Books by author: Mike Bickle (www.gaychurch.org)

Mike Bickle

Amazon reader review: Because for your sake I have borne reproach; shame has covered my face. I have become a stranger to my brethren, and an alien to my mother's children; because zeal for your house has eaten me up." Psalms 69. 7-9

I have never read anything from Mike Bickle, but I have to say for sure that I was very refreshed and blessed by this work AFTER GOD'S OWN HEART.

This book is based on the Life of King David who in the Bible and everywhere on earth, is known as the man after God's own heart. God had great love for this man David, who, despite what he was going through, always knew that God was there for him. He was never afraid to approach God, even when he had sinned and David like us was a man who had sin. But he was always quick to repent, for he trusted God and loved God greatly. Many of us sin but we are always afraid that God is too much into punishing us that He does not have time to forgive. Not so with David. David loved God passionately and his heart was fixed on God. God had chosen David while he was still tending sheep and perhaps it was God's constant and attentive love along with His protective arm around David from this time and right through the battles of his life that David was ever aware of, more than most people are. David knew how to confront God in weakness for we went after God in a big way. He was in constant prayer and fasting, and had a zeal for building a place of worship and prayer, a zeal for building God's temple. While everyone was looking for the mistakes that David had made, David got on with his life pursuing God and clinging to him in body mind and soul, begging to be cleansed, begging to be perfect in His sight.

Growing in the Prophetic

Amazon reader review: This book is enormously helpful. At first I sort of cringed and considered Mike Bickle to be hyper-analytical about the whole "prophecy thing." But after completing the book and coming to understand the extraordinary outpouring of the gift of prophecy at his church, I found his viewpoint and "hyper-analytical" approach to be a great gift and a crucial tool for keeping the proper focus (on the Creator) at his Kansas City church. What a blessing it is for others to have this very practical guidebook. For those who are "new" to the prophecy gift, I recommend Jack Deere's "Surprised by the Voice of God" for a more "passionate" picture. Then Bickle's book makes for a very nice and helpful "follow up" guide.

Passion for Jesus

Amazon reader review: Although there are enough reviews to indicate this book is worth studying, I have to say how much it impacted me. Bickle writes in a conversational style so I figured it would be a quick & easy read. Not so. There's enough strong meat in Passion For Jesus to have kept me at a pace of about half a chapter at a time. Be sure to have your Bible handy.

The chapters on the Song of Songs are by far the best and most satisfying teaching on of this mysterious Bible book I've ever come across. The chapter on Beholding The Glory Dimly alone is worth the price of the book, as another reviewer has noted. While reading it I felt like I was treading on holy ground. Unanointed prayer is not discouraged but seen as a small step in being changed from glory to glory. The advice to gaze on the throne of God as an eternal reality (Revelation 4) while praying is gold. We may not have crowns to cast yet, but we can cast him our hearts.

Mike Bickle is an encourager, and a breath of fresh air! For years, I neglected getting this book because I misunderstood his restorationist views. Regardless, they rarely enter into the picture apart from the fact that if he wasn't postmillenial, he might not have the pastoral heart to encourage people to further glean into the godhead and grow into the knowledge of our Lord Jesus. A.W. Tozer would be proud!

The Pleasure of Loving God

Mike Bickle takes us back to the most important Commandment: Loving God. His review of Song of Songs is particularly interesting; through the imagery of how the groom is portrayed, we learn about the characteristics of God. From this, Bickle relates how knowing these characteristics can inspire our love for him.

Bickle is not a great writer, but he is an insightful and refreshing writer. Bickle's message is, however, powerful: Christianity would be well served if we all aimed first to love God with all our heart, soul and mind.

I think many church leaders from evangelical, mainstream and Roman Catholic churches today would be uncomfortable with this message. Yet like Mary and unlike Martha, we need to be at the feet of Jesus, bowing down, begging forgiveness and enjoying his presence. Correct doctrine, evangelism, social gospel, church activities are of secondary concern.

Bridal Intercession

I can sincerely claim that I have begged, borrowed or purchased well over 100 books on prayer since the beginning of the 1990s when God began to awaken me with a calling to intercession. I'm not claiming expertise in stating this, but simply to state that this book truly stands out among the best in my experience.

The vehement lovesickness for Jesus that Gary Wiens conveys in this book is contagious. I look for such voices who are venturing ahead into passionate abandonment and are beckoning back to us to follow them as they follow Christ. The author provides a number of biblical insights, recounting the scriptures and then sifting through them to offer us wonderful and impacting statements into both the Person of Christ and the ways of God.

If you are interested in prayer that is fanned by a heart that is ecstatic at being overtaken by Love personified, get this book.