Friends, we have been holding an “Open Heaven” home group which includes much of the teaching I share in my new book, The Mechanics of Miracles. This teaching returns us to the simplicity of Jesus, the gospel, and communion with God. It produces power. The people in our meetings are feeling God’s power tangibly, prophesying, and seeing miracles. We’ve seen God’s power moving bodies as they are being healed, deliverance, deafness healed, restoration of speech after a stroke, people undergoing supernatural surgeries, and much more.

Several friends were interested in hosting similar groups, so I started a Facebook group for those who would like to begin an “Open Heaven” group or incorporate our ideas into an existing group. Open Heaven groups prioritize the whole body of Christ acting in God’s supernatural grace and power. They are participatory, not spectator events.

We don’t “cover” or control those groups, but we are simply sharing ideas and teaching to support those interested in doing what we are. One friend recently testified that they held their second meeting. She saw a deaf ear open for the first time, a person was delivered from a spirit of pain, and someone with stage 4 cancer felt the tumor go under anesthesia, then it shrunk and got softer. If you want to start your own “Open Heaven” group or incorporate any of our ideas in your existing group, you may request to join the “Open Heaven group leaders” Facebook group here, look over our posts, and share your own experiences.

Did Jesus teach the same as Plato, the Vedic writings, and Yogis?

As I was working on publishing The Mechanics of Miracles, I searched for similar books on Amazon out of curiosity. I found a book called The Science of Creating Miracles. The author is an accomplished scientist and extremely intelligent. I opened the “read sample” on Amazon to find out what the book was about. He talked about scientific experiments, which was interesting, but he could probably barely imagine the supernatural abundance I testify to in The Mechanics of Miracles. Figuring conservatively, I’ve seen thousands of miracles over the last 20 years.

I read enough to learn about the author’s philosophy and influences. His worldview was quite sad. I felt sorry for him. He wrote about the power of consciousness and creating miracles. He believed Plato, Vedic writings, Christian mystics, Yogis, personal development gurus, and Jesus taught the same thing: that “everything we need is within us.” Yet what I was reading sorely lacked the glory I know, which I share about in The Mechanics of Miracles. I thought, “I would hate to live like that!”

I’ve heard similar philosophies many times. They have crept into some Christians’ speech. Some talk about learning to “heal yourself.” When listening to the testimonies of people who were deep into New Age practices but then converted to Christ, the common theme seems to be “I was so blind. I thought that everything I needed was within me. I was completely self-reliant.”

The Holy Spirit spoke to me about what was missing. A distorted understanding of oneness with God denies the “otherness” of God.

One With The Lord

Luke 17:21 (NKJV) nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

 Colossians 1:27 (NKJV) To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Being united to the Lord is fundamental for walking in God’s power and glory. However, this truth as scripture teaches it does not deny the “otherness” of God. The Bible teaches that being joined to the Lord is like the union of a husband and wife in marriage. Who wants to marry someone who is no different than you are?

1st Corinthians 6:16b-17 (NASB) For He says, “The two shall become one flesh.” But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

God created us in his image and likeness to have communion with him, and he invites us to be united with him. Like the union of a man and a wife, that union does not deny the “otherness” of the One we are united to. Rather, the “otherness” is what makes that relationship so precious.

My wife is quite different than I am. I can’t imagine any fulfilling relationship in which there is no “otherness” to the person you are in a relationship with. That’s why it’s so sad when I hear, “Everything you need is within you.” That philosophy embraces part of the Bible’s teaching, but fails to comprehend all of it. It fails to lead to joy, freedom, and power.

The “Otherness” of God

The Mechanics of Miracles shares almost 100 supernatural testimonies and the belief system that produced these miracles. It talks about unity with the Lord, but it also shares many truths that would be impossible without the “otherness” of God.

Jeremiah 10:6 (NIV) No one is like you, Lord; you are great, and your name is mighty in power.

1 Samuel 2:2 (NIV) “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.

Many other scriptures point out that there is none like our Lord. The glory, the awesomeness, the delight I testify of is only possible because of the “otherness” of God. Any belief system that fails to understand God’s “otherness” is even sadder than the suggestion that we don’t need relationships with other people because everything we need is found within!

Here are some of those Biblical truths that are only possible because of the “otherness” of God:

-Repentance. In The Mechanics of Miracles, I defined this as entering communion with the Holy Spirit and breaking communion with every other spirit contrary to His nature. Repentance leads to life and produces great joy, but it is impossible without the “otherness” of God.

-Beholding. I discussed the principle of beholding God’s glory and being transformed into his image. This is impossible without the “otherness” of God.

-Communion with the Holy Spirit. It takes at least two to have communion.

-Dependence. God gives grace (power) to the humble but resists the proud. Humility is dependence. Pride is self-sufficiency. Humility focuses on the Lord. Pride focuses on one’s self. Humility, dependence, and trust in God are impossible without the “otherness” of God. Even Jesus said he could do nothing of himself, but only as he saw the Father doing. This life of glory is a life of absolute dependence on the Holy Spirit.

–Yielding to the Holy Spirit. The Mechanics of Miracles doesn’t teach how to “heal yourself,” or how to “heal others” by your own innate ability. It teaches how to connect with God’s Spirit through Jesus, and then yield to the Holy Spirit so that God’s love and compassion manifest in power through you. We receive God’s power, and we are not sufficient of anything in ourselves. Our sufficiency comes from him.

All Who Call On The Name of the Lord Will Be Saved

Walking in unity with God requires yielding, change, humility, trust, and communion, just as a happy and successful marriage does. Yes, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of us. Yes, we are united with him in Spirit. But it’s foolish to think that, “Everything I need is inside of me,” apart from God’s grace and salvation. Such a belief system of self-reliance brings a curse.

 Jeremiah 17:5-8 (NIV) This is what the Lord says:

“Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
    who draws strength from mere flesh
    and whose heart turns away from the Lord.
That person will be like a bush in the wastelands;
    they will not see prosperity when it comes.
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
    in a salt land where no one lives.

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.”

There is none like the Lord. He is holy. He alone is wise. He can do what we can’t. Without him, we are foolish. Without him, we are helpless.

Romans 16:27 (NIV) …to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.

1 Timothy 6:15-16 (NIV) God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

Job 12:13 (NIV) To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his.

We can’t save ourselves. We can’t heal ourselves. Our ways are foolish when we rely on mere human wisdom. We go the way that seems right to us, but it leads to death. We need Another to teach us, to help us, to rescue us, to give us His wisdom, to show us the way we should walk in.

Psalm 143:8 (NIV) Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.

Romans 10: 12-13 (NIV) For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Humble yourself, and God will exult you and give you grace. Acknowledge your foolishness apart from the Lord, ask Him for wisdom without doubting, and He will give it to you. Acknowledge your helplessness, and receive His strength! Call on Him, and He will rescue you! Don’t let pride and self-reliance rob you of receiving heavenly riches!

Psalm 60:11 (NIV) Give us aid against the enemy, for human help is worthless.

Psalm 94:11 (GNT) The Lord knows what we think; he knows how senseless our reasoning is.

Psalm 94:11 (VOICE) The Eternal knows the highest thoughts of the wise, and they are worthless.

1 Corinthians 1:19-20, 25 (NIV)  For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
    the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.