Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
Kenneth Copeland:
At his own meetings, Copeland told how he got into ministry. He was a pilot (as I recall story) and was flying plane for preacher Kenneth Hagin. Copeland decided he wanted to be a preacher. So he shut himself up in his garage and memorized the teaching of Kenneth Hagin from Hagan tapes and started preaching.
In the early 80's, Vinita Copeland (Kenneth's mother) was a friend of mine. I often went to her home and she often came to my meetings.
By the mid-80's, after God began teaching me about corruption in ministries I realized the evil in the way Copeland went becoming a minister. I did not believe Copeland had the Holy Spirit. I told his mother this.
Also Copeland's followers took up an offering to give him a trip to Hawaii as a birthday present. I warned them about doing this for I was sure IRS would not consider such "offerings" to be tax deductible.
I spoke about this at a meeting I had in Ft. Worth, Texas where the Copelands lived. The audience was largely composed of Copeland followers. The message got to Copeland. I tried to get this message to Copeland but he surrounds himself with body guards to keep people from reaching him (at least he did this at that time) and written warning I sent were thrown away and kept from him according to the report I had. So I spoke it on radio and at the Ft. Worth meeting and the message reached Copeland.
Nevertheless, I do not believe this man has the Spirit of God.
Marilyn Hickey:
Marilyn used to tell this story at her meetings. When she began speaking at churches, her best friend came to her and said, "Marilyn, you are the most boring speaker I have ever heard." So Marilyn hired an acting coach to make her more interesting.
When the Spirit of God is speaking through us, it is interesting. We do not need to work on our delivery of messages if the message is from the Spirit of God. No matter how crude our speech it is powerful. Paul said this about himself. II Cor. 10 ... For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible. 11Let such an one think this, that, such as we are in word by letters when we are absent, such will we be also in deed when we are present.
We do not use fleshly ways to speak the word of God. The power is the word of God when God leads us to speak.
Marilyn traveled with large numbers of boxes of books and tapes which she sold at meetings. She told me this story. She said she had learned how to get the airlines to ship these for her without paying them very much money. She got several $1 bills and rolled them into a large roll and drove up the the curb check in and when the sky cap came to the car she showed him the large roll of bills and he put her books through with her luggage without extra charge. She proudly told me she had taught her daughter to do this and now Sarah could do this too.
This is dishonest. This is cheating the airlines.
This story is from the early 80's. With all the restrictions on air travel today I don't even know if they have curb check-in any longer. Marilyn said you always go to curb to do this.
I heard Marilyn several times. There is only one thing she told at her meetings that I can remember. Her husband was a pastor and they had a covered dish dinner at her church. She brought an eggplant casserole. She tried to sneak it in so no one would know she brought it. A man walked up and filled his plate with various thing, one of which was her eggplant casserole. He took one bite and grimaced and turned to Marilyn and said, "Marilyn, did you bring this?"
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Both these "ministers" became very famous and have very large followings. But they did it in worldly ways.
Paul said ... I Cor. 1 ... And I, brethren, when I came to you,
came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the
testimony of God. 2For I determined not to know any thing among you,
save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3And I was with you in weakness,
and in fear, and in much trembling. 4And my speech and my preaching was
not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the
Spirit and of power: 5That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of
men, but in the power of God.
This is what
God taught me to do, like Paul. Don't speak with clever stories to
entice the flesh of other humans. Rather speak with the wisdom given by
God where there is power of God.
Mt. 24 ... concerning the signs of the end times ... And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
4And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Jude ... But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18How that they told you there should be mockers (Imitators) in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. 19These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.