Joan Boney ... apostle/prophet
It is likely human nature to want to copy each other when we set out to do a work.
In the late 1970's, God said to me: "I have called you and set you in the body of Christ as an apostle."
I cried out in shock! "... an apostle? What's an apostle?"
At the time this happened, I was attending a faith movement church. At that church, they professed to believe there were apostles and prophets in the church, along with evangelists pastors, and teachers, but I had never seen them cite anyone as being an apostle, although there was one woman who was said to be in the office of a prophet.
Eph. 4:11-12 ... after Jesus arose HE gave gifts to the NT church ...
And HE (Jesus) 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 didn't tell anyone at that church what God had said to me, but I did begin to try to see who the apostles were and what they did in the NT church.
I asked my Sunday school teacher. He didn't know who they were nor what they did but he did believe they existed.
There wasn't any human to copy so I had to depend upon God teaching me.
Had there been someone to copy, I would likely have watched them and copied them.
There is such a danger in copying humans.
We are currently writing a book entitled: Faith Building Moments From The Old Testament
Here is an instruction from God and a warning from God concerning the danger of associating with the world and going after the world in their ways.
Exodus 34 (8-16)
And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.
And he said, If now I have found grace in THY sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for THINE inheritance.
And HE (God) said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the LORD: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee.
Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:
But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:
For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;
And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.
And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.
And he said, If now I have found grace in THY sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for THINE inheritance.
And HE (God) said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the LORD: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee.
Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold, I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:
But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:
For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;
And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.
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When you consider the way we have tried so hard to make friends with the ungodly and participate with the ungodly in their "feasts" and be popular with them, it is amazing that there is a remnant of a church remaining today at all.
Paul, the apostle, told us to come out from them and be separate.
II 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?
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
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.
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean; and I will receive you,
And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be MY sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
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We bring so much evil to ourselves by trying to learn their ways and keep up with their ways.
We pollute ourselves and poison our own selves this way and weaken our way with God.
James 4:4 ... Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
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