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"Over all His glory there must be a covering."

(Is 4:5)

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The term “covering” first appears in the Bible when God made tunics to cover and protect Adam and Eve’s nakedness after their fall in the garden of Eden. (Gen 3:21) But the root concept of “covering” originates from the essence of Father God Himself. The thick and weighty clouds of the “shekinah” glory of God is the “covering” that emanates from the Father’s brilliant and glorious presence where He dwells in unapproachable light. (1 Tim 6:16)

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God IS light. (1Jn 1:5) He is an all-consuming fire from the loins up to the loins down. (Ezek 1:27; Heb 12:29) No man can look at His face and live to talk about it. (Exo 33:20) Only Christ Has seen the Father in all His splendor and glory.

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“Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.” (John 6:46)

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When we look at the glory of Christ, we are only looking at a reflection of the Father’s glory. (Joh 14:9; 2Co 4:6) Man can only glimpse God’s glory in varying degrees, not all at once.

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“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Co 3:18) 

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The Father’s presence is covered with thick clouds of shekinah glory for our sake. (Psalms 97:2) If the “shekinah” of the Father were to be fully uncovered at any time, the earth and its elements would melt with fervent heat, and universe would be destroyed in a fiery inferno. (2 Pet 3:10-12)

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“The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD, At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.” (Psa 97:5)

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That is why Isaiah says, "Over all His glory there must be a covering." (Is 4:5)

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What is “Covering?”

The word “covering’ refers to a canopy of protection, a shelter or a defense. Just as Christ covers, protects, defends and watches over His Bride—the Church Universal—He has appointed leaders to cover and protect the saints gathered in local congregations. For we who are Christ’s have been given this glory by the Holy Spirit in our earthen vessels (2 Co 4:6-7; Rom 8:18) and over all of God’s glory there must always be a covering; an oversight, a protection, a defense.

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There's been a lot of talk about "covering" in the Body of Christ over the years. Much abuse has taken place in the name of "covering" and some Christians shudder when they hear the word. Nevertheless, the scriptures are clear, God has raised up leaders to provide a covering for our souls.

"OBEY THOSE WHO RULE OVER YOU, AND BE SUBMISSIVE, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you."

(Heb 13:17)

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Every Christian should be submitted to the "covering" of a healthy local church. Godly ministers provide a spiritual "covering" for the sheep through their prayers and intercessions. They are called to bring the counsel of Heaven to the Church and help guide Christians into: "the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." (Eph 4:21) There is never any time when it is justifiable to speak evil of those who lead in the Body of Christ. Jude warns us to avoid "Christians" who: "...reject authority and speak evil of dignitaries." (Jude 1:8) According to the apostle Paul, those who reject godly authority will bring judgment upon themselves.

"Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist WILL BRING JUDGMENT ON THEMSELVES."

 (Rom 13:2)

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The apostle Paul provided a spiritual "covering" for the churches he planted throughout the world. He "covered" the saints with prayer and encouraged them with godly corrections and admonishments. Under a healthy covering, your spiritual life will thrive and flourish. You will receive the revelation and protection you need to overcome the flesh, the world and the devil.

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Spiritual covering should always be a positive force in your life. It should be a blessing and not a source of grief or sorrow. Unfortunately, because of the corruptible nature of man, this is not always the case for some. Some churches and leaders can mean well but end up being harmful to your spiritual health. It’s important to know the difference between a heathy covering and an unhealthy covering so you and your family can live a blessed and prosperous life.

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“The thief (Satan) does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I (Jesus) have come that you may have life, and that you may have it more abundantly.” (Joh 10:10)

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Dangerous Churches

Be prayerful and thorough in your search for a healthy covering and be aware that there are some churches that are dangerous for you to attend. Dangerous churches:

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• Replace the Lordship of the Holy Spirit with man-made programs and agendas. They relegate the manifestations and gifts of the Holy Spirit to back-rooms and non-public places because the leaders are ashamed of prophecy, speaking in tongues or the gifts of the Holy Spirit being displayed publicly. They don’t have altar calls for people to be saved, healed, delivered or filled with the Holy Spirit.

 

• Teach false doctrine. (That you are saved by good works, that Jesus is one among many ways to God, that there is no heaven and hell, that there is no trinity, that healing and miracles have passed away, that apostles and prophets have ceased to exist, that the Bible is not the inspired Word of God, that speaking in tongues is of the devil etc.)

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• Embrace occult teaching and practices such as new age theology, reincarnation, meditation, soul-mating, spirit-channeling, astrology, communication with the dead, witchcraft, juju etc.

 

• Teach psychology, positive thinking, "in-womb" memories, the wounded inner-child or "co-dependency" instead of the scriptures.

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• Endorse or “treat lightly” life-styles of sin including fornication, adultery, homosexuality in the pulpit which then begins to infect the congregation.

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• Blatantly disrespect the Bible and don’t hold to sound doctrine. They add to, take away from, twist or ignore what is plainly written in the scriptures or they don’t rightly divide the Word of truth. They major on minor issues and minor on the major issues. Some churches even depart entirely from the Bible giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons.

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• Are extremely controlling, requiring approval from leadership for everyday decisions. (Car and house purchases, relationships etc.)

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• Have abusive, mean-spirited leaders who vent their frustrations upon the sheep. They use the pulpit to "beat" the congregation into submitting to things that are not in the will of God. They "strangle" all individuality and terrorize the congregation with condemnation and legalism.

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• "Steamroll" over the boundaries of family government, break-up marriages, alienate family members and destroy entire households.

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These are just a few characteristics of things to watch out for when attending a church. Dangerous churches will become more and more common in these last-days. Believers must learn to recognize and avoid them if they want to remain spiritually "healthy."

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Covering Vs. Control

For those of you who already attend a healthy local church, it is important to understand the difference between covering and control. Some churches start out holding close to the Spirit and the Word and then later drift away. When ministers and church leaders maintain their intimacy with God, they are able to provide a very healthy covering for God's people. But when they leave the place of intimacy with God and begin to speak their own prayerless ideas and opinions, they move from "covering" the sheep, to "controlling" them. True "covering" can only exists as long as five-fold ministers remain "submitted" to Jesus, the "Head of the Church." When ministers disconnect themselves from the "Head" and begin to speak and act on their own accord, they move from "watching over" the sheep (Hebrews 13:17), to: "lording" it over them. Jesus has not intended this at all. The apostle Peter writes:

"Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion, but according to God, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; NOR AS BEING LORDS OVER THOSE ENTRUSTED TO YOU, but being examples to the flock..."  

(I Pet 5:2-3)

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Authority in God's kingdom is not patterned after the world. It's not the same kind of authority that the gentiles exercise over each other. Rather, it is a form of leadership demonstrated primarily by the minister's life-style and example. That is what Jesus meant when He said:

"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great EXERCISE AUTHORITY over them. YET IT SHALL NOT BE SO AMONG YOU; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant."  

(Mat 20:25-26)

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The word for authority that Jesus used in this passage is: "katexousiazo" which means: to have or wield full privilege over. In this passage, Jesus was saying that no single individual wields full right or privilege over the saints. That level of authority is reserved for Jesus alone, for He is: "...Head over all things to the Church. " (Eph 1:22) A five-fold minister's authority in the Church is only a partial authority. It must remain subject to the Head at all times. If a five-fold minister begins to speak and act independently of the Lord Jesus, he is actually in rebellion. He must return to: "holding fast to the Head" (Col 2:19), or he will inflict great damage on the Body of Christ. The apostle James warned about leaders like this:

"My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, KNOWING THAT WE SHALL RECEIVE A STRICTER JUDGMENT. " 

(James 3:1)

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Five-fold ministers and church leaders have been given tremendous responsibility and God wants them to receive double honor when they minister well. Among their many responsibilities they must "cover" the Bride of Christ and protect her from any who would seek to "touch" her glory for their own selfish pleasure. They must preserve the Bride for the pleasure of the King not “rape” the Bride for their own pleasure. When the Lord returns for His Church, He will uncover her glory-for it belongs to Him alone. And until that wonderful day, the Bride of Christ must remain properly covered. For according to the scriptures, "Over all His glory there must be a covering."  (Is 4:5)

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END

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© Copyright 2019 -- K. D. Anderholm
All rights reserved. This article is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version, Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Nashville, Tennessee. All references to deity have been capitalized.