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The Shofar Movement and Biblical Authority: Testing NAR Practices by Scripture
Show: From NAR to Christ with Dawn Hill
Show Summary
In this episode of From NAR to Christ, Dawn Hill examines the modern use of the shofar in the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) and the broader charismatic movement.
While the shofar has a clear purpose in Scripture, many today attribute to it spiritual power, deliverance ability, and prophetic significance that go beyond what the Bible teaches. This episode calls listeners to test these practices by the Word of God and to rest in the sufficiency of Christ and His gospel.
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Episode Highlights
- What the shofar is and how it was used in Scripture
- How the shofar is often used in NAR and hyper-charismatic settings
- Why claims of atmosphere shifting or demon expelling power go beyond Scripture
- How mystical interpretations distract from the sufficiency of Christ
- Why believers must test all practices by the Word of God
- Why the gospel, not rituals or objects, is the power of God for salvation
Key Scriptures
- Exodus 19:13, 16, 19
- Leviticus 23:24
- Joshua 6:4
- Psalm 98:6
- Psalm 150:3
- Joel 2:1
- Colossians 2:16–17
- Romans 1:16–17
Full Episode Overview
The use of the shofar has become increasingly common in certain charismatic and NAR circles, where it is often treated as a spiritually charged object that can shift atmospheres, release prophetic power, or drive out demonic forces. In this episode, Dawn Hill carefully evaluates those claims in light of Scripture.
Dawn explains that the shofar did have real significance in the Bible. It was used in Israel for worship, warning, assembly, and other covenantal purposes. But Scripture does not teach that Christians today are required to use the shofar, nor does it assign mystical power to the instrument itself.
This episode highlights the danger of going beyond what Scripture says. When spiritual meaning is added where God has not spoken, believers can become vulnerable to confusion, false teaching, and a misplaced focus on ritual rather than on Christ.
Dawn also addresses how these practices often reflect a broader theological problem in the NAR and similar movements: the tendency to treat symbolic acts, spiritual experiences, and extra-biblical claims as if they carry divine authority. In contrast, Scripture directs believers to the finished work of Christ and the sufficiency of the gospel.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God for salvation. True freedom does not come through objects, sounds, or prophetic performances, but through Christ crucified and risen, received by faith. This episode calls listeners back to biblical clarity, spiritual discernment, and confidence in God’s Word.
Takeaways
- The shofar had a real biblical function, but Scripture does not command Christians to use it today.
- No object or ritual carries spiritual power apart from God’s ordained purposes in Scripture.
- Claims about prophetic sound, deliverance power, or atmosphere shifting must be tested carefully by the Bible.
- The believer’s confidence must rest in Christ, not in mystical practices.
- The gospel is sufficient for salvation, sanctification, and spiritual transformation.
Final Encouragement
In a time when many spiritual practices are presented as powerful, prophetic, or necessary, Christians must return again and again to the authority and sufficiency of Scripture. God has not left His people in confusion. He has spoken clearly in His Word and supremely in His Son.
Test every practice by Scripture. Hold fast to Christ. Rest in the gospel.
Call to Action
For more from Dawn, visit her page at Servants of Grace or watch more episodes on our YouTube channel.
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.
