Chaos in the Pulpit

Berean Baptist on December 23, 2019

In Revelation 2, Jesus rebuked the church at Thyatira. This church had many characteristics of modern apostate churches. One of these is leadership and exemplifies how dangerous it is for churches to depart from the standard in God’s word for choosing leaders.

            The Bible is clear on this subject, but largely ignored by those who ordain women into the office of pastor. This is not God’s intent as Paul wrote women must keep silent in the church. They are not permitted to instruct the assembly. They must be in submission according to the creational principle established when God made Adam first, and then rather than making a helpmate from the original ground, He took Eve from Adam’s side. She was taken from his side to show she could not be head over him.

            Our culture counters this with feminism and demands equality in every venue. The Bible is not against equality. Men and women are equal but serve in separate roles. Each is valuable in their sphere of influence but are chaotic outside of it. When women are chosen as pastors, it upsets God’s order and teaches people wrongly contributing to their misunderstanding and disobedience to scripture. Thus, this progressiveness (?) does not help but hinders. It degrades and destroys society.

            The teaching that women can fill the office of pastor feeds into the second problem at Thyatira which is dilution of doctrine. The choice of men as pastors is Bible doctrine, while subverting it is the doctrine of Satan. When the wrong person is in leadership, a plethora of bad doctrine ensues. Practically nothing is sacrosanct in the Christian faith, and all is subject to change according to time and culture.

            This could never be because God is unchangeable. If we admit to a change in doctrine, we are not safe. We must know correct doctrine to be saved, so where will we find it? Is it subjective according to a half-baked preacher who said he spoke to Jesus last night? What happens when another comes along and says, “No, Jesus spoke to me and said something different. Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak to thee?” (1 Kings 22:24). Do you see the problem? There are many battling prophets vying for the attention of the church with horribly bad doctrine. They say God spoke to them when God has not spoken (Deuteronomy 18:22).

            What is the solution? It can only be the objective infallible word of God. The Bible does not change. Since it was completed two thousand years ago, not one word has changed. This prevents changing doctrine. It prevents salvation by multiple means depending on the day of the week. No, God is consistent from day one. His word is settled forever in heaven.

            This church does not ignore the Bible nor tolerate those who do. Change in doctrine invites rebuke from the Lord. The modern church will stand in judgment for their perversions because each one keeps the truth of salvation from the ears of the people. The problem for them is they are not true churches. If you see a woman in the pulpit, you are looking at a deceitful imposter. These are counterfeits and are wicked at the highest level. They stand in pulpits in sanctuaries, a place that is trusted. Their lies will send people to hell.

            Beware of false teachers. They will destroy your soul.

                                                                        Pastor V. Mark Smith

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

 

You and the Pastor

Berean Baptist on February 16, 2015

And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:62)

One of the difficulties of pastoral leadership is handling disappointments without discouragement. A pastor is expected to be exuberant, cheerful, and positive at every service no matter what may be going on in the church or in his personal life. Another pastor once advised me to never let the people know when you are sick, never ask specifically for personal prayer, never show any vulnerability because each of these will be seen as weakness and will make you an ineffective leader. I am not sure if there was ever a worse piece of advice given because pastors are vulnerable, do get sick, and need personal prayer just like any other member of the church. It is a great myth fostered by many independent Baptist pastors that they are demigods and should be treated as such. This only fuels the unbiblical teaching of separation between clergy and laity.

For the most part, I handle the sicknesses and the occasional personal problems without much difficulty. The most trying times for me are when I see church members that help foster separation between the pastor and the people by acting as if the requirements of their Christianity are different from those of the pastor. It might be helpful to understand that in the first century pastors were not appointed by denominations; they were not graduates of seminaries that waited with diploma in hand to be picked over by leaderless congregations. Pastors were chosen from among the people and most of them spent their lives with that one group of people. Working consistently and faithfully in the church was a common enterprise for all the members, not just a special few.

I am never disappointed in the Lord because I know He does all things well. I have a much harder time not being disappointed with people. Our Sunday School Superintendent, Taber Jarrell, sent an email reminding teachers about faithfulness in teaching and also commitment to church attendance. Taber said it well: “The children, as well as adults in our church family and especially our class, are watching and learning from our testimony—let them find us most faithful.  I would ask that you carefully consider before being absent from your class, or service of the church, is there any way I can find a way to be present and in my place of service?”

Our church needs a revival of commitment from all members. It is understandable to miss for vacations and when work or other situations are unavoidable. I am concerned, however, that most absences are avoidable. Much of it is plain indifference rather than necessity. Including WEDNESDAY evening, we have four hours of worship each week which hardly seems too much for the Lord to ask. Corporate worship is not a suggestion from the Lord; it is commanded. As church attendance dwindles, separation, consecration, and holiness follow suit. Consider your children. Are they better off for your example or worse?

You are no different than the pastor. The Lord requires the same from you as He does from me. Could you tolerate me as pastor if I approached church responsibilities as you do? Think about it and get back to me. If you love Christ, your truthful evaluation will fix you and encourage me greatly.

 

Pastor V. Mark Smith