Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
Jn. 6 ... Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? 31Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
32Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
They saw Moses behind the gift of the manna, but not God ... They saw by their own flesh.
Jesus explains:
Jn. 6 ... No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. 45It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of (by) God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of (from) the Father, cometh unto me.
In verse 32, when they asked Jesus to show them a sign so they could believe, Jesus had just feed a multitude of 5000 with 5 loaves and 2 small fish ... and they had 12 basketfulls after 5000 had eaten ...
But it is only when God opens our eyes that we can see. No man can open our eyes to things of God.
Certainly each of us who are of God speak as led by God but we can't cause the eyes of anyone to be opened to things of God. Only God can do that.
But it is important for us to speak. And how can we not speak when we are so filled with God?
After I was born again, I spoke constantly of God and of that which HE has shown me and that which HE had done. (I still do this.)
At one point my dad said to my mother, "Joan has gone overboard on this religion." My mother replied, "No she's OK."
Later my mother said to me, "I would like to have a faith like yours."
God had mercy on me allowing both my mother and my dad to see HIM before they died.
But I just kept speaking things of God both to them and to everyone around me.
God opened eyes as HE willed for salvation is of God.
I never tried to witness. I am a witness. I don't try to witness. I am a witness. Because I have been taught by God and learned spiritual things from God. That is what each of us do when we really belong to God.
Jn. 6:45 ... And they shall be all taught of (by) God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of (from) the Father, cometh unto me.
It isn't that we learn "about" God. Nor are we taught "about" God. We are taught by God, directly by God. We learned from God HIMSELF.
This is the new covenant: Heb. 8 ... God says ... For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: 11And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
God just puts his laws directly into our hearts and our minds. No man teaches us. God teaches us.
Later we might hear a man teach and we know truth because God has already put HIS truth into our hearts and mind. This is the new covenant God makes with man.
You cannot learn about God and be of God. Many people try that. But knowing God only comes when God opens our eyes and puts truth into our hearts. Then we are the church.
And it is all done by the Spirit of God which was given to the people of God after Jesus arose.
Jesus said to his disciples: 7Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. 12I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. Jn. 16
Prior to the crucifixion of Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus, the Holy Spirit was not given to all Israel. Saul had the Holy Spirit and then when Saul disobeyed God, God removed the Holy Spirit from Saul and gave the Holy Spirit to David. And after the Holy Spirit was removed from Saul and evil spirit from the Lord came to Saul.
I Sam. 16 ... Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
14But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. 15And Saul’s servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.
It is only by the Holy Spirit that we can know things of God. For the Spirit of God searches the heart of God and reveals the things of the heart of God to us. I Cor. 2:10-12
And after the crucifixion and resurrection each person who is of God is given the Holy Spirit and is sealed with the Holy Spirit as an "earnest" of our salvation. Eph. 1:13-14
And Paul says: Romans 8:9 ... Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
And Paul explains: II Cor. 13 ... Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
Concerning reprobates, Paul says: Romans 1 ... And 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.
They knew God but they did not "like to retain God in their knowledge." They chose to cast aside the word of God, the truth, and go in a way opposite to the Word of God and God turned them over to a reprobate mind, a mind without God's judgment ... We might view this as a mind without "conscience", without common sense.
Very serious.
God might choose to save someone by the foolishness of preaching ... I Cor. 1:21 ... it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
So we speak ... but God does as HE wills ... He opens the eyes of one person who hears us while another persons eyes are closed and he continues to walk in darkness of his own mind. These two people could be sitting side by side hearing us.
Salvation is of God, by HIS will and not by our own will. All we do is speak truth and do what we believe to be right in the sight of God.
Example: After God revealed HIMSELF to me, I was visiting my parents at their home. I opened cabinet and saw a set of Zodiac mugs. I took a sack and put those mugs into a sack. My mother was watching me and when she realized what I was about to do she cried out: "No ... I want to keep those mugs. You gave those to me." I paid no attention at all to her cries nor did I speak anything. I just kept putting the mugs into the bag. Then I took the bag into the alley to the dumpster and broke the mugs and threw them into the garbage to be picked up.
When I returned to the house, I got a Bible and read the following to my mother:
Deut. 18 ... When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. 10There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, 11Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. 13Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.
After I read this, my mother replied: "Well ... I guess we'd better not do that any more."
All we do is that which is right in the sight of God. All we speak is that which God would speak through us, sharing HIM as HE wills.
With some God opens the heart to hear us and believe us. With others God hardens the heart. Thus we see Romans 9 as Paul explained: they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. 9For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son. 10And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; 11(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) 12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. 13As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
14What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. 15For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. 17For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
18Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Thus salvation is not of us nor by our will but by the will of God. God does as HE wills.