Chapter 14 New Book: Attending church. Joan Boney: Going to church after I was born again: Believers Chapel, Beverly Hills Baptist, and Word of Faith

Jesus Ministries, Joan Boney  ...

(This new book is now available on Amazon in e-book for 99 cents.  Later to be published in paperback also.)

 

After I was born again in 1975, my best friend said, "Joanie ... you have to go to church."

 

I said:  "I do?"

 

So I did.

 

(1975 through 1982)

 

***

 

Believer's Chapel: (Approximately 150 members in 1975.)

 

The people were extremely proud of their church.  

 

Their pastors were professors at Dallas Theological Seminary.

 

When I began attending in late 1975, their main pastor was conducting a seminar on the subject:  "Tongues are of the devil."

 

I attended this.

 

I don't believe I had ever heard of a tongue before going to this church group.  

 

It surely scared me!  

 

I wanted nothing to do with those people who spoke in tongues or with their churches, although I didn't know anyone who spoke with tongues nor any churches that did this, at that time.

 

About 3 weeks later, I was reading the Bible and saw this verse.

 

The apostle Paul said:

 

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

I had to choose between attending Believer's Chapel and the Bible.

 

Instantly I chose the Bible.

 

I never returned to that church group again.

 

***

 

Neighborhood prayer group:

 

I was attending a neighborhood prayer group at the same time I encountered the subject of speaking with tongues.

 

We met in the home of a woman who lived in our neighborhood, which was in Highland Park in the center of Dallas.  The women were very educated.  One woman was the wife of a doctor.  I, myself, owned a business and had an earned doctorate and had taught at SMU.  

 

Everything seemed very respectable.

 

One day 5 of us had gathered to pray for people.  One woman mentioned a person we should pray for, and briefly told the problem this woman was having.  We bowed our heads, and I began hearing a very soft murmuring sound, an undercurrent.  I had no idea at first what it was I was hearing.

 

Then I realized these women were praying in tongues!

 

I was terrified!  and I fled that house as soon as I could make an appropriate exit.

 

One of the women in the prayer group followed me out of the house where we had been meeting and she said, "Joan, now don't let this bother you."

 

"No, of course not."  I responded as I was fleeing.

 

I wanted no more to do with these tongues women ever!

 

***

 

At that same time, I began having what they called "Satanic Attacks", where I was bombarded with thoughts, seemingly from devils.

 

A woman who worked for me would call the women in that tongues prayer group when I was stricken, and they would pray for me and I would get better.

 

This went on for weeks.

 

The husband of my bookkeeper for my small business, was a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary.

 

My business was American Indian Arts.  

 

Someone put forth the idea that my problem was being caused by the Indian symbols on the art objects.  I was at the point of destroying all the art objects at my shop.  

 

Walt, my bookkeeper's husband, said the art objects could not be the problem. 

 

He said,  "Art objects have no power unless you are worshipping them and attributing special powers to them." 

 

(I knew I was not doing that.)

 

At one point, God reminded me of a scripture.

 

"How is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it?"  (NIV)

 

I Peter 2:20  (KJV)   For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.

 

I seriously looked into this scripture and I realized my problem was the following:  I wanted to marry and I wasn't getting what I wanted.  

 

Then I realized while everyone at church and in that prayer group and my best friend had been praying for God to send me to an husband, perhaps it was not the will of God for me to marry.

 

I John 5:14-15   And this is the confidence that we have in HIM, that, if we ask any thing according to HIS will, HE heareth us:  And if we know that HE hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of HIM .

 

Shortly after I was born again I was taken into heaven in the night.  I was with God and with Christ and with the Holy Spirit.  (No physical 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.

 

And then a few nights later, that exact same thing happened a second time.

 

I was also given significant spiritual gifts at that same time and people in churches would see me operating in these spiritual gifts and they kept saying, "We know the HAND of God is upon you."

 

It might not be the will of God for me to marry.  There might be another work God had ordained for me to do.

 

And when I gave up my own will and began to focus on the will of God for me in my life, the "Satanic attacks" stopped.

 

I also studied every scripture in the New Testament pertaining to the subject of speaking in tongues and proved to my own satisfaction that tongues were a legitimate part of the church in our time.

 

Then I accepted the women again in that prayer group.

 

To continue reading Chapter 14, please click on following link telling about attending 3 church groups:  Believers Chapel, Beverly Hills Baptist, and Word of Faith:    Chapter 14

 

 

* For writings on additional subjects, click here:  Jesus Ministries Exhortations Blog