Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
I Cor. 2 ... 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God:for they are foolishness unto him:neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he (those of the world) may instruct him (who knows the mind of the Lord)?
But we have the mind of Christ.
When I played bridge a few years ago, I met a Catholic woman who was very religious, attending church constantly, faithful to her church. She would call me asking me to go to lunch with her. She did this almost weekly.
At one point, I went to Barnes and Nobel book store and look at a Catholic Bible to see if the following verse was in the Catholic Bible.
Mt. 23 ... Jesus says ... 9 And call no man your father upon the earth:for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
I sent this verse to this Catholic woman.
For about 3 weeks, I heard nothing from her.
Then she wrote email "thanking" me for my message.
But I knew the truth about her. For she continued in Catholic church and kept calling those religious men "Father".
She kept asking me to lunch. When I went with her, she took every opportunity to tell me what I should do. I wasn't asking her what I should do but she made opportunity to tell me. I had to get away from this woman. Finally I began telling her she was going wrong way and then I began sending messages to her telling of the evils in the Catholic church. This did it! She stopped calling me and said I had no "right" to speak this way about her church. (Even if I were not an apostle/prophet appointed to the church by God, the Bible itself is my "right".)
What this woman did to me is an example of that which Paul is talking about in I Cor. 2:14-16.
She set herself to judge me and to judge others ... quickly telling us what we should do ... But she wasn't even of God, not born again ...
Paul is saying to us, do not be judged by the worldly people who speak of their own fleshly ideas.
They do not have the mind of God concerning you.
You have the Holy Spirit in you and HE leads you in what you should do.
You, not they, have the mind of Christ.
Recently I went to Walmart and ran into an acquaintance from Bridge Center where I once played bridge. (I no longer play bridge. I quit.)
I had not seen this woman in several years. She asked what I was doing. I replied, "I've been writing books." She was shocked.
She asked about the books and I told her.
Then she said, "You should write fiction."
This is another example of being judged by "the natural man" ... Does this woman have the mind of Christ? Is she speaking from God or from her own cleverness?
If this woman had the mind of Christ, she would not have loosely said what I should be doing. She would not have presumed to think herself to tell me such. Her own words to me prove she is not of God. For a godly person would not do such to another person.
This is what Paul is speaking of in I Cor. 2 ...
I Cor. 2 ... 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of
the Spirit of God:for they are foolishness unto him:neither can he know
them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he (those of the world) may instruct him (who knows the mind of the Lord)?
We, who are born again have the Spirit of God in us. The Spirit of God searches the heart of God to reveal to us the will of God. Therefore we have the mind of the Lord on the matter at hand concerning our own lives and what we should do or not do.
It is very important for us to realize this and to diligently follow what God shows us and abstain from opposite things.
The flesh and the devil will lead into destruction.
The way of God is way of life. We must go in the way shown us by the Spirit of God.
I've often had men calling themselves "pastors" write to me telling me I need to come to their country and speak to their group.
This is another example of that which Paul is saying in I Cor. 2 ... 15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he (those of the world) may instruct him (who knows the mind of the Lord)?
These men are not of God. If they were of God they would not presume to be telling me what I should do. This shows me they are not of God.
God has shown me what I am to do ... I am to stay still and exhort the church in writing from my own home, sharing with the church all over the world by this blog daily and now sharing with the 10 books available all over they world on amazon.com.
To leave the assignment given me by God for this point in time and go off and speak to a church group 1/2 way around the world would be suicide.
Stay with that which God has shown you.
In Galatians 1, Paul speaks of staying with the "gospel" and not departing from the "gospel".
Gospel means: God's story ...
What is God's story to you for your life? You must not depart from your assignment given by God.
Considered in this context of the gospel being "God's story to you", look at Galatians 1.
Gal. 1 ... I marvel that ye are so soon removed from HIM that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received (from God), let him be accursed.
Hold fast to that which the Spirit of God shows you about your own life and your assignment from God on this present earth.
Certainly we would not allow the natural man to pull us off with his ideas for us and if we have to do so we will separate ourselves from such a man (or woman).
Neither do we let a person in the church pull us off if that person is foolish enough to try to do so.
Each of us must hear directly from God about our own lives and go that direction, knowing WHOM WE HAVE BELIEVED.