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 man I will call Greg, about his personal experience an NAR organization partnering with some of the biggest false teachers of the day. What he 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 Greg’s eyes to the truth. Here is his story:
I have a lifelong disability. I was raised up going to the Methodist church. But it was never what I call consistent church attendance going into young adulthood.
In the summer of 2000, I heard several men talking about going to “cowboy church” (which the movement was founded by a former rodeo clown who was one of Kenneth Copeland’s first disciples in 1970 or 71). They were saying they were going from the bars to church. Six months later, I went. They quoted Romans 10:8-9 about who confesses Jesus as Lord has eternal life. And that was all that was said that was needed for salvation.
At the second service after the altar call, I confessed Jesus was Lord and told Him I would give my life. I wanted to know Christ. But knew little of Him. Little did I know, I was under the Charismatic form of theology. And was stuck there for a long time.
The first time I heard a call to repentance from sin was on a video on a page from a man who just came back from his missionary journey in South America in 2002. The group from college ministry I was with called this man a nutjob and a crazy preacher. I assumed since they were in the faith more, they knew who the bad people were, or so I thought.
As years go on, I was been told I was cursed in many areas of my life because they told me God rejected me because as they said, I rejected Him in private. And it caused so much confusion. It sent me to try to find a new group of people.
Then started hearing about the great manifestations of faith and in the Spirit from Bill Johnson and Bethel Church in 2006. I thought I was about to get to the bottom of all my confusions.
Yet through this era, I was left in more confusion. There were many instances leading up through 2011 that I wanted 100% proof that was from God, but was told to shut up and believe. There was three people I knew who went to the Bethel conference that year and swore to me God was manifesting Himself through angel feathers, gold dust, and fire tunnels. Not only did it seem too good to be true, but it didn’t seem like the God I knew. Again, I was shamed for not believing them. How dare I challenge them for the truth, right? It was later reproofed that it was all a scam in later confessions.
One day in October 2014, a man spoke a specific prophetic word over me that did not seem right. He told me that God told him to tell me to quit the new job I got, pray for another job, move to a specific town in Texas and marry a specific woman.
While confused, I did some research online about false prophecies. One verse stood out in my readings. 1st John 4:1. To test every word spoken to see if it’s agreeable to Scripture. This was my first time applying Scripture to a situation I was told to perform from someone else. I later found out the source was not from God, as two people I knew and respected confirmed the man was drinking a spirit named Jim Beam, not under the Holy Spirit.
A few more years passed. In early 2017, I was asked for be a part of a healing service by Bethel Church in the Dallas area. I went and through the service, I could tell I wasn’t getting healed. As I told the man to stop praying over me and to leave me alone, I turned to leave. He yelled “You get back here! Don’t you reject God and your healing!”
I was so furious I kicked doors on the way out. I left in disgust, I told God at the stop sign to give me a Charles Spurgeon type preacher, if there were any. I was tired of being shamed and blamed for not being healed of my disability.
Two weeks later, a soft spoken man in a wheelchair appears on a video calling out the heresies from Bethel Church. Justin Peters was almost my only preacher to listen to from 2017 through 2020. But was AWOL from church for a long time.
By the end of 2020, I was on my final legs of all things Charismatic/NAR wise. The main question I asked anything of Charismatic doctrine related was “is this real?” As the evidence mounted that I could no longer deny anything they said was true, I was faced with what remained. “Am I ready to accept what the Bible says is truth?”
In December 2020, I asked my former Bible Study teachers (graduates from Bethel “School of Supernatural Ministry”) what they thought of American Gospel. They said not to watch it as God would punish me because the film slandered their friend, Todd White. I thought “well, I have been in trouble with God. What could watching this hurt?”
I had nothing to do that night. Christmas Eve 2020. 10 pm. Whirled up my laptop and watched American Gospel for the first time, not knowing what to expect.
Around the 20 minute mark, a man interviewed said expository preaching was Bible preaching. I was like “What?!??!?” I had never heard of that.
Remember a few paragraphs back saying that I was with a group that called a certain guy a crazy preacher? He appears again.
Paul Washer expressed the need to repent in order to believe in the Gospel to be saved.
Woah! Stop the press! What? At this point, I’m mind blown.
No one ever said that. I was taken aback. No one ever told me I had to repent.
Through the rest of the documentary, I wept, cried tears of both joy and frustration. I cried out to tell Christ I was sorry for using Him as a means to get what I wanted and desired in life.
Next morning, I packed up two boxes of ministry stuff I collected for nearly 20 years and set them on fire. I told God “now what?” After finding a group of people who went through many of the same things I did, I was pointed to two well-known preachers to listen and learn from the Word of God. I was hungry. For months, all I would do is soak up sermons from John MacArthur and R.C. Sproul.
I was leery of going to any church, in fear of being led back into deception and mistreatment as experienced in the past. In September 2021, I came back to hear my first sermons in person since the day before walking out of the Bethel healing service. My friend insisted I go to the G3 Conference. I told them they were crazy, but I was hungry for Scriptural truth. All I could do is soak up knowledge like a sponge. I could not wait for the next sermon with enthusiasm.
I was still leery for going to church on the local level going into 2022. I started going to Trinity Bible Church in Dallas, as well as trying another local church more in line in reformed theology. After much prayer, Trinity Bible Church has been my home ever since.
Semper Reformada has been a reminder to always go back to the word of God in all matters. We should always be hungry for His word. Jesus said we should always pray for our daily bread. We should be in His word, praying, and fellowshipping with other believers. I have learned so much, but I have much more to learn
We have a gracious and merciful God. Repentance is part of the narrow path in life. Only Jesus can satisfy and to rest and trust in Him alone.
To God be the glory in all things.
Solo Deo Gloria!
Note: You can read the entire series of NAR testimonies here.
Have a testimony you’d like to share? Contact me privately here:
