Month: December 2012

Today we welcome everyone to the Berean Baptist celebration of Christmas. We sincerely hope you enjoy this Christmas season as you spend it with friends and family. We are especially thankful that you have chosen to spend this part of the season with us as we sing hymns of praise and proclaim the good news of God’s gift to the world.

Although Christians today place much emphasis on Christmas, this was not the case with early Christians. Today a good part of the year is spent in preparation for the Christmas season with many churches beginning their planning in the summer months. However, you will notice that when the disciples began to preach the wonderful salvation we have in Christ there is no mention of His birth. The focus is always the death and resurrection as these are the two key factors in the plan of redemption. Christ had to die to pay the penalty of our sins and He had to arise from the grave to seal the victory over sin and death. The apostles preached this message faithfully after Pentecost without mentioning the birth of Christ. The earliest recording of Christ’s birth was by Matthew which is traditionally placed about A.D. 37 or about 4 to 10 years after Christ’s death depending upon the correct dating chronology. Matthew’s details are a little sketchy as his intent was more to prove the kingship of Christ and His link to Old Testament prophecies rather than to present a Christmas pageant. Mark does not mention the birth of Christ at all and neither does John. Luke gives the most complete account, but he wrote more than 30 years after the death of Jesus. The lack of emphasis on Christmas in early gospel preaching is remarkable when compared to the extreme focus that is put on it today.

Are we to conclude from this that we need not spend time with Christmas? Is it better for us to downplay it and give it little emphasis? I think not because this season affords us a great opportunity to tell the truth of what Jesus came into this world to do. Early Christians did not have a holiday for the celebration of Christ’s birth, and neither was the world caught up in today’s revelry and mockery of Christmas. Since we do have the holiday now and people are at least somewhat aware of the reason we celebrate Christmas, why not use this time to the advantage of the gospel?

While some may think they are pristine in their apostolic practices by refusing to celebrate Christmas, it was the apostle Paul that said, “To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you” (1 Cor. 9:22-23). Paul gladly used whatever methods he could to win people to Christ as long as they did not conflict with scriptural teachings. The facts are that Christ was born; His birth is recorded; it was attended by angels, and celebrated by commoners like shepherds and also by the rich astute wise men called the magi. God expects us to be wise in our methods of gospel presentation. We are unwise not to use the season effectively for the cause of Christ. I must hasten to add, however, we are sinful if we engage in the same types of Christmas practices as the world. The cause of Christ is hurt not helped by Christians that partake in the shamefulness of liquor at office parties and the kind of evil talk and decadence that takes place. This kind of celebration should be Xmas not Christmas.

We sincerely encourage you to remember the chief end for all Christians. Our cause is to magnify and glorify Jesus Christ. Make sure you use Christmas for Christ.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

…These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges…(Revelation 2:12b)

In the 2nd chapter of Revelation verse 12, Jesus addressed the pastor of the church in Pergamos. Pergamos was a city much like others in the Roman world. It was filled with idols and temples that were built in homage to a multitude of false gods. The wickedness found in each of these cities would meet or exceed the worst vice and corruption found in any city of today’s world. Pergamos, however, had a special designation; it was the place where “Satan’s seat is” (v.13). The word for seat is thronos the same from which we get “throne.” Many believe “Satan’s seat” has reference to emperor worship which gave the Roman Caesar status as a god along with the hundreds of mythological gods they worshipped. Pergamos, then, was the center for this diabolical practice of worshipping the emperor.

The 13th verse has reference to another horrible practice that has afflicted Christianity since the beginning, which is martyrdom. Any Christian that would not concede that Caesar was a god to be worshipped and would not say “Caesar is Lord” was put to death, often by the cruelest ways imaginable. The church in Pergamos was commended because in the face of this terrible persecution they had remained faithful to the Christian mantra which says “Christ is the only Lord.”

Several times in the Revelation we are reminded of the sword that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord Jesus Christ. Obviously the reference is not literal, but symbolizes the power of the words that are spoken by God. The emperors of Rome imposed their will through strong armies fighting physical battles. God has no need of physical weapons since He is able to bring the world into submission by the spoken word. “…He doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?” (Dan. 4:12). The assurance that God will overthrow the wicked is encouragement for His people to remain faithful and not fear martyrdom. He has the power to judge and destroy the wicked and the power to raise His dead saints to life.

Although the majority of the Revelation concerns future events, there is real application for Christians today. It is very easy to be discouraged when it appears we are making little to no headway against the increasing wickedness of our generation. It is best to remind ourselves that God does not live in the past or the future; He is the God of the eternal present. Are we waiting for God to come with the sword of His mouth? We need not wait because we possess the sword in the present. Hebrews says: “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb. 4:12). The reason Christians have not made more of an impact on our culture is because churches have abandoned the means by which we conquer. We have the double-edged sword which is the Bible, the powerful living word of God.

How do we make a difference in a place where it appears Satan has his throne? Know the word, live in the word, and most importantly share the word. The Holy Spirit uses it to convict sinners and change their hearts. People are born again “by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever” (1 Pet. 1:22).

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. (Revelation 2:4)

The second chapter of Revelation begins with high commendation for the church at Ephesus. This church was organized by Paul at the end of his second missionary journey, and then Paul returned to Ephesus on the third journey spending more than two years teaching the people the Word of God. The strength of this church is noted by the difficult doctrine Paul addressed them with in the letter to the Ephesians. As we read about this church in Revelation, we notice the people were still committed to these good doctrines and were contending for the faith that had been taught by Paul. They were especially strong in refuting the theological errors of false teachers.

At the time of the Revelation, about 40 years had passed since this church was founded and about 30 years since Paul wrote his highly doctrinal epistle to them. In the first chapter of the epistle, Paul made this comment: “Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers…” Paul specifically mentions the “faith” of the church and also their “love.” A grounded faith made it possible for Paul to write the epistle which contains doctrines on which the best of theologians differ in interpretation. Evidently, this church was grounded enough to understand what Paul wrote and properly interpret and apply the instruction.

When Christ addressed the church in the Revelation, the faith was still there; the doctrines were still maintained, but love had become the missing ingredient. It seems a cold, dead orthodoxy had overtaken the church while a real heart for Christ and others was missing. They had left their first love which is Christ, and whenever this occurs love for others will be impossible to maintain. Our love for others flows out of our love for Christ. Joseph Parker wrote: “The head may be right while the heart is going in a wrong direction. I am indeed anxious that we should maintain a Scriptural theology, that we should ‘hold fast the form of sound words’; at the same time we must remember that a technical theology will never save a soul; and that a mere verbal creed will never protect and increase our love for the Lord Jesus Christ.”

As pastor of Berean, I too am anxious that we should “hold fast the form of sound words.” I am anxious that we should “earnestly contend for the faith.” But I am also anxious that our doctrine does not mask a cold heart that is never really as near to Christ as it should be. I believe if Jesus wrote a letter to our church we would be commended for the stand we take on His Word. We would be commended for teaching scripture and not giving in to the modern church growth movement that says we need something more personally appealing to captivate the senses of today’s church (or unchurched) crowd. However, I am concerned that He would not commend us for our love for Him. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). I encourage each of you to examine your lives for obedience to Christ. How do you live? If Jesus spoke to you today would he say, “Good job sticking to your doctrines, nevertheless I have somewhat against you?”

Pastor V. Mark Smith

His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; [15] And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. (Revelation 1:14-15)

What did Jesus look like? This is an interesting question and one I am sure any reader of scripture has wondered. I believe my experience with reading novels and other types of stories is similar to that of most people. If the book is fiction, we don’t have any way of knowing what the characters look like except for the image the author is able to put in our minds by his descriptive and imaginative use of language. We visualize the person in our minds as we think they would appear, but if we were good artists and were asked to make a painting of the characters I am sure the pictures would be quite different. Sometimes novels are made into movies and the actors that play the parts often become our permanent visualization of the characters.

Although Jesus was real (and still is!), there were no portraits made of Him. Neither is there a detailed description of Him in the Bible or from any other source. Still, if you ask what Jesus looked like, there is nearly unanimous agreement. Many have pictures on their walls that supposedly represent Him. These pictures need no labels because they are immediately recognized. These are the imagination of men and have become ingrained in our minds over a few centuries.

Many good Christian people own these portraits, but they steadfastly maintain they represent the man only and they would never consider them to be an image of worship. However, these same people treat the picture in a different way than other pictures. They would never think of defacing it because do so would be to treat Jesus with irreverence. There is one word that describes this feeling: IDOLATRY.

Any picture, statue, or other likeness of God is forbidden by scripture. Likewise, any images made of other people living or dead or of any angelic beings or creatures that are used in churches or other places as a part of worship is forbidden. We could go to the Ten Commandments and easily rule these out, but we can also apply the simple test that is applied to portraits of Jesus. Could you as easily disfigure, break apart, and/or dispose of the image as you would any other item? If not, the image has become your idol. We are to carefully avoid these representations because of the spiritual danger that is involved. Idol worship is satanic and was a major sin to which Israel succumbed even while Moses was receiving the Ten Commandments on Sinai. In the New Testament, the scriptures broadened the interpretation of idolatry to include sins like covetousness. This means anything that takes first place in your life above God is an idol. If idolatry is possible without an actual physical image, how serious is a real image?

What did Jesus look like? No one knows. We only know there was nothing physically attractive about Him. People were not drawn to Him for His good looks and manly physique. He could have passed for any normal person on the street. The most important question is not “What did Jesus look like?” The most important question is, “What did He do for sinners like me?”

Pastor V. Mark Smith