Month: November 2023

              In the past few weeks of our study in Mark’s Gospel, I have taken our sermon time to describe Jesus’ selection of the twelve apostles. We are nearing the end of this interlude and will finish with the one disciple who was notorious and never converted to believe in Jesus. We finish next week with Judas Iscariot, who is probably the most infamous person in history.

           In this article, I want to speak briefly of the most famous apostle and yet was not chosen at the same time as the original twelve. This is Paul, the converted Benjamite from the city of Tarsus. Five hundred words is a pittance to spend on him but permit me to make a few brief comments. Paul wrote more of the New Testament than any other author, and except Jesus, is the most quoted character in the Bible. The proof of many of our doctrines of the Christian faith relies heavily on the epistles Paul wrote. Today, on our bulletin cover is Galatians 6:14, a verse that summarizes Paul’s ministry: “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” While this verse stands representative of Paul’s passion for his life and could be attached to any of his letters, it has specific meaning within its context.

              In the first part of Galatians, Paul defended his apostleship by stating his commission was given directly by Christ, who in a post resurrection appearance called him to preach the gospel. His office was not conferred upon him by the consensus of the apostles but by Christ Himself. After establishing his credentials, he goes on to confront the insidious growth of a false doctrine impressed upon the Gentiles who were taught by Jews among them that for them to be saved and a part of the church, they must submit to the Jewish rite of circumcision. Curiously, Peter was caught up in this as he hypocritically withdrew fellowship from Gentiles fearing reprisals from Jewish leaders who came from Jerusalem. Though Peter was not held in unbelief, he stumbled and failed to maintain a firm grip on the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Favoring circumcision as a condition added to the singular work of Christ for the salvation of the soul, denies the finished work of Christ on the cross. Paul began Galatians by emphasizing this is not the gospel of Christ.

              From the point of Paul’s rebuke of Peter, he goes on to make a defense of justification by faith alone in Christ alone. This defense is one of the most significant undergirding of this cardinal doctrine of the Christian faith. In conclusion of the matter, Paul wrote Galatians 6:14. While others may boast of the work they do for Christ or seek to commend themselves to salvation by these good works, Paul rejects any claims of reliance upon self and gives all glory to Jesus Christ.

              This theme resounds throughout Paul’s writings. He is never shy of self-deprecation if it serves to exalt Christ and hide himself behind the cross. Such statements are humbling and yet abhorred by today’s Christian leadership. This is the day of celebrity. With media opportunities that trumpet the names of favorite preachers, the competition for recognition exceeds the determination to glorify Christ and Him alone.

              I have mentioned several times in this series how the apostles would be appalled at worship directed towards them. Statues and patronages were no part of any of the apostles’ objectives. They were Christ’s men who were not fed by their egos. Do we wish to make a name for ourselves, or do we want to glorify Christ? If we learn all there is to know about the apostles and miss this about them, we know nothing at all.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

               A few weeks ago, in my introduction to the apostles, I spoke of Peter’s impertinent question posed to Jesus. Our Lord finished a conversation with the rich young ruler telling him that his salvation was dependent upon keeping the commandments, selling all his earthly goods, giving the proceeds to the poor, and finally, coming and following Him. This is quite a list and fulfilling it would not guarantee a better earthly return above what he surrendered. Peter heard this answer and in turn asked the Lord, “What shall we get?” In other words, Peter and the other apostles believed they had forsaken all and honored the required list. Peter wanted to know what the benefit would be of doing exactly what Jesus told the rich young ruler to do.

               Again, the answer Jesus gave to Peter had no promise of immediate gain. The promised reward was in the future kingdom which He termed the regeneration. Two thousand years later, the kingdom is still an unfulfilled promise although in the interim, the apostles no longer ask, wonder about, or doubt the promise. Their presence in heaven awaiting the resurrection of their bodies is complete satisfaction. Time means nothing to them now and waiting is not an adverse consideration.

               With their understanding of the promise secured, what was their present experience? It was to forsake houses and lands, to endure the rejection of family and friends, persecution from their enemies, and for most of them, martyrdom. They were not to consume themselves with promised thrones in the millennial kingdom but with what Jesus required of them now. This was service to the present kingdom, a kingdom that by faith was in their hearts.

               Jesus told them they were to serve Him and others. This life of service would secure greatness in the future. Greatness is a common pursuit for most of us and it was for the apostles. I do not want to be a mediocre preacher—I want to be a great preacher. We all know I am not, but you would surely find disappointment if I told you I put no effort in my sermons because it does not matter, and I do not care if you groan at them or gain by them.

               When James and John showed Peter-esque impetuousness, they asked for seats on either side of Christ’s throne as a demonstration of their greatness. Their ask was inappropriate, but Jesus did not rebuke their desire. Greatness should be our aspiration yet not to aspire it merely for our benefit. Our objective must be to glorify God in the best way possible. Thus, being a great preacher is a worthy goal if the purpose is for people to learn more of the glories of Christ. The result of Peter and John’s bold preaching was recognition they could have preached no great sermons if they had not been with Jesus. All attempts at greatness should be for the better advancement of the Kingdom in which we now live. Be great on your job, regarding it as service to the Lord (Colossians 3:22-24). Be great as a parent, be great as a husband or wife, be great as a church member. Serve Christ now as a great servant who will receive a hundred-fold more in the future kingdom of God.

               Years ago, there was a song in which the author asked the Lord for just a little cabin in the corner of glory land. There is not much aspiration for greatness there, and less understanding of the blessed, unimaginable inheritance of the saints.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

               These past few weeks, and with still more to come, we have studied Jesus’ selection of the apostles. There is no fair argument from scripture that the words of the apostles are any less authoritative than the words of Jesus. Despite this, there is no shortage of arguments claiming that Jesus deserves more trust than the men He chose to author His story. This is especially true of Paul, the apostle chosen out of due time. He became a Christian after the crucifixion and is the most well-known defender of the Christian faith.

               We read of Paul’s conversion in Acts 9 while he travelled on the road from Jerusalem to Damascus. A bright light shined on him, and Jesus in His glory spoke to him. The resurrected Christ appointed him as a preacher of the gospel especially to the Gentile nations. This appointment vested Paul with no less authority than the original apostles chosen during Christ’s ministry (Galatians 1:11-17; 2:6-9). God has His purposes, and we are at loss to determine the reason most of the apostles wrote nothing recorded as scripture while Paul wrote more of the New Testament than any other. Jesus and Paul are the two most prominent people in the New Testament. Luke who wrote his gospel account also wrote the Acts of the Apostles in which Paul dominates after chapter 12. To pit Jesus against Paul is to make warring factions that would destroy the unity and credibility of the entire New Testament.

               Peter who was the central figure of the original apostles declared the letters of Paul were scripture (2 Peter 3:15-16). When Jesus commissioned the apostles, He said to his disciples: “He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me” (Luke 10:16). Jesus did not personally record any of His sermons, He never made a note of them, He never wrote about His birth, death, and resurrection. Neither did He record the everyday conversations with His apostles or with the common people. Every statement He made to the religious leaders and to any person—every piece of information we have about Him comes from the apostles whether in the gospels, the epistles, or Revelation. The source materials for both Mark and Luke are the remembrances of the apostles. Thus, we understand that if the apostles are incorrect about any information, the are suspect in their entire Christology.

               The most often attacked apostle is Paul. There are those who say they love Jesus, but Paul is a different story. Their objection arises from their misunderstanding of both. Their Jesus is malleable to conform to whatever they wish Him to be. They speak of His love and compassion without knowledge that love without justice is not only meaningless but exceedingly harmful. There is no love in God without the accompaniment of all His attributes. God is love (1 John 4:8), therefore He exercises justice in love. He exercises punishment in love. It sounds contradictory, but without it, His people suffer bad company forever.

               Paul gets his bad rap mostly for his rigid posture on social issues—feminism and homosexuality being the top two complaints. To rid ourselves of Paul’s teachings on these subjects is to oppress women and elevate the most heinous crimes found in scripture. The abandonment of the divine order of our social structure and God’s design for human relationships causes the hastening of the justice of judgment (Romans 1:28-32).

               Read the Bible with the understanding the authors spoke under the authority of the divine author. Their words are His words for acceptance and obedience without question.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

               Today I was thinking back on last month’s observance of the Lord’s Supper. In these observances, I often mention the communion is not a sacrament but a memorial ordinance. Jesus told the disciples, “As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, do it in remembrance of me.” The Lord told us to remember, which is a good exercise for every Christian.

               It is good when we think back on the marvelous change God made in our lives when He revealed Christ to us in the gospel. Many of you have much more vivid remembrances than I because my salvation came early in life as a child. I had no overtly sinful behavior that harmed others or me. This is not to say I was not a sinner but to express my lesser experience with the world than teenagers or adults. This does not affect my salvific worth for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. It does speak to the absence of compelling testimony that some others have of salvation from a lifetime of crimes against God. My testimony would seem far less spectacular than many I have heard.

               As I write this, I sense I may dig too deep a hole to climb out of if I continue in this vein. I do not want to appear better than anyone no matter what your background. We were all sinners condemned to Hell. I am better to return to my original thought. It is remembrance and the value of it in our Christian lives. When we do not remember what God did for us, we become complacent, ungrateful, and prone to think we have come this far by a product of our own efforts. We do not acknowledge the providence of God who always superintends every action.

               Often in the Psalms, the psalmists mention God’s providence and thank Him for the works He does and those He did. How many times are the exodus and wilderness wanderings mentioned in scripture? Praises for God’s mighty works often follow. Many psalms are prayers, and we would do well to learn from them how to approach God properly. The popular ACTS acrostic for prayer begins with A—Adoration. Adoration speaks of God’s wonderful providence in the present and in the past. It may include God’s plans promised for the future. These are all in the form of remembrances since the authors wrote them before you and I were born and are still yet future. In other words, remember what He did, what He does, and what He will do.

               My remembrance this week is think of God’s providential work in bringing me to Berean. The story has many twists and turns and is too lengthy to discuss here. None of it was predictable in my power, but looking back, remembering, I see how God perfectly put the pieces together to give support to unimaginable processes. It would be good for you, for just a few minutes, to stop and reflect, to remember where you have been and how far you have come. Why are you here at Berean in this year 2023? I am sure if you observe the big picture of your life, there are no by chance happenings. God moves, He orchestrates, and you may not see it in the immediate. It is only as you carefully survey your memory that you see He works all things for your good.

               This is to say this part of your life might not seem too good now, but someday you will remember it was a piece of the entire picture God perfectly, providentially worked for His glory and your good.

Paster V. Mark Smith