Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Example of work of a NT apostle

Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet 

After Jesus arose, HE gave to the church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers for the work of the ministry.  
Eph. 4  When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.  9(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)  11And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:


When Jesus walked on the earth HE called to himself 12 apostles, one was Judas.  After the resurrection, Peter said they must replace Judas.  Acts 1 ... 21Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection. 23And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. 24And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, 25That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. 26And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.


Notice the requirement for apostle was one who had "companied" with Peter and the other apostles from the time Jesus walked on the earth in the flesh.  And the lot fell on Matthias and he took the place of Judas and became one of the 12 apostles.

Today so many churches say there are no longer apostles in the NT Church.  They say Paul was the last apostle.  But this is not even reasonable.  Matthias was the last apostle numbered with the original apostles.  Paul was persecuting the Christians at the time Matthias was appointed apostle.

So where does Paul really fit?

Paul was not the last apostle.  Paul is an example of an apostle appointed after Jesus arose.

Eph. 4 ... When HE ascended up on high, HE led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.  ...11And HE gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:


What do apostles do in the NT church today?

Apostles are anointed by God by the Holy Spirit to deal with doctrine and to cause the church, which is those of us who are born again, to eliminate false doctrines set up by men and to establish the true doctrine of the Bible.  (We have to eliminate these false doctrines from our own hearts for they have been planted there by men in the church groups and by devils who bring wrong thoughts to our minds.)

What you have just seen me speak is an example of the work of an apostle.  The false doctrine is there are no apostles in the church today.  Eph. 4 shows that Jesus gave apostles to the church after HE was resurrected so there are apostles today.  False doctrine is that Paul was the last apostle and there are no more apostles today.  This is not what the Bible teaches.  The Bible teaches that after Jesus arose, HE gave to the church "apostles" for the work of the ministry.  (Eph. 4)

What I have just written shows the work of apostle in the NT church.  Apostles work to uproot perverse doctrine and to establish truth in the church.  (We must not think of "the church" as being a group in one city where we live.  Often these people are not the church, not being born of the Spirit and living in false doctrine without change.  The church are those individuals throughout the entire world who are born again, having the Spirit of God.  We are scattered everywhere.)

Another example of apostle's work ...  A question arose after God showed the Gentiles were appointed for salvation.

"What are we going to do about the Gentiles?  Do we require that the Gentiles be circumcised as the Jews are circumcised?"

Acts 15 shows the working of apostles in this decision.  They met at Jerusalem to settle this matter.

6And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. 


7And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. 8And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; 9And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 10Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 11But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. 

12Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them. 

13And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: 14Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. 15And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, 16After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: 17That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. 18Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. 

James gives the ruling on the matter ... Acts 15  ... 19Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: 20But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. 

The ruling was the Gentiles did not need to be circumcised.

In the book of Galations, Paul went into detail concerning not requiring the Gentiles to be circumcised.

Today, if the question arose, as an apostle, I would refer everyone to these passages and say the Gentiles today do not need to be circumcised and should anyone try this they make faith in Jesus of no effect.  This is what Paul told us in Gal. 5 ... 2Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. 


==========

Apostles cling to scripture by the Holy Spirit and make rulings concerning doctrine.

Another example:  In today's churches divorce and remarriage after divorce is widely approved.

But Jesus said ... Mt. 5:32 ... But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

So these church groups approve remarriage for a divorced woman if her husband commits adultery against her.

But this is not what Jesus said.  And Paul made it clear to the NT Church in I Cor. 7 and again in Romans 7.

I Cor. 7 ... (concerning women)  10And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: 11But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband:


Paul says this is a "commandment of the Lord" for the women in the church.

Also Paul explains:

I Cor. 7 ... 39The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord.

Back to what Jesus said in Mt. 5:32 ... But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. 

The man who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.

The churches today have long removed the doctrine of Christ concerning the subject of divorce/remarriage.

As an apostle, appointed by God, I state what Jesus and Paul said in the Bible.  If the divorced woman remarries she commits adultery.  She can depart from her husband but she is to remain unmarried.  And the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.  And the husband who divorces a faithful wife will be the cause of her adultery should she remarry.

What you have seen me do here is an example of an apostle, appointed by God.  I have dealt with the question and presented the scripture and ruled on the issue by scripture by the Holy Spirit.

===============

Who says I am an apostle?

Paul said he was an apostle not of man but by God.  Gal. 1 ...  1Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)

Some thought Paul could not be an apostle because Paul did not walk with the other apostles when Jesus was on the earth in the flesh.  We know that some questioned Paul's being an apostle. Paul shows us this in the following scripture.   I Cor. 9 ... Paul says ... 2If I be not an apostle unto others, yet doubtless I am to you: for the seal of mine apostleship are ye in the Lord.

I was born again in 1975.  Shortly after this, in the night as I slept, I was transported into heaven where I knew I was with God, with Jesus, with the Holy Spirit though I saw no images.  At that time, I was merged into the body of Jesus, made one with Jesus.  A few nights after this the exact same thing happened again.  I was transported into heaven in the night as I slept.  I was merged into the body of Jesus, made one with the word of God.  God and the Holy Spirit witnessed.  I saw no images.

After this, by prophecy, Jesus said to me:  I have called you and set you in the body of Christ as an apostle ...

I cried out, "Apostle ... what's an apostle?"  (Several times it had been confirmed to me that I was a prophet and I didn't doubt this, but this was the first time I'd heard of "apostle".)

I told no one about this at the time.  But I did ask Don Gelino, a Bible teacher at the church I was attending, "What does an apostle do?  Who are the apostles in our church group."  Don could not give an answer to either question although our church group did profess that there were apostles & prophets in the church.  We just didn't seem to know any apostles nor did we know what they did in the church.

So I turned to God for HIM to teach me what an apostle does in the church and the first scripture God took me to is Acts 15 where James said:  19Wherefore my sentence is, 

And as God continued teaching me about the work of apostles in the church, I saw that much of this work had to do with making judgments concerning church doctrine and holding to scripture by the Holy Spirit in the church, uprooting incorrect doctrine that creeps into the church doctrine.  

This is what I do continually.  It is not a matter of establishing new rulings, new doctrine, rather it is upholding the original doctrines presented in the Bible by Jesus, Peter, Paul and others.  Many of these have been replaced by another doctrine in today's church groups.

A current creeping perversion in today's church groups has to do with homosexuals.  Some church groups are even taught that being homosexual is like being born black.  There is no sin in being born black.  And they teach there is no sin in being homosexual.

Certainly there in no sin in being black (although black & white and all men and women are born with sin nature).

But homosexuals are people given over by God to a reprobate mind, a mind without God's judgment.  Romans 1.  They do unnatural acts and these acts are described in Romans 1 as God given them over to "vile affections".

Romans 1 ... 26For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 

Can a homosexual be saved?  YES.  Just as a fornicator and adulterer and a thief and a drunkard and an idolater can be saved, so can a homosexual be saved by the will of God.

I Cor. 6 ... 9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate (homosexuals), nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

But if the homosexual is born again, he will not continue in homosexual acts.  If the adulterer and fornicator is born again, he (or she) will not continue in those sins.  And all these sins will be viewed as "shame" and the person should not even speak of such shameful sins of his (her) past for it is a great shame.  (Eph. 5:12)

After we are born again, we are changed by God through the Holy Spirit into new creatures and we are constantly recreated into the image of Christ as we deal with various problems of this present life in a godly way by the information given us by the Spirit of God who now dwells in us.

It is the work of apostle in the church to deal with these doctrines and set them according to Bible by the Holy Spirit.

Paul said the following before departing:  Acts 20 ...  26Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. 27For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. 28Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. 29For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 31Therefore watch,


So how can we straighten all this out in the church today?

If we are thinking of such things as Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Assembly of God and other church groups who have perverted doctrine, we will not be able to straighten this out.

Most in these groups are not born again.  This is truly the end time church where they fall away from scripture and set up another gospel though they still say "Jesus is Lord."  They cast aside many scriptures to please themselves and to approve church goers.  This is the falling away which allows the spirit of antichrist to reign as god in the various churches.  Paul said that would happen.  II Thess 2

We deal with those who are born again, individuals all over the world who read such writings as I write here.  In the church, which is us, we can straighten out perverse doctrine.  This is what I do all the time for this is what I am appointed by God to do as an apostle/prophet.

But you will not be able to straighten out perverse doctrine in the groups you attend.  But you do not have to be perverse.  And when you see the truth you will not be able to sit among the perverse for it will be an abomination to you.  You will have to come out and separate to God with people who demonstrate a willingness to give up perverse doctrine.  And we may not be in the same town as we follow God.  In our church group, none are in the same town.  We are scattered around the USA.  But we are connected by the Holy Spirit and we can even communicate with each other due to modern ways of communication though we are hundreds of miles apart.  We are connected by the Spirit when we belong to God and follow truth of the Spirit.

=============

Work of an apostle in NT church  (Published 4-30-14)

1 Timothy 4:1-5 ... Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. 4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: 5 For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

Exhortation:  Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet

Usually when I read the above scripture I think immediately of the Catholic church who forbids the eating of meat on Fridays.  This practice is not in Bible and we are even told not to reject that created by God.

Churches set up many doctrines which are not in Bible and require their followers to do these things not required by God.

Recently a woman spoke to me telling me what she was giving up for Lent.  There is no such thing in Bible as Lent.  Certainly there is no requirement for us to make a sacrifice giving up something we enjoy unless what we enjoy happens to be a sin ... fornication, adultery, drunkenness and such.  Then we give that up permanently after we are born again and have the Spirit of God.

==============

People often depart from the "faith" setting up strange doctrines to follow, even doctrines which deny the faith which is in God and HIS provisions and in the HOLY scriptures.

Recently my cousin who is Church of Christ said they now know some of the things they have taught are wrong but they don't want to remove the wrong doctrine because it would hurt the faith of their older members.  Amazing.  They are "speaking lies in hypocrisy"  (I Tim. 4:2) ... when they know better and still teach wrong doctrine ....

============

And some do follow "seducing" spirits.  It is not unusual for "bad thoughts" to come to me about another person.  When this happens I can pray, asking God for wisdom concerning that person.  The "bad" thought could be God showing me some evil that person is doing.  Or the "bad" thought could be from devil.  Certainly I want to yield to the thought when it is from God and resist the thought when it is from the devil.  And since God promises to give us wisdom when we ask HIM, James 1:5, I have the assurance that God will give me wisdom when I ask for wisdom in the subject at hand.

A "bad sounding thought" might be from Spirit of God.  You might have a thought that a doctrine taught at your church group is wrong.  The thing to do is to prove that doctrine ... through prayer and study of Bible.  If you have Holy Spirit, HE will guide you into truth as you submit to HIM.

==============

One of the very strange doctines practiced by a majority of Christian type churches today is the doctrine that the Lord's supper is crackers and grape juice.  They pass this around to their church group and call it "The Lord's supper."

But the Lord's supper is the Word of God.

The way we partake of the Word of God is very serious.  If we partake wrongly of the Word of God, we "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. 32But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world".  (I Cor. 11)

Crackers and grape juice have nothing at all to do with judging ourselves.  We judge ourselves by the scriptures through prayer.

Please read:  What is the Lord's supper?

=============

If we see "flee fornication" and we are committing fornication while we have the Word of God on the matter of fornication  (I Cor. 6)  we can be in extreme danger of being turned over to a reprobate mind.

Romans 1 ...  28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;   29Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:  32Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them 

To continue in fornication while reading the Bible and attending church is a part of the falling away from scripture and should set the person up to be weak and sickly and some even die.  (It can be a physical death and it can be spiritual death.)

We examine ourselves through the Word of God by the Spirit of God.

But in the last days, people will depart from scripture and explain away scripture and end up going in paths of destruction in the church as they attend church and tithe.

=================

Paul says in the last days there will be a falling away.  (II Thess. 2)  This does not necessarily mean they will stop going to church.  It means the churches will depart from scripture, thus falling away from truth.

For example:  Jesus says the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.  (Mt. 5:32)

I've never heard this taught at a church gathering.  These churches who omit this instruction have already fallen away from truth in order to pursue their own lusts and not offend anyone.

In I Tim. 4, "forbidding to marry" does not pertain to forbidding to remarry.  There is a very big difference between marriage and remarriage.

Please read:  Divorce/remarriage:  What the Bible teaches 

The Catholic church forbids their priests to marry.  The Bible does not forbid a minister to marry though to marry a divorced woman would be adultery (Mt. 5:32)

One time I was speaking with my contractor who is Catholic.  He brought up the subject of the priest in the Catholic church who have been identified as pedophiles (having sex with children).  I told him if the Catholic church permitted priests to marry some of this might be stopped.  He replied, "Well ... I don't know about allowing priests to marry."  I said:  "Peter was married."  My contractor gasped when I said this.  He was very disturbed.  I took Bible and showed him where it spoke in Bible of Peter's mother-in-law.  Mt. 8 ... 14And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever.

Later I learned the Catholic church considers Peter to be their founder.  No wonder my contractor was so shocked when he heard me say Peter was married.

Another scripture proving Peter was married and that Peter even had children is the following:

I Peter 5 ... Peter says ... 1The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder


Here are requirement for an elder in the church ...   

I Tim. 3 ...1This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 2A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;  3Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;  4One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 5(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 6Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.  7Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. 


Bishop and elder are the same thing.

We see these words "bishop and elder" used interchangeably in the following scripture  ... 

Titus 1 ... 5For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: 
6If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly. 7For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; 8But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;  9Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.   


(We see in this scripture that an elder is to be" husband of one wife, having faithful children")

So by the scriptures we see Peter (who said he is an elder) must be married and have children ...

Concerning bishops ... Please read ... Correct use of the term "Bishop"

===============

We see all manner of changes in doctrine in churches ... yet the Bible is the only thing we can go by ... But so many churches have already fallen away from scripture as they set up their own way falling away from Bible instructions..  So many churches have already fallen away.  Their doctrine shows this falling away when compared with Bible.

There are many false doctrines in church groups today.  We should not sit among a church group when the doctrine is against the scriptures.  To sit among them is to sanction them in their evil doing and even to become a part of their evil doing even if you do disagree with them.  If you disagree with doctrine why would you stay there.

II Jn. ...  9Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ (THE WORD), hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
10If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 11For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.



It is the end times.