Do you know what the New Apostolic Reformation is? Some of you doubtless do; for others, though, it may be something quite unknown. If I could, I would ignore the NAR movement as just another modern addition to the mountain of false teaching that has assailed the Church over the centuries. Unfortunately, it is not a confined, flash-in-the-pan movement. It's creeping into corners of the evangelical Christian community now that once had the wisdom and doctrinal wherewithal to refuse it. My own church family has begun to succumb to its seduction of the emotions, to its appeal to the sensual, to its offer of a “real experience” of God. And so I write this warning.
What is the New Apostolic Reformation? Here's a good summary from Wikipedia:
“The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) is a title used to describe a movement that seeks to establish a fifth house within Christendom distinct from Catholicism, Protestantism, Oriental Orthodoxy, and Eastern Orthodoxy, largely associated with the Pentecostal and the Charismatic movements. Its fundamental difference from other movements is the belief that the lost offices of church governance, namely the offices of prophet and apostle are being restored. Inspired by the G12 Movement , it grows by discreetly recruiting pastors of independent congregations and nondenominational churches, by assimilating members from other churches through cell group meetings, and by frequent Church planting and rapid cytokinesis, including foreign missions around the globe. The churches spun out then form a loose network with a tightly knit history that serves as the basis of an otherwise informal and generally unadvertised far-ranging governmental structure. With this strategy, it expects to rapidly overwhelm and dominate the preexisting Christian denominations in the world.”
Sounds kinda' insidious, doesn't it? Well, cults are like that – especially ones that are as ambitious as the NAR. One of the things to note in the above summary is that the NAR is not a clearly-defined organization but a theological/doctrinal movement centered upon a few distinct aberrant doctrines:
Ephesians 4:10-15:
10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ--
The five offices – apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher – are, according to the doctrine of the “Five-Fold Ministry,” all vital to the “equipping of the saints for ministry” and to the proper spiritual edification of the Church. The top leaders of the NAR movement – Mike Bickles, Bill Johnson, Lou Engles, Rick Joyner, C. Peter Wagner - and a surging host of up-and-coming newer, junior “apostles” (ie. the infamous Todd Bentley) are all being raised up by God – apparently - to fill all five offices of the Church and lead it into the End Times. Sounds all right, eh? Apostles then, apostles now; prophets then, prophets now. Simple. Obvious. How has the Protestant church missed this for so long? Well, as is often the case with Scripture, one must examine one verse or passage in light of all of what Scripture has to say to properly understand it. Does the rest of Scripture support the NAR doctrine of apostles and prophets? No, it doesn't:
What is the five (5) fold ministry?
http://www.equip.org/article/the-faulty-foundation-of-the-five-fold-ministry/
http://equipblog.wpengine.com/apostles-prophets-and-aberrant-doctrine-blog/
What is Dominionism or the “Kingdom Now” doctrine? In a nutshell:
1) Satan usurped man’s dominion over the earth through the temptation of Adam and Eve.
2) The Church is God’s instrument to take dominion back from Satan.
3) Jesus cannot or will not return until the Church has taken dominion by gaining control of the earth’s government and social institutions.
Does good Scripture exegesis lead to a dominionist view? Not at all:
WHAT IS DOMINIONISM? : Apprising Ministries
What is the seven mountain mandate, and is it biblical?
Dominionism
How about the waging of spiritual warfare by special demon-neutralizing prayer? Is this biblical? Nope:
The 'NAR'-tional Day of Prayer?
Finally, what about the hyper-charismatic stuff? You know, the babbling in tongues, the hysterical behaviour (weeping, laughing, braying like a donkey, convulsions, rolling on the floor), the being slain in the Spirit, the fake healings, the false prophecies, and so on. Is any of it biblical? Well, obviously not.
1 Corinthians 14:33
33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.
1 Corinthians 14:40
40 Let all things be done decently and in order.
There is not one recorded instance of anyone being “slain in the Spirit” in all of Scripture. Nor will one find in the Bible occasions where believers, overcome by the Spirit, were braying like donkeys, barking like dogs, laughing hysterically, or rolling on the floor in divine ecstasy. What's more, not once is this sort of behaviour encouraged by any of the apostles. Their own example when they were filled with the Spirit at Pentecost was completely unlike the behaviour of modern hyper-charismatics who have been “slain in the Spirit.” When the power of the Holy Spirit came upon and filled the disciples in Acts 2, they went out among the lost and preached the Gospel!
It has been pointed out many times that the behaviour of one “slain in the Spirit” does have a parallel in Scripture – but not as a manifestation of God's Spirit:
Mark 9:17-27
17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.
18 And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."
19 He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me."
20 Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.
21 So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood.
22 And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."
23 Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"
25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!"
26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead."
27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
The similarity in this account in Mark to the behaviour of modern believers “slain in the Spirit” is unmistakable. This very same behaviour is common as an occult experience in Eastern and pagan religions, too:
“Many who have studied occult phenomena in false religions find that “slain in the Spirit” is not a new phenomenon. This power is found in Hinduism, the wife of Shiva the destroyer is kali known also as Shakti the force. When a devotee receives the touch from the Guru on the forehead they can be knocked to the ground, they can laugh, shake or experience being caught up in some ecstatic illumination experiencing Nirvana and light. There are many pagan religious practices, such as “shakti-pat” by Hindu gurus, which when observed looks exactly like being “slain in the Spirit.” The only difference is that their practices came first, preceding the modern Pentecostal practice. The cults also describe the Spirit as a force. Bruce R. McConkie, who was an apostle and authority of the Mormon Church wrote, “The Spirit of God which emanates from Deity may be likened to electricity” (Mormon Doctrine, pp. 752-53). Isn’t this what we are hearing from those experiencing these manifestations?” - Let Us Reason Ministries ( Slain in the Spirit )
There is also a sharp incongruity between the love, peace and gentleness of the Spirit (Ga. 5:22, 23) and the often very violent manifestations of being “slain in the Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is our Comforter, not our Slayer; He leads us to be self-controlled, not hysterical; He produces in us the “peaceable fruit of righteousness,” not the often frenzied conduct of the hyper-charismatic NAR. There is only one instance in the New Testament where the Holy Spirit exerts his power lethally and that was upon lying Ananias and his wife Sapphira. But even when the Spirit struck the two of them dead, there was no physical violence enacted upon them. They were not first convulsed, and thrown about, and torn up after the manner of the demonic and those slain in the Spirit. They simply dropped to the floor dead. There is, then, no good scriptural grounds for the “slain in the Spirit” doctrine and all the chaos it engenders. This violent, and uncontrolled, and lunatic chaos that is regularly a part of NAR activity is not of God but instead mimics (and very likely originates with) the demonic.
An area of the NAR movement in which believers have demonstrated enormously poor discernment is that of miraculous healing. Often in the movement this sort of healing is used as a means of establishing the apostolic position and authority of those in the NAR claiming to be the new, modern apostles of the Church. It is also urged upon believers as an integral part of a radical pursuit of Jesus. If one has not healed miraculously – or at least made a concerted effort to do so – one is on a lesser level of spiritual living (and, perhaps, not even saved). No where in Scripture, however, are such things taught. Real spiritual regeneration is marked first and foremost by a transformation of one's character and desires into conformity to Christ, by death to Self and holy living unto God, not by showy, miraculous demonstrations of healing power. In any event, claims of healing (and resurrections, too) ought to be accompanied by careful documentation and ought to be easily verifiable but, by-and-large, such claims are made with the expectation that they will simply be accepted as true.
“All I have to say in response to this is, show me the evidence. The Dead Raising Team, curiously, offers no evidence to back up their claim. Not one shred. Why is that? Do they seriously expect people to just take them at their word that something so extraordinary has occurred–not just once, but 12 times? Have Christians become so gullible?
Christians, of all people, should demand evidence to confirm any miracle claims. Such evidence should be publicly verifiable. To not expect such evidence is foolish. And to not offer such evidence lacks integrity, to say the least.
Our entire faith is based on the claim of a resurrection–of Jesus. His resurrection is a historical fact that is corroborated with compelling evidence. We should be concerned whenever Christians turn off their minds and stop demanding evidence to support their beliefs.” Holly Pivec – spiritoferror.org
The apostle James wrote:
James 3:15-18
15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.
16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
The “wisdom” of the NAR is fundamentally sensual. “Toking the Spirit,” being “drunk in the Spirit,” being “slain in the Spirit,” speaking in tongues, miraculous healings, gold dust, or fog, or feathers descending inexplicably from above, “tunnels of fire” - all these experiences appeal to the physical senses and typically hyper-stimulate them. In other words, these experiences are sensual and thus, I think, as the apostle James does, contrary to the “wisdom from above.” Seeking at every turn to demonstrate and validate the reality of one's relationship with God through “signs and wonders” leads one to sensuality in one's walk with God. What did Jesus say about signs?
Matthew 12:38-39
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."
39 But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign...”
Disciples of Jesus are to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2Cor. 5:7) Their walk with God rests upon His Word and the divine promises, wisdom and truth that they find in it, not upon a constant stream of extraordinary experiences. Martin Luther wrote,
“Feelings come and feelings go,
And feelings are deceiving.
My warrant is the word of God,
Nought else is worth believing.”
When our emotions, and sensations, and experiences become the primary way we know God, we soon drift from His truth into deception. Feelings and sensations vacillate constantly and often give us a completely mistaken perception of reality. They are in this regard opposite the eternal and unchanging truth of the Bible. So it is in Scripture that we are never urged to pursue a feeling or to rely on a sensation as evidence of the reality of our relationship with our Maker or the validity of His truth. The just shall walk by faith, not by sight.
Hebrews 11:13
13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Our experiences also constantly diverge from what Scripture says is true. We struggle with sin when God's word tells us we are dead to its power; we see the wicked succeed when we are told in the Bible that the wicked will perish; we suffer and are needy even though God promises to us in Scripture an abundant life. And so on. It is because our experience does not always evidence God's truth that we cannot rely upon our experience as the Final Arbiter of whether or not His truth is actually true. NAR teachers, however, emphasize emotion, sensation and experience above all else. In doing so, they promote a highly sensual and terribly erroneous approach to walking with God.
A major part of the reason for the traction the NAR movement has gained in the Church in North America is the Church's spiritually juvenile condition:
When Are We Going to Grow Up? The Juvenilization of American Christianity
The NAR movement taps into the boredom, frustration and ignorance engendered by the juvenilization of the Church and offers to believers a “radical adventure with Jesus.” Miracles, high emotion, wild worship, the promise of a deep experience of God – to those grown frustrated and/or apathetic by their immature and ignorant faith the prospect of these things is like water to a person dying of thirst. But the end result of what the NAR offers is not spiritual growth but disillusionment and a kind of “inoculation” against the faith that is enormously difficult to undo. In the end, all the “sound and fury” of the NAR movement “signifies nothing” and those who come to realize this often grow deeply cynical and cold to the Christian faith.
The path to a deep walk with God is not through the sensual but the spiritual; it is not through miracles and music that spiritual maturity comes, but through a thorough knowledge and application of the fundamental doctrines and spiritual principles of the faith found in the Bible.
Psalms 46:10
10 Be still, and know that I am God...
2 Timothy 3:13-17
13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,
15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 2:15
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Selah.
P.S. - Dr. Doug Geivett and Holly Pivec have written an excellent book entitled, "A New Apostolic Reformation?" In it they offer a detailed explanation of the core tenets of the movement, its scope and prominent leaders and a thorough and biblical refutation of the false teachings of the NAR (which are many). I would highly recommend reading it!
What is the New Apostolic Reformation? Here's a good summary from Wikipedia:
“The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) is a title used to describe a movement that seeks to establish a fifth house within Christendom distinct from Catholicism, Protestantism, Oriental Orthodoxy, and Eastern Orthodoxy, largely associated with the Pentecostal and the Charismatic movements. Its fundamental difference from other movements is the belief that the lost offices of church governance, namely the offices of prophet and apostle are being restored. Inspired by the G12 Movement , it grows by discreetly recruiting pastors of independent congregations and nondenominational churches, by assimilating members from other churches through cell group meetings, and by frequent Church planting and rapid cytokinesis, including foreign missions around the globe. The churches spun out then form a loose network with a tightly knit history that serves as the basis of an otherwise informal and generally unadvertised far-ranging governmental structure. With this strategy, it expects to rapidly overwhelm and dominate the preexisting Christian denominations in the world.”
Sounds kinda' insidious, doesn't it? Well, cults are like that – especially ones that are as ambitious as the NAR. One of the things to note in the above summary is that the NAR is not a clearly-defined organization but a theological/doctrinal movement centered upon a few distinct aberrant doctrines:
- The “Five-Fold Ministry.”
- Dominionism or “Kingdom Now” theology (entailing the “Seven Mountain” doctrine).
- Spiritual Warfare Prayer.
- Hyper-Charismaticism.
Ephesians 4:10-15:
10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ--
The five offices – apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher – are, according to the doctrine of the “Five-Fold Ministry,” all vital to the “equipping of the saints for ministry” and to the proper spiritual edification of the Church. The top leaders of the NAR movement – Mike Bickles, Bill Johnson, Lou Engles, Rick Joyner, C. Peter Wagner - and a surging host of up-and-coming newer, junior “apostles” (ie. the infamous Todd Bentley) are all being raised up by God – apparently - to fill all five offices of the Church and lead it into the End Times. Sounds all right, eh? Apostles then, apostles now; prophets then, prophets now. Simple. Obvious. How has the Protestant church missed this for so long? Well, as is often the case with Scripture, one must examine one verse or passage in light of all of what Scripture has to say to properly understand it. Does the rest of Scripture support the NAR doctrine of apostles and prophets? No, it doesn't:
What is the five (5) fold ministry?
http://www.equip.org/article/the-faulty-foundation-of-the-five-fold-ministry/
http://equipblog.wpengine.com/apostles-prophets-and-aberrant-doctrine-blog/
What is Dominionism or the “Kingdom Now” doctrine? In a nutshell:
1) Satan usurped man’s dominion over the earth through the temptation of Adam and Eve.
2) The Church is God’s instrument to take dominion back from Satan.
3) Jesus cannot or will not return until the Church has taken dominion by gaining control of the earth’s government and social institutions.
Does good Scripture exegesis lead to a dominionist view? Not at all:
WHAT IS DOMINIONISM? : Apprising Ministries
What is the seven mountain mandate, and is it biblical?
Dominionism
How about the waging of spiritual warfare by special demon-neutralizing prayer? Is this biblical? Nope:
The 'NAR'-tional Day of Prayer?
Finally, what about the hyper-charismatic stuff? You know, the babbling in tongues, the hysterical behaviour (weeping, laughing, braying like a donkey, convulsions, rolling on the floor), the being slain in the Spirit, the fake healings, the false prophecies, and so on. Is any of it biblical? Well, obviously not.
1 Corinthians 14:33
33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.
1 Corinthians 14:40
40 Let all things be done decently and in order.
There is not one recorded instance of anyone being “slain in the Spirit” in all of Scripture. Nor will one find in the Bible occasions where believers, overcome by the Spirit, were braying like donkeys, barking like dogs, laughing hysterically, or rolling on the floor in divine ecstasy. What's more, not once is this sort of behaviour encouraged by any of the apostles. Their own example when they were filled with the Spirit at Pentecost was completely unlike the behaviour of modern hyper-charismatics who have been “slain in the Spirit.” When the power of the Holy Spirit came upon and filled the disciples in Acts 2, they went out among the lost and preached the Gospel!
It has been pointed out many times that the behaviour of one “slain in the Spirit” does have a parallel in Scripture – but not as a manifestation of God's Spirit:
Mark 9:17-27
17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, "Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.
18 And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not."
19 He answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me."
20 Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.
21 So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood.
22 And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."
23 Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"
25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!"
26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead."
27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
The similarity in this account in Mark to the behaviour of modern believers “slain in the Spirit” is unmistakable. This very same behaviour is common as an occult experience in Eastern and pagan religions, too:
“Many who have studied occult phenomena in false religions find that “slain in the Spirit” is not a new phenomenon. This power is found in Hinduism, the wife of Shiva the destroyer is kali known also as Shakti the force. When a devotee receives the touch from the Guru on the forehead they can be knocked to the ground, they can laugh, shake or experience being caught up in some ecstatic illumination experiencing Nirvana and light. There are many pagan religious practices, such as “shakti-pat” by Hindu gurus, which when observed looks exactly like being “slain in the Spirit.” The only difference is that their practices came first, preceding the modern Pentecostal practice. The cults also describe the Spirit as a force. Bruce R. McConkie, who was an apostle and authority of the Mormon Church wrote, “The Spirit of God which emanates from Deity may be likened to electricity” (Mormon Doctrine, pp. 752-53). Isn’t this what we are hearing from those experiencing these manifestations?” - Let Us Reason Ministries ( Slain in the Spirit )
There is also a sharp incongruity between the love, peace and gentleness of the Spirit (Ga. 5:22, 23) and the often very violent manifestations of being “slain in the Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is our Comforter, not our Slayer; He leads us to be self-controlled, not hysterical; He produces in us the “peaceable fruit of righteousness,” not the often frenzied conduct of the hyper-charismatic NAR. There is only one instance in the New Testament where the Holy Spirit exerts his power lethally and that was upon lying Ananias and his wife Sapphira. But even when the Spirit struck the two of them dead, there was no physical violence enacted upon them. They were not first convulsed, and thrown about, and torn up after the manner of the demonic and those slain in the Spirit. They simply dropped to the floor dead. There is, then, no good scriptural grounds for the “slain in the Spirit” doctrine and all the chaos it engenders. This violent, and uncontrolled, and lunatic chaos that is regularly a part of NAR activity is not of God but instead mimics (and very likely originates with) the demonic.
An area of the NAR movement in which believers have demonstrated enormously poor discernment is that of miraculous healing. Often in the movement this sort of healing is used as a means of establishing the apostolic position and authority of those in the NAR claiming to be the new, modern apostles of the Church. It is also urged upon believers as an integral part of a radical pursuit of Jesus. If one has not healed miraculously – or at least made a concerted effort to do so – one is on a lesser level of spiritual living (and, perhaps, not even saved). No where in Scripture, however, are such things taught. Real spiritual regeneration is marked first and foremost by a transformation of one's character and desires into conformity to Christ, by death to Self and holy living unto God, not by showy, miraculous demonstrations of healing power. In any event, claims of healing (and resurrections, too) ought to be accompanied by careful documentation and ought to be easily verifiable but, by-and-large, such claims are made with the expectation that they will simply be accepted as true.
“All I have to say in response to this is, show me the evidence. The Dead Raising Team, curiously, offers no evidence to back up their claim. Not one shred. Why is that? Do they seriously expect people to just take them at their word that something so extraordinary has occurred–not just once, but 12 times? Have Christians become so gullible?
Christians, of all people, should demand evidence to confirm any miracle claims. Such evidence should be publicly verifiable. To not expect such evidence is foolish. And to not offer such evidence lacks integrity, to say the least.
Our entire faith is based on the claim of a resurrection–of Jesus. His resurrection is a historical fact that is corroborated with compelling evidence. We should be concerned whenever Christians turn off their minds and stop demanding evidence to support their beliefs.” Holly Pivec – spiritoferror.org
The apostle James wrote:
James 3:15-18
15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.
16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
The “wisdom” of the NAR is fundamentally sensual. “Toking the Spirit,” being “drunk in the Spirit,” being “slain in the Spirit,” speaking in tongues, miraculous healings, gold dust, or fog, or feathers descending inexplicably from above, “tunnels of fire” - all these experiences appeal to the physical senses and typically hyper-stimulate them. In other words, these experiences are sensual and thus, I think, as the apostle James does, contrary to the “wisdom from above.” Seeking at every turn to demonstrate and validate the reality of one's relationship with God through “signs and wonders” leads one to sensuality in one's walk with God. What did Jesus say about signs?
Matthew 12:38-39
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."
39 But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign...”
Disciples of Jesus are to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2Cor. 5:7) Their walk with God rests upon His Word and the divine promises, wisdom and truth that they find in it, not upon a constant stream of extraordinary experiences. Martin Luther wrote,
“Feelings come and feelings go,
And feelings are deceiving.
My warrant is the word of God,
Nought else is worth believing.”
When our emotions, and sensations, and experiences become the primary way we know God, we soon drift from His truth into deception. Feelings and sensations vacillate constantly and often give us a completely mistaken perception of reality. They are in this regard opposite the eternal and unchanging truth of the Bible. So it is in Scripture that we are never urged to pursue a feeling or to rely on a sensation as evidence of the reality of our relationship with our Maker or the validity of His truth. The just shall walk by faith, not by sight.
Hebrews 11:13
13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Our experiences also constantly diverge from what Scripture says is true. We struggle with sin when God's word tells us we are dead to its power; we see the wicked succeed when we are told in the Bible that the wicked will perish; we suffer and are needy even though God promises to us in Scripture an abundant life. And so on. It is because our experience does not always evidence God's truth that we cannot rely upon our experience as the Final Arbiter of whether or not His truth is actually true. NAR teachers, however, emphasize emotion, sensation and experience above all else. In doing so, they promote a highly sensual and terribly erroneous approach to walking with God.
A major part of the reason for the traction the NAR movement has gained in the Church in North America is the Church's spiritually juvenile condition:
When Are We Going to Grow Up? The Juvenilization of American Christianity
The NAR movement taps into the boredom, frustration and ignorance engendered by the juvenilization of the Church and offers to believers a “radical adventure with Jesus.” Miracles, high emotion, wild worship, the promise of a deep experience of God – to those grown frustrated and/or apathetic by their immature and ignorant faith the prospect of these things is like water to a person dying of thirst. But the end result of what the NAR offers is not spiritual growth but disillusionment and a kind of “inoculation” against the faith that is enormously difficult to undo. In the end, all the “sound and fury” of the NAR movement “signifies nothing” and those who come to realize this often grow deeply cynical and cold to the Christian faith.
The path to a deep walk with God is not through the sensual but the spiritual; it is not through miracles and music that spiritual maturity comes, but through a thorough knowledge and application of the fundamental doctrines and spiritual principles of the faith found in the Bible.
Psalms 46:10
10 Be still, and know that I am God...
2 Timothy 3:13-17
13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,
15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 2:15
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Selah.
P.S. - Dr. Doug Geivett and Holly Pivec have written an excellent book entitled, "A New Apostolic Reformation?" In it they offer a detailed explanation of the core tenets of the movement, its scope and prominent leaders and a thorough and biblical refutation of the false teachings of the NAR (which are many). I would highly recommend reading it!
