Instruction in Righteousness: From I Corinthians 12

We have departed so far from the early church in the past 2000 years, we have no real example of some of those things the apostle Paul wrote about in these scriptures concerning spiritual gifts and the gathering of the church. 

Some churches have set up things which are likely by their natural minds and they copy one another.

Nevertheless, I believe all these things Paul wrote to the church are things real and inspired by God therefore I read them and some of them I seem to understand.

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I Corinthians 12:1-11    Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.  And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.  And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as HE (God) will.

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I believe I have experienced and witnessed word of wisdom, word of knowledge, discerning of spirits.

It is very possible that I experienced a strong gift of faith early in my born again years when I owned a business in Dallas.

A woman sued me. 

I had a word,  which I believed to be from God, concerning the approaching court trial. 

I heard, "Don't testify."  (this was not in an audible voice but was strongly a word that was brought to my mind)

I did not hear a scripture to stand on.  I've often stood on scripture and that seems so reasonable to me.

But in this case, there was no scripture.

It was just a word which I heard every time I prayed about this trial and what I should do. 

I had the same word strongly brought into my mind, "Don't testify."

There was so much pressure put on me to testify.

The man I was dating at that time said to me, "Joan, you aren't doing this girl any favor by not testifying."  I replied, "I'm not trying to do her a favor.  I'm just trying to do what I believe God told me to do."

An older woman who worked for me witnessed what happened at the store and she was set to testify.  When she found I was not going to testify, she became angry with me.  She said all the burden was going to be on her. 

I said, "What can I do?  I believe God has told me not to testify, so I can't testify."

At one point, during the trial, my lawyer said to me, "Flo's testimony wasn't as strong as I had hoped it would be.  But if you would testify, I know we would win." 

We were at a point of recess in the court trial.  I said to my lawyer, "I'll see." 

I went to the rest room and prayed and immediately I had the words strongly in my mind, "Don't testify." 

I went back into the court room and just shook my head "No", when my lawyer looked at me.

Even the judge was shocked that I was not testifying.

The trial went on for two days. 

At the end of the first day, I said to God, "I hope YOU know what YOU are doing.  We are going to lose this case."

But we didn't lose the case.  I did not testify and we won the case.

In looking back at this, it is amazing to me that I could have believed this word so strongly.

Perhaps it was one of the gifts of faith spoken of in I Corinthians 12.

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Another thing that frequently happened when I would meet with other church people, as the teacher was teaching, or while they were singing or even during the time someone was praying, God would give me words which seemed to apply to someone in the group.

The first time this happened was at a prayer group.  They were praying, and I heard the following from the Holy Spirit, "Look up."

I raised my head and looked up and I saw an outline of something on the wall.  It was a part of the body but I couldn't remember which part, but I knew I'd seen it before.

While they continued praying, I was talking to God.  I said, "I know that is some part of the body but I don't know which part."  I heard, in the form of a thought, "Stomach."  I replied, "Oh, yeah, stomach.  Now I remember."  (I had seen such an outline on advertisement for a stomach medicine.)

After they finished praying, I asked, "Does someone have a stomach problem?"

One woman quickly replied that she did.

I think the group probably prayed for her. 

After this experience, this type of thing happened often during our Sunday school class.  I would see impressions on the wall.  Our teacher would always ask at the end of the class if anyone had a word from the Lord.  I would share what I had seen.

I believe these were perhaps word of wisdom and perhaps healings following.

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I've been in church services where someone would speak in what I assumed to be a tongue.  Interpretation was then given. 

But there never seemed to be any real power.  And later I couldn't recall anything said in the interpretation.

I think this likely to have been of the emotions and flesh of the person speaking rather than by the Spirit of God.  When the Holy Spirit speaks, I've found I can't forget it.  Even decades later it is as clear as it was the day I heard it.

I believe in the spiritual gift of tongues and interpretation because this is in the Bible.

Some churches throw out scripture because they don't understand that scripture.  I don't do that.  The fact I don't understand something in the Bible doesn't negate the scripture.  I think it is very wrong to try to explain away scripture just because we cannot understand that scripture.

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I Corinthians 12:12-26    For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

For the body is not one member, but many.

If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?

If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?

But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased HIM.

And if they were all one member, where were the body?

But now are they many members, yet but one body.

And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:

And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.

For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked. That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.

And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

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27-31    Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

And God hath set some in the church (to care for the church),  first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?

Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?

But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.

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I was born again in 1975, by God speaking to me by HIS Spirit and saying:

"Joan, you know all these mistakes you've been making all these years?  Those weren't mistakes.  Those were sins."

"Sins?" I gasped!

I was changed instantly.

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A few days later, I was asleep in the night.

I was transported into heaven.  I knew I was with God, with Jesus, with the Holy Spirit.  I saw no images.  It was a spiritual experience, in the spirit.

At that time, I was "merged" into the body of Jesus, made one with the Word of God, God and the Holy Spirit witnessing.

It was wonderful!

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A few nights later, the exact same thing of being taken into heaven and merged into the body of Christ, happened again.

I had no idea what it meant.  I really thought this was just what happened to you when you were a Christian.  I thought it happened to all who were Christians.

When I found that was not the case, I just didn't know what it meant that happened to me.  I rarely told what happened, not knowing what it meant.  I just knew I had the knowledge that nothing on this earth compared with our relationship with God, with Jesus, with the Holy Spirit.  No matter how wonderful an earthly marriage was, it didn't compare.  Nor did anything else compare with this. 

I owned a business at that time.  After being taken into heaven I didn't care any more about the business. I did continue to operate the business for about 5 more years.  I had 3 very competent women who worked for me so I just stayed at home all day and read Bible. 

God spoke to me during that time, again in form of thought, and said:

"Joan, I have called you and set you into the body of Christ as an apostle."

"Apostle?" I shouted!  "What's an apostle?"

Many times during those years I had been told by people, one my own pastor, that I was a prophet.

Now I'm hearing from what I believed to be God that I am an apostle.

I had no idea what this meant.  (I didn't tell anyone what I had heard.)

I had seen in Ephesians 4 that after Jesus arose, HE gave to the church the gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher. 

I had seen people who said they were evangelists and pastors and teachers.  I even knew one woman at our church who said she was a prophet.  But I had never heard anyone say he was an apostle, although the church I attended at that time professed there to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.

I went to the man who taught our Sunday school class.  I asked him about apostles.  What did apostles do?  Who are they? 

He didn't know.

I had no examples other than Bible.

God began teaching me about apostles and the work of an apostle.

The thing God showed me is that apostles have a strong anointing concerning church doctrine and scripture.  They deal with doctrine and scripture.  (James in Acts 15)

God worked with me for several years and I came to believe and accept that I was called by God and set into the body of Christ as an apostle and prophet.

And this is the work I have done in the church since 1980 and still do in the church.

Certainly I've had people say I can't be an apostle.  I'm sure some say I can't be a prophet either.  But nothing phases me.  I just keep doing what I hear from God.

January 10, 1980, I was asleep in the night.  A trumpet-like voice blew the following words into my ear.  "Hartford, Seattle, KWJS"

It turned out KWJS was a radio station.  Five days after this, I was on radio broadcasting exhortations for the church.

Years later, I had a dream about a blog.  After this we set up a blog and I began writing daily exhortations for the church on this blog:  Jesus Ministries Exhortations

Then I was led, I believe by God, to writing books on Amazon.

So for almost 40-years it has been a matter of staying at home and speaking to the church on radio for a few years, then staying at home and writing these exhortation.

Personally, I see the two offices functioning in my work.  apostle dealing with scripture and church doctrine and prophet bringing correction and information to the church  ... this is what apostles and prophets do.

As I work in these ministry offices, I also see spiritual gifts of exhortation ... word of knowledge ... word of wisdom ... discerning of spirits  as God wills.

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