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Patriotism – Good or Bad?

            Today marks the 246^th birthday of the United States of America. We rejoice in another year of God’s providence as we are still free to worship our Lord according to our conscience. More importantly, we worship according to truths that are found in God’s Holy Word. The freedom to worship must not be taken lightly as we know Satan constantly attempts to tear down the liberty of conscience. While this statement is true, it is also true that liberty of conscience is neither too bothersome to the master of evil. He knows the human heart is well capable of destroying itself with little to no help from him. The more we depend on free-thinking, the less we are like God. We wander and weave from side to side on the broad road to destruction without guardrails to prevent mass destruction.

            This is not to say we do not cherish the Declaration of Independence in its most concise definitive summary of American government: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Notice the capitalization in the original—Creator, Rights, Life, Liberty, Happiness. It seems from the Creator the others divinely flow. This is truly a grand statement, and yet we recognize these fundamental rights are good only as they are exercised under the most powerful government of all—the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. We seek no independence from Him nor any free-thinking that counters the principles of His Holy Word.

            In the past few years, I have more struggled with the intersection of politics/government with the worship of the church. Politics is polarizing and at times deafeningly maddening. It tends to accomplish Satan’s purpose in the church without us realizing it touches the perversion of the gospel. Anger without a cause is the problem, that is, a cause that does not impugn God’s character. Conflating God and country rarely finds us without an imagined cause. If Satan can divide us on any avenue of thought, he accomplishes his purposes all the same. This is perfectly acceptable to him. He does not always claim credit for what we voluntarily do to ourselves. If he converts the middling church member who barely acknowledges responsibility to the gospel into flaming political activism as his passion, the gospel is abandoned equally as well.

            I posit this question for your consideration. Is America’s rabid patriotism a help or a hindrance to the gospel? I believe it is helpful whenever our desire for the direction of our country coincides with biblical objectives. Moral questions are certainly a part of our righteous agenda but with the understanding the human heart cannot be legislated into morality. We hold back the tide on each issue only temporarily until we are finally overrun by the insatiable moral drunkards on immorality’s broad road. Our patriotism is unhelpful when a political agenda is broadened and more inclusive of issues that do not affect the gospel. We may divide a church on these issues as our old human nature drives us rather than our common faith.

            Today, I choose to acknowledge the blessed beginnings of our country and thank God for the protections the Founding Fathers placed in our Constitution. No doubt God’s hand was upon them and some were indeed Christians. However, the birthday of the USA is only coincidental to Sunday worship observance. It is in the background, not the foreground. Therefore, we worship Christ fervently and only salute with a nod to our patriotism.

                                                                        V. Mark Smith

            On many occasions, I have remarked that the Bible’s first readers would not have seen the chapter and verse divisions that we see in our Bibles today. The first manuscripts were scrolls with continuous lines that make the text, thoughts, and ideas run together. The scribes who copied these scrolls and those who read them had to be experts in the word to locate the areas of the manuscript they wanted to read and expound.

            When Jesus stood in the synagogue to read from the scroll of Isaiah, the prophecy He read was well-known and neither had He trouble finding it nor were those who heard unfamiliar. Today, if you see a scroll of Isaiah such as the one in the Dead Sea Scrolls Museum in Israel, you would be amazed at how capable these people needed to be to find anything.

            I point this out because when we read Isaiah 53 and then go into 54, the chapter break makes us think the thoughts are not continuous. In the end of the 53^rd chapter, the death of Christ is the subject, and then immediately chapter 54 begins with singing. The singing is oddly connected with Christ’s death. Why? Because the death of Christ was not His end. The ministry of Christ did not end for His death would bring forth the salvation of many more than He saw come to Him during His life.

            When Christ was crucified, there were few in Israel that believed. Many miracles were done but when Acts 2 begins after the ascension, there were only 120 disciples gathered on the Day of Pentecost. Proof of the resurrection was attested by more than 500 people, but the 120 gathered might indicate that most who saw Christ after His death were scattered with fear the whole experience would yield very little. How wrong they were! The Holy Spirit descended, and Peter preached. Three thousand souls came to Christ in one day. More were added to the church in the following weeks than were added during the three years of Christ’s ministry. Soon, the Jerusalem church was bursting at the seams as thousands more heard the gospel and believed.

            Do you see the connection to the work of Christ on the cross? He was wounded for our transgressions. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him. He was numbered with transgressors and then He died. What did it yield? His death is cause for rejoicing, for out of His death we read in chapter 54, “Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine inhabitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes…” The salvation of millions is the result of the death of the cross. Tent stakes must be pulled up. The fabric must be enlarged; the cords of the tie downs must be lengthened to accommodate the burgeoning numbers of the redeemed under the canopy of God’s tent.

            As you read the Bible, keep it together. The divisions may throw you at times and you won’t catch the continuity intended by the old manuscripts read by the ancients. We need the divisions to find what we want because we are not the Bible students they were. From preacher to the pew, we know less than we should.

            Can we do better? Yes. Personal study and presence at the sermons and Bible studies is needed. The word of God comes alive, if only you know how to read it!

                                                            Pastor V. Mark Smith

by J. C. Ryle

• There is an undeniable zeal in some teachers of error–their “earnestness” makes many people think they must be right.

• There is a great appearance of learning and theological knowledge–many think that such clever and intellectual men must surely be safe to listen to.

• There is a general tendency to completely free and independent thinking today–many like to prove their independence of judgment by believing the newest ideas, which are nothing but novelties.

• There is a wide-spread desire to appear kind, loving, and open-minded–many seem half-ashamed to say that anybody can be wrong or is a false teacher.

• There is always a portion of half-truth taught by modern false teachers–they are always using scriptural words and phrases, but with unscriptural meaning.

• There is a public craving for a more sensational and entertaining worship–people are impatient with the more inward and invisible work of God within the hearts of men.

• There is a superficial readiness all around to believe anyone who talks cleverly, lovingly and earnestly, forgetting that Satan often masquerades himself as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14).

• There is a wide-spread ignorance among professing Christians–every heretic who speaks well is surely believed, and anyone who doubts him is called narrow-minded and unloving.

All these are especially symptoms of our times. I challenge any honest and observant person to deny them. These tend to make the assaults of false doctrine today especially dangerous and make it even more important to say loudly, “Do not be carried away with strange doctrine!”

(This was written before the end of the 19^th century. Satan has not changed his tactics—only the names and numbers of false teachers have changed. They are bigger, bolder, and have easier access to the masses of gullible people. Sadly, those willing to confront them are a dying breed. Let’s stand for truth and call them what they are—heretics and enemies of souls. ~ Pastor V. Mark Smith)

            In one of our studies in our Romans class, we talked about witnessing to people who do not believe the Bible is true and do not accept its authority. It seems like an insurmountable problem since our faith is built on the revelation of God in scripture, and without it, we have no reliable basis for our beliefs. It should be that the one who rejects the Bible is an impossible person to reach with the truth.

            A few days after our class, I saw a short missions’ video about a remote tribe in Papua that had no contact with the outside world. About 15 years ago, a pilot was flying over the remote area where this unknown tribe lived and spotted the thatched roofs of houses of this previously undiscovered people. Once the news of the discovery was out, missionaries made this unknown group a target for the gospel of Christ. These indigenous people welcomed the strangers, but the monumental task was before the missionaries of how to communicate and teach these people who had never heard of the Bible or Christ. They had no alphabet and thus no written language.

            Progress was slow at first as the missionaries began with the basic approach of Paul in Romans 1. All people know there is a Supreme Being and none can deny there must be a Creator God. The missionaries began to tell them of the God who made all things by relating the account of creation from Genesis. As they continued their witnessing and education of these backward people, they listened to the sounds and syllables of their language and began to form an alphabet for a written language. When this was accomplished, they taught them to read their own language by translating the Bible into their native tongue. Now these people were enabled to see for themselves what the Bible says about God and His creation.

            The emphasis of the missionaries was the use of the word of God to reach the hearts of the people. First Peter 1:23 says: “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.” It is always the word of God that is the means by which we are born-again. No one circumvents the necessity of the word in salvation.

            Now these people had the word of God, but this does not mean they would believe the Bible is true. Miraculously through the operation of the Holy Spirit, the Bible does its job of converting the soul and convincing of truth. Once the natives began to read for themselves, the Spirit took over and made the word effectual in their hearts.

            I recite this story because the word works the same way with the hearts of skeptics that you often meet. They do not accept the authority of the Bible and they do not believe it is true. However, when they hear and the Holy Spirit works, there is an irresistible draw to the Father. They are changed from unbelief to belief through the regenerating power of God who enlightens the mind and changes the will.

            The testimony of the natives was unanimous. One said, “I was in darkness until the Holy Spirit showed me the truth.” These were people shackled by fear in their animistic beliefs, but their hearts were set free by reading the word of God. Now they are anxious for the word, and they live in the word, and it is their primary source material for learning to read.

            Never underestimate the power of the word. Often, skeptics believe they are intellectually superior, and we are too often tempted to appeal to the learned through their intellect rather than taking them down to the basic truth—all people are sinners in need of the grace of God. Not one person was saved because they were smart or had good sense. The unbelieving college professor is as ignorant of God as the undiscovered tribes of Papua. The word of God is the only way to reach them. Try it and depend on the Holy Spirit to do His work.

                                                                        Pastor V. Mark Smith

A few weeks before church closures in the pandemic, I read an interesting article. This article was about confession of sin. In 1 John 1:9, John wrote: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” For those of you who still remember our 1 John series a few years ago, we examined this scripture and determined it is a verse for believers not unbelievers.  While the verse is true for unbelievers, John did not intend it for them. The verse is for the church as the epistle of 1 John is for the church. The teaching, then, is that believers need to maintain an attitude of repentance and confession of sin.

            We are to confess, a word that means agreement. We agree with God that His assessment of our sins is correct and immediately upon conviction by the Holy Spirit, we are to agree with God that we have broken His holy law. The question framed in the article was, how do we confess? What actions do we take in confession?

            These are good questions when we consider both private and public sins. The answer is dependent upon which type of sin it is. All sin is first and foremost against God, which means in either case God is our confessor. We go to Him in our prayers and with proper confession we admit our sin and ask for His forgiveness. This confession is not with a prescription or form described in the Bible that tells exactly what to say. I believe the words are directed by the Holy Spirit according to His righteous, holy, gracious influences. Private sins only require private confession. The confession is to God never to a priest or anyone we consider to be a representative of God. Forgiveness is granted by God and no other.

            The public sin, however, is quite different. The modern church has abandoned public confession of public sins. In fact, our churches are far away from discipline for public offenses. Occasionally, it is necessary to dismiss members of our church for non-attendance of our services. This is public sin. It is sin against the congregation. Excisive discipline is a church term and a church action. It is intended for the good of the member and the good of the body. It is never a vindictive action but is intended for the hope of later restoration. It is an action taken to emphasize the seriousness of the sin as it requires severing from the body of Christ.

            How might a person removed for church discipline be restored? Our church requires public confession. The church as well as God is an offended party. Therefore, the church must be included in the confession. Restoration to membership is granted when the person admits the sin to the membership and asks for forgiveness. The church desires this, so forgiveness is forthcoming upon credible repentance.

            I might add if the person wants membership restored but does not want to take this step, he does not understand the serious nature of his sin. If he is truly contrite and loves the Lord’s church, he will understand the church must be satisfied. This is more important than his personal feelings.

            Much more could be said on the subject. I believe John in writing to the church envisioned the scenario of which we speak. It is consistent with church discipline as taught by Jesus in Matthew 18.

            I encourage you to pray for members who have been removed. I am afraid to speculate that some of them may need salvation. John addresses this too: “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.” (1 John 2:19) 

                                                                        Pastor V. Mark Smith

            Today, our scripture reading from Isaiah 50 is a conversation between God and Israel. To be more specific, it is Christ the Son of God who speaks, and His words reflect His divine ministry when He became incarnate. There are two verses that caught my attention and prompted further meditation.

            The first is verse 4: “The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.” I think of the compassion of Christ who felt every sorrowful experience we encounter. Whether the sorrow is physical, mental, or spiritual, Jesus knows the exact words to speak that comfort our hearts and lift our spirits. I am reminded how difficult this is for me when I speak to the desperately ill and those who are dying. I am often without perfect words and am left in silence. And yet I know which words are not helpful and are of no comfort. I am aware that some things said are not helpful and may be taken wrongly.

            For example, it is hard to criticize the attitude of those who are sick. When people have extended illnesses, they often become despondent and depressed. Perhaps we believe Christians should never come to this state, but if they didn’t the Lord would never say He knew how to comfort the weary. He realizes this human frailty. I don’t remember reading any passage in scripture in which the Lord rebuked the sick for a less than stellar attitude in their illness. I see the apostle John and the Lord’s brother James calling for love and compassion and prayer, but never chastisement. To hear God’s word and to know people pray for you are the means God uses to lift the spirits of the weary. Be cautious how you deal with the distressed. They do not need to be driven to deeper despair.

            The second verse that caught my attention is verse 7: “For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.” This is the determination of Christ to do His Father’s will. Despite the criticisms and forces of hell that would deter Him, He soldiered on. He set His face like a flint—that is with steadfast determination not to quit. It is the hardness and resoluteness of hard rock to continue though humanly everything told Him He should not. Imagine Satan offering Him the kingdoms of the world in exchange for the shame of the cross. How does He withstand except the Father gave His Spirit to help Him?

            The cross was not only a cruel way to die, it was utterly shameful. Cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree. It was an abomination to the Jews and shouted the worst criminality to the Gentiles. Yet, Christ knew He would not be ashamed. He would be vindicated by the Father’s promise. He would be raised from the dead and restored to His throne in heaven.

            Isaiah 50 is a wonderful picture of Christ. “Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.” (v. 50). Always trust God. Who has suffered by obedience and has not been rewarded abundantly? Take heart that following the Lord with all its difficulties will end in the ease and peaceful rest of God’s sabbath in His heavenly kingdom.

                                                                                    Pastor V. Mark Smith

            Preaching God’s word to God’s people is often a lonely job. It shouldn’t be, but often it is because it requires telling people what they should do and how they should live when they don’t want to. The apostle Paul made an interesting statement in Galatians 4:16. He wrote, “Am I therefore your enemy because I tell you the truth?” He said this after remembering how the Galatians were blessed and overjoyed when he gave them the gospel. They received his word as if he were an angel of God. He said they treated him as well as if he were Jesus Christ. Then he added they would do anything for him, even if he asked for their eyes, they would pluck them out. What caused their attitude to change and made them think of Paul as their enemy? He called them on their sin and told them they had returned to the weak and beggarly elements of the law. He said they had turned back to the bondage they escaped. He called them on it and then he wasn’t as popular as he was before.

            This happens too many times to the pastor of the church. Most love him and support him and will do anything for him until he takes on his friends and tells them they need to change. He sees them turn to old ways and they aren’t as enthusiastic about the church as they once were. When he tells them the truth, it goads them, and listening isn’t fun anymore.

            The truth is, when the pastor comes down on your sins in his sermons and when he steps on your toes, it is never to harm you. He is a friend that loves you and wants you to be blessed and prosperous because you follow Christ. His years are filled with the experience of Christians that gradually dropped out of service—the same people who thought they never would.

            The enemy of truth is the one who refuses to hear truth. One author wrote the enemies of truth refuse to hear in two forms: not listening to someone tell the truth or refusing to accept it. Accepting truth requires repentance. It means you are wrong, and you need to change your ways. It means you must go against your flesh, to reject the old nature and to live within the new. In Galatians 5:17, the apostle wrote: “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary…” Simply stated, to refuse truth and not correct errors is to reject the Holy Spirit. Am I your enemy if I tell you not to reject the Spirit? Your best friend is the one who tells you, “If you live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” (Romans 8:13-14).

            Be careful of the way you respond to truth. The way you react may tell you more than you want to know. Either way, when you hear the truth, it is always a friend who tells it. He is not your enemy. He is the guardian of your soul.

                                                                                    Pastor V. Mark Smith

            This morning in our worship service we continue to examine Paul’s letter to the church at Thessalonica. These past few weeks of study have shown the heart of the apostle from the viewpoint of pastoral leadership. The striking lesson learned is the deep personal affection Paul felt for those he brought to faith in Christ. They were converted and then assembled into new bodies of Christ that were united in fellowship centered in the gospel of Christ.

            When a believer comes to faith in our Lord, he receives a new nature, one that is recreated in the image of God. The original image was marred by sin when Adam fell. Before he sinned, Adam had the perfect image in him which included the ability to love as God loves. Because God is love, the character of man’s godly image was also to love. Adam was able to love his wife with a perfect love.

            This marital love was emblematic of the love Christ has for His church. It is also a reflection of the love each member of Christ should have for each other. The scriptures teach that love should abound in us and this was one of Paul’s petitions of prayer when he prayed in chapter 3:12, “And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love toward one another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you…” The last part of the verse emphasizes Paul’s pastoral love. His love was exemplary as it abounded toward them.

            My personal takeaway from Paul’s desire is that pastors enter a unique relationship with the people they are given to shepherd. The greatest joy for a pastor is to experience reciprocal love flowing back and forth from him to the people. Paul’s feeling at times was to experience love as a one-way street. Yet, still he said I love you though the less I be loved. I am thankful today that rarely have I experienced less love than I have given. If anything, I am deeply in debt to the members of Berean because you have given far more love and support than I have returned.

            These past months I’ve often alluded to the love and support given during my wife’s illness. We approach Thanksgiving this year with hearts full of gratitude for kindnesses and considerations in this trying time. This illness has restricted much of my ability to look after the physical and emotional needs of the congregation. But once again, there is considerable help from our deacons and others of our leaders. Some have gone beyond the call to help care for the sick and hurting among us.

            This help is invaluable. I often feel inadequate for this ministry. Thankfully, the Lord has helped me keep up my studies. I am relaxed and strengthened as I study and prepare for sermons, and then have the pleasure of giving you the fruits of this labor.

            Though I have no right to ask, I humbly request for more prayers and indulgences. It does not appear our struggles will end soon. Only by a miracle of God’s grace can we expect an immediate change. God does not promise this, but we do claim His promise to be with us in the trials and to sustain us daily with His mercies.

            God works through His people, which for us means His mercies become real through your love and support. We are thankful for the Lord and for you His faithful servants. We cannot continue without your willingness to stand with us. We look for better days, but we are content to be used in whatever ways God sees fit. What shape this will take we do not know. We trust the Lord to reveal this in His good time.

                                                                        Pastor V. Mark Smith

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: ^[13] But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. (1 Peter 4:12-13)

Today in our study of 1 Thessalonians we consider the opposition of the world that hates Christ. The persecution of Christians is a theme common to the apostles. Suffering is often addressed by the writers of the New Testament because of the terrible persecution inflicted on them by an empire that was hostile to Christianity. One of their greatest challenges was to get new converts to buy into it as the badge their faith was real. In 1 Peter, Peter hits on the theme in every section of his letter. He tells his readers to rejoice in their salvation even though they experience terrible trials.

When Jesus called twelve men to be His disciples, He warned that following Him and witnessing for Him and remaining true to the faith would not be an easy path to follow. Although the gospel of Christ is the only hope for a world awaiting the wrath of God, people reject this message and they often do it with hatred and sometimes with violence.

The tone of 1 Peter makes it clear that suffering for Christ is not to be unexpected. Peter says, “Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.” The explanation for these trials comes in 4:13 and is attributed to the sufferings of Christ. To paraphrase Peter, he tells persecuted Christians, “Don’t be surprised when people hate you and want to kill you. If you desire to follow Christ, you will not receive better treatment than He received.” The reason for this should be easily discerned even if we do not consider the natural negative disposition of men towards the gospel. We can approach the problem from another angle which is simple deductive reasoning in the comparison of our lives to Jesus Christ.

What kind of man was Jesus? He was kind, compassionate, considerate, supremely loving, temperate, patient, self-sacrificing, perfectly righteous, and a dozen other superlatives that could be added. How was Jesus treated? He was abused, accused, told He was from Satan, and run out of town. He was called a glutton and a drunkard; He was accused of sedition and finally cruelly crucified. All of this happened to the perfect God-man, and yet He never struck back at anyone that wanted to harm Him.

Now consider your life. How do you compare to Jesus in any of these areas? I am sure you have some good traits, but each of us even at our best falls far short of Christ’s example. The indignation we feel when treated badly is just one more example of our inability to match His standard. So, how will we be treated being imperfect as opposed to the perfect Son of God? Not for a minute should we expect better treatment.

Reading this you may say, “How depressing! Is it really worth it?” This is when you should remember Peter’s answer to this question. 1 Peter 1:6 says this is a temporary condition. In 4:13, he says Christ will appear in His glory and you will be exalted and honored with Him. The worst trial you face for the cause of Christ will be worth it when you come to the realization of your final salvation. Never fear what anyone can do to you. As Peter says in the last verse of the fourth chapter, you can commit the keeping of your soul to Christ. He is the powerful Creator who speaks the word and vanquishes all enemies!

                                                            Pastor V. Mark Smith

Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  (2 Timothy 2:15)

The letter of 2^nd Timothy is one of three Pastoral Epistles written by Paul to instruct both Timothy and Titus in their duties as pastors of the Lord’s the churches. The term “pastor” means “shepherd.” The chief duty of a pastor is to shepherd the flock of God. When Jesus was speaking to Peter after the resurrection, He asked, “Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?” Peter responded, “Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee,” to which Jesus rejoined, “Feed my sheep” (John 21:15). This statement is equivalent to, “If you love me, shepherd my sheep.”

Our King James Version has rendered the first part of 2 Timothy 2:15 as “Study to show thyself approved.” This translation is good if we understand what “study” meant to the translators. Commonly, we take this to mean, study as in hitting the books to prepare for a final. This kind of study is implied, but the more accurate rendering of the word is diligence—Be diligent to show thyself approved unto God. Paul is instructing Timothy to be diligent about teaching the people of God. He is to use all physical and spiritual means to search the scriptures and impart truth to God’s people. This diligence will cause him to receive God’s approbation.

Superimposing Jesus’ words to Peter upon this text, Paul instructs Timothy to shepherd the sheep with the utmost care and concern for their spiritual welfare. A pastor wears many hats and is charged with many responsibilities, but the most important of these is teaching the Bible. Our spiritual strength comes from God’s word. Even regeneration itself is a product of the Holy Spirit’s work using the scriptures to bring us to repentance and faith. Peter wrote: “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever” (1 Peter 1:23). After salvation, the Bible continues to be the Christian’s strength for daily living. Later in 2^nd Timothy, Paul writes that scripture is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). The result of knowing scripture is that we become mature in the faith and equipped to perform every good work enjoined upon us by our salvation in Christ (2 Timothy 3:17).

With these facts in mind, the meaning of 2 Timothy 2:15 for the pastor, is unmistakably clarified. The pulpit ministry is the most important work of the church. We can do without programs if we must; we can do without socials if we must; we can do without any of the peripherals of ministry, but we cannot do without the Word. The pastor will stand before God and give an account of how faithfully and diligently he fed the people with the Word.

I am concerned that we are very clear about the doctrines of the Bible. We will not abandon the teaching of justification by faith alone; we will not abandon God’s demand for righteous, holy living. We will not abandon the call of complete repentance from sin, nor the wrath of God because of sin, nor the punishment of eternal hell for unbelievers. Accompanying these doctrines, this church will do its best to teach her people to know Christ better. Faith is increased by knowledge and knowledge comes from being a diligent student of God’s word.

                                                            Pastor V. Mark Smith