Letter to a pastor who expressed interested in having "friendship" with me:
I have read your email and attachments ...
The first thing to do is to stop calling yourself "reverend" ...
Several years ago, a woman came to me and said, "What do we call you? Do we call you Reverend?"
I was horrified at the idea of being called "reverend" ... and I quickly replied, "NO ... you just call me Joan.
(They called Paul, Paul ... They called Peter, Peter ... no where in the Bible did they call any human Reverend ...")
9He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is HIS name. Psa. 119:9 (Reverend is God's name)
(Paul often identified himself as an apostle/teacher ... Certainly it is proper to refer to a minister as apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher ... Eph. 4 ... but not "Father" or "Reverend"...)
Jesus said ...
The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: 3All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. 4For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
5But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 6And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.
8But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
9And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
10Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. 11But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. Mt. 23
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Jesus made himself "of no reputation" ... Phil. 2
The display of "founder" and Reverend both have the characteristic of glorifying yourself.
To turn from doing these two things and just focusing of the glory of God through the price paid by Jesus and promoting HIM ONLY would be a very big beginning if you are able to do it.
God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Gal. 6
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Then the following issues need to be
addressed:
Concerning the gathering of the church, Paul said the following is "the commandment of the Lord" ... for the gathering of the church ...
How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
(Every person in the congregation is free to speak a psalm
(prayer), doctrine, tongue, revelation, interpretation by the Spirit of God.
But they also need to understand all things are to be done unto edifying:
building the church in the faith, instructing (can be warning to correct
oneself) ... If any out of place activity surfaces, it is stopped immediately
for Paul also says things are to be done decently and in order ... verse
40)
27If any man speak in an unknown tongue,
let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one
interpret. 28But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in
the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God. 29 Let the
prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. 30If any thing
be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.
31For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may
be comforted. 32And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the
prophets. 33For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as
in all churches of the saints.
Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted
unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith
the law. 35And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their
husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.
(When I asked God about women speaking in the gathering of the
church, the Holy Spirit said, "Look at what these women were doing."
When I looked closely at the above passage, I saw these women were interrupting
the flow of the Spirit of God by asking questions. Thus Paul said, "If they
will learn anything let them ask their husbands at home." Questions
in the gathering of the church would be out of order. Also God had
me consider Philip, the evangelist. He had 4 daughters who did prophesy. Acts
21:8-9 ... Prophesy is for the church. So these women would be permitted to
speak in the gathering of the church. Women can prophesy, sharing doctrine and
such in the gathering of the church but everything must be under the Spirit of
God and if anything gets out of order it must be stopped immediately, and
addressed in front of the entire congregation. Everything is to be done
"decently and in order" verse 40)
What? came the word of God out from you? or came it unto you only? 37If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. 38But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant. 39Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. 40Let all things be done decently and in order. I Cor. 14
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Then you must seriously consider this: What is the Lord's supper?
Is the Lord's Supper the eating of cracker and drinking of grape juice as most churches do today? And how do you really judge yourself this way for we are supposed to judge ourselves. And how do you properly eat crackers and drink grape juice.
Or is the Lord's Supper the proper partaking of the Word of God. (This is what we believe the Lord's Supper to be ... correctly eating and drinking the Word of God . Making necessary corrections to our lives by eating and drinking the word given us by God in a correct way.)
Jesus said ...I am that bread of life. 49Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. JN.. 6
(Is Jesus speaking of eating a cracker ... or is Jesus speaking of eating the Word given by God.)
Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 57As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 58This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. Jn. 6
(So how do we eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink HIS blood that we may have life in us?)
Does life come by eating a cracker or drinking grape juice? Or does life come when we read the Bible and consider a specific scripture and change our way based on that scripture and the instruction given in the scripture?
And all this ties into I Cor. 11 ...
For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. 27Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. (The Word of God is our bread ... When we eat the Word of God we partake of the body and blood of Jesus ... This is the way we eat His flesh and drink His blood and we must eat and drink the Word of God correctly, doing the instructions in a correct way)
For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. (We do not judge ourselves by crackers & grape juice... we judge ourselves by the Word of God)
But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. 33Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. (When we come together we often repeat various doctrines ... The person who already has "eaten" that doctrine and has even digested it must not be impatient with the repetition of the word of God but must wait until the new among us can also eat the Word of God on the matter at hand. None of this has to do with eating natural food.)
And if any man hunger, let him eat at home;(Study the Bible at home ... correct yourself at home) that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come. I Cor. 11
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You will be partaking of the Lord's supper when you consider all that I have written here and you will have to make decisions based on these scriptures and godly instructions.
Joan Boney
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