September 3, 2010

O Taste and See!

“O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”—Ps. 34:8.

Because the Devil’s orchard is full of bitter fruit, you are well advised not to eat there. Unfortunately, a great many folks these days are trying to be Christians with one foot in the world and the other foot in the Lord’s things.

Their naive chant and cry is “don’t preach to me.” They react to what they call “all the dos and don’ts.” Even a small amount of spiritual discernment sees right through such smoke screens.

We have biblical orders to “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (II Tim. 4:2). It seems as though the Lord thinks we need preaching! We need His light to figure out what’s right! If we can come to terms with right, then wrong will be obvious!

On the other hand, the Word of God spells out in clearly defined terms that a lot of things are wrong. Whatever we think, whatever our opinion is—if God says it’s wrong, then it is a “don’t do that.”

As long as we are so thin-skin sensitive that we are jumping from our shadows, fearful that somebody is going to correct us, we are not living in adequate Sonshine!

With the wisdom that is eternal and with a Bible that is flawless, you and I are well served when we put our feet under the Lord’s table and eat whatever He has prepared for us!

At the Smith household, we have certain rules that we observe at mealtime.

1. We eat together as a family. Amen!

2. We bow our heads at every meal and lift our voices in prayer. Amen!

3. We eat three bites of everything that’s set before us.

4. We do not complain about what’s on the table.

That’s the way we reared our children, and even though the children are long since grown, Betty and I have continued to function by these rules.

When we consider how we live as Christians, should it not be even more so?

My brother, my sister in the faith, “O taste and see”! There is a “blessed” that comes quickly thereafter in that verse. What a tragedy it would be if we missed the blessing because we would not eat what the Lord placed before us!

The Paper Drive for the Sword!

If you have not yet responded concerning the Sword Paper Drive, let me ask you again prayerfully to consider doing so. We use many hundreds of the big 1,100-pound rolls every year. In fact, we use a lot of them every month. We buy them by the trailer truckload in order to get the very best price. At $300 per roll, the demand is a heavy one.

We cannot do it except for the support of churches and individuals who share our vision and see the need. Can I expect to hear from you? I do hope you will join with Betty and me as we give to the paper fund every month!

Call us (800-24-SWORD) or write to Sword Paper Drive, P.O. Box 1099, Murfreesboro, TN 37133-1099.

Pastor Says, “We Need the Sword”

Just today, one of the leading fundamental pastors in the South sent me a text in which he said, “We need the Sword more than ever for this generation of fundamentalists!”

We do believe he is right about that! There is an ongoing need for a truly national and international Christian paper that will give voice to our cause!

That voice needs to be clear! It needs to be consistent! It needs to be scriptural and seasoned! It needs to be unafraid!

For 76 years, the sword of the lord has been just such a voice! In 2010, the challenges to our faith are coming from every corner of the planet! The pressure on our churches to compromise is epidemic! Our pastors need all the encouragement and support they can get. We want to help by articulating the issues, expounding doctrine, taking a stand and preaching the Gospel!

If you will pray for us, stand with us and undergird us where and when you can, we will be strengthened in all we do. Thank you!

Ladies’ Jubilees

The Jubilee in California is almost here (September 9–11). Walk-ins are welcome, so come on, even at the last minute.

Then it is less than two months until our Jubilee in New Jersey (October 21–23). See the ads on pages 11 and 23.

Already, we have ladies registering for the Florida Sword Ladies’ Jubilee, January 27–29, 2011. That is less than five months out.

Whichever one you choose, be sure to pick one and bring a group from your church too.

The Jubilees are vibrant, life-changing events! You’ll have a good time as well. So sign up, and we’ll see you at a Sword Ladies’ Jubilee soon!

Heaven’s Hymnbook Three New Books by Dr. Raymond Barber

Heaven’s Hymnbook, an overview of the 150 psalms, is being released now by the Sword of the Lord.

As a preacher, Dr. Raymond Barber is a gifted communicator with an oratorical style that is captivating. With a pen in hand, he is a master wordsmith molding and shaping every sentence in graphic detail.

Already, we have published nineteen books for him, but now we have from his heart and hand a major three-volume work.

The 150 psalms are like the towering peaks of an impressive mountain range. They are both picturesque and imposing! This verse-by-verse commentary captures the portraits of Christ woven throughout this God-breathed poetry. Its comfort, encouragement, insight, rebuke and admonition, will cause you to rejoice anew in every chapter of the Psalms as you are tutored by Dr. Barber.

Preachers will like it! There are outlines, word studies and comments that you can put to very good use!

Sunday school teachers will like it! If you teach adults or teens, you will find the material very easy to adapt to your classroom.

Families will like it! If you want a companion to reading the Psalms in your personal or family devotions—here it is!

Call us today (800-24-SWORD), order online at swordofthelord .com or write to Customer Service, Sword of the Lord, P.O. Box 1099, Murfreesboro, TN 37133-1099 and order your copies today.

Order the set for your pastor or others and give them for Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries or whenever you need a nice gift to give.

Springfield, Tennessee, South Haven Baptist Church, Exciting Sunday

Early on the Sunday morning of August 8, Betty and I drove the one-hour trip to the northern suburbs of our Nashville area where we would have a blessed and exciting day with the South Haven Baptist Church of Springfield, Tennessee.

Our friend and Sword Board Member, Dr. Frank Gagliano, has been wonderfully used of the Lord there over the past 24 years.

The day began with an 8:15 a.m. service. With full choir and orchestra, the auditorium was nearly filled to capacity even at that early hour. After Sunday school, the 10:45 a.m. service was full and overflowing. When we got there at 6:30 for the Sunday evening service, the place was packed with a number of overflow rooms full as well.

Though they have a new auditorium on the drawing boards, Pastor Gagliano has been wisely cautious in regard to the debt level.

There are so many good things to be said about South Haven Baptist Church. A good, strong music program! An active Bible institute discipling the folks! A thriving, growing Christian school! A strong bus ministry (averaging 700 per Sunday)! A Spanish department (averaging 200 per Sunday)! A Sudanese department (averaging 100 per Sunday)! Planting a new church in West Tennessee this month!

In addition, the pulpit is Bible-centered! Dr. Gagliano preaches and teaches the Bible every service!

And everything is geared to winning souls! The church is a soul-winning church.

Every time we are there, I am personally refreshed just by being there.

I preached all three services, and the folks were so gracious in receiving us and the Word we brought to them.

The Lord is using Brother Gagliano and his people in a great way. If you live within driving distance, you will find South Haven Baptist Church a good place for you and your family.

After the service, we made the hour drive back to Murfreesboro—rejoicing together in the goodness of the Lord we had enjoyed all day long at South Haven Baptist Church.

North Coast Sword Conference, Erie, Pennsylvania, Grace of Calvary Baptist Church

Early on Monday (August 9), I was up and to the office, had my hour’s devotions, answered some mail, spoke at staff devotions at 7:00 and met with several of the staff briefly on key matters. Betty picked me up at 8:00 and drove me to the Nashville airport where I caught a nonstop flight to Cleveland. At Cleveland, I got a rental car and drove the 110 miles to Erie, Pennsylvania.  Arriving at midafternoon, I napped briefly, dressed, met Evangelist Lou Rossi in the lobby, and we went together to the church.

This was my 15th consecutive year to be at Grace of Calvary Baptist Church for a Sword of the Lord Conference. The tri-state (Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania) preacher’s fellowship is always a big part of the meeting. This year we had our largest group of preachers (51) we’ve ever had and also the strongest attendance overall.

Dr. George Alquist does a very thorough job of getting everything ready. He knows how to get things promoted and organized. His people are very much involved in helping him too. They have a vision for the tri-state area, and they have a heart for the men of God and their families who serve there.

Brother Rossi did a great job preaching both nights. With the music and the fellowship setting the stage, he and I felt good liberty when we stood to preach. You could not miss the spiritual electricity in the service. The people responded to the Lord’s appeal, and the altars filled as a result.

If you live in the Ohio, Pennsylvania, Ontario or New York areas—anywhere along the “north coast” (Lake Erie)—I sure hope you will mark the dates of August 8–9, 2011, and plan to be at Grace of Calvary Baptist Church for the next meeting. It is a strong, vibrant and exciting regional Sword of the Lord Conference.

Five of the men in the tri-state fellowship attended the National Sword of the Lord Conference in July. It was the first time for four of them. Reportedly, they and others are coming next year. Amen!

Sunday at White House, Tennessee, Berean Baptist Church

It’s true! There is a White House in Tennessee! It’s a town just twenty minutes northeast of downtown Nashville.

And it is there at White House, Tennessee that Pastor Joe Lang and the Berean Baptist Church are getting things rolling.

Brother Lang worked here with us at the Sword of the Lord for 3 years before accepting the pastorate at Berean 22 months ago. The church was averaging about a dozen each Sunday at that time. Attendance is already running about 100, and on this Sunday it was 126.

There is a good work in progress there. Already they have a good, vibrant music program. The spirit of the church is strong with an obvious joy and expectancy.

The pastor has our Sword Soul Winner’s Club now in operation. Even though just a few people have been involved so far, they are leading people to Christ, and others are waiting to start training in the next session.

I taught Sunday school and preached the 11:00 a.m. service. We had a blessed day as the people received both messages eagerly.

We enjoyed a wonderful meal with the Langs before making our way back across Nashville to Murfreesboro.

In a follow-up note, Pastor Lang said:

We will start our second round of the Sword Soul Winners’ Club training this week. One man brought his seven-year-old son into the meetings on the first round, and he has already led two neighborhood friends to Christ.

One of the better decisions I made as a new pastor was to order a bundle of 15 SWORDS, and they began to disappear the first day we put them out. Now we receive bundles of 25.

Our church library is filled with Sword books for anyone to take home, which have helped our families.

Thank you for the influence that the Sword ministry has at Berean Baptist Church with each issue and publication.

Brother Lang is happy, and his people are happy! They are working together to do a work there. You’ll like what you find at Berean Baptist Church of White House, Tennessee.

Frederick Baptist Church, Frederick, Maryland Good Sunday

Pastor John Seay came to Maryland a year ago after serving on staff with Dr. Fugate in Lexington, Kentucky for 10 years. There was a full sense of anticipation and excitement as the people gathered on this Sunday in mid-August. Frederick Baptist Church and its pastor are working together to win souls and make an impact in this great area.

The city of Frederick (population approximately 60,000) and Frederick County (population approximately 250,000) must be considered one of Maryland’s prime areas. The church has a 7-acre campus located just off of Route 340 on Mt. Zion Road in the western part of the city.

There are several people in the church that I knew from my days in Westminster (40 miles away).

The pastor had prepared the church for my coming, and they received me warmly. I gave a Sunday school lesson on soul winning and preached morning and evening. Each time the altars filled. The pastor baptized on Sunday morning too.

Just recently they brought a youth pastor on board. A new baby grand piano is on order, and the buildings are getting new paint, etc.

Along with those things, they are giving full attention to the outreach and the shepherding of the church family.

It looks to me like these folks are serious about their “Jerusalem,” and I believe the days ahead are going to demonstrate that clearly.

We got a couple dozen subscriptions and sold all the books I took.

Truly the Lord blessed us with a good weekend at Frederick Baptist Church. If you live in the area or are moving there, you’ll want to check it out.

Soul-Winning Rally, Lakecrest Baptist Church, Waterford, Michigan

The Worldwide Soul-Winning Campaign (founded by my friend, the late Valentino Mendez) is now conducted by his son, Pastor Lawrence Mendez (Open Door Baptist Church, Detroit) and by Evangelist John Hamblin.

In recent times, the campaign has been kicked off with a Soul-Winning Conference hosted by the Lakecrest Baptist Church in Waterford, Michigan (north Detroit suburb) where Dr. Marc Dalton is the pastor.

The speakers this year were Dr. Norris Belcher, Dr. Jon Jenkins, Dr. Hamblin, Dr. Mendez and myself. Pastor Lonnie Moore led the music and did the special music.

Lakecrest is a strong work with a soul-winning heart. They turned out in full support of the meetings. The services were alive and challenging. We were all stirred to give our attention to the Lord and His claims upon us.

We will have a report in late September with the soul-winning results from the cooperating churches and individuals.

The idea of the effort is to take this late summer period when churches are typically in a “wait till September” mode and make it a fruitful time.

We are thankful for all who participate and grateful that there will be a lot of folks who will by faith come to Christ because somebody was motivated to win souls in the summertime. Amen!

If you didn’t participate this time, why don’t you mark your calendar for 2011 and be a part of it?

Some Truth, Much Danger!

“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

“Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

“But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.”—II Tim. 3:5,7,13.

Today, these days, are the “last days” (II Tim. 3:1) of which the Scripture gives ample notice. Starting at the time of Christ (Heb. 1:2), they have now stretched out over two full millennia (two thousand years).

The deception that is marketed wholesale these days is an ongoing and escalating dilemma.

“But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.”—II Tim. 3:13.

With even a modest amount of common sense, simple math still adds up to the right total. If you add the Christian’s privilege of spiritual discernment to the mix, even the hard equations can be handled.

But “evil men and seducers… wax worse and worse”! Why is this? Why can they not understand the issues of our day? Why are they openly advocating the wrong things every hour of the day?

The answer is this! They are possessed with themselves! They are unsaved yet! They are denying God His proper place! They reject His moral codes and values!

Consequently, they get almost everything wrong! Note, however, that they have some truth. Perhaps it is a facade, but they will, nonetheless, act religious.

“Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”—II Tim. 3:5.

Furthermore, they will cloak themselves in scholarship, academia and intellectual elitism.

“Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”—Vs. 7.

This is not an indictment against education. It is a warning against the intellectual ivory tower where dialogue and posturing are substituted for embracing the absolutes of God!

Even the very worst offenders will typically offer “some truth,” but it will be contaminated with their bias or peculiar twist on things. It is, therefore, especially dangerous.

Cults and other emissaries of Satan will often use “some truth” as bait.

“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

“Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”—II Cor. 11:13–15.

Tragic are the consequences of falling prey to these demonic strategies.

Salvation depends on “the truth” (John 14:6), not just some truth!

The Christian life requires that we know “sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1,10), not just whatever pleases us.

The Great Commission of Christ cannot be carried forth if we are proclaiming just some truth.

The local church scene quickly gravitates to nothing more than a social club when we are content with just some truth.

Dear sons and daughters of the living Lord, it is for this very reason that we make a major ado about the Word of God, our King James Bible, as the inspired, inerrant (flawless) and infallible Book! With verbal, plenary inspiration (II Tim. 3:16), we have the Lord’s promise to preserve it for us (Ps. 12:6,7).

We must hold His banner high. “Some truth” is a formula for much danger. You and I must not go that route!

Our families, our churches and our country deserve better than that from us.

This and That

With more time in the office during August, I was able to give attention to a lot of things that had been on hold. I also wrote a number of pieces for THE SWORD, completed a Christmas booklet, wrote thank-you notes, answered mail and worked on budget issues.

Although the record summer temperatures have lasted into mid-August, we have had good rains to keep everything alive and green. The crape myrtles alongside our driveway have bloomed twice (early July and again in late August). They have been stunningly beautiful.

As we approached Labor Day, Betty and I took several days off. We went on a couple of short day-trips to visit friends here in the Midsouth. Labor Day weekend, we are going to the Paducah area to visit family and friends.

Included in our time off will be our high school reunion. She and I graduated in the same class and look forward to this event every five years.