Jerry

I believe it is always a good thing when genuine believers leave their apostate churches (that have all the external pinnings of "orthodoxy") and are able to find healthy, bible-based, bible-believing churches! There are a good number of IFB Churches that are apostate as there are SBC Churches. Neither has a corner on the market regarding biblical soundness or total depravity. IFB pastors cry about everyone "Painting with a Broad Brush" but if they were truly "Independent," should it truly bother them? I would challenge both IFB and SBC pastors to perhaps just turn off the social media, focus upon the flock that God gave you, and be the pastor you yourself would like to sit under!
Sometimes it is a good thing when people leave your Church! Where I would place my focus is upon whether the ones who are leaving are the ones who OUGHT to leave and that genuine believers find reason to stay because they are among "God's People" and are being spiritually fed and encouraged! Do not waste your time on the goats and when they leave, be thankful to God for his culling of the herd! If you are faithful to the teaching and preaching of the Word of God, may the Lord direct those who are fleeing all the apostate churches to your doorsteps! Now, if it is the other way around and it is the "Goats" who are sticking around, you would probably want to take some time for self-examination of your ministry focus and direction.
But yeah, I would not celebrate anyone "Leaving the IFB." For what reason would you do so? I am all for people leaving bad churches but I grieve over the fact that they must do so and I pray for these scattered sheep to find a good church home where they may thrive once again.

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.

Heaven will be less about gilded streets and beautiful scenes and more about being in the presence of God. We should spend as much time with Him now as possible. 

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.

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.

More Than Enough
Mankind is always seeking for some lasting substance to be found;
Everywhere the heart can glean, he thinks valuable treasures will abound;
But it seems of the world’s riches, there is never enough to go around -
With all that I have in Christ, the Word of God clearly resounds:
More than enough wisdom to guide me in His sight,
More than enough strength for these battles that I fight,
More than enough truth - in fact, the Lord is my Light!
Whatever I face in this life, Jesus Christ is more than enough.
More than enough new mercies to help me through each day,
More than enough forgiveness when my steps lead me astray,
More than enough grace for those trials that come to stay -
With my Saviour, I have more than enough to face whatever comes my way.
More than enough promises for me to live a godly life,
More than enough peace to calm every sort of strife,
More than enough power to command that every storm be still,
In my Saviour is more than enough for me to do my Father’s will.
More than enough provisions which come from up on high,
More than enough comfort for every teardrop and sigh,
More than enough hope - one day, I’ll meet my Lord in the sky;
For all that I will ever need, Jesus Christ is more than enough.
January 31, 2024
Jerry Bouey
Romans 5:5-8 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. 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.
Romans 8:31-32 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
The following was written by a man in my church as a challenge to others a couple of years ago. He passed it on to me to use as a theme for a possible poem.
The owner of a Rolls Royce wrote a letter to the CEO of the company and asked him what the horsepower was of his vehicle.
His reply was a one-worded letter: "Adequate.”
Of course there are many more features of the Rolls Royce than the horsepower that we could describe as adequate, the many features of the controls, appearance of the interior, design and leather of the upholstery, and the statement this car makes from its outside appearance.
My thoughts turned to my God and I began mentally listing all the ways in which I considered Him to be adequate.
Omnipotent: All POWERFUL, created the universe, the earth, the sun, moon and stars, our lands with all kinds of animals, our vegetation, trees, oceans and lastly human beings, which He did in just six days, His power, more than ADEQUATE.
Omniscient: KNOWS EVERYTHING, Even the very hairs of your head are numbered, not counted, but numbered. Just one example from Matthew 10:30. His knowledge, More than ADEQUATE.
Omnipresent: PRESENT EVERYWHERE, Omnipresence means that at the very minimum there is no place to which God's knowledge and power do not extend. You cannot hide from God. More than ADEQUATE.
Immutable: GOD CANNOT CHANGE, Hebrews 6:17,18, The promise of blessedness which God has made to believers is not a rash and hasty thing, but the result of God's eternal purpose. (2.) This purpose of God was agreed upon in counsel, and settled there between the eternal Father, Son, and Spirit. (3.) These counsels of God can never be altered; they are immutable. He is the same from everlasting to everlasting. More than ADEQUATE.
These are considered the attributes of God, but there is one more very important thing, and some theologians would disagree with this but I don't think the following statement about love is an attribute of God.
GOD IS LOVE! This very brief statement is from 1st John 4:18. At His very core, God is Love. Love so great that He gave His Son to die a very cruel death to save us from our sins. More than ADEQUATE!
There are many more examples of how God is adequate in Scripture. His promises, hundreds, maybe thousands of them (I didn't count them), but I would challenge you as you come to them in your reading, stop and think of how adequate that particular promise is FOR ME/YOU today.
Gary Carruthers
(Used with permission)

You guys are arguing over who the Nephilim are missing the entire point of the OP!
Or perhaps it is what I believe should be the focal point.
I really do not care what your position is. Good men come to differing conclusions and agree to disagree. My ultimate position on the matter is that I just do not know - OK, I tend to side with the line of Seth intermingling with the line of Cain but I digress...
My problem with this Sunday School teacher would not be that I disagree with his position but rather that he has shown himself somewhat lazy in his study of the matter. I want to walk into a Sunday School class believing that it will be worth my time and the teacher has actually put in the time and effort to make it worth my while! If you are teaching older members of the congregation, it should be a given that those sitting in the seats are not dumb and that the one preparing the lesson should expect a little scrutiny.
If you differ with me regarding whatever, you will have my utmost respect if you have studied and are able to give a well reasoned defense of your position. I may still disagree with you but you will have forced me to think through and come up with a well-reasoned defense of my own.

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

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.

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

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.

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).

Wow, you’re just a baby. I am so much older and wiser than you, it seems.
I am 53. I feel so old!

That's a quote from the Book of Jude.
Three groups of sinners from the Old Testament are mentioned in the Book of Jude:
1. The angels which "kept not their first estate" had rebelled against God and were cast out because they "despised dominion"
2. The Israelites during the 40 years in the wilderness murmured and complained against Moses so they are the ones who "spoke evil of dignities".
3. The Sodomites were perverts so they are the ones which "went after strange flesh". People get this wrong by trying to say that it was the angels who went after strange flesh while completely ignoring the fact that this was the sin of the Sodomites.

Even named persons, which none of us really know, are  publicly "consigned to the ignominy of both ignorance and unreasonableness" on this board from time to time. But this particular individual shall remain nameless. As a young Christian, this was the subject which prompted me to study the Bible  in more depth than I ever had before and it was one phrase which made me question the "fallen angel" interpretation when I first heard it; something that just didn't sound right: The pastor used the phrase "cohabited with women". When you have to change/alter what the Bible says about something to make your point, well, that's just changing the word of God. Because the King James Bible says they took "wives. Tell me please why fallen angels who had rebelled against God, dooming themselves to be a 'devils" or "demons" would take women as a "wives"? And why would a preacher call it "cohabited"? Anyway, this one thing made me question everything I hear men say from pulpits instead of taking their word for it as "knowing more about it" because of their notoriety, position, education, or status. And it's not wrong to question and verify what you hear.
Acts 17: 
10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
 
You're right, I should mention this to the Brother in private. But I certainly didn't feel led to cause anyone embarrassment in the Sunday School class.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

There are some "Old Earth" creationists out there whom I would disagree but would not break fellowship with them over the matter. Hugh Ross is one such example. He believes in the big bang, that the universe is several billions of years old, and does not hold to a literal six days of creation but he does believe that we are all descended from Adam and that we are dead in sin due to Adam's disobedience. This puts him within bounds of orthodoxy whereas someone holding a "Theistic Evolution" position would be outside the realm of orthodoxy since such a position rejects a literal Adam which completely undermines the necessity of the Gospel of Christ.
Hugh Ross is an astrophysicist who makes a fascinating scientific case regarding how everything in the universe serves a unique purpose and reason for the suitability of life on Planet Earth. He believes it took billions of years for the universe to reach such a point and I guess I'm just a "Dumb Hillbilly for Jesus" who believes that God can speak a fully mature universe into existence instantaneously!😎
You also have the Scofield Bible reading, Larkin Chart following "Gap Theorists" who claim to believe the King James Bible who would say that the earth is billions of years old due to the "Gap" between Gen 1:1 and 1:2 but I would disagree with them just as I do with Hugh Ross. Hard-core "Ruckmanites" refer to the "Gap Theory" as the "Gap Fact" and they may be willing to go to blows with you over it! I would just concede the matter with them although the actual gap I would be thinking of would be the one between their two ears!🤣

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.

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.

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.