into the false and ultimately into living godless lives and worshipping him. I appreciate the diligence of those who look out for the flock, but I think they are wrong with regards to IHOP, even though it is imperfect as any group of believers are. And to set another rumor straight…Mike Bickle never said Oprah was the antichrist or an antichrist. I was there. He said he believed she was possibly one of the forerunners of the antichrist, which rings true with my me as well. And lastly, I realize that we need to be careful not to lump all churches that might use a label of “emerging” into one catagory, but should be cautious and judge them on their beliefs and adherance to scripture. Thank you to those who were open enough to read through my response to the end! May God richly bless you as you seek His heart!
I truly believe the LORD is exposing these errors in order to separate the sheep from the goats, [for those with eyes to see, ears to hear and hearts to receive] – we must be as wise as a serpent and as harmless as a dove.
With the passing of each day, the road appears to become even more narrow than it was the day before.
God is perfecting His remnant – Maranatha.!!.