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Chapter 1
God’s Gifts To The New Testament Church
What would it be like in the town where you live if there were no police officers and no judges to rule over secular matters?
Lawlessness … every man for himself?
In the Bible, antichrist is called, “The Man of Lawlessness”. II Thess. 2 NASB
Paul said in the last days “perilous” times would come. II Tim. 3:1
In the Bible, we read: After Jesus arose (after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus), HE gave gifts to the church.
Eph. 4:11-12 … And HE 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:
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Today in churches, we see evangelists, pastors, teachers … But where are the apostles and prophets?
Why have apostles and prophets been removed from the majority of NT churches today?
They aren't taken out of the NT churches in the Bible examples.
I Corinthians 14
26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.
28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.
29 Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.
30 If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.
31 For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.
32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
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Why do we not hear of apostles and prophets and know them in the
churches today and know the work they do in the NT church? Jesus gave to
the church apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers … after
HE arose. This is the way Jesus set up the ministries in the church
after HE arose.
So why aren’t they there today in most churches? Jesus didn’t remove apostles and prophets. What happened?
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In the removal by men of apostles and prophets in today’s churches, we
see the lawlessness of antichrist being staged inside the churches, for
the role of apostle is like a judge, using Bible and ruling over
doctrines by the Holy Spirit of God … and prophets are like police
officers, carrying warnings and messages of correction to the churches
and to individual in the churches.
Paul said he knew men would bring "perverse" doctrines into the church after he was gone.
Acts 20:29-30 … Paul says to the elders of the church at Ephesus … For
I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in
among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men
arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
💥💥💥
Paul also warned us that
perilous times would come in the latter days …
II Tim. 3:1-7
… This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For
men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud,
blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural
affection (homosexuals;lesbians; abortionists), trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce,
despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of
pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive
silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, 7 Ever learning,
and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
We see this was going to take place
in the churches.
Notice they would have
“a form of godliness” … but they would
deny the power of the scriptures to rule over the church and they would
set up doctrine contrary to scripture inside the church, thus promoting
sin and perverted doctrine inside the church.
And Paul told us it would get worse, not better.
II Tim. 3:13 … But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
*****
You think this can’t happen in “your” church?
When was the last time you heard this preached at church?
The man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery?
I’ve been in various church groups for more than 35-years and I have never heard this doctrine spoken at any church group.
How can that be? Jesus said this. It is reported multiple times in the gospels.
Mt.
5:32, Mt. 19:9
How can this doctrine be removed and another doctrine set up in our churches today?
Because our churches today are “latter day”
and the man of lawlessness,
antichrist, moved in to the positions of authority in the individual
church groups and reasoned away the words of Jesus on matters that would
offend people so the congregations would grow larger and larger but
weaker and weaker.
The poison gas dream:
In 1979, God gave me the following terrifying dream:
Destruction was everywhere.
I went into a meeting room where a meeting was going on. A man was speaking to a room filled with people. I went in and began to listen.
A second man rushed in and said: "Stop ... Wait ... Can't you see ... It's too late ... It's already begun."
The first man resumed speaking.
I looked out the window to see what had "already begun."
There
was a tall pole with a yellow civil defense speaker at top of the pole.
A gas was coming out of the speaker. I knew it was poisonous and would
kill the people. It was coming directly toward us!
The shocking thing was the speaker that was set there for the purpose
of warning us was being used as the instrument which dispersed the gas
that was poison and would kill us!
I looked at the man seated next to me. He had a big grin on his face
and was looking directly at the man who was speaking to the group. But
then I saw this man was a corpse, though he looked alive. He was already dead!
I looked about the room at the other people and realized they were all dead.
As I sat back in my chair and listened to the man speaking I began to
feel sleepy and I knew as I sat there among them this was killing me
too.
God was showing me the anarchy in the church groups, at the time of the dream, 1979. The destruction in the churches was everywhere, even at that time. And it is much worse today.
*****
II Thessalonians 2 ... NASB ... 3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it (the day of the LORD) will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.
(In 1982, I was reading these 2 verses and God said to me: "The falling away (KJV) spoken of by Paul were not people leaving the church groups. The falling away were the church groups falling away scripture.")
***
NASB 2 Thessalonians 2
5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?
6 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed.
7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed
***
The
restraint keeping antichrist back from the churches was the scripture.
When portions of scripture were removed
from the church, lawlessness moved into the churches ... thus the
apostasy in the churches.
You will say, "My church isn't a part of the apostasy." (and you will be so proud)
Does your church teach the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery? This is what Jesus said: Mt. 5:32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
If your church allows men to marry divorced women, it is a part of the apostasy
*****
A few years ago, I attended a dinner sponsored by a museum group. The
seating was pre-arranged by the organization. I was seated next to a man
who was wearing around his neck the largest cross I have ever seen.
This man identified himself as former pastor at
Indiana Street Baptist Church.
He began speaking about their church … He said,
“We have a terrible
problem. We don’t have enough room to seat all the people who are coming
to church. We enlarged the size of our building but we still don’t have
enough room.”
I replied:
“If
you would start preaching what Jesus said … ‘The man who marries a
divorced woman commits adultery’ … you would no longer have a problem.
About ½ of the people would leave you and you would have plenty of
seating.”
I got up and left the dinner … not caring to sit by this man.
And what did Jesus and Paul say?
Jesus said … Mt. 5:32
… But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving
for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and
whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
And Paul said the following is a commandment of the Lord for the NT church …
I Cor. 7:10-11 … And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband. But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.
And to the NT Church Paul explains …
Romans 7:1-3
… Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how
that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? For the
woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long
as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of
her husband. So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man.
*****
As time increased, evil men crept into the churches and set up doctrine
by their own rule, not by God’s rule.
They set up the gathering of the
church by their own way of thinking. They decided which men could speak
and which could not speak. They said they were “protecting” the church
from evil doctrine.
But their plan of “protection” is not according to Paul’s statement of what must happen when we come together as the church.
Paul said: I Cor. 14:26
… How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you
hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an
interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
This way we, the church, would meet and the basic direction would be:
Who has a word from the LORD to share today?
The Holy Spirit would be free to speak through whomever HE willed at the
gathering of the church. And the body of Christ would be free to
function as an entire body.
At one point, on Wednesday nights some of the churches had “testimonials”.
I found that so exciting. It was more like a gathering of the church
instead of a performance where everything was planned ahead.
People at those services told things God had done for them.
The way God planned for the gathering of the church was completely
different from what we see today where everything is planned ahead by
humans.
I Corinthians 14:26
*****
God taught me the following:
Keep reading the Bible and the Holy Spirit will teach you ... then step out in front of the people and speak what you hear in your ear. Speak what I give you for the congregation.
God took me to 2 examples:
Jesus said … John 5:30
… I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my
judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the
Father which hath sent me.
Jesus didn’t plan what HE was going to say.
Instead Jesus spoke that which HE heard from God.
And Jesus said,
“I seek not mine own will …” He wasn’t trying to
deal with someone in the congregation by pre-knowledge. Jesus spoke as
HE heard from God and that did the work of God in the gathering of the
“church”, at the synagogue where Jesus spoke most days, on the streets
as Jesus met men, and when men came to HIM where HE lodged.
Wouldn’t you like to attend that type of church gathering?
This is what Paul said the gathering of the church was supposed to be.
We would come together and to one would be given a psalm
(prayer),
another would have a revelation, another would share doctrine, the
prophets would speak two or three, tongues and interpretation were
given.
(I Cor. 14:26)
It would take faith in God to do this … You would have to believe God would “feed” HIS people and bring forth HIS word.
God taught me this: " Just read the Bible and conform your life to the scripture and when you speak or write I will have the Holy Spirit show you what to say by bringing that to your mind." This will meet the needs of the people.
*****
The second scripture God used to teach me what to do when I spoke is as follows:
Paul says …
I Corinthians 2:1-5
And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech
or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined
not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.
And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of
man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your
faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
I kept these 2 scriptures
(Jn.5:30 and I Cor. 2:1-5) before me day and night for months and thought on them and they caused me to get strong enough in time to do them.
When
I went out, I planned nothing. I just got with the people and spoke
what I heard from God. God knows what that group needs and HE will
provide for their needs when we trust in HIM.
This is what the church gathering should be whether we meet in living
room, or at the grocery store in passing, or in a building called
“church” building.
The church is anywhere 2 or 3 are gathered in the name of the Lord (speaking things of the Lord) …
Jesus says … Mt. 18:20 … For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
When we think about Jesus walking about dealing with those things that
appeared by the road where HE walked, we can see the way of God for
sharing.
We share,
speaking what we hear from God, wherever we are. That is the real church.
Certainly Jesus spoke in the synagogues which were buildings similar to what we know today as “church buildings”,
but the amazing thing is Jesus was allowed to speak and to teach in the synagogues.
If Jesus appeared in the flesh today, HE would not be
permitted to speak to most churches because HE would not be approved by
the men who have taken over the local congregations.
*****
Several years ago, I had the following dream…
I
went into a very large church building. It was filled with people.
There was one seat in the balcony behind a pillar which seemed to be
holding up the roof. I sat down in that seat. A woman sitting next to me
said, “You can’t see much from that seat …” I replied: “There’s never much to see at these places anyway.”
*****
In the Holy Bible, inspired by God, the apostle Paul told us what was to
happen in the gathering of the church when we come together as the
church.
I Cor. 14:26 … How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
The apostle Paul said … every one of you have the right in the gathering
of the church to present a psalm, a doctrine, a tongue, a revelation,
an interpretation … so long as it is edifying … (and orderly)
(We can see in
I Corinthians 14 that Paul restricted women from disrupting the church by asking question… for Paul said …
vv. 34-35
Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted
unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as
also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their
husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.)
Philip the evangelist had 4 daughters who were prophets. (Acts 21:9)
Prophecy is for the church. Certainly we see by this women were
permitted to speak in the church when they were ordained by God,
especially as prophets.
Also Paul set an orderliness concerning the prophets speaking in the gathering of the church:
I Cor. 14:29-33 Let the prophets speak
two or three, and let the other judge. If any thing be revealed to
another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. For ye may all
prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. And
the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not
the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the
saints.
Today most churches don’t have any prophets (so they think) and in some
churches they even teach there are no prophets in the NT church today. Many people, I'm convinced, are prophets and don't know they are prophets. I see them given spiritual gifts such as word of knowledge and often they keep this to themselves rather than share what they have heard from God with the church for whom that word is intended.
I've been taught by God: "
Share every work I give you with the church."
***
This
is amazing since Jesus gave the churches apostles, prophets,
evangelists, pastors, teachers for the work of the ministry and for the
edifying of the body of Christ after HE (Jesus) was resurrected when HE
set up the NT Church. (Ephesians 4:8:11-14)
*****
When I was a new Christian, I first attended a church called
Believers Chapel, my best friend and her husband went there.
(Most of us follow friends and families to various church groups regardless of the doctrine.) The multiple pastors at that church were professors at Dallas Theological Seminaries.
One of the first things I heard taught at that church group is a doctrine that “tongues” are of the devil.
A man who was professor at
Dallas Theological Seminary was
giving a series of sermons on this subject. I did not care at all about
tongues one way or another but
a few weeks later I was reading the
Bible and saw the following instruction from the Spirit of God by the
apostle Paul in the Holy Bible:
I Cor. 14:39 … forbid not to speak with tongues.
My best friend and I were driving from Denton to Dallas and I said to her,
“Hey Donna … did you know Paul said, ‘Forbid not to speak in tongues?’ “
Donna pulled the car off the highway and said,
“Let me see that.”
I had a small purse size NT I always carried with me. I handed it to Donna and told her where I saw that scripture.
She read it and was greatly surprised since we were going to a church that taught tongues to be from the devil.
We drove immediately to her house. She had many translations of the Bible.
(My little Bible was KJV)
We looked at each translation she had of the Bible and they all said the same thing:
Forbid not to speak in tongues in the gathering of the Church.
We both left that church for it was teaching things against the Holy Bible.
*****
In the gathering of the church, all things are to be done
“to edification” … to build the church, to comfort the church, to instruct the church.
I once attended a church service at a Baptist church. The pastor said he
was turning the first part of the service over to the youth group. A
young man presented a film of their recent youth gathering.
The film
showed girls with rollers in their hair and young men running about
slapping the girls on the rear end with rolled up towels. No scriptures were presented and nothing was presented that edified the church in any way.
One of my relatives attended that church group and was seated beside me. She was embarrassed and said to me,
“I could do without this.”
When the pastor took charge again, he misquoted some scripture, leaving portions of the scripture out.
After the service, I went to pastor and told him I would like to make
an appointment to speak with him. He said he had time and we could talk
immediately.
We went into his office.
I told him that Paul said when we came together in the church all things were to be done
to edification and that presentation by the youth group was not edifying to the congregation in ways of God.
Pastor said he liked it.
Then I took the scripture he misquoted and showed that verse to him and
showed him how he left out ½ of that scripture when he spoke it.
That
pastor became very angry and said: “I’ve been doing this 23 years and I
know what I’m doing … Where do you go to church?” trying to accuse me.
(He
was one of the many antichrist pastors of the end time apostasy ...
antichrist is not one man but a spirit operating in many men, just as
the devil is not one man but a spirit in many men.) John calls it: "the spirit of antichrist". (I John 4:3)
In reading Revelation and how they did not repent, I thought of this Baptist
pastor, and others …
Revelation 16:8-9
… And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was
given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great
heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these
plagues: and they repented not to give HIM glory.
When a man speaks of himself,
of his own thinking, that man seeks his
own glory.
The man who speaks truthfully of God and truthfully transmits
the scriptures seeks God’s glory, says Jesus:
John 7:18 ... He
that speaketh of himself (his own ideas) seeketh his own glory: but he
that seeketh HIS glory that sent him, the same is true, and no
unrighteousness is in him.
*****
Revelation 16:10-11
And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and
his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for
pain, And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their
sores, and repented not of their deeds.
*****
In looking for a church to attend, I visited several church groups.
On a Wednesday night, I went to a non-denomination church. Pastor was teaching from
John 8 … about the woman taken in adultery.
Pastor said,
“And when she was brought to Jesus, she was naked from her waist up.”
I was very shocked! (I knew that was not in the Bible.)
I looked about the auditorium where about 200 people were gathered
listening to pastor say this. They, especially the men, had smiles on their faces.
I reached
for my Bible but I did not see anyone in the congregation look in a
Bible to check what pastor was saying. They just sat there smiling,
approving (loving) pastor. Many of the men showed lust toward the woman that pastor described as 1/2 naked. I think they were imaging her that way.
But I turned to
John 8 in my Bible and reread this section of scripture again.
John 8:1-11
… 1 Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. 2 And early in the morning HE came
again into the temple, and all the people came unto HIM; and HE sat
down, and taught them. 3 And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto HIM a
woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, 4 They
say unto HIM, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what
sayest THOU? 6 This they said, tempting HIM, that they might have to
accuse HIM.
7 But Jesus stooped down, and with HIS finger wrote on the ground,
as though HE heard them not. 8 So when they continued asking HIM, HE
lifted up HIMSELF, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you,
let him first cast a stone at her.
9 And again HE stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which
heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one,
beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone,
and the woman standing in the midst.
10 When Jesus had lifted up HIMSELF, and saw none but the woman, HE
said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man
condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. 11 And Jesus said unto her, Neither
do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
The next day, I called this pastor. I told him I was in his church
service the previous night. I asked him about him saying the woman
brought before Jesus was naked from waist up.
I asked him to tell me
where that is in Bible. He said,
“I can’t remember.” I told him
it was very important for me to know this and I asked him if he would
look it up and have his secretary call me and tell me where that is in
Bible.
Pastor became very angry. He shouted into phone: “Well … okay … it’s not in the Bible. Where do you go to church?” (trying to accuse me as the Baptist pastor had done)
I was acquainted with several men in that church group. When pastor said the woman was naked from the waist up, each of these men had big grins on their faces. I felt they were thinking of what she might look like. Lasciviousness was loosed into the church group by that pastor when he said this.
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Here is an example of two church groups in the Bible. One group was more "noble" than another.
Acts 17:10-11
… And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto
Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These
were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the
word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
*****
At another non-denominational church gathering, pastor was teaching about Sarah and Hagar.
Pastor said, “Hagar and Sarah were ½ sisters.”
I had never before heard that. The next day I searched Bible for this
information
and could not find it in the Bible. I called pastor. I told him I had
been in his service Sunday morning and heard him say this and I couldn’t
find it in Bible and I asked him to tell me where that information is
in Bible.
(Genesis 21)
Pastor said,
“I can’t recall where it is just now.”
I explained it is very important to me and asked him if he would look it up and have secretary call me and tell me.
Again, like the other pastor, he became very angry and said, “It’s not in the Bible …” and he began to try to accuse me.
*****
I have gone to many pastors through the years, asking about doctrine spoken by them in their services.
Each
pastor became angry, tried to accuse me and no one showed any shame
over their corruption of scripture ..and no one repented … it was just
like we read in Revelation 16:8-11 … "and repented not of their deeds".
(Antichrist
pastors in the churches today ... not unusual at all to see today as
they change scripture, and doctrines, and omit parts of scripture...
this is the end time apostasy of II Thessalonians 2)
*****
Another very shocking dream showing me the condition of the church groups today was as follows:
In this dream, There was a long row of baby bassinets. I walked down the row and looked into each bassinet at the baby. I was horrified. The babies were terribly deformed.
At the end of the row, stood my favorite aunt, a Church of Christ
member. She was about 45 years old in the dream. She was fully grown.
But on her face were horrible black blemishes.
This aunt told me she knew things were wrong at the church she attended.
But she stayed there anyway.
It will not work to stay in a church group where you know things are wrong. You will be affected in a bad way.
I Tim. 5:22 … neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure.
I Cor. 5:6 … Paul says … Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
If pastor will not repent when you speak truth and if congregation
continues to sit in the darkness where the scriptures are mishandled or completely eliminated,
you must not stay among them. Such will destroy you, too. This is antichrist.
2 Thessalonians 2 KJV (Paul tells us of the end time apostasy in the churches.)
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
In 1982, I was reading this scripture when God began showing me what it meant. God said to me: "The end time falling away are not people leaving the church group. The end time "falling away" are church groups falling away and leaving the scriptures."
This allows the spirit of antichrist to come into that church group and change and eliminate scriptures.
The following is often completely removed from the churches: Jesus said: The man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. Mt. 5:32
(I've never heard this taught at any church I have attended. It would not be popular and I believe it is eliminated from the congregation because it would cause many to leave that church group if they taught this for many men in churches have committed adultery by marrying a divorced woman.)
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