Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
Paul greatly persecuted the followers of Jesus.
Acts 9:1-6 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
And he said, Who art thou, Lord?
And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
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If you are born again, you will understand this.
We are born again "in an instant", changed forever, by the Spirit of God, by the will of God when God chooses to speak to us.
We didn't work at being changed. We were changed by God HIMSELF.
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I've met several in churches who do not understand being born again. It makes no sense at all to their natural minds that something like this can be done by God without our doing anything at all.
They did things to be a Christian. They went forward and were baptized and made confessions of Jesus and agreed to church doctrines, attended church weekly, tithed.
After Paul was born again by Jesus speaking to HIM, then Paul was baptized.
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After we are born again by God speaking to us, then God teaches us things of God.
I John 2:27 But 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.
The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, is the teacher.
The Holy Spirit brings concepts of truth, often in form of scripture, to our minds, so we will know truth in the issues pertaining to this life.
This is the New Covenant church ... God does the following:
Hebrews 8:10-11 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
Hebrews 10:16-17 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
This is the New Covenant church ... God does the following:
Hebrews 8:10-11 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
Hebrews 10:16-17 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
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My cousin, a Church of Christ member, said to me, "I believe you are a Christian. I just don't know how you can be one."
She did not understand being a Christian is a work done by God, not by ourselves.
Romans 9:6-16 For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.
And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;
(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of Him that calleth;)
It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
For He saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
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And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Heb. 10:17
When we are born again, we are "new creatures" ... we start over.
We do not continue in those past sins. Nor do we dwell on those sins committed before God revealed Himself to us.
Some people think that means we can go out and do sins in future and be excused. This is not correct. Nor do we want to sin when we are truly born again.
Jesus to the woman taken in adultery: "Go, and sin no more." John 8
Also to the blind man Jesus healed we read: Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. John 5:14
But neither do we want to sin after the experience of being born again. We truly are different.
This is something my Church of Christ cousin didn't understand. Many church people fail to understand this for they are not born again.
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Being a Christian is a miracle of God ... God chooses us, not because of our goodness nor because of anything we have done. God simply chooses us by HIS own will.
After this happens, we see others who attend church but they do not have the Spirit of God. They are always confused, bewildered over things of God though they try. But they are not born of the Spirit of God for only then are you of God. And being born of the Spirit is by the will of God, not by the will of man, and this makes no sense to the natural mind of man.
I Corinthians 2:12-14 Now 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.
Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
But 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.
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They can have a form of godliness in their various church groups, and sometimes it seems they are of God, but we know we are a different spirit from them.
Only those individuals born of the Spirit of God belong to God.
When you are born of the Spirit of God, God puts HIS Word into you directly by HIS Spirit.
Hebrews 8:10-11 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest.
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It is not done by man teaching us things of God.
God teaches us HIS things, putting them directly into our hearts by HIS Spirit which HE has given us to live in us and teach us and guide us. John 14:26 & John 16:13
So if you have the Spirit of God in you and you hear another person speak who has the Spirit of God, you will recognize that which is spoken as being of God.
Many strange spirits speak through religious people. You will not feel right about them when they speak. Although you may try to convince yourself you are wrong. But when you belong to God, God teaches you directly by putting HIS truth in your heart. When another person speaks truth from God, you recognize that truth.
But there are many close copies ... but we see they are always a little off.
John 10:4-5 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
27-29 (Jesus says) My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me:
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of My hand.
My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and (none) is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand.
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Matthew 16:13-18 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in heaven.
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
(The revealed Word of God given to the individual is that rock upon which the church is built.)
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Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
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