Bill Johnson - A Call to Return to Your First Love
that we’re to have an altar call in which all of us come. I believe we’re supposed to pray into this next moment. We talk mostly about our identity and where we’re headed, the assignments God has given us. We’re here to shape the course of world history. I believe all that, but in this moment, all I am is a son that needs a dad. How many of you would say the Lord has been speaking to you in recent days or weeks about first love, making sure that you have returned to your first love? That’s been a theme. If you raise your hand, stand.
Those who are watching by Bethel TV, just join us in this. I feel like the Lord is going to take us back to some of our beginnings. In some ways, our teaching realm has grown bigger than our heart realm, and the Lord wants to keep us current and fresh. You can’t discover your significance until you’ve discovered your insignificance. Nobody came to Jesus because they were powerful; they all came to Jesus empty. It’s vital to maintain that. The crazy part of this life with Christ is that we give Him everything, and then He returns it to us many times over. That’s not where it’s supposed to stop; we give everything again, and then He returns, and we give everything again. It’s a cycle of life that we live as believers. We choose where to level off when we become consumers only and not givers. Does that make sense to you? It makes perfect sense to me. I’m saying amen to myself! Amen!
Um, here’s what I want to do: I want those of you that are sitting to lay hands on those who are standing. I just want you to lay hands on them, and there’s a good chance those of you that are sitting need this prayer too. So, while you’re praying for them, pray for yourself as well. Those of you that are standing together—some of you are standing—there are many people that stood, side by side, back to back. Just lay hands on each other. Here’s what I want you to do: I want you to pray that a spirit of breakthrough would come upon us as a people, that we would be restored to childhood, that we would be restored to the simplicity of devotion to Christ. I’m going to ask you to lift your voices—there are no passive prayers right now.
Those of you that are standing, I usually have you remain quiet while people pray for you; this time, I want you to pray as well. Lift up your voices: returning to first love, returning to first love. Pray those specific words: reignite in us, God, first love. Jesus' instructions were to return to the deeds we did at first. Lord, I pray for a refreshing of the heart and mind to the simple deeds of devotion to Christ. Every person to be touched by this truth, by this reality. Thank you! Don’t stop praying. This is not a two-minute prayer. Those of you that just received prayer, I want you to lay hands on the people that prayed for you. I want you to pray the same thing for them: just pray, God, ignite in them first love, first love.
Okay, go ahead and sit down. We’re going to pray again in just a moment, so don’t get too cozy. We need to go after this a little bit more, and I’m going to kind of try to feel my way through on this one. I’ve been really provoked and stirred up. If you could picture a grain of wheat—it has the stem, and the wheat grows, and around each grain of wheat is chaff. All success has chaff, which means every bit of progress we make has something to be discarded. Not knowing that has us actually embrace things that the Lord wants to free us from. They’re not evil things; they’re just unnecessary things. I can just feel it. I wish I had better language, but it won’t leave me alone. I’m not going to stop talking until I say something—that’s what Larry Randolph used to tell us. I’m going to keep talking until I say something. I believe that the Lord would bring us into a place of personal intimacy and personal breakthrough tonight—not someday, but actually right now—tonight, in a fresh way for each one of us. There’s a door to freshness. It doesn’t mean where I was was wrong; it just means there’s more. I have to leave something behind to get there. See, you can only live where you’ve died, and so when He invites us to come deeper, there’s actually that abandonment that we come with, that surrender. It doesn’t mean that anything is wrong; it just means that sometimes we hold on to things that are simply unnecessary.
The purpose and plan of God in our life in Revelation Chapter 2 is the passage about first love. The Lord speaks to the church at Ephesus and He compliments them first for what they’ve done right. They were a church that understood spiritual authority, unusually so. They were able to spot false apostles; they could bring adjustment to order and structure, and they did it well. But in the structuring of things, they lost the passion. They had good order, a good understanding of government, but there’s this strange thing about government in the Bible: government’s not bad. Government is absolutely righteous and ordained of God. One of the unusual pictures of government in the Bible is when the Book of Revelation has this strange picture of the Bride coming down out of Heaven—four square, 1500 by 1500 by 1500—it’s just the most unusual picture, and it gets kind of confusing until you realize that all structure is supposed to come out of romance. It keeps things tender; it keeps things simple. The Apostle Paul talked about the simplicity of devotion to Christ—it’s one of my favorite phrases that he uses, the simplicity of devotion. The problem with maturity is you can become impressed by your own growth; it’s still all by grace. On my best day, it’s only by grace—it’s all by grace.
There’s something about remaining childlike. I’ve been talking—a lot—in recent days about longevity. It’s really been on my heart. I’ve been noticing these people in scripture: some did well, some didn’t. Some of you perhaps were here when I talked about Hezekiah. I’ve done it quite a few times in recent months. He did so well—he was my favorite reformer, one of perhaps my two most favorite reformers in all of history; and yet, he ended so poorly. Something happened where he lost the tenderness and the fire. He still maintained the routine; I’m sure he still gave the sacrifices to the Lord. They still had the songs; they still had the worship because he restored Davidic worship. But something happened when he has a history of crying out to God in crisis. They were surrounded by enemy nations, absolutely about to be destroyed; they cried out to God, and God gave them prophetic direction. They took it, and God delivered them. Isaiah told him he had a disease from which he was going to die; he cried out to God, and God brought a word to him: «I’m going to add 15 years to your life.» But when he became complacent, he misbehaved, and the Lord brought a word that there would be great difficulty for his descendants—specifically, his own sons would be carried off to Babylon and made eunuchs. He has a history with God; he cries out to God, and God meets him, and there’s deliverance. He cries out to God, and God meets him, and there’s deliverance. He received the worst possible news in his life, but it came at a time when he was complacent, and he failed to respond with childlike faith to get a breakthrough. Sometimes we grow past our passion. Sometimes we grow past that fire in us.
I’m saying most all of this as a personal confession of determination to make sure that I keep things simple here. We didn’t get to this place we are because we were intelligent. I believe in intelligence—sanctified intelligence is glorious. I have friends that I admire tremendously for the brilliance that God has given them. I look at some of the teaching gifts that we have in this house; I’m stunned by the brilliance that comes out of their lips week after week. I’m thankful for insight, for intelligence, for revelation knowledge of the Word. But what I can’t afford to do is let this get bigger than this. I can feel it—I can feel it—I can feel it’s at hand; it’s right at hand for me. I can feel that my heart needs to expand at a faster rate. He’s wanting to give me more insight; I know He is. I know He is. I know that His heart is to satisfy the quest that we have to perceive His ways, to perceive His purpose and plan for why He has brought us together from the four corners of the earth. There are many places around the world in which God is moving, and this happens to be one. I’m so thankful, but none of it is because of any of our significance.
I remind you the Lord spoke to Israel and said, «I chose you because you were the least.» Run that over in your head a few times. The moment you start becoming impressed with your success, remember: all success has chaff. It has good, but it also has something worth burning. Strange message, huh? But I’ll do it again later when I get my act together. But right now, I’m just bumbling through this. I believe that tonight we’re to have an altar call in which all of us come. And to make it work, I may just bring the altar to you.
I do believe we are supposed to pray into this next moment. I’m not thinking about my potential; I’m not thinking about my goals, my vision. We’re supposed to carry those—that’s the bulk of what we emphasize here. We talk mostly about our identity and where we’re headed, the assignment God has given us. We’re here to shape the course of world history; I believe all that. But in this moment, all I am is a son that needs a dad—a father—a wonderful father. I was thinking earlier today about this statement Jesus made in Matthew 6:33. He said, «Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.» Say that with me: «Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.» Say it again: «Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.»
Let me tell you what that means to me: it means that every action, every thought, every ambition, every possession—everything about my life—I am to seek first the absolute dominion of a perfect loving Father until His own nature flows in and through me. Seeking first His righteousness, His very person, His very being, His very nature is evident and seen in and through me. It’s not that we’re to decrease or disappear, but His significance is really the only place I have found significance. So, I want us to just pray into some adjustments. I’m not sure how to do it. We may pray five minutes and do something else, and then again, this may be it. So, I want you to stand again. I realize this might be awkward for those who are watching on Bethel TV, but if there’s a group of you together, I would encourage you to pray into this.
I just have this sense; I believe the Lord will give us better language in the weeks and months to come. But I’ve got this sense that Jesus is awakening something in us. Let me tell you something else. I rarely, in my 40-some years of ministry, assume that when I’m going through something personally—when I’m having a challenge or a trial or whatever it might be—I avoid like the plague, assuming that what I’m facing, everyone else is facing. Sometimes the Lord just deals personally. I’ve heard people prophesy stuff, and I could tell they’re in pain—they’re in pain. They think all of us are in pain too; it’s like they’re trying to share their misery. Sometimes we do that. I’ve avoided that like the plague because I learned early in life that God deals with us uniquely and differently. But I’ve been talking to many friends, and I’ve come to a conclusion: at least for me and those I’ve talked to, the strongest battle over thoughts and over the mind has been fought in the last 12 months more than in any 10-year period of my life. The answer isn’t greater intelligence; the answer is to return to first love. Keep it simple—let the Father protect us. Yes, there are things to think about, what to dwell on, what to pray for; I get all that. But it starts with just returning to simple devotion to Christ and not adding Him to our agenda, but once again laying all agendas down and watching what He adds life to.
So, grab a hand! Yes, we are feely touchy people. Some of you aren’t, and that’s your cross to bear. I want you to pray for yourself out loud—no quiet prayers. I want you to pray for those on your right and left. I want you to pray, «God, help us, help us, help us return to the simplicity of devotion. Help us in every single way to return to first love.» We’re going to do this for a couple of minutes. Return to first love in every possible way. Just keep praying, but lay hands on one another. Pray—pray for two, three, or four people; keep it small. Just pray, lay hands on each other, and pray, «God, awaken us! Awaken us! Awaken us to first love, first love—simplicity of devotion to Christ.»
Some of you actually feel the need to come to the front and just pray, and I’m going to invite you to come to the front and pray. You felt it earlier when I mentioned the altar call; just follow that. Not everyone needs to, but if it’s in your heart, just come to the front and pray. I feel like we’re supposed to go after this tonight more than anything else.
I will give you all my word; I will give you all my praise. You alone I long to worship. You alone are worthy of my praise. I will give you all my worship; I give you all my praise. You alone I long to worship; you alone are worthy of my praise.
I want to ask some of the staff who might be able to just start laying hands on people, to just pray. If you’re having that moment with the Lord, you go ahead and do that. But if you’re otherwise able to, join us. Some of our third-year students, some of our ministry team, if you’re able to join us, just start praying for people. We want to pray. You know what? Let’s do this: let’s just pray for a fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit—a fresh baptism, a fresh outpouring of the Spirit of God upon people. Every person, every person in the rows; those who have come up front, every single person—that Jesus would give a fresh touch, a fresh touch. The Lord is giving us access to a whole new season, a whole new season, a whole new period of time. I want to go in like a child; I don’t want to go in like an expert. I want to go in like a child.
Thank You, Lord God! Thank You! Thank You, Lord God! Yeah, those of you that are able to help us pray—help us! Help us pray for people. We pray for this, Lord. We pray for a mighty, mighty outpouring to begin even here right now with us in this moment. Bring about the increase for Your glory, God! Bring about the increase for Your glory! Show us Your ways; teach us how You move. Teach us how You move, Lord! Especially those who have come to the front to pray, I want to encourage you—lift your voice, lift your voice, and ask very specifically of the Lord what you’ve come forward for. Many of you have been prompted by the Lord just to cry out for Him. Lift your voice up, lift your voice up. Bold prayers bring bold answers! Some of our ministry team can even help us too. If you’d like to start laying hands on people around you, we just want to be immersed in this time of prayer before we do anything else—immersed in this time of prayer before we do anything else.
God, help us to be fresh! Help us to be current—not just living off of yesterday’s breakthrough, not just living off of yesterday’s obedience—but to be current and fresh in our ongoing surrender to You for the glory of the name of Jesus, the glory of the name of Jesus. Thank You, Lord!
Now, I want to ask you to do something that’s somewhat awkward to do, but we’re going to try it anyway. I haven’t asked this in a lot of years. I want everyone to leave your seat and try to come toward the front. We can’t all fit; I get it. But I want us to try, and I’ll tell you why in a moment. You can get up on the stairs but not on the stage. If you want to move up on the stairs, that’s fine. But I just feel like we’re supposed to get in close, stand together. Why do you think Jesus told the blind man to go and wash in a pool? There was no magic in the water; he just needed to leave where he was. Sometimes, I’ve watched for years—sometimes just getting people from where they’re seated to the aisle is where their healing is. It’s very simple, but sometimes movement is necessary.
Yeah, if you want to crowd around up here, that’s fine—just don’t get in the way of the TV and instruments. Just move in close. The first time I did this here was 22 years ago in a few months. The church was tired; they had been without a pastor for eight months. My family and I just showed up, and we could tell they were tired. I asked everyone to come to the front like this; they crowded around the front, and I invited the Holy Spirit to come. And He came in power upon one person right here. He touched one person, and Benny and I looked at each other and said, «We’ve got it! It is now unstoppable! It is now unstoppable!» Refuse to be impressed or discouraged by size or amounts. Feed from what He’s doing.
Now, I’ve got you right where I want you—the best altar call I’ve had all day! Never mind that I made you come to the front; that’s all right. Now listen to this: if you endure chastening, God deals with you as sons. For what son is there whom a father does not chasten? If you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. All growth is rewarded with pruning—that’s the chaff. All success has something that needs to burn. His discipline isn’t punishment; it’s preparation for even greater breakthrough.
Now here’s what I wanted you to hear: Jesus said, «I am the true vine; My Father is the vine dresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes.» Guess what that is? Discipline! Pruning! Smile at me! He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. Now, if you catch this next verse and what it means, it can change the rest of your life. Jesus then turns to the twelve and says, «You are clean already.» The word clean there is the word prune. He says, «You are clean already because of the word I’ve spoken to you.»
Pruning does not have to be hard circumstances; if you’re listening to God, pruning is listening. You came forward tonight because you’re listening. I mean honestly, we’ve been sensing the stirring of first love—making sure that we’re current and fresh in our simple devotion to Christ. What is that? Listening! What is He doing? He’s pruning. He’s trimming back the parts of our thinking, our values, our ambitions, our plans that are just not necessary. He’s reducing us to the simplicity of devotion to Christ because that’s where our strength is; that’s where our strength is.
Oh, come let us adore Him. Oh, come let us adore Him. Oh, come let us adore Christ, the Lord. Oh, come let us adore Him! Oh, come let us adore—we give You all the glory! We give You all the glory! We give You all the glory! We give You all the glory, Christ! Thank You, Lord! Thank You, Lord! Thank You, Lord! Thank You, Lord! Thank You, Lord! Thank You, Lord! Thank You, Lord!
If you can see that the Lord is touching someone close to you, just put your hand on them and bless them. I see the Spirit of God touching many. Just touch her—yeah, just pray—just pray for one another; pray for one another. Yeah, right—just touch her right here—yeah! Bless the Lord Jesus! Touch, Lord Jesus! Just lift up a spiritual song to the Lord; just lift up a spiritual song!