God's Super-Apostles

Encountering the Worldwide Prophets and Apostles Movement

R. Douglas Geivett, Holly Pivec

• Publisher: Lexham Press
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781683591733
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Denominations

Gods Super-Apostles provides a concise entry-level overview of the key teachings and practices of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) movement. This is a key resource in grasping the significance of this global, confusing, and controversial movement.

God’s Super-Apostles

Encountering the Worldwide Prophets and Apostles Movement

R. Douglas Geivett and Holly Pivec

God’s Super-Apostles: Encountering the Worldwide Prophets and Apostles Movement

© 2014 by R. Douglas Geivett and Holly Pivec

Lexham Press, 1313 Commercial St., Bellingham, WA 98225

LexhamPress.com

First edition by Weaver Book Company

All rights reserved. You may use brief quotations from this resource in presentations, articles, and books. For all other uses, please write Lexham Press for permission. Email us at [email protected].

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Print ISBN 9781683591726

Digital ISBN 9781683591733

Cover art: Mark Dobratz

Cover design: Frank Gutbrod

Editorial, design, and production:

{ In a Word } www.inawordbooks.com

/edited by Rick Matt/

For Kaitlyn and Erin

—Doug

For Kate and Lizzie

—Holly

Contents

Preface

1. What Is the New Apostolic Reformation?
2. NAR Apostles: The Generals
   The Main NAR Teaching on Apostles: They Must Govern
   Key Bible Passages Used
   to Defend NAR Teaching on Apostles
   What NAR Apostles Do
3. Apostles in the Bible: A Close Look
   The Twelve Apostles
   The Apostle Paul
   The Other Apostles
   False Apostles
4. NAR Apostles vs. Apostles in the Bible
   Must Apostles Govern the Church?
   Was the Governing Office of Apostle Temporary?
   Is There Any Role in the Church Today
   for Apostles Who Do Not Govern?
   Testing NAR Apostles
5. NAR Prophets: The Secret Intelligence Agents
   The Main NAR Teaching on Prophets: They Must Govern
   Key Bible Passages Used
   to Defend NAR Teaching on Prophets
   Other Things NAR Prophets Do
6. Prophets in the Bible: A Close Look
   Old Testament Prophets
   New Testament Prophets
   False Prophets
7. NAR Prophets vs. Prophets in the Bible
   Must Prophets Govern the Church?
   Are Prophets Authorized to Prophesy to Individuals?
   Do Prophets Today Prophesy to Nations?
   Do Prophets Today Reveal New Truths?
   Testing NAR Prophets
8. Strategic-­Level Spiritual Warfare
   What Is Strategic-­Level Spiritual Warfare?
   Key Bible Passages Used to Defend
   NAR Teaching on Strategic-­Level Spiritual Warfare
   Key Practices Related to
   Strategic-­Level Spiritual Warfare
9. What the Bible Really Teaches About Spiritual Warfare
   Is Strategic-­Level Spiritual Warfare Biblical?
   Is Spiritual Mapping Biblical?
10. Unifying the Forces Through Apostolic Unity
    Apostolic Unity
    The Key Bible Passage Used
    to Defend NAR Teaching on Apostolic Unity
    Apostolic Unity Compared to True Christian Unity
11. A Miracle-­Working Army
    Learning to Work Miracles
    Key Bible Passages Used
    to Defend NAR Teaching on Miracles
    Specific New Truths that
    Will Empower People to Work Miracles
12. What the Bible Really Teaches about Miracles
    Will the Miracles Performed by the Followers of NAR Apostles and Prophets Be More Amazing than Those Performed by Jesus?
    Can People Learn to Work Miracles?
    Can People Grow in Miraculous Power
    until They Overcome Sickness and Death
    and Execute God’s Judgments?
    Conclusion
    Dependency
    Distraction and Diminished Spiritual Growth
    Disillusionment
    Division
13. Advice for Parents, Pastors, and Participants in the New Apostolic Reformation
    Advice to Parents
    (or Spouses, or Siblings, or Other Loved Ones)
    Advice to Pastors
    Advice to Participants in NAR
14. Questions to Ask of Churches
15. Name-­Calling

Glossary

Preface

by Holly

In the first century, a Jewish synagogue in the Macedonian city of Berea received a special visitor who brought new teaching. This visitor was the apostle Paul. His teaching was that Jesus—recently crucified and risen from the dead—was the Jews’ long-­awaited Messiah.

The people listened to Paul’s new teaching with eagerness. They didn’t chase him out of town and label him a false teacher for challenging their way of thinking. Rather, they showed a sincere open-­mindedness about what he had to say. But they also wanted to be sure his teaching was true. These Bereans spent days searching their Scriptures to see if they supported the new teaching. After determining that they did, many became followers of Jesus.

What does this story from so long ago—found in Acts 17:10–12—have to do with the book before you? Quite a lot.

In the twenty-­first century, churches in small towns and large cities throughout the world encounter teachers who, like Paul, are bringing new teaching. These teachers—part of the New Apostolic Reformation, or NAR (pronounced nahr)—also call themselves apostles and prophets. Their teaching is that churches must submit to their leadership so they can advance God’s kingdom and prepare the earth for Christ’s return. Like the teaching Paul brought to Berea, the teaching of today’s apostles and prophets is not unimportant. It has major effects on churches and the everyday lives of individual Christians.

So, how should Christians respond to the new NAR teaching?

The same way the Bereans did. We should hear it out with true sincerity and an open mind. We should not be quick to dismiss this teaching or to label it false just because it’s new to us. We should give it a fair hearing to see if it presents important truth that we may have missed. We should also be careful to test whether the teaching is true or not. That means we should patiently search the Scriptures to see how this teaching matches up. If it does concur with the Scriptures, then we should believe it, even if it goes against our own traditions and experiences, and even if it makes us uncomfortable. But if such teaching doesn’t line up with Scripture, then we must cast it aside. It’s with this spirit of open-­mindedness, fairness, and thoughtfulness that we’ve endeavored to write this book.

This is more than an academic exercise. I’ve wrestled passionately with specific passages of Scripture and asked God to guide me to correct understanding. In addition to studying the literature of NAR, I’ve attended NAR churches and conferences to hear for myself as NAR leaders delivered their teachings. And I’ve spent countless hours talking with people who have been part of this movement, seeking to understand it from their point of view. As a result, I sometimes found that my long-­standing assumptions about certain issues were mistaken. Perhaps you will, too.

Some readers may suspect that the authors are anti-­charismatic. They may expect us to argue that the miraculous gifts described in 1 Corinthians 12—including the gifts of prophesying, healing, and speaking in tongues—are no longer active in the church today. This is not our objective. Many Christians around the world, including charismatics...

Table of contents

• Preface