John 15:1-4 ... I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every
branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more
fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
Exhortation: Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
In order to live with themselves, people have to justify themselves in some manner.
But we, who are of God, consider that which God has said to us about the matter at hand. God speaks through dreams, through reminding us of scripture and through ideas carried to us by the Holy Spirit.
Many years ago, in about 1979, in prophecy, God said to me: I have called you and ordained you as an apostle ... "apostle?" I cried out ... What is an apostle? (I had no idea what this meant.)
I asked our Bible teacher what an apostle does. He gave a rather vague answer. Our church group at that time said there are apostles in the church today but I didn't know who they were. I asked Don for examples of apostles in our church group. But he couldn't tell me. I had examples in Bible but no examples in flesh and blood people who were living at that time.
Then God took over and taught me the work of NT apostle in today's church. And for years I have done that work. Example: Please read ... Divorce/remarriage: What the Bible teaches
And God showed me how Paul identified himself (in most epistles) by his calling, his offices, as he wrote to the various churches scattered about.
Examples:
Romans 1:1 ... Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God
I Cor. 1:1 ... Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours
II Cor. 1 ... Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:
I felt God was showing me to identify myself this way to the churches, so I do this. I know it offends some people but I do it anyway because I believe it is what God showed me to do and if I omitted it I feel I would be denying the calling of God so I print "apostle/prophet" when I write.
In each situation of this life, we are cleansed by that Word spoken to us at the specific time concerning the issue.
We abide in "that word" ... living, moving, having our being in "that word" that is spoken by the Holy Spirit.
And we continue in that word, thereby showing ourselves to be "his disciple". Jn. 8:31-32