Essential NAR Discernment Glossary

This glossary is designed to help you discern the specific theological weight behind terms commonly used in the New Apostolic Reformation.

Navigating the world of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) can feel like learning a second language. Because NAR is a decentralized movement rather than a formal denomination, its terminology is often “redefined”—using standard biblical words to mean something entirely different.

Why Discernment Matters

When studying these terms, the core question is often one of Sufficiency. Is the Bible sufficient for life and godliness, or do we need “new” revelations from modern apostles? Discernment involves testing these “new” words against the “written” Word.

Note: Many people in “NAR-adjacent” churches may use this language without fully realizing the theological origins. It’s often helpful to ask, “How do you define that term?” before jumping to conclusions.

Building a comparison table is one of the most effective ways to see the “theological shift” that happens within the NAR. While the vocabulary often stays the same, the definitions move from a focus on Scripture and the Cross to a focus on Authority and Power.

Authority & Governance

These terms describe how the movement views leadership and the structure of the church.

Five-Fold Ministry

• Based on a specific interpretation of Ephesians 4:11. NAR adherents believe the offices of Apostle and Prophet must be restored to govern the church alongside Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers.

Apostolic Governance

• The belief that Apostles are the highest authority in the church, tasked with receiving “new divine revelation” and providing “spiritual covering” for leaders and congregations.

Vertical Alignment

• The requirement for an individual or a church to be “aligned” under the authority of a specific Apostle to receive the full blessing and protection of God.

Spiritual Covering 

• A doctrine suggesting that believers are spiritually vulnerable to demonic attack or stagnation unless they are submitted to the authority of an NAR leader.

Strategy & Dominion

These terms focus on the movement’s goal to influence and eventually “take over” societal structures.

Seven Mountain Mandate (7M)

• The strategy to “reclaim” seven spheres of societal influence: Family, Religion, Education, Media, Entertainment, Economy, and Government.

Dominionism

• The theological framework asserting that Christians are called to take control of the earth’s institutions before Christ can return.

Strategic Level Spiritual Warfare (SLSW) 

• The practice of identifying and “binding” high-ranking demons (Territorial Spirits) that supposedly rule over specific geographic areas or cities.

Prayer Walks / Spiritual Mapping

• Researching the history of a city to find “sin strongholds” or “gates,” then walking through those areas to perform prophetic acts to “cleanse” the land.

Revelation & Manifestation

These terms deal with how NAR followers interact with the supernatural and “new” truths.

New Revelation / Rhema Word

• The belief that God is giving new information to Apostles and Prophets that is not explicitly found in the Bible. While they claim it won’t contradict Scripture, it is often treated as equal in authority.

Impartation 

• The belief that a spiritual gift, anointing, or “mantle” can be transferred from one person to another through the laying on of hands or physical proximity.

The Anointing

• Often spoken of as a tangible “substance” or power that can be felt, increased, or lost, rather than the indwelling of the Holy Spirit common to all believers.

Prophetic Acts 

• Physical actions (such as pouring oil on a building, blowing a shofar, or driving stakes into the ground) believed to release spiritual power or shift the atmosphere in the “heavenlies.”

Manifest Sons of God

• An extreme doctrine suggesting that a group of believers will reach a level of spiritual maturity where they become immortal, perform greater miracles than Jesus, and perfect the earth.

Buzzwords & Phrases

Common “Christian-ese” that takes on specific NAR meanings in context.

“Shifting the Atmosphere”

• Using worship or decreeing to change the spiritual “vibe” or demonic presence in a room or city.

“Declarations / Decreeing”

• The belief that words have the power to create reality. Instead of asking God for something in prayer, followers “decree and declare” that it is already done.

“A New Move of God”

• Usually implies that God is doing something radical that transcends traditional biblical doctrine or church history.

“Religious Spirit”

• A label often applied to critics or those who value traditional doctrine and discernment. It is used to suggest that the critic is legalistic or possessed by a demon that hates “the move of the Spirit.”

Advanced NAR & Syncretic Terminology

Acoustic Warfare

• The use of specific sound frequencies (such as 528Hz), rhythmic drumming, or repetitive shofar blowing under the belief that sound can “shatter” spiritual strongholds or alter the physical environment.

Apostolic Alignment

• The act of a person or a local church placing themselves under the spiritual authority (and often financial oversight) of a recognized Apostle. It is believed that this “aligns” the believer with a specific “flow” of divine blessing.

Birthing (Spiritual Birthing)

• The practice of using intense, repetitive prayer or physical “groaning” to bring a new spiritual reality, move of God, or miracle into the physical realm.

Courts of Heaven

• A teaching popularized by Robert Henderson suggesting that believers can legally “petition” God in a literal celestial courtroom to overturn “generational curses” or demonic legal rights that are blocking their blessings.

Destiny / Divine Blueprint

• In NAR, “Destiny” is often treated as a pre-written script for success and influence. Finding one’s “blueprint” usually requires a word from a Prophet to unlock “hidden potential.”

Dominionism (Dominion Theology)

• The belief that Christians are mandated by God to take control of societal institutions (government, media, education, etc.) to establish a “Kingdom of God” on earth before the return of Christ.

Ekklesia (NAR Definition)

• Rather than the traditional meaning of a “called-out assembly” for worship, NAR redefines Ekklesia as a “ruling legislative body” or “spiritual parliament” that has the authority to change the laws of a nation through decree.

Ecclesiastical Shield

• A legal strategy used by high-control religious groups to claim “church autonomy,” effectively shielding their financial records and internal activities from secular government oversight or investigation.

Five-Fold Ministry

• In an NAR context, this is the belief that the offices of Apostle and Prophet have been restored to the church and hold governing authority over all believers, rather than being historical or functional roles.

Grave Sucking (Mantleship / Physics of Heaven)

• A controversial practice (often associated with Bethel Church) where individuals lie on the graves of deceased “generals of the faith” to try and “soak up” or “capture” the spiritual anointing that was left behind.

Impartation (The Laying on of Hands)

• The belief that spiritual gifts, power, or even “financial anointings” can be physically transferred from a leader to a follower through touch.

New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)

• A global movement characterized by the leadership of modern-day apostles, a focus on “strategic level spiritual warfare,” and the goal of societal transformation through the Seven Mountain Mandate.

New Wine / Fresh Oil

• Metaphors used to describe a “new move of God” that supposedly supersedes previous traditions. Adherents are warned not to be “old wineskins” (critics) who cannot contain the new things God is doing.

Operating in the Prophetic

• The lifestyle of constantly seeking and acting upon internal “impressions,” “still small voices,” or external signs, often treating these subjective experiences as direct commands from God.

Prophetic Decree

• A vocalization where a believer does not ask God for a result, but speaks as God’s representative to command the physical or spiritual world to change. (e.g., “I decree healing over this city.”)

Religious Spirit (The “Python” Spirit)

• A pejorative term used to dismiss anyone who uses biblical discernment, theology, or logic to question NAR practices. It is framed as a demonic spirit that “chokes out” the move of the Holy Spirit.

Seven Mountain Mandate (7M)

• A strategy within the NAR that identifies seven spheres of influence—Family, Religion, Education, Media, Entertainment, Economy, and Government—that must be “conquered” by believers.

Seven Rays

• Originally a 19th-century esoteric/Theosophical concept regarding spiritual energies. In modern syncretic movements, it is being blended with the 7M mandate to provide a “mystical” justification for political dominion.

Shifting the Atmosphere

• The belief that through specific worship songs, declarations, or the presence of an Apostle, the “spiritual climate” of a room or geographic location can be physically altered to make miracles easier to perform.

Soaking

• A form of contemplative prayer where individuals lie on the floor in a trance-like state, often accompanied by “anointed” instrumental music, waiting for a direct mystical encounter or “download” from God.

Spiritual Mapping

• The practice of researching a city’s history (e.g., past sins, wars, or pagan sites) to identify which “Territorial Spirit” has a legal right to inhabit that area, followed by “Strategic Level Spiritual Warfare” to evict it.

Syncretism

• The blending or fusion of different, often contradictory, religious beliefs and practices. We specifically track the merging of New Age/Occult practices with traditional Christian worship.

The Quantum Leap (Prophetic Physics)

• A syncretic concept blending pseudoscience with theology, suggesting that faith functions like quantum physics—that by observing or speaking “possibilities,” believers can collapse them into “realities.”

Theosophy

• An esoteric philosophy (most notably promoted by Helena Blavatsky and Alice Bailey) that seeks “hidden knowledge” and suggests all religions are attempts by a “Spiritual Hierarchy” to help humanity evolve.

Table 1: NAR vs. Traditional Evangelical Theology

Focuses on the core doctrinal shifts.

Table 2: How the NAR Makes New Age Terminology Sound Christian

Focuses on the "syncretism" and occult overlaps.

Table 3: NAR Key Concepts in Practice

A high-level summary of authority, kingdom, and warfare.

Key Differentiators to Watch For

• Source of Truth: In traditional views, the “closed canon” of the Bible is the boundary. In NAR, the “prophetic word” often moves the boundary markers.
• The Goal of the Church: Historically, the church is a “called out” assembly waiting for Christ. In NAR, the church is an “Eklesia” (interpreted as a legislative body) tasked with taking over the world’s systems.
• The Role of the Individual: In traditional settings, you are responsible to God and the Word. In NAR, your “alignment” and “covering” under an Apostle are seen as vital to your spiritual safety and success.

NAR Key Concepts in Practice

Watchman’s Note: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world." — 1 John 4:1