A
new creature in Christ
Joan
Boney ... apostle/prophet
II Cor. 5:17 ... if any man
be in Christ (being born again of Christ's Spirit), he is a new
creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
After we are born again, another Spirit, the Spirit of God works in us. We are a new creature now. We are not as we once were. All that is passed away. Once we lived for ourselves. Now we live for God.
II Cor. 5 ... 14For the love
of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all,
then were all dead: 15And that he died for all, that they which live should not
henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose
again.
My cousin once said to me, "I know you are a Christian ... I just don't know how you are."
She had been in church all her life
but she didn't understand being born again.
Later her husband did a similar
thing to me. He and his dad were leaders in Church of Christ
denomination. But he didn't understand being born again.
To these people, they think
salvation is a matter of your own will. That by will power you do things
of the Bible. They do not understand having the Spirit of God in you and
being born again.
I was born again by God by His
Spirit in 1975 when HE revealed (by His Spirit) truth to me ... saying ... "Joan,
you know all these mistakes you've made... they weren't mistakes ... they were
sin." I was shocked at this revelation. And in a blink of
the eye, instantly, I was born again and changed from the previous life and
given HIS Spirit to lead me in the new life.
Many in churches have not been born
again. They just copy other people and think themselves to be of God and
try to be of God. But you cannot be of God this way. You must be
born again to be of God and to follow God.
Jn. 3 ... 3Jesus answered and
said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he
cannot see the kingdom of God.
... Except a man be born of
water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6That which
is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8The wind
bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not
tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of
the Spirit.
==========
After you are
born again, are you perfected by the flesh?
How were you born again? I
was born again by the Spirit of God speaking to me. I was born of the
Spirit. And I was given the Spirit to dwell in me to teach me and guide
me and to remind me of all God has said to me.
Working of the Spirit of God in us:
Jn. 14:26 ... But the
Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he
shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance,
whatsoever I have said unto you.
Jn. 16:13 ... Howbeit 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.
"One step at a time ...
One step at a time ... it is enough", I heard from the
Spirit and over the past 39 years what I have tried to do is that step given me
by the Holy Spirit.
And God taught me, putting in me
HIS laws, HIS ways ... as HE said HE would do for the NT church. Heb.
8 & Heb 10 .. 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:
So now what?
Paul exhorts: Gal. 3:3
... Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by
the flesh?
Recently I received a letter from a young man who asked me to send him
books that he might need. He said he is born again.
The book you need is the
Bible. I just read the Bible over and over from Genesis to
Revelation. And then I begin again at Genesis. And along the way
the Spirit that is in me enlightens me to the way of God. Often I see
scripture whereby I can correct myself. The Spirit often causes scripture
I especially need at that time to stand out to me. When this happens, I
focus on that scripture, not trying to read more but to let that scripture take
root in me. There have been times I will keep one scripture in front of
me for several months until I know it is established it me.
Do we turn to the flesh of man ...
how were we born again... If we are born again, it was by the Spirit, not by
following a man.
Now we continue by following the
Spirit, not by following a man.
It is the Spirit that teaches
you. Read the Bible and pay attention to the Spirit. Meditate
on those scriptures called to your attention by the Spirit. Meditate on
those things called to your mind by the Spirit.
The Holy Spirit keeps us in the way
of God by reminding us of the truth from God. We cling to this
truth. We walk in this truth. And we refuse to entertain the
lies of the devil. For the devil is a liar and there is no truth in
him. Jn. 8
==========
Why did God show
me this?
Joan
Boney ... apostle/prophet
Several times in my life God has
shown me something and I have wondered Why did God show me this?
In 1982, I had 3 dreams which at
the time I thought it was showing the collapse of the banking system.
In one dream, I was
in a tall, glass building. Something began to happen outside. It
was as if bombs were falling. This was not the first bombing but the
second. The building was shaking. It was as if the whole building
might fall in on us. When this happened it was clear that nothing would
be the same again. But I was just calmly walking along with a man who had
taken my hand to lead me. ( I knew this man was the Holy Spirit.)
I never took my eyes off him.
In another dream, I
was in a cafe and something happened outside. One siren after another
sounded from vehicles which passed by.
In another dream, I
was in NYC with my mother. Then I was watching NYC from NJ. Smoke
was rising from buildings in NYC. The skyline was being destroyed.
Buildings were imploding, falling in upon themselves.
These 3 dreams were showing the
destruction of the World Trade Center. I recognized it when the event
happened. I saw my dreams coming to pass in the various parts of the news
coverage on TV.
Recently Pam Padgett was speaking
of being at work at Fed Ex when this happened and they were gathered around a
TV screen watching. She said she would have been afraid except for fact
that God had given me dreams about this happening. That made me think one
reason I was given these 3 dreams about destruction of World Trade Center was
so we, who are of God, would not be afraid as the world is afraid.
At some point, the sky will turn
completely dark. There will be signs in the heavens as the power of
the heavens are shaken. We who are of God will know what is happening if
we are on earth to see this happen. We will know because we know II
Peter 3...the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which
the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt
with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be
burned up.
==========
I don't want to speak by my flesh
There is a woman from bridge center
who calls me from time to time asking me to go to lunch with her. I
usually go when she asks me.
There are many things I could say
to this woman but I don't want to speak by my own flesh for the flesh
profits nothing. I want to speak only that which God wants me to
speak.
So I often pray, "God, please let me speak only that which You want me to speak." And I go forward to lunch in great peace when I pray this.
So I often pray, "God, please let me speak only that which You want me to speak." And I go forward to lunch in great peace when I pray this.
The last time we went to lunch, she
was complaining about another woman concerning what this woman was doing in
scheduling knee replacement surgery. She said this woman was scheduling
her surgery according to vacation plans when she should be considering her
health.
I replied: How old is
Jane? ... Don't knee replacements last for only about 10 years?
(Jane is approximately 67)
She replied: "NO!"
(I said nothing more.) Then she started to think and replied, "I
really don't know."
I was stuck by this acknowledgment
from her for a moment, for this woman really stopped and considered what
might be truth rather than continuing in her own wisdom.
The one thing God has told me about
this bridge woman is that she is "self-righteous",
thinking herself to be right and other people to be doing foolish things.
But the truth is she really doesn't know. However her way is to be upset
daily by the foolish things she considers other people to be doing. But
she really doesn't know what is best. In this there was truth.
Misusing
scripture
Joan
Boney ... apostle/prophet
In the 1970's, I was in a prayer
group. One woman, the leader of that group, said: "God is
no respecter of persons. If HE will show Joan Boney that, HE will show
me."
However she misused scripture and
failed to "rightly divide" the word of God.
I Cor. 12 ... 8For to one is
given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of
knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same
Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 To
another the working of miracles; to another prophecy;
to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of
tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
11But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as HE will.
11But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as HE will.
It is not by my will that I do what
I do in the body of Christ. Nor is it by this woman's will that she does
what she does. It is by God's will.
I Cor. 12 ... 18But now hath
God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased HIM.
Concerning the statement that God is no respecter of persons ... Acts 10 ... 34Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.
This has nothing to do with the work to which we are called by God ... We are not all given the same gifts .. The gifts of the Holy Spirit for the church are given to individuals within the church ... to one is given the word of wisdom, to another word of knowledge, to another prophesy ...
These are given to individuals by the will of God ... And we do not all have the same gifts ... so we might not have the spiritual gifts of the pastor or teacher but we might have another spiritual gift.
But concerning the calling of
God and the working of the various gifts of the Holy Spirit God does as HE
wills and to "one" will be given the gift of exhortation (which
I have been given by God) ... to another will be given the word of wisdom
...
I Cor. 12 ... 27Now ye are
the body of Christ, and members in particular. 28And God hath set some
in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after
that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of
tongues. 29Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all
workers of miracles? 30Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with
tongues? do all interpret?
Some of the members of the body of
Christ are set in the church to care for the church as apostles, prophets,
evangelists, pastors, teachers (Eph. 4) ... not all are apostles said Paul
... not all are prophets said Paul ...
Some are ...
===========
God ordained me to be a minister
... to care for the church in my specific callings of apostle/prophet ...
It was obvious to many who knew me.
After I was put on radio in 1980 by
the word given to me in the night by what I believe to have been an angel of
the Lord speaking to me with the call letters to a radio station (KWJS) ... I
asked God, "Are You telling me to go on radio?" Within a
week I was on radio 5 days a week on KWJS.
A woman at the church I was
attending at that time came to me and said: "I want to do what
you're doing."
I replied: "You
do?"
It shocked me. All I was
doing was obeying God. It never occurred to me that anyone would want to
be a minister.
I wanted to get married, perhaps to
a minister, since I was on fire for the Word of God having been taken into
heaven two separate nights and merged into the body of Jesus (being made one
with the Word of God) as I slept! But it never occurred to me that I
would be a minister although all the time God was preparing me to be a
minister.
The callings of God are not by our
choice. God does as HE wills. We simply work where we are placed by
God. That is all that will work.
I know WHOM I have believed ... making all the difference
I know WHOM I have
believed. It really makes no difference to me if you tell me you
believe I am of God or if you tell me it is not possible that I could be an
"apostle/prophet", for God established me in these things and I know
WHOM I have believed and this makes all the difference.
In fact, during the past 30+ years
I've had some people say they know I am a prophet. Some have said I can't
be an apostle. One pastor in Lubbock adamantly told me I am not an
apostle nor prophet though he said this without seeing the work I do. He
just wanted me to sit quietly and attend his church group and give
offerings. When I didn't do that, he called me though he hadn't met
me. I had attended his church service once for a few minutes before
leaving and as I had entered the building someone came and had me fill out a
card with my name and phone number. For that reason this pastor called me
and when I told him I am an apostle/prophet he said that was impossible.
But I was not affected for I know WHO called me and taught me. I just go ahead doing the work as it comes across my path.
Each of us need to be firmly
established by God and not by man.
I've had many strong things from
God ... After I was born again, I was asleep in the night and I was
"transported" into heaven. I was with God and Christ and the
Holy Spirit. At that time I was merged into the body of Jesus (made one
with the word of God) while God and the Holy Spirit witnessed. (Similar
to the experience cited in II Cor. 12)
A few days later, the exact same
thing happened again to me ... I was asleep in the night and I was
"transported" into heaven. I was with God and Christ and the
Holy Spirit. At that time I was merged into the body of Jesus (made one
with the word of God) while God and the Holy Spirit witnessed.
I was on fire for things of God.
I owned a business at the time but my business no longer mattered to me.
All I cared about was Bible and things of God.
God began showing me what I was to
do through scripture and dreams. I just paid attention to what I
heard. At that time I still didn't know exactly what I would be doing nor
did I know I was called to be a minister. (I thought maybe I would marry
a minister which I what I wanted to do.)
Then one day, in prophecy, God said
to me: "I have called you and set you into the body of Christ as
an apostle."
I was shocked. An
apostle? What's an apostle? What does an apostle do?
I told no one about this but I did
ask my Sunday school teacher what an apostle does. He didn't know.
Then I asked him who are apostles today for our church group professed to
believe there are apostles today. He didn't know.
So I had no one to tell me these
answers so I turned to God and HE taught me.
(If you want to know more about
this read: "Booklet #5: The New Testament Church"
Along the next 3 years, more than
one person (including my pastor) said I am a prophet. I knew this was
truth because God was teaching me.
(To see an example of the work
of an apostle, please read: Example of work of NT apostle)
Then in the night in approximately
1980, what I believe to have been the voice of an angel of the Lord spoke 3
words to me as I was sleeping. "Hartford, Seattle, KWJS" ...
(The voice was very loud, like a trumpet.)
KWJS was obviously call letters to
either radio or TV. I looked it up and found it to be radio.
I asked God, "Are You telling me to go on radio? I wouldn't know how to do that."
Immediately I heard the voice of the Holy Spirit inside me saying: "Call the radio station manager." Which I did at once. And within a week I was on radio KWJS 5 days a week.
I asked God, "Are You telling me to go on radio? I wouldn't know how to do that."
Immediately I heard the voice of the Holy Spirit inside me saying: "Call the radio station manager." Which I did at once. And within a week I was on radio KWJS 5 days a week.
God kept teaching me what it meant
to be an apostle/prophet in the NT church and I just did what I saw to do.
So you see, I have been
established by God and I really am not effected by what man says about
me whether it be right or wrong. I simply know WHOM I have
believed. And that "WHOM" is God.
But the work I do shows the work of
apostle and the work of prophets. The writings show these offices by the
content.
I just keep on doing the work.
==========
Put on Internet by God to do these writings
Within 3 days we were publishing on
Internet doing these exhortations to the church which you are now viewing.
Indeed it gives us a "little
voice" but it is a "nice little voice."
From time to time I become
discouraged. But then I remember this dream and know it was God Who put
me on Internet to do this and I continue writing and I really do love having
the opportunity to exhort the church in the way of God through Internet (which
goes all over this world).
==========
Not having to beg the church for money to do the works of God
It has always amazed me that when
God tells me to do some work, HE also provides for the work without my having
to ask for offerings to pay for the work.
From the beginning of my
assignments it has been this way.
In 1980, I was sleeping when a
voice that I believe to have been an angel of the Lord gave me three
words: Hartford, Seattle, KWJS.
I asked God how HE wanted me
to pay for this. I heard: "Write a letter to the people you
know and tell them what happened."
Immediately I wrote telling what
had happened. I did not ask for money. But within 3
days I had enough money for one month's broadcasts. One man hand carried
money to my apartment.
Within a week, I was on radio
exhorting the church.
==========
When the work is assigned by God we
do not have to "beg" for money.
When we add to the assignment and
do our own "good" works we may get into financial difficulty.
What God authors, HE pays for
without us having to beg for money from the church.
Please read:
- Evil from pastors
- Ministers who use 100-fold
return to extort money
==========
Advertising agencies for ministries
Every "big time" ministry
I know of had an advertising agency promoting their ministry.
Early in the 1980's I had one of
the biggest agencies promoting me on radio. At that time they also
represented Kenneth Copeland, Marilyn Hickey, Robert Tilton and many other ministries where
they thought the minister had potential of many radio/TV stations. My
pastor at the time, Robert Tilton strongly recommended them to me and said, "Joan
... They can do a lot for you." They accepted me as a
client. For a few months they promoted me as they did their other
ministry clients.
But the problem was this.
They began telling me to do things that were opposite from what God had told me
to do and I could not do what they instructed. So after a very few
months, they contacted me telling me they were letting some of their clients go
and I was one they decided to release.
I was devastated. I thought I
had failed. Until God gave me the following scripture to show me what
happened.
Mt. 4 ... 8Again, the
devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the
kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9And saith unto him, All these
things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10Then
saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt
worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11Then the devil
leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
I saw immediately this is what had
happened with the ad agency. When they saw I wouldn't obey them, they cut
me loose. I had not failed a test. Instead I had passed for I
didn't bow down to man and I continued to do what God told me to do, resisting
things opposite to those instructions from God.
One thing I couldn't do.
The agency told me they could fill Soldiers/Sailors auditorium in Pittsburgh
but there was just one thing. I must not offend anyone with my
messages. (Can you imagine a prophet not offending
anyone. It is really laughable. Prophets are an offense in the
religious circles. Always have been. Always will be. Because one of the primary roles of prophet is to deliver messages of correction to the church and evil doers in the church do not want to be corrected.)
Such is the life of a prophet of
God. They are always speaking messages which make religious people
unhappy. It is the way of a prophet in the church. (Please
read: The New Testament Church)
Jesus encouraged HIS prophets and
others with these words: Lk. 6 ... 22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. 23 Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy:for, behold, your reward is great in heaven:for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
...26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.
...26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.
============
Another thing which upset the ad
agency is the following. My ad person met with me and another person who
was in our ministry at that time. The agent said: "Oh ...
just one thing ... We want you to add this to your envelops and your writings
... Send me your prayer requests ..."
I was shocked and horrified.
I said: "I don't want to do that".
The agent and the person who was
with me at that time were shocked when I said I did not want people sending
their prayer requests to me. My point was they should pray. They
were to pray to God directly, not through me but through Jesus. Secondly, there is no way I would be able to pray properly over prayer requests. There would be far to many for me to deal with in a truthful way. No one could do this. It would be hypocrisy to request such.
The agent replied: "Joan
... You're missing a good bet ... For when they send prayer requests they will
usually enclose money with the request." (They were using
prayer requests to get money from the church.)
I would not do this.
==============
Another real problem is the agency
told me not to send writings or messages to anyone without first sending the
message to them for approval.
But when you are a real minister
appointed by God the messages you speak are from God.
What they wanted to do was to rule
over God so I could be popular, saying words that would make me popular with
church people and pastors.
Of course I refused.
They released me from their client
list.
There are so many evils being done
today in ministry.
Please read:
Evil from pastors.
==========
When I was still on radio in Seattle, Washington, the radio station manger was waiting for me outside the door of the meeting room. George said: "Joan, you have many wonderful messages. Just speak those messages ... but if you continue to speak these judgment messages, I don't know what is going to happen to you. We might have to put you off the air."
Out of my mouth came the following word from the Holy Spirit:
"George, If I don't speak the message I believe to be from God then I don't have a message and I may as well be off the air."
This has been the defining word for me for the remainder of my life.
==========
Mt. 7 ... Jesus
says ... 21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into
the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in
heaven. 22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied
in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many
wonderful works? 23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you:
depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
There are so many works being done
today by ministers and individuals which are not authored by God.
Those doing such works will be
turned away by Jesus at the day of judgment.
We see in above scripture that "many" will come to Jesus saying: have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
We see in above scripture that "many" will come to Jesus saying: have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Many works were never
authored by God.
They were ideas conjured up by "ministers" and individuals in church groups. Often these people even use scripture to justify works that are not of God. These people will be turned away by Jesus. They are workers of iniquity although they represent their works as "good". Unless God authors the work, the work is not good but evil. But it will be too late for them then.
They were ideas conjured up by "ministers" and individuals in church groups. Often these people even use scripture to justify works that are not of God. These people will be turned away by Jesus. They are workers of iniquity although they represent their works as "good". Unless God authors the work, the work is not good but evil. But it will be too late for them then.
==========
Mt. 16 ... 26For what is a
man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what
shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 27For the Son of man shall come in
the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man
according to his works.
Mt. 23 ... 14Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. 15Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
==========
Mt. 24 ... Jesus warns ... 3And 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 (Jesus) am Christ; and shall deceive many.
They will come saying Jesus is Lord
and because they say that they will be in a position to deceive many.
==========
==========
Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
In 1979, God gave me the
following shocking dream ... In this dream, I went into a room where a
meeting was going on. There was one vacant seat on the aisle and I sat
down and began listening to a man who was speaking to the group. Another
man rushed and went to the front of the room and said, "Stop ... wait ...
can't you see ... It's too late! It's already begun."
The first man resumed speaking to the group.
I looked out the window to see what was happening, and was shocked at what I saw.
There was a tall, civil defense type pole with a yellow warning speaker on top of the pole. Out of the speaker was coming a poison gas. I knew it would kill the people and shockingly the gas was coming from our own speaker which was supposed to warn us.
I looked at the man who was sitting next to me. He was sitting upright. He had a big smile on his face. He was looking directly at the speaker in an attentive way. But this man was a corpse. He was dead though he looked alive. Then I looked at people around the room and they were already dead also. And as I sat back in my seat, I felt myself falling asleep, dying as I listened to the speaker.
The first man resumed speaking to the group.
I looked out the window to see what was happening, and was shocked at what I saw.
There was a tall, civil defense type pole with a yellow warning speaker on top of the pole. Out of the speaker was coming a poison gas. I knew it would kill the people and shockingly the gas was coming from our own speaker which was supposed to warn us.
I looked at the man who was sitting next to me. He was sitting upright. He had a big smile on his face. He was looking directly at the speaker in an attentive way. But this man was a corpse. He was dead though he looked alive. Then I looked at people around the room and they were already dead also. And as I sat back in my seat, I felt myself falling asleep, dying as I listened to the speaker.
What God was showing me were the
churches today.
Speakers are set up to warn
the people, but the warnings which should come to the church though the
speakers has turned into a type of poison which causes people to relax and
think they are OK since they attend church and tithe.
And those who continue sit among
them will die, falling asleep.
Here is an example of problem with
doctrine in a great many churches today.
Jesus presented the following
doctrine for the church.
Mt. 5:32 ... 32But 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.
Many churches twist this scripture
to say if the husband is committing adultery, the wife is free to divorce and
remarry. This is not correct. Jesus in above scripture is
addressing the men.
Women had no "right to divorce". A woman could leave her husband but if she did such she must remain unmarried or return to her husband. I Cor. 7
If a man has an unfaithful wife, that man is free to divorce and remarry. The woman who is divorced will commit adultery if she remarries after a divorce. And Jesus is saying in Mt. 5:32 the husband will be the cause of her adultery if he divorces a faithful wife if she remarries. And the man who marries a divorced woman will commit adultery.
Women had no "right to divorce". A woman could leave her husband but if she did such she must remain unmarried or return to her husband. I Cor. 7
If a man has an unfaithful wife, that man is free to divorce and remarry. The woman who is divorced will commit adultery if she remarries after a divorce. And Jesus is saying in Mt. 5:32 the husband will be the cause of her adultery if he divorces a faithful wife if she remarries. And the man who marries a divorced woman will commit adultery.
I Cor. 7 ... 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: and let not the husband put away his wife.
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. 40But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgment: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God.
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. 40But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgment: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God.
Some churches twist this by saying
we, in NT Church, are not bound by the law ... therefore the woman can remarry
after divorce... But Paul was writing I Cor. 7 to the NT church
and nothing has changed since Paul wrote this.
Romans 7 ... 1 Know ye not,
brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath
dominion over a man as long as he liveth? 2For the woman which hath an husband
is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be
dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. 3So then if, while her
husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an
adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that
she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.
If a man divorces a "faithful" wife and she remarries, she commits adultery.
The man who divorces a faithful wife will be the cause of her adultery.
And the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
This is what Jesus teaches the
church ... Read this scripture again.
Jesus says: 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.
I have never heard this taught in
any church that I have attended. Either this scripture is completely
omitted or it is explained away. Mostly it is just omitted by the church
speakers.
It is so tragic for the
speaker should be warning the congregation. Instead the speakers
have turned into pacifiers (in so many churches today), approving many acts
which are sin in the sight of God and opposite from the instruction in the
Bible.
II Tim. 3 ... the holy scriptures,
which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in
Christ Jesus. 16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
================
There are many forms of poison gas
coming from speakers in churches today.
One of the greatest blasphemies has
to do with the doctrine saying that crackers and grape juice are the Lord's
supper.
The Lord's supper is the Word of God
... As we eat and drink the Word of God correctly we commune with
Jesus Christ, eating HIS body and drinking HIS blood, partaking of JESUS who is
the Word of God.
==================
A very harmful doctrine is the
doctrine of the 100-fold return where some preachers guarantee you a 100-fold
return on the amount of money you give at church. This is example of
misusing scripture to extort money from body of Christ.
There is a time when 100-fold return
is valid. But it is when you leave your lands and such to do what God
tells you to do. It does not have to do with giving offerings at church.
Mt. 19 ... 27Then answered Peter and
said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we
have therefore? 28And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye
which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in
the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the
twelve tribes of Israel. 29And every one that hath forsaken houses, or
brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for
my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting
life.
Mk. 10 ... 29And Jesus answered and
said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren,
or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake,
and the gospel’s, 30But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time,
houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with
persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
=================
We, as members of the body of
Christ, should not sit in church groups where scriptures are explained away,
twisted, or omitted completely. To stay there is to approve false
teaching. To stay there is to partake in their evil when you recognize it
is wrong.
God gave me the following dream
which explains this:
In this dream, there was a room filled with a row of bassinets. I was walking down the row, looking at the babies in the bassinets. The babies were horribly deformed. (These babies are people who attended church but never matured in things of God and became twisted through taking in false doctrines at church and were thus "deformed".) When I got to the end of the row of babies, standing there was my favorite aunt. She was fully grown, mature. But her face was covered with horrible spots and blemishes.
In this dream, there was a room filled with a row of bassinets. I was walking down the row, looking at the babies in the bassinets. The babies were horribly deformed. (These babies are people who attended church but never matured in things of God and became twisted through taking in false doctrines at church and were thus "deformed".) When I got to the end of the row of babies, standing there was my favorite aunt. She was fully grown, mature. But her face was covered with horrible spots and blemishes.
My favorite aunt was a Church of
Christ member. Before she died she told me she knew things were wrong at
their church. But she stayed there in spite of the wrong teaching.
If you do this, you will be a part
of their evil doing at church.
II Jn. ... 8Look to
yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we
receive a full reward. 9Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the
doctrine of Christ, 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.
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.
I have left many church groups when
I have seen them teaching things contrary to the Bible. I have often gone
to pastors and shown them scripture. No pastor I've gone to has ever
repented. No false doctrine has ever been corrected. I just left
that church group.
You can't stay there without
bringing penalty upon yourself.
I Cor. 15 ... Paul says ...
33Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. 34Awake to
righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak
this to your shame.
==========
Acts 17 ... And the brethren immediately sent
away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the
synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in
that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the
scriptures daily, whether those things were so. 12Therefore many of them
believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.
The Bereans were hearing the apostle
Paul speak. But even then they went away and searched the scriptures
daily to see if that being taught them was true!
============
In the 1990's, I was looking for a
church to attend. I visited a small non-denominational church on a
Wednesday night service. The pastor was teaching. He began speaking
of Jn. 8, where the woman taken in adultery was brought to Jesus. The
pastor said, "And when she was brought to Jesus, she was naked from the
waist up."
I was very shocked.
Immediately I took my Bible and turned to John 8, though I have read this many times. I re-read John 8 concerning this passage.
Immediately I took my Bible and turned to John 8, though I have read this many times. I re-read John 8 concerning this passage.
Jn. 8 ... 1 Jesus went unto the
mount of Olives. 2And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and
all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. 3And the
scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they
had set her in the midst, 4They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in
adultery, in the very act. 5Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should
be stoned: but what sayest thou? 6 This they said, tempting him, that they
might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on
the ground, as though he heard them not. 7So when they continued asking him, he
lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let
him first cast a stone at her. 8And again he stooped down, and wrote on the
ground. 9And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went
out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left
alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10When Jesus had lifted up himself,
and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine
accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said
unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
The next day, I called this
pastor. I told him I visited his service. I asked him where it is
in Bible saying the woman was naked from waist up. I couldn't find this,
I told him.
First he said he couldn't recall
where it was in Bible.
Then I told him it was very
important to me and I asked him to please find that scripture and have his
secretary call me with that reference.
With this, pastor became very angry
and said: "All right ... it's not in the
Bible ... Where do you go to church?" (Trying to accuse me.)
There were approximately 200 people
at that Wednesday service. When pastor said this, I didn't see anyone
take a Bible and check it. Most of those people just had big smiles on
their face.
===========
Where is that in Bible?
Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
In trying to find church group to
attend, one Sunday morning I visited a non-denominational group.
Pastor was teaching from
Genesis. As he taught, pastor said, "Sarah and Hagar were 1/2
sisters."
I was very shocked. Never
before had I read that in Bible. I checked Bible and couldn't find that in
Bible. But thinking maybe it was there and
I somehow missed it, I called and spoke with that pastor. I asked him
where that is in Bible.
Pastor became very angry when I
asked this. He finally admitted it is not in the
Bible. But he showed no shame in teaching this.
============
Another thing that happened that
morning at that church ... It was the Sunday school period and everyone
gathered in the main auditorium before going to their Sunday school classes.
Pastor said: "A
terrible thing has happened ... the train that was bringing the Sunday school
teachings was delayed and the teaching booklets did not arrive. Therefore
you teachers are just going to just have to teach today from the Bible."
=============
Recently I received a letter from a
young man in another country. He said he is born again. He asked me
to send him books to learn by.
What I would say to him is:
Use the Bible and depend on God to teach you from the Bible.
That is what God showed me to do
when I was born again in 1975. I just read the Bible from Genesis through
Revelation and then I start over with Genesis. I've been doing this for
almost 40 years now.
If you are born again and have the
Spirit of God in you, the Bible never gets old. (the living word of God) No matter how many times
I have read a verse, sometimes God will show me something I hadn't see from
that verse. I just let God teach me.
I Jn. 2 ... 27But the anointing
which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man
teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth,
and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
Each of us who are born again in the
NT church today are given the Holy Spirit to dwell in us.
Here is what Jesus said the Holy
Spirit would do for us.
Jn. 14:26 ... 26But the
Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he
shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance,
whatsoever I have said unto you.
Jn. 16:13 ... 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.
==========
Pastor asking me not to attend his church
Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
I was looking for a church group to
attend. I called and spoke with pastor at a non-denominational church
called "Potter's House." (Clovis, NM, USA) I told the pastor I
was considering coming to visit at his church and I was looking for a church to
attend. Pastor said he would come to my house and talk with me about his
church.
I can't recall what pastor said when
he came to see me. I just spoke freely by the Holy Spirit.
I was planning to visit his church
the next Sunday. I bought an appropriate dress
to wear. And I was very excited over getting to go to a church group.
On Friday of that week, I received a
phone call from the pastor. He said: "You know that thing
about your coming to our church. I've decided that I don't want you to
come to our church."
I was shocked! (There was no plan to speak at his church. I was just
going to listen as other people in congregation listen.)
A few days after this, my doorbell
rang. It was a group of people from "Potter's House".
They had literature and had obviously been touring my neighborhood inviting
people to come to their church.
They handed me their literature and
invited me to come to their church.
I told them their pastor asked me
not to come to their church.
They were bewildered. Without another word, they left my house.
============
When I was on radio, I received a
strange letter from a pastor in Colorado. (One of my radio stations at
that time was in Denver.)
In his letter, pastor said: "Don't
ever try to come to our church."
I'd never even heard of him or his
church ...
=============
Another pastor told me he was not
going to stand in the church door and keep me out but he didn't want me to come
to his church.
Certainly I didn't try to force my
way in. I've never done such a thing.
I was on radio warning the church in
the area where he was located.
===========
Trying to attend Baptist church
Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
In trying to find a church I could
attend, I visited a Baptist church on a Sunday morning and again that night.
That morning some things happened
which I knew were wrong. Again that evening things were wrong. I
began feeling worse and worse as I visited that church.
After the Sunday night service, I
told pastor I felt I needed to speak with him and asked if I could make
appointment.
He said he had time to speak to me
that night if I wanted to do so. I did want to. So we went into his
office.
I told him I had been in the morning
service, and of course I was there in the evening service.
In the morning service, they turned
the service over to the youth group who had just returned from a Baptist
retreat. A young man (high school age) spoke to the congregation.
He said he had a film to show us of their retreat. He began the
film. In the film, girls were running about with hair curlers in
hair. They were slapping each other with towels. Boys were doing
boy things. No scripture was ever quoted. Nothing of Bible was
mentioned. Nothing of God was mentioned. The film was just
teenagers acting like teenagers.
My dad's 1/2 brother's wife was a
member of that church group and was at those services and sat by me. She
said to me as they played that film, "I could do without this."
I told the pastor that when we gather
as the church Paul said everything should be done to edification.
(I Cor. 14)
Pastor said: "Well ...
I liked seeing it."
============
Also at that service pastor quoted
the following scripture:
Mt. 17 ... this kind goeth not out
but by prayer and fasting.
But the way pastor presented this
scripture was by saying,"This kind goest not out but by prayer."
As I sat there and heard him say
this, I quietly said, "and fasting." (nobody could
hear me say this except for Aline who sat next to me.)
The pastor kept speaking ... and
amazingly again he quoted this same scripture but he said again, "This
kind goest not out but by prayer." (as I quietly added "and
fasting" Aline joined me in quietly saying, "and fasting.")
Pastor kept speaking and once again he quoted this scripture as follows: "This kind goest not out but by prayer." (Aline and I both quietly said: "and fasting".)
I pointed this out to that pastor. He became very angry and replied: "I've been doing this 23 years and I know exactly what I am doing." (What it was doing was taking away from the word of God.)
I said: "I think I've said all to you to that I need to say." I got up and left, never to return again to that group.
When things are wrong in the church service, we cannot stay there. If we try to stay in such a place, we will fall asleep.
If it is not truth, we must leave
that group. It is like sitting in a room
with poison gas coming toward us. Eventually it will kill us and we will
be as spiritually dead as the other people in the group who have already been
killed spiritually by the wrong teaching coming from the pastor.
==========
Trying to attend Church of Christ group
Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
One Sunday morning, I decided to
visit a Church of Christ group. I was looking for a church to attend.
It was Sunday school class of about
8 or 9 adults and pastor was teaching.
He was in Heb. 11 and quoted the
following scripture:
7By faith Noah, being warned of God
of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of
his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the
righteousness which is by faith.
After reading this scripture, pastor
asked: "Did Noah really condemn the world?"
I replied, "Yes ... because
Noah obeyed God and because of this obedience the world was condemned because
they did not believe God and they did not obey God.
There was dead silence from pastor
and the 8 or 9 people in the room.
No one wanted to speak to me after
that.
I didn't return to that group.
==========
Trying to attend an Assembly of God group
Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
At one point in hunting a church
group to attend I decided to go to a small Assembly of God group. But
before going I called the pastor and met with him. I can't recall
anything either of us said.
On that Sunday morning after meeting
with the pastor, I did attend his group. Pastor was so terrified of me
that I could tell he was afraid to speak. He just read from a prepared
sheet of paper and quoted scripture. I felt pastor was trying to play it
safe. But in doing such, you leave faith in God and quench the Spirit of
God.
On the wall of the assembly room, there was hanging a picture of a long haired man. It
is that picture that many use and call "Jesus". It is not a
picture of Jesus. There are no photos of Jesus. There were no
cameras at that time. It is just a human pretending to be Jesus.
I did call this pastor and told him
it would be good to take down this photo for it is a form of "graven
image" and it is also false since there were no cameras in Jesus'
day. I don't recall pastor responding.
As I started to write this, I heard
"graven image" ... I brought some of these scriptures up on my
computer and I began to laugh when I started reading this list.
Deut. 7 ... 5But thus shall ye deal
with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut
down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire. 6For thou art
an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a
special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the
earth.
Deut. 7 ... 25The graven
images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver
or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein:
for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God. 26Neither shalt thou bring an
abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt
utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed
thing.
Deut. 12 ... 3And ye shall overthrow
their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye
shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them
out of that place. 4Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God.
II Kings 17 ... 38And the covenant
that I have made with you ye shall not forget; neither shall ye fear other
gods. 39But the LORD your God ye shall fear; and he shall deliver you out of
the hand of all your enemies. 40Howbeit they did not hearken, but they did
after their former manner. 41So these nations feared the LORD, and
served their graven images, both their children, and their children’s children:
as did their fathers, so do they unto this day.
II Chron. 34 ... 7And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.
Psa. 78 ... 58For they provoked him to anger with their high places, and moved him to jealousy with their graven images.
Psa. 97 ... 7Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods.
Isa. 30 ... 22Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence.
Isa. 42 ... 8I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
Jere. 8 ... Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with strange vanities?
Jere. 50 ... 38A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols.
Jere. 51 ... 52Wherefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will do judgment upon her graven images: and through all her land the wounded shall groan.
Hosea 11 ... 2As they called them, so they went from them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images.
Micah 1 ... 7And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot.
Micah 5 ... 13Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands. 14And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities. 15And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.
It is not a good idea to hang graven images on your wall or keep graven images statues on your porch. (or in your heart)
==========
Trying to attend another Assembly of God church group
Joan Boney ... apostle/ prophet
It was a Wednesday night and I
decided to visit another Assembly of God church group. That night there
were 150-200 people in congregation and pastor was speaking to the group.
Pastor started speaking about Jimmy
Swaggart and the scandal where Swaggart was found with prostitute.
Pastor said: "We
should pray for brother Swaggart."
In a very soft voice, I said: "He
should be put out of the church."
The woman sitting in front of me
apparently heard what I said though it was very soft. She turned and
glared at me.
What Paul said to do when a
"brother" is a fornicator ...
I Cor. 5 ...1It is reported commonly
that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as
named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. 2And ye are
puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might
be taken away from among you. 3For I verily, as absent in body, but present in
spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath
so done this deed, 4In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are
gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5To
deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the
spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 6Your glorying is not good.
Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
7Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 8Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
9I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 10Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 11But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. 12For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
7Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 8Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
9I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: 10Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. 11But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. 12For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within? 13But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.
Paul didn't say to pray for such a
"brother" ... nor did Paul say for us to counsel such.
Paul said: put away from
among yourselves that wicked person.
A few weeks after Swaggart cried on
TV and said he had sinned and asked for forgiveness, he was caught with another
prostitute. This time when the policeman stopped him with the prostitute
in the car, Swaggart said: "It's flat out none of your
business." (Report from Wikipedia)
I didn't return to that Assembly of
God church again.
==========
Following friends to church
Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
After I was born again, someone came
to me and told me I had to attend church.
I replied: "I
do?"
The pastor was doing a series of
"lectures" on speaking in tongues and how tongues were of the devil.
I really didn't care anything about
the subject of speaking in tongues one way or another. I was bored when I
went to these services but I went to them. I don't remember anything
about them except that church leadership was against tongues.
At one point while attending this
church I saw the following scripture:
James 5 ... 14Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
James 5 ... 14Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
I had gotten sick so I called the
church office and told them I was sick and I needed to meet with the elders of
the church as per James 5 and have them pray over me and anoint me with
oil. There was dead silence on the other end of the line.
Later the church secretary called me and told me she had passed my request on
to the leadership of the church and she said in about 2 weeks the elders were
going to have a meeting and they would discuss my case. I never heard from them again. A few days
after calling them, I got well. God raised me up.
Then one day I was reading the
Bible. I saw the following concerning what we are to do when we gather as
the church.
Paul said: I Cor. 14 ... 39Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and
forbid not to speak with tongues. 40Let all things be done decently and in
order.
I really didn't care a hoot about
tongues at that time one way or another ... But I very much cared about
what the Bible said.
Here I was attending a church which
taught tongues were of the devil and Paul was saying in the Bible forbid
not to speak with tongues.
I certainly wasn't going to attend a
church where they taught something opposite to the Bible so I left that church
immediately and never went back.
One day, I was riding in a car with
my best friend who attended that church and told me I had to attend a
church. I said to Donna, "OH by the way ... did you know Paul
said "forbid not to speak with tongues" ?
Donna replied: :"What?"
I had a small Bible of NT which I
kept in my purse. Donna pulled the car to the side of the road and
said: "Let me see that ..."
I showed it to her. I was
using the King James Version of the Bible.
Donna said: "Let's go
to my house and look it up in other translations of the Bible."
(she had several different translations at her house)
It was the same in every translation
of the Bible
I said: "I'm not going
to that church anymore."
Donna said she wasn't either.
I think her husband might have been
a little upset but she stopped going to that church that taught against
tongues.
==========
After that, I followed another
friend to Beverly Hills Baptist
church. (This friend was considered by our prayer group to be very
spiritual.) That church was a "charismatic" Baptist
church. I don't recall anyone speaking in a tongues but they didn't speak
against it. It was a very big church ... over 3000 members ...
At one point, I went to visit with
the pastor. I can't recall exactly what I asked him but I do recall his
shocked reply: He said: "You'd have to be a spiritual giant
to do that." (I was doing "that" all the time, about like
breathing in an out. It seemed automatic to me.)
I don't recall anything else about
that church.
============
After that my friend who seemed
spiritual to everyone in the prayer group, switched to a faith movement church called Word of Faith. Robert Tilton was the
pastor.
Bob was kind of a salesman type
person ... very handsome ... wonderful "fun" personality ... pretty
country type ...(not the type of person I was used to) ...
During the services Bob often spoke
a doctrine concerning prosperity and how we could gain prosperity.
I felt it didn't pertain to me but he was speaking some scripture during his
sermons so I decided I could copy down the scripture and study those when I got
home.
I never missed a service. I went Sunday morning, Sunday evening, Wednesday evenings, and to all special services. They had many "special" services with visiting speakers. I don't remember anything any of these special speakers said. But I did continue to copy scriptures they quoted and study those scriptures.
I never missed a service. I went Sunday morning, Sunday evening, Wednesday evenings, and to all special services. They had many "special" services with visiting speakers. I don't remember anything any of these special speakers said. But I did continue to copy scriptures they quoted and study those scriptures.
During that time, God gave me a
dream ... it was about poison gas ...
In this dream, I went into a room
where a meeting was going on. There was one vacant seat on the aisle and
I sat down and began listening to a man who was speaking to the group. Another man rushed and went to the front of the
room and said, "Stop ... wait ... can't you see ... It's too
late! It's already begun."The first man resumed speaking to the
group. I looked out the window and was shocked at what I saw. There
was a tall, civil defense type pole with a yellow warning speaker on top of the
pole. Out of the speaker was coming a poison gas. I knew it
would kill the people and shockingly the gas was coming from our own speaker
which was supposed to warn us. I looked at the man who was
sitting next to me. He was sitting upright. He had a big smile on
his face. He was looking directly at the speaker in an attentive
way. But this man was a corpse. He was dead though he looked
alive. Then I looked at people around the room and they were
already dead also. And as I sat back in my seat, I felt myself falling
asleep, dying as I listened to the speaker.
God showed me that in this dream HE
was showing me what is going on in the churches.
I still didn't see anything wrong at
Word of Faith.
Then one Wednesday night, Bob was
speaking as usual and I looked at the man sitting next to me and he looked like
a corpse. I looked about the room and the other people looked dead to me.
(They looked exactly like the dead people in that poison gas dream.)
I got up and went to rest room and
began talking to God. I said to God: "I think you are
telling me to leave this church group. I'm going to drive away. But
if You want me to return, I'll come back."
After I left God began showing me
some of the doctrine professed by that faith movement. First HE showed me
the following. They taught that all good is from God and all bad is
from the devil. Sounds right. But then God took me to the
following scripture: Jesus was hanging on a cross. Jesus gave up
the ghost. After that there was an earthquake: Mt 27 ...
54Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the
earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly
this was the Son of God.
Earthquakes destroy property.
Earthquakes are "bad" ... right? But doesn't God send
earthquakes ... and hail ... and wind ... and tornadoes ... Then how can this
be that they are "bad" when God is the author?
Didn't the centurion and they that
were watching Jesus turn to God after they saw the earthquake. That is
what it seems to say in Mt. 27.
So how can the earthquake be bad?
With that, God began unraveling the
faith movement doctrine and I came to see the teaching was basically that all
good is from God and all bad is from devil and we as believers have authority
over the devil. First there is the assumption that we as human
can tell what is good and what is bad.
Next, concerning having authority
over such things as storms, (which
was being taught at the Faith Movement church that I attended) I began to
wonder how it was that a storm could hit when all these big faith movement
people had authority over such. And if their faith is so great, why
didn't they stop it?
Unknown to me at the time, my
"spiritual" friend that I had followed to that faith movement church
had left. And our Sunday school teacher at that church, Don Gelino, had
left. At one point I spoke with Don. I said: "I didn't know
I was different from them... I always thought I was like them."
(Except I didn't care for that prosperity message and it never seemed to
pertain to me.)
Don replied: "Joan ...
you were never like them."
I said: "I
wasn't?"
My "spiritual friend" said
she was worse off when she left that church than she was when she came to it.
During the time I was attending that
faith movement church I had another bit of insight.
We had a very bad ice storm in
Dallas. I couldn't get to church. So I walked to Highland Park
Methodist Church which was a little over a block from my apartment.
As I walked there, I noticed the cars that obviously belonged to the people
that attended Highland Park Methodist Church. There were numerous
expensive cars... Mercedes, BMW, Cadillacs ... I thought, "How can
this be?" Those people don't know anything about God, yet
they were obviously so rich. While many of the faith movement
people seemed to be so poor. The prosperity message likely appealed to
poorer people since there was a prospect of becoming rich in material goods.
(fulfilling covetousness) This all seemed very strange to me.
In the meantime, I find more and
more money coming to me and more things around me than I've ever had ... but
I'm not trying to get more money or things and I wasn't applying the faith
movement message on prosperity, yet I kept prospering.
But what I was doing ever since
being born were the following scriptures ...
Psalm 1 ... 1Blessed is the man that
walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners,
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2But his delight is in the law
of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3And he shall be
like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his
season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall
prosper.
Joshua 1:8 ... 8This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Along the way, Don had noticed this. He said they talked about faith but the one he thought who really had faith and lived it was me. All I was doing was believing the Bible, keeping the Word of God before me day and night, doing what the scripture brought to my mind said to do ... and continuing to do this.
Several months before I had left Word of Faith, God had made it clear to me that I was called and set in the body of Christ as apostle/prophet. (Eph. 4) ... And in the night, what I believed to be an angel of God spoke three words to me: "Hartford, Seattle, KWJS" ... and I ended up doing exhortations on a radio broadcast (KWJS) 5 days a week/30 min. per day. And I had a great many people seeking me out as a result of those teachings on radio.
God had given me a gift of exhortation for the church and had taught me not to plan out anything but rather just to turn on the recorder and speak what I heard from HIM and broadcast that. And that is what I did and that is what I still do when I write (or speak). I just write those things brought to my mind believing it is Holy Spirit reminding me since that is one of things Holy Spirit does. (Jn. 14:26) I never plan anything ahead of time. I do read Bible and try to meditate on that spoken to me by the Holy Spirit. Then whatever God draws out of me I speak and write. It is very easy and very simple.
(And a few days after I was born
again I was transported into heaven twice as I slept in the night and both
times the same thing happened. I knew I was with God, with Christ, and
with the Holy Spirit. I was "merged " into the body of Jesus
... made one with the Word of God ... as God and the Holy Spirit witnessed.
It was wonderful! and this was probably a part of preparing me for the work of
the ministry to which I was called by God.)
=============
So I followed friends to church and
to a prayer group but God never told me to go to any church. And after
God brought me out of Word of Faith I expected God to put me into another group
and He did not. Yet the church was my life. I was always there
after I was born again until I was taken out by God. Today I understand
that we are the church.