Saturday, July 3, 2021

Hymn: Standing on the promises




(Click forward arrow > to play music:)


1.  Standing on the promises of Christ my King, 
Through eternal ages let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,

Standing on the promises of God.

Chorus:

Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of
Christ my Savior;
Standing, standing,

I’m standing on the promises of God.


2.   Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,

Standing on the promises of God.

3.  Standing on the promises I now can see
Perfect, present cleansing in the blood for me;
Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free,

Standing on the promises of God.

4.  Standing on the promises of Christ the Lord,
Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord,

Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,
Standing on the promises of God.

5.  Standing on the promises I shall not fall,
List’ning every moment to the Spirit’s call.
Resting in my Savior as my All in all,

Standing on the promises of God.


(Click pause symbol,  "  ... at beginning of hymn, to stop music)


*****

The following scripture pertains to this hymn:

Joshua 1:5   I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Matthew 28:20   lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.


***

v. 2   By the living Word of God I shall prevail,

The living word is that word that comes down to us from heaven.  It is put into our mind by God by HIS Spirit, by the Spirit of Jesus.  By this "living word" we know what to do.

John 6   Jesus says:

32-33   My Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is HE which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

48-51   I (The Word) am that bread of life.  Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.  I am the living bread which came down from heaven:

Jesus, The Word, is the Word that comes down from heaven.  The living word of God is the word spoken to us by the Spirit of God.  By His Spirit, God will bring to our mind ideas that show us what to do, or scriptures which show us what to do.  And when it is that Word of God, it will never fail.  We can put our trust in what we have heard from God by His Spirit.   

The living word of God is just exactly that, living, because it pertains to the exact subject we are dealing with at that moment in time. 

We
can hunt for a scripture and fail. Or we can try to figure out what to do and fail. 

But we will not fail when it is the Holy Spirit bringing the concept or a scripture to our mind to guide us in the matter at hand. 

***

Here are promises from Jesus concerning the work the Holy Spirit will do for us.

John 14:26    But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

John 16:13    Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself (of His own thinking); but whatsoever He shall hear (from God), that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.


4 things the Holy Spirit does for the believer:

- HE teaches us all things. (secular and spiritual)
- HE reminds us of all Jesus has said to us through scripture, dreams, concepts
- HE guides us into all truth.  (often one thing at a time ... you do the first thing ... then a second idea comes and you do that ... on until the matter is resolved)
- HE shows us things to come.  (often by dreams ... sometimes by just knowing)


***

v. 3   Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free,  

We are freed every time we have a word from God brought to our mind by His Spirit, and when we believe and act on that word in the midst of the trial or temptation.     


***

v. 4   Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword,

God speaks to each of His children by His Spirit which lives inside each child.  The Holy Spirit brings thoughts from God to our minds to show us the way of God and the will of God as we live on this earth.

We overcome the trials and temptations of this present earth as we hear from the Holy Spirit daily, and take appropriate action to the instruction given by the Spirit.

You do have to be careful.  For the devil will try to imitate God and bring thoughts to your mind which are opposite to the way God wants you to go.  And often our own fleshly preferences will bring thoughts to us which seem good to us, but are opposite to the way God wants us to go. 

James 3:14-16   ... But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.  This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.  For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

So if that is the case, you must repent and pray for God to correct your own heart.  For you will not likely to be able to hear correctly until you are corrected.

Otherwise:  Prove all things by prayer and Bible.  If you will ask God to confirm the way to go and to make it clear to you which thought is HIS, and if you will take time before you act, it will be made clear to you which thought is from God.  Also in the Bible we have a scripture which tells us how to recognize the wisdom that is from God.

James 3:17   But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.


***

v. 5   List’ning every moment to the Spirit’s call.
Resting in my Savior as my All in all,

Once we have established that a thought is from God, we must focus on that thought and rest in that word that we have heard from God concerning the matter at hand after doing that instruction in an appropriate way.  Often, we have to keep that word before us day and night to be strong enough to continue in that direction.  

Joshua 1:8-9   This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. 

Have not I commanded thee? 

(When God brings a word to our mind by HIS Spirit or when a scripture is made to stand out to us, that is God "commanding" us and we think on that word, taking action when needed, according to that word.)

Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.


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Friday, July 2, 2021

Podcast: Chapter 1 New Book: Attending church! What Paul says in Bible should happen when we gather as the church

 
 
 
(This new book is now available on Amazon in e-book for 99 cents.)
 
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 is what Paul tells us should happen when we gather as the church ... but I've never seen this happen at a church, except in a Sunday school type class.

The main service is usually strictly planned by those persons in charge.  There is little room for the Holy Spirit or the gifts of the spirit to operate.

I've often thought, "If Jesus Christ were here today at this church group, HE would not be permitted to speak to the church."

Yet the one thing most of us who are born again would say is after we were born again, we had a great desire to read the Bible and to attend church!

The greatest desire in my heart today is to be able to attend church ... to find a church to attend.

Why is it so hard to find a church to attend, especially after we are born again?

God gave me the following dream in the 1980's:

I went to a very large church building and found the lower seats were already filled with people, so I went upstairs into the balcony.  There was one seat available and I sat down there to listen to the speaker.  The woman who was sitting in front of me turned to me and said, "You can't see much from that seat."  (It was behind 2 pillars that were holding up the roof of the building.)  I replied, "Oh ... there's never much to see at these places anyway."

***

The leaders changed the gathering of the church from that which Paul said we were to do when we gather as the church and by doing this change and allowing only a few "approved" by themselves to speak to the church, they eliminated many words from the Lord which would be spoken to the congregation if all were free to share that which God had said to them and that which God had done with them as the apostle Paul said to do when we come together as the church.  (I Cor. 14:26)

And as a result of this change, many scriptures in the New Testament Bible are kept back from the church and sin has crept in to the point you can't see much difference from these church groups and the world as the churches offer approval to the world today.

Pam Padgett and I have just written a book entitled, "ATTENDING CHURCH!", where we share things both from Catholic and Protestant churches that we have attended and have had to work through with prayer, God, the Holy Spirit and the Bible.  (Published on Amazon now in e-book and later to come in paperback.)

The following is the first chapter in that book, first presented from the eyes of a child of four years old.

To read all of Chapter 1, please click here:   Attending Church! - Chapter 1

 

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Hymn: Praise Him, Praise Him, Jesus our blessed redeemer




(Click forward arrow > to play music:)


1.  Praise Him! praise Him! 
Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!

Sing, ye saints! His wonderful love proclaim!

Hail Him! hail Him! mightiest angels in glory;

Strength and honor give to His holy name!

Like a shepherd, Jesus will feed His people,

In His WORD He carries them all day long;

O ye saints that live in the light of His presence,

Praise Him! praise Him! 
ever in joyful song!

2.  Praise Him! praise Him! 
Jesus, our blessed Redeemer,

For our sins He suffered and bled and died;

He, our Rock, our Hope of eternal salvation,

Hail Him! hail Him! 
Jesus, the Crucified;

Loving Savior, meekly enduring sorrow,

Crowned with thorns that cruelly pierced His brow;
Once for us rejected, despised, and forsaken,

Prince of Glory, ever triumphant now.

3.   Praise Him! praise Him! 
Jesus, our blessed Redeemer,

Heavenly portals, loud with hosannahs ring!
(portal:  doorway, way in, way out)

Jesus, Savior, reigneth for ever and ever;

Crown Him! crown Him! 
Prophet and Priest and King!

Death is vanquished! 

Tell it with joy, ye faithful,
Where is now thy victory, boasting grave?

Jesus lives! 

No longer thy portals are cheerless;
Jesus lives, the mighty and strong to save.


(Click pause symbol,  "  ... at beginning of hymn, to stop music)


*****

Scripture pertaining to this hymn:

Romans 5:5-9     the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.  For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
But God commendeth HIS love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

(We didn't shed our blood for our sins, but Jesus shed His blood to pay for our sins ... without shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins  Hebrews 9:22 ... we cannot hope to pay for our sins and our wrong actions by our good works ... only by shed blood are we redeemed from sin and cleansed)

***


Revelation 5:1-14   And I saw in the right hand of HIM that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. 

And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? 

And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. 

And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. 

And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

And HE came and took the book out of the right hand of HIM that sat upon the throne.

And when HE had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, THOU art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for THOU wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by THY blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto HIM that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped HIM that liveth for ever and ever.


***

Luke 24:1-8   Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.

(The dead human body decays and stinks. They brought spices to cover the odor of death. But God was not going to suffer the body of Jesus to see corruption as other flesh sees corruption.)


And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.

And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.


And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:

And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?

HE is not here, but is risen: remember how HE spake unto you when HE was yet in Galilee,

Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.

And they remembered HIS words,


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Thursday, July 1, 2021

Podcast: They were mingled among the heathen and learned their works (Psalm 106:35)

 

 
When we are born again, God changes us to a new creature.  We are not like we once were.  We often do not want to do those things we once did.  Most of us who have been born again now want to read the Bible.  We also want to be with other Christians who are believers and try to do the Word of God.  We are very different after we are born again.

2 Cor. 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

In the Old Testament, God gave the people this instruction:

Numbers 33:50-53  And the LORD spake unto Moses in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho, saying,  Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are passed over Jordan into the land of Canaan;  Then ye shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and destroy all their pictures, and destroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their high places:  And ye shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land, and dwell therein: for I have given you the land to possess it.

55 But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.


2 Cor. 6:14-18  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be MY people.

17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean; and I will receive you,

18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be MY sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.


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Chapter 15. New Book: Attending church. Joan Boney: Trying to find a church to attend.


In 1985, I moved to Clovis, NM (USA), where my mother lived.  My dad died and I knew she would need help so I moved there and built two apartments and later a house and moved my mother into the house with me until she died in 2002.

While in Clovis, I tried to find a church to attend:

***

* Church on the Texico highway:

I spoke at this church several times when I was on radio between the years of 1980-1984.  

Then I moved to Clovis to help my mother after my father died.  

As I recall this, the man who was leader of this group contacted me when he learned I had moved to Clovis.  He was not really a pastor.  He was just the person in charge.  He asked me not to try to come to their church group.  He made the statement that he would not stand in the doorway to keep me out of their building but he wanted me to know I would not be welcome there.  They were followers of Kenneth Copeland at that time.

He didn't need to be concerned.  I've never tried to force my way into any church group and would not do such a thing.  

Several years later, 2017, God's message to me concerned the apostasy of the end times in the churches, and there was no way I would want to go near one of these apostate churches for I know Jesus will deal with them when HE returns and I just want to stay out of the way.

2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of HIS mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of HIS coming:

***

* Potter's House:

This was a really strange situation.  

I spoke to the pastor about visiting his church group, not as a speaker, just as a visitor.  I was looking for a church to attend.

First the pastor agreed.

I bought an appropriate dress and was excited over getting to go to a church group.

On Friday before I was to visit on Sunday morning, this pastor called me and said:  "Concerning that thing about your visiting our church.  I've decided I don't want you to visit our church group."

I said, "Ok ..."   and hung up.

I was disappointed not to get to go to church.

A few days after this, some teenaged girls showed up at my front door.  They were carrying printed hand outs.  They said they were from "Potter's House" church.  They invited me to attend their church.

I told them their pastor called me asking me not to visit their church.

They didn't say a word.  They just turned and walked away.


***


* Non-denominational church # 1:

I went to visit this church on a Wednesday night.  I was hoping to find a church to attend. 

The pastor was teaching about the woman taken in adultery.  John 8

Pastor said:  "And when she was brought to Jesus, she was naked from the waist up."

I was very shocked!  I knew this was not true.  I looked about the room and I didn't see anyone reach for a Bible to check this story.  

Several of the men had big lust-filled looking smiles on their faces.  

There were about 100 people in the congregation that night.

I called the pastor the next day.  I told him I had been in that meeting the previous night.  I asked him where it was in the Bible saying that woman taken in adultery was naked from the waist up as he had told the congregation.

He said, after a long pause:  "I can't remember where it is in the Bible."

I explained this was very important for me to know.  I asked him if he would please look this up and tell his secretary where this is in the Bible and have her call me and let me know.

Another long pause.

Then he shouted into the phone with great anger: "All right.  It's not in the Bible.  Where do you go to church?"

I told him I was trying to find a church to attend but I wasn't going to attend a church where the pastor told stories that were not in the Bible and then tried to lie to Christians about that which he had done.

That ended the phone call.

I saw a man in the congregation who had done some construction work for me.  It turned out that he was one of the elders in that church group.  I called him and told him what had happened.  He seemed surprised.  But he apparently had not tried to check this story in the Bible.

John 8:1-11  Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.  And early in the morning HE came again into the temple, and all the people came unto HIM; 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. 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. 

But Jesus stooped down, and with HIS finger wrote on the ground, as though HE heard them not.

7 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.

8 And again HE stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

9 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?

11 She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.


A few weeks later, I was visiting an Assembly of God church.  This elder was there that night.  We talked after the meeting.  He said he had left that other church group and was no longer an elder there.  He said he asked that pastor about what I said and the pastor said he just didn't know why he told that story to the people that night.

Later that pastor wanted to hire a homosexual to be their choir director.  And the former elder said he left that church for that reason.  

But that "elder" didn't leave when that pastor told the lie about the scriptures:  about the woman who was taken in adultery in John 8.

I was especially shocked that this pastor showed no shame over what he had done in lying to his congregation concerning John 8.

Later, in 2017,  God taught me about antichrist and the apostasy in the churches toward the end times.  Then I understood this was one of the antichrist, apostasy, churches and in the book of Revelation the people blasphemed God over the plagues but they did not repent.  

I've never seen any of these corrupt men who speak lies to their church groups repent.

Antichrist does not repent.

Revelation 9:20   And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:

v. 21  Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

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.

vv. 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.

I don't believe these antichrist, apostasy church people can repent.  They made their choice against the scriptures.

2 Thessalonians 2:10-12   And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

I leave these apostate churches and their leaders alone.  Jesus will judge them when HE comes to gather the elect of God.

***


* Non-denominational church # 2:

I visited this church on a Sunday morning.  It was the Sunday School class and the pastor was teaching from Genesis 16 concerning Sarai, Abram's wife, and Sarai's maid, her servant woman, Hagar.

Pastor said:  "Sarai and Hagar were 1/2 sisters."

I grabbed for my Bible for I'd never heard "that" before.

When I got home, I read every scripture pertaining to Sarai and Hagar and there was no mention of Sarai and Hagar being 1/2 sisters.

What the Bible does say is this:  

Genesis 16:1    Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.

(I did not believe an Hebrew, daughter of Israel, would have an Egyptian 1/2 sister, especially with no mention of this in Holy Bible.)

I called the pastor and told him I could not find this in Bible and I asked him where it tells that in the Bible.

Pastor replied,  "I can't remember where that is just now."

I told pastor it was very important for me to know where this is in Bible and I asked him to look it up and have his secretary call me and tell me where it is in the Bible.

He became very quiet.

Then he began shouting over the phone:  "It's not in the Bible!"

Incredible that a pastor would make up things like this and tell them to church as if these statements were in the Bible!

(He showed no sign of being ashamed for what he had done.)

Another thing happened that Sunday morning at that same service.

Pastor was teaching.  All of a sudden, a woman began shouting and waving her hands in the air and saying, "Praise the Lord ... Praise the Lord ... Praise the Lord."  Then she began running down the aisles and across the room while shouting and she ran down the row of windows at the left side of the room and then across the room to the other row of windows on the right side of the room and finally ended up back at her seat.

The pastor and the people in the congregation were very excited as she did this.  I realized they thought this was the Holy Spirit who had come upon this woman.  

I was horrified!  (It was, to me, more like a demonic possession.)

As soon as I got to my car, I talked to God about this.  

I was reminded of this scripture:

I Cor. 14:40   Let all things be done decently and in order.

I've never seen the Holy Spirit take over a human body and make anyone do anything.

This is what the Holy Spirit does:

John 14:26   Jesus says:  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in MY name, HE shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

John 16:13   Howbeit when HE, the Spirit of truth, is come, HE will guide you into all truth: for HE shall not speak of HIMSELF; but whatsoever HE shall hear (from God), that shall HE speak: and HE will shew you things to come.

I Cor. 2:9-13   But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.  But God hath revealed them unto us by HIS Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.  For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.  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,

***


* Church of Christ:

I had noticed a very small building with the name Church of Christ in my neighborhood.  

One Sunday morning, I decided to visit this group.

There were only about 8 people, mostly women.  A man began teaching this group and he started with this scripture:

Hebrews 11:7   By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

After reading this scripture aloud to the people in the room, pastor asked:  "Did Noah really condemn the world?"

I said:  "Yes ... Noah believed God and the world did not believe God, therefore by obeying what God said Noah condemned the world by building the ark."

(Everyone seemed shocked.  Pastor said no more about Noah.)

Later, I called this man "pastor" which is what he was, but he told me he is not called pastor.

I asked, "Then what are you called?"

He replied, "Minister."

But the apostle Paul wrote:

Ephesians 4:8, 11-12

8 Wherefore HE (Jesus) saith, When HE ascended up on high, HE led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

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:

I had attended Church of Christ as a young person and I then recalled that for some reason they do not call their pastors "pastor" though the Bible does call such pastors.

And the memory returned to me that I was once very afraid of that word "pastor" and when I heard people from other church groups mention their "pastor", I thought this must be something very bad because we had been taught at Church of Christ not to do this.

No one at that church group was friendly to me after I spoke and no one even approached me to speak with me after the Bible class.  I left before the main service.

Later I learned this church group had broken away from a Church of Christ group in Portales, NM (another city 19 miles from Clovis).  These people all lived in Portales but they built a church in Clovis.

They were in division from the group in Portales but I found them to be very much like I recalled in the Church of Christ groups which I had attended at an early age.

***

* Park Lane Baptist Church:

This was a standard Baptist church.

I went to their service one Sunday morning.  One of my relatives was a member at that church group and when she saw me enter the building she came to sit with me.

The pastor started the service by turning the meeting over to a teenaged boy so he could tell about the teenaged retreat from which their young people had just returned.  

The boy showed a movie of their trip.  Girls had their hair in rollers and the young men were running around the room trying to flip the girls on their rear ends with rolled up towels.  They were yelling and laughing.  

Aline Boney, who was sitting next to me, said:  "I could do without this ."

(In the entire film, nothing was said about God or scripture or church.  It was just a film of teenagers acting like teenagers.  There was no form of spiritual edification at all.  It was all flesh.)

The preacher began speaking of the following scripture:

Matthew 17:21  Jesus said:  Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Preacher omitted the end of that scripture where Jesus said:  "and fasting".

A second time pastor quoted that same scripture and said:  "Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer."

I very quietly said:  "and fasting."  (no one other than Aline could hear what I said.)

Amazingly, pastor quoted this a third time.  He said:  "Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer."

Aline joined me and together we both quietly said:  "and fasting."

That same night I returned to the evening service and it was even worse than the morning service, although I remember nothing said that night.

After the evening service, I went to pastor and told him I would like to make an appointment to talk with him.  He said he could talk right now if I wanted to do so.  We went into his office.

I told pastor I had been in the morning service and when we come together as the church all things must be done to "edification".  

I Cor. 14:26  Paul says concerning the gathering of the church.  

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.

edify means:  to build, especially to build spiritually, causing the other persons to be strengthened in faith in God.

I told pastor there was nothing at all spiritually edifying in the presentation of the film given by the young man from their retreat.

Pastor replied:  "Well, I liked it!"

Then I spoke concerning the way pastor had left the end off of that scripture, Matthew 17, three times.

Pastor became very angry after I said that and pastor said:  "I've been doing this 23 years and I know what I am doing."

I replied:  "I think I've said all to you that I need to say."

And I left, never to return again to that church group.

***

* Clovis Assembly of God:

I attended this church group on a Wednesday night.  There were about 200 people present.

The pastor was teaching and he began the service by saying, "We must all pray for brother Swaggart."  

(The secular TV news had just reported that Jimmy Swaggart, TV preacher, had been caught with a prostitute and Swaggart had appeared on his church-type TV show with tears running down his face and saying, "I have sinned."

I was very shocked at pastor saying we should pray for Swaggart, for the apostle Paul told us in the Bible what we were to do when a brother is a fornicator.

Paul says:

I Corinthians 5:11, 13  But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.

13  Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.

After pastor said we should pray for brother Swaggart, I was so shocked that out of my mouth came the following statement:  "We should put him out of the church!"   

I said this in a very low tone but the woman sitting in front of me heard what I said and she turned around and glared at me.

I fled that church group!

Concerning Swaggart:

The leaders of the Assemble of God, where Swaggart had been ordained, decided to forgive Swaggart and pray for him and counsel him

They totally ignored the instruction given by the apostle Paul in the Holy Bible in I Corinthians 5:11.

About 2 years later, Swaggart was caught with another prostitute.

This time the Assembly of God church leaders defrocked "brother" Swaggart.

Swaggart continued with his very big TV shows unaffected.


*****


*  Texico Assembly of God:

The pastor of this church group came to my house to talk with me upon my request.

I'm sure I told him I was a called apostle and prophet of Jesus Christ.

He seemed amiable.

I visited his church service on the following Sunday morning.  From the pulpit he saw me and nodded to me.  He began the service.  He started reading scripture.  He said nothing at all during that service except for scripture.  He read one scripture after another without any teaching or explanation and then ended the service after about 45 minutes.  He seemed to be terrified of my being there.  I felt he was trying to play it safe.

I noticed this:  On the right side of the wall of the small building where the people met as the church, there was hanging a photo of the long haired man that the Catholics so often think of being "Jesus."

I contacted that pastor the following day and told him he should remove that picture immediately.

I presented several scriptures forbidding the use of images such as this in the gathering of the church, and this one at his church was false, with there being no photos of Jesus, and also such things cause a form of fleshly idolatry among the church.

And Jesus told us the following:

John 4:23-24 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship HIM.  God is a Spirit: and they that worship HIM must worship HIM in spirit and in truth.

***

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4   Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day (of the Lord) 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 and God explained this to me:  "The falling away are not the people leaving the churches ... The falling away are the churches leaving the scripture."

That is exactly what I saw when I visited churches between the time I was born again in 1975 and 2017 when God went into more detail with me concerning the apostasy of the end time churches and antichrist in the churches.

Church groups everywhere I tried to attend had cast away scriptures and had added many doctrines to the Bible which were not in the Bible.

I was seeing the apostasy and antichrist at the churches I visited as I hunted for a church to attend.

But I didn't understand this at that time and it wasn't until 2017 that God explained this to me and after that I didn't try any more to find a church to attend.

(Explained in chapter 17)

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Click here to go to today's blog:  Jesus Ministries Exhortations blog

* Is the recent heat wave in the Northwest a part of the plague of Revelation 16? What God showed me about this.

 
Comments by Joan Boney:

In 2021, abnormal heat came to the Pacific Northwest of the United States.  It was reported that some temperatures were 30 to 50 degrees above normal in these areas.

I know in Revelation one of the plagues during the great tribulation will be great heat.  I wondered if this could be that plague.  So I talked with God about this and HE showed me the following.

In that plague of the Great Tribulation, we read the following:

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.

To me, the key to understand this is the statement that the angel poured out his vial "upon the sun".

The sun shines all over this earth.  So when that plague happens, it will affect all parts of this earth.  

We are not seeing that at this time.

It will happen and when it happens even air conditioning will likely fail due to extreme stress on the power supplies.

It will be far more severe than what we are seeing in 2021, but what we have just seen causes me to be reminded of that which is coming as described in Revelation 8, 9, and 16.

And Jesus says:

Matthew 24

21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.



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Hymn: On Christ the solid Rock I stand




(Click forward arrow > to play music:)


  1.  My hope is built on nothing less 
Than Jesus Christ, my righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.


Chorus:

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,

All other ground is sinking sand. 

2.  When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.


3.   His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.


4.  When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
In Him, my righteousness, alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.



(Click pause symbol,  "  ... at beginning of hymn, to stop music)



***** 

Scripture pertaining to this hymn:

v. 1   But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

Jesus' name:  the  Word of God ... I wholly lean on that Word given me by God ... That Word which comes down to me from heaven pertaining to the issue with which I am currently dealing.

***

v.2   I rest on His unchanging grace;

Every morning there is light from the sun.  This is unchanging until the end of this present world.

Genesis 8:22   While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

***

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
 
 
Christ, the solid Rock, is the WORD that is revealed by God to us in the issue at hand. 
 
Jesus says: 
 
Matthew 7:24-27   whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 
 
And every one that heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.


Jesus says: 
 
John 14:6   I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by ME.

The WORD given us by the Holy Spirit is the way to go.  The WORD is truth and life.  The WORD is Jesus.

John 1:1-4   In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him (The Word); and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him (The Word) was life; and the life (The Word) was the light  of men. 


***

John 6:33    For the bread of God is HE which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

35  And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to ME shall never hunger; and he that believeth on ME shall never thirst.

48  I am that bread of life.
51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is MY flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you.

We eat the flesh of Jesus and drink HIS blood as we live in the Word of God given to us by the Holy Spirit and as we do those things instructed in the Bible.  The Word is the Lord's supper.


54 Whoso eateth MY flesh, and drinketh MY blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 

55 For MY flesh is meat indeed, and MY blood is drink indeed.

56 He that eateth MY flesh, and drinketh MY blood, dwelleth in ME, and I in him. 57 As the living Father hath sent ME, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth ME, even he shall live by ME.

58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.




***

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.


*****

A few of many things THE WORD says to us, the children of God:

* I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.  (Joshua 1:5 & Hebrews 13:5)

The Word spoken to our minds by Jesus' Holy Spirit will always come to pass.

* No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of Me, saith the Lord.  (Isaiah 54:17)

* Jesus, The Word says ... lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.  (Matthew 28:20)

* my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (THE WORD). (Philippians 4:19)

* If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.  (James 1:5)

* Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.  (James 1:17)


*****

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.

Peter was blessed because God revealed The Word to him. The Word revealed by God by HIS Spirit to us is the rock. The gates of hell will not prevail against that Word revealed to us by God.


***

v. 4  When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
In Him, my righteousness, alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.


I Thessalonians 4:13-18    But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep (dead), that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with HIM.


For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (precede) them which are asleep.

For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:


Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.


Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

***

The apostle Peter tells us how to live and how to be found  "in HIM" when HE comes.

II Peter 3:10-14    But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 

Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,  Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 

Nevertheless we, according to HIS promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

The only way we can live continually "in peace, without spot, and blameless", is to pray over every issue that touches our lives this day and every day, one problem at a time.  And to be cleansed by God that day by hearing what God would bring to us in the trouble.

***

Our trust must be at all times in the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from all sins.

Hebrews 9:22  without shedding of blood is no remission.

God showed it to me this way:

I have shed no blood to pay for my sins. Jesus shed HIS blood to pay for my sins. Therefore my sins are paid for by Jesus' blood.

When thoughts of sins I did in past come to my mind, I must refuse to dwell on them. Instead I must reflect on the truth that all those past sins have been paid for by the blood of Jesus. There is nothing I can do of myself to make up for past acts which I now regret. I must trust my salvation in all things to have been bought by the blood of Jesus. I must keep myself in this truth at all times. 
 

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