A message from Ministry Founder – Tom Denlinger
There is a term that people are using today that is an acronym referring to the “New Apostolic Reformation” or “N.A.R.” I believe it’s important for God’s people to know contemporary issues that challenge the Church and since LightShine works with several different streams of Christianity, I believe this is an important subject to be fully educated in.
In short, there are parts of the Body of Christ (all living followers of Jesus Christ) who feel strongly that two of the offices of the local church (apostles and prophets) have been neglected (or even preached against) which are found in Ephesians 4:11 from the Amplified Bible …
“And [His gifts to the church were varied and] He Himself appointed some as apostles [special messengers, representatives], some as prophets [who speak a new message from God to the people], some as evangelists [who spread the good news of salvation], and some as pastors and teachers [to shepherd and guide and instruct],”
Those who want to re-think and return to Paul’s original statement in that verse will point out that the “church apostles” Paul referred to in the early church were different than Jesus’s original Twelve Apostles. That is a whole study in and of itself and I won’t get into that here. But it is important to note that no one I know (who believes that church apostles are for today) believes that those church apostles are on the same level of Jesus’s original Twelve Apostles. On the contrary, if you do a word study on the Greek word “apostello“, it simply means “sent one” – one who starts a new work and oversees it, like a missionary. In a sense, LightShine Alaska does that kind of work in some places in Alaska. Click on that link to that Greek word and you can read more for your own study.
What is troubling to me is that there are some in the Body that are so convinced that only three of the five offices mentioned in that verse are for today, that they choose to break fellowship with other followers of Jesus Christ who believe otherwise. Some even call it “heresy”. To make their case, they create an exaggerated view of those they disagree with (like linking them to Christian Nationalism) in order to “prove their point” that they’re false teachers. This is a classic example of the “straw man argument”. They create an erroneous image and then attempt to smash it down. The result often has a negative effect on the world and weaker minded new believers who watch this interchange take place.
While it is important for the Body of Christ to hold each other accountable to the standard of God’s Word, a much more insidious plan of Satan is often at work. Satan wants to divide us, confuse us and distract us to keep us from being unified. Wisdom should mark God’s people and we need to keep going back to His Word as His standard for absolute, unchanging truth. The Bible is God’s inerrant gift to us written by different men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit.
‘All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; ‘ 2 Timothy 3:16 – Amplified Bible
The leadership of LightShine desires for God’s people to exemplify integrity that is marked by spiritual maturity. Therefore, we encourage those in our ministry to distance themselves from conspiracy theories within the Body of Christ that seek to divide us.
Before Jesus was taken to be crucified in John 18, He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane in John 17. In this prayer, He prayed
‘that they all may be one; just as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe [without any doubt] that You sent Me. ‘ John 17:21 – Amplified Bible
God wants His Church to live in unity and work together to build His Kingdom on earth together. If you have not read our “What We Believe” webpage on this website, it is important that you do so.
What is LightShine’s affiliation with Global Awakening?
It is important for you to understand that
Here are three articles that will help you understand more about from the very people accused of being part of this vast conspiracy called “the NAR”.
I would encourage you to ask any question that you have concerning the affiliation between LightShine International Ministries and Global Awakening. We are two separate organizations and we recognize that both are led by brothers and sisters in Christ who are not perfect. None of us are. Jesus Christ is perfect theology. Our desire is to be like Him and “figure all of this out” before we meet Him face to face.
You can email me at: tomdenlinger@comcast.net. Thank you.