If it's in the Bible.

Joan Boney … apostle/prophet

I was born again in 1975.

With everything, my thought was scripture … If it was in the Bible, scripture, I found I could believe it.  It was like it was "done" for me, settled by Bible.


***

A young man who had been Catholic was born again about 6 months before I.  After I was born again  we went to a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary to ask him about this:  "All men are created equal."

We couldn't find that in Bible.

Walt said, "Because that is not in the Bible."

We were both shocked.


***

The first church I attended after being born again was a small church group in Dallas named Believer's Chapel.  The doctrine was somewhere between Baptist and Church of Christ.  The preachers were men who were professors at Dallas Theological Seminary.

At the time I started going there, a man was teaching a series on tongues.  This is the first time I ever heard of the subject of "tongues".  He was teaching that tongues were of the devil.

I didn't care.

But … I was reading Bible one day and came across this:

I Corinthians 14:39    Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.

While I didn't care about tongues at that time, I did care about Bible.

I never went back to that church group.


***

During the time I was at Believer's chapel, I became ill.

I had read the following scripture in Bible.

James 5:14-15    Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:  And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up;

So I called the church and spoke with secretary and told her I was sick and I needed to call on the elders of the church to pray over me as it says in James 5:14-15.

She was probably shocked.  It was dead silent for a bit and then she said she would tell them and they would get back with me in 2 or 3 weeks.

I was a little surprised in the "2 or 3 weeks".  I was sick!

But in a few days, I got well and didn't think about this again.

The elders of the church at Believer's Chapel never called me.


***

At one point I set out to "prove" the issue of tongues.  I read all scripture concerning tongues, expecting to prove tongues to be of devil as that professor was teaching at church.

However, I ended up proving to myself the opposite and I agreed with the scriptures, although at that time I had never heard a "tongue."


***

During the time I was at Believer's Chapel, I met a woman who invited me to attend her prayer group which met in a home.

This was in Highland Park which is a very up-scale neighborhood in the center of Dallas.  The women were very well dressed and most were highly educated.

I was very impressed for they took notice of problems people were having in news reports and they would pray for these people, these strangers.

Everything seemed very much in order.

Then one day, before praying, I heard something.  It was a very low level sound coming from the women.  Then someone would speak at normal voice and pray in English.

This kept happening.

Then I realized they were praying in tongues! 

I was horrified and shocked!  

(This was prior to my own Bible study of the subject of tongues.  All I knew at that time was what that man at our church group had preached saying tongues are of the devil.)

I wanted no more to do with those women!  (Though they seemed respectable.  One woman was even the wife of a medical doctor.)

***

During this time, I began having trouble with very depressing thoughts.  A woman who worked for me would call this prayer group and ask for prayer.  And almost immediately I would be fine again.

When I found out she was calling this prayer group for help for me, I told her to stop!  I wanted nothing to do with devils even if I did get well.

(I knew almost nothing then about Bible.)

***

Then two things happened, almost simultaneously.

I did that Bible study on tongues and proved to myself through scripture that tongues were a legitimate part of the church.

And God began teaching me the subject of Taking Thoughts Captive.


***

Another very dramatic happening in those early years of being a Christian in 1975-76 … 

I was not raised in any church group but my favorite aunt was Church of Christ and from the time I was about 4-years-old I would go to church with her if we happened to be visiting in the town where she lived on a Sunday.

Through the years I learned some of their doctrine, the part where women could not speak in church.

Now I am born again.  As a woman what can I do at the church?

I read what it says in Bible.

Titus 2   But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:

2 That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.  3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;  4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

***

But I had no husband nor children!

Woe to me!  There was nothing for me to do in the church.

At the time, I owned a business.  I sat in my office and cried for there was nothing for me to do.

Then I realized I could make money and give it to the church.  I had the potential with my business of making lots of money at that time!  I told the women who worked for me this would be our goal!  To make a lot of money and give it to the church!

(God had other plans.)

For the next few months, this is what I did.  Give money to the church!

***

God taught me many things in those early days, primarily how to follow God by HIS Spirit and the Work of the Holy Spirit in the believer.

Especially this:  Jesus said

John 14:26   But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. 

John 16:13   Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

James 1:5   If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Joshua 1:8    This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

I began using these scriptures constantly in my life, asking God for HIS wisdom as I read Bible, as I selected merchandise for my store, and in every phase of my life!

I meditated day and night on scriptures that had stood out to me as I read Bible.

I ran my business and my life by these scriptures.  

Before I went on buying trip, I asked God to have the Indians make the items.  When I got to reservation, I asked God to show me items to buy.  On way home, I asked God to send out the angels to get people to come into my shop and buy the items.

Everything sold!  and I had no sales, just regular prices on all merchandise.

***

I had three very competent women working for me.  They ran the business.  All I had to do was go to New Mexico (USA) to the reservations to buy jewelry for the shop and I made appraisals of American Indian Arts for the people in Dallas.

The rest of the time I stayed at my apartment and read Bible.

I attended all meetings at church and prayer group.

In time, things started happening.

At our singles Bible class at church, the man teaching would always say, "Does anyone have a word from the Lord?"

I was so embarrassed because I always had a word from the Lord!

(I was always hoping the teacher would forget to ask but he never did forget and I just kept giving those words I had heard.)

People at church groups kept saying to me, "We know the hand of God is upon you strongly."

(I didn't know what that meant.)

One thing I never thought to mention … Shortly after I was born again, I was asleep in the night and God transported me into heaven.  I was with God and Christ and The Holy Spirit.  (I didn't see any images.  It was an experience in the spirit)  At that time I was merged into the body of Jesus, The Word, with God and Holy Spirit witnessing... made one with The Word of God.

A few nights later, the exact same thing happened a second time.

I was on fire for Bible and Church.

I really thought this happened to all Christians.  Now I knew why people wanted to be Christian.  It was several months before I mentioned this to anyone since I thought it happened to everyone.

***

One morning, Bill, that former Catholic, and I were eating.  He began talking about how great it was to be a Christian.  

I replied:  "Yes.  The thing I like best is that thing that happens to you in the night."

Bill said, "What thing?"

I said, "That thing where you are asleep and transported into heaven and are with God and Christ and Holy Spirit."

Bill stopped eating.  "What thing?"  He asked.

I told him and he was shocked.

He said, "Have you told Donna about this?"

I said, "I haven't told anyone.  I thought it happened to everyone who was a Christian."

After that, I told Donna.

She just sat and cried.  She was a former Baptist and a little emotional!  

At the time, none of us knew what it meant.

***

At the prayer group, everyone had started praying over something and I heard, "Look up."

I looked up and on the solid wall I saw an outline of something that was part of a body.  I said to God, "I know it is part of the body but I don't know what part."

In my mind, I heard, "Stomach."

"Oh, yeah, stomach … that's what it is,"  I said to God.

Everyone was praying while I was talking this over with God.

When they stopped praying, I asked, "Does anyone have a stomach problem?"

One woman said she did.

I told her what I had seen and everyone got very excited.

After this, those "images" came often during music service and while people were praying.

I believe this was the spiritual gift of Holy Spirit … word of knowledge and gift of healing.

I Corinthians 12:7-10    But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 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:

***

On January 10, 1980, I was asleep in the night.  A trumpet-like voice blew 3 words into my ear.  

"Hartford, Seattle, KWJS"

I jumped out of bed and started talking to God.

I looked up KWJS, I found it was a radio station.

"Are YOU telling me to go on radio?  I wouldn't know how to do that.  I'm not a speaker.  I'm a writer."

A very gentle thought followed:  "Call the radio station manager."

I called the station that morning and asked to speak to the manager.

He came on phone immediately.

I told him God might be showing me to go on radio.

"How would you do that?"  I asked.

Manager said:  "Make an audition tape 29 1/2 minutes long and send it to me and if you fit our programming, I will offer you a contract."

I had a tape recorder at my apartment so I got the kitchen timer and made a tape 29 1/2 minutes long.  I just started the tape and began sharing those scriptures and concepts that were brought to my mind at the time for I had been taught by God that this is the way HE works through Holy Spirit.

Within 5 days I was broadcasting daily exhortations for the church on radio KWJS.

***

I was on at the noon hour.

A woman in Fort Worth, named Lilly McBride, always listened to that hour of broadcasts.

She had been praying for God to put a real person of faith on a vacant time at noon.

She turned on her radio as usual and I began talking.

Lilly screamed, "Oh no!  Not a woman."

She got up and headed toward her radio to turn the radio off … but before she reached the dial, she became interested in what I was saying.

Lilly became one of my biggest fans.


***

About the same time radio was happening for me, another group of people were busy developing personal computers, and something called "Internet" and "e-mails."

In the late 1990's, my next-door-neighbor came to ask me to proof read something she had written for the secular organization "Toastmasters".

She handed me a group of papers.

I was shocked when I saw the beautiful print on that which she had written.

I asked, "How did you get this print?"

She replied, "By computer."

I said, "I've got to have one of those."

(IBM typewriter couldn't do anything like that which I was seeing.)

Neighbor and I got in car and went immediately to office store where I bought a computer.

Neighbor set it up for me and showed me how to write on it.

I was thrilled.

Emails were a few months later.

Then I "forced" everyone on my mailing list to get computer and I began sending all my writings of exhortations to the church by email on computer!

***

2007 a movie called "Julie & Julia" was released.

In movie this young woman began writing a daily article on something called "a blog".

That was the highlight of that movie for me.

I thought how wonderful that would be to get to do that … "But I didn't have anything to write."  I thought.

2010 … God gave me a dream … Young woman was singing.  She had a little voice but it was a nice little voice.  Then in dream I saw to do a blog, exhorting the church.

Within 3 days Pam Padgett had set up a blog for us, Jesus Ministries Exhortations.

I began writing!

Then in 2015 … came the ministry books on Amazon.

***

It all seems so simple to me.

Read Bible.  Do what Holy Spirit shows you to do.  Keep reading Bible.  If God wants you to do something HE will show you in a way you can understand!

*****