EP04 How to Spot NAR Part 2 - CourtneyR.dev's 2nd Brain

EP04 | How to Spot NAR Part 2 ![rw-book-cover](https://img.youtube.com/vi/0jF1Js6PYFE/maxresdefault.jpg) 🔗 **Source:** [EP04 | How to Spot NAR Part 2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jF1Js6PYFE) > [!note]+ Document Notes > tags: #new-apostolic-reformation #spiritual-discernment #church-practices #charismatic-movement #religious-movements > author: Holly Pivec > source: YouTube > reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jF1Js6PYFE > date created: 2024-12-19 10:30 > > # 🏷️ Title: EP04 | How to Spot NAR Part 2 >  ## 🧰 Action Inbox - [H1] Research church terminology and practices for NAR indicators — discernment/ongoing #spiritual-discernment - [H2] Review music from Bethel, Hillsong, Elevation for NAR influence — media analysis/current #worship-music - [H3] Evaluate prayer practices and prophetic activities in local context — assessment/immediate #church-practices ## 🧭 Table of Contents - [[#📝 Summary]] - [[#📖 Main Content]] - [[#🗒️ Notes]] - [[#📚 References]] - [[#🗣️ Paraphrase]] - [[#📰 Newsletter]] - [[#✅ Action Items]] - [[#🧪 Hypotheses]] - [[#📊 Methodology]] - [[#❓ Questions]] - [[#🔮 Future Research]] - [[#💡 Implications]] - [[#🧠 Learning Styles Assessment]] - [[#📊 Accessibility Assessment]] - [[#🌍 DEIB Assessment]] - [[#✅ Logical Validity]] - [[#🛡️ DARVO Analysis]] - [[#🎯 Conclusion]] ### 🔗 References - [Counterfeit Kingdom Book](URL) - [Holly Pivec Blog - YWAM Articles](https://hollypivec.com) ## 📝 Summary - Holly Pivec explains practices, terminology, and warning signs of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) movement - Covers key practices like activation exercises, impartation, 24/7 prayer rooms, and strategic spiritual warfare - Identifies NAR terminology including "spiritual fathers/mothers," "decree and declare," and "bringing heaven to earth" - Emphasizes that churches may not identify as NAR but still hold core teachings about apostles and prophets - Bottom line: Terminology shifts often provide the first clue that a church is moving toward NAR beliefs ## 📖 Main Content This is part two of Pivec's series on identifying the New Apostolic Reformation movement. While part one covered core teachings about apostles and prophets claiming extraordinary authority, this episode focuses on practical indicators. NAR practices include activation exercises where people learn to prophesy or work miracles through structured training, often at institutions like Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry. The movement emphasizes impartation of spiritual gifts through laying on hands, and many NAR churches establish 24/7 prayer rooms modeled after the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, Missouri. These prayer rooms focus on "decree and declare" prayers rather than submissive requests to God. Strategic spiritual warfare involves identifying and casting out high-ranking demons believed to rule over cities and institutions. Terminology serves as a crucial early warning system, as churches often adopt NAR language before fully embracing the theology. ## 🗒️ Notes #### ⏱️ [00:00](https://youtu.be/0jF1Js6PYFE?t=0) — [H1] Introduction and reference to part one - Key idea: This continues explanation of NAR teachings about apostolic authority - Evidence: "In it, I explain the teachings of the so-called apostles of today's new apostolic reformation movement" #### ⏱️ [02:15](https://youtu.be/0jF1Js6PYFE?t=135) — [H1] Activation of spiritual gifts practices - Key idea: NAR teaches structured exercises to learn supernatural abilities - Evidence: "People in this movement will take part in what are called activation exercises" #### ⏱️ [04:30](https://youtu.be/0jF1Js6PYFE?t=270) — [H2] Bethel Church prophetic activation example - Key idea: Untrained individuals instructed to give prophetic words based on spontaneous thoughts - Evidence: "They were told don't filter your thoughts just say whatever pops into your head as long as it's positive" #### ⏱️ [06:45](https://youtu.be/0jF1Js6PYFE?t=405) — [H2] Impartation and 24/7 prayer rooms - Key idea: Apostles allegedly transfer miraculous gifts through physical contact - Evidence: "It's believed that apostles and prophets can impart their miraculous gifts to others by laying their hands" #### ⏱️ [08:20](https://youtu.be/0jF1Js6PYFE?t=500) — [H1] IHOP Kansas City prayer room model - Key idea: International House of Prayer popularized continuous prayer with decree/declare focus - Evidence: "Prayer declarations are a focus of these prayer rooms where people will decree and declare that God will do this" #### ⏱️ [11:30](https://youtu.be/0jF1Js6PYFE?t=690) — [H2] Healing rooms and Cal Pierce ministry - Key idea: Community healing centers use declarative prayer rather than submissive requests - Evidence: "People in these rooms leading are making prayer declarations. They're decreeing and declaring that God will heal" #### ⏱️ [13:45](https://youtu.be/0jF1Js6PYFE?t=825) — [H1] Strategic level spiritual warfare practices - Key idea: High-ranking demons allegedly rule cities and institutions requiring targeted spiritual combat - Evidence: "There are these high-ranking demonic principalities that are ruling over cities and nations" #### ⏱️ [16:00](https://youtu.be/0jF1Js6PYFE?t=960) — [H2] Prayer walking and prophetic acts - Key idea: Teams perform ritual actions to cast out territorial demons - Evidence: "They might bury the communion elements like bread and wine or they might pour anointing oil around the perimeter" #### ⏱️ [18:15](https://youtu.be/0jF1Js6PYFE?t=1095) — [H2] Sozo inner healing ministry - Key idea: Prophetically-guided sessions claim to uncover root causes of problems - Evidence: "This prophetically trained person will help them to prophetically uncover what is causing their problems" #### ⏱️ [20:30](https://youtu.be/0jF1Js6PYFE?t=1230) — [H3] Recovered memory controversy in Sozo - Key idea: Sessions reportedly lead to recovered abuse memories, causing family disruptions - Evidence: "Adult children have broken off communication with them after their children took part in these sozo sessions" #### ⏱️ [22:45](https://youtu.be/0jF1Js6PYFE?t=1365) — [H3] Fire tunnels and prophetic evangelism - Key idea: Physical ritual practices and targeted outreach based on prophetic guidance - Evidence: "People can run through the middle of the line and claim to have encounters with the Holy Spirit" #### ⏱️ [25:00](https://youtu.be/0jF1Js6PYFE?t=1500) — [H2] Bethel's treasure hunting evangelism - Key idea: Teams seek prophetic clues to identify specific people for ministry - Evidence: "They'll look for someone who has a red sweatshirt and is walking on crutches and is wearing some type of hat" #### ⏱️ [27:30](https://youtu.be/0jF1Js6PYFE?t=1650) — [H3] Soaking prayer and angelic encounters - Key idea: Extended worship sessions with special music designed for supernatural experiences - Evidence: "Extended times of prayer and worship often while listening to what's called soaking music" #### ⏱️ [29:00](https://youtu.be/0jF1Js6PYFE?t=1740) — [H1] NAR terminology as warning signs - Key idea: Language shifts often provide first indication of NAR influence - Evidence: "A lot of times your first clue that something is NAR will be in the terminology" #### ⏱️ [31:15](https://youtu.be/0jF1Js6PYFE?t=1875) — [H2] Euphemisms: spiritual fathers/mothers, covering - Key idea: Soft language disguises controversial apostolic authority claims - Evidence: "Spiritual fathers or spiritual mothers, this is a euphemism. It often refers to leaders who claim to be apostles" #### ⏱️ [34:00](https://youtu.be/0jF1Js6PYFE?t=2040) — [H2] Seven mountain mandate and dominion theology - Key idea: Prophesied takeover of seven major societal institutions - Evidence: "Prophets have prophesied that the way the church will take dominion of the earth is by taking control" #### ⏱️ [36:30](https://youtu.be/0jF1Js6PYFE?t=2190) — [H3] NAR influence in worship music - Key idea: Bethel, Hillsong, and Elevation music contain NAR terminology and theology - Evidence: "A lot of this terminology will show up in music that's being produced by NAR churches" #### ⏱️ [38:45](https://youtu.be/0jF1Js6PYFE?t=2325) — [H2] Billboard example of terminology shift - Key idea: Church sign changed from "Jesus saves" to "bringing heaven to earth" indicating NAR adoption - Evidence: "The sign changed from having the words Jesus saves on it to having the phrase bringing heaven to earth" #### ⏱️ [41:00](https://youtu.be/0jF1Js6PYFE?t=2460) — [H2] YWAM influence and house terminology - Key idea: Youth With A Mission heavily influenced by NAR, evident in changed vocabulary - Evidence: "This young person was talking and they referred to the home church as this house" #### ⏱️ [43:15](https://youtu.be/0jF1Js6PYFE?t=2595) — [H1] Churches deny NAR affiliation despite holding beliefs - Key idea: Many NAR churches don't identify with the label but practice core teachings - Evidence: "Many people, many churches that are part of the NAR movement will not say they're part of the NAR movement" ## 📚 References - [Counterfeit Kingdom book by Holly Pivec and Doug Geivett](URL) - [Holly Pivec's blog articles on YWAM](https://hollypivec.com) - [International House of Prayer Kansas City](URL) - [Bethel Church Redding](URL) ## 🗣️ Paraphrase - NAR practices include structured training to activate spiritual gifts, with schools teaching people to perform miracles and prophesy through exercises that bypass careful discernment - The movement emphasizes territorial spiritual warfare, believing high-ranking demons control cities and institutions, requiring strategic prayer walking and prophetic acts to cast them out - Terminology serves as the most reliable early warning system, with euphemisms like "spiritual covering" and phrases like "bringing heaven to earth" indicating NAR influence even when churches don't identify with the movement ## 📰 Newsletter **Spotting Concerning Spiritual Practices: A Discernment Guide** This week's spiritual discernment spotlight examines practices and terminology that may indicate problematic theological shifts. Key warning signs include activation exercises for spiritual gifts, 24/7 prayer rooms focused on declarative prayer, and strategic spiritual warfare targeting territorial demons. Pay special attention to terminology changes - phrases like "spiritual fathers," "bringing heaven to earth," or "decree and declare" often appear before theological shifts become obvious. Church names incorporating "Gateway," "Open Heaven," or "Greater Works" may also signal influence from the New Apostolic Reformation movement. **Practical Application**: If your church is adopting new prayer practices or terminology, research the theological foundations. Healthy spiritual discernment involves testing teachings against Scripture and church history. **Community Resources**: Connect with mature believers and pastoral leadership when questions arise about new spiritual practices or teachings. Resources: [Learn WordPress](https://learn.wordpress.org/), [Developer Docs](https://developer.wordpress.org/), [WP-CLI](https://wp-cli.org/) ## ✅ Action Items #### DevRel - Developer advocacy: Create resources on spiritual discernment for faith-based developers - Education: Develop workshops on identifying problematic religious content in platforms - Community management: Establish guidelines for religious content moderation #### Community - Maintainers: Support healthy governance structures that avoid authoritarian patterns - Contributors: Recognize manipulation tactics in open source leadership - Ecosystem: Promote transparency and accountability in project leadership ## 🧪 Hypotheses - Churches adopting NAR terminology will eventually embrace core apostolic authority teachings - Activation exercises and impartation practices will produce psychological dependency on leaders - Strategic spiritual warfare practices correlate with increased authoritarianism in church governance - Music and media serve as primary vectors for spreading NAR theology and terminology ### 📊 Methodology - Content analysis of church websites and social media for terminology shifts - Survey of former NAR participants about practice progression and impacts - Longitudinal study of churches adopting NAR practices and subsequent theological changes ### ❓ Questions - How do activation exercises psychologically condition participants for greater leader dependency? - What role does music play in normalizing NAR theology before explicit teaching occurs? - How can traditional churches maintain spiritual vitality while avoiding NAR practices? ### 🔮 Future Research - Systematic analysis of NAR influence in major Christian organizations - Investigation of psychological impacts from sozo and inner healing practices - Study of YWAM's role in spreading NAR theology globally ### 💡 Implications - Practice: Develop discernment criteria for evaluating new spiritual practices and terminology - Policy: Create safeguards against authoritarian leadership structures in religious organizations - Education: Train church leaders to recognize and address NAR influence - Security: Protect vulnerable individuals from spiritual manipulation and false memory recovery ### 🧠 Learning Styles Assessment Reading level estimate: Grade 12 #### 👀 Visual learners - Present: Clear terminology lists and practice categories - Improve: Infographics showing NAR influence patterns, comparison charts #### 🔊 Aural learners - Present: Audio podcast format with clear explanations - Improve: Companion discussion questions, interview follow-ups #### 🗣️ Verbal learners - Present: Extensive definitions, examples, and case studies - Improve: Glossary of terms, analogical explanations #### 🧩 Kinesthetic learners - Present: Practical observation exercises and checklists - Improve: Role-playing scenarios, hands-on discernment tools #### 🧠 Logical learners - Present: Systematic categorization of teachings, practices, terminology - Improve: Decision trees for evaluation, logical progression charts #### 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Social learners - Present: Community warning examples, relational impacts - Improve: Group study guides, discussion prompts #### 🧘‍♀️ Solitary learners - Present: Self-assessment tools and reflection opportunities - Improve: Personal study worksheets, individual discernment exercises #### 🌿 Naturalistic learners - Present: Pattern recognition in religious movements - Improve: Ecosystem thinking about theological influence ### 📊 Accessibility Assessment #### Screen reader semantics - Present: Clear headings and logical structure - Improve: More descriptive headers for timestamp sections #### Keyboard navigation - Present: Standard navigation patterns - Improve: Skip links for long content sections #### Contrast and readability - Present: Clear text formatting - Improve: Ensure adequate contrast in any visual materials #### Text resizing and reflow - Present: Text-based content scales well - Improve: Test with larger font sizes #### Media and captions - Present: Audio content with transcript provided - Improve: Time-synced captions, audio descriptions #### Forms and interactions - Present: Standard text interaction - Improve: Clear focus indicators for any interactive elements ### 🌍 DEIB Assessment #### Cultural breadth - Present: Focuses on American evangelical context - Improve: Include global perspectives on similar movements #### Inclusive language - Present: Accessible explanations of technical terms - Improve: Consider impacts on diverse faith backgrounds #### Neurodiversity support - Present: Clear structure and consistent formatting - Improve: Bullet point summaries, visual breaks #### Representation - Present: Focuses on specific religious context - Improve: Acknowledge diverse spiritual backgrounds of audience #### Psychological safety - Present: --- ## Full Transcript [00:00] This is part two of my two-part series [00:01] on how to spot NAR. If you haven't yet [00:04] listened to part one, be sure to check [00:06] it out. In it, I explain the teachings [00:09] of the so-called apostles of today's new [00:11] apostolic reformation movement and how [00:14] these leaders in this movement claim to [00:17] have extraordinary authority. An [00:19] authority that's greater even than the [00:21] authority of the Bible's prophets and [00:23] apostles. So that includes the authority [00:25] to give revelations to the global church [00:28] and even to govern societal [00:30] institutions. Now after having listened [00:33] to the first part in this series, you [00:35] may have recognized that someone you [00:37] know or even your church has gotten [00:39] caught up in this movement or you may [00:41] recognize that after listening today's [00:44] uh episode. If that's the case and you [00:47] would like advice on how to respond, [00:50] then read my co-authored book, [00:52] Counterfeit Kingdom, where my co-author, [00:53] Doug Gy, and I offer very specific, very [00:57] practical advice on how to address the [01:01] various situations uh that can arise [01:04] when you encounter NAR. Now that I've [01:07] explained many of [01:10] the teachings of this movement, I want [01:13] to talk about practices in this [01:16] movement. These are also clues that a [01:20] church or an [01:22] organization or a book is part of NAR or [01:25] promoting NAR. These practices include [01:28] things like activation of spiritual [01:31] gifts. The this is this is based on the [01:33] I well what I already explained is [01:35] there's a teaching that every Christian [01:36] is supposed to work miracles, heal the [01:39] sick, prophesy, raise the dead. And so [01:42] what will happen is people in this [01:44] movement will take part in what are [01:46] called activation exercises. And these [01:51] are exercises where people are taught [01:54] how to [01:55] prophesy, that type of thing, or or [01:58] learn to work miracles. And there are [02:00] actually entire schools of supernatural [02:02] ministry uh such as Bethl School of [02:04] Supernatural Ministry at Bethl Church [02:07] where people will enroll to learn how to [02:10] become miracle workers. And so for [02:13] example, I visited uh Bethl church in [02:16] Reading, California some years back now. [02:18] I talk about this in our book. I tell [02:20] the whole story in our book Counterfeit [02:21] Kingdom. But the day I went, I went to [02:24] the adult Sunday school class and that [02:26] day they were teaching people how to [02:28] prophesy and or they were activating [02:30] people uh in a prophetic gift. And so [02:33] the way they would do this would they [02:35] they would ask people in the room if [02:38] you've never prophesied before but you [02:39] would like to begin prophesying. They [02:41] would have these people come to the [02:43] front of the room and like one at a time [02:45] and one person would would come to the [02:47] front of the room and they were [02:49] basically told to pick someone they [02:52] didn't know in the in the audience who [02:55] was in the room and to just say whatever [02:58] popped into their head as a prophetic [03:00] word for that person. And they weren't [03:02] people were told don't filter your [03:04] thoughts just say whatever pops into [03:06] your head as long as it's positive and [03:09] encouraging then then just say it. And [03:11] so this is an example of a type of [03:13] prophetic activation exercise that is [03:16] used to activate people uh into [03:19] prophesying or into uh using a prophetic [03:22] gift. Impartation is another practice to [03:26] look for in this movement. It's believed [03:29] that apostles and prophets can impart [03:32] their miraculous gifts to others by like [03:36] laying their hands on that person or [03:39] that type of thing. And so the practice [03:41] of impartation, 24/7 prayer rooms is [03:44] another practice to look out for. Many [03:47] churches and organizations that are part [03:49] of this movement will have a 24/7 prayer [03:51] room. And often these 24/7 prayer rooms [03:53] are patterned after the 24/7 prayer room [03:56] at the International House of Prayer in [03:58] Kansas City, Missouri, also known as [04:00] IHOP KC. That place has been embroiled [04:03] recently in scandal and and Mike Bickl [04:07] there and all that's come to light with [04:09] uh allegations of of sexual abuse of [04:12] women and abusing his prophetic gift to [04:15] sexually abuse women and and that kind [04:17] of thing is is I won't get into all that [04:19] right now, but the International House [04:21] of Prayer in Kansas City, Missouri [04:22] really has popularized these 24/7 prayer [04:25] rooms where prayer will continue [04:28] non-stop around the clock 24 hours a [04:31] day, seven days a week, people will sign [04:33] up to take shifts praying so that the [04:36] prayer will never stop. You know, the [04:38] prayer that's going on in these prayer [04:39] rooms is not just like Christians [04:43] praying and asking God, will he do [04:46] things if it's God's will. It's no it's [04:48] actually prayer declarations are are a [04:51] focus of these prayer rooms where it's [04:53] this nar another nar practice where [04:56] people will see will decree and declare [04:59] that God will do this or God will do [05:01] that because in nar is taught that every [05:04] Christian believer has the authority [05:06] through their spoken words to declare [05:09] that someone will be healed of a [05:10] sickness or declare prosperity or [05:14] something like that to so that's what's [05:17] happening in these 24/7 prayer rooms is [05:20] is these kind of prayer declarations and [05:23] decrees and there's a lot of a lot of [05:25] the nar teachings I already talked about [05:28] like teachings about the end time [05:29] revival and things like that they [05:32] undergur the prayer rooms these these [05:34] prayer rooms like the ones at IHOP Casey [05:37] were really focused on bringing about [05:38] this great end time revival and doing it [05:41] through making prayer declarations so so [05:44] that those teachings and practic [05:46] practices lie a lot behind these 24/7 [05:49] prayer rooms. So, that's something to [05:50] look out for. I want to be very clear [05:53] that I'm not saying that every 24/7 [05:55] prayer room is NAR. I've been accused of [05:58] that of of saying that if somebody if a [06:01] church has a 24/7 prayer room, that [06:02] means it's NAR. I want to be very clear [06:04] that's not what I'm saying. But people [06:06] need to beware aware that probably more [06:09] often than not um I would say more often [06:13] than not if there is a 247 prayer room [06:15] it is most likely associated with a [06:18] church that is part of NAR and is and it [06:21] will often have been inspired by by IHOP [06:24] KC which is in our organization. So [06:27] something to look out for. Also healing [06:30] rooms. In addition to prayer rooms, you [06:32] have healing rooms. And these are rooms [06:34] that are set up often in like shopping [06:37] centers or someplace in the community. [06:40] And people can come to receive healing [06:42] if they're having sickness or mental [06:45] problems or or financial problems or any [06:48] kind of problems. They can come to [06:50] receive healing. And you might think, [06:52] well, what's wrong with that? It's good [06:54] to pray and ask God to heal someone of a [06:57] sickness or you but that's not what's [06:59] going on here. Again, what's going on in [07:02] these healing rooms usually is that the [07:05] the people in these rooms leading are [07:07] making prayer declarations. They're [07:09] decreeing and declaring that God will [07:11] heal someone of a sickness or or heal [07:14] them of their addiction or or um [07:17] whatever is going on, whatever problems [07:19] they're having. And many of these [07:21] healing rooms are associated with the [07:23] healing rooms ministries based in [07:26] Spokane, Washington under uh the [07:28] leadership of the apostle Cal Pierce who [07:32] used to be at Bethl Church in Reading [07:33] and then came out of there and now leads [07:35] this organization. So that's something [07:36] to be aware of with healing rooms that [07:38] they're generally nar another practice I [07:43] I kind of mentioned this earlier but [07:44] strategic level spiritual warfare there [07:47] is a belief that there are these [07:50] highranking demonic principalities that [07:52] are ruling over cities and nations and [07:56] that basically these these demons these [07:58] high-ranking demons need to be cast out. [08:01] They would say these demons are even [08:02] ruling over societal institutions like [08:04] media and government and education and [08:07] these all these institutions and they [08:10] would say that the church has to cast [08:12] out these high-ranking demons. They need [08:13] to identify these demons, cast them out [08:16] and that's the only way that that the [08:19] gospel can go forth with effectiveness [08:21] and the church can take dominion of the [08:23] earth. And so there are a lot of [08:26] practices related to strategic level [08:27] spiritual warfare. Prayer walking is one [08:30] very common one. Again, I want to be [08:33] very clear. Just because a church is [08:35] holding a prayer walk or if you've taken [08:37] part in a prayer walk or you do prayer [08:39] walking, I'm not saying that makes you [08:41] nar. I'm not saying prayer walking is [08:44] always nar. But within the new apostolic [08:46] reformation movement, they often will do [08:49] prayer walks. And what happens is teams [08:51] of people will go to a certain city or [08:55] region or maybe like a um town hall uh [09:00] center in a city or something like that [09:02] and they might they'll pray and seek to [09:04] cast out these high-ranking demons they [09:06] believe are you know the demon they [09:09] believe is ruling over that particular [09:10] town or that particular city by through [09:13] their prayers directly confronting that [09:15] demon and then also taking part in often [09:18] they'll take part in prophetic acts [09:20] while they're doing prayer walks. For [09:21] example, people in this movement might [09:23] um bury the communion elements like [09:26] bread and wine or they might pour [09:28] anointing oil around the perimeter of a [09:31] city hall building or something like [09:33] that. They often will go to some [09:35] location within a city that they think [09:38] is strategic that where they think that [09:40] a demon has maybe um based its seat of [09:43] power and and seek to cast out that [09:46] demon. and through prayer walking, [09:48] through prophetic acts, through these [09:51] practices related to strategic level [09:53] spiritual warfare. And then the idea is [09:56] is that then then they can you know [10:00] proceed to take dominion once the the [10:02] demon that has been holding that back [10:04] has been dealt with. So something to be [10:06] aware of. Soo is another well-known [10:08] practice in this movement. It's soo o [10:11] zo. It uh has been popularized by Bethl [10:15] Church and these are the inner healing [10:18] and deliverance min it's like an inner [10:20] healing and deliverance ministry. So [10:24] people will sign up to take part in [10:25] these inner healing and deliverance [10:28] sessions and during these sessions a [10:31] prophetically trained minister will will [10:34] lead a person in helping them identify [10:37] maybe like the root issues that are [10:39] causing problems in their life. So, [10:41] someone's struggling with addiction or [10:43] marriage problems or psychological [10:45] problems or some besetting sin that they [10:49] just can't seem to overcome, something [10:51] like that. They'll sign up for these [10:52] sessions and then this prophetically [10:54] trained person will help them to [10:56] prophetically uncover what is causing [10:59] their problems, whether it's a demon or [11:02] maybe they haven't dealt with some kind [11:03] of unforgiveness in their life or maybe [11:06] they were abused as a child and they [11:08] don't remember that. And so that's [11:11] something to be aware of is is people [11:13] who've taken part in these soo sessions [11:15] have claimed to recover memories, recall [11:19] memories that they had forgotten that [11:20] like their parents had abused them. And [11:24] so this is there there are parents who [11:26] said that their children their adult [11:29] children have broken off communication [11:30] with them after their children took part [11:32] in these soo sess sessions because the [11:34] child suddenly claimed to recall these [11:36] memories that the father or mother had [11:37] abused them and the parents will say [11:39] that's not true that never happened. Um [11:43] but this this idea that memories can be [11:46] recovered. Um this is very [11:49] controversial. Respected psychological [11:52] organizations don't take part in this [11:54] recovered memory therapy. Um and they [11:57] they actually warn people not to take [11:59] part in it because they say that false [12:01] memories can be recovered. But but this [12:04] is something that people who've taken [12:05] part in Soozo say is has been included [12:08] in these Soozo sessions. and other [12:11] churches have started their own Soozo [12:14] ministries often in affiliation with the [12:17] Soozo ministry at Bethl Church or or [12:20] patterned after it. Another practice to [12:22] be aware of that's uh very popular in [12:24] NAR is the practice of making fire [12:26] tunnels. So, at a fire tunnel, it might [12:29] happen like at a church meeting where [12:30] what they'll do is they'll have the [12:32] people in the congregation uh come up [12:34] and form two lines and then people can [12:38] run through the middle of the line and [12:41] while the people in the lines might pray [12:44] or or you know lay their hands on them [12:46] or something like that or and the people [12:48] that run through the lines claim to have [12:51] that they have encounters with the Holy [12:52] Spirit when they run when run through [12:55] those lines. So that's fire tunnels. [12:57] Prophetic evangelism is a is another [12:59] very well-known or very popular practice [13:02] in this movement. It's it's at Bethl [13:04] Reading at Bethl Church in Reading. They [13:06] refer to prophetic evangelism their [13:08] their type of it they do as treasure [13:11] hunting. But this is the idea that when [13:15] people will go a group of people like [13:17] maybe a group a team of three to five [13:19] people or something will go will go out [13:22] into the community. They might go to [13:24] like a shopping mall or a park or [13:26] grocery store or something like that and [13:28] they'll look for people to go up to and [13:33] to give prophetic words to or to pray [13:36] for their healing. And Bethl at Bethl [13:39] Church, the way they practice is the [13:42] reason they call it treasure hunting is [13:43] they'll is the teams will pray and ask [13:45] God to lead them to people whom they [13:48] refer to as treasures. And then and [13:50] they'll pray and ask God to give them [13:51] clues before they go out to the shopping [13:53] center or wherever. They'll they'll ask [13:55] God to reveal them to them clues about [13:57] what to look for so they can identify [14:00] the people they're supposed to approach. [14:01] So, for example, they might pray and [14:03] believe God showed them that they should [14:05] look for someone who's wearing like a [14:07] red sweatshirt, maybe someone who's [14:09] walking on crutches and somebody who's [14:12] has a hat on. And so they'll go to like [14:14] a shopping center and look for someone [14:16] who has a red sweatshirt and is walking [14:17] on crutches and is wearing some type of [14:19] hat. And then they'll go up to that [14:21] person and show them their treasure map [14:23] and and the clues that they had written [14:24] on it and say that, you know, God God [14:27] wanted us to come talk to you is can we [14:29] pray for your healing or we have a [14:32] message for you that God has given us to [14:34] give to you. And they see this as a form [14:36] of evangelism. So prophetic evangelism [14:38] is something to watch out for. Another [14:41] practice to watch out for is known as [14:43] soaking prayer or soaking worship. And [14:46] this is where people in this movement [14:48] will will take part in extended times of [14:52] prayer and worship often while listening [14:55] to what's called soaking music. And [14:58] there's actually special soaking music [15:00] that people in this movement make and [15:01] sell. And it's all it's designed to help [15:04] people have personal encounters uh [15:07] direct encounters with the Holy Spirit [15:10] while they're taking part in these [15:12] soaking sessions. So that's something to [15:14] watch out for. Another thing that's [15:16] really emphasized in this movement is [15:18] dream interpretation. Um, so there are [15:20] books written, there are courses you can [15:22] take and pay for and enroll in where [15:24] leaders in this movement will teach you [15:26] how to interpret your dreams and to see [15:29] the messages God might be trying to give [15:32] to you through your dreams. And and then [15:35] the final one I'm going to talk about, [15:36] there are other practices, but these are [15:38] are some of the major ones that will be [15:40] clues to look for, is if you run across [15:43] teachings, books, courses that promise [15:47] to teach you how to have encounters with [15:49] angels. That's another big emphasis in [15:52] this movement. So there are there are [15:55] people in this movement will claim like [15:56] during their church services, you know, [15:59] that maybe they see angels in the [16:01] service or they can hear angels singing. [16:04] Sometimes they'll claim that angel [16:06] feathers have dropped down like from the [16:08] rafters of the church and but people [16:11] will seek to to have encounters with [16:14] with angels in this movement. So that is [16:16] another practice to watch out for. I've [16:18] already given you teachings and [16:20] practices to look out for that are clues [16:23] that a church or an organization is NAR. [16:27] But another really important thing to [16:28] look out for is terminology. NAR [16:31] terminology. And the reason I say this [16:33] is a lot of times your first clue that [16:36] something is NAR will be in the [16:38] terminology. The teachings are not [16:40] always stated outright. euphemisms are [16:43] used or the teachings might might be [16:46] given more in smaller group meetings or [16:49] in the books and things like that and [16:50] they may the the more extreme teachings [16:52] may not be as overt at the main um [16:56] Sunday services for example at a church [16:59] and so because of this the terminology [17:01] is really important to know and of [17:04] course so I'm going to give you just a [17:07] list of a lot of terminology to look out [17:09] for for example apostles [17:12] prophets. If you hear reference to [17:14] apostles and prophets a lot or the [17:16] adjectives apostolic and prophetic. So, [17:19] for example, they'll say, you know, that [17:21] that church is really prophetic or that [17:23] person is really prophetic or or that's [17:26] that church is apostolic. These are [17:28] clues to look out for. Pentecostals and [17:30] charismatics do talk about apostles and [17:33] prophets, but they don't define them the [17:35] same way people in NAR do. an an apostle [17:38] for a Pentecostal or charismatic may [17:40] just be a like really effective [17:43] missionary or church planner. And a [17:45] prophet is someone who may have the [17:47] spiritual gift of prophecy, but they [17:48] don't claim to hold an authoritative [17:50] office. And so, but churches that really [17:53] talk a lot about apostles and prophets, [17:56] that's a clue, definite clue that it may [17:58] be NAR. And so, that's something to pay [18:00] attention to. If you heard hear the term [18:03] spiritual fathers or spiritual mothers, [18:06] um this is a euphemism. It often refers [18:09] to leaders who claim to be apostles or [18:12] prophets, but but they know it's [18:14] controversial to call themselves an [18:15] apostle or prophet. And so instead, [18:18] they'll be referred to as like a [18:20] spiritual father or a spiritual mother [18:22] because that doesn't sound so [18:23] controversial. It sounds nicer and [18:25] softer. Another euphemism is spiritual [18:28] covering which is narcode for the [18:31] blessings. So that's like the finances, [18:35] the good health, the success and also [18:38] the protection. So that would be like [18:40] protection from demons that allegedly [18:43] come to a believer who is aligned with [18:45] or submitted to the authority of an [18:47] anointed church leader. Note that [18:50] anointed is another nar buzz word that [18:54] refers to is often used to like refer to [18:56] a church leader who is believed to have [19:00] special miraculous powers from the Holy [19:03] Spirit. Now the highest level of [19:05] spiritual covering in NAR is provided by [19:08] an an apostle and is known as an [19:10] apostolic covering. So if somebody wants [19:13] to receive the most blessings and [19:16] protection, then that would mean they [19:18] need to come under the spiritual [19:21] covering or essentially they need to uh [19:24] submit to an apostle in this movement. [19:27] Activate is something I already [19:29] mentioned. They're they're teach that's [19:31] a buzz word to look for because of their [19:32] teachings about activating spiritual [19:34] gifts. The billion soul harvest that I [19:36] talked about that's that's terminology [19:38] to look out for. The seven mountain [19:41] mandate is one I haven't mentioned yet, [19:43] but that's a terminology to look out [19:45] for. Um, I kind of alluded to this [19:48] earlier when I when I talked about [19:50] strategic level spiritual warfare. And [19:52] in in our prophets have prophesied that [19:56] the way the church will take dominion of [19:58] the earth is by taking control of the [20:00] seven major societal institutions like [20:03] government, education, [20:06] um media, the major the major societal [20:09] institutions. And so this teaching is [20:12] often referred to as the seven mountain [20:13] mandate or sometimes they'll they'll [20:15] refer to the seven spheres of influence [20:17] or seven cultural spheres. But that's a [20:20] clue uh that something is nar. If you [20:22] hear reference to God's manifest [20:24] presence, that's terminology to watch [20:26] out for. There are a lot of teachings in [20:28] this movement that God's presence will [20:31] be manifested at especially at certain [20:33] locations like like Bethl Church in [20:36] Reading or or different NAR churches [20:39] where they claim to host the presence. [20:42] That's NAR terminology. And they would [20:44] claim that God's presence especially [20:46] manifests in those places which can be [20:47] seen by the amount of miracles they [20:49] claim are occurring at that location or [20:51] the amount of supernatural experiences [20:53] people claim to be having like like [20:55] glory clouds glittery glory clouds are [20:58] appearing and angel feathers are falling [21:00] and that kind of thing. If you hear [21:01] reference to a supernatural school of [21:03] ministry, that's that's our terminology [21:06] to watch out for related to that. The [21:09] phrases naturally [21:11] supernatural or if they talk about [21:13] leading a naturally supernatural [21:15] lifestyle or if they referred to normal [21:17] Christianity, these are phrases that are [21:20] often used by NAR leaders to refer to [21:22] teachings that every Christian is [21:25] supposed to be working miracles in their [21:27] everyday life. They're supposed to be [21:28] prophesying and healing the sick and [21:30] raising the dead just normally a part of [21:32] their everyday life. It should be part [21:34] of their quote normal Christianity. [21:37] Decree and declare I already mentioned [21:39] that's how they um pray how they've [21:41] redefined uh prayer in this movement. [21:44] Related to that is is talk of binding [21:47] and loosing. So if you hear talk of [21:49] binding and loosing, that that refers to [21:52] their belief that they can like bind [21:54] demons through their prayers or or bind [21:57] um bad things and they can loose God's [21:59] blessings. They can lose finances or [22:01] they can lose healing through their [22:02] their decrees and declarations. [22:04] Awakening is a is an buzz phrase or buzz [22:08] word to look out for. Um they talk a lot [22:10] about there being a coming spiritual [22:12] awakening where people will be you know [22:14] awakened to the basically the truth of [22:18] all of these teachings and practices and [22:21] and um end time revival will finally [22:23] happen and come. Open heavens is a nar [22:26] buzzphrase to watch out for. This is the [22:29] idea that over certain churches or [22:31] certain [22:32] regions there is this open heavens. [22:35] There's this place where angels can [22:37] descend. um and you know go up and down [22:41] between heaven and earth. And if a [22:43] church is said to be under an open [22:45] heavens, they believe that like the [22:48] people at that church will have more [22:50] miraculous encounter encounters. They [22:52] there will be more people who receive [22:54] physical healing in there, that kind of [22:56] thing. And you sometimes will hear this [22:59] phrase open heavens in music that's [23:02] coming out of NAR churches. That's [23:03] that's a phrase to look out for. In [23:05] fact, I I should mention that a lot of [23:07] this terminology will show up in music [23:10] that's being produced by NAR churches um [23:12] like Bethl Church or actually a lot of [23:15] the music coming out of Hill Song is [23:18] heavily NAR influence. So you can uh [23:21] look for this kind of NAR terminology or [23:23] these buzzwords or or even elevation [23:26] music. Elevation music is is show signs [23:29] of NAR influence, you know, and you can [23:31] look out for the the teachings and and [23:33] in and the terminology to show up in its [23:35] music as well. And there's other NAR [23:37] music as well. So So if you see this [23:39] terminology or you hear this see it in [23:41] the lyrics, this this will be a clue [23:43] that this music is NAR influenced. Often [23:45] you can see the terminology as well in [23:48] the names of churches. So for example, [23:50] there are churches named Open Heaven's [23:52] Church, Gateway Church. gateway is is [23:55] our terminology. It's often refers to [23:58] like like the idea of there being an [23:59] open heavens or this gateway for the [24:02] supernatural between heaven and earth [24:05] that's that's maybe located at a certain [24:07] church. Greater works church um there's [24:10] in NAR there's a heavy emphasis on a [24:13] teaching known as the greater works [24:14] teaching that that um end times [24:17] Christians will be able to perform [24:19] greater miracles than even Jesus worked. [24:22] So, Greater Works Church, activate [24:25] church is is the name of Anar Church. [24:29] Um, so, so just look for this [24:31] terminology on church website. Listen [24:34] for it. You know, you'll see it in books [24:36] or on memes or Facebook posts, things [24:38] like that. It's good to realize that [24:40] shifting terminology may be your first [24:43] clue that a church is starting to go [24:45] nar. For example, um someone shared with [24:48] me, she lived in a town in California [24:52] where Highway 99 ran through this town [24:54] and there was a sign along Highway 99 [24:58] that a church had put up. It was like a [25:00] billboard and this sign said Jesus [25:02] saves. And from what I understand, this [25:05] this Jesus saves billboard had been up [25:07] for a long time in this particular town. [25:10] According to uh this woman who shared [25:12] the story with me, she said that the the [25:15] local Christians really liked the sign. [25:17] They would take, you know, encouragement [25:20] from having this sign up in their town [25:21] when they would see this Jesus saves [25:23] signs and this encouraging message. But [25:25] then she noticed that the sign changed [25:27] at one point. The sign changed, this [25:29] billboard changed from having the words [25:31] Jesus saves on it to having the the [25:34] phrase bringing heaven to earth on it. [25:36] Well, I already explained that bringing [25:38] heaven to earth is a NAR teaching. It's [25:40] also a NAR buzzphrase. Bethl church, a [25:43] lot of NAR churches talk a lot about [25:44] bringing heaven to earth. This uh [25:46] language even shows up in NAR music a [25:49] lot. And so the sign shifted from a [25:53] Jesus saves billboard to the same church [25:55] now having a billboard, but they changed [25:57] it to say bringing heaven to earth. And [26:00] this this this showed a shift in [26:02] terminology that showed that this church [26:06] had had moved in a [26:08] nar. And um you may notice subtle shifts [26:11] in language. When a church is starting [26:13] to go NAR or if you have a friend who's [26:15] who's starting to to go NAR, you may [26:17] notice at first and they're changing [26:19] language. I was told by someone else [26:21] about um a young person who had went off [26:25] to WWAM, youth with a mission. For those [26:28] who don't know, Youth with a Mission is [26:30] a very large missions organization that [26:33] college age students often will will [26:36] join up with and they'll do, you know, [26:38] like a gap year kind of thing or they'll [26:40] go on mission trips with with YWAM and [26:43] and go through their disciplehip [26:44] program. And um this particular young [26:47] person that had gone to WWAM then came [26:49] back to their home church. Um and this [26:52] this home church is not in our church. [26:54] is just a a [26:56] a more traditional church. And this [26:59] young person was talking and they they [27:04] referred to the home church that they [27:06] were coming back to visit as this house [27:10] house. And so they talked about, oh, you [27:13] know, oh well, this house has this and [27:16] that house over there, referring to [27:18] another church has that. And um so in [27:21] Nar they often refer to their churches [27:24] as houses. And I think the reason that's [27:27] probably done is because as I already [27:29] explained the the apostles and prophets [27:31] in this movement will refer to [27:32] themselves as spiritual fathers and [27:34] mothers. They refer to their followers [27:36] as their spiritual sons and daughters. [27:38] I'm thinking that maybe this language of [27:40] house is to kind of kind of incorporates [27:43] those teachings that each church is kind [27:46] of its own house with its own spiritual [27:48] fathers and mothers and and that kind of [27:50] thing. But but this person who was [27:52] sharing the story with me took note that [27:55] they just thought it was a little [27:56] peculiar uh way to refer to a church as [28:01] a house and and they noted that that [28:03] young person hadn't talked that way [28:04] before they left for YWAM. For those who [28:07] don't know, YWWAM is heavily influenced [28:10] by NAR, the NAR movement. I've actually [28:12] written a a series of articles on my [28:14] blog at [28:16] hollypivic.com. If you do a search, you [28:18] can find those articles there. And I [28:21] will try to include a link as well in [28:22] the show notes so you can go check out [28:24] those articles for yourself. So just be [28:27] alert to [28:28] terminology and and when you hear this [28:31] terminology, just take note of it and [28:34] and maybe dig a little deeper to see if [28:37] what you're actually dealing with is [28:39] actually NAR. So I've shared with you a [28:41] number of teachings, practices, and [28:43] terms that will give you a clue whether [28:46] someone or or something or some [28:49] organization is NAR. It's important to [28:51] realize that many people, many churches [28:54] that are part of the NAR movement will [28:56] not say they're part of the NAR [28:57] movement. They may actually deny they're [28:59] part of this movement because it's so [29:01] controversial or they may not know the [29:04] term NAR um as a label for they may not [29:08] even really realize they're part of a [29:09] movement. They just know that their [29:12] church teaches about apostles and [29:13] prophets and and has these beliefs. So, [29:16] that's really important to know. But [29:18] just because someone doesn't know [29:20] they're part of NAR or they deny it, [29:22] doesn't mean they're not part of it. If [29:24] they hold to the core teachings about [29:28] apostles and prophets and and governing [29:31] apostles and prophets and and those [29:33] teachings, related teachings and [29:35] practices. Thank you very much for [29:38] listening today and I hope that was [29:41] helpful. [29:43] [Music]  📄 **Full text:** ![[Full Document Contents/Articles/EP04 How to Spot NAR Part 2.md|EP04 | How to Spot NAR Part 2 by YouTube]] ## Highlights - various situations uh that can arise when you encounter NAR. Now that I've explained many of the teachings of this movement, I want to talk about practices in this movement. These are also clues that a church or an organization or a book is part of NAR or promoting NAR. These practices include things like activation of spiritual ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kqzg8x8f1ncgg1xq31dkt28x)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - very common one. Again, I want to be very clear. Just because a church is holding a prayer walk or if you've taken part in a prayer walk or you do prayer walking, I'm not saying that makes you nar. I'm not saying prayer walking is always nar. But within the new apostolic reformation movement, they often will do prayer walks. And what happens is teams of people will go to a certain city or region or maybe like a um town hall uh ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kqzg8x97n2pwzhe7m533kp1y)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - service or they can hear angels singing. Sometimes they'll claim that angel feathers have dropped down like from the rafters of the church and but people will seek to to have encounters with with angels in this movement. So that is another practice to watch out for. I've already given you teachings and practices to look out for that are clues that a church or an organization is NAR. But another really important thing to look out for is terminology. NAR ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kqzg8xbfxkzr1znxwhbht4gp)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - and that kind of thing. If you hear reference to a supernatural school of ministry, that's that's our terminology to watch out for related to that. The phrases naturally supernatural or if they talk about leading a naturally supernatural lifestyle or if they referred to normal Christianity, these are phrases that are often used by NAR leaders to refer to teachings that every Christian is supposed to be working miracles in their everyday life. They're supposed to be prophesying and healing the sick and ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kqzg8xfgpqm8dhzw7pxj5krj)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted - supernatural between heaven and earth that's that's maybe located at a certain church. Greater works church um there's in NAR there's a heavy emphasis on a teaching known as the greater works teaching that that um end times Christians will be able to perform greater miracles than even Jesus worked. So, Greater Works Church, activate church is is the name of Anar Church. Um, so, so just look for this ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kqzg8xkp0xjzrtc0ysqhhsvx)) - Tags: 👻 ai highlighted