At the bottom of this page are links to in-depth articles on the Super Apostles & tithing.
To the links

If you live in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, South Africa, or New Zealand then we strongly recommend you read all of this Super Apostle page and all of the Super Apostle articles linked at the bottom of this page.

Attack of the Super Apostles!

(Cultwatch helps people of all belief systems. This article is aimed at a Christian audience and so contains discussions of specific Christian beliefs. People who are not Christian may not find it Interesting.)

New Novel by Cultwatch Director
Rocking Christian World

Kingdom Lost the new Christian novel by Cultwatch Director Mark Vrankovich is causing huge controversy in Super Apostle churches.
If you're hearing phrases like "Obey, Apostolic Mandate, Five Fold Ministry, Honor the Pastor, Set Man, Theocracy, Under Authority, Covering, Robbing God, Submit" at your church, then you have to read Kingdom Lost now.

"If there is one novel a Christian ought to read in their lifetime, it's Kingdom Lost. It'll scare the willies out of everyone else too!"
Wayne Buchanan - Radio Talkshow Host & Assemblies of God Pastor

Find out more at www.KingdomLost.com

Cultwatch Introduction

Cultwatch is a New Zealand based Christian ministry to the cults founded in 1989. We help all people regardless of their belief system. An important part of the mission we believe God has given us is to warn people of cultic dangers. Cultwatch has been referred to as an authority in numerous media in New Zealand and overseas, including newspapers, magazines, radio and TV. The New Zealand Government and law enforcement agencies have used Cultwatch in a consulting role. Cultwatch receives enquires from all around the world regarding cultic matters. Cultwatch is an incorporated charitable trust (a not for profit organization).

Warning Introduction

It all started several years ago as Cultwatch began receiving isolated reports of the same Mind Control techniques usually found in the cults being used in certain New Zealand Christian churches. The reports were concerning enough for Cultwatch to start an investigation. Since then these reports have increased in frequency and intensity. Numerous people have independently reported that the techniques detailed in the Cultwatch web site www.HowCultsWork.com are becoming common place in more and more Christian churches both in New Zealand and around the world. Our research has confirmed that certain Christian Pastors have turned to Mind Control as a technique for growing their church. We have copies of their tapes, sermons, seminars, courses, and other documentation, that provide solid evidence of their deliberate employment of Mind Control (see the Cultwatch web site www.HowCultsWork to learn more about Mind Control). Unfortunately these Pastors have done significant damage to individual Christians.

However something was puzzling us. During our investigation we began to notice a disturbing trend relating to the spread of these underhanded techniques. These were not isolated instances; instead their spread seemed to be carefully orchestrated. Were there masterminds behind this phenomenon?
Was someone, or some people deliberately promoting these unchristian practices?

This text you are reading is Cultwatch's initial warning regarding this threat to the Body of Christ. It is a summary, which avoids mentioning names, for now. Its aim is to alert Christian leaders to the danger of this insidious movement so that they can avoid being tricked themselves. It is also our hope that the Super Apostles themselves will realize the error of their ways and pull back from propagating these illegal practices. Otherwise we will be forced to publicly expose them.

The Warning

False apostles are rising up in New Zealand, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and in other countries. They plan to subjugate (to bring under control and governance as a subject, to conquer) Churches and their leaders. From what we can tell these "Super Apostles" aim to build a fiefdom (a medieval feudal estate) of churches with themselves as the lords, second only to God himself (the King). What these self-proclaimed apostles lack in solid Biblical Doctrine they make up with cultic Mind Control techniques (also known as spiritual abuse) and hyped prosperity preaching."

The Super Apostles claim that the Biblical ministry of an apostle has been forgotten, and God has called them to restore it. Of course it is presumptuous of the Super Apostles to think that this God ordained ministry has died, but that is what they claim. The Super Apostles are in effect promoting a false apostolic ministry.

Now a biblical model of an apostle can be found in Paul, a hard working humble man who was not rich, except in his incredible passion for the gospel and correct doctrine. Paul was an apostle who knew the bounds of his authority, for example in 2 Corinthians 8:8 where he refrained from commanding the Corinthians to give money.

However these Super Apostles do not follow Paul's example. They are rigorous self-promoters who see power and wealth as important goals. They demand that you cede (to yield typically by treaty) to their authority. Church members must sign "covenants" stating that they will obey the church leadership. Church leaders themselves must "submit" their lives to the Super Apostles. To not submit is to rebel against God's will and condemn you to a barren Christian life outside the protection of the Super Apostles magical "umbrella of authority". For those who do not yield it is claimed God will leave them to fend for themselves when the enemy comes. Also rebels will suffer a life of physical poverty, not to mention terrible accidents and diseases. To reject the Super Apostles themselves is the greatest sin. Do not even suggest that they are wrong; the spiritual repercussions could be horrendous!

Authority is a key word for this clandestine movement. Everyone must be under authority. That is, under their authority. Now of course apostles did have authority in Scripture, but these new apostles claim that authority as their own, and a great deal more too. Under the catch cries of "Church Governance" and "The Church is a theocracy not a democracy" they employ standard cultic Mind Control methods. They practice "enforced giving", where tithes and offerings of church members are recorded. Members who do not give the "correct" amount are disciplined and held back from leadership. People are banned from going to other churches and working for Para church organizations not under the apostle's control. They control relationships, ordering people to stay away from friends and family outside the movement. Some even demand Christian members seek permission to marry each other. They run a reporting structure where members watch other members, and confidential information is passed up through the leadership pyramid. Some members have even had their rooms searched. People who wish to live in cities where there is no branch of the Super Apostle's church are told not to go. Time control sees endless compulsory meetings. Failing to attend a meeting is noticed and the member is spoken to Breaking sessions are employed where leaders "character assassinate" a member until they break down. Church members are given the impression that they can only be saved by being part of the Super Apostles church. Churches outside the "kingdom" are fallen and dead. Not all of these apostles state this so blatantly, but this is the impression they cultivate within their churches. However some do allude to this in the public arena, so confident they are that God is on their side.

"The term "Local Church" is an important phrase in their onslaught. They claim that no Christian work can be outside of the Local Church. Para church organizations are in error for not being controlled by a "Local Church". Of course what they really mean is that no Christian work can legitimately exist outside of the control of a Super Apostle. The idea that those Christians under the Super Apostle's control cannot work outside of a "Local Church" has already lead to an increased disunity in the Body of Christ. Carried through to its logical conclusion this exclusive doctrine will result in extreme disunity since no one will work together. Also their concept of the Local Church will lead to turf wars analogous to those seen in medieval Europe as the lords of that time fought to increase their fiefdoms at the expense of others. Already this sort of behaviour has been reported. For example recently an itinerant preacher who held a seminar in
Palmerston North was challenged by a local pastor to what he was doing ministering in their area."


How do they justify their stance? The Super Apostles look to pragmatism as their justification for practice, rather than Scripture. What works becomes standard operating procedure; hardly any consideration is given to whether it contravenes Scripture. Where a practice is questioned Scriptures are taken out of context, or twisted, to give the illusion that the Bible allows these methods.

These apostles surround themselves with "bodyguards". People who isolate them from the workings of their churches. In all probability the Super Apostles do not know the extent of damage their reign is causing, since their bodyguards shield them from the hurt that is resulting in their followers.

Finances are an important area they seek to control. Some of these Super Apostles are more open with their church finances than others. These apostles and their families (nepotism is rife) receive significant incomes from their work. They drive expensive cars, live in luxury homes; some are given cash gifts, jewellery, ocean cruises, and other expensive holidays. Some have even formed an inner circle of the very rich within their churches who in return for their significant giving receive privileges other church members do not (James 2:1-9). Apparently being good stewards of the money people give to God is not high on these apostles' priorities. No one would object to a pastor who has earned wealth through his business, with the caveat that he was not a lover of money. But no example can be found in Scripture of Jesus or the apostles gaining temporal wealth via the taking of gifts given to God. "Do not muzzle the Ox" these apostles retort, but they forget the other side of this biblical word picture, that the ox is a slave tethered to a pole. Christian leaders are slaves to the gospel, they deserve their due, but it is wrong for them to be gluttonous.

Having examined the teaching of the Super Apostles it makes us wonder about their true purpose. So often do the Super Apostles rave about financial matters we must ask if money is not their primary goal. New recruits converted on Sunday sign an automatic payment forms on Monday. Some of the Super Apostle's ranting's about "robbing God" by not giving their church your tithe, plus offerings of course, border on maniacal. Members have reported many of these over-the-top speeches are often deleted from tapes and videos of sermons, which implies someone in their leadership knows they are wrong. For those who are fans of the movie The Matrix, Morpheus's speech to Neo regarding the purpose of the Matrix comes to mind. If we were being cynical we could imagine that Morpheus was talking about the Super Apostles instead of the Matrix.

Morpheus:
"And standing there, facing the pure horrifying precision.
I came to realize the obviousness of the truth.

What is a Super Apostle Church?

Control.

A Super Apostle Church is a generated church environment built to keep us under control.
In order to change a Christian, into this.

Cultwatch commissioned a study into "Tithing and Enforced Giving". A link to this text can be found at the bottom of this article, or by clicking here.

"These false apostles for a number of years have been on a heavy recruiting drive around the world. Holding pastors conferences and one on one meetings they seek to recruit church leaders to join under them as vassals (a person under the protection of a feudal lord to whom he has vowed homage). (Of course another analogy would be to call the apostles cardinals seeking more bishops and priests). It is important that all Christian leaders are warned of this danger. Otherwise these Mind Control practices could become commonplace in churches."

Before we talk about what action to take, we need to understand why Mind Control is such a threat. Put simply Mind Control practices propagated on this scale will cause immense damage to the Body of Christ. The spiritual dynamics of Mind Control result in the Christian having the Holy Spirit replaced in their life by the counterfeit of an earthly middleman. The Super Apostle and his leaders insert themselves between the Christian and God. Instead of the Christian being convicted by the Holy Spirit the Christian receives false conviction from men. Christians are told by men what they have done wrong according to the rules those men have invented. This leads to a spiritual dependency on those men rather than a dependency on the Holy Spirit. Christians, who should become strong, instead become weaker as their dependency on their leaders and the church organization grows. Of course this is what the leaders desire since it makes these Christians more controllable. However this spiritual counterfeit is a slow poison that crushes the spirit of the Christian. After the "Honeymoon" period with the church is over, the Christian emerges to find they are struggling to meet the standards of the group. They are told that life should be perfect, but it is not. The constant meetings, the controlling pressure, the stress, and the condemnation from the leadership, takes its toll. The Christian tries harder. But fails again and again. Finally the Christian burns out. Too long they have been running on man made power rather than God's. "If this is Christianity", they say, "then I don't want to have anything to do with it!" So they reject Jesus and turn to the world. Convinced that the counterfeit they experienced was Christianity they never again consider following our Lord. (Not all reject Christianity, but those who return to biblical churches struggle to cope. They suffer depression and feelings of guilt. The preaching of their false apostle is still in their head. Those who have wasted years in the counterfeit group feel a tremendous sense of loss. They take much time to recover.) This is the fruit of Mind Control, numerous shipwrecked Christians. Mind Control must be rigorously opposed!

What should you do?

So what should you do?
1) Read the articles below. Especially the www.HowCultsWork.com site.
2) Warn your friends.
3) Print out www.HowCultsWork.com and then send it to your pastor.

What should Christian Leaders do?
1) Christian leaders must understand Mind Control. Mind Control is not a practice found in Scripture, but it has an allure that can trap Pastors with dominating tenancies. Read www.HowCultsWork.com
2) Christian leaders need be wary of coming under the "authority" of these Super Apostles. It is a good idea to be under the authority of a body of mature Christians; otherwise you risk going off on tangents yourself. But remember these Super Apostles themselves are not under authority; except that they believe that they have an exclusive line to God.
3) Christian leaders should not be fooled by the "success" of these Super Apostles. If they have built churches using Mind Control techniques then they have cheated. They have not played the game by the biblical rules. They are not successes, rather they are failures. They cannot have the ability themselves to lead without using these illegal control methods.
4) Remember that numbers do not equal success; otherwise every cult leader who tricked large numbers of people would have succeeded in God's eyes. Your success as a Christian pastor is better measured by the spiritual maturity of those in your care. Do they witness? Are people being saved (not just joining your church)? Do they have a deep unshakeable knowledge of the Bible? Do they look after the poor? Do they do God's will? These are better measures of success than simple numbers.

Warning Conclusion

Finally please keep the information rolling in. Over the last few years complaints and reports about these Super Apostles and their churches have been increasing in frequency. Your reporting helps Cultwatch monitor their plans. If they have made you sign something saying you will not criticize their church then that is invalid. Did the early church ever need people to sign promises not to criticize? No. The only reason the Super Apostles need people to sign such things is to stifle any healthy debate regarding their practices. By exposing them you are helping protect the Body of Christ. The New Testament is full of warnings of false teachers. Do not fail in your duty to warn the Body of Christ, your Godly duty overrides any document you have signed.

Now some may ask if we are mistaken in giving this warning? Trust us, you have no idea how much we hope we are! But the evidence is increasing. Already many have been damaged. We have a large number of independent reports from current and ex-members that demonstrate Mind Control being used. Many contact us saying that their churches are doing what www.HowCultsWork.com describes. We are gravely concerned about the potential damage this movement may cause. Many leaders in the Body of Christ are also gravely concerned. Part of our mission at Cultwatch is to warn the Body of Christ of the enemy's schemes. We believe this is a strong warning the Lord would have us give.

Wondering if your church leader is a Super Apostle? Find out by using the CULTWATCH SUPER APOSTLE DETECTOR. With it you can scan your church or leader and see if they have been taken in by this counterfeit apostolic move. The CULTWATCH SUPER APOSTLE DETECTOR was written by Cultwatch and is simple to use; just answer each question the CULTWATCH SUPER APOSTLE DETECTOR asks you by pressing one of the on screen YES or NO buttons. The detector is written in Javascript and runs in your browser (compatible only with Internet Explorer at the moment). To start the detector simply click here or on the green SUPER APOSTLE DETECTOR graphic next to this text. Happy scanning!