10-16-14
Dear Jeanne …
Something else pertaining to Aunt Ardath …
When she broke her hip in Kansas, I called her and spoke with her in hospital. She said: “What do you think should happen to an old woman like me who tries to sit in chair and misses chair and falls on floor and breaks hip?”
I replied: “You should have mercy.”
Then she asked me … “What do you think happens to us when we die?”
I replied: “Death is just a falling asleep … it is like going to sleep …”
When we awaken from death, it will be because Jesus awoke us …
I Thess. 4 … Paul says … 13But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep (die), that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (precede) them which are asleep (dead).
16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Another scripture showing death is like sleep is Jn. 11 … concerning Lazarus
Jn. 11 … Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.) 3Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick. 4When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby. 5Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.
6When He had heard therefore that he was sick, He abode two days still in the same place where He was.
7Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again. 8His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again? 9Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. 10But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.
11These things said He: and after that He saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. 12Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. 13Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. 14Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. 15And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.
Shortly after we spoke by phone, Aunt Ardath had a stroke, went into coma and died
Once I visited my parents in Clovis. I opened the kitchen cabinet for something and saw a set of Zodiac mugs I had given to my mother before I was born again. My mother followed horoscopes and all my childhood she would pick up the monthly horoscope magazine from the newsstand when we went to Clovis and would read it to me.
When I saw those Zodiac mugs, I didn’t say a thing. I just got a sack and began putting the mugs into a sack.
My mother was watching me and she became very disturbed and said: “What are you doing … I want to keep those … you gave them to me.”
I paid no attention at all to her and I said nothing at all. I just kept putting the mugs in the sack.
Then I took them to the garbage dumpster and broke them and threw them in the dumpster.
I returned to the trailer house and took a Bible and read the following aloud 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:
After I read this, my mother said: “Then I guess we’d better not do that any more.”
She clearly accepted the word of God from the Bible. I believe she was born again at that time.
Also she said to me: “I want to have a faith like you have.”
I think Aunt Ardath and Uncle Hugh were still living in Clovis at that time. Uncle Hugh wrote me a letter saying to me that my mother had changed. Uncle Hugh said, “She really has changed.” I knew what had happened. She had been born again. She had been changed by God.
Later she wanted to be baptized. This was not long before she died. She couldn’t walk or move at that time but she could still talk a little. I had a cup of water in my hand at the time she said this. I just dumped the cup of water over her head and said, “I baptize you in the name of Jesus.” (There was no way in her physical condition she could have been immersed in water at that point in her life.)
After my dad had his stroke and was somewhat helpless, he, too, turned to God. A Baptist man who was a friend of his came to the trailer and talked to him about salvation and I witnessed his confession. After that he, too, was somewhat different (changed) although as you know my Dad was awfully close to being a Christian all his life in his manner and way of life.
Now he wanted to go to church. He even wrote me before he died saying if I came up to Clovis we could go to church.
He was changed and different … He was born again also. God showed me in a dream that I baptized my dad. I think this “baptism” was a baptism of the word of God for I read Bible to him and put it on a tape and mother said he listened to those tapes over and over in the weeks before he died.
Jn. 1 ... The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 30This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. 31And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. 32And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 33And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 34And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. 35Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; 36And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
I believe being baptized with the Holy Ghost is what we are calling being born again … It is something done by Jesus, THE WORD, and when it happens the person is changed. Change is one of the main signs of being born again.
I’ve seen this change in me, in my mother, in my dad … and in many others through the years.
We are born with sin nature of man as Adam … We are changed by the Spirit of God being given to us to live in us and guide us and teach us …
Example: Remember when I said the second time I was baptized, when you arranged this at the church you were attending in Albuquerque, when the minister lowered me into the water, the Holy Spirit said to me, “This is like being buried with Christ” … and when I came out of the water, the Holy Spirit said to me, “This is like being raised with Christ.”
I didn’t know Romans 6 at that time but the Holy Spirit spoke the essence of Romans 6 to me teaching me.
The Holy Spirit is given to all who believe God … Eph. 1
And there are at least 4 things the Holy Spirit does for us … Jn. 14:26 & Jn. 16:13 …
Jesus says: 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. 14:26
- Holy Spirit teaches us all things
- Holy Spirit in us reminds us of that which Jesus has said …
So as we face some issue, often we will be reminded of a scripture and we see the way God wants us to go as we look at that scripture called to our attention … That is the guidance by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit searches the heart of God to see the will of God in the issue at hand and then the Holy Spirit reminds us of that which will show us the will of God … I Cor. 2 explains this if you’d care to read it.
Two more things the Holy Spirit does …
Jesus says: 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.
Aline Boney once asked me, “Who does HE hear …” (whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak ... Jn. 16:13) …
I explained: “He (Holy Spirit) hears from God … “ I Cor. 2
I Cor. 2 … But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
I was baptized in water when I was 15 but I was not born again.
No change happened in my life and I lived in various sins.
Then on the night of August 5, 1975, God said the following to me in the form of a thought: “Joan … you know all those mistakes you’ve been making all these years?”
“Those weren’t mistakes. Those were sins”
I gasped: SINS …
I was changed instantly, born again by the Spirit of God …
I was staying at Donna & Hal’s home at the time, recovering from an operation. As I left that morning after having God speak to me about sin, I turned to Donna and said, “I don’t think I’ve been a Christian until now.”
I started walking on to car. Donna was shouting … “Joanie … stop … come back … What did you say.”
She was so excited for she recognized I really had been “touched” by God.
That is what you witnessed in Albuquerque when you said, “Well … I believe you are a Christian … I just don’t know how you can be.”
It was all done by the will of God as HE revealed HIS truth to me and I accepted HIS truth. He caused me to be born again and gave me HIS Spirit to live in me. I think this is what John meant when he said “Jesus would baptize in the Holy Ghost.” (Jn. 1: 33) John said … 33And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 34And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
Jesus said … Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? 5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, 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. Jn. 3
I was baptized in water when I was 15.
I was born again when God spoke to me when I was 37.
Then I was baptized again in water.
Baptism in water is an ordinance of the church. It is identification with being crucified with Christ and putting the flesh to death so we can serve God instead of serving our own flesh. Romans 6
Would I tell people to be baptized in water? Yes I would.
I would tell them to be immersed in water … identification with being buried with Christ … and being raised from the dead. (Romans 6)
In some cases that is just not possible but when it is that is what I would tell them.
Do they go to hell if they are not immersed in water?
The answer likely lies in the story of the thief on the cross … Lk. 23 … 39And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. 40But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Water baptism is an ordinance of the church and gives us a way to identify with the death and resurrection of Christ. But you can be baptized in water and go to hell. I would have gone to hell had it not been for God speaking to me in 1975. This caused me to be born again, God speaking to me by HIS Spirit. That is critical to salvation, being born again.
This is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me! It is the greatest thing that can ever happen to anyone. Being born again by the Spirit of Jesus!
Love, Joan
(First letter to my cousin is printed 10-16-14)