E-book: $.99
Paperback: $5.99
(USA Prices)
Order from: Amazon.com
*****
Apostles and Prophets in the NT Church
So who are they? Where are they? What is their role in the NT church today?
The church I was attending believed there were apostles and prophets along with evangelists, pastors, teachers, but no one could tell me "who" the apostles were at our church. Several people were identified as prophets.
Since no one could tell me what apostles do, I asked God and HE taught me. (He had also told me I was called as an apostle, shocking me.)
*****
Concerning NT apostles:
God took me to Acts 15 to show me the primary work of apostle.
A question arose which had to be settled concerning church doctrine:
And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.
Is this truth? Do Gentiles have to be circumcised to be saved?
Paul and Barnabas did not agree with these men. As you know, Paul wrote, in his epistles to the church, several chapters concerning circumcision, stating NT is a circumcision of the heart and we are not saved by circumcision of the OT but by faith in Christ.
Acts 15 ...When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.
At Jerusalem, James presented the final statement setting the NT doctrine for the churches.
Acts 15 ... James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for His name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.
Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.
Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
I could see from this example that God gave an anointing to HIS apostles to deal with scripture and doctrine.
*****
We have so much perversion of doctrine in today's churches, we have to hold fast to scriptures in spite of what they do in churches, keeping such scriptures as the following:
Mt. 5:32 ... But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
I Cor. 7:10-11 ... And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.
*****
In addition to above, there are other "strange" doctrines in church groups.
The Lord's supper is not crackers/grape juice but is partaking of the word of God, eating and drinking the scripture in a correct way.
Communion is the connecting of us with God. We do this by the Word of God, not by crackers/grape juice.
Partaking of crackers/grape juice will make you no better if you partake of these ... nor will you be worse if you do not partake. They are just crackers and grape juice, no more.
In I Cor. 11, we are told this is "the New Testament" in HIS blood.
We are also told to examine ourselves. HOW? You can't examine yourself by crackers/grape juice. But you can examine yourself by the Word of God, making needed changes to your life.
We are also told if we partake of this (the Word of God) wrongly, we bring we bring "damnation" upon ourselves and for this cause, wrongly partaking, many are weak and sickly and many die.
I Cor. 11
... For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh
damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause
many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep (die) . For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
Crackers/grape juice have no power to do this but eating-drinking the word of God wrongly does have power to destruction.
So this warning in I Cor. 11 is concerning how we read Bible, how we hear Word of God.
Crackers/grape juice was set up by fleshly minds and other
fleshly minds copied it until it is throughout the churches of the NT as
a doctrine.
But this doctrine is wrong.
*****
Paul said he knew after his "departure" (death), many would rise up to bring perversions into the churches.
Paul was an apostle, appointed by God, and as long as he was there, he
would not allow perversions in the church even when Peter tried to
dissemble in the church.
Paul stood up to Peter before everyone and fought down what
Peter was doing. And even Barnabas was swept away in Peters
dissimulation (hypocrisy and pretense).
Gal. 2 ... But
when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he
was to be blamed. For before that certain came from James, he did eat
with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated
himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.
And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.
But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all,
If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as
do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?
Paul confronted Peter head on, in front of all, not trying to
spare Peter's "good name" but bringing truth out to the church without
sneaking around closed doors.
So all learned truth this way, by openness in front of all.
(And God put it into the Bible so we could learn from this example 2,000 years later.)
(And God put it into the Bible so we could learn from this example 2,000 years later.)
*****
NT apostles have an anointing from God to deal with scriptures and doctrines in the church.
The
terrible times we live in today concerning churches doing what they
want to do, removing scripture, changing scripture, omitting parts of
scripture, does not negate the work of a real apostle for he will continue to object one way or another, though he can't continue to sit among them when they continue to do this.
It is impossible to hold this flood in the churches back because this is the apostasy which Paul said had to come into the churches before Jesus could return.
We are seeing this apostasy today through the removal and changing of scripture in the church group.
Antichrist is everywhere in churches.
Antichrist is not one man but is a spirit in many men just as the devil is not one man but a spirit in many men.
We are seeing this apostasy today through the removal and changing of scripture in the church group.
Antichrist is everywhere in churches.
Antichrist is not one man but is a spirit in many men just as the devil is not one man but a spirit in many men.
*****
The poison gas dream:
In 1979, God gave me the following terrifying dream:
In 1979, God gave me the following terrifying dream:
Destruction was everywhere.
I went into a meeting room where a meeting was going on. A man was speaking to a room filled with people. I went in and began to listen.
A second man rushed in and said: "Stop ... Wait ... Can't you see ... It's too late ... It's already begun."
The first man resumed speaking.
I went into a meeting room where a meeting was going on. A man was speaking to a room filled with people. I went in and began to listen.
A second man rushed in and said: "Stop ... Wait ... Can't you see ... It's too late ... It's already begun."
The first man resumed speaking.
I looked out the window to see what had "already begun."
There was a tall pole with a yellow civil defense speaker at top of the pole. A gas was coming out of the speaker. I knew it was poisonous and would kill the people. It was coming directly toward us!
The shocking thing was the speaker that was set there for the purpose of warning us was being used as the instrument which dispersed the gas that was poison and would kill us!
I looked at the man seated next to me. He had a big grin on his face and was looking directly at the man who was speaking to the group. But then I saw this man was a corpse, though he looked alive. He was already dead!
I looked about the room at the other people and realized they were all dead.
As I sat back in my chair and listened to the man speaking I began to feel sleepy and I knew as I sat there among them this was killing me too.
God was showing me the anarchy in the church groups, at the time of the dream, 1979. The destruction in the churches was everywhere, even at that time. And it is much worse today.
*****
Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?
And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed.
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed
The restraint was the scripture. When portions of scripture were removed from the church, lawlessness moved into the churches ... thus the apostasy in the churches and antichrist takes over in the church groups through pastors and others.
You will say, "My church isn't a part of the apostasy."
Does your church teach the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery?
This is what Jesus said: Mt. 5:32
If your church allows men to marry divorced women, it is a part of the apostasy.
*****