Sunday Is the Lord’s Day Wherever You Are

Berean Baptist on September 10, 2018

During the year, many of our church members are traveling on Sundays. This thought comes to mind that Sunday is the Lord’s Day no matter where you are. All days should be used to honor the Lord, but Sunday is especially set aside for God’s people to honor Christ in corporate worship.

Many times, you have heard me tell stories of the scores of Baptist churches located in my hometown of Lexington, Kentucky. This should make it very easy to find a good one to worship in while I visit there. It is true that in my hometown there are several that I have full confidence in to visit and enjoy worshiping on Sunday. However, I am not usually in Lexington on Sunday. I go to Lexington to see my mother who is suffering from Alzheimer’s, and then for several days I travel to other parts of the country. These are places with churches that I am not familiar with. I am still in the South with many, many Baptist churches, but finding a good one is an unbelievably hard adventure.

I remember last year looking on the internet for one in southwest Virginia. There were many to choose from, but I found none that weren’t seriously bothersome to me. Since I am well versed in what to look for and can decipher a lot of adverse language in doctrinal statements, I know what to expect if I choose the wrong one. Sometimes the clues are on the surface where they blast BAD EXPERIENCE. For example, I look at the pictures of leaders on the web pages. Do I see the choir director’s name? Is it he or she? Is there a picture of a deaconess? This tells me what the church believes about leadership.

Several years ago, when I came to California, I attended a Baptist church in Petaluma. I have always used this church as an example of how going to church can be a nightmarishly bad experience. It is very difficult to worship when your stomach is turning like an agitator in a washing machine. I think Paul may have described it as his bowels were yearning (that is if he spoke King James English as some believe!).

The scriptures say we must worship God in spirit and in truth. Very simply, if we do not, we do not worship. While I believe corporate worship is best on Sundays, I know there are times it is not profitable to join yourself to a congregation that pretends with their lips, but their hearts are far away from God and His truth. It is best not to listen to a sermon from a preacher who is a mockery of the God ordained profession. It is certainly awful to hear sermons from preachers that do not preach salvation in Jesus Christ alone. If these are your choices, stay away. There are some fundamentals that cannot be compromised, and worship is not possible without them.

One of the things I love about Berean is our location. We have a prominent easy location in the city which makes our church attractive to visitors from other areas. Almost every Sunday we have visitors from other cities, states, or countries. They witness a good confession by their desire to worship on the Lord’s Day even though they are away from home. I am especially gratified when we have repeat visitors. They are back in our area again and because their first experience was good they desire to return and hear the word of God faithfully preached once more.

When you travel, look for opportunities for corporate worship if possible. Some bring back bulletins as proof to show the pastor they tried. Thanks! I am always happy to hear there are others that still preach the truth of God’s word. Remember, you can worship God no matter where you are. If there is no good church, Sunday is still the Lord’s Day!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

 

Grow Old Gracefully

Berean Baptist on December 26, 2016

Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth. (Psalm 71:9)

The Bible is a fascinating book and amazes every time we open its pages. There is nothing we face in life that God does not have the exact answer we need. For the young, the Bible speaks of the blessing of godly parents who raise them to know Christ. For the middle aged, there is vitality of life that can be channeled into the service of the church in the most rewarding, fulfilling life that can be imagined.

This psalm takes us to the twilight of life when strength has failed, when eyes are dim, and when we face death, an unknown that all of us fear. How appropriate this is when thinking of the many aged believers that are a part of the Berean family. I know many people that walk into churches and then turn around and walk out because there are too many “blue-hairs” sitting in the pews. While we love a good mixture of young and old, the young are not here to provide a positive balance against the negative of the old. There is far too much to be learned from the precious old saints to dismiss them as the “past” of the church.

Each of us should be compassionately aware of the daunting challenges our old members face. William MacDonald expresses this wisely in his commentary on this passage: “To grow old gracefully calls for more grace than nature can provide. Old age is a new world of strange conflicts and secret fears; the fear of being left alone, the fear of being a burden to loved ones, the fear of becoming a helpless invalid, the fear of losing one’s grip, the fear of being imposed upon. These fears are not new. The psalmist is here thinking aloud for the encouragement of all who are in the autumn of life.”

Never did this hit so close to home as when my own mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Parents do not want to become a burden, and yet the reality of a disease like Alzheimer’s leaves the person with no alternatives. The compassion displayed by my sisters to take care of our mother is beyond commendable. Though very difficult, they did not shrink from the responsibility because it was hard. These are things you do for people you love.

I believe we should see the need for the same as a church. Our older membership faces the same fears. This is not the time to ignore them. We must do a better job of helping to meet their needs. We do love them, don’t we? They are a long-time part of our family, aren’t they? God’s way of meeting the needs of the aged and allaying their fears is to have other Christians watch for them. As John said, “Let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”  (1 John 3:18)

When David prayed,  “Cast me not off in the time of old age,” he knew God had a way to sustain him just as He had in the days of his youth. Have you thought God’s method may be you? Much of God’s work is fulfilled through human instrumentality. It does not often take an extraordinary miracle for God to accomplish His work. Your love and concern is God’s method. The kindness of a visit, a prayer, the reading of scripture for those who love to hear it—this may be the answer to their prayer, “Cast me not off in the time of old age.”

 Pastor V. Mark Smith