Jerry

Martha And Mary Martha and Mary, two sisters together one day. Each sought to follow Jesus in their own unique way; Martha was so busy still, but Mary would not be dismayed: She wanted to spend time with her Master - with Jesus, come what may. Nothing wrong with serving, but what is the end goal of your life? Do you desire the Saviour more than the bustle and the strife? Would you rather be so focussed, with everything placed so neat - Or does your spirit and soul crave to worship at His feet? In all of our opportunities, with each day that we face, What’s the outcome, what’s the priority, when everything finds its place? Did we seek to spend more time with Jesus, love Him more than all these things; Did we fill our hearts with activities or with worshipping our King? Are you more like Martha, or is Mary’s desire more your size - Are you looking at the world, or keeping your eyes upon the prize? Here is your dilemma - I don’t want to be contrary - But whose example will you follow: Is it Martha or is it Mary? January 30, 2024 Jerry Bouey Luke 10:38-42 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

There are many examples of this in the Word of God - God speaking to the nation of Israel or a group of people, then applying it to an individual (or vice-versa). Isaiah 7:11-14 Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD. And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. The king wouldn’t obey, so God gave a sign to the whole nation. John 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus but addressing all mankind. Luke 22:31-32 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. Satan is going to put all 12 of you through the wringer, but I’ve prayed for you specifically, Peter. Revelation 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. The time of persecution would affect the whole church, but the promise is to individuals.

Noah was obviously saved, therefore a son of God - so Methuselah was not the last one prior to the flood. The last one who died perhaps - dying the year of the flood. His name means “when he dies, then comes judgement”, a prophecy for the other believers to gauge when they were getting close to God’s time of judgement.

Adam and Eve were the first humans created. All other people descended from them - therefore Cain married one of his sisters.

Good post, though I would disagree with that statement. The lineage of Christ has some ungodly kings (for example), who I would definitely not consider saved. Though I do agree that all those listed in Genesis 5 were. Several or all of them were obviously prophets to name their children in such a way that collectively all their names point to the Messiah and what He would come to do. https://buy-the-truth.blogspot.com/2006/06/picture-in-genesis-five.html?m=1 The NT also refers to Noah and the patriarchs as being saved.

There were giants in the earth even after the flood. They were human. Goliath and his brothers were giants - but they were certainly human. Today we also have dwarves and pigmies - still humans. Angels don’t procreate, as Joe has basically stated (they don’t reproduce after their kind): Mark 12:25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. Actually, the Bible indicates they take on a human appearance - not that they are mistaken for humans. Having an appearance does not make something exactly the same as that thing - ie. taking on a human appearance doesn’t make them mortal, able to procreate, able to get saved - and many other things humans do.

Yes. Jude 1:6-7 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Jude says the Sodomites were like the angels, not the other way around. That means the Sodomites were guilty of what Jude already said about the angels: which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation - not the other way around (ie. that the angels were also guilty of the sin of the Sodomites, giving themselves over to fornication, going after strange flesh).

Yup, many false teachings are passed on in this way. In fact, much false doctrine and false interpretations of the Bible (including so-called Bible errors) can be refuted by taking the Bible at face value, looking at the exact words of each passage (and related parallel passages).

I hope he is truly saved - but too many of these Hollywood/celebrity conversions are just junk, making religious people with no real spiritual substance. Oh, Elon Musk is saved because his interviewers got him to pray with them (with no clear gospel presentation or repentance). Oh, Chris Pratt is saved because he said something about the (universal) Fatherhood of God at a Disney convention recently (of course, you must overlook the fact that he started blaspheming God and using Jesus’ name in vain in several of his recent movies - if he was really taking a stand for Jesus because he got saved, you figure he would stand against using his professed Saviour’s name as a swear word). Be like Justin Bieber - produce basically pornographic music videos as long as you cover yourself with “Jesus tattoos”. Now THAT’s showing love for (the Hollywood) Jesus!!

This poem was written for my pastor and his wife for Christmas. Jesus In You Day by day, and throughout all the years, You both taught us by faith what was right and true; You modelled our Saviour in word and in deed - We learned so much about Jesus through you. Faithfully trusting and serving our Saviour; We are amazed by all that our God can do Through those who follow in the footsteps of faith - We know we can see Jesus living in you. Through the years, I’m sure you’ve entertained angels; By your example, we know our hearts grew too; You showed compassion in your care for us all - We see Jesus loving others through you. You showed us this life’s not the end of the story, You both modelled for us the eternal view, In this world with all of its fading glory, In the way you live, we see Jesus in you. December 10, 2023 Jerry Bouey (Christmas Project 2023) Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. 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. 1 Corinthians 11:1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

Supposedly? The Bible teaches it as a fact - “supposedly” makes it look like you are questioning the Bible. Also, heresy refers to false doctrine, but it also indicates a wilfull choice to believe it. Making the days in Genesis anything more than 6 literal 24 hours days is heresy. Also, the six days of creation was the beginning - of the universe and of the planet. There was nothing else physically or even spiritually before those six days except the Trinity (or to use a Bible word, the Godhead). Anything else is false teaching a contradicts the Bible. Sorry if that doesn’t fit your theology - in that case, it’s time to change your theology to make it Biblical in those areas where you are not. If God can create a mature universe, a mature man and woman in the day they were created, then it is no problem for Him to create light without a light source then later create the light sources. It shows He is the source of all light - not the sun, moon, and stars which evolution wants to believe.

That’s one thing I noticed about many men of Torrey’s generation, they were trying to fit in too much with the higher critics of their day - acceptance of Bible changes/modern versions and some higher criticism, acceptance of forms of evolution (day age theory, gap theory, etc.). Trying to read The Fundamentals is tough reading because of all the junk they accept or are willing to tolerate to meet the higher critics on “their ground.” I truly believe they (ie. those fundamentalists - and I am a die-hard fundamentalist of the faith and of the Bible) are a big part of why modern Christendom is in such a mess. They believed the fundamentals but willingly tolerated error or mixed in with those crowds, then the following generations accepted and embraced the error the previous generation just acknowledged - ie. they took the sin and compromise just a bit further, then the next generation took it even further, and so on.

The Gap Theory is heresy, plain and simple - it is disbelieving or adding to the early chapters of Genesis, which is the foundation of our whole Bible and lays the groundwork for our faith. For consideration: Job 38:4-7 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? The laying of the foundations of the earth was not on day one - but day three when God separated the land and the sea. This passage also gives the same order of events: Psalms 104:2-5 Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain: Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind: Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire: Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever. The creation of light (day one), the stretching out of the firmament (day two), the creation of angels, the laying of the foundations of the earth (day three). And that is what the passage of Job parallels. The angels were created shortly before ir on day three - but before the foundations of the earth were laid, as they ALL rejoiced at it. None had fallen yet. This is also seen in the Lord God calling the all His finished creation (those six days) very good. Genesis 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Also, all the angels were created to minister to saved mankind; therefore, there would be no need to have them created before God created our world/universe. Hebrews 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? Another point, the third heaven (where angels dwell in the presence of God) did not exist before day one: Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. That is referring to the first heaven, our atmosphere (where birds would fly/dwell), which is developed further on day two. Day four shows the second heaven, outer space, where the sun, moon, and stars are. According to Hebrews 9:24, the third heaven is where the presence of God dwells, which the NT also refers to as Paradise (after the resurrection of Christ).

I use the Olive Tree Bible app. A lot of junk, but if you are careful what resources you buy, you can get a lot out of studying it - on the go or anywhere really. I used to use the Mantis Bible Study app. It had a lot of resources I bought through the years - but it just was not user friendly enough to keep using. In Olive Tree, I can make as many bookmarks I want in any book I am reading - and it keeps track of them all. Can highlight any books (not just the Bible), can put as many notes as I want in the app - I have transferred over many that I have in the margin of my main Bible. You can add tags and icons to all your notes to colour code them or indicate they are on a specific theme. A couple of months ago, they added features to be able to fully format your notes. You can even link a website url in one - which is helpful for me to link a study or poem to a certain passage so always have the link handy when I am fellowshipping with others. I have several Bible study/poetry sites and love to access the material - but used to spend so much time looking for specific ones when digging deeper into a verse or passage. Now I can find the link and always have it handy. There is a cheap bundle in the app that gives you some KJV resources, such as Strong's Concordance, Matthew Henry, Spurgeon's Morning And Evening Devotional. I think there are about 10 resources in that KJV Bundle altogether - perfect for someone who wants to dig deeper and have a Bible and lexicon and a couple good commentaries and devotionals handy whereever they are.

You know how people are always passing on certain blessings - like, May the road always rise to meet you, etc., etc.? Well, here is my attempt at a Biblical blessing poem: Be Strong And Of A Good Courage “Be strong and of a good courage,” My child, “Fear not, nor be afraid,” saith the Lord. May your life be filled to the brim with His promises, Overflowing with hope and wisdom gleaned from God’s Word. Jesus is your Shepherd who will lead and guide you; He will walk beside you every step of the way; He will lift you up and carry you there in His arms, Bring you back close beside Him whenever you stray. There is so much the Lord wants to do for you, So much your Heavenly Father has in store; Just when you think that you can’t be more blessed, God surprises your life with even more. In His Word, you have His promise to be with you, Through all the sunny days, and even the bad. He will work out all things together for your good; There are so many reasons to “rejoice and be glad.” As a pilgrim and a stranger on this journey, May all of your days be filled with Heaven’s best. As you look back over your life in reflection, May you find that you have been truly blessed. December 3, 2023 Jerry Bouey (Christmas Project 2023) Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

My Prayer For Sanctuary I need a quiet place, Lord, where I can get away; Where I can seek Your face, as I kneel to pray; Somewhere there’s a refuge, away from the world outside, Where I can be at peace, Lord, as I’m walking by Your side. I need a Sanctuary, my own hiding place, Somewhere I can get away and daily seek your grace; A place of peace and solitude, a place to call my own - Where I can focus on my Saviour, and spend time with Him alone. A place I can put my worries away up on a shelf; A place of joy and comfort, where I can be myself. A solace and a refuge, Lord, a haven in Your sight; A shelter from this world - my own harbour of delight. Somewhere life does not intrude and Your peace is in my heart. Seeking You in spirit and truth is the only place to start. You and You alone are all that my soul wants to view, When this world comes knocking, they’ll know I spent much time with You. A place of calm refreshing, of soothing healing in Your arms, Where I can lay my burdens down, and take shelter from the storm; You’re my Prince of Peace, my Rock, and my high tower, My own Sanctuary - oh, how I need You every hour! Lead me day by day, Lord, make all my pathways straight and true, Gently speak to my heart - remind me my Haven of Rest is You! November 17th, 2023 Jerry Bouey (Christmas Project 2023) Isaiah 8:14a And he shall be for a sanctuary… Isaiah 4:6 And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain. Isaiah 32:2 And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. Psalms 32:7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. Psalms 107:29-30 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. Psalms 18:1-2 I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. John 4:23-24 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. Deuteronomy 33:27a The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: Isaiah 42:16 And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.

Here is a new Christmas poem I wrote. I wanted to tackle it from a slightly different perspective - and this one is from the perspective of the gifts given by the wise men and what they mean. The Gift Of Myrrh The wise men came to Bethlehem, Came to worship the young Child; They brought their gifts to offer Him - Jesus, the Saviour, so meek and mild. Each of the treasures the wise men gave Told of great riches they had in store; Though worth much to this poor family, What they symbolized was so much more. The wise men brought to Him their gold - Oh what a precious offering. A fitting tribute for this Child Who was born the King of kings. They also gave Him frankincense - These wise men from the East; For many Scriptures testified: The Son of God would be our High Priest. The greatest gift they gave to Jesus, More important than all the rest, Was the gift of myrrh they offered Him, Signifying His coming death. For not the blood of bulls and goats, Nor our righteous works could ever wash away The stain of sin of fallen man - Forgiveness couldn’t come that way. The King of kings came from on high, The Priest who would be our Sacrifice; The Son of Man which came to die, Only He could bear that costly price. Jesus is that spotless Lamb of God Who fulfilled all of the Laws demands; Only He could pay redemption’s price, And bring salvation down to man. December 17, 2023 Jerry Bouey Though there are various aspects to the “Christmas story”, and this poem is based on the meaning behind the gifts of the wise men (their story is told in Matthew 2:1-13), here is the message about the coming Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, as told to the shepherds on the night He was born as a Baby in a manger. Sometime around the age of two years old, the wise men came to the Child in the house where He as living in Bethlehem. As the account of His life unfolded, He lived and grew up in Nazareth until He became a Man. He was thirty years old when He began His public ministry. But to be our Saviour, the Son of God not only had to be one of us and grow up among us, Jesus Christ had to shed His blood and die upon the cross one day for our sins. He did that, fulfilling by Himself all that was needed to save us, and then He arose again three days later and ascended up to Heaven, where He is now the believer's High Priest, petitioning the Father on our behalf until the day He takes true believers home to Heaven to be with Him forever. That is the story of Christmas, and the story of the Bible! Luke 2:8-14 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Some other Christmas poems you might like are: Christmas In Heaven Christmas Once Again Christmas Without Christ Christmas Without Jesus (by Angela Trenholm) Christmas Without Jesus (by Theresa Wood) Born To Die (Song) Ready For Christmas? The Hope Of Christmas O Save Us Now

The Catholic church loves to add to the Bible and name characters that the Bible never does, such as the rich man in Luke 16, Mary’s mother.

A true “altar call” as they say is calling upon someone to react to the message - and that IS Biblical. Whether they go forward, respond in their seat, are encouraged to seek out the pastor or one of the other church workers for help in understanding the Gospel or how to trust in Jesus as Saviour all depend on the individual - but if a church does not challenge people to respond to the message in some way right after they hear it, they are missing an opportunity, and that person may never get saved or deal with whatever issues the message touched upon. What is important is responding in your heart to the Lord, whether you go forward to “the altar” or pray where you are sitting.

It is a fundamental of the faith. I think someone can be saved without knowing or understanding that doctrine - but cannot be saved while denying it. If Jesus was not virgin born, then He was not the sinless Son of God and not able to save us.

Same destiny and destination. At the rapture, ALL born again believers are all going to meet the Lord Jesus Christ in the air at the same time, and will dwell with Him forever - together.

What are you talking about here? Those who are saved in this dispensation are part of the bride of Christ, the church - but a church goer (if saved) has no different destiny than a non-church goer.

Thanks. Yes, I was part of the first Online Baptist and was a regular member and Mod for a few years until I left due to depression. Doing well now. I much rather enjoy posting encouraging poems and studies rather than endless debates (though they do have their time and place). It is interesting to note though that all those years of debating on here probably taught me a lot about digging indepth into the Word of God, looking at many Biblical issues from various sides so as to be able to answer the myriads of questions that come up. I do appreciate being a part of this oasis in the midst of this dark world.

Thank you.

Walking on the Water With Jesus Walking boldly on the water with Jesus, Knowing the waves are under His full control; Having sure footing in the midst of the storm, Oh, the joy and wonder that thrills my soul. Stepping out in faith is so amazing, Though this situation seems almost unreal; I’m the only one brave enough to stand on the waves, Imagine what all these fishermen must feel. But looking out upon the deep is very daunting - The wind is scattering the clouds across the sky; Slowly, I’m beginning to sink in the water; Faltering, “Lord, save me” is all I can cry. Immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand and caught me, He held me up safely though the storm raged about; Soon we were in the ship and the waves stopped their roaring; He said, “O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” Whether in the ship or out upon the water, The Master of the waves controls the windswept sea. It’s not the storm or calm without the ship that matters - But the peace within my heart that my Lord gives me. If all you can do is cry out to your Saviour When the wind and the waves flood your soul, Remember the Shepherd shelters you in His arms - Jesus holds you close and will never let you go. November 27, 2023 Jerry Bouey Matthew 14:22-33 And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.