Am I Saying There Is Nothing God Wants to Correct at IHOP-KC?

Job Rebuked by His Friends 
Painting by William Blake  (1757–1827)

Yesterday a Christian minister I have connected with in the past, and with whom we continue to follow each other on Facebook, contacted me. He wrote to get a clarification about what I have written in response to the situation we have all been watching at Kansas City IHOP. Probably it was the last thing I wrote that he was referring to, which was What is Happening at IHOP-KC is a Demonic Assault that Impacts Prayer for Israel.

Since he asked, I'm sure some might have the same question for me which he framed as: 

"Several of your posts have seemed to infer that the ‘only’ reason all of this is happening to IHOP / Bickle is because they have prayed / do pray for Israel and have a commitment to Israel as part of their mandate. Maybe this is not what you meant to convey, but that is what seems to be coming across.

"Sadly & unfortunately, I don’t think that this is ‘only’ reason this exposure and clean-up is happening to IHOPKC. I have sadly walked through 4 moral failures among pastors in the last 20 years of being in Texas – all very close to us. Our involvement spans from; watching ‘others’ decide everything as junior leaders, to being involved in direct confrontation and decision making. Some worked out well and some did not.

 

"Based on 30 years of pastoral ministry, the fact that moral failure being cleaned out in every corner of the Church (Ravi Zacharias, Hillsongs, Southern Baptists, Bill Hybels, etc.), AND observing the processes and communication coming from IHOPKC - there has to be by default, unhealthy governance issues within the IHOPKC organization that have overridden the ways of God for an extended period of time. These need to be revisited and reset. I don’t agree that separation with Mike Bickle was needed – but this also depends on whether he was cooperative with their internal process (if any is in place) for discipline and restoration. We may never know.

 

"For me, inferring (intentionally or not) that IHOP’s current issue is ‘only’ related to Israel, is problematic.    

I appreciate my friend's feedback on how he perceives what I have written, though as I told him, I have written a lot on what's happening at IHOP and I doubt he has seen all of what I have written. I say that because there are obvious issues amiss, but I believe what is amiss at IHOP is general practice in the non-denominational church and perhaps in denominational too. It is due to a lack of understanding the justice principles God lays out in the Hebrew scriptures. Since there is so much rejection of the "Old" Testament among Christians, there is the idea that everyone can make up their own rules for handling things. That is like the Book of Judges where "everyone did what was right in their own eyes."

Early on in my exposure to the Messianic movement I came across Daniel C. Juster's book called, Due Process | A Plea for Biblical Justice Among God's People. Over the years of my walk with the Lord, I have discovered that biblical justice means a lot to me. That is one of the reasons I vehemently reject the ideas of current "Social Justice" warriors. Their justice is doing what is right in their own eyes, not in God's eyes. It is a sure formula for injustice. 

To get Mike Bickle and IHOP-specific, hopefully within all I have written about what has been happening there I have managed to communicate that I don't believe there was nothing broken that doesn't need repair at IHOP. Certainly there is, as there is in so many congregations.

But I do look at Mike Bickle as being similar to the example and case of Job. There were things that God wanted to do in Job, as He wants to do in Mike, but it was not as his friends accused him of. What they did was dump every biblical reason someone might find themselves in such a bad place in life as being the result of some sin they in essence were accusing Job of.

I believe the same has been done to Mike Bickle and when the dust has settled we are going to find that God actually has a really high regard for this man.

As I just wrote in my blog post, What is Happening at IHOP-KC is a Demonic Assault that Impacts Prayer for Israel, I do believe this is a WOKE attack against Mike to destroy the Israel Prayer Mandate of his dual commission from God. And just to make it clear, I DO believe there is a raised level of warfare against Mike Bickle because of the Israel Mandate. I don't want to waffle of that point. Many reject it thinking the Israeli Mandate is just another ministry focus a person can be devoted to in ministry. That is not the case. The Israel Mandate is truly the final frontier in the kingdom of God. So, YES: I do believe the attack on Mike, in the hidden demonic shadows, is to dismantle the IHOP network for praying for Israel's salvation. No waffling on that point for me.

We are all in a process of being transformed into the likeness of Yeshua/Jesus. We are not perfected. We all still have pockets in our hearts that God does not fully occupy. We are pressing toward it, but as 1 John 1:7-9 tells us: "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

One of the few things we have learned from Mike Bickle is that he acknowledged an inappropriate relationship 25 or so years ago that did not include sexual intercourse, which he confessed to God, repented of, turned away from and thought it was under the Blood of Jesus. 

On the other hand, there are two women who have accused Mike Bickle during the time period of 20+ years ago. Accuser #1 and accuser #2 have been misrepresented as if they were children. There has been ZERO talk of the women to confess, repent and turn from their sin. They are not acknowledging their sin, seeing themselves as victims only. This is typical religious woke feminism.

From the beginning I was alarmed to see the Advocacy Group and their close allies among the former IHOP central leadership, conflating the handling of all sexual-related issues at IHOP in the past as Mike's sin.

From my observation throughout the prophetic circles and many churches there are no policies for dealing with sexual accusations involving leaders or members. If the person accused is a frequent visitor, minister or supporter of the ministry not directly under the authority of the minister involved, there is a reluctance to address the person because they are not under direct authority of the minister.  

It is a bit of widespread cowardice I think, because if someone is being accused of repeated sexual impropriety, whether directly under the ministry authority or not, it is a matter of protecting the sheep in my view. We would do almost anything to keep from confronting on the issues of sin.

I don’t know if you read the latest investigator’s report or not, but I was struck at how many of the unnamed accusers were divorced with their ex-husband’s involved in whistle blowing or adding some layer of character reference.

The church doesn’t even bother preaching about divorce anymore and the rate of Christian divorce is on par with the unbelievers. Sure there are plenty of things wrong that need to be addressed, but I deeply oppose all those things being dumped on Mike Bickle’s shoulders. Gee, if we could just get rid of Mike, we could be so much holier - we might even be without spot or wrinkle!  (Huge eyeroll!)

I to believe the moral failures of Mike differ from those named by my friend because Mike said he repented – confessed and turned away from the sins going forward  the next 20 years. That is a huge difference.

I cannot even fathom God letting Mike go on in unrepentant sin all the way to 2023 where Mike would actually for the first time in history, orchestrate worldwide prayer for Israel's salvation. It was the largest Christian prayer for Israel EVER held. Believe me, this is a priority to God. Just like God is not going to allow any war to wipe Israel off the map, He is also heavily invested in Christians in ALL nations praying for Israel's salvation. (Not just the Asian Christians as one prophet had the audacity to suggest recently!)

It is not even expected of the two women accusers that they be held accountable. 19 is not a child as they are being portrayed. This is WOKE justice and I am increasingly convinced a Woke-Feminist (Jezebel) attack on Mike. I have to repeat what I wrote days ago: 
At the end of the age two chief principalities make war on the saints of God: Jezebel and the Beast (brute beasts like Hamas, China, Iran, etc.). Since this is so, why don't we see the Jezebel warfare involved in destroying Bickle?

Every young congregation needs to look at IHOP-KC as a cautionary tale: if young people are not rooted and grounded in God's intentions and plans for Israel and how they fit in, a coup may be waiting in the wings. Many of the ideas of equality and social justice are not rooted and grounded in God's Word at all. The younger generation carries the baggage of indoctrination into the views of secular social justice. They must be taught Biblical justice. God has real justice. 

Those are some of the reasons I stand by my assessment that the attack is primarily to do with the Israel Mandate that was blossoming at IHOP the last year. I don’t believe IHOP’s current issues are only related to Israel but I believe the hidden demonic agenda to destroy the Israel Mandate is also exposing the issues common throughout the body of Christ from all who are participating in dumping all blame on Mike.

I do not mean a bunch of people at IHOP got together and formed a conspiracy, but in the demonic realm the uprising has been forwarded in order to abort the worldwide prayer commitment for Israel's salvation that Mike initiated in 2023. It is just as clear to me as it was Pharaoh ordering the murder of babies to stop Moses and Herod ordering the murder of babies to stop Yeshua. The baby in this instance is a 24/7 worldwide prayer for Israel's salvation.

In one of my favorite passages, Isaiah 54:14-17 “In righteousness you will be established, far from oppression, for you will have no fear. Terror will be far removed, for it will not come near you. 15 If anyone attacks you, it is not from Me; whoever assails you will fall before you. 16 Behold, I have created the craftsman who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its task; and I have created the destroyer to wreak havoc. 17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the inheritance of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.

I expect to see Mike Bickle emerge at the end of this thing vindicated by God.  I hope that clarifies my thinking somewhat.