The New Apostolic Reformation, or NAR, is an unbiblical religious movement that emphasizes experience over Scripture, mysticism over doctrine, and modern-day “apostles” over the plain text of the Bible. Of particular distinction in the New Apostolic Reformation are the role and power of spiritual leaders and miracle-workers, the reception of “new” revelations from God, an over-emphasis on spiritual warfare, and a pursuit of cultural and political control in society. The seeking of signs and wonders in the NAR is always accompanied by blatantly false doctrine.

Growth in the New Apostolic Reformation is driven primarily through small groups and church planting, often completely independent of a parent congregation. The movement is not centrally controlled, and many of its followers will not self-identify as part of it or even recognize the name. All the same, thousands of churches and millions of believers adhere to the teachings of the New Apostolic Reformation. Popular teachers associated with the New Apostolic Reformation include Bill Johnson, Rick Joyner, Kim Clement, and Lou Engle.

The New Apostolic Reformation teaches that God’s intended form of church governance is apostles and prophets, holding leadership over evangelists, pastors, and teachers. However, this has not been the case for the vast majority of Christian history. So, according to the New Apostolic Reformation, God began to restore prophets and apostles over the last thirty to forty years. Only now, as the church is properly guided by the appropriate spiritual leaders, can it fulfill its commission. This commission is seen as more than spiritual, as it includes cultural and political control.

In the New Apostolic Reformation, apostles are seen as the highest of all spiritual leaders, being specially empowered by God. True maturity and unity, per the New Apostolic Reformation, is only found in those who submit to the leadership of their apostles. According to this teaching, as the church unifies behind the apostles, these leaders will develop greater and greater supernatural powers. Eventually, this will include the ability to perform mass healings and suspend the laws of physics. These signs are meant to encourage a massive wave of converts to Christianity. These apostles are also destined to be recipients of a great wealth transfer (in the end times), which will enable the church to establish God’s kingdom on earth.

Prophets in the New Apostolic Reformation are almost as important as apostles. These people have been empowered to receive “new” revelations from God that will aid the church in establishing dominion. According to the New Apostolic Reformation, only prophets, and occasionally apostles, can obtain new revelations. Evangelists, pastors, and teachers cannot. The prophets’ new revelations are crucial to overcoming the world, and the success of the church depends on the apostles following through on the information prophets provide. Most of their prophecies are extremely vague and easy to re-interpret, and the New Apostolic Reformation is willing to modify them, since they set no standard of infallibility for themselves.

According to New Apostolic thinking, mankind lost its dominion over earth as part of the fall of Adam. So Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross not only resolved our sin debt, but it empowered mankind—specifically, Christians—to retake control of the earth. The New Apostolic Reformation sees seven areas in which believers are supposedly empowered and expected to dominate: government, arts, finances, education, religion, family, and media. Of these, the New Apostolic Reformation sees government as the most important because of its ability to influence all of the other facets of life. As a result, the New Apostolic Reformation overtly encourages Christian control over politics, culture, and business. In some ways, this is nothing unusual, as people should be expected to vote and lobby according to their convictions. The New Apostolic Reformation, however, is often accused of pushing for outright theocracy.

Spiritual warfare, according to the New Apostolic Reformation, is meant to resolve worldly concerns. For example, economic troubles or health problems in a particular city are seen as the result of a demonic spirit’s influence. Prayer, research into the specific name of that demon, and other spiritual disciplines are then applied in an effort to combat this presence. This is necessary not only for the health of the region, but also because the church cannot take “dominion” over that area until the demonic control has been lifted.

Biblically, there are major problems with the New Apostolic Reformation. Claiming that Christians have access to certain spiritual gifts is one thing, but their distinctive approach to the role of apostles and prophets is a stretch from what is found in the Bible. More to the point, the office of apostle requires traits that are impossible today. For example, true apostles must be personal eyewitnesses of the risen Christ (1 Corinthians 9:1; 15:7–8), specifically designated as apostles by Jesus (Galatians 1:1; Acts 1:2; Luke 6:13), and already verified by miraculous signs (Matthew 10:1; 2 Corinthians 12:2; Acts 5:12).

The idea of new revelations from God, especially those that come in the form of vague, easily reinterpreted mysteries, runs counter to the idea of a faith delivered “once for all” to mankind (Jude 1:3). The fact that New Apostolic Reformation prophecies frequently turn out to be false suggests a false spirit behind those predictions (Deuteronomy 18:22). The tendency of the New Apostolic Reformation to treat spiritual warfare as a type of Christianized voodoo is not only unbiblical, but dangerous.

Likewise, the emphasis on an earthly kingdom contradicts Jesus’ own declaration that the Kingdom of God was spiritual, not political (John 18:36). It places an unhealthy emphasis on political and worldly approval, rather than Christlike influence.

Though it uses the word new, the New Apostolic Reformation is actually a reworking of a very common, very old approach. Since the beginning of Christianity, various groups have claimed to have a “new revelation” from God to correct all of the errors of the present world. These movements contend that “real” spirituality or maturity or truth is found only by those who listen to their leadership. Some of these sects, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormonism, endure and become religions in their own right. Others fade away.

Much of what the New Apostolic Reformation teaches has at least some basis in Scripture, albeit carried much further than the Bible intends. That, however, still makes those doctrines unbiblical, and Christians should flatly reject the New Apostolic Reformation’s teachings and those who choose to be associated with it.

 

• Do the offices of Apostles and Prophets still exist?
   

The title "apostle" means one sent with a message, and it is a special office in the history of the church. Apostles were men who were appointed by Christ through a personal appearing (e.g. Paul on the road to Damascus) to hold the office. Only those who have personally witnessed the risen Christ in the flesh and received a commission directly from Him may assume this title. There were more than twelve apostles appointed in the early church, and these men lived until the end of the first century, which is why Paul still refers to this office as active in Ephesians 4:11. When the last apostle, John, died at the end of the first century, the office of apostle ceased to exist in the church.  
 

Christ established this office to author the New Testament canon through these men, and they were given unique miraculous powers to validate their ministry and authenticate their teaching. For example, the apostle Paul told the church in Corinth they could trust his word over that of false teachers because his powers validated his ministry:
1Cor. 4:18 
1Cor. 4:19 
1Cor. 4:20 
2Cor. 13:10
 

Paul told Corinth that those who claimed to have authority by their words must demonstrate they also possess the power that came with apostolic authority otherwise they were not legitimate authority figures in the church.  Such a test no longer exists in the church because the apostolic office no longer exists. In place of apostles we have the full counsel of God's word. 

Unfortunately, men (and even women) uninformed by the word of God or deceived by false teaching may attempt to appropriate this title for themselves, just as false apostles existed in the early church. In all cases, false apostles are shown to be counterfeits because they cannot perform the miracles required to validate their title. All apostles were given unique gifts of the spirit to validate their positions of authority. Christ told the apostles they could cast out demons, heal the sick, raise the dead and receive fatal snake bites but not die. Though the Lord may permit an individual Christian to do one or more of these miracles in rare cases, they are not normal Christian gifts; they were unique to apostles.

You can learn more about why the Lord established the office of apostle in the early church (and why it no longer exists) in our Acts of the Apostles Bible study.
 

The office of prophet is also misunderstood. The Bible uses the term prophet to describe a man gifted to deliver God's revelation to men. A prophet's words were recorded and eventually made a part of the canon of scripture. The office of prophet carries significant responsibilities and burdens, according to scripture. Specifically, the Bible says this concerning the office of prophet:
Deut. 13:1-5

The Bible taught Israel that anyone claiming the office of prophet was required to be 100% correct in ALL prophecies. If a supposed prophet was ever incorrect in their prophetic utterances - even just once - then they were to be put to death, according to the word. Many churches fail to understand this rigorous standard for prophecy required by scripture, and therefore we are tempted to assign this title too easily to those who wish to claim it. In reality, the biblical office of prophet no longer exists in the church, since the canon of scripture has been completed.

​

Nevertheless, the Lord may bring supernatural insight concerning future events to anyone at anytime, but such a moment doesn't mean the person has become a prophet in the biblical sense. It simply means God has chosen to reveal something to them at a point in time for a certain purpose. This type of prophecy shouldn't be mistaken for the office of prophet.

Many men and women go around in the church proclaiming themselves to be prophets, but if we apply the test God gives us in Deuteronomy, we quickly find these people to be frauds deceiving believers.  Remember this exchange in Jeremiah:
Jer. 14:13-15 

​

In the church today, we find no evidence of apostles nor prophets operating as the Bible requires. Instead, we may find an occasional person given insight of future events on an occasional basis, but mostly we find frauds claiming to have powers they cannot validate in the way the Bible requires.

​

• Is the New Apostolic Reformation a Cult?

​

The New Apostolic Reformation is a movement associated with Bill Johnson and his church, Bethel, which portrays the work of the Holy Spirit in unbiblical ways and promotes a false view of a believer's place in serving Jesus, including dangerous teachings emphasizing seeking signs and wonders, and displays of mystical powers. This movement has captured many Christians because it appeals to our flesh's desire for excitement and control, but it runs counter to biblical truth. 

C. Peter Wagner offered a careful examination of this movement compared to orthodox Christianity to reveal its errors, including (from Wikipedia[1]):

• Apostolic governance – The Apostle Paul's assertion that Jesus appoints apostles within his church continues to this day.

• The office of the prophet – There is within the church a role and function for present-day prophets.

• Dominionism – "When Jesus came, He brought the kingdom of God and He expects His kingdom-minded people to take whatever action is needed to push back the long-standing kingdom of Satan and bring the peace and prosperity of His kingdom here on earth."

• Theocracy – Not to be confused with a theocratic government but rather the goal to have "kingdom-minded people" in all areas of society. There are seven areas identified specifically: religion, family, education, government, media, arts & entertainment, and business.

• Extra-biblical revelation – There is available to all believers the ability to hear from God. "The one major rule governing any new revelation from God is that it cannot contradict what has already been written in the Bible. It may supplement it, however."

• Supernatural signs and wonders – Signs and wonders such as healing, demonic deliverance, and confirmed prophecies accompany the move of God.

• Relational structures – church governance has no formal structure but rather is by relational and voluntary alignment to apostles.

Please read more about this movement in these articles: Is speaking or praying in tongues biblical? or Do the offices of Apostles and Prophets still exist?

We recommend Christians steer clear of such things and remain grounded in the word of God. We also recommend you listen to our 1 Corinthians Bible study, especially chapters 12-14 addressing this question.

​