Author: Berean Baptist

            A few weeks ago, when I first began working on today’s message, I received an unexpected text from my daughter Clarissa asking about the requirement of tithing and whether it remains in effect for New Testament Christians. Apparently, she was challenged by someone who believes that tithing is part of the Old Testament law that was fulfilled with Christ’s death on the cross. Those who believe this say that we are no longer required to give the tithe but are now living under grace giving in which the amount given is determined only by personal conscience. While we do agree the good conscience of believers necessarily encourages giving, we also believe grace giving informs us of a higher standard than the law. Grace will never lead us to do less than the law required.

            There is no reason to argue for lesser requirements since it is God who providentially supplies everything we have. Deuteronomy 8:18 says it is God who gives us the power to get wealth. Even under the law the principle of cheerful giving and giving above the tithe was operable and was never expected to be a cause of complaint. Giving God the firstfruits and the best was acknowledgement that God Himself is always faithful to supply whatever He requires.

            One of God’s most surprising acts of providence was His method of providing the materials for the tabernacle. In months gone by, we have spent much time studying the magnificent demonstrations of Christian doctrines expressed through tabernacle worship. The theological implications are astounding but no less miraculous is the way God providentially supplied the costly physical materials for a ragtag group of slaves to make such a place of worship. Unless we are acquainted with divine intervention in the way Israel received this wealth, we would never believe the structure they built in the desert was possible. It would not have been without God since this group of wanderers had just left 200 years of bondage in Egypt barely accumulating more than a few animals and the clothes on their backs. How was it possible this place of worship would be awash in the finest gold, silver, and precious jewels that God required?

            We would not imagine the Egyptians whose economy was dependent on slave labor would pay their servants to leave and to get out as fast as they could. This is what happened after God thoroughly thrashed them by bringing upon them ten devastating plagues. This practically caused the Egyptians to chase them out to ensure their own survival. When Israel left in the exodus, God told them to ask the Egyptians to give them what they needed for their journey. Their former taskmasters complied with such bounty and favor that Israel was loaded down with all the goods God would later require. The purpose was unknown at the time, but this is how God’s providence works. In a few weeks, the purpose for these valuables was revealed.

            Rather than commanding Moses to force the people to give up their newfound wealth, God told him to ask for freewill offerings. They responded with such enthusiasm that Moses had to halt their giving. It was enough, and poor Israel kept the rest for themselves. This is surely an example for us. We should not be anxious for what we do not have. Is our God able to supply every need even from unexplained sources?

            In today’s message, we see another example. When Israel entered the Promised Land, their first conquest was Jericho. God commanded that all spoils of their victory should be brought to His treasury. Instead, one was greedy, and his disobedience was repaid with his life and the lives of his family. He lost more than he stole not knowing that in the next conquest all the spoils of victory would belong to the people. He only needed to trust God for what He could not see.

            These are good examples for our faith in never being anxious for our provisions. How much do we lack because we do not trust God’s providence? It is the corner that you have not yet turned that God asks you to trust Him for. He always knows the next step because He planned it. Unwavering faith permits us to take it without fear.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            In last week’s article, I asked you to think on this statement: “It is good that there is evil.” The existence of evil is a mind-boggling concept for any thinking person whether a believer in God or an atheist. Christians fumble with it trying to explain how a good God could allow it while at the same time being sovereign and with absolute power to prevent it. The theological discipline that attempts to explain this conundrum and to justify God is called theodicy. We are too often set back on our heels when confronted with savvy atheists who believe they have exposed a massive hole in the consistency of believing in God, or at least the God of the Bible. Though we may not be able to provide a convincing argument for them, we ought not to think they have won the day by exploiting a perceived incompatibility in Christian doctrine. They are faced with their own unsolvable riddle—what is the basis and explanation of moral good? This cannot exist without God who is the objective standard.

            My purpose today is not to plunge us into this argument. I doubt whether you or I are adequately prepared to tackle the philosophical aspects of this topic, and indeed, the best minds throughout the centuries have never adequately settled its issues. While caught on the horns of an unexplainable dilemma, some choose to deny the existence of either good or evil as if they are Swiss philosophical neutrals. It is much easier to deny good than evil. We might be indifferent towards acts of kindness, but we are surely absurdly neutral towards senseless acts of violence.

            We wrestle with evil and whether we understand God’s reason to allow it to exist, we must conclude God’s decision was righteous, just, holy, and good. He acts in no other ways. His decision is right because He made it. If we approach evil this way knowing that God will protect and perfect us through it, we will accept it as the best way forward to make us like Him and thus the best we can be. Evil itself does not do this, but our righteous, obedient response to it does.

            This is an appropriate time to consider this question since the progression of evil in our country is quickly nearing the point that it will destroy the life American Christians have known for more than 2 ½ centuries. Destruction of basic religious freedoms are no longer theoretical. In 2015, Supreme Court justices asked if same sex marriage would eventually erode religious freedom. Government administration advocates arguing for it said it would. At that time, a more liberal court decided the erosion is acceptable. Because of this, the government pushes harder at the limits to ensure every evil succeeds.

We know that evil is a powerful force with ability to inflict pain and suffering that task us to our personal limits. It does not exist by itself but is perpetrated upon us by evil beings that influence the mind and toy with our natural depravity. Each of us is aware of our own propensities and our helplessness against it. We require supernatural help to resist evil and flee from it. Since this is an unceasing battle, each encounter with evil forces us back to God. In this we reach a modicum of understanding of at least one reason God permits it. We are not troubled by good and thus a perfect life in this world would not cause us to depend on God. It is good that there is evil because evil strengthens our faith in the only one who can help us overcome it. It is good there is evil because we are forced to communicate with God to plead for the power of His Holy Spirit. It is good there is evil so that we are brought near to God to enjoy fellowship that we would not so readily seek if not for the overwhelming need to seek contentment that only righteousness can bring.

While we do not seek evil that a seemingly greater good may come (Romans 6:1), we are not frightened by the prospects it will be too debilitating for us to handle. Sometimes it seems this way when the evil morass of this culture makes us feel like the disciples in the storm on Galilee. We shall not be overcome, and God will show His power as He always does. We will never be free from threats because in God’s providence, it is good that evil exists.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

. . . Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good . . .

(Romans 12:9b)

I often wonder what life would be like if Christ had not saved me as a young child and I had grown up without the hope of the gospel and the fellowship of God’s people. I do not understand how it could be bearable. Most of you were saved later in life and you have the experience of both worlds. Truly, I can say I have not, but I surely declare it without complaint.

             The evidence of God’s love is seen in many ways both tangibly and intangibly. The internal evidence is the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts while the external is in the acts of love and kindness we do in the name of the Saviour. When John the Baptist sent his disciples to investigate Jesus, he was seeking evidence that Jesus was the true Messiah. Jesus told these disciples to report to John about the miraculous ministry they witnessed: “The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.” (Matthew 11:5). This is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. We need not be Bible scholars to assess that Jesus’ ministry was about caring for and helping people. This was not the modern social gospel for His ultimate purpose was the salvation of souls not feeding, clothing, and physically healing. Jesus said, “the gospel is preached,” which was the good news of salvation from sin, death, and hell through repentance from sin and faith in Him. This was the same message John preached. Jesus told John’s disciples to report that He was doing good for the people both physically and spiritually. He cared for them, and the kingdom He promised was one characterized by love and compassion for the whole person. This is taught throughout the New Testament from Jesus’ commendation of those who give a cup of cold water in His name to those who bear another’s burdens, and thus by Paul’s encouragement, fulfill the law of Christ. We are most like Christ when we care for other’s souls and then commit ourselves to their welfare. I could spend hours telling you how this characteristic of Christ’s kingdom has displayed itself in the past few weeks in my own home.

            I have written much without expressing my main thought for this article. I now find myself without space to finish what I intended for you today. Let me give you a few thoughts which I hope to conclude in the next article. These came to me while contemplating the existence of evil in the world and the constant conflict with it that we as God’s people are engaged. None of us has a completely satisfactory explanation for the reason evil exists. How did a good God allow for the introduction of evil into His creation? Because He did, some insist He can neither be good nor omnipotent, and thus not God. This sets the course for endless arguments to justify God while contemplating what seems to be impossible contradictions. This is known as theodicy which is the branch of theology that defends God’s goodness and justice in the face of the existence of evil. Justifying God is an enterprise that must be reverently undertaken with the cautious understanding that we are woefully inadequate with our finite sinful minds to probe even the bare beginnings of the mind of an infinite God. Nevertheless, the scriptures never demand we abandon all inquiries and park our brains without contemplating theological issues that defy complete understanding.

            Since I am out of space, I want you think on this statement for the next few days: “It is good that there is evil.” I will help you get you started. Reflect on what we believe about the sovereignty of God. You will begin to come to grips with it even though you may not completely understand how and why it is true. This much I am sure of without argument—we cannot begin to measure the goodness in the grace and mercy of God without admitting the abject evil that exists in each of our hearts (Matthew 15:19). We do not begin to understand the magnitude of God’s goodness without acknowledging the depths of our depravity. This is a great mystery. How are we now able to do that which is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour (1 Timothy 2:3)? Indeed, this is a mystery greater than the existence of evil.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            You may remember a few weeks ago I wrote an article referring to a book given to me by my daughter Clarissa. We had just returned from a visit to Kentucky where I observed her tireless efforts trying to raise a flock of sheep with all the difficulties involved in such an enterprise. This is especially true for a novice without experience raising animals or managing a farm. I admire the work she does mostly because of her determination to make every encounter with her animals a learning experience that will teach her in some way a lesson about her relationship with the Lord.

            The book she loaned was A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W. Phillip Keller. I remembered saying in the first article that I might return to the book for more insight from this man who took his experiences raising sheep to help exposit the 23^rd Psalm. While searching for bulletin material, I decided to open the book again not expecting to find a few sentences that seemed congruent with the exact political and moral climate of today’s life in America. I kept in mind that the book was written in 1970 and my gleanings from his thoughts were probably more than he intended. I am sure he would agree that truth is timeless and human experiences do not radically change no matter how much time goes by.

            With this introduction, what is the thought that arrested my attention? I quote: “Our thoughts, our ideas, our emotions, our choices, our impulses, drives, and desires are all shaped and molded through the exposure of our minds to other people’s minds. In our modern era of mass communication, the danger of the ‘mass mind’ grows increasingly grave. Young people in particular, whose minds are so malleable, find themselves molded under the subtle pressures and impacts made on them by television, radio, magazines, newspapers, and fellow classmates, to say nothing of their parents and teachers.

            “Often the mass media that are largely responsible for shaping our minds are in the control of men whose character is not Christlike, who in some cases are actually anti-Christian. One cannot be exposed to such contacts without coming away contaminated.”

Since most of you probably have not read the book and do not know the context of this quote, what is the thought that immediately crosses your mind? How is this relatable? We can excuse the references to radio, magazines, and newspapers since time and technology have mostly erased these forms of communication to be replaced with social media apps and many others that I am too old to know or care about. I resist being political, but I could not escape how the media has shaped the public mind on vaccines, Black Lives Matter, LBGTQ++++, women’s rights, etc. We truly have succumbed to the “mass mind” referenced in this book. The public is molded in the direction of the liberal media by the unrelenting repetition of anti-Christian themes. In this satanic disposition, a new mass morality arises (rather, the same old human nature). It is immoral not to be vaccinated. It is immoral not to believe critical race theory. It is immoral not to accept that all white people are inherently racist. It is immoral not to acknowledge the personal pronouns of perverted people. Amazingly, it is immoral not to kill babies when caring for them would be quite bothersome to career choices.

            The indoctrination is unceasing, and the herd apparently has no immunity. Our society is spiritually infected with worms and scabs and every pestilence that plagues a shepherd trying to raise a healthy flock. The enemy of this “mass mind” is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the only salve that will heal the sin-sick mind. The Lord asks, “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there?” The question is rhetorical. You are here today to hear the answer. Be thankful you are privileged to hear truth that is unchanging and yet long since obscured by those playing a dirge for the spiritually dead. Change the channel! Delete the apps! Open your Bible to hear the only message that will grant immunity to those who have too long listened to the mass media that preaches to the mass mind. Though this herd in this church is much smaller and of lesser influence than them, we serve the Lord whose morality saves us eternally.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Casting all your cares upon him; for he careth for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

            A few weeks ago, I had a brief conversation with one of our members as she left after a service. We were discussing bulletin articles and she thanked me for writing the articles each week. This was very encouraging because I am often not too sure whether these articles are read or they are simply a slick lining for the bird cage. I thanked her for the comments and remarked that these articles are one of my most difficult tasks each week. Usually, the article is additional commentary on the weekly sermon and may have a few thoughts that I did not plan to address. This type of article is in some measure less difficult to write because my mind is already focused on the Sunday subject. I do not need to invent a topic. It is also personally helpful as I reach more clarity on the subject I will preach.

            Other articles are often like this one. I wrote this when not preaching and while recovering from surgery. I did not have a sermon to lean on for bulletin material and a subject that needs more expansion. Neither do I want to merely fill space because there is room for it as a weekly feature of your handout.

            After thinking for a good while and staring at blank paper, I decided to tell you about needing encouragement while waiting for surgery. This article was written two weeks before the event, and quite honestly, my mind was filled with the positives and negatives of it. Additionally, it was a day that Pam wasn’t feeling well, and I was waiting to hear news from the Emergency Department. Earlier, I left her there for treatment. Because of the COVID surge, they would not let me stay with her. This provided one more reason that made writing so difficult.

            To be truthful, the blank thoughts problem had gone on for quite some time and was not confined to this one day. Since I was first told I needed surgery, I was resistant, and the wheels were turning but I was going nowhere. For several weeks, I was preaching in pain and trying to study while taking pain pills. If I said some strange things (stranger than usual), those statements were inspired from pill bottles.

            The brief experience I want to share is the method of finding encouragement. I felt my mind was wasting too much time in the fog which prevented spiritual growth and close communion with the Lord. Every night I pray before bed but neither does prayer mix well with pain medications. I needed something different while at the same time both soothing and encouraging. I laid in bed wearing my headphones so as not to disturb Pam. I set a random selection of hymns to play not realizing that the playlist had at least five artists/arrangements of the hymn His Robes for Mine set to repeat. I listened to the song multiple times and yet still hanging on every word. I cannot explain how pain, exhaustion, discouragement, and anxiety disintegrated as I heard countless times, “I cling to Christ, and marvel at the cost: Jesus forsaken, God estranged from God. Bought by such love, my life is not my own. My praise—my all—shall be for Christ alone.”

            There is a line in the song I am sure makes no sense to many: “Jesus is crushed, and thus the Father’s pleased.” And then in the end, “He, as though I, accursed and left alone; I as though He, embraced and welcomed home!” I went to sleep peacefully with this thought: “For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your mind.” (Hebrews 12:3).

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            This week’s article concerns the office of deacon. This is the second of the two offices the Lord ordained for His church. Although it is secondary, the office is good for the welfare of God’s people and can be especially beneficial for the pastor who learns to depend on them.

            The selection of the first deacons is recorded in Acts 6 during the time of phenomenal growth of the Jerusalem church. Three thousand were saved and baptized on the Day of Pentecost which was followed by thousands more in the next few weeks and months. The care of these many people both physically and spiritually was more than the apostles were humanly capable. Above the shear numbers, the church was poor and persecuted. Christians were outcasts from the hub of Jewish social order which was the temple and were unwelcome in the outlying spokes of the synagogue system. Jewish leaders demeaned them to the point that many lost their jobs and were without means of support.

            Reading Acts 6, we learn that the care of widows was an acute problem and precipitated an urgent action by the apostles to alleviate their dire economic distress. The office of deacon was born out of the necessity to supply the physical needs of the people—a need that consumed too much of the apostles’ time and limited their ability to teach, pray, and evangelize. Despite the fact the office was first developed for the supply of physical needs, we find the qualifications for it had much to do with each man’s spiritual health. They were to be above reproach in reputation and be men who had proved themselves to be faithful.

            The qualifications for the diaconate are remarkably like those of pastors. Two of the first six chosen were men who could teach and preach and were active in sharing the gospel. We can assume the others were likewise qualified. We may also assume that years later when Paul detailed the qualifications in 1 Timothy that he still had these qualities in mind for the type of men who would be chosen to fill the office. It is sad this ability has been neglected in most churches, and in many the office is downgraded to those who may take care of the physical plant but have no spiritual oversight.

            In the next few weeks, we will see our deacons actively helping with spiritual duties. They are always active but not always as visible as they will need to be as I recover from my surgery. At times, you will hear them from the pulpit preaching God’s word and relieving my burden of being unable to tend the sheep. This is the most stressful aspect of my recovery time. In a measure, my mental health will be much improved by knowing the pulpit is in good hands.

            The deacons derived the title of their office from diakonos, a word that means servant. Some pastors fear deacons and refuse to have their churches appoint them. This fear arises from improper authority given to deacon boards to run the church including censoring the pastor as they felt needed. They became the de facto office of singular authority. This is unscriptural and should be rather remedied by pastors teaching the people the biblical order of the offices.

            I thank the Lord that for twenty years the deacons and I have enjoyed a close working relationship in which they respect my authority and I resist acting unilaterally. Pastors and deacons must work together so that I do not fear an unspiritual coup and neither do they fear being marginalized. A healthy spirit of cooperation is best for all as we serve the Lord together.

            As always, I pray you will support all the leadership and be thankful for their willingness to be used as the church requires.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry (1Tim 1:12)

            In the organization of the church, our Lord placed significant emphasis on those who would be leaders of His people as He personally trained the apostles for the task of building upon the foundation He laid with their selection. Ironically, one served as an ominous example of everything leaders should not be as Judas Iscariot was a false professor, a liar, a traitor, and a cowardly, greedy robber of the poor who was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Jesus was not fooled by him but rather chose him as fulfillment of the prophecy of His betrayal. The eleven, however, were fully invested in the commission Jesus left them with as His resurrection sealed their utmost confidence in Him as the Messiah He claimed to be. This unwavering trust changed their fickle natures to follow Him unreservedly even to their deaths.

            Despite the historicity of death threats, it is not disconcerting in my thinking how the pastors of the Lord’s churches are successors to the work of the apostles. We are not successors of the apostolic office because it ceased upon the death of John. We are successors to the leadership of the Lord’s churches. If there is any part of the pastoral office most personally agonizing, it would be the poor comparison of my performance to theirs. I need the mercy and grace of God to withstand the fear in my soul of my woeful inadequacies.

            As I think through their perspectives of pastoral leadership, I wonder how I would instill enough confidence that God’s people would follow me. Why should I require the obedience demanded in Hebrews 13:17 and the expectation others should be concerned how joyful my ministry should be? I only claim this because the word says I may. The Lord offers no excuses for my weaknesses, yet He understands all my frailties. My abilities are less judged than my motivations when they arise from a sincere desire to serve Him. A pure heart has weaknesses perfected in the power of the Holy Spirit.

            As I was contemplating these thoughts for this article, my mind was drawn into the close camaraderie experienced among the membership of the church. This gathering of people is my responsibility. These are the same who have covenanted together in the gospel and have made a commitment to each other and to the work of the church. Hebrews says I must give an account of their souls. Surely, nothing more plainly teaches church membership. The Lord does not hold me accountable for others, although I am happy to feed them when they visit our pasture.

With church membership, a better relationship is established in which I know my people as they know me. A shepherd recognizes which sheep belong to his flock and likewise the sheep know their shepherd. I suspect the sheep will accept many flaws in the shepherd if they are satisfied with the food he offers them. Through many years of pastoring, I recognize the flaws and am more aware than any of where I fall short of expectations. I may not be sure what to do to make up for the shortcomings, but I hope the food is nourishing and wholesome and you are able grow thereby. If so, perhaps you will look past me to the one who providentially enabled me for the ministry.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Each time I preach on the office of the pastor, the obligatory questions about women in leadership are always a part of the discussion. It is rare that biblical research is done first before these questions are asked. It is as if the answers are difficult to find. Rather, the noticeable absence of women in pulpits is first observed with the certain impression that something is seriously amiss. It does not seem to cross the mind that two thousand years of church history might have long ago established a pattern that has been fleshed out by countless discussions during these twenty centuries. When all these discussions are done, it is men who stand in pulpits and church leaders are men who are scripturally qualified.

            We might think this matter was hashed out with intense argument before finally settling on the proper protocol in the New Testament church. This is patently wrong as there was no council that finally put a stamp on the accepted practice. The issue was settled on the sixth day of creation when God created Adam first and then took Eve from his side to be his helper. The order of creation established the authoritative preeminence of the man in the creation. This preeminence has nothing to do with intellect or natural ability (that is, beyond physiological differences). It pertains to the role each is to have in the societal order.

            Lest we fail to make the correct authority connections in the establishment of the church, the apostle Paul addressed this issue in 1 Timothy 2. In verses 11 and 12, he is unmistakable concerning the subordinate nature of the woman’s position in teaching and authority. He solidifies the woman’s subjection to the man by reinforcing it in verse 13 with the created order. “For Adam was first formed then Eve.” No lengthy discussions are needed. No excuses are made because the subjection of the woman to the man has always been a principle of the created order.

            To impose a new subjective standard, the contestants for women pastors must find a way to alter the most ancient of human relationship principles repeatedly emphasized throughout the scriptures. There is no motive for change except the satisfaction of a society that desires and insists upon it. They seek an elusive, unbiblical, undesirable equity that is nothing less than the shackles of sin. It is reprehensible enough to put a woman in the pulpit by twisting and ignoring the creational principle that rules men and women for the good of all society, but what of that which desecrates the divine order? Does not Christ model the godliness of the subordination we are discussing?

            Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 11:3, “But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.” If the headship of the man over the woman is undesirable in the carnal relationship, then it is equally undesirable in the incarnational subordination of the Son to the Father. 1 Corinthians 11:3 is meaningless chatter if any of these three subordinate positions is overthrown.

All this twisting is done to satisfy the subjective feelings of women who want authority! No godly, God honoring, God fearing, respectful, holy woman would dare entertain such wicked thoughts. If she does, she disqualifies herself from the pulpit she attempts to stand in as a representative of Jesus Christ. This is a catch-22 of overwhelming proportions. No wonder our Lord had no other name for women preachers than Jezebel!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            Last year in our study of the New Testament church, I taught a three-part series on the office of pastor. Since our expositions of the church were comprehensive, it was necessary to examine the positions of leadership which are pastors and deacons. The pastor is the foremost leader as he is the undershepherd of the Chief Shepherd who is our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the pastor’s job to represent Christ and to lead the flock as He would lead them. With this description, you can see the weight of responsibility the pastor carries especially when the scriptures tell us he must give an account to the Chief Shepherd of his stewardship.

            Because of the pastor’s visibility, everything he is and does is scrutinized. This includes his personality, knowledge, oratory, and many other qualifications extending to his family as well. The pastor is to be circumspect in all these because of the one he represents. Satan throws many stumbling blocks in the paths of God’s people. Surely, the pastor must not be one of them! Before I am through with this series, I believe these many areas of the pastor’s ministry will become clearer to you.

            From many years of experience, I can testify the pastor’s work is rigorous and demanding. Any pastor who has been at this for a while will not fail to tell you that meeting the many expectations of the office is spiritually, physically, and mentally exhausting. I choose to focus on only one aspect in this article which is preaching. Hours of work are put into preparing sermons which I believe should be the greatest singular focus of pastors. We must give God’s people His word and we must deliver it accurately and in the power of the Holy Spirit. At times, the preparation can feel too repetitious, and the pastor becomes worn out from the many hours of prep to deliver 45 minutes of exposition. Much material is fed into the sermon hopper before the finished product compactly emerges.

            This job is week by week with little relief. Forty-hour work weeks are an unimaginable luxury. For me, sermon preparation starts on Monday and ends when the finishing touches are applied just before leaving home for church on Sunday mornings. When the 45 minutes of delivery are done, the cycle starts again on Monday morning with the same schedule. And yet with all the time preparing, there is often the sense it has not been enough. When it is far too late to change, an anxious feeling usually arises on late Saturday afternoon. It extends into the few minutes before walking into the pulpit that something will go wrong. The delivery will be poor and the reception of it even poorer. This anxiety lingers until the first few words are spoken and the sermon text begins to flow. At the end, the congregation analyzes what they heard, and the pastor awaits the results. Most comments are polite and perhaps not too much to be trusted. It’s the silence of no comments that usually tells the most.

            What I have just described cannot be the ultimate test of the success of preaching. The real test is, do they come back? Will they be there next week to hear another in the same series, and will they faithfully attend do show that what they hear has been received and recognized as integral to their spiritual growth?

            My discouragements in ministry are often cojoined with departures. I do not want people to leave. I too often evaluate this as failure when more often I am lifted from discouragement by a note of appreciation from the departing that says they learned more of the Bible at Berean than they thought possible or had experienced in other places of their Christian sojourn. This is when joy seeps out of the tedious repetitiveness of preparations for the never-ending succession of Sundays.

            The pastor’s job has many facets but none as critical as preaching. I pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to do it many, many more Sundays.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            This week in our series on the church, the subject is church membership. I thought this aspect of the church would be the next logical step in our study since it was hoped the discussion of church ordinances would make it clear that participation in these cannot be enjoyed except in connection with church commitment. This is especially apparent with our understanding of the nature of the church. Many that have a universal invisible view would not see that it matters since their participation in church is not restricted to a particular local assembly. They enjoy privileges without responsibility.

            This is truly unfortunate because acceptable service to Christ is affected by this erroneous opinion. The Bible teaches church decorum in the ordinances and the effect of church commitment upon the everyday activities of life. The Lord has expectations that are impressed upon us through the interactions of people who agree to be governed and disciplined by the church.

            Recently, I read an article about a contemporary Christian musician who said he loved Christ, but he was not churchy. He explained he did not mean he disdains the fellowship of Christians in the church but that he did not want his life to be defined by what churches expect Christians to be. How he lived his life was a personal decision that may conflict with the expectations. I find this view to be unsupported by the New Testament scriptures. As such, they cannot be tolerated by the author of these scriptures.

            Submission and conformity to the church are not burdensome and are two of the chief results of properly understanding sanctification. This musical artist, though vague, seemed to object to the culture of Christianity that imposes lifestyle restrictions that limit the way we talk, dress, etc. Rather, this person was comfortable with his description of what makes him a Christian. We agree that the basis of being a Christian is the relationship we have with Christ through our faith in His cleansing blood. Rather than freeing us of constraints, however, it harmonizes our thoughts with the scriptures and with a lifestyle that is congruous with them. This tends to make us act, think, dress, and talk alike. It certainly will not result in our undesirable separation from our fellow Christians. It is Satan’s work to divide the church. There is no virtue or spiritual heroism by rejecting conformity in favor of the individualistic mantra of “be true to yourself.” Christians are called to be true to Christ.

            The pitfalls of conformity are found in the extremes of sanctification teachings. On one end are those we have just discussed. These are people who refuse to submit because they work their sanctification out of the satisfying influences of their subjective feelings. They desire to promote self and a Christ that is never convicting but always agrees with self.

            On the other side of the spectrum are those who are theologically confused and manifest it by reversing sanctification and justification. Rather than sanctification being proof of justification, they confuse the order to make sanctification the means of obtaining justification. They tend to be law-leaning Pharisees who never met a rule they did not like. Ultimately, both are hooked into the same satanic deception. They trust their ability rather than surrendering to the Lord’s authority.

            The least we can say about church membership is that it helps us plow straight rows in the middle ground of these extremes. Yes, we must submit and conform but not to our preferences. The scriptures are not vague about how Christians are expected to live. Every New Testament epistle teaches doctrine with a practical response to the doctrine. The practical is our sanctification. It is unequivocally clear what we must do. Submitting to the authority of the church is always a major step in the definition of what it means to love and serve Christ. Self-fabricated definitions will not conform to nor honor Him.

Pastor V. Mark Smith