The Government of NAR Apostles and Prophets - by Don Pirozok

Found here. A very good article.

----------------------

While the author focuses on the NAR, the problem of church leadership goes well beyond so-called apostles. Churches of every flavor have these same problems, and church leaders in non-NAR churches are falling like flies. 

The problem isn't NAR apostles so much as it is a Church that has left its biblical foundation. There is absolutely nothing in the Bible that makes apostles church leaders. Or pastors, for that matter. These five offices are gifts to the church, charged with the duty to raise up the saints to maturity of faith (Ephesians 4:11-15). That duty may imply some sort of leadership, but it's not required. However, it is certainly some sort of local ministry, because an apostle or prophet or evangelist cannot build up the church unless he is present in the church.

So the problems outlined by the author are spread throughout Christendom, not just the NAR. Many churches and denominations are operating without accountability, fidelity to Scripture, and/or with toxic or unbiblical leadership.

This is how churches and denominations fail, compromise, or fade into irrelevance.  

---------------------

The claim of the New Apostolic Reformation to represent the true governmental authority of the Church has ultimately been exposed not by hostile critics, but by its consistent failure to conform to the biblical standards that define legitimate church governance. Scripture provides clear, measurable criteria for how Christ governs His Church, how leaders are held accountable, and how authority is exercised for the protection of the flock. When those standards are applied, the contrast between biblical church government and NAR practice reveals a fundamental disconnect between claim and reality.

Biblically, church government begins with the absolute headship of Jesus Christ. The New Testament repeatedly affirms that Christ alone is Head of the Church, ruling presently and actively over His body. Authority is never autonomous, self-generated, or derived from claimed revelation, but flows from submission to Christ expressed through obedience to His Word. Any model of church government that elevates modern apostles or prophets as ruling authorities over the global Church inevitably displaces Christ’s direct headship. The NAR’s language of restored apostolic government, territorial authority, and ruling structures subtly but significantly shifts governing power from Christ to men who claim unique spiritual insight. This shift becomes evident when those leaders resist correction, refuse accountability, or reinterpret Scripture to protect their authority.

True church government in Scripture is also unmistakably accountable. The apostles themselves were subject to correction when they deviated from truth or conduct consistent with the gospel. Paul publicly confronted Peter when his behavior compromised the integrity of the gospel, demonstrating that no leader—regardless of stature, calling, or influence—was above rebuke. By contrast, the NAR has developed a culture where prominent leaders are insulated from public correction, even when moral failure or doctrinal error is well documented. Private restoration processes, silence, or quiet reassignment replace the biblical requirement for transparent discipline. This avoidance of accountability exposes a governing system designed to preserve influence rather than holiness.

Another defining function of biblical church government is the protection of the flock. Elders and overseers are commanded to guard God’s people from false teachers, wolves, and destructive influences, even when those threats arise from within leadership itself. Scripture consistently portrays shepherds as defenders, willing to confront danger at personal cost. The NAR’s failure to decisively confront immoral or abusive leaders—especially when victims and whistleblowers are marginalized—reveals a reversal of this priority. Instead of protecting sheep, leadership structures have too often protected platforms, reputations, and networks. When governance protects predators rather than exposing them, it forfeits its biblical legitimacy.

Biblical church government is also inseparable from moral qualification. Scripture places extraordinary emphasis on the character of leaders, not as an ideal but as a requirement. Moral failure is not treated as a minor flaw offset by gifting or anointing, but as disqualifying for leadership until genuine repentance and restoration occur. In the NAR, however, repeated patterns of excusing sexual immorality, abuse, and deception under the banner of grace or usefulness reveal a theological distortion. Gifting is treated as evidence of divine approval, even when character contradicts Christ. This undermines the very foundation of biblical authority, which is rooted in conformity to Christ, not supernatural performance.

Another exposure of false governance lies in the handling of prophetic ministry. Scripture commands that prophecy be tested, weighed, and judged, and that false prophecy carry serious consequences. No prophet in the New Testament operates beyond accountability to the gathered body and to Scripture itself. In contrast, the NAR often treats prophetic words as self-authenticating expressions of divine will, shielding them from scrutiny and reframing failures rather than acknowledging error. This refusal to judge prophecy is not a secondary issue—it is a direct violation of biblical governance. A church government that cannot test revelation is not apostolic but authoritarian, substituting fear and loyalty for truth and discernment.

True church government is also marked by humility and servanthood. Jesus explicitly contrasted His kingdom with the power structures of the world, forbidding leaders from ruling through domination, hierarchy, or control. Authority in Christ’s Church is demonstrated through sacrifice, example, and submission to truth. Yet the NAR’s emphasis on titles, platforms, and spiritual rank reflects a governing ethos more aligned with worldly systems of power than with the cross. When leaders are treated as untouchable visionaries rather than accountable servants, the model of governance itself becomes unchristlike.

The cumulative effect of these failures is decisive. The NAR’s claim to be the true government of the Church collapses not because critics are hostile, but because Scripture is clear. True church government confronts sin, disciplines leaders, tests prophecy, protects the vulnerable, submits to Scripture, and exalts Christ alone as Head. Where these functions are absent, authority becomes self-referential and illegitimate, regardless of spiritual language or claimed success.

In the end, the exposure of false church government is not merely about moral scandals or doctrinal errors, but about a system that resists the very mechanisms God ordained to preserve truth and holiness. Scripture teaches that judgment begins with the household of God, and that those entrusted with oversight will be held to stricter judgment. The NAR’s failure to align its governance with biblical standards has already rendered its claims hollow. True authority does not need to be asserted—it is recognized by its fruit. Where repentance, correction, and submission to Christ are absent, the claim to govern in His name is already judged by the Word it refuses to obey.

Below is a direct biblical matching of the functions of true church government with the documented governing behavior of the New Apostolic Reformation, showing where the claims of “apostolic government” collapse when measured against Scripture. This is not an emotional critique—it is a governance audit by biblical standards.
________________________________________
1. Function of Church Government: Guarding Holiness

Biblical mandate:
Church government exists to preserve moral purity, beginning with leadership. Elders are held to a higher standard because they model Christ to the flock (1 Timothy 3:1–7; Titus 1:5–9). Paul commands leaders to “keep watch over yourselves and all the flock” (Acts 20:28).

NAR practice:
High-profile leaders guilty of sexual immorality have been repeatedly protected, platformed, and restored without public repentance, often for years. Instead of guarding holiness, governance has functioned as damage control, prioritizing influence over integrity.

Result:
A government that tolerates ongoing immorality forfeits moral authority. Scripture says plainly: “A little leaven leavens the whole lump” (1 Corinthians 5:6).
________________________________________
2. Function of Church Government: Public Correction of Public Sin

Biblical mandate:
When leaders sin publicly, correction must also be public: “Those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all” (1 Timothy 5:20). This preserves the fear of God and protects the Church.

NAR practice:
NAR leadership culture avoids public rebuke, preferring private “restoration processes,” NDAs, silence, or reassignment—while the leader’s ministry influence often quietly continues elsewhere.

Result:
This violates biblical governance. Silence is not mercy—it is institutionalized disobedience. Ezekiel condemns shepherds who refuse correction as abandoning the flock (Ezekiel 34:4).
________________________________________
3. Function of Church Government: Testing Prophetic Claims

Biblical mandate:
Prophecy is never self-validating. It must be tested, weighed, and judged (1 Corinthians 14:29; 1 Thessalonians 5:21). False prophecy disqualifies spiritual authority (Deuteronomy 18:20–22).

NAR practice:
Prophetic words are often shielded from scrutiny, reframed when false, or quietly forgotten—without repentance or accountability. Critics who test prophecies biblically are labeled “divisive” or “religious.”

Result:
A government that cannot judge prophecy is not apostolic—it is prophetically lawless. Scripture never grants immunity to prophets based on gifting or impact.
________________________________________
4. Function of Church Government: Protecting the Flock

Biblical mandate:
Shepherds exist to protect sheep from wolves, not protect wolves from exposure (John 10:11–13; Acts 20:29–30).

NAR practice:
Repeated cases show leaders protecting abusers, immoral ministers, and false teachers—while victims and whistleblowers are marginalized, silenced, or dismissed.

Result:
Jesus said hirelings abandon sheep when danger threatens reputation or position. That is not kingdom governance—it is spiritual abandonment.
________________________________________
5. Function of Church Government: Submission to Scripture

Biblical mandate:
All authority is subordinate to Scripture: “Do not go beyond what is written” (1 Corinthians 4:6). Even apostles were corrected when they violated gospel truth (Galatians 2:11–14).

NAR practice:
“Revelation knowledge,” prophetic insight, or apostolic vision is often elevated above clear scriptural commands, especially regarding discipline, holiness, and testing.

Result:
Any governing system that resists scriptural correction ceases to be biblical authority and becomes self-legitimizing power.
________________________________________
6. Function of Church Government: Christlike Leadership

Biblical mandate:
True leaders lead by example, humility, and sacrifice—not control or fear (1 Peter 5:2–3; Matthew 20:25–28).

NAR practice:
Leadership culture frequently centers on personality, platform, branding, and spiritual celebrity, while accountability mechanisms are weak or nonexistent.

Result:
When personality replaces character, governance becomes performative. Paul warned this would happen when people follow impressive leaders rather than truth (2 Timothy 3:1–5).
________________________________________
Final Judgment by Scripture

The NAR’s claim to be the “true government of the Church” fails not because of isolated moral lapses, but because its governing behavior consistently contradicts biblical governance. A system that:
• Avoids public correction
• Protects immoral leaders
• Resists prophetic testing
• Prioritizes image over holiness
• Elevates revelation over Scripture
…is not exercising kingdom authority. It is usurping it.

Jesus’ words stand as the final test of governance:
“By their fruits you will recognize them” (Matthew 7:16).

Where true church government exists, sin is confronted, truth is tested, leaders repent, and Christ—not personalities—remains supreme.