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What is the New Apostolic Reformation?

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What is the New Apostolic Reformation?New Apostolic Reformation

For years now I continued to hear about this mysterious group called the New Apostolic Reformation.  Who are these guys?  Is this the next secret society like the masons?  Is the NAR a new cult?  In this article I want to introduce you to who the New Apostolic Reformation is and give you a basic understanding of what they believe.  Make no mistake, the New Apostolic Reformation beliefs and goals are dangerous and should concern any serious Bible believing doctrinally minded Christian.

Who is the New Apostolic Reformation?

The NAR is a vast global network of self-appointed “apostles and prophets”.  This group has no official leader although many see C. Peter Wagner as the most influential and authoritative voice in the movement.  Some of the notable leaders who are affiliated with the NAR are Lou Engle of , Mike Bickle of the International House of Prayer (IHOP), Ché Ahn, Stacey Campbell, Bill Hannon, Cindy Jacobs, Rick Joyner of Morning Star Ministries, Rick Warren, Todd Bentley, Earl Palk, Ted Haggard, Chuck D. Pierce, Dutch Sheets, Joseph Prince, Jim Laffoon, Mary Crum, Jack Deere,  Barbara Yoder, Alice Smith, George Otis, Bob Beckett, Charles Kraft, David Cannistraci, Eddie Smith, Ed Silvoso, and George Barna to name just a few.  Like I said, this movement is vast and it’s worldwide.

Apostles and Prophets are the Foundation of the NAR

One of the key beliefs in the New Apostolic Reformation is that apostles and prophets are for today.  These apostles and prophets are believed to receive revelations from God and then pass them down to their congregations.

NAR and the Fivefold ministry

Most of the New Apostolic Reformation crowd subscribes to a concept called the fivefold ministry.  The five in the fivefold is apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers and evangelists.  The NAR puts a strong emphasis on all five offices (fivefold) being operational in the church.  They get this concept from:

Ephesians 4:11-13  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;  (12)  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:  (13)  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

1 Corinthians 12:28  And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

According to the NAR, apostles hold the highest authority, then prophets and then finally pastors teachers and evangelists.  This top down hierarchy makes the typical NAR church a perfect environment for oppressive and controlling Covering Theology.

Extra biblical revelations and the New Apostolic Reformation

Because the NAR subscribes to modern day prophets and apostles, they also put a strong emphasis on extra-biblical revelation.  Unfortunately, their revelations are not from the Lord.  The general rule of thumb amongst the NAR is if the revelation does not blatantly contradict the scriptures, and if it comes from a recognized apostle or prophet, it must be from God.  Just because a supposed revelation does not contradict with the Bible does not automatically mean it is a word from the Lord.  Secondly, these recognized apostles and prophets were appointed by men and not by God.  Thirdly, their revelations often contradict each other.  And lastly, they often do in fact contradict God’s word.

I guess I would also like to add that these NAR apostles and prophets are always steeped in damnable doctrines.  Doctrines like positive confession, the health and wealth gospel, and the little gods doctrine are amongst their unbiblical and dangerous teachings.  If these NAR Word of Faith types were really having day to day conversations with God, why isn’t God saying something about these heretical teachings?

And why are these Word of Faith/NAR type apostles and prophets always seeming to be involved in sexual scandals?

What does the New Apostolic Reformation believe?

Not only does the NAR not have an official leader or authority, the NAR also doesn’t have any official creeds or statements.  Nonetheless, you generally find the following beliefs in NAR circles.

Dominionism and the Seven Mountain Mandate

Dominionism is the belief that Christ cannot return until all the believers in Christ rise and take dominion over the world.  They hope to achieve this by taking over the seven most influential areas of society.  These seven areas are: religion, family, business, arts/entertainment media, education, and government.  This is often referred to as the Seven Mountain Mandate.  I will be exploring more about Dominionism and the Seven Mountain Mandate in a future post.

Strategic Level Spiritual Warfare

Another way that the New Apostolic Reformation crowd hopes to gain Dominion is through Strategic Level Spiritual Warfare (SLSW).  SLSW encompasses a whole host of spiritual practices.  I will be writing posts on many of these practices in the coming days.  Some of these practices include: prayer mapping, prayer journeys, prayer walking, warfare prayer/worship, binding territorial demons, identificational repentance, breaking generational curses, and deliverance.

Why Is Understanding the NAR Important?

Not only is this movement ginormous (yeah that’s a word) and worldwide, it is also very influential.  The Nar even has political influence.  Notable people of political influence who have been used by the NAR include: Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, Rick Perry, Sam Brownback and David Barton.

What we’re dealing with is a movement that believes that it is their duty to literally take control of the governments of the world.  Some leftist organizations are calling the New Apostolic Reformation a Christian Jihadist movement.  That, my friends, is not good.  We need to share the truth with these misguided believers and put an end to this nonsense.

Don’t miss my podcast series on the New Apostolic Reformation as well as my series on Dominionism below.  Look forward to more articles on this subject in the coming days.
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