Wagner Ribeiro — Quotes Examined

"De onde a gente tirou a ideia de que precisa batizar para ceiar? ... O batismo é sequencial, isso é bíblico.""Where did we get the idea that you need to be baptized to take communion? ... Baptism is sequential, this is biblical."

Wagner Ribeiro asks 'Where did we get the idea that you need to be baptized to take communion?' and claims baptism is merely 'sequential.' The answer is: from Scripture and the unanimous practice of the church since the apostles. The Didache (c. 100 AD) explicitly forbids unbaptized persons from the Eucharist. Acts 2 shows the pattern: repentance, baptism, THEN fellowship and breaking of bread. Ribeiro tears down 2,000 years of church order to promote his own innovations.

"Segredos para o sobrenatural.""Secrets to the supernatural."

Wagner Ribeiro sells courses on 'Secrets to the Supernatural' — implying hidden knowledge that gives access to spiritual power. This is modern gnosticism: the idea that special, secret knowledge (gnosis) is needed beyond the simple gospel. Simon Magus tried to BUY spiritual power and was cursed by Peter. Paul wrote that ALL treasures of wisdom are found in Christ, not in purchased seminars. The gospel is not a secret — it is proclaimed openly to all.

"Ainda no hospital, depois do acidente, o próprio Cristo me visitou: trouxe um 'soro espiritual' em uma bandeja de prata e colocou em meu braço. Jamais esquecerei esse momento.""Still in the hospital, after the accident, Christ Himself visited me: He brought a 'spiritual IV drip' on a silver tray and placed it on my arm. I will never forget that moment."

Wagner Ribeiro claims Christ personally visited him in the hospital and brought a 'spiritual IV drip on a silver tray' to place on his arm. He also claims to have 'left his body holding the finger of Jesus' and heard 'Jesus calling him with a voice of many waters.' These elaborate mystical experiences — published on his official biography — elevate personal visions above Scripture and serve to establish his authority as a special vessel. Paul explicitly warned against boasting in visions and being 'puffed up without reason by a sensuous mind.' The apostle Paul himself, who had genuine visions, refused to boast about them and instead boasted in his weaknesses. Ribeiro does the opposite — his entire ministry identity is built on these unverifiable mystical encounters.

"Reprograme o seu espírito!""Reprogram your spirit!"

Wagner Ribeiro teaches his followers to 'reprogram' their spirits — language borrowed directly from self-help psychology and neuro-linguistic programming, not from Scripture. The Bible never speaks of the human spirit as a computer to be 'reprogrammed.' Scripture teaches that spiritual transformation comes through regeneration by the Holy Spirit (being 'born again'), not through human technique or mental reprogramming. This is the fatal error of the self-help gospel: it makes man the agent of his own spiritual transformation, when Scripture repeatedly declares that only God can give a new heart and a new spirit.

"Unção sem caráter!""Anointing without character!"

Wagner Ribeiro's TikTok and social media presence is dominated by charismatic spectacle: throwing his jacket at people who then fall to the ground ('cair no poder' — 'falling in the power'), dramatic 'anointing' performances, and theatrical displays tagged #uncao (anointing) and #avivamento (revival). Ironically, he himself posted 'Unção sem caráter!' ('Anointing without character!') — a phrase that describes his own ministry perfectly. His TikTok content shows virtually no exposition of Scripture, no call to repentance, no preaching of the Cross, no teaching on holiness or self-denial. The focus is entirely on the spectacle of people falling down. This is the 'cai-cai' phenomenon ('fall-fall anointing') widely criticized even within Brazilian Pentecostalism. Jesus warned that many will perform signs and wonders in His name yet He will say to them: 'I never knew you.' The test is not whether people fall — it is whether the message is the true gospel.