In approximately 1978, I was driving along the road and God spoke to me by HIS Spirit and said:
"I have called you and set you into the body of Christ as an apostle."
"Apostle?" I cried out.
"What's that?"
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The church group I attended at that time taught there are apostles and prophets in the NT church, along with evangelists, pastors, and teachers, as told us in the following scripture.
Ephesians 4:8-12 Wherefore HE (Jesus) saith, When HE ascended up on high, HE led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
(Now that HE ascended, what is it but that HE also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? HE that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that HE might fill all things.)
And HE 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:
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So I did already believe, by seeing this in the Bible, that there are apostles and prophet in the NT church today.
But I didn't know anyone at our church group who was identified as "an apostle".
I asked our Bible teacher:
Who are the apostles at our church?
He did not know.
What do the apostles do in today's church?
He did not know this either.
Having no living human example, God would have to teach me ... and HE did.
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To teach me about apostles, God took me to Acts 15.
A question arose concerning the Gentiles who had not been circumcised. Did those Gentiles who believed in Jesus have to be circumcised?
The apostles and the elders came together to consider this matter and to come to a decision which would be presented to the churches.
After much disputing, the apostle James summarized the matter and presented the "judgment" which would rule over all the churches.
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.
19 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.
(James presents the scriptural basis for the subject and then he presents the ruling.)
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I could see from this scripture, one thing apostles do in the NT church is to deal with doctrine in the church.
We have the Holy Spirit in us to guide us. We have an anointing from God to do this work concerning doctrine. And we have the Bible, the Holy Scriptures.
When church groups depart and go another way, we present the truth from the Spirit of God and the Bible.
For example: Concerning marriage/divorce/remarriage
Matthew 5:32 Jesus says: 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.
The apostle Paul presents the following which he says is "a commandment" of the Lord.
I Corinthians 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.
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Mark 10:6-12 Jesus said: from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
And in the house HIS disciples asked HIM again of the same matter.
And HE (Jesus) saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.
Romans 1:22-28 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
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The problem is, as we move closer to the return of Jesus, antichrist (the apostasy) has moved into the churches as the apostle Paul told us it would do in the latter days.
II Thessalonians 2:3-4 NASB Let no one in any way deceive you, for it (the day of the Lord) will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.
Antichrist comes through the "temple of God" ... through the church. Antichrist is not one man but is a spirit in many men as the apostle John told the church.
I John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
And the apostle Paul told us in II Thessalonians 2:3 that this "falling away" and antichrist must come into the churches before Jesus can return for the true church.
We see this apostasy in today's church groups as they depart from portions of scripture and set up other doctrines in their church groups.
We do not like this but it is easier to endure because we know this is one of the signs of the end times and it had to happen in the church groups before Jesus returns.
But when we see this, we leave those church groups out of respect for the scripture that they have discarded in those church groups.
And in the house HIS disciples asked HIM again of the same matter.
And HE (Jesus) saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.
And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.
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These scriptures should make it clearly understood, but today in the various church groups we see the approval of men marrying divorced women ... We see men divorcing their wives for causes other than fornication ... We see both divorced men and divorced women remarrying in the church group, committing adultery, with the approval of their ministers and the congregations.
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A pastor from Shreveport, Louisiana, contacted me about this subject. He and his wife were divorced and he wanted to marry another woman.
I shared the above scriptures and told him if he did this, he would commit adultery.
I shared the above scriptures and told him if he did this, he would commit adultery.
About two weeks later, he called me again asking, "Is there any change in this matter?"
I replied, "As far as I know, the Bible has not been rewritten."
*****
Another controversy today in the various church groups and in church people concerns homosexuals.
I shared the following scripture with a church woman.
Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
***
After I shared these scriptures on the subject of homosexuals and lesbians, this church woman said, "But what about those on talk shows who say they were born homosexual"?
Later, God called my attention to the following truth:
Mark 10:6 from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.
NO! They are created by God as either male or female.
Some are turned over to a reprobate mind to do otherwise, but they are created by God as either male or female ... and everyone should be able to see by the body of the child which is which.
(It has progressed passed nonsense.)
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Another problem today:
The medical world has been calling "drunkenness" a disease. And many people actually believe this.
But the Bible identifies drunkenness as a "sin".
I Corinthians 6:9-11 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate (homosexuals), nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
Jesus told the woman taken in adultery, "Go, and sin no more." (John 8:11)
The person who is washed from his sins and saved must not try to continue to live in those sins. For to do such would cause him to be turned over by God to a reprobate mind.
Hebrews 10:25-29 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
Jesus told the woman taken in adultery, "Go, and sin no more." (John 8:11)
The person who is washed from his sins and saved must not try to continue to live in those sins. For to do such would cause him to be turned over by God to a reprobate mind.
Hebrews 10:25-29 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
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A woman in our little church group shared the Bible with her adult aged son and he replied, "But that's so legalistic."
I was very grieved by this.
Later the following words of Jesus were called to my attention.
Matthew 7:13-14 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
And I realized this truth: people of this world want freedom to sin. They want to be approved in their sins.
But the people of God want freedom from sin.
By the Word of God by the Spirit of God we see the way to go where we can have freedom from sin, avoiding those sins of this world.
By the Word of God by the Spirit of God we see the way to go where we can have freedom from sin, avoiding those sins of this world.
*****
The problem is, as we move closer to the return of Jesus, antichrist (the apostasy) has moved into the churches as the apostle Paul told us it would do in the latter days.
II Thessalonians 2:3-4 NASB Let no one in any way deceive you, for it (the day of the Lord) will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.
Antichrist comes through the "temple of God" ... through the church. Antichrist is not one man but is a spirit in many men as the apostle John told the church.
I John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
And the apostle Paul told us in II Thessalonians 2:3 that this "falling away" and antichrist must come into the churches before Jesus can return for the true church.
We see this apostasy in today's church groups as they depart from portions of scripture and set up other doctrines in their church groups.
We do not like this but it is easier to endure because we know this is one of the signs of the end times and it had to happen in the church groups before Jesus returns.
But when we see this, we leave those church groups out of respect for the scripture that they have discarded in those church groups.
*****