Apostolic Covering

[Apostle Jerry A. Howard]

Your “covering” must always be a step or two ahead of you spiritually with revelation and integrity. Don't follow the ministry of someone that is behind you or you will be behind.

Follow the ministry of someone who the Lord keeps just ahead of you (not in the number of years they have been pastoring or been a bishop or apostle)... close enough to relate, but ahead enough to motivate. You covering is should be someone that you can GROW WITH, FLOW WITH, GO WITH and have UNLIMITED, UNHINDERED ACCESS TO!

[Apostle Ricci j Hausley Sr]

Dear Apostle Jerry A. Howard,

The underlying drive of every Apostle and their ensuing covering relationships is the total opposite from what the other fivefold ministry grace offices are given. Apostles on the hand of the Lord are demonstrated as the "thumb" on the hand of the Lord. The thumb is directly opposite of all the other appendages on one's hand. Try to touch your four fingers together, and you will see that there is not a real dexterity between them. Now try to have your four fingers touch your thumb, and you will also see that there is no real dexterity there either.

But now have your thumb touch anyone or all of your four fingers, and you will clearly see it has tempered in its grace an ability to rather easily touch the other representatives of the fivefold ministry. Because the Apostles ministry has been missing by large, this is why the church has not embraced it's pure Apostolic nature from which the church was originally born. The church is Apostolic in nature with a Prophetic Spirit behind it, and as part of its foundation.

The Apostles are the Ambassadors and spiritual Architects of the Kingdom of God. Their number one message beyond redemption is the Kingdom, Sonship and Spiritual Fathering. Everything we are is summed up in the life, message, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God's Son. God revealed His very own person as a Father and Son relationship. The church has been stuck at the principal level and they love their doctrines and perspectives more than they love and are committed to each other.

The entire Kingdom of God is totally opposite of everything the world has to offer. For example: if you want to be exalted in the world you strive to get ahead. In the Kingdom of God those who humble themselves will be exalted. In the Kingdom we are not to look on our own things, but to look on the things of others. The entire Kingdom works on this principal, and the Apostles are God's sign post and clear demonstration of this. Apostle Paul said God has chosen us as the Apostles as "last" and he refers to us as the offscouring (Scum) of the earth. How do you like that for a prequalification to become an Apostle? Last and scum!

The word "Apostle" is not a religious word in its original use for it was Greek in its use when Jesus introduced it. He chose to give birth to the church through his Apostles. On a personal note I would have never chosen these men to be a part of my ministry team. Just prior to his resurrection look at the crazy things they did. Some lied, some denied, and one betrayed, and the rest forsook him. So what did Jesus know that we did not know? For again, I would not have chosen these brothers to be a part of my ministry leadership team, especially to become the pillars upon which the whole church would stand the test of time!

What Jesus was depending upon was not the Apostles, but the seed of ministry he imparted and impregnated them with. That was the motivation of His prayer in St. John - 17 when Jesus prayed that they would know God the Father in the same way Jesus and His Father related to each other, and that they would be one. Jeswus mission was to show all throgh His Sonship what the father was like and to complet the work of eternal redemption. He did this as a great son to His heavenly Father and to his step Father Joseph for 30 years in obsecurity.

I have heard some crazy concepts concerning covering. The reIational paradigm MUST be the driving force behind and relationship of his nature, and not where can this person take me or add to me. Elisha followed Elijah because he wanted to know the God of Elijah the way he did. That is the whole motivation behind a fathering relationship to strike in the heart of a Son or daughter in Christ to know the Lord in a greater measure that what they currently possess. At the translation of Elijah, Elisha picked up the mantle the Lord used to draw him into a relationship with elijah, and he said "where is the Lord God of Elijah?"

I have seen too many people trying to make peer level ralationships into the kind of accountable relationships you are refering to. But the word of God says the younger shall serve the elder. A real ministry covering is not just an administrative one, but it MUST be a Father and Son (Daughter) relationship. We have too many "orphan hearted people trying to carry the office and attempting to take others wheree they themselves have never been. I have had two Spiritual Fathers and three Spiritual Mothers in Christ in my live and they are free to hold me accountable because I know they love and care for me. We are all grown people, and no one will allow anyone to rebuke, correct, or chastise us if we do not fgeel they have our best interest at heart.

Thanks for the opportunity to share from my unique perspective, of 36 years saved, 32 years in ministry, God Bless.

Apostle Ricci J. Hausley Sr., Apostle
Eagle's Nest Christian Fellowship, Family of Ministries

[Apostle Jerry A. Howard]

Apostle Hausley,

Thank you for that great insight.

Apostle Jerry A. Howard

[ANNA'REBECCA D.Schell]

grace and peace to you wonderful men of God,that was a true story (thank you Jesus) (smile) from both of you and should have been easy for any body to understand whats been said. thank God for you all saying this out loud. Humans will parish without the right word being said and the right way being made for them to grow, go, flow and reproduce this great kingdom work. there is to many covering that are afraid to let the people grow. or go. what ever there full reason, one is for certain that when some one forgets that this is KINGDOM work and not their own and that we are to over see and train the God call in there lives. Well these apostles, covering in any way become great haters toward the work of God. so i am glad to hear the will and way of God from you men of God. Jesus asked do you love me? and ended well if you love me then feed my sheep.That means his will and his way those are the only dishes that should be served. For those who are reading this and may have been afraid to let the people grow and go now is the time to repent stop today and let Gods people grow and you will reach new heights in God that you never ever could have dreamed of hey my brother my sister theres no shame in him just stop it and now do it all Gods way and understand that training letting them grow and go but having a GOD set up so that they stay connected and in couraged in the will and way of God. Amen! and if you need wisdom ask God and a man or woman of God that you know you can trust but beloved do it now bless you and thank you for this time. ps. I speak freedom to those who have been bound by wrong covering the laymen and the five fold freedom is yours today i bind and break the power of the hold and hold up off of your lives now, right now in Jesus name yes right now. Increase, in the will and way and all things pertaining to our Daddy God thank you Jesus
psalm-121 -foever and Amen(smile)

following with in the mind of Christ
Pastor/Prophetess Anna Rebecca Schell [e-mail]

[Apostle Ricci j Hausley Sr]

Dear Apostle Jerry A. Howard,

Thanks for the kind response man of God, and also thanks for the kind response also Prophetess Anna Rebecca D. Schell. I am a man under authority, therefore I can have authority over others. I have also been faithful over that which is another man's for I have served my 1st Spiritual Father as a Spiritual Son for over 16 years, and he passed away in 1988. He pastored our church for 48 years, and he was in the ministry for over 65 years.

In 1994-95 the Lord was gracious to me and brought me into my current relationship which is now 14 years and couning with my current spiritual father Apostle Charles W. "Chuck" Clayton. His life and message and genuine love and care for me as his adopted spiritual son has had a powerful impact on me in every way.

He has helped me to understand the relational paradigm which is his legacy and part of my spiritual inheritance, and his motivating factor is to make sure that my floor is his ceiling. He showed me that our destiny is tied to our most primary relationships. The Lord used him to open me up and teach me by his personal example what I had walked out all those years by faith and obedience with my original spiriual father. The relational paradigm is the life blood of the entire Kingdom, and without it all we have is dead man's bones.

I have me more spiritual orphans than I care to speak about, and many of hem are those who have the grace and calling to the fivefold ministry. when we do not follow God's order we will find ourselves lording over people faith and aking places in people's heart by illegitmate authority. We have to earn our way into people's hearts, and even then it is their place to give themselves to us in Christ. Authority that does not follow the spiriual parental route is artificial at best and leans toward's the administrative aspect of authority rather than the heartfelt relational aspect. we need both aspects not either or, but most of what I have seen in all of my 36 years is the administraive aspect at the expense of the relaional aspect.

Most denominations are governed by this and what has happened is it has released a "political spirit" in the ministry and in the church. I have seen a very heavy spirit of witchcraft, and a spirit of manipulation, domination and control released in many a pulpit. On a personal note I only preach 5 sunday's a year, and 6 midweek services per year. Over the last 10 years I had only preached 15 sunday's per year, and 16 midweek services. It is not the job of the children to lay up for the parents, but the parents to lay up for the children, to spend and to be spent.

A true leader does not merely have "followers," but desires to bring God's people into who they are in Christ, for that is why God sent them to us. The bible says without a vision the "people" perish, notice it does not say without a vision the "leader" perishes. the vision is given to the vision carrier or the leader, but it is from God for His people. The vision is God's corporate will for his people, not some personal place for fulfilling our own personal agenda. I have seen to much "ambition driven ministry" operating under the guise of follow me I have been given a vision. Christ never used this method to drive His mission, but his entire life and ministry was driven by His desire to fulfill His father will and to fulfill his purpose for coming into the world, and His genuine love for people.

The Lord in the last days will judge and chastise leaders who have taken the most precious commodity God's people have, which is their tikme, talent, and tresure and have squandered it on ambitious selfish promotion at the expense of God's people's destiny. I have seen more leaders with oil can in hand oiling the machnery of their so called ministry at the expense of God's people's potential. And the church is ran as a monarchy, with subjects. There is a clear difference between that which has been elected, and that which is "anointed" but never to lord over people's faith in the name of authority.

The Apostolic way is to earn your way into people's hearts, and to allow your life, message and personal example to impact people in such a way that they desire to know God the way that you do. This is why Apostle Paul says for me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. My Apostle and Spiritual father told me that not until the people of God see their leadership lay down their lives to the extent that His people can know God, that their sons and daughters will not turn their hearts to "their" fathers, according to the statement in Malachi - 4:5 - 6.

Apostle Paul is the great expositor concerning the message of the "preaching of the cross'... Notice he did not say the preching about the cross, which is most of what is done behind most pulpits. We as the eldership are called by God to be the top example in the house of God. Life begins at the resurrection of Jesus Christ, no before and not until. Not until we identify with him in the death of our self life do we actually have the life of God. Apostle Paul spoke to the church at Rome and laid this out so well. He said that we have risen with Christ by the operation of God. He said we have been made to sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. This is why law keeping could never reproduce the life of God, for if so then there would have not been a need for a "New Testament."

I have discovered like Apostle Paul in my personal life, "I die daily"... He said it this way, a
"Always bearing about in our mortal body the death of the Lord Jesus. Then he said "Death reins in us that life may be reproduced in you." We cannot reproduce the life of God in others until we are risen with Christ. This is the key to our entire walk, which is Christ in you the hope of glory. I have long discovered that except the Lord build the house, they that labor do labor in vain. I love the church, its leadership, and most importantly His people.

I have given my most productive years of my life to the work of God, and for all its worth I love it. Therefore I can be its most constructive, yet objective critic. Hopefully this gives you a little more insight into the perspective the Lord has so graciously taught me. God bless you both and thankyou for the opportunity to express the heart of God.

Sincerely,

Apostle Ricci J. Hausley Sr.
Eagle's Nest Chrisian Fellowship, Family of Ministries