The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) movement is highly
attractive. It is estimated that 20,000 churches belong to this movement. Why
is it so alluring, especially among young adults? Pivec and Geivett warn:
·
If you submit to their leadership, then you too
will work mighty miracles. You’ll become part of a great end-time army that
will bring about a world revival and cleanse the earth of evil by calling down
hailstones, fire, and the other judgments of God described in the New Testament
book of Revelation. If you do not submit to their leadership then, at the very
least, you will miss out on God’s end-time plans. And if you actively oppose
the apostles and prophets, then brace yourself for the fallout. Others must be
warned that you are the pawn of a powerful demon, known as the “spirit of
religion.” (God’s Super-Apostles Encountering the Worldwide Prophets and
Apostles Movement, R. Douglas Geivett and Holly Pivec)
The authority of these divisive Apostles is unquestioned.
However, the Bible directs us to question and examine all things:
·
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test
the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone
out into the world. (1 John 4:1)
However, according to Pivec and Geivett, by failing to exercise
caution by testing all things (1 Thessalonians 5:21), many have left the NAR
wounded,:
·
I have personally witnessed the devastation of
the many wounded people left in its wake. I’ve watched unsuspecting Christians
who are hungry for revival become swept up in a movement that promises unity,
renewal, and even miracles only to deliver confusion, empty promises, and
manipulation.” (Introduction, Counterfeit Kingdom: The Dangers of New
Revelation, New Prophets, and New Age Practices in the Church, Holly Pivec,
R. Douglas Geivett)
According to the authors:
·
NAR leaders call their new movement apostolic
because they claim to be restoring apostles and prophets to the church. And
they call it a reformation because they say it will completely change the way
church is done—and its effects will be greater than the sixteenth-century
Protestant Reformation.
However, their bold prophecies of reformation contrast with
end-time Biblical prophecies, even those of Jesus, of great persecution:
·
For then there will be great tribulation, such
as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will
be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved.
But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” (Matthew 24:21–22)
·
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation
and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake.
And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And
many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness
will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:9–12)
These prophets and Apostles usurp great authority for
themselves, dominating those under them. However, church leaders are servants
who are to lead by example:
·
So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow
elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the
glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among
you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would
have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in
your charge, but being examples to the flock. (1 Peter 5:1-3)
Apostle C. Peter Wagner, who has been credited as the initial
guiding light of the NAR, claimed:
·
“Of all the changes involved with the emergence
of the New Apostolic Reformation, the most radical of all is the following: the
recognition of the amount of spiritual authority delegated by the Holy Spirit
to individuals [Apostles].”
Has this authority been “delegated by the Holy Spirit or by
man? According to Wagner, these Apostles are to exercise dominion even over the
pastors:
·
“The responsibility of pastors is to care for,
nurture and comfort the flock. Very few pastors have either the gifts or the
temperament to mobilize an army for war. Apostles, on the other hand, do.”
Such dominance invites abuse and the degradation of “ordinary”
brethren. However, it was these who were honored by the Scriptures for not
simply believing the Apostle Paul but by checking everything he had said
against the Word of God (Acts 17). However, such Biblical discernment is not
allowed by the Apostles of the NAR who are bringing new revelations. Wagner
claims that the non-Apostles must willingly set aside their spiritual
discernment in favor of these Apostles. Why?
·
“They are convinced that they would not be able
to reach their full destiny in serving God apart from the spiritual covering of
the apostle.”
However, even Jesus cautioned that He shouldn’t be believed
without confirmatory evidences:
·
If I alone bear witness about myself, my
testimony is not true. There is another who bears witness about me, and I know
that the testimony that he bears about me is true. You sent to John, and he has
borne witness to the truth. Not that the testimony that I receive is from man,
but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining
lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But the
testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the
Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness
about me that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself
borne witness about me… (John 5:31–37)
Have these Apostles been confirmed by a heavenly voice? According
to Wagner and the NAR, the greatest are the all-authoritative Apostles. In
contrast, Jesus taught that the least, the servant, was the
greatest:
·
And he sat down and called the twelve. And he
said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of
all.” (Mark 9:35)
Therefore, Geivett and Pivec warn:
·
Failure to submit to an apostle is seen as
defiance against God.
They
cite prophet-Apostle Bill Hamon in support of this claim:
·
“It is almost impossible for individuals to
humble themselves under God without humbling themselves in submission and relationship
to Christ’s delegated representatives of Him [the Apostles] to His Church.”
(All of the above quotations come from the second mentioned book.)
However, as members of the Body of Christ, we are to submit
to one another:
·
giving thanks always and for everything to God
the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out
of reverence for Christ. (Ephesians 5:20–21)
However, these Apostles submit to no one. Instead they are
to dominate the Church. How then can they regard others as better than
themselves as the Scriptures require:
·
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but
in humility count others more significant than yourselves. (Philippians 2:3)
Therefore, even pastors are required to believe what the
Apostle teaches. However, the Bible teaches that we are servants of the Word before
all else and not of these alleged Apostles:
·
The faith that you have, keep between yourself
and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for
what he approves. (Romans 14:22)
We are not to violate our conscience, our understanding of
the Word, for the sake of honoring these Apostles. Paul had warned:
·
However, not all possess this knowledge. But
some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an
idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled [if they eat]. Food will not
commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if
we do. But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a
stumbling block to the weak. (1 Corinthians 8:7–9)
Even when our understanding of the Word is incorrect, we
cannot violate it without violating our relationship with the Lord. Instead, we
must be convinced by the Word of God and not the behavior or say-so of others. Consequently,
our relationship with our Triune God depends on our response to the Word of God,
however faulty it might be, and not any ecclesiastical authority. Therefore,
loving God is matter of abiding in His Word rather than in a human authority:
·
“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you,
ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is
glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the
Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my
commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s
commandments and abide in his love.” (John 15:7-10)
As the highest authorities, these Apostles are not
accountable to anyone but to the Apostles who appoint them. However, the 12 had
been appointed by Jesus. They had to be His witnesses. Consequently, the NT
lists qualifications for the appointment of elders and deacons but never for
Apostles. Evidently, it was because there was no further need for more Apostles,
since these men had already laid the foundation for the Church with their
teachings and the books of the NT.
These twelve stood apart from the allegedly thousands or
millions of Apostles who had followed them:
·
And the wall of the city had twelve foundations,
and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the
Lamb. (Revelation 21:14)
These alone are the Apostolic foundation of the Church of
which the NAR “Apostles” have no part!
2 comments:
“Bow down to me before God” -21st century version…… Thanks Dan.
I think that you are correct. The movement seems to be energized by pride and power.
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