Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
In 1975, a young man who was an acquaintance of mine became a Christian. After that, it seemed that all Bill could talk about was how wonderful it was to be a Christian. He had been Catholic and had some type of "religious" experience which changed him. I had not yet had this experience and I couldn't understand what the big deal was about being Christian ... I was baptized in water when I was 15 and nothing seemed much different in my life. But Bill was on fire. He seemed crazy to me.
About 6 months after Bill had his religious experience, something happened to me. I was reading a book about sin and God spoke to me by HIS Spirit and said: "Joan ... you know all these mistakes you've been making all these years? ... Those weren't mistakes ... Those were sin."
SIN ... I was shocked. I thought they were mistakes.
At that point I was born again and everything changed, or rather I was changed into to new creature ...
II Cor. 5:17 ... 17Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Shortly after this experience, I was asleep and was transported into heaven as I slept. I was with God, with Christ, with the Holy Spirit though I saw no images of them yet I knew we were together in Spirit. Then I was merged into the body of Jesus, made one with the Word of God, God and the Holy Spirit witnessing. A few days later the exact same thing happened again.
I was really on fire ... nothing mattered to me except things of God and Bible.
I knew nothing we could ever experience on this earth would equal what happened to me. No earthly marriage could equal this. No human achievement could equal this. Nothing material could equal what had happened to me. It was the greatest thing that could ever happen to a person.
Recently I was reminded of something I did at that time. I had a young friend who lived in Santa Fe, about 700 miles from where I lived in Dallas. I called her and told her something very important had happened to me. She wanted to know what it was. I said I couldn't tell her on phone. She flew to Dallas and I told her and she wanted this to happen to her also.
Everywhere I went I spoke of God ... and of what had happened.
I put a fish emblem on the rear window of my car.
I wanted everyone to know I am a Christian.
The apostle John said ... 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire
I had been baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire ... it was very different from being baptized in water.
Later I was re-baptized in water and as I was lowered into the water, I heard the following from Holy Spirit in form of a thought: "This is like being buried with Christ" ... When I came out of the water, I heard, "This is like being raised with Christ."
Romans 6 ... 3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7For he that is dead is freed from sin. 8Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 12Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 15What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 16Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
My life had been changed forever. In fact, "my" life ended at the time God changed me.
I came to learn the following.
Col. 3 ... 1If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
What happened to me was the greatest thing that can ever happen to a person.
At the time this happened, I had achieved many secular things in life. Like Paul, those things I had achieved were like dung to me, meaning nothing ...
In that wonderful thing which had happened to me, I had achieved nothing. God did it all. It was a work of God and not of myself. And that is the way it still is!