It’s interesting to note that there are still those who continue to deny the existence and dangers of the New Apostolic Reformation – apparently it’s just ‘a contrived conspiracy theory’. The NAR-sayers continue to scoff and mock (while they march blindly on with their ‘dominionist’ agenda) – as those who oversee the NAR-sayers are exposed as some of the most biblically illiterate men (and women) in the history of the church! No wonder their followers are so illiterate themselves. And it’s important to name these false teachers, often easy to spot not only by their biblical illiteracy but by the fact they are constantly found on the same speaking circuits across the globe, and speaking at each other’s conferences. Those most notably deceptive and illiterate? Bill Johnson, Steven Furtick, Brian Houston, Phil Pringle, John Gray, Christine Caine, Jurgen Matthesius – just to name a few.
Many of the contributors here at CWC can now attest to the biblical illiteracy of these men and women, after leaving this cult. Just as bank tellers are trained in identifying the ‘counterfeit’ by studying the ‘genuine’, they now hear of the true Jesus in the true gospel – as proclaimed by faithful shepherds in the churches they now attend. And God, in His great mercy, has begun raising up these godly shepherds to expose the very serious damage this cult is doing to the body of Christ. Further testimonies of those saved out the NAR.
In the following presentation, Costi Hinn is speaking at ‘Another Gospel’ Conference, Redeemer Bible Church where he addresses the difference between the Protestant Reformation vs the (apparently non-existent) New Apostolic Reformation.
Costi Hinn opens his presentation with the following statement:
“There’s a clear difference between what was, and what is. While the Reformers were imperfect men, they were full of shortcomings and flaws. like us. They came to stand upon convictions that ultimately changed the landscape of the church….The Reformation was not innovation, it was a reclamation, a reclaiming of what once was…These men weren’t innovating, the church’s forward progress comes about by going back to foundational truths. They understood that.”
“Reformation within the church is always achieved by biblically reliable truths, not new ones.”
Some keynote presentation points:
“‘Reliable Reformation’ always, always, has the mark of a hunger for God’s Word. People grow weary, of works and trickery of men and pragmatic religion and politicking and empty humanistic strategies. They need the truth because there’s a famine in the land, they begin to want the truth desperately. That’s why people come to churches that teach the bible now. The last 30 years didn’t do a lot of people much good – we have biblically illiterate Christians who don’t know their bible but they’re in their 50’s and 60’s. We have a generation of young people that have exited the church because the church offers them no value. They’re not challenged, they’re just told ‘you’re good, pray a prayer, walk an aisle, see you in heaven’. There’s no rooted life in Christ, there’s no hunger because there’s no pulpits who are feeding the flock. A hunger for truth emanates from ‘reliable Reformation’.”
“Let’s transition now, with the marks of ‘reliable Reformation’ in mind, to the marks of ‘reckless Reformation’ and I’m going to help you understand and define what the New Apostolic Reformation is, and why you ought to be aware and why you ought to be concerned. In 2004 a Fuller seminary professor named C. Peter Wagner made a startling prophetic announcement. He declared that God had restarted the Apostolic era. That there were now going to be Apostles again, and that he was one of them if not the lead one. And that the church would come under the authority of these ‘Apostles’ – and that prophets would also be reinstituted, though lower than apostles they would also still govern the church. He, along with others, viewed that that their new movement as something that would equal the impact to the Protestant Reformation, so they coined it the New Apostolic Reformation. It has swept through evangelicalism with rapid speed and I want to be clear, there is nothing ‘new’ about it. There is nothing ‘apostolic’ about it, and it’s not a ‘Reformation’. It’s wreaking havoc on the church, it’s taking our young people from sound doctrine and plunging them into an experiential religion that is not true Christianity.”
“They have their own bible, maybe you’ve heard of The Passion Translation? It’s been done by Brian Simmons who changed original words to better fit what he believed God was saying. See, that’s what happens when we divorce ourselves from scripture and when we divorce ourselves from proper biblical authority, who becomes the authority? We do. And whose words suddenly become God’s words? Our words, and we’re in trouble when we do that.”
‘Why would I stand here and tell you the New Apostolic Reformation is dangerous and damning. Why would I call it heretical, why would I use the ‘H’ word. There are specific reasons, it’s not because they hold to different views on non-essentials – it is their view on the essentials.”
“And so here as we look at the marks of ‘reckless Reformation’ (New apostolic Reformation), number one is a ‘divorce from scripture’, in direct contrast to the ‘Reformation call’ back to scripture.”
“But a ‘divorce from scripture’ also means that it’s ‘open season’ on people who are biblically illiterate. Think of all the people who are sitting in these meetings. Who are suddenly told that God’s Word is not enough and that they need to have some extra word from the Lord. And they’re confused, or they start sitting up at night going: ‘Lord, is that You?’ – when it’s just air blowing through the vents. And they say: ‘I hear the whisper of the Spirit’. No, thats the air conditioning. It’s a dangerous charade.”
“Instead of a focus on faith that justifies, the New Apostolic Reformation focuses on ‘faith as a force’. Faith as a force. If you’re familiar with the Word of Faith movement that may ring a bell because they’ve borrowed it, or evolved, from the Word of Faith movement. Let me be clear and fair, what used to be white jackets and TBN and big hair and big offerings and all of that madness that some of you grew up with, is now simply the same twisted theology with a new face. It just got v-necks and skinny jeans. It just got a facelift – it’s got cool wood backdrops and modern buildings and great looking worship guys with tattooed arms and cool pants – that’s what it is now.”
“The New Apostolic reformation is simply a remake of what was and they’ve taken ‘faith as a force’ and implemented it. These teachings go back to new thought ideologies that have been passed along from leaders long gone, like Phineas Quimby, E. W. Kenyon. They had New Age, New Thought Movement ideas in which they would say ‘if you think it, you can create your reality’.”
“Satan’s favourite game is to come in white, shining armour like an angel of light. He doesn’t show up at the foot of your bed with a red tail and a pitchfork saying: ‘Here I am to deceive you’. He comes with subtlety – Jude says secretly introducing destructive heresies. Peter said the same thing, it’s subtle, it looks good, it feels good, it sounds good. It honestly sometimes does some good for family and friends. I had a sister that graduated from their school, the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry and for a season it helped her. She felt better about herself but eventually the theology began to weave into all other areas her life and take her off course. They teach a ‘kenotic Christ’ “
“The ‘Jesus’ of the New Apostolic Reformation is not the Jesus that can save people. That’s why I come here, that’s why I leave my family at home, that’s why I make the trip because I want to tell you that the ‘Jesus’ they believe in cannot save people. So I’m on a gospel mission – it’s ‘Great Commission’ type of theology. They’re toying with the ultimate, the gospel.”
“A lust for signs. We move from a ‘kenotic Christ to a lust for signs. In a ‘reckless Reformation’ which is the New Apostolic Reformation, you’ll see a high focus on ‘signs’. In fact quoting again from Bill Johnson on page 112 of his book ‘When Heaven Invades Earth’, he says that ‘our hunger for God should be marked by a lustful pursuit of signs’ (quote).”
“Ultimately why, why teach this? Why do it, why the deception? What agenda does it all serve? Based on both study of the topic and my experience within the movement, and many family members now caught up in working with Bethel and these people, there’s three things that I would surmise. That’s the best I can do, I’m certainly not getting led into the ‘secret dinner meetings’ anymore. I’m not invited into the inner circle so I can’t give you any more than this. Money, power and forces of darkness would be the three main drivers.”
“Money because it’s big business to to preach ‘kenotic heresy’……The New Apostolic Reformation sounds a lot like the Word of Faith movement and it sure looks a lot like the prosperity gospel, that’s because it ultimately is. It’s just a new twist on old heresy.”
“Finally the marks of ‘right response’, how do we respond to this?……Luther said, ‘this Word is the word of life, it’s the word of truth, it’s the word of light, of preaching, of righteousness, of salvation, of joy, of liberty, of wisdom, of grace, of glory and of every blessing beyond our power to estimate.’ Our response must be measured and biblical. We turn to scripture. The first thing we ought to do in the first mark of ‘right response’ is to, number 1, expect deception. Expect it, don’t be shocked….we know what’s coming, expect deception.”
“Number two, educate yourself…..2 Timothy 4:5 ‘but you (contrasting with everyone else) be sober in all things’ – you need to be a sober Christian.”
“Third, we need to evangelise others. We expect deception, we educate ourselves and we evangelise others.”
“As the Reformation took shape and people began to realise the historical moment that was taking place, Luther kept getting asked: ‘How is it all happening?…What did Luther say?
“I simply taught, preached, and wrote God’s Word; otherwise I did nothing. And then, while I slept, or drank Wittenberg beer with my Philip (Melanchthon) and my (Nicholaus von) Amsdorf, the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that never a prince or emperor did such damage to it. I Idid nothing. The Word did it all.”
Full presentation here:
“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4
Source: Costi Hinn, ‘Another Gospel? Conference’, Redeemer Bible Church, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkAK9MXzy6E&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR0h_ChWnvmMSYhs_GOQefq51fN-lCvXvjrgAcwnYyR2FJcsW_CfulWdEYg, Published October 30, 2018. (Accessed July 20, 2019.)
Email all comments and questions to c3churchwatch@hotmail.com
Categories: Uncategorized