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C. Peter Wagner: "I think one of the hindrances to God's sending the revival we've been praying for has been that the government of the church has not been properly in place. And now that the government of the church is coming into place, we're already seeing God trusting the body of Christ with things we were totally unaware of previous to this. Once the government comes into place, then God can do what He wants with the body of Christ, and one of the things most of us agree on is that He wants to send the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit that we would call the worldwide revival."
| The New ApostlesBy Mark Connell The Church is apostolic. She is built on a lasting foundation: "the twelve apostles of the Lamb" (Rev 21:14). She is indestructible (cf. Mt 16:18). She is upheld infallibly in the truth. Christ governs her through Peter and the other apostles, who are present in their successors, the Pope and the college of bishops." "Christ governs her through Peter..." To a Catholic reading these words, it seems pretty simple. You have St. Peter, certain keys, and a lasting promise by a trustworthy testator, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who can not lie. And so, Christ's government is established and can not depart the earth. It can not be lost, so it never needs to be restored - especially out of whole cloth. A faithful Catholic believes this to be true, and confesses it in the Creed at each Mass. There are, however, men and women claiming that this apostolic government was not only lost, but is in the process of being found. It is not being rediscovered between the covers of the Catechism, but in revelation knowledge given to spiritual adepts who hear the voice of God. These folks are recreating an Apostolic Government entirely separate from Catholic authority. In fact, they deny that such Catholic authority exists. They will be the leaders of this new thing. More troubling than this - there are Catholic Charismatic leaders who seem unafraid to share the stage with these men and women during 'ministry time' in Revival meetings. What is going on? Restoration Believe it or not, this new apostolic goverment is to be led by another 'Peter'. Pentecostal church growth expert and 'presiding apostle' C. Peter Wagner recently gave an interview about the establishment of God's restored government on the earth and his place in it. He said: "I think one of the hindrances to God's sending the revival we've been praying for has been that the government of the church has not been properly in place. And now that the government of the church is coming into place, we're already seeing God trusting the body of Christ with things we were totally unaware of previous to this. Once the government comes into place, then God can do what He wants with the body of Christ, and one of the things most of us agree on is that He wants to send the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit that we would call the worldwide revival." Read that again: "Once the government comes into place, then God can do what He wants with the body of Christ." Are we to understand God's government is not in place now, so therefore God can't do what He wants with His body? Yes, this is exactly what Wagner is teaching. As a Catholic, I find this unsettling. I don't think a Lutheran or Baptist should take great delight in Wagner's words either. He is saying that your tradition, up to this golden age of the 'restored' apostles, has been unable to be used effectively by God. Think about it. After 2000 years of Church history, after the promise of Christ that the gates of hell would not prevail against the Church, we can at last have hope because Wagner and his latter day apostles have been incarnated and are filled with gnosis. They have a secret knowledge, not unlike that revealed supernaturally to Mormon founder Joseph Smith who wrote: "My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right - and which I should join. "I was answered that I should join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: "they draw near me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.""[Joseph Smith from the History of Joseph Smith, Prophet] Read Wagner's statement again in light of this revelation by Mormonism's founder: "I think one of the hindrances to God's sending the revival we've been praying for has been that the government of the church has not been properly in place. And now that the government of the church is coming into place, we're already seeing God trusting the body of Christ with things we were totally unaware of previous to this. " [C.Peter Wagner, 2000] Like Joseph Smith, Wagner has weighed his contemporary Church and found it wanting. We should not despair though. At last creation can stop its groaning because God's true ruling class is coming into power. God had no proper government on Earth - now He does. And the point should not be missed that this new government is empowered in a special way never before seen in Church history. It's a new thing. In this, Wagner's Restoration Movement is as ambitious as Smith's restoration work contained in Mormonism: "This restoration (of the true church) was effected by the Lord through the Prophet Joseph Smith, who, together with Oliver Cowdery, in 1829, received the Aaronic Priesthood under the hands of John the Baptist; and later the Melchizedek Priesthood under the hands of the former-day apostles, Peter, James, and John. By the authority thus bestowed the Church has been again organized with all its former completeness, and mankind once more rejoices in the priceless privileges of the counsels of God. The Latter-day Saints declare their high claim to the true Church organization, similar in all essentials to the orginazation effected by Christ among the Jews. This people of the last days profess to have the Priesthood of the Almighty, the power to act in the name of God, which commands respect both on earth and in heaven." (Articles of Faith, Chapter 11 - Explanation of Article) [01/26/02 - For a hauntingly similar message, scroll to the bottom of the page and view a pronouncement from Wagner from September of 2001] Another Reformation Wagner writes openly about a 'reform' of the reformation. The first Reformation has resulted in an 'irrelevant' church according to him: "This current [Apostolic] reformation is not so much against corruption and apostasy as it is against irrelevance." (Churchquake by C. Peter Wagner - Pages 36-37) Evidently the first Reformation wasn't divisive enough. Do you come from a Reformation era denomination? Do you feel that your tradition has a lot to offer this society in free fall? I'm sorry, but your Pastor and your denomination are largely irrelevant to these new apostles (and to God?) in this 'second reformation'. Your ancestors fought against 'corrupt' popes, and now the new apostles are coming after your irrelevant traditions. We'll move over and make room for you on the bench. Mainline Protestant denominations will not be left untouched by this new thing. What we are experiencing in this second reformation will change the shape of Christian worship. Wagner states: "The radical change in the sixteenth century was largely theological. The current reformation is not so much a reformation of faith (the essential theological principles of the Reformation are intact), but of practice." (Churchquake, page 36) Worship Like MTV Now, there are practices related to apostolic ministry, and there are practices related to worship in general. Wagner lists a series of shifts that he sees happening in "Apostolic Worship" practices. He says we will move:
All of these changes have been incorporated into the Toronto Blessing style of worship service. One should notice the need to destroy liturgy. Liturgy is seen as opposed to Liberty. (I would submit that lack of Liturgy can lead to ecclesial tyranny.) The anointed leaders are in charge of the flow of these meetings. They will dispense the 'liberty'. If they want you to sing and do the hand motions to "I'm a Little Teapot", you will sing and do the motions to "I'm a Little Teapot". (Sadly, this is a true story.) In one meeting I attended, we were told to leave if we did not want what they were serving up. This directive was screamed twice at those in the crowd who might question what was occurring. Is that true liberty? What part of "Come to me all you who are weary..." does this fulfill? This abuse, not isolated in the elitism of the River Movement, is (according to Wagner and his peers) an improvement over the irrelevant Church. There also need be no 'meat'in the new reformation - the apostolic worship moves from cerebral to celebration. We dance, we sing, we hear a prophetic word, we fall to the floor, we 'soak' in the anointing. We go home and wait for the next service. Don't use reason. The command goes out from the podium to quit thinking and just 'receive'. The apostolic church service needs to be 'relevant', and how much more relevant can you get than MTV? Wagner holds up as laudable the following test of 'experiential worship'. "The best way to determine if your worship is on the experiential track is to videotape your worship service and play it on a VCR side-by-side with a television tuned to MTV. The more similarity there is, the more likely it is that your worship is able to share the gospel with people, especially those born after 1965." [Churchquake, page 173] How did Jesus do it without cable? My Protestant friends will have to deal with these issues on your own turf. Unfortunately, there are those in the Catholic Church who see this new apostolic worship as superior to our own Liturgical traditions. Our shepherds will have to sort that out soon. Both Protestant and Catholic leadership will also have to deal with the most unsettling of the issues raised by the New Apostolic Reformation - the transfer of power to the new appointed apostolic leadership. Power In case you wonder about Wagner's place in this new, 'relevant' church's Government, there is a clue in his interview: "This year, we're starting the International Coalition of Apostles. John Kelly is the administrative apostle, Chuck Pierce is the prophetic voice, and I [Peter Wagner] am the presiding apostle. We just sent out 200 invitations to selected people around the world to become charter members of this coalition." I wonder if John Paul II and your local bishop received an invite? If you are not a Catholic, I wonder if your own Pastor or Superintendent was invited to help rule the coming worldwide church? In his book "Apostles and the Emerging Apostolic Movement", author David Cannistraci details some of the functions relative to authority that the New Apostles will exercise. They are:
"In the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Episcopal Traditions, the term "apostle" is usually associated with apostolic succession, the doctrine that the grace and authority of Christ has descended from the original twelve apostles through their lawfully appointed successors or bishops. Protestants have generally disputed the claim of apostolic succession because it relies more on extrabiblical church tradition than on the clear interpretation of Scripture" [Bold emphasis added - page 29] I'm sorry, but this seems the very definition of invincible ignorance. Dr. Cannistraci has written a 200 page book filled with scriptural passages showing the need for an enduring apostolic office in the Church, and yet doesn't see the forest for the trees. He basically describes the structure of the Catholic Church unchanged through the centuries, exhorts Protestants to restore the title 'father' for the new apostles and yet insists that the belief that God could preserve this office in unbroken succession is "extrabiblical"! His God is evidently too weak, because this is what he holds as he relates in his introduction: "My investigation led me to discover that many in the Body of Christ sense that the apostolic ministry is the next ministry God will begin to restore. Could it be that now, at the dawn of the new millennium, the apostle is being reborn, and that a great worldwide movement of apostles is about to mature?" [Emphasis added - page 19] "Restore" and "reborn" - words that suggest something was lost or dead. The apostolic claims of the traditional Churches are rejected. New apostolic leaders are emerging. They have the power to set dogma, ordain, discipline, keep order, settle disputes... They are unaccountable to history. They are going to change the face of Christianity. What should a Catholic think? Apostate and Corrupt Obviously, Wagner feels great urgency about restoring the office of Apostle. In his urgency he is blunt about the illegitimacy of the Catholic Church's own apostolic claim. He simply states that the first Reformation was in response to a "corrupt and apostate church." [Churchquake, page 36] There, in a nutshell, is the verdict of the 'presiding apostle' of the International Coalition of Apostles on the spiritual state of the Catholic Church. Corrupt. Apostate. The Catholic Church at the time of the Reformation had totally lost its way according to Wagner. But it goes deeper than that. Rick Joyner, who is described by Catholic author Ralph Martin as a 'prophetic voice' for today, relates that Jesus revealed the following to him: "During the middle ages apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers were unrecognized and had generally ceased to function in the church except in isolated and rare occasions. The church was for over a thousand years dominated by a priestcraft, but with the restoration of truth to the church there also had to come a restoration of true ministry." [The Harvest by Rick Joyner, page 43] Joyner is one of the prophets involved in the Restoration movement and has recently said: "What has seemed to many to be the impossible task of restoring true apostolic Christianity to the earth is about to become a reality." This quote, along with his diminution of the priesthood as less than true ministry, coupled with Wagner's claims of corruption and apostasy show that this new company of apostles and prophets will not look to Rome for spiritual direction. Just use your common sense. Apostasy is a strong word and is defined as the total repudiation of the Christian faith. But can this be? "Just as the office which the Lord confided to Peter alone, as the first of the apostles, destined to be transmitted to his successors, is a permanent one, so also endures the office, which the apostles received, of shepherding the Church, a charge destined to be exercised without interruption by the sacred order of bishops." "Hence the Church teaches that "the bishops have by divine institution taken the place of the apostles as pastors of the Church, in such wise that whoever listens to them is listening to Christ and whoever despises them despises Christ and him who sent Christ."" [CCC #862, Lumen Gentium 20,2] I, as a Catholic want to know something. This is a very serious question. If the Catholic Church was apostate, then when did it become apostate, and when (if ever) did it cease to be apostate? I mean, is the Catholic Church apostate still? If so, why do Wagner's friends join in "Praise and Worship" sessions with Catholic Charismatics at events like Celebrate Jesus 2000 in St. Louis? Why 'celebrate' Jesus with apostates? Which Jesus were we celebrating - A Jesus able to hold an Apostolic Church together for 2000 years, or a Jesus scrambling after 20 centuries to put together a true government at long last? Why were Peter Wagner's peers in ministry 'worshipping' with apostate Catholics in St. Louis? Were they there out of pity in the hopes of pulling us out of apostasy? How about my fellow Catholic Charismatics - Why fellowship with a group that thinks that we are part of an apostate Church? If you believe Wagner and his claims about the apostasy of the Church, then you should flee from Catholicism because it must surely be false. Both cannot be true. The Church cannot have a permanent apostolic office and be apostate at any time in her history. I know for a fact that Wagner is a favorite author of many of the Charismatic leaders. I can also show beyond a doubt that Wagner is closely allied to all the major Toronto Blessing/Revival/River leaders. So why beg at their table when our Lord sets a Feast at ours? Why sell our Church short for a few thrills with people who call our Church "corrupt and apostate" and actively seek to establish a New Apostolic leadership? These people have an active prayer campaign raging against the Queen of Heaven right now, and yet we buy their books and tapes and let them lay hands on us. Why? Is the 'new anointing' that this esoteric church distributes that precious? Is there not an authentic, sustainable Catholic charismatic spirituality which does not involve betrayal of the Faith of our Fathers to embrace? I think that there is and that the path to this movement is illumined by obedience.(For more on this, see my questions addressed to Charismatic Catholics.) Why Apostles Now? In his book, "Churchquake - How the New Apostolic Reformation is Shaking Up the Church as We Know It" Wagner stresses the importance of the restoration of the Apostles by quoting Bill Hamon: "When the apostles are restored in their fullness, it will activate many things. It will cause many prophecies concerning the end times to start coming to pass at an accelerated rate. The apostle is the last of the fivefold ministries to be restored. It is like a great machine that needs five things to happen in sequence before it will fully work. It could be compared to a space rocket booster that must have five switches turned on before it can launch the space shuttle - the Church. Each switch or button represents one of the fivefold ministries." Wagner goes on: "Keep in mind that the premise on which the importance of apostolic ministry is predicated is the completion of the Great Commission. John Kelly agrees: "We live in a critical hour. There needs to be a demonstration in this generation of the ministry of the apostle with miraculous, prophetic power and world-changing productivity. When the apostles begin to arise by the thousands, we will be able to take the nations for Jesus Christ. The harvest cannot be brought in apart from this foundational office." If Kelly is right, the apostolic office is so important that it can mean the difference between heaven and hell for multitudes!" [Page 112, "Churchquake" by Apostle Peter Wagner] The reason for the new apostles is simple - without them coming into power, Jesus can not return. Without the secret gnosis of this new movement, millions will be lost - left in the constraints of liturgy and cerebral worship. We are like sheep who have gone astray and Wagner and his prophetic company will lead us to greener, non-Eucharistic pastures. The Secret There is no secret here. Wagner, Hamon, Haggard, Jacobs and all their friends in the River Movement are out to build a worldwide church. It will be a church united around 'signs and wonders'. A church of apostles without foundations. A church that will require your submission in the near future if you want the 'power' that they have received from heaven. This church has no need for denominations, but it desperately needs the people from the denominations. It will claim to be trans-denominational, when in fact it will require you to lay aside reason and believe what they offer. All the while they will denigrate the Catholic Church's beliefs, while claiming to 'love the Catholic people'. They'll blast the Catholic Church for 'worshipping' Mary, yet will elevate Satan to an omnipresent, all powerful being who will receive more of their prayer efforts than Mary ever has through the ages. They will ridicule Catholics for asking for the intercession of the Mother of God, [a titled affirmed by an ecumenical council of the apostolic Church] and yet will send for 'intercessors' like Cindy Jacobs and have them come to their village to 'take their city for God' through their intercessory prayers. They will criticize Catholics for idolatry, yet swoon when gold-dust falls from the rafters of their own meeting halls and push and beg for a touch from the anointed celebrity in the pulpit. Wagner claims to be "serious about going back to first-century Christianity" [Apostles, page 12] He need not go far. The Book of Acts, chapter 2 relates how Peter stilled the first heresy in the minutes old Church. He can read there also how the early believers followed in the Apostles' teaching and shared in one Eucharist. He should inquire about the Church of Polycarp, Irenaeus, Ignatius and Justin Martyr. He should, but he won't. To do so, he would have to submit to true apostolic leadership. He would have to give up everything he thinks he is, to become everything God wants him to be. I have often wondered what it would be like to have witnessed the workings of Joseph Smith as he assembled Mormonism with bits of prophecies and private revelations. Watching Peter Wagner, I no longer have to wonder. He uses prophets and visionaries to shape his church with equal skill. May God help the Catholic Church as these people increasingly weave their teachings into the fabric of the Charismatic Movement. May God help Charismatic leaders like Ralph Martin and Fr. Michael Scanlan resist the temptations to embrace the serious errors contained in this movement. May God help the dear Protestant people who will be lured into submission to this next round of super-shepherds. May God help men like C. Peter Wagner see that Our Lord has held precious in the palm of His hand, lo these many centuries, the very thing they are trying to re-create. It was never lost and has no need to be reborn.
© Copyright Mark Connell 2000 | ||