***UPDATE 5/17/09*** This article references a story that appeared on the blog “Endtimes Prophetic Words”. Many have accused that blog author of misdeeds and I allowed this forum for both parties to air their grievances. Unfortunately, the volley’s continue back and forth – so I have deleted all comments referencing personal accusations of the blog author AND her defense of herself. Further comments towards anything except the article will not be published.
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In the past I have spoken out about several lies that the charismatic church perpetuates in order to garner “submission” from others, specifically “spiritual covering”, “spiritual fatherhood/motherhood”, and the phony “apostolic covering” that we see permeating the church today. The “laying on of hands” (as the picture above depicts), is not “unholy” – in fact, it’s sanctioned by God (Acts 8:17, 1 Timothy 4:14, 2 Timothy 1:6, and so on) – but it is not a game to be played with. In fact, the (real) Apostle Paul clearly warned against “laying hands on anyone too hastily” (1 Timothy 5:22) – thereby calling for a serious reflection upon the call of ministry.
The misunderstood (yet often repeated) mantra is that you must be “launched” into ministry by a “spiritual father” or “spiritual mother”, and that person in turn becomes your “covering”. These people advance the notion that you must be “sent” into ministry by a “covering pastor/bishop/prophet/evangelist” – that you can’t simply respond to the call of God and the urging of the Holy Spirit and go forth declaring the Gospel to the nations.
Further, these liars like to separate those who were “sent” from those who “went”, thereby tainting the ministry credentials of those who “went” without a “covering”. I agree 100% that we all should be accountable to someone else in our Christian walk (think of it as a series of checks and balances), but I refuse to believe that God would bypass me to speak to someone else about me, especially since He said in His Word that He is already my “covering”, not the hireling who begs for my money every week.
Still, the covering scam keeps gaining traction. For example, TD Jakes is Eddie Long’s “spiritual daddy” (seems fitting). Eddie Long has “spiritual sons” from one coast to the other. If I attended the church of one of Eddie’s “sons” and I decided to stop attending so that I could lead weekly bible study and prayer in my basement with a few believers, then I am an outcast – one who did not properly submit to “spiritual authority” and rebelliously left my “fathers house uncovered”.
While one could chuckle at this foolishness from a distance, here’s yet another example of how this heretical thinking continues to grow like a cancer within the Body (courtesy of the blog End Times Prohetic Words):
Apostle Claims Pastor Shot Down Was God’s Judgment For No Apostolic Covering
As many of you know, the Rev. Fred Winters was recently tragically shot down and killed while delivering a sermon at First Baptist Church in Maryville, Illinois. This incident is tragic enough news.
However, a NAR [New Apostolic Reformation] apostle speculated to other apostles that being shot down in the pulpit was judgment from God starting in the House of God, because the pastor had no apostolic ‘covering’!
The article goes on to say:
There is a lot of bad pastoral/apostolic ’covering’ teaching in the church at large, the pimping and the abuse and the fearful superstition is not just prevalent within the NAR – but Lyrica’s is one of the worst statements I have heard. One worries where this type of thinking will lead as it morphs to its logical conclusions among sincere, passionate, devoted but blinded NARzie followers in Joel’s Army …. after all, many of us have not forgotten the NARzie false prophecies about civil war breaking out in the church, and what will happen to the NARzie critics or those who refuse to unify with them…. and spiritual warfare is headed to literal action and literal war as that is where dominionism is going, and must go by its very nature.
The New Apostolic Reformation is a cult that mimics true Christianity but is sorely lacking a sound biblical foundation. In fact, this was the same group that was propping up and providing “spiritual covering” for Todd “The Tool of Satan” Bentley and his Lakeland, FL circus show last year – culminating in this demonic “apostolic confirmation service” (DISCLAIMER: In accordance to Ephesians 6:10-18, please pray before viewing or listening to any of Todd Bentley’s video or audio recordings. The only way to combat the evil of this day is with the unadulterated Word of God.).
If you think that I and others are engaging in hysterical emotionalism regarding the path that the church is currently on (particularly when a nutjob can kill a minister and other “ministers” explain the cause as a “lack of apostolic covering”), remember the Words of the Lord (my emphasis in bold):
John 16:1-4 (New American Standard Bible)
1“These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling.
2“They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God.
3“These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me.
4“But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.
May God have mercy on those who labor in His vineyard while exposing the wickedness of this generation – and anxiously await His return.
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