Children, Miracles, and Toilet Paper Mummies-- Oh My!

You may already know that apostles and prophets in the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) movement promote spiritual exercises designed to help people tap into the Holy Spirit's powers,  such as prophesying, healing the sick, and raising the dead. But did you know these same exercises are being taught to children?A major reason they want children to develop supernatural powers is because of prophecies within the movement about children.God is raising up a “spiritual delta force”—an elite company of children to lead His end-time army, according to prophets such as Rick Joyner, Bill Hamon and Catherine Brown.Many of them teach that the present generation of children will make up the last generation of the church. So, they must be trained for their pivotal role in taking dominion. This training includes turning them into an army of miniature miracle workers. Joyner writes:

Young children will cast out demons, heal the sick, raise the dead, and divert raging floods with a word. Some will actually take dominion over entire hospitals and mental institutions, healing every patient in them by laying hands on the buildings. (The Apostolic Ministry, 168-172)

Some NAR organizations that target children are:

• Bethel Church (Redding, California): Sunday School classes are "practice rooms for the supernatural." The children talk with angels, interpret each others' dreams, and practice raising the "dead" by wrapping themselves in toilet paper, like mummies. Hear the activities described by the senior children's pastor, Seth Dahl, and director of children's ministries, Deborah Reed.
• Kids in His Presence (Thompsons Station, Tennessee): Mike and Marilyn Seth created an entire Sunday School curriculum of NAR teachings and miracle-working exercises for children ages 6-11. And another resource, called "My Heart is a Bucket," is used for children as young as preschool-aged.
• Kids in Ministry International (Mandan, North Dakota): Becky Johnson started “Power Clubs” to teach children to "walk in the supernatural." These clubs are held weekly in Pentecostal and charismatic churches in 18 nations. As of 2012, there were 457 Power Clubs, with 23,000 children.
• Good News Ministries (Macon, Georgia): Apostle David Walters claims he has led thousands of youth, children and adults into the "realm of the supernatural" through his church workshops, children's crusades, and family seminars.

But some people might wonder why the instruction offered by these NAR organizations is troubling. After all, it is perfectly natural for parents to want to train up their children in their beliefs by taking them to church-based programs, like Sunday School and Awana.The instruction is troubling because the NAR teachings are not those of historic, biblical Christianity. Rather, they come from a counterfeit version of Christianity that has redefined Jesus, faith, and the gospel. If the children persist in these wrong understandings, then they will be in danger of thinking they are "just fine" with God and yet never understand what it means to really know Him.In other words, they could grow up to be like the people Jesus warned about in Matthew 7:22-23:

Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

This is serious stuff.I will look at specific teachings aimed at children in upcoming posts.-- By Holly Pivec