Category: Bulletin Articles

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. (3 John v.4)

One of my favorite characteristics of the Apostle John’s writings is the terms of endearment he used towards his children in the faith. John was their spiritual father and much like a physical father loves to see his children happy and prosperous, John loved to see God’s people prospering in all spiritual blessings. A common theme in John’s writings is his emphasis on truth. He is not only concerned that believers know the truth but that truth would always rule their lives.

The feeling John had toward those he ministered to is the same a pastor feels towards those that he shepherds and have been entrusted to his care. John emphasized the keeping of commandments as evidence of true saving faith. As we discussed on many occasions, Jesus said the whole law is comprehended in these two sayings: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” and “thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” A pastor has nothing else to use as a gauge for the spiritual welfare of the people. He must evaluate their service on the basis of its demonstration of walking in the truth of these two statements.

A pastor becomes very concerned when those that claim salvation are consistently urged to walk in the light of truth and yet they choose activities that are harmful to the cause of Christ. It is one thing to live in a grey area without understanding clearly what you are doing wrong, and quite another to know the error and be convicted of it and then choose to disobey anyway. This is not a characteristic of one that truly knows Christ. Even worse is to be told very clearly you are doing something sinful and not be convicted by the Holy Spirit. The scriptures teach that God convicts and chastises His children. Those that sin without chastisement are not children of God (Hebrews 12:5-11).

There was a time when Christians (to their shame) would keep their sins hidden from the church. The sin could continue perhaps for years and no one would find out about it. All of us at some time or another have probably lived in this type of hypocrisy. But “times are a changing!” Now to their greater shame, I am amazed Christians will parade their sins for the whole world to see as their lives are constantly plugged into social media. Nothing is more defiant of truth than to see filthy language and pictures, and sometimes downright meanness posted on interactive media. Purchasing a billboard on highway 101 to advertise sin would be no less defiant than church members that regularly update and timestamp their ungodly vices on Facebook!

Should we wonder why ministry is sometimes so difficult and ineffective? Sin in the camp is a destroyer of God’s work (Joshua 7:7-13). Thank God there is a remedy! Pastors would be stressed to the max and unable to function if we believed we were responsible to change people. This is God’s work and we trust the Holy Spirit to make the word effectual. When the pastor preaches about sin, it is not to hurt anyone. It is to exhort and correct so God’s blessings will be on your life and you will prosper spiritually. The pastor rejoices when his spiritual children walk in truth.

This article has dealt mostly with obedience to “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” In light of the ever present social media, what about the second statement “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself?” Stop for just a moment and evaluate where you stand with God. Who in the church have you “defriended” rather than forgiven? There is much to think about in these two statements of Jesus. Are you walking in the truth? Do you actually want to?

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. (2 John 9)

This evening in our services we begin a new series of messages on evangelism. For the next two months, each message will emphasize some aspect of the gospel including the truth of the message we preach, the necessity of it, the desire to proclaim it, and the church’s role in the propagation of it. Tonight we will briefly speak on each of these issues, but if I were to choose the most important of the different aspects, it has to be the gospel itself. We must have the right gospel or else all the peripherals are useless.

The loss of the true gospel message is the most serious issue of all because without the truth people cannot be saved. John wrote, ”Whosoever…abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God.” Recently one of our members related a conversation with a pastor of a large congregation nearby. A simple question was asked, “Do you believe salvation is by grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone?” The pastor answered affirmatively and enthusiastically. A second question was asked, “Do you believe a Christian can lose his salvation?” It was a great follow-up question because it began to break down this pastor’s understanding of what it means to be saved by grace through faith alone. The pastor replied as if this subject was a secondary issue and that some in the church believed it is possible while others did not. He preferred not to teach either way because it was not really important. This is actually very important because this pastor in effect denied salvation by grace and justification by faith alone. Charles Spurgeon wrote: “That doctrine of the final perseverance of the saints is, I believe, as thoroughly bound up with the standing or falling of the gospel as is the article of justification by faith. Give that up, and I see no gospel left.”

This pastor’s response is not unusual among so-called “evangelistic churches.” They do not abide in the doctrine of Christ and therefore there is no saving gospel in their churches. If there is no gospel, what is their purpose? What does their church actually do? A recent article in Tabletalk magazine summed it up well. The author said:

“Every weekend in churches everywhere, music is performed to the glory of human skill and artistry. Once upon a time, I sat through a little ditty in a church service in which the congregation was led to sing, ‘I can change the world with these two hands,’ and the question struck me like a lightning bolt: ‘Who exactly am I worshipping right now?’”

“Likewise, every weekend men and women file into church buildings in order to exult in the rhetorical skill of their preacher, to admire him and think of their church as his church, not Christ’s church. Many of us file in each week to enjoy the conspicuous spiritual exercises of our brethren. We worship the worship experience; we tithe with expectation of return from heaven’s slot machine; we dress to impress; and we serve and lead to compensate for the inadequacies in our hearts that only Christ can fill. Every weekend, hundreds of preachers extol a therapeutic gospel from the pages of the same Bible where the real gospel lies.” (Tabletalk, June 2012)

This is the pitfall we seek to avoid in Berean Baptist Church. We will hold steadfastly to the doctrine of Christ that teaches we are enemies of God and our greatest need is to be reconciled to Him. This is accomplished by recognition of our sinful depravity, repentance from our vile wickedness, and faith alone in the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. This is the only gospel that saves!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. (1 John 5:1)

For those of you that do not keep abreast of news among the various Christian denominations, you may not be aware of the significant occurrence that happened in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) recently. For the first time in its history, the SBC elected a black president. This is very significant because the SBC was formed prior to the Civil War due to a split among Baptists over the issue of slavery. The Southern Baptists were in favor of slavery, which as you might expect turned very quickly from a civil issue into a theological one. Baptists in the North could no longer in good conscience remain in fellowship with those in the South because of their dehumanization of this race of people.

As you are aware, the Southern states held on to their prejudices well past the end of the Civil War and in some areas those prejudices still strongly remain. I grew up in the South and am well acquainted with racially segregated churches. Much of this is due to prejudice, but in some cases it is preferred by both blacks and whites as a matter of ministerial prudence. I do not have space to delve into the reasons here, but suffice it to say sometimes ministers have to deal with issues as they are. The most important issue is the condition of the heart, and until people truly understand how the gospel produces an indissoluble union between all the redeemed in Christ we have to deal with people as they are. It is fruitless to attempt a real reformation of attitudes without the Holy Spirit’s regeneration of the mind.

Our church has serious doctrinal issues with the SBC mainstream. More than fifty years ago my church in Kentucky disassociated with the SBC over theological liberalism which has only grown worse since that time. There is a reform movement in the SBC to bring it back to its original theological base (minus the racial prejudice, of course), which we whole heartedly endorse. I have no idea where the new SBC president stands on doctrinal issues. However, I do know where a man stands on the word of God is far more important than his race.

With these thoughts in mind, we turn to the passage before us. 1 John 5:1 teaches the unity of all believers in Christ. If we love Christ, we will love every person that has become a child of God through faith in Him. I have often spoken of the joy of racial diversity in our church. It is comforting to know that God works in the hearts of people of all races and nationalities. The gospel is the same for all and is not confined to one people group. God respects no person because of race. He only sees two people groups in the world. Either they are believers and are in His kingdom or they are unbelievers and are in the kingdom of Satan. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom while Satan’s kingdom will be destroyed.

One of the most important points made by John in this epistle is this defining characteristic of God’s people: Christians love other Christians. The love of Christ for us produces the love of Christ in us. We love Christ supremely which in turn causes us to love every other person that He loves. Regard for this important principle is the backbone for peace, love, and harmony in the church.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)

1 John chapter 4 returns us to a theme that was the subject of one of our bulletin articles last month. This is the repeated warning in scripture concerning those that pervert the gospel of Christ. In Galatians, Paul was extremely condemning of those that taught a false gospel telling the Galatian believers that such false teachers are under the curse of God: “If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:9). Peter spoke similarly in 2 Peter chapter 2 saying these teachers “bring upon themselves swift destruction” (v. 1).

I believe these verses are very appropriate in connection with our current study of Matthew chapter 13. In the first parable of the chapter, Jesus speaks of a sower that sows seed in his field. The seed is “the word of the kingdom” (v. 19) which is the same as the “word of God” (Luke 8:11). The sower (farmer) is compared to the gospel witness who sows the word of God in the hearts of lost sinners. Jesus is primarily referring to Himself, but by extension every Christian is responsible to sow the word by being a faithful witness. The parable shows how the Kingdom of God will grow during the current age before Christ returns to earth.

As important as witnessing to others is for the growth of the Kingdom, it is equally important that we sow the right seeds. The next parable speaks of Satan who is busily sowing the wrong seed that develops into tares which are deceptively similar to wheat yet are highly dangerous if ingested. We can compare this to these often repeated warnings of scripture that false teachers are at work preaching dangerous false doctrines. Those deceived by these doctrines will lose their souls in hell. Sadly, the hardest people to reach are those that have believed the wrong gospel and are satisfied they are safe.

The apostle John cautions us to examine every teacher and his doctrine carefully. His particular interest concerned those that denied the incarnation of Christ (4:2-3). The scope of doctrine is broadened, however, in verse 15 in which John says those that confess Christ as the Son of God are true believers. Obviously, this does not mean simple acquiescence to this statement since there are many that affirm this belief and yet teach damnable heresies concerning it. This is why every facet of a teacher’s doctrine must be scrutinized. Each area must be compared to scripture to see if the teacher has altered the precious seed in any way. One type of tare is a person that says he believes in Jesus Christ as Saviour, but has a very different view of the doctrine of His deity. “Jesus is the Son of God” is a declaration of the co-equality of the Father and Son. Anyone that denies this is sowing harmful seeds that will not produce saving faith.

Be on the alert for these kinds of people. Be sure to ask them, “Who is the Jesus you believe?” Examine closely—poisonous seeds are everywhere.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. [19] And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. (1 John 3:18-19)

The apostle John is often called the apostle of love. His close intimate friendship with Jesus caused him to describe himself in the Gospel of John as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” Love is a very important issue in John’s writings, and he argues in the epistle of 1 John that one of the proofs that we are truly Christians arises from the demonstration of love that we have for people in general and for our brothers and sisters in Christ in particular. There is much to be said on this subject as love is a foundational building block of Christian doctrine. God loved the world and sent His Son to die for our sins. Jesus loved His Father and in submissive obedience He went to the cross with joy knowing that by His selfless act He would receive God’s elect people as His inheritance.

God’s love in sending His own Son to die for us is a pattern for every Christian. This is especially true when we consider our relationship to God before our salvation. The scriptures teach that all of us are sinners. We defy God by breaking His commandments, which in scriptural terms is a demonstration of hatred. We are born depraved and by nature are the enemies of God. And yet in this vile, rebellious condition, God still loved us and was willing to give us grace and mercy. The marvelous truth of God’s love is that while we were in this state of rebellion and were enemies He gave Christ to show that He truly loved us and desired to reconcile us and bring us into a loving relationship with Him.

This type of love is a pattern for Christians because it is not natural for us to practice sacrificial love. Too often our love is expressed with words but is not followed with actions. The apostle John was an observer of Christ. He saw love in action as He watched Christ humbly and obediently go to the cross. Jesus vividly demonstrated love in front of John’s eyes as the God-man that had power to destroy His enemies simply bowed His head and said, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” Whenever we are willing to forgive others no matter how they have wronged us, we show the love of Christ in our hearts. John said when we love in deed and truth, “hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.”

Are you sure of your salvation? This is one of the ways you can evaluate your commitment to Christ to find out if it is real. Are you harboring grudges? Are there people in the church that you will not associate with because you feel you have been wronged? The first step is not for them to come to you. The first step is for you to go to them and tell them that you forgive them. Imagine how our condition would be different if God waited for us to come to Him so He could forgive us. None of us would be forgiven because we would never come. He came to us because we would not go to Him.

Pattern your life after Christ. Assure your heart that you are truly a child of God by love and forgiveness of your brothers and sisters in Christ. “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.” (1 John 3:10)

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law…He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:4,8)

There is scarcely a person living in the United States that has not heard the word “sin.” Those of us in Bible believing churches hear it often; perhaps in our church there is never a service that it is not mentioned. We hear it in Sunday School classes, in congregational singing, in prayers, and of course in sermons. If you were asked to give a definition of sin, could you easily define it? What is sin? These two verses help identify sin and define it. 1 John 3:4 says “sin is the transgression of the law” and verse 8 says that “sin is of the devil.” The first statement links sin to the law of God and the second links it to Satan, the arch enemy of God.

This simple definition tells us that sin is lawlessness. Whenever you break one of God’s commandments, you have sinned against Him. Most of the time we think of breaking the Ten Commandments and when going down the list we think we have done fairly well because we don’t have idols in our houses, we don’t curse (at least not often), we think pretty highly of mom and dad, we don’t shoplift, we haven’t killed anybody, and so on. So all in all, we are pretty good people.

The Bible teaches that sin is much deeper than a list of do’s and don’ts. Sin is a condition inherent in human nature, so that the attitude of our hearts is one of rebellion and lawlessness. To see if this is true, test yourself when you see a friend move into a really nice house or driving a new car. Is there a bit of envy there? Are there people at work that really get under your skin and sometimes you mumble under your breath that you would like to take them down a notch or two? These are expressions of the sinful nature and are just a smidgen of the hundreds of ways we transgress God’s law every day.

Rather than admit we are sinners, we either try to redefine sin or excuse it. It is not uncommon for people to reclassify sin as a simple mistake or to accept it and excuse it as being a part of our personality disorder. Some blame their childhood, some their environment—whatever they can do to avoid being personally responsible. None of this helps with the real problem. We can redefine and reclassify all we want, but it will not change the fact that sin is the transgression of God’s law and there is a penalty incurred because of it. None of us will escape the penalty if we are left alone to deal with it.

Here is the good news about sin and Satan who is the originator of it. Verse 8 says that Christ came to destroy the works of the devil. The devil’s work is sin and this means Christ is able to conquer sin and the one that instigates it. When we receive Christ as Saviour, His blood cleanses us from sin and the power of sin and Satan is broken.

The most important action you can take against sin is to stop excusing it and to trust in Jesus the only one that can help you. To do less is to face the penalty of transgression all alone. When this happens, no excuse will satisfy God.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. (1 John 2:18)

Last week in our Sunday Morning Forum Class we had a discussion about the meaning of the term “last days.” This term is used several times in both Old and New Testaments but is often misunderstood. Sometimes the same concept is expressed in the way the apostle John did in 1 John 2:18 when he says “it is the last time.” Since the Bible was completed two thousand years ago, we might think the writers were referring to a far off time, perhaps to our own or some future date. However, it is clear from John’s present tense usage, “it is the last time,” that the time he was living in was also considered the last days. Hebrews 1:1-2 defines the last days as a time period inaugurated with the first advent of the Messiah. This means for these past two thousand years we have been living in the last days and will be until Christ returns to close out this period of earth’s history.

The last days are characterized as a time of growth in the kingdom of God. We will see this as we study Matthew 13 and the seven parables Jesus taught concerning the kingdom. This is a time for God’s people to witness the gospel, or as Jesus illustrates in the first parable of Matthew 13, it is a time to sow the seeds of the gospel. This is also a time of great opposition. In the second parable, Jesus describes how Satan will sow tares among the wheat. These are poisonous plants that represent the children of darkness who hate the works of Christ. Using the term “antichrists,” which is peculiar to John’s writings, John describes the character of these tares. They are “anti” meaning “against Christ.” They try to destroy the growth of the kingdom by teaching false doctrines.

Antichrists are very dangerous because the most effective work they do is when they are able to infiltrate churches with these false doctrines. These are not people that stand outside throwing stones. Rather they are people with cunning deceit that worm their way into the church and eat away at it from the inside. They represent false Christianity and their main target is Christ Himself. If they can destroy doctrines such as the deity of Christ, the penal substitutionary nature of the atonement, justification by faith alone, the inerrancy of scripture, and other essential doctrines they are successful at destroying the gospel before it can ever take root in the heart.

John and other Bible authors warn us to be on the lookout for any deviation from the truths taught by Jesus and the apostles. The theme of 1 John is the apostle’s systematic criteria for identifying those that are not true believers. If these false teachers are characteristic of the end times, then we are sure that John was not the only one living through the last days. We are in the heat of it at this moment, especially when the people of this country have become dreadfully confused about the definition of true Christianity. When Mormons are considered Christian, you know we are in trouble! We must be very diligent to “contend for the faith which was once delivered to the saints” (Jude v. 3). We are surrounded by antichrists—not my term but John’s—and a very appropriate description it is.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Today in our congregational reading we begin with the first chapter of 1 John. We recently finished this book in our Wednesday night studies so I know the theme is familiar to many of you. This is truly a remarkable little book in which John helps Christians to find assurance of their faith. In order to have assurance, a Christian most know that he is actually in the faith. John uses this letter to to explain how you may know that you are a Christian. He proceeds along three lines of proof. There is a doctrinal test, a moral test, and a social test. The doctrinal test concerns the proper knowledge of the person of Christ. The moral test is obedience to God’s commandments, and then thirdly the social test is our love for other Christians. A true believer will be right in all three areas.

A true believer will also realize what to do when he feels himself failing in any of these areas. Failure is sin which is a problem we all struggle with every day of our lives. It is impossible for us to stop sinning altogether since the sin nature is not eradicated when we become Christians. We will not be entirely sanctified until we reach the immortal state. We also cannot be content in sin else we are not true believers. The question then becomes, “What do we do when we sin?” 1 John 1:9 has the answer for this. We are to come to the Father with confession and repentance. When we do, we have the promise that He will forgive our sins and will keep us in fellowship with Him by the continual cleansing of Christ’s blood (1:7).

Recognition of sin is a critical factor for our happiness. Our desire is not to sin and the desire is fueled by three important factors. We do not want to sin because it violates our conscience. We do not want to sin because it violates God’s commandments, and we do not want to sin because sin has consequences. Our conscience has been renewed in regeneration so that it has a strong aversion to sin. The Holy Spirit convicts through the conscience so that we cannot be happy living in sin. We also know that God has commanded us not to sin. A real Christian will not be happy if he disobeys His heavenly Father. We also cannot be happy when we sin because the consequence of sin is chastisement. While we are never in danger of eternal punishment, there are temporal corrections that for a time can be very unpleasant. Hebrews says, “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” (Heb. 12:11). We do not like chastisement but we are eventually made happy by it because it has the effect of bringing us to our knees in confession which in turn brings the cleansing desired in 1 John 1:9.

As we read through 1 John, pay particular attention to how John emphasizes the factors that help develop assurance. A careful reading of the book will cause you to cautiously evaluate your salvation. We are encouraged to do this because confidence in our faith makes for happy Christians!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

To me, the 2nd epistle of Peter is one of the most interesting books in the Bible. I am impressed with the absolute assurance Peter had of his faith in Christ and in God’s plan for the redemption of His people. I am reminded of the conversation Peter had with Jesus after Jesus told him Satan was hot on his trail or as He put it, ”Satan hath desired to sift you as wheat.” Peter told the Lord, “I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.” It was then that Jesus told him in that same night he would deny Him three times.

Peter is the apostle that Jesus prayed for that his faith would not fail, and after that fateful night when Peter did indeed betray the Lord he went out and wept bitterly. I believe it was at this point Peter was strengthened and poised to become a great leader of the faith. Soon he would see the risen Lord and his mission would become crystal clear. We see him in the first chapter of Acts as the “take charge” apostle and then in the second chapter as the fiery preacher that led three thousand souls to the Lord with one sermon.

This book was written shortly before his death and if we could sum up Peter’s desire in the last words that he wrote we can say he wanted to go out with a bang. His confidence in Christ shows up in the first chapter as he describes seeing a glimpse of Christ in His glory on the Mount of Transfiguration. His fiery temper is apparent in the second chapter as he shows no tolerance for false teachers. And then in the third chapter comes the bang. He describes how Jesus Christ will return in power and glory and how in a great deafening noise the heavens and the earth as we know them will be destroyed. All is not lost however, because the promise of God is sure that a new heaven and new earth will appear and the righteousness of God will reign supreme.

Peter wrote this while knowing his death would soon come. Tradition says that he was crucified on a cross upside down. Whether or not this is true, we do know that Jesus said Peter would be carried by others to his death and his hands would be outstretched (John 21:18). Many believe this is an allusion to his death on a cross. It is clear this information did not shake Peter’s confidence. He was ready to die and he left his readers with a command to live in the light of Christ’s return. He wrote: ”Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless” (3:14).

Peter’s courage inspires us to wait for the Lord and to endure patiently any hardships we may face. The world is against us and believes we are utterly foolish to expect Christ’s return. The world is doing now as Peter describes; they mockingly ask “Where is the promise of his coming?” By and by, they shall see. God will end this world with a bang and the end will be the exaltation of His people with Him in glory!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. [2] And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. (2 Peter 2:1-2)

The second chapter of 2nd Peter begins with a solemn warning for Christians in every generation. In the first century, the seeds of heresy were already beginning to grow as Satan was busily trying to tear down the work of the gospel and blind people’s eyes to the truth. The apostle Paul speaks of Judaizers in Galatians chapter 1 that taught a false gospel that opposed the teaching of pure grace and faith alone as the instrumental cause of justification. The apostle John spoke of antichrists that denied the incarnation and the full deity of Jesus Christ. Jude warns about deceivers that sneak into the church bringing heresies that deny the faith that was given through the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. This is a very common theme in the New Testament and one that we should be keenly aware of.

We may be tempted to think that false teachers will boldly announce themselves and it will be very apparent they are not teachers of truth. We might think we can easily identify them and thus protect the church from their harm. The language of scripture gives us a very much different picture. False teachers are subtle in their activity. Peter says they “privily shall bring in damnable heresies.” This means they come secretly and in disguise. Jude says they creep in unawares. The truth is they may be hard to detect. They bring just enough truth with their lies to be believable and if a Christian is not fully armed against them by having a firm foundation to his faith, he can be led down a path to destruction. While it is true that no born again believer can be destroyed in hell, it is just as true that Satan can ruin a Christian’s influence by undermining his ability to clearly articulate the doctrines of the faith. For this reason, we must be diligent students of God’s word. We must not only be able to state the doctrines of the faith, we must know why they are true. I am afraid this is where the vast majority of Christians fail. They know enough and believe enough to be saved but their personal growth is severely stunted because they attend churches that are unconcerned about teaching doctrine, and may not even have the correct doctrine anyway. Also, in the Christian’s personal life, there is very little to no study of the word.

This is the issue for the believer in the pew. How much more is a false teacher a destroyer of souls when he is dealing directly with unbelievers? A false gospel will never save anyone and will ultimately lead the person to the fires of hell. There are many people headed there that are very religious and believe their souls are safe. They have been deceived and have stopped looking for truth because they believe they already have it.

With the advent of Christ, the first century began the widespread revelation of the gospel of grace. It was also the beginning of a great effort to stop the advancement of the gospel and thus the growth of the church. In the ensuing centuries, the opposition has only grown worse. Today there are hundreds of denominations preaching just about any doctrine you care to hear. We cannot afford to be lazy and complacent and permit false teachers to continue without opposition. If you hear me mention a name or oppose a doctrine of a certain church or pastor, please do not think I do so to try and destroy Christian unity. It is my responsibility to identify the false and to teach what is true. If it takes naming names, so be it. This is part of the hedge of protection you receive by being in a church that is very concerned about doctrinal matters. If you pay attention and attend faithfully, God will protect you from destructive heresies. Try every word that is said by your own diligent study. God expects no less and neither do we.

Pastor V. Mark Smith