What is the New Apostolic Reformation?

It's not a denomination...

The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) is not a denomination, but a movement that emphasizes emotional experiences over Scripture, favors mysticism over doctrine, and falsely promotes belief in present-day signs and wonders. Leaders claim special anointing from God to perform healings and speak in tongues. NAR churches reject many of the major doctrines of the Christian faith and teach a deeply deceptive and false gospel.

The New Apostolic Reformation Elevates Experience Above Doctrinal Truth

Many NAR leaders claim they have direct prophetic revelation from God, and some even declare they have been to heaven and back. Rather than preach the Gospel of the Bible, New Apostolic Reformation leaders work to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth. They place a greater emphasis on imaginings and visions than they do on Scripture. Most of their prophecies are intentionally vague and almost always laughably wrong.

Sadly, thousands of churches and millions of people have bought into the lies of the New Apostolic Reformation. NAR leaders falsely teach that God has restored the first-century offices of Prophets and Apostles to them alone to lay the foundation for a global church… governed by them, of course. The NAR’s global missions outreach has driven massive NAR growth, especially in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

New Apostolic Reformation variations include the Third Wave, Joel’s Army, Dominionism, Latter Rain, Bethel, and Kingdom Now, among others.

Bethel Church is at the Forefront of the Movement

Bethel Church, based in Redding, California, has taken this a step further by charging people to attend their  Healing School. Here is a snippet from their promotional materials…

“At the Bethel Healing School, you will be inspired, trained, equipped, and launched into a lifestyle of healing and miracles. This school is much more than just a teaching seminar. It’s a full week immersed into a culture of joy, freedom, and experiencing all that Jesus paid for. It’s designed to be an intense week full of practical activation, impartation, and miracles, miracles, miracles!

In our sessions, you will grow in the awareness of the anointing you carry. You will explore scriptural truth that deactivates lies we have believed about healing. You’ll also learn new ways to cultivate and maintain an atmosphere conducive to healing in your personal lives, churches, or ministries.

Each year, many return home with the confident knowledge that the healing power of Jesus is available to all of us today”

The Healing School is led by the Director of Bethel’s Healing Ministries, Chris Gore, under the direction of Bill Johnson. Every week, people come from all over the globe to receive ministry at the Healing Rooms, where they claim that the “miraculous power of Jesus and creative miracles have become frequent and expected”.

Notice how they promise to “deactivate lies”? This is a common tactic of those who peddle falsehoods to claim that they have the truth where others are wrong. The Bethel School of Healing is flat-out apostasy… an outright rejection of the truth of the Bible.

Error in the Use of the Miracle Gifts

Scripture is clear that the “miracle gifts” of tongues and healing ceased at the end of the Apostolic Age. That time ended with the death first-century deaths of the original twelve apostles of Jesus and Paul, who were the only ones ever directly given those gifts by Christ Himself. While God can and still does perform miracles today, He no longer uses individual human beings to perform miraculous signs.

Besides Bill Johnson of Bethel, several other well-known New Apostolic Reformation false teachers include Mike Bickle (International House of Prayer), Todd Bentley, Francis Chan, Lou Engle, Rick Joyner, Brian Houston (Hillsong), and Rod Parsley, among others.

How sad…