In my vision, I was walking through the countryside. It was a beautiful, sunny day, no clouds in the sky. The countryside was filled with green trees, rippling books and rolling hills. As I walked, I heard voices saying, “Hey, come to our church. We are free. We are truly free.”
I turned to look toward the direction of the voices. They were coming from a dark, dingy cave with bars covering the entrance of the cave. Hands were sticking through the openings between the bars, waving at me, trying to get my attention.
I thought to myself, how can this be. These people are in a dark, dingy cave and I’m out here in this beautiful light, enjoying myself, and they think that they are free. How can they be so deceived? (Spoken by Roberts Liardon in the early 1990’s.)
For about four years, I was a part of a dark, dingy cave, much like the one Liardon described in his vision. It’s not that we did not pray; we had a morning intercessory prayer meeting which met for three and a half years – every morning. It ‘s not that we did not fast; a twice a week deal. It’s not that we did not study the word; we did. It’s not that we did not walk in the charismatic gifts; we excelled in them. We danced. We sang the latest worship songs. And we loved Israel and celebrated Shabats on special Friday nights.
And yet, it was a prison with a steeple on the roof.
How could this be?
The number one reason was the so-called “covering and accountability” teachings. Under this teaching, a person like me had to have a covering (apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher) over him that watched over him, corrected him, checked him out, and supposedly kept him in the right timings of God. The coverings would know when I was ready to be used by God. It was up to them to hear God’s voice for my life.
My duty was to submit and be accountable to my coverings (pastors). After all, they were God’s servants, placed over me. To do anything less, would have been an act of rebellion on my part.
So what happened?
A woman in another town spent weeks fasting and praying for my deliverance. Eventually, my eyes were opened and I left the church?
What did my coverings (pastors) say when I told them? “You are out of the will of God and God will never use you again. Don’t leave.”
That was seventeen years ago.
Larry Who 
AND?
What are you doing now? What doors is GOD opening for you (not self opened doors like a blog… anyone can have a blog?)
Examples…. how has God changed you in those 17 years?
No really… I am interested.
I just know where I am and honestly anything you throw at me won’t be used as a bone of division between me and my leadership. I know because I’ve heard from God myself, so I know I am to be where I am.
My leadership didn’t demand me to be there or to respect them. I’m not manipulated, controlled, or shamed into anything.
I’m loved as I am, where I am. My pastor is one of my best friends. My mentor. My LEADER.
I chose to be obedient to what God said and here I am. Not going anywhere until I hear God for myself say something else.
I would like someone to explain to me, from scripture, or tradition, or culture, what qualifies one man to be spiritually exalted above another man in a church,
Also, why it is that the lesser man’s obedience to the greater man gets him brownie points with God.
I just want to know where all the comments on this blog are rooted. I think I must be missing something.
If anyone is interested, Frank Viola wrote a classic book entitled, “Who Is Your Covering?”
It is one of the major books used by the Home Church or Simple Church movement. It deals with authority, accountability, and leadership and is filled with scriptural backup. You can check it out at: