Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
When I identify myself to you as apostle/prophet, this tells you the calling I have from Jesus. I am sent to deal with church doctrines and keep truth of the Bible in the church gathering. (apostle)
I am sent to help individuals get out of various worldly traps and to help them stay free to walk in the way of God. (prophet)
If the minister is called to do the work of evangelist, his primary message is to the non-church. He works in basic salvation.
The work of pastor/teacher is caring for a church flock on a more daily, local basis.
Apostles and prophets move about "visiting" various church groups.
After Jesus rose ... after Jesus was resurrected ... HE gave these ministers to the church to help keep the church.
Ephesians 4:11-14 HE (Jesus) gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
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When Jesus sent the first apostles out, we see in Matthew 10, Jesus also told them what to say and what to do and where to go.
Matthew 10:1 And when HE had called unto Him HIS twelve disciples, HE gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
Today, the Holy Spirit "comes upon us", and with the Holy Spirit comes power to do that which God has sent us to do.
The way God often works with me is as follows. I will be reading scripture or singing a hymn and will be reminded of a specific individual and a situation. When that happens I stop what I have been doing and focus on that individual, delivering the message which I believe to be from God, often warning that individual. I deliver the message that same day, immediately, usually. And often the individual tells me how "timely" that message was.
There are likely different ways that God works with HIS ministers but one thing is constant. It is God authoring the work by HIS Spirit when the message is from God. It is not the minister's thinking, but the word received from God causing that minister to speak that message to that individual.
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In Matthew 10, the example of when Jesus sent out the first 12 ministers, we see Jesus told them not to go to the gentiles.
5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
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After the crucifixion and resurrection, God shocked the apostles by giving the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles and even by making the apostle Paul an apostle to the Gentiles.
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In all things, it is God who leads HIS people in what to do and He leads by HIS Word which is Jesus.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
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THE WORD is Jesus. We cling to that word we hear from God in the issues of this life. And when God speaks that WORD to us, we have the basis for faith in what we do.
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
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HYMN: HE LEADETH ME
(Click forward arrow > to play music:)
1. He leadeth me! O blessed thought,
O words with heav’nly comfort fraught;
Whate’er I do, where’er I be,
Still ’tis Christ’s WORD that leadeth me.
Chorus:
He leadeth me! He leadeth me!
By His own WORD He leadeth me;
For by His WORD He leadeth me.
2. Sometimes ’mid scenes of deepest gloom,
Sometimes where Eden’s bowers bloom,
By waters still, o’er troubled sea,
Still ’tis His WORD that leadeth me.
3. Lord, I would clasp Thy hand in mine (by reaching out and grabbing HIS Word and doing it),
Nor ever murmur or repine; *
Content, whatever lot I see,
Since it is Thou that leadest me.
4. And when my task on earth is done,
When, by Thy grace, the vict’ry’s won,
E’en death’s cold wave I will not flee,
Since Thou in triumph leadest me.
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Consider these definitions for the words "murmur" and "repine" in verse 3.
Nor ever murmur or repine;
murmur: complain about the instruction of the Word of God
repine: to look back with intense longing for what one once had...
to be fretfully discontented...
to mope, to languish, to feel upset about, to be despondent over ... to brood, lament, grieve, mourn, sorrow
(Click pause symbol, " ... at beginning of hymn, to stop music)
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