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Jerry

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Everything posted by Jerry

  1. I think I cover him in the fifth verse.
  2. There Were None Like These In the time of the kings of Israel, Way back in the olden days, There were kings who made a difference, With their righteous or wicked ways. There are lessons we can glean from, Oh, listen to me now, if you please - In a Book filled with true examples, Good or bad - there were none like these. From the northern tribes, we had king Ahab, From the southern, king Manasseh, These two kings tore apart their kingdoms, Filled them with their unrighteous ways. With all the evil that they pursued, And all their abominable idolatries, For utter destruction to their kingdoms - No remedy was left - there were none like these! With his kingdom in utter turmoil, When faced with the Assyrian horde, Hezekiah was a king like no other, Despite all obstacles, trusting in the Lord. He clung to the Lord with his whole heart, Even in the midst of his greatest weakness; Believing that God alone could heal - For moving mountains - there was none like this! We see Solomon with all his wisdom, And David, a man after God’s own heart, Josiah, who turned to the Lord with all his might; Good or bad, each king played their part. But all of them needed a Redeemer, All were bound by their iniquities - No, a Saviour couldn’t come from sinful men such as these! From Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden, To the last soul born on this earth, All mankind has fallen short of God’s glory, All are in need of a second birth. From the best and worse among us, All are filled with our iniquities; Is there any who can deliver? No, not from among ones such as these! Till one day a righteous King was born, Who was both God and Man in one - The prophesied Messiah sent from Heaven, Who was God’s only Begotten Son. Only Jesus Christ alone was worthy, The Lion of the tribe of Judah, can’t you see? For none other had fulfilled God’s Law - From our sins, none other could set us free! Is there any other person who has paid all of mankind’s debt - Who has borne all of our sins, and wherein mercy and truth have met? There is only one Redeemer wherein righteousness and peace have kissed; Jesus Christ is the Saviour with no equal - oh, there is none like this! October 9, 2023 Jerry Bouey King Ahab - 1 Kings 21:25-26 But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel. King Manasseh - 2 Chronicles 33:9 So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than the heathen, whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel. King Hezekiah - 2 Kings 18:5-7a He trusted in the LORD God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him. For he clave to the LORD, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses. And the LORD was with him; and he prospered whithersoever he went forth. King Solomon - 1 Kings 3:12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. King David - Acts 13:22-23 And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus: King Josiah - 2 Kings 23:25 And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him. Psalm 85:10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. For a study that looks a bit more into this theme, please read Kingly Lessons - None Like These
  3. All I am waiting to hear is, Come up hither! Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
  4. Before we come to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, all of us are workers of iniquity. The difference is a person who comes to the Lord turns from their life of sin; and while they still sin, they are no longer workers of iniquity as a way of life. Romans 1-3 puts all of mankind in the same boat - there are no people that are better than others, we are all the same, all in need of the Saviour. Romans 2:11-12 For there is no respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; Romans 3:10-18 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes. Romans 3:22-23 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Romans 10:12-13 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
  5. Daniel 9:24-27 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. The context shows it is seventy weeks of years - that is 70 times 7 years. 490 years. The last seven have not occured yet. That is what the book of Revelation is all about - the seven year peace treaty the Antichrist makes with Israel that he breaks halfway through. The second half of the Tribulation period, which Jesus calls "great tribulation" (or the great tribulation) is the last 3 1/2 years, where the Antichrist is killing believers and seeking to wipe out the Jews. It starts with him desecrating the temple with a statue of himself, and eventually leads to Armageddon. Seven places in Daniel and Revelation refer to the last 3 1/3 years. (See Daniel 7:25; 12:7; Revelation 11:2, 3; 12:6, 14; 13:5. Also, there are two references to the length of Elijah's miracle of stopping and then restarting the rain again - which was 3 1/2 years - see James 5:17 and Luke 4:25, and the ministry of the two witnesses in Revelation 11 is compared to that - I also believe one of the two is Elijah.)** **Revelation 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. (3 1/2 years) Revelation 11:5-6 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. (The same miracles as Moses and Elijah, and the same length of time for their endtime ministry, one of which is to stop the rain for the days of their ministry - 3 1/2 years.) Matthew 24:15-21 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. Here Jesus refers to the abomination of desolation, the Antichrist defiling the temple at the midpoint of the seven years. This has not happened yet - and the book of Revelation was not written until the end of the first century; therefore nothing the church has gone through until then equates to it.
  6. Where I come from, we call that twisting and explaining away the Bible - or a bait and switch! Yes, the church had always had its share of troubles, but the seven year tribulation period has not happened yet. It is after God raptures the church, turns back to Israel (Daniel 9:24-27 - it is the 7 year peace treaty with Israel that the one-world Antichrist makes and then breaks halfway through, leading to the great tribulation, the last 3 1/2 years - see Daniel 7:25; 12;7; Revelation 11:2-3; 12:6, 14; 13:5) - THAT hasn’t happened yet, neither have ANY of the events of Revelation 4 on), and ends with Jesus returning physically to earth (Zechariah 12-14) - that definitely hasn’t happened yet!
  7. At least one does during the Tribulation period: Revelation 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
  8. The Lord impressed this calling upon my heart. It is a certainty, not a feeling - and it was a calling I submitted wholeheartedly to (ie. not just a maybe I’m called and maybe it might happen someday). There is a restlessness and at times an emptiness when I am not preaching or pursuing the call to preach, and there is a joy and a peace of mind when I am actively pursuing this calling - whether preaching, preparing the messages to preach, praying about the message, the people who will be listening, and other aspects of it. There is a certainty there, not just an impression. It is also a holy calling (this is impressed upon my heart and mind) - I can’t sincerely pursue this calling and be carnal or worldly. To be adequately prepared and filled with God’s Spirit, to get the most out of the Bible and the spiritual resources I have, I need to be submitted to the Lord to the best of my ability. Then the message comes together, I have boldness and peace, yea and even excitement as I prepare for it. Others may have different thoughts or a different mindset about this, but this is what comes to mind when I think about the Lord and how He called me to preach, how I know it, how it affects me. It’s not just an activity I can do, it’s an inner compulsion that I want to do out of obedience to my Lord and out of love for His people (and even for the lost).
  9. Well, we will have to disagree on these two issues. I agree with the solid fundamentalist preachers and commentators of the past who teach both positions I have stated above. I have been blessed too much by seeing Christ in the OT passages that speak of the Angel of the Lord to let anyone else take them from me. Genesis 48:15-16 And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. Hm, the second person of the Trinity is called the Angel which redeemed me in this passage (referring specifically to the Angel of the Lord that Jacob encountered) - ouch! Guess I believe God’s Word over a new position.
  10. Unfallen Angels are called sons of God in the Old Testament. Representive angel? There are many passages where the Angel of the Lord is clearly the pre-incarnate Christ. That is a big area of theological difference!
  11. Some particular encounters of angels are the Angel of the Lord (in the OT) - which is sometimes (or most of the time) Christ. In Revelation, I believe there is at least one reference to an angel which is Christ (based on the description and what that angel does and the timing of the event - ch 10 fits Christ having the book given Him in chapter 5, and landing on the earth, reclaiming the earth at the end of the seven year tribulation period). If at least one reference to an angel in Revelation is not a physical angel (but Jesus), then why couldn’t chapters 1-3 be something other than a literal angel? Matthew 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:27 uses the Greek word for angel to refer to John the Baptist. Luke 7:24 and 9:52 and James 2:25 refer to human messengers. So there are definitely examples of that word referring to non-angelic messengers (ie. humans).
  12. Maybe I am missing something here, but the references to the angels (ie. messengers) of the seven churches in chapters 1-3 does fit the local pastor leading that church, and therefore teaching/preaching the Word of God to their individual congregations. Revelation 1:11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. Revelation 1:16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. Revelation 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches. Revelation 2:1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; And so on... Unless you are talking about making angels mean pastors throughout the rest of the book?
  13. Jerry

    A Word Fitly Spoken

    Does God Delight In You? Psalms 18:19 He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. If you have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation, you are accepted in Him by the Father - and you therefore become a child that He delights in. Proverbs 3:12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. We may not like the application of this second verse to ourselves, but He corrects us because He cares for us. Proverbs 11:20 They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight. Proverbs 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight. The first two verses above state our Heavenly Father takes delight in His children, and verses 3-4 state what He delights in (the way we live before Him, and our prayers to Him). Are you delighting yourself in the Lord - AND are you bringing Him delight day by day? November 20, 2021 Jerry Bouey
  14. The Lord Is My Song The following comes from the Introduction to my poetry blog, Songs In The Night, and is a challenge to each of us to have music that glorifies the Lord: The name is based on the following passages: Job 35:10 But none saith, Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night. Psalms 42:8 Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life. Psalms 77:6 I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search. I have found through personal experience that only the Lord Himself can give songs in the night - only He can give His perfect (complete) peace and joy to His children in the midst of their trials and sorrows. It is only through Him that songs can spring up out of troubled hearts - and it is those same songs that truly can touch and minister to the hearts of others. Not only does the Lord Jesus Christ gives songs, He also is our song. In light of eternity and all that He has done for us, truly He is the only song worth singing about. Isaiah 12:2 Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Exodus 15:2 The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him. Psalms 118:14 The LORD is my strength and song, and is become my salvation. Not only should God's Word be our songs: Psalms 119:54 Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage. Our songs should be filled with His Word! When we are to: Colossians 3:16-17 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. It is tragic that so many sing songs that are either void of the Word of God, or that contradict or confuse it. One thing I have always found interesting, is that when we have the Scriptures dwelling in us, there is a song in our hearts - and when we look at this passage: Ephesians 5:18b-20 ...but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; We see that being filled with the Spirit of God produces the same effect - that is because the Holy Spirit always leads according to the Word He inspired and wrote. When your focus is steadfast on the Lord, meditating on His Word, He surrounds you with His songs. Psalms 32:7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. If you are saved, I hope that you use your songs to praise the Lord Jesus Christ who saved you. Psalms 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. Psalms 69:30 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. Our songs should be a testimony of our trust in our Saviour. Psalms 40:3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. Whether songs of praise, songs of deliverance, or songs of joy - whatever the song, they should be all about the Lord! Is your tongue the pen of a ready writer - and are your songs about Him? Psalms 45:1-2 A Song of loves. My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever. May you glorify and honour Jesus Christ through all your songs! Jerry Bouey July 17th/06 A Song In The Night Though darkness hides the sunlight, A song is in my soul; In the night of my affliction, The Lord is in control. I cannot see His footsteps – The path He leads me down; All the way, there’s a promise: His path leads to a crown. Within the stormy blackness, Jesus has His eye on me; Though the darkness hide Him, By faith I still can see. Though nighttime falls around me, The cross leads to the tomb, My footsteps will not falter, His Word lights up the gloom. Though I know not the journey, The Lord will take me through; I will trust in my Saviour – He has my best in view. Even though my steps be darkened, My Father knows the way; And He will safely guide me – From the shadows into day. June 14th, 2006 Jerry Bouey
  15. Because You Passed My Way My load's a little lighter now, Because you passed my way - The sun's a little brighter And the clouds have passed away. I've found my Saviour nearer, And each day He grows still dearer And I'm on my way to Glory, Because you passed my way. I was lost and no one seemed to care Until you passed my way, You saw me, and led me to Christ Oh, what a happy day, Now I'm living all for Jesus, And with Him I'll be some day, For I found a new beginning, Because you passed my way. And when in realms of glory, I see His precious face, And hear the angel voices Within that heavenly place, I'll remember that sinner, Who once had gone astray, Might not be there in Glory, Had you not passed my way. - Eleanor Taylor Rhodes, in Gospel Herald
  16. FEAR My friend went on ahead And left me here To walk my last, long mile Alone; and Fear Stepped to his vacant place And said that he Would walk with me, and my Companion be. And so he dogged my steps In this dark vale Where death's wings shadow me. My face grew pale, My spirit quailed. I called One precious Name In my distress, and lo, That loved One came! He closely holds my hand, This tender Friend, Nor will He let me go Until the end. And as He walks with me, Daily more dear, I find that trust and love Have cast out Fear. Martha Snell Nicholson (From A Daily Visit To Ivory Palaces)
  17. Also, it is worth noting that some modern versions change the passage to make the phrase nonsensical - ie. Isaiah playing with words to mock those he is speaking to (either by changing the wording or by including a note stating this). That obscures what the passage is actually about (studying and understanding the Word of God), and literally taking the passage and making it of none effect to those who read it). Through the years, I have noticed that many Christians who go offtrack or who arrive at really weird conclusions on Bible issues have never taken the time to actually study out (ie. trace out) a doctrine, principle, word, etc. through the whole Bible - they have never read or included all the related passages in their conclusion; therefore, having an opinion/view/belief that actually contradicts some other parts of the Word of God. I am not saying I have arrived yet - BUT if I come across a passage or realize I have a belief or understanding of some issue or passage in the Bible that seems to contradict or not take into account other passages, I do not rest until I can figure it out, or at the least realize I do not have all the pieces of the puzzle, and file the pieces I do have in the back of my mind, while over time paying attention to what I do eventually find on that issue, then adjust my position accordingly. Of course, James 1:5 is essential to understanding the Bible.
  18. Yes. Other passages teach us to compare spiritual things - whether in the Bible or in our lives - but this passage is about laying the foundation for doctrine and Bible principles.
  19. That passage teaches us how to understand the Word of God. God said if they were obedient and submissive to it, it would bring them rest and refreshing. Because they rebelled and would not hear the Word of the Lord, God would speak to them through other tongues - ie. through the Assyrians and Babylonians that would take them captive. Isaiah 28:9-10 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: It goes with this passage: 1 Corinthians 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. And this: 2 Peter 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. No Scripture stands alone - it must all fit together, as 2 Timothy 2:15 teaches. We are to take all that the Bible teaches on something, here a little and there a little - wherever the Bible touches on something - no doctrine or teaching (ie. precept) stands alone on any one passage, but must take into consideration all that God has to say on that issue.
  20. Joe, not sure if you posted the wrong verse by accident. The next one says this: Revelation 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. it’s interesting that this came up recently with some people I know - refuting the statement in one place that Jesus loved us. He corrected the Bible and said it is supposed to be loves. Yes, many times the Bible talks about His love as ongoing, present tense - but in the context of several passages, it is referring to having loved us in offering Himself for our sins. That was a one time act that affects the world (and especially those that believe) forever. John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
  21. God does love the lost - present tense, not just past. He doesn’t love their sin or love them IN their sin - He provided the way to wipe out and remove their sins. Romans 5:6-8 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. References to God hating the lost and wicked is hating their works - AND you will see by comparing passages, He hates those who refuse to repent and receive His salvation, those who actively reject His Word and strive against His people. The Bible does not teach a generic hatred for the lost until they get saved. In fact, it is God’s love for the lost, in many instances, that cause them to come to come to Him for salvation. Mark 10:21-22 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. 1 John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us. Also, how can God only love us in the past - loved? The NT was written over 1900 years ago. He loved me back then before I was ever born, before I was ever presented with the Gospel, before I had ever responded to Him positively or negatively. All my sins were still future. Revelation 13:8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 1 Peter 1:19-20 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, Romans 8:29-30 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. Yes, He loved mankind from all eternity, planned our salvation out before even creating this world and the people in it, knew from eternity who would receive Him and who would reject Him, and still chose to die for us. Yes, He says He never KNEW those workers of iniquity who never repented or trusted Him for salvation - those are the wicked He says He hates (and they hate and reject Him), not just lost mankind in general.
  22. You can’t keep all your old, worn out Bibles on your shelves. It is just paper. When the Jews in OT times copied the scrolls, they burned or destroyed the old copies - whether worn out, damaged, or ones with errors. I understand the reverence for God’s Word - but not the material it is copied on (and yes, I do try to be careful in handling or reading Bibles, but eventually they do wear out). If I print up some chapters of the Bible for a Bible study, but then some of the pages get damaged, I don’t keep them. If it was my only copy of God’s Word and I had no access to any others, then I might want to keep it until I could recopy it or get a new copy - but otherwise, it is just paper or parchment or whatever material. God even commanded several of His servants to destroy His Word in various ways and at others times had it happen apart from His will - and He caused it to be written or copied again. Like Moses throwing down and breaking the two stone tablets, Jeremiah being commanded to throw the scroll in the river and at different time having the king cut up and burn another scroll of his prophecies, Ezekiel and John being commanded to eat the scrolls. I am not flippant or cavalier towards my physical Bible - but it is the Word of God itself that is important - regardless of what it is copied onto (in a book, in a letter or card, in a Gospel tract or pamphlet, in a NT or a John & Romans, etc. - or even online or in an app). Those are just as much God’s Word (inasmuch as they contain God’s Word) as the physical book on your shelves - yet if those get worn out or damaged beyond repair, we don’t keep those.
  23. To repent of sins and receive the Saviour. They are commands; therefore to do them is to be obedient to the Gospel. in what other way is someone obeying the Gospel?
  24. Jerry

    A Word Fitly Spoken

    Reading The Scriptures There are two main words for know (and its forms) in the New Testament. 1) Strong’s #1492, eido. This word basically has the idea of head knowledge, knowing about something. 2) Strong’s #1097, ginosko (from the root word, gnosis, knowledge). This word has the idea of knowing about something personally, personally experiencing what you know about. Looking up every time the word know (or a form thereof) occurs in the NT (with these basic definitions) is a worthwhile study - to see what true believers then and now know personally, and what other things the NT talks about that were known (via head knowledge as compared to personal knowledge). All that said, I am now pointing out a related word: anaginosko (#314) - the main word used for reading in the New Testament. Revelation 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. Ana basically means again - like the first part of the Greek word for resurrection (anastasis, to stand up again). So anaginosko means to (personally) know again. It is used in 30 verses in the NT, most of the references are about reading the Scriptures. 1 Timothy 4:13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Reading here is #320, a slightly different form of the same word. You know how we are to read, study and meditate on God’s Word daily, right? It is like Jesus and the Apostles are saying , Read, reread, become personally familiar with the Scriptures again - and like Revelation 1:3 states when we read and heed the Bible, the Lord blesses us. February 2, 2023 Jerry Bouey Power For Preaching And Serving The Lord This is an awesome promise to claim whenever we need boldness or strength to do God’s will. I have literally claimed it hundreds and hundreds of times when preaching at the Gospel Mission. 2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. The word for fear means timidity, cowardice. God says that this kind of fear does not come from Him. If you ever have fear (or even hesitation) in doing what is right or what God has called you to do, you just need to acknowledge your fear to God - knowing it does not come from Him - and ask Him to take it away and fill you with His Holy Spirit. See also James 4:7. The word for power is dunamis, where we get dynamite from - spiritual power. This is the spiritual power to make an impact for the Lord and it works through you to touch the lives of others. The word love here is agape - the selfless love of God, love for God and love for man. This love is what gives us the motivation to serve the Lord faithfully, to witness to and preach to the lost. See Romans 5:5 and 2 Corinthians 5:14. A sound mind is being self-controlled and sober in your thinking, in control of your thoughts. If you are in control of your thoughts, you will also have self-control in regards to your body, your actions, your words. When you are filled (controlled or influenced by) the Holy Spirit, you are able to do God’s will and say or do what He would have you to do. See Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Peter 1:6. God’s love and power will give you the strength and ability you need to fulfill God’s will for you, will remove your fear and enable you to step out in faith to do whatever He has called you to do. August 10th, 2023 Jerry Bouey
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