I began publishing my “Leaving the NAR Church” series in 2017, and even to this day I receive new entries to publish. There are nearly 60 stories so far. These stories are precious to me, and serve as a painful reminder that there is hope for the dear deceived ones caught up in this insidious movement. If you don’t know what NAR is, I hope you’ll take a moment and read What is the New Apostolic Reformation Movement.
The following is a letter from a woman I will call Alison, about her personal experience an NAR organization partnering with some of the biggest false teachers of the day. What she experienced will make readers angry. But please pray for those still trapped in this movement. Also, read our research into “Deliverance Ministries” here.
Thankfully, God opened Alison’s eyes to the truth. Here is her story:
“As long as I can remember, I have always been drawn to wanting to go to church. However, I did not grow up in a Christian home. I was in and out of foster care from 4-11 years old because I lived in extreme poverty with my violent alcoholic father, my mother, and four younger siblings.
Sometimes we had no clean water, no electricity, and I barely survived due to severe neglect. My birth father abused me so severely when I was six years old, that I reverted to toddler-like behavior. I had selective mutism, I started sucking my thumb, and wetting my pants.
Fast forward to when I began going to the NAR church. I was 20 years old. My first time there, I experienced the loudest, most emotional worship I had ever experienced. I was hooked. There were people laughing hysterically, falling all over the place in a drunk-like stupor. I was a little afraid, but I thought that these people could really worship!
I found myself under a row of chairs, crying uncontrollably. A group of people lay on the floor with me. They said they sensed that I had an orphan spirit. I burst into tears because I felt like they knew me, even though I didn’t tell them anything about myself. They immediately made me stand up, as they laid their hands on me, telling the orphan spirit to go away in Jesus’ name. One man pushed me down, and I laid there while some ladies kept their hands on me, telling the demons to leave my body. I felt like I was floating. I truly thought these people were good.
A few months later, I became a student at their supernatural healing school. We studied the books and ministries of Bill Johnson, Lou Engle, Mike Bickel, C. Peter Wagner, Ché Ahn, Heidi Baker, Georgian and Winnie Banov, Kris Vallotton, and Randy Clark, just to name a few. There was just enough scripture in the classes to deceive me into thinking it was a legitimate ministry school.
I learned how to feel angels, interpret dreams, speak in tongues, how to get people to fall to the ground, and how to give words/prophecy to people. I experienced angel feathers, diamonds on the floor, and gold dust floating around the room. Some people were having intimacy with Jesus saying that He was their husband. I have experienced grave sucking/mantle grabbing, fire tunnels, and manifestations of spirits. We also went on mission trips overseas and locally to heal the sick and raise the dead.
I got so deep into the NAR that that was all I could see. I slowly began to abandon my family and friends outside of the NAR church. I stayed at the church to pray in the prayer room that was open 24 hours/7days a week. I practically lived there, fasting and praying, days on end, soaking in God’s presence — or so I thought.
I graduated from the supernatural ministry school and reconnected with a man I met before I got in the NAR church. We got married and started going to his church. I still did not know that the NAR church was not biblical. My husband’s church was not NAR, but it was mega charismatic church.
A couple of years into our marriage, we had a daughter who got very sick at six weeks old in the NICU. I contacted the NAR church to pray, which they did. Our daughter died four days later. I asked the NAR church if they would do her funeral, but they refused, saying she didn’t live because I didn’t have enough faith. I never heard from them again. I felt like I was slapped on the face. My heart hardened towards God. I went into deep despair.
My heart was so broken, I basically stopped going to church. When I did go, I was just going through the motions, not connecting and not serving. I was still blinded and could not see the deception of the NAR. I did not see how demonic it was. A few years later, I accidentally came across a Justin Peters YouTube video, talking about the dangers of the NAR church. It wasn’t until then that my eyes were opened. I knew then that I had been deceived. I felt so angry and hollow inside.
A few months after seeing that video, we found a solid church, became members, and have been actively involved. The Lord has healed my broken heart and I have been learning so much about who He really is. I thank God daily that he rescued me from NAR.
Note: You can read the entire series of NAR testimonies here.
Have a testimony you’d like to share? Contact me privately here.
See Justin Peter’s video here:
