A question to "Nef" who was an assistant to the late John Wimber
during the early years of the Vineyard movement 3.1.98: "I
was wondering how you thought Wimber's passing is going to affect
the Vineyard movement?" I have a newspaper article from the
Orange County Register from the very earliest days of the "Vineyard"..
(1977 approx.) John is being interviewed and he made an interesting statement..
that the Vineyard would only be around for about fifteen years, after that
it would be disbanded.. not a direct quote, but close enough. How could
John have made such a bold statement? Because during the "think
tank" years at Fuller Seminary, when John Wimber,
David Yonggi Cho, C. Peter Wagner, Bill Bright, Jay Grimstead,
Donald McGavran, Ralph Winter, Billy Graham, David DuPlessis,
Robert Grant, Don Richardson, etc., etc.. were all there.. and
the "strategies" and "methodologies" of
"taking the world for
Jesus" were being developed (i.e. Lausanne, GCOWE, AD2000
and Beyond Movement strategies, the contextualized gospel, the global
"harvest" and "revival" ect).. John Wimber was
what I call the "restoration implementor".. a restoration
theologian who believed and taught that the gifts and offices of the Holy
Spirit had been stolen from the church, and that they were going to be restored.
He was also a Latter Rain theologian in that he taught that the
Holy Spirit would come "incrementally", perhaps by "visiting
your city", or in an "outpouring" "awakening" or
"revivalry" and that the "Holy Spirit" should
"COME!".. that is why they are always screaming for
"MORE!" at the meetings.. they believe the Holy
Spirit is being poured out and hasn't yet "fully come" as the
Bible clearly says he did. Because of this belief in receiving
"more" of the spirit, they have opened themselves up to receiving
another spirit entirely.. and it is a powerful one..
anyway instead of believing that the Holy Spirit has fully come, and is
abiding with us still, that He will never leave nor forsake us,
that He will be with us always, even to the end of the age.. they solicit
an "outpouring and visitation" of the spirit that has lead to
what they call "restoration" of what was taken from the church..
What's more, John taught that the "gifts" would be
"imparted" through the laying on of hands, and the
"offices" of prophet, evangelists, apostle, teacher
and healer were going to be "restored" as well.. John's
"assignment" to be the "implementor" of the restoration
of these things to the church. John travelled extensively for Fuller as
a "church growth expert (i.e. cell group theory ala Cho) and
taught seminars worldwide to hundreds of thousands of pastors "equipping"
them for ministry.. by the impartation of the "gifts"
and "ministries" of the Holy Spirit.. John promoted
and taught and trained up hundreds of thousands of workers globally
to take their places in the new found "apostolic network"..
each submitted under a "mentor" or person above them in a hierarchal
authority structure - also known as "shepherding"
doctrine.. he and Cho also introduced these ideas to the
church in China.. those attending Vineyard churches these past twenty years
have all been "equipped" to "use their gifts"
in the manner prescribed by their doctrine, and under their authority..
I do not believe that John was at odds with the Toronto Vineyard's "outporing"
- but I do believe he was at odds with the leadership of it.. and at some
level he was only practicing "damage control" (as usual)
because of the negative press.. this was John's habit and history to denounce
what he had spawned when the press got too hot.. remember his denouncement
of the Kansas City Prophets as he stated publically that there were
"excesses" and "abuses" and he was going to "take
care" of them? And when he flatly denied that Paul Cain was a manifested
Sons of God Theologian, but so was John.. who clearly can be followed
through his years of ministry teaching that he himself was experiencing
longer and longer periods of "sinlessness".. I have early
newsletters of the Vineyard where the "Kingdonm Now" message is
plain and clear, and the dozens of seminars where John took Holiness
teaching, perfection, restoration and dominion theology to thousands of
pastors globally.. even tapes of him teaching on Joel's Army..
His work indeed was done right on time (remember the article?) when
"fire" that he had been teaching would "fall".. did
fall.. and the great end-time "harvest" he had been
prophesying for twenty years had indeed apparently "come"..
in Toronto.. I believe there was a power play and a great argument
at the flesh level among the "brethren" at that point and
perhaps some sense of loss for John who had been marginalized.
I have been finding that the organizations that this movement sets
up to accomplish certain goals are only temporary, and it was right
on time that the Vineyard movement was going to be phased out..
they never completely disband these organizations.. just take the heart,
leadership and strength to another "form" as I call it.. this
time it was Toronto and Brownsville.. you will see this happening also right
now in Promise Keepers.. John could secretly know that his position
in the hierarchy (as an apostle) was completely assured. He went on
from retiring from the Association of the Vineyard Churches to working directly
with Schuller, Cho, Hayford et al in perfecting their cell model
through the post-denominational church movement and "Touch Ministries",
the "Antioch Church Network" and much much more.. If he in fact
had opened his eyes at the end and saw what he had done, I will
praise the Lord forever for that.. and that is possible as rumors were flying
that there were "fights" with Paul Cain.. but I do not know if
he did repent and forsake the movement.. frankly the strength that
this movement has would quickly "snuff" his life out in a moment
without a casual thought if he had abandoned the theology and was going
to go public.. His wife who eulogized him, is, it seems, being raised up
to take on "John's mantle" (if I was reading the remarks about
her correctly at the funeral).. she definiely was a charismatic and compelling
speaker "empowered" beyond my wildest expectations
at her own husband's funeral.. I would watch to see if she is raised
up to "finish" John's work.. just a thought..
The huge end-times harvest, revival and "awakening".. John taught
it, prophesied it, trained up and equipped thousands of workers for
it, and personally laid hands on every major player to "receive"
the "fire" that fell. It is disputable.. John carried
the restoration theology out of the Fuller "think tank" into the
world at large, and has taken his place now among the "greats"
of
apostasy.. having done more single- handedly to bring the restoration and
dominion message to the world than any figure in history since Wesley..
John was this movement's "acceptable anointed evangelist"
of restoration.. Wagner has referred to Wimber as
his "mentor" and I believe that was true.
One thing about the devil though.. when he's done using you, he
will kill you.. no doubt about that.. the younger, healthier, and able "apostles
of fire".. will carry the "torch" into the next
phase - but you can know beyond a shadow of doubt that that was planned
from the very beginning, and the next stages are
as well.. the Vineyard churches will continue.. Anahaim Vineyard
under Lance Pitluck.. but the heart of the movement is
fully transferred now to the AD2000 and Beyond Movement and the post-
denominational church "form".. the apostolic network has come
to your local neighborhood, and the "spiritual warfare network"
has
too - and don't forget your local pastors association.. that is also
a part of the whole.. the countdown is on to take "dominion" for
Christ before 2000.. those not wanting to "enter into" their apostate
"kingdom" are being scheduled as I write, to be
"removed".. not bloodlessly.. watch the mail for the more
militant aspect (Joel's Army) to be manifesting more and more as they
gain consensus politically worldwide." (A report from
a former associate of John Wimber)