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26th October 2007

Who is your "Covering"?

I submit to you here something from a sister and also a brother. They write here about "covering," which is a word that can be found only once in the NT, but is something that is used quite regularly today (in an UNBIBLICAL way) to keep people in bondage to a system of religion that is based upon control and manipulation. How many of us, when led by the Holy Spirit to leave an institutional church or system of religion, heard the words, "If you leave this church, you'll be out from God's blessing and covering"? This, of course, was not of the Holy Spirit, but was of that spirit of witchcraft and control that is keeping many of God's children today in a state of perpetual spiritual immaturity.

Beloved, though some of you might not want to hear this, God, by His Holy Spirit, is calling His elect OUT from the systems of man's religion today so that they can come to THE FATHER in a much greater way. These (the elect), must now come to the place where they can KNOW THE FATHER'S VOICE for themselves, where they can KNOW THE FATHER'S WILL for themselves (and for others), and that, so that these can become the very EXPRESSION and OUTWORKING of the FATHER'S VOICE and WILL! ... even as Jesus Himself was 2000 years ago. Please read on ...

David
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Who Is Your Covering?

Tina Dyer

With the all too common question...." Who is your covering? "

I would like to share what I consider to be the REAL question, or rather accusation, behind the " covering" question.

As one who has made the decision to remove myself from the so-called, organized religious establishment, I have since come under major attack from many well meaning brothers and sisters. My desire above all things is to see the Lord of Glory exalted and worshiped. While still in the organized Church, I felt that the Holy Spirit had been so grieved continually to the point that I was sickened to my stomach and finally felt that I had come to a cross road. That decision would be to obey man or God. I choose the latter. The backlash of this decision was much more horrendous than I would have even imagined. But since that decision was made, I have had much more peace with the Lord.

Have I completely removed myself from fellowship of the saints ? NO

I so long for the corporate gathering of the Body of Christ and try in many ways to gather with those of like mind. But, I refuse to go under the bondage of a man lead gathering that continues to resist the Holy Spirit and allow Him to be Lord.

Many mistake the word, "covering" with " submission". This has been a lie taught from the pulpit for years and has been so ingrained in the minds of men that it is hard to see truth for yourself. One need only search the scriptures themselves and ask the Holy Ghost to teach you all things, to see the motive behind how one will mis-use the word, COVERING.

I would like to post some thoughts by " Frank Viola " on the topic of covering.

I hope it blesses those who are coming out of the control and man and into the freedom of Christ Jesus.

Bless you in Jesus mighty name,

in Him,

Tina

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Is "Covering" Covered in the Bible?

Frank Viola

Strikingly, the word "covering" only appears once in the entire NT. It is used in connection with a woman’s head covering (1 Cor. 11:15). While the Old Testament uses the word sparingly, it always uses it to refer to a piece of natural clothing. It never uses it in a spiritual way. Nor is it ever used in connection with authority and submission.

So the first thing we can say about "covering" is that there is scant Biblical evidence upon which to construct a doctrine! Yet despite this fact, countless Christians glibly parrot the "who-is-your-covering" question. Some even push it as a litmus test to measure the authenticity of a church or ministry.

If the Bible is silent with respect to "covering," what do people mean when they ask, "Who is your covering?" Most people (if pressed) would rephrase the question to be: "To what person are you accountable?"

But this raises another sticky point. The Bible never consigns accountability to human beings! It consigns it exclusively to God (Matt. 12:36; 18:23; Luke 16:2; Rom. 3:19; 14:12; 1 Cor. 4:5; Heb. 4:13; 13:17; 1 Pet. 4:5).

Consequently, the Biblically sound answer to the "to-whom-are-you-accountable?" question is simply: "I am accountable to the same person you are—God!" Strangely, however, this answer is usually a prescription for misunderstanding and a recipe for false accusation.

So while the timbre and key of "accountability" slightly differs from that of "covering," the song is essentially the same. And it is one that does not harmonize with the unmistakable singing of Scripture.

Unearthing the Real Question Behind Covering

Let us widen the question a bit. What do people really mean when they push the "covering" question? I submit that what they are really asking is: "Who controls you?"

Common (mis)teaching about "covering" really boils down to questions about who controls whom. And the modern institutional church is built upon such control.

Of course, people rarely recognize that this is what is at the bottom of the issue. For it is typically well clothed with Biblical garments. In the minds of many Christians, "covering" is merely a protective mechanism.

But if we dissect the "covering" teaching, we will discover that it is rooted in a one-up/one-down, chain-of-command style of leadership. Within this leadership style, those in higher ecclesiastical positions have a tenacious hold on those under them. Oddly, it is through such top-down control that believers are said to be "protected" from error.

The concept goes something like this. Everyone must answer to someone else who is in a higher ecclesiastical position. In the garden-variety, post-war evangelical church, this translates into the "laymen" answering to the pastor. In turn, the pastor must answer to someone with more authority.

The pastor typically traces his accountability to a denominational headquarters, to another church (often called the "mother church"), or to an influential Christian worker. (The worker is perceived to have a higher rank in the ecclesiastical pyramid.)

So the "layman" is "covered" by the pastor. The pastor is "covered" by the denomination, the mother church, or the Christian worker. Because each is accountable to a higher ecclesiastical authority, each is protected ("covered") by that authority. So the thinking goes.

This "covering-accountability" template is applied to all spiritual relationships in the church. And each relationship is artificially cut to fit the template. No relationship can be had outside of it—especially that of "laymen" to "leaders."

But this line of reasoning generates the following questions: Who covers the mother church? Who covers the denominational headquarters? Who covers the Christian worker?

Some have offered the pat answer that God covers these "higher" authorities. But such a canned answer begs the question. For why is it that God cannot be the covering for the "laymen"—or even the pastor?

Hmmm . . .

Of course, the real problem with the "God-denomination-clergy-laity" model goes far beyond the incoherent, pretzel logic to which it leads. The chief problem is that it violates the spirit of the NT! For behind the pious rhetoric of "providing accountability" and "having a covering," there looms a system that is bereft of Biblical support and driven by a spirit of control.

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