One of my favorite songs that I heard as a new believer in Christ years ago was “In Christ Alone”. I remember singing the words and thinking about what it meant to trust in Him and His salvation and redemption. One of my favorite verses in this song is the final verse:
“No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me.
From life’s first cry, to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand.
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.”
At that time, I did not have a deeper understanding, or even a deeper sense of gratitude and thankfulness, in what Christ had done for me, and it would be a short period of time after answering a salvific call at a Christian rally that I would spend nearly the next two decades entrenched in what I would come to understand was the “Word of Faith” and the “New Apostolic Reformation”.
There have been times where I have wondered if I was a true convert in the beginning, and though I have questions, I rest in the fact that the Lord has done a work within me. He has forgiven me and has granted me repentance and deliverance out of this deception. His Word assures us that no one can snatch us out of His hand (John 10:27-29). Now, coming back to that song (In Christ Alone) years later, the words have a much sweeter meaning and a deep well of thankfulness has been plumbed in my heart to rest in Him alone.
It may seem strange to think that a fast-growing movement, such as the New Apostolic Reformation, is not rich with the sufficiency of Christ alone. One well-known leader in this movement’s circles has stated that those who oppose the “move of God” in the Charismatic movement are jealous because they have larger churches, more passionate music, and the display of spiritual gifts. It is worth noting that this leader denies the existence of the New Apostolic Reformation and believes that those who express concern and address the teachings of modern “apostles” and “prophets” are bitter and jealous, but I believe that a fair question to pose within this movement pertains to the lack of resting in the sufficiency of Christ alone.
What is the best way to explain the time spent in the hyper charismatic/New Apostolic Reformation pertaining to this matter? One thing that I have heard proponents say about those who question practices and teachings in this movement is that critics are without any spiritual experiences. In other words, they oppose what they have not encountered. But, as I have spoken to others who have exited this movement, we share a common analogy to the never-ending restlessness found cloaked in hyper-pseudo spirituality. It is likened to a hamster on a wheel, running in one direction, but never truly advancing anywhere. There is a heightened focus on dreams, visions, and hearing God for yourself. Gifts are said to be activated by “anointed leaders”, so as long as you serve them, honor them, and submit to them, God will grant your desires and fulfill your destiny.
Conferences are viewed as being close to those anointed leaders in hopes that you will have a prophetic word released over you, and that you will encounter God in a more powerful way than you did at last year’s conference. Fire tunnels are popular in some circles, with spiritually hungry individuals traveling down an aisle while people on either side lay hands on them as a form of impartation of the anointing of God.
People are encouraged to pray in tongues, bind the devil, and decree and declare any matter so that it can be established eisegetically. The hamster wheel is made up of these things and more, and if you just keep doing these things, then you will ascend to greater heights in the spirit. If you do these things, then you will do “greater things” than Jesus Christ. The tragic truth is that none of this rests in the sufficiency of Christ, and the gospel is sadly looked upon as a steppingstone rather than the cornerstone.
It is only after being pulled from the hamster wheel that you begin to see the deception. While you’re doing these things, you believe as the hamster does, I’m going places. But what you soon find is that these things keep you distracted from the truth of God’s Word and the power of His gospel, which comes back to the five Solas noted in the Protestant Reformation and ultimately, Scripture. One of those Five Solas is Solus Christus, Christ alone. It affirms that through the atoning work of Christ alone are we granted salvation. John 14:6 affirms by the very words of Jesus Christ that He is the only way to the Father. There is no other mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). We are not saved by any merit of our own, and we are saved for good works, not by them.
We do not get into God’s good graces by anything that we can do. We do not control the anointing, which is found in all believers, as the Holy Spirit indwells those who believe. We do not need to work ourselves up into a frenzy to get God to move, and He is certainly not dependent upon us. Rather, He is self-sufficient. It is us who are in need of Him, which should daily bring us back to resting in Him alone for salvation, redemption, adoption, and eternal life.
Though I do believe that there are genuine believers within the New Apostolic Reformation who have been deceived, I have great concern that many are false converts and have not heard the true gospel according to Scripture, because they strive in vain to rest in the sufficiency of their own works and their own perceived power rather than in the sufficiency of Christ.
There is peace and comfort that comes in resting in the sufficiency of God’s work, and this peace and hope comes in Christ alone. There is great peace in resting in His grace alone, by faith alone, to the glory of God alone. And there is a peace surpassing all our understanding in the sufficiency of Scripture alone for life and godliness. My hope is that many more will be plucked out of this movement, and the Lord alone is faithful to do so. When we set our gaze upon Him, and we marvel at what He has done for us rather than the greatness we want to perceive in and of ourselves, everything else pales in comparison to His glory and splendor. Rest in Christ alone, dear Christian, and He will give you rest for your soul.

Solus Christus: The Only Way and the Only Hope
Dawn Hill is a Christian blogger known as The Lovesick Scribe, and the host of The Lovesick Scribe Podcast. She is passionate about sharing the truth and pointing others back to Jesus Christ through the written Word as the standard of authority for Christian living and instruction while being led by the Holy Spirit into maturity. She is the author of NonProphet Woke: The Reformation of a Modern-Day Disciple. She writes articles for Christianity.com, Servants of Grace, and her blog posts have been shared by individuals such as Tim Challies. She will be featured in the upcoming docuseries, American Gospel: Spirit and Fire. She co-leads a women’s support group with Emily Massey called Snatched from the Flames, where they minister to women who have come out of the hypercharismatic and New Apostolic Reformation movement. She is a wife to Nicholas and a mother to Anabel and Ephraim. You can follow her on The Lovesick Scribe and Instagram.