A little background … My parents did not attended any church. They did not speak of church. They did not speak against Bible. We had no Bibles except for a small white KJV which was “my” Bible. Years after I was born again, I learned this Bible was a birthday gift given to me from some distant cousins when I was 5 years old. I kept this Bible in my bedroom and I would get under the covers and turn on a flashlight and read the Bible even as an elementary school child.
My favorite aunt was Church of Christ. When we visited her, 250 miles away, I would attend church with her. I was probably 6 or 7 years old and we probably visited her 4 or 5 times a year. If we were there on a weekend, I would go with her to church.
Later, when I was 15, I went forward at Church of Christ and was baptized in water. But I was not born again so church and even Bible didn’t mean much to me.
Later, after I was out of college, my violin teacher was Sunday school teacher at First Christian Church. I went to her classes and joined that church. The man I dated was choir director there.
I moved to Dallas in 1960. My best friend later in Dallas was Methodist so I attended Methodist church. I was still not born again.
August 5, 1975, God spoke to me by HIS Spirit in the night and said, “Joan … you know all these mistakes you’ve been making all these years? Those weren’t mistakes. Those were sins.” I was so shocked. I thought they were mistakes. This changed me. Now I was born again, immediately, the night God spoke to me.
After I was born again in 1975, I went to church with my best friend and her husband. It was a small, non-denominational Bible church called Believers Chapel. The doctrine was somewhere between Baptist and Church of Christ. The teachers were professors from Dallas Theological Seminary. It was very intellectual.
After a year or so, I was reading Bible as I often did and I saw the following scripture spoken by the apostle Paul.
I Cor. 14:39 … Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.
The problem was this: At Believers Chapel the professors from Dallas Seminary were teaching that tongues were of the devil. They definitely would have forbidden tongues.
I didn’t care about tongues. I had never heard anyone speak in tongues. But I very much cared about the Bible and the scriptures, considering them to be HOLY.
After reading this scripture, I could no longer attend that church that was teaching something against the Bible.
(April 2017, God, by HIS Spirit said to me, "The greatest sacrifice a Christian can make is to leave his church when his church teaches wrongly against the Bible." )
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I went with another friend and her husband to Beverly Hills Baptist Church, a charismatic, “spirit filled” church.
After a two or three months, this friend and her husband changed churches and I went with them to their new church, a small group that met in a warehouse in Farmers Branch, Texas, just north of the Dallas city limits. On the best day, about 200 people attended that church group. The name of the church was Word of Faith. The pastor was Robert Tilton.
He spoke a lot about prosperity. I didn’t care for that message. I occupied my time at the services copying down all scripture spoken by him and the other speakers. I would take those scriptures home and spend days between the services studying those scriptures.
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Shortly after I was born again, I was asleep in the night and I was “transported” into heaven. I was with God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit. (No images, just 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!
A few nights later, the exact same thing happened again. I was “transported” into heaven. I was with God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Again I was merged into the body of Jesus, made one with the Word of God, God and the Holy Spirit witnessing.
After this, I was on fire, caring only about Bible and church.
I didn’t mention this to anyone because I thought this happened to all Christians.
This happened shortly after I was born again in 1975. I was attending Believers Chapel at that time but I don’t recall anything being taught there except they were teaching against tongues which I had never experienced.
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After leaving Believers Chapel, church people began to say to me that they knew “the hand of God” was on me strongly. I didn’t know what that meant. I had still not told anyone about being taken into heaven twice. I didn’t think about it. I just wanted as much Bible as I could get.
I owned a small business at the time. I had 3 very competent women working for me. I didn’t have to go into the shop except for doing appraisals of the Indian art objects, jewelry and pottery. I mostly stayed home at my apartment all day and read Bible. I attended church when they met. I also attended a prayer group that met in a home.
This was between 1975 and through 1979.
Many prophecies were spoken over me concerning a call of God on my life. I didn’t know what a call of God meant.
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Finally, things of God got even stronger over me. God was teaching me Bible. God was revealing HIS Word to me. I would share it with church people and with our Bible teacher.
By about 1978, I came to be persuaded that I was called by God in two ministry offices.
Ephesians 4 … After Jesus arose … after the crucifixion and resurrection … Jesus gave “gifts” to the church …
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:
At Word of Faith they professed to believe this scripture and said there were apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers in the church.
But no one knew who apostles were and no one knew what apostles did in the church. There was one woman there who identified herself as a prophet. And there are many things in both OT and NT telling about and demonstrating the work of prophets.
Several, including Bob Tilton, the pastor said I was a prophet and acknowledged that calling over me in front of the entire church group one Sunday morning.
No one knew of the other office. (I was taken into heaven twice and merged into the body of Jesus twice.) God spoke to me by HIS Spirit and said: “I have called you and have set you in the body of Christ as an apostle.”
"Apostle", I cried out. "What’s an apostle?"
I didn’t tell anyone at our church group about this but I did begin to ask our Sunday school teacher what an apostle was in the church and what apostles did in the church and who were the apostles in our group. He didn’t know. God began teaching me about both offices, apostle & prophet.
To summarize what God taught me: apostles have a special anointing by God for the church concerning scripture and especially concerning church doctrine as applied to Bible… prophets often deliver correction to churches and to individuals to help them get free from traps and sins and to warn them so they are aware of pitfalls.
…apostles in the church are a bit like judges in a court of law. Apostles have “rule book” (Bible) and church doctrine and they “rule” on doctrine by the Holy Spirit, especially exposing errors in doctrine exposed by Bible and Holy Spirit… prophets are like police in God’s church, stopping violators of Bible and trying to turn them back to God’s Word.
You eliminate apostles and prophets from the 5 ministry offices set up for the NT church and you set the stage in the churches for the man of lawlessness, antichrist, the spirit of lawlessness to move into the churches.
The falling away spoken of by the apostle Paul in II Thess. 2, is not people leaving the church groups.
The lawlessness is churches falling away from the doctrines of the Bible and setting up doctrines opposite from Bible.
II Thess. 2:1-4 … Paul says … Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Paul said this falling away would allow lawlessness in the church itself and the “man of sin” would sit in the “temple of God” opposing all that is called God, opposing the Bible itself. This was going to happen in “the temple of God”, the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. This would happen in the church person himself.
And Paul said this antichrist in the hearts of church people was already happening in his day.
Paul told the church the following:
Acts 20:25-30 … And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which HE hath purchased with HIS own blood.
For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
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Back to II Thess. 2
Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Paul said this spirit of antichrist was already working in the church groups … but Paul said it would get worse and worse … Paul said “perilous” times would come … He was speaking of “in the churches” … Paul said there would be “a form of godliness” but they would deny the power thereof, denying the power of the Holy Scriptures to rule over them … they would think nothing of changing scripture and adding poisonous things to the doctrine of the church … and Paul warned the individuals to hold fast to the Holy Scriptures “which are able to make thee wise unto salvation.” II Tim. 3
Paul says … II Tim. 3 …
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
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A terrifying dream given to me by God in 1979 … Destruction was everywhere... A meeting was in progress. The room was filled with people. A man was at the front of the room speaking to the people. I went into the room and sat down and began listening to this man who was the speaker.
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 windows to see what was happening. There was a yellow civil defense type warning speaker. Out of that speaker I could see a gas coming through the air toward us. It was terrible. I knew the gas was poison and it was going to kill us.
The terrible thing was this: The poison gas that would kill us was coming from our own speakers which were set there to warn us.
I looked at the man who was sitting next to me in the meeting. He was staring directly toward the speaker. There was a big smile on this man’s face. But this man was already dead. He was a corpse. I looked at the others who were sitting there. They, too, had big smiles but they were also already dead though they seemed attentive to the man who was speaking.
And as I sat among them listening to the man who was speaking, I began to feel myself falling asleep and I knew I was also being killed by the gas coming from the speaker as I sat there listening to this man who was speaking.
At first I didn’t realize the meaning of this dream …
One Wednesday night in 1982, I was at church, Word of Faith, and I looked at the man sitting next to me. This man had a big smile on his face. He was very attentive, looking directly at the pastor who was speaking. But this man was the man who was a corpse in the poison gas dream. I looked at the other people in the room. They were as the dead people in my dream. I got up immediately and went to the rest room and was praying.
I said to God, “I think YOU want me to leave this church group. I’m going to get in car and drive away. But if YOU want me to come back I will come back.”
God didn’t want me to come back.
After that God began to show me doctrines that were in error at that group.
We were being taught all good is from God and all bad is from devil and that we had authority as believers to stop the bad works of devil.
God called my attention to the following scripture.
Mt. 27:50-54 … Jesus, when HE had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
At this church, we were taught earthquakes were bad and were from devil. But this earthquake was not from devil. This earthquake was from God.
Also we have scriptures telling us hail and storms are from God. Hail seems bad for it often destroys property. But scriptures tell us hail is from God.
Psalm 148:8 … Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling HIS word:
About that same time, a hurricane hit the gulf coast, destroying much property.
Why didn’t those men of faith take authority over that hurricane and stop it as they were teaching they could do as believers?
They didn’t because their doctrine was false.
And I saw the following scripture.
God says … Isaiah 45:7 … I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.
Another shocking thing … I saw the people who were standing on scripture were often acting to get what they want in this life out of lusts of their own flesh rather than hearing from the Spirit of God. And when their “standing” failed they were told they had weak faith when really what they were praying for was not the will of God for them.
I saw they were trying to be their own god by finding scripture to justify them in their desire.
I had been one of the rising stars in this movement in the early 80’s. I was on radio from coast to coast. I had published 2 books through Harrison House, the publisher of the faith movement. My books were big sellers in the Faith churches.
Now God was showing me the error in the doctrines being taught at my own church by our pastor and the guest speakers.
I began speaking of the errors on my radio broadcasts which were in cities from coast to coast in USA.
Hate mail poured in. Some radio stations put me off the air.
At a meeting in Seattle, the radio station manager was waiting for me outside the meeting room. George said to me, “Joan … you have many wonderful messages … Just speak those messages … don’t speak judgment messages … If you continue to speak these new messages, I don’t know what is going to happen to you … We might have to put you off the air …”
Out of my mouth came a word from the Holy Spirit defining what would be the way of God for the coming years …
“If I don’t speak the message I believe to be from God, I don’t have a message and I may as well be off the air.”
After this, God gave me a dream …
In the dream, North Texas was playing Texas in football … (Texas is in a major football conference and NT is in a minor league in college football … a very shocking mismatch against Texas University.) North Texas was backed up to their own goal line. They had the ball. A very skillful running back was about to get the snap. It was obvious he was going to be crushed by the huge Texas defense. This running back had been on the Texas team but switched sides, now playing for the other team. As the ball was snapped, I heard the following words: “Don’t go until you see Exodus 15.”
I had my calendar for 1982 filled for the entire year with meetings in cities from coast to coast.
Immediately, I cancelled all meetings. I stayed at home in my apartment in Dallas.
One of my friends said to me, “Joan .. you must go out. If you go out and have the meetings people will give money. If you don’t go out, you will lose money.”
I replied: “God told me not to go out. I’m not going.”
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That was summer of 1982. I didn’t go out again until March 2012.
In 2012, God gave me a dream … sending me out …
In that dream, A woman was singing to a group of people. I said, “She has a little voice … It is a little voice … But it is a nice little voice.”
I saw immediately this was a blog. I knew this was a way for the church to function. And it turned out it functioned all over the world. All I had to do was stay at my home and write exhortations. It cost no money. We could send daily, unlimited exhortations. It was a little voice but it was indeed a nice little voice. Our small church group has been doing exhortations on the blog since March, 2012, daily exhortations. Jesus Ministries Exhortations
3 days after this dream, in 2012, we were publishing daily on the blog.
We were also very surprised the first day of publishing for we had 2 page views from Germany. It had never occurred to us these exhortations were going all over the world … World Wide Web …
At the time of this book publishing, 2016, we have same opportunity with Amazon / Kindle Direct Publishing.
These books you are reading cost us nothing to publish. And the books on Amazon can be purchased throughout the world.
During the early 1980’s, the Holy Spirit began speaking one thing to me over and over …
The time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God … The time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God … The time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God …
I spoke that which was given me by God. There was a great deal of persecution from people in the churches.
God sustained me at every point.
Peter says ... I Peter 4 … Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when HIS glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
If ye be reproached for the name of Christ (The Word), happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part HE (The Word) is evil spoken of, but on your part HE (The Word) is glorified.
But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.
Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.