Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
In Romans 15, Paul said ... 1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. 3 For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. 4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
What is Paul telling us to do?
Recently I asked God that question.
Immediately, my attention was drawn to this ... 3 For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached Thee fell on Me.
Jesus spoke the truth from God the Father to the "weak" ... Jesus suffered the reproach from men who did not believe the truth. By their rejection of truth, they reproached God. But they attacked Jesus. Therefore the reproaches of the unbelievers fell on Jesus when Jesus walked on the earth but for the words sake Jesus allowed this suffering to happen against Him. When we speak the truth from God to our "weak" neighbors, they will often attack us. They don't see God nor Jesus behind the truth we have spoken. They see us. So we are the ones reproached by them. But really they reproach God and Jesus though they attack us. But we "suffer it" for the words sake, not permitting the word to be trampled under their feet.
Paul is telling us to speak the truth of the Word to the weak and suffer their reproach.
Notice Paul said ... 2 Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.
Edification is to build that person in the truth. That is what our words should do.
There was an old country-western song with a line which said, "We'll never get out of this world alive." My mother, in weakness, somehow thought that saying to be clever. But that saying did not line up with truth of the Bible. So when my mother said that, I countered with the truth, telling her the truth.
I would say, according to the Bible, that is not true.
What the Bible says is this: 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep (die), but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump:for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. I Cor. 15
Some of us will not die.
When Jesus comes, those in HIM who have already died will be raised first to meet Jesus in the air. Then those who are still alive on this earth at that time will "be changed" in the blink of an eye. We will "shuck" these present bodies and be changed into the body given us by God. And we will rise to meet them in the air. (I Thess. 4 & I Cor. 15)
When we speak the truth from God on the subject, we "bear the infirmities of the weak" who have spoken something conflicting with the truth of God.
This is spoken by us "for his good to edification." Romans 15:2
that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. verse 3
Paul is telling us to exhort the "weak" in the Word of God, giving them a chance to grow in God's truth and thereby have comfort of the scriptures and hope.
Recently when speaking with my cousin whose husband of 64 years died a few month ago, she told they were going to decorate Thurman's grave.
I responded, "Why? Who are you trying to impress? The dead do not know you are on top of that grave decorating the grave. The dead person is asleep. So who are you trying to impress by visiting a grave and decorating a grave."
This cousin has always been extremely difficult to speak to, becoming offended easily.
But this time, it seems she actually listened to what I was saying.
She responded, "Then it really doesn't matter where we are buried." (truth)
This is another example of my doing what Paul said by the following scripture.
Romans 15 ... 1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the
weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let every one of us please his
neighbour for his good to edification. 3 For even Christ pleased not
himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached
thee fell on me. 4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were
written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the
scriptures might have hope.
We who are strong and know the truth from God, bear the infirmities of the weak by speaking the truth from God to those who are weak that they might see God's truth and be edified by truth and comforted by the scriptures.
After speaking with my cousin, I sent her the following scripture.
I Thess. 4 ... 13 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. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 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 (dead). 16 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:17 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. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Dead people are asleep. Dead people do not watch over the living, for dead people are sleeping.
My cousin described her husband's death as follows: "He patted my hand and then fell asleep." (died)
That is what happens when a person dies.