Joan Boney ... apostle and prophet of Jesus Christ according to
Ephesians 4:11.
Ephesians 4:11.
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As we wait for the return of Jesus, the apostle Peter tells us to live "in peace, without spot, and blameless." (II Peter 3:14)
It is very difficult for a godly person to live in peace with church people who live in ungodly ways. Often these people are relatives.
When we need to separate from the ungodly religious people, how to we do that?
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One woman, in our little church group, troubled me for 39 years. I often prayed to be freed from her. I tried but failed each time I tried to get away. I always felt guilty and accepted her back into our group though she continued to trouble me by her words and by the way she went about secular things.
I continually prayed that if I ever got ill and couldn't take care of myself that this woman not be in charge of me because I had witnessed many times her decisions and did not like that which I saw her do. I felt she acted of her own thinking and did not get wisdom from God.
I fell at my house in December, 2018. The medical people took me to the emergency room at hospital. I opened my eyes and this woman from our church group was standing there at the emergency room. At first I thought she was a nurse. Then I recognized her.
Three days later, before surgery, a nurse came to my room to get me to sign papers naming a person who would be in charge of me if I were unable to make medical decisions. I said, "Pam Padgett will be in charge of me." This church woman was standing there when I said this. She was very shocked and replied, "How can Pam be in charge of you? She doesn't even live here." I said, "I don't know how she can be but she is."
Pam lived 450 miles away in Colorado. I had watched Pam for several years as she made decisions. She prayed and after hearing from God she would do that which she believed God showed her to do. She was very sound in her spiritual approach to decision making. That is the type of person I would want making decisions for me.
Shortly after surgery, I became conscious. This woman from our church group was standing at the foot of my bed. She didn't say anything. She looked directly at me and then turned with her back to me and walked straight through the wall, disappearing through the wall!
I thought I was having a drug induced hallucination for they had been giving me pain medicine after surgery.
A few days after surgery they sent me to a rehabilitation hospital.
About two weeks later, this church woman came to my room. She sat down by my bed and said, "I no longer care about anyone or anything anymore. I don't read the Bible or the blog."
I replied: "But what is going to happen to you if you go this way?"
She said, "I don't want to talk to YOU about this."
She got up and went into the bathroom, which was in my room, and she closed the door.
A nurse came in and I called to this church woman asking her to wait until this nurse finished with me.
But while the nurse worked with me, I saw this church woman "sneak" out of my room and disappear.
After this, I knew that vision I had of her disappearing was not drug induced but it was a vision from God showing me what this woman was going to do in future.
About 6 weeks later, by email, she apologized saying she had showed no mercy at all toward me.
I responded, "Please don't be concerned about this. I'm glad you left. God showed me you were going to disappear. You have been a problem to me for 39-years, and I'm glad you're gone. I think you might need to go to a medical doctor to see if something is medically wrong with you. I know I can't help you."
I never saw her again. I think she did send email telling me she went to medical doctor and he didn't find much.
Something was definitely wrong because she got things so twisted and often couldn't remember what she had said and the truth often became very questionable in her speaking.
As far as I am concerned, God got her out of my life.
During the years Sandra was in our church group, she would become so twisted and I became so entangled in her situations while trying to help her, that it pulled me down and took a long time to straighten out the issue. And it never helped her. She just kept repeating the errors.
***
Another woman in our church group ended up being a considerable problem over a period of 39 years.
At first she seemed to be of God. I even thought she was a prophet. She often had a word of knowledge which seemed to be from God. I encouraged her to present this word to our church group. But usually she did not do that. Then when I would say something, she often responded, "I thought of that." but she didn't share that with us.
Through the years, I kept trying to get her to share those "impressions" with us.
Unknown to me, she became offended with me. Finally she exploded and railed out against me on the telephone. She said it was like I had been throwing rocks at her all these years.
She left us and I haven't heard from her since.
God showed me in a vision that these two women were like bar bells on either end of a pole which weight lifters carried.
I felt God hardened her heart toward me as in the following scripture:
Joshua 11:20 For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that HE might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the LORD commanded Moses.
I also felt instructed to leave her alone. If she ever comes repenting over what she did, then to pay attention. But don't try to get her back.
***
A Catholic woman, who was often my partner at the Bridge center, and was like a daughter to me, became a problem after I warned her about idols in the Catholic church. I even gave her the following scripture to warn her: Matthew 23 ... Jesus said: And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
About 3 weeks after I sent her the email with this scripture she responded, thanking me for my "message", but she continued attending the Catholic church where she called those men "FATHER".
After I moved from Texas to Colorado in 2019, we would speak by phone and email.
Then God gave me more intensive information about idols in the churches, both Catholic and protestant.
I wrote these materials for everyone on the blog and I copied these writings and mailed them by US Mail to this Catholic woman.
I didn't hear from her for the next 1 1/2 years. Then I received an email from her. She didn't say any thing in the email but she forwarded animal photos to me. I knew she was trying to open the door for resuming a "friendship" with me.
I did not respond to her "invitation".
I didn't open her email to look at the animal photos. I did not want to be enticed in any way to a friendship with this woman.
I felt God showed me this: "If she comes saying she did something because of a specific scripture, then pay attention to her."
Until then, I feel to leave her alone.
I was a little frightened about this: What if she should call me? Should I answer the phone? I asked God.
And I was reminded of these scriptures to lead me.
***
In another case, my cousin tried to destroy me. (2019)
This cousin was 97 years old at the time she wrote to me, and she had been a member of Church of Christ group all her life.
Her letter was twisted, incomplete and garbled.
She said, "apostle ... Peter said ... Acts 1"
I think she was trying to tell me to look at Acts 1 and I would see I could not be an apostle for, by her thinking, they selected the last apostle in Acts 1 and there were no more apostles today in the churches.
Acts 1 Peter said:
21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
23 And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
But what about Paul?
Paul did not fit the qualifications set forth by Peter whereby the apostle to replace Judas could be appointed. For at the time Peter said this, Paul was persecuting the Christians. Also Paul was not associating with the disciples from the time of John the Baptist to the time Jesus was taken into heaven as Peter said that replacement for Judas must have done.
Truly, Matthias replaced Judas as the 12th apostle.
But Paul was another kind of apostle. He was going to be an apostle to the church appointed by Jesus from heaven, after the crucifixion and resurrection.
Paul was a New Testament apostle given to the church, as we are today who are appointed by Jesus as apostles to the church.
Ephesians 4:8;11-12
8 When HE (Jesus) ascended up on high, HE led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
11 And HE gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
This cousin was 97 years old at the time she wrote to me, and she had been a member of Church of Christ group all her life.
Her letter was twisted, incomplete and garbled.
She said, "apostle ... Peter said ... Acts 1"
I think she was trying to tell me to look at Acts 1 and I would see I could not be an apostle for, by her thinking, they selected the last apostle in Acts 1 and there were no more apostles today in the churches.
Acts 1 Peter said:
21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
23 And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
But what about Paul?
Paul did not fit the qualifications set forth by Peter whereby the apostle to replace Judas could be appointed. For at the time Peter said this, Paul was persecuting the Christians. Also Paul was not associating with the disciples from the time of John the Baptist to the time Jesus was taken into heaven as Peter said that replacement for Judas must have done.
Truly, Matthias replaced Judas as the 12th apostle.
But Paul was another kind of apostle. He was going to be an apostle to the church appointed by Jesus from heaven, after the crucifixion and resurrection.
Paul was a New Testament apostle given to the church, as we are today who are appointed by Jesus as apostles to the church.
Ephesians 4:8;11-12
8 When HE (Jesus) ascended up on high, HE led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
11 And HE gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
***
After Jesus arose into heaven, Jesus appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus. to reveal HIMSELF to Paul, causing Paul to be born again, and setting Paul into the ministry as an apostle.
Paul explains this to king Agrippa in Acts 26:
9 I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
10 Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.
11 And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.
12 Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,
13 At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me.
14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.
16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;
17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
19 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:
***
By letter I explained this to my cousin.
Then a week or so later, in another letter I said to her: "Jeanne ... you have your doctrine wrong about apostles. See Ephesians 4."
She did not reply. She was 97 at the time I wrote this. She might be dead by now.
***
Jesus said:
We might need to depart from some religious relative or religious church person, but we have to see from God "how" to depart.
It is critical that we have God's plan on this. So we must ask God "HOW" to do this.
We can do a lot of damage if we try to leave by our own ideas.
*****