Month: January 2026

            Our new afternoon class discussion of the 1689 London Confession of Faith is now blossoming into a soul thrilling examination of the wonderful, miraculous doctrines of God’s word. Most of you were taught that salvation and Christianity are uncomplicated and simple enough for small children to understand. The Confession confirms this in only one aspect of our salvation. The scriptures were not meant to confound us so that we need an extensive theological background to understand how we may come to Christ.

            In the seventh section of the first article on the “Holy Scriptures,” we read: All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all; yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed and observed for salvation, are so clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of ordinary means, may attain to a sufficient understanding of them. While this statement assures that a person with ordinary faculties may understand, the confession also asserts the use of means is necessary. The means includes taking time to read and apply our faculties. God does not pour in knowledge without human effort. Further, the Confession emphasizes the necessity of the work of the Holy Spirit: “Nevertheless, we acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word…”

            The distinction between understanding and saving understanding is critical. The knowledge of the works of Christ including His virgin birth, His sinless life, His bodily resurrection, and His sure promise to return are confirmed by billions around the world, making Christianity the most recognized and accepted religion on earth. Despite this global acknowledgment, proof of saving faith in most Christian adherents is absent. The Bible warns of the reality of this and the necessity of knowing for sure saving faith has changed your heart. The men who wrote the Confession were known as Puritans because holiness and purity characterized their lives as those who were made alive from spiritual death. Their lives and writings give assurance of their genuine faith.

            The parts of the Confession I quoted are just one small step into the deep well of theological truth expounded by these great men of God. To go where they went is not to stop at the simple child-like faith of belief in Christ. To stop at truths commonly understood is to live the life of a babbling baby. This is as abundantly clear in the other articles as is their affirmation of the simplicity of saving faith.

            Our sessions are well attended and enthusiastic. The scriptures tell us to hunger and thirst for righteousness. These desires are not satisfied by ignoring opportunities for instruction and pledging the personal effort put in by our class members. There are no shows or song and dance routines to sustain interest. It comes by asking the Holy Spirit to illuminate your mind and give you the desire to know more about our great salvation. If you cannot attend, please pray for those who do. The Bereans in scripture searched the Word daily. I hope we can at least use the Lord’s Day to do this together as faithful members of the Lord’s church.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

               Over the past 23 years, I have used bulletin articles to give you small snippets of my testimony. I would not call my experience moving if you are looking for unusual triumphs in the face of adversity. It is difficult to accumulate a sickening yet exciting list of atrocious acts while living with godly parents under watchful eyes. This is not to say there was no sin in my house because I do have a brother and two sisters. They managed to fill the monthly quota without seriously needing my help. I am most thankful for their sacrifice.

               When the subject is sin, a dull life is ideal. I wish I could stick with the narrative of the first paragraph and have you believe all is always well where I tread. I must admit, however, that I have been careful not to expose a raging heart common to all people. I have always felt the necessity of protecting reputations—not always mine but of my father and mother. To this day, I do not want to be known for any scandal that reproaches the name of my parents. This diligence sounds commendable, and it is important for how you see me as an example for the church. I am not in confession mode here, but I warn you of what I must endure every day of my life. These are the secret sins you may never see but the Lord keeps track of as much as the ones that cause ministries to fail because of bad actors.

               For Christians, exposed sins have consequences that are demoralizing for others. You may drag others into the depression of your sins by just watching and losing their confidence in you. I have seen weaker believers falter in their faith because faith depended on those who were their chief examples. If secret sins remain hidden, there are fewer chances others will be involved. I know this seems I am saying you will be fine if you bury your sins too deep for others to find. This is not where I am going with this short exposition.

               My point is the exceeding danger of discovering secret sins that extensively blindside others. For them, it is almost like having their insides torn out when found out. This year one well-known preacher’s failure had this effect on thousands. He now sits on the sidelines, probably and rightfully so, never to return to pulpit ministry. Sometimes, the exposure of these secret sins is accidental. With others, living with sin can be too mentally and spiritually disturbing and must creep out for retention of sanity. This is at it should be and these sins need confession. On the other hand, the seriousness of secret sin needs judgment as to its effect of disclosure because public knowledge may have too severe consequences to be useful. If the sin is not openly against others, it is best to fight it in confined spaces. We all have these and deal with them as best we can. They are never profitable to keep and must be dealt with. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit is continually sanctifying the believer.

               One last point to make today. There are secret sins finally exposed that feel liberating. Instead of repenting of sin and pledging to live in the restored faith of repentance, the confession of sin is only to rid oneself of the constraints of a hypocritical life. There is no repentance. It is the desire to live in sin openly and to recategorize it in less offensive terms. Perhaps it is a way to sugarcoat the sin to make it palpable to another crowd who is happy to accept it and pretend their approval is God’s approval. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” (Galatians 6:7-8)

Pastor V. Mark Smith

               I am happy to return to the Berean pulpit this morning to continue our mixed study of the Church of Jesus Christ. I call it mixed because I have separated out only a few areas of the many we discussed in past sermon series. Our topic today is Church Purity which I hope provokes each of us to examine the righteous and holy character of our lives. I am mostly concerned that the person we are at church is not a mere façade of purity that fades in the sunlight past the front doors or melts in the raindrops as you hustle to your ride. It is not an exaggeration to say Christianity has a poor track record matching perception with reality. More than any other religion, there is a perception of what Christians should be which leaves the beholder baffled why it performs so poorly in action. With the wide variety of flavors which mostly taste bad, there is not much incentive for others to try it.

               I find this to be an interesting dilemma. The person without Christ whom we term “the natural man” has a litany of negative characteristics keeping him away from God, even before we begin talking about the poor example we set that further dampens any interest. I will not go through these, though a good lesson on total depravity and total inability would help the misinformed who believe faith in Christ begins with an intellectual choice. Natural hostility combined with our purposeful hypocrisy is the wrong recipe for salvation.

               This reminds me of the story I tell about an auto accident (not my fault) with a fellow I thought would surely tell the truth. This was my naiveté as an uninitiated culturally unaware new Californian. My false perception of the likelihood of truth was based on a picture of the Virgin Mary pointedly displayed in the open wallet of the offender. I do not have one of those in case you were wondering, so approaching the police officer, which of us was the most dependable to tell the truth? Long story short, the police officer whom I came to know personally much later was familiar with the ruse. He knew the truth needed much more investigation.

               This is what I hope you will understand. Not that you would be so poor at backing up your picture of the Virgin Mary but be aware that people have seen so much falsity their experience tells them to reject Christian claims. In this case, it would not even be helpful for me to say, “I am a pastor,” and think this lent any credibility. Do you read the papers? No offense to used car salesmen and lawyers, but our profession holds as little respect as them when lumped together with sex offenders (take your pick on TBN) and crooks (take your pick on TBN).

               This is so sad to face, yet I genuinely believe Berean is a high step above all this. I know some trip trying to climb the steps of holiness, but if we can keep pursuing purity, we shall come to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. Listen carefully. You will hear these words in the scriptures today. We have a perfect combination here. The Lord has called me to tell you this and you pay me to tell you this. It is in your best interest to listen and put it into practice.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

               This week I am away from the pulpit visiting family in Kentucky. If all went well today, I should be in Bardstown, KY at the Parkway Baptist Church with attendance last week at the Andover Baptist Church in Linthicum Heights, Maryland. In the past, I have drafted articles referencing these churches while I visit back home with family. Since I am not at our church today, the subject of my article may seem a little strange. I want to talk to you about church attendance.

               An article I read two months ago stuck with me and reflects one difficulty churches should not need to endure. We are currently in a study of the reasons Christ has a church which assumes the church will gather to hear and learn what Christ expects from us. Three responsibilities we discussed three weeks ago are the exaltation of Christ, the church’s mission of reconciliation, which in turn results in the salvation of lost sinners. The commission of evangelism Christ gave the church homes in on the last of these. Evangelism is an appeal to the sinner to receive Christ as Saviour which is a work best accomplished through the means Christ intended. Again, centering on the church, it is the church God gives the collective responsibility to do the His work.

               Our years of experience have taught us that not all Christians function well in the capacity of evangelists. In fact, very few do which leaves the hard-core work to the quite elite few who live for the opportunities to share the gospel. Though there is disagreement with my opinion, I believe God gifts some in this area more than others. However, God does not leave any believer with this excuse and thus no effort of any kind to reach people for the Lord. Since this is true, we look for ways that will help us to do our part in obeying the Lord’s command. One uncomplicated way is to invite friends, relatives, co-workers, and others to come to church. Let us do the heavy lifting. This quells the nervousness of personal appeal and the fear of someone asking something you do not feel comfortable answering. I will not address the ability nor readiness to answer questions as Peter encouraged when he said be ready to give an answer. Rather, I will stay off the big toe and concentrate on the four that help give you balance.

               The following is the paragraph I remembered from the article I previously mentioned: “Even as we put effort into calling sinners to come into Christ’s kingdom, we have to put equal effort into calling the saved to come out to church. As one wag has said, ‘It takes ninety gallons of water to baptize a Christian and only nine drops of rain to keep him at home!’ Or in the words of another, ‘It is often said that it is difficult to get the sinners in—but it is often just as difficult to get the saints out.’” (Tim Challies, 8/31/2025). This quip is far too true to be in any wise comfortable. I do not know what attendance is in our church today, but I certainly know the track record of the past few weeks. We are competing with the world for attention and for all the wrong reasons we are losing. You cannot imagine how difficult it is for a pastor who seeks to strengthen the church in the responsibilities of the church if I cannot find you.

               There are members of the church who are always careful to let me know when they will be absent and the reasons for it. This is not a requirement of membership, and I do not keep score. I have found it to be an encouraging courtesy which lets me know Sunday is not just another day of the week for them. If this is not your practice, the chances are mostly excellent that you did not read this article anyway. Thus, the cycle continues, and hopefully we will see you next week.

Pastor V. Mark Smith