Being Still

My brothers invited me to join them and some other family in hiking the Grand Canyon this summer. They have invited me before, but I was never able to work out my schedule to go with them. I can't convey how excited I am at the opportunity. My family took a vacation out west when I was three. So, I have been to the Grand Canyon, but I don't remember it. I'm excited about the chance to do more than see the Grand Canyon; we are going to hike from one side to the other in a single day. On top of that, my youngest son, Nate, is hiking with me.

To hike down and out in a day requires training and preparation. I have been exercising and training with Nate for the past few weeks, but this last Saturday he was not able to join me when I went for a six-mile hike. Hiking with others is great, but sometimes it is nice just being alone. I seldom get chances to do things alone, and I am not complaining about that. I enjoy doing life with others. However, I wonder if I am so busy and with others so much that I neglect that part of my walk with Jesus. So, let's consider a few verses:

I often forget that being still is a command. Psalm 46:10 states, "Be still, and know that I am God." I am commanded to be still. Being still does not mean I am motionless. It is the idea of stilling my heart so I can recognize God's presence with me. This verse is quoted often, but it is important to remember all of Psalm 46. The psalm is filled with statements about trouble, the earth disappearing, mountains falling into the sea, waters roaring and foaming, earthquakes, war, governments falling, and desolation. That sounds quite familiar with what we see on the news. We hear stories of trouble, natural disasters, destruction, war, and nations striving against one another. We are reminded that it is in the chaos of life that we are to still our hearts and know God. How often do we get alone and still our hearts because we desire to know God?

Being still and alone with God are not new concepts. We observe this spiritual discipline in the lives of many prominent Old Testament saints:
"Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp some distance away, calling it the 'tent of meeting.' Anyone inquiring of the Lord would go to the tent of meeting outside the camp....The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend." (Exodus 33:7, 11).

Elijah finds himself alone and depressed when God speaks in a "gentle whisper." (1 Kings 19:12)

In David's most famous psalm, he hints at being alone and still before his Shepherd when he writes, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul." (Psalm 23:1-2)

Being still and alone are modeled by Jesus too:
"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." (Mark 1:35)

"But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." (Luke 5:16)

What did Jesus do before He called the disciples? "One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles." (Luke 6:12-13)

What did Jesus do when he mourned the loss of John the Baptist? "When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place." (Matthew 14:13)

What did Jesus do when the crowds wanted to make Him king? "Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself." (John 6:15)

We often picture Jesus with crowds around Him, and He did spend time with the masses. However, Jesus models for us the importance of getting away from the rat race of life to be alone and still before the Lord. Jesus often got alone to prepare Himself for what was next. When I was alone on my hike, I was once again reminded of how great and spectacular my God is. I was also reminded of how small I really am, and yet my God loves me and is concerned for me.

Being alone and still is a time to be rejuvenated, restored, and refreshed in our souls. It is a time to remember who God is and who I am. It is a time where I am reminded that He is with me and for me. It is a time to know Him and still my soul to clearly hear His voice. Will we have the discipline to be still and know He is God?

In Christ,
Mark Smith, Pastor of FBC Jacksonville, AR

Commands or Traditions

A couple of months ago a close friend recommended a book by Francis Chan titled, "Letters to the Church." I enjoy his writings because they are simple, direct, and challenge me (often in ways I don't want to be challenged). After reading Chapter Three, I put the book down because I knew our staff needed to read through the book together and discuss it. I want to share with you a few of the concepts mentioned in Chapter Three and give you a glimpse into what the staff discussed in response.

In order to set the stage, let me share with you a quote from that chapter, "He [Jesus] expects to find His Church taking His commands seriously. Yet far too often we are more concerned with how well the sermon was communicated, whether the youth group is relevant enough, or how to make the music better. Honestly, what is it that gets people in your church stirred up for change? Is it disobedience towards commands from God? Or is it falling short of expectations that we have made up? The answer to these questions might just show us whether our church exists to please God or please people--whether God is leading our church or we are."

Wow! You might want to read that a few more times. This is exactly what the religious leaders of Jesus' day had done. They supplanted the commands of God with their own traditions. They were more passionate with their own man-made rules than the commands of God. So, our staff took some time to create two lists. The first list are some of the commands (not optional) in Scripture. These are actual commands in Scripture. By the way, neither list is exhaustive, and we took about three to five minutes for each list. The second list are some traditions (not optional). These are things expected in church that are not commands in Scripture. This does not mean they are bad. They are simply optional because they are not commands. Here is our brief list, and I would encourage you to take time with some friends or your spouse to come up with your own list:

Commands (not optional)                                         Traditions (optional)
make disciples                                                          dressing up
love others                                                                time of day (schedule)
bear with one another                                               hymns/style of music
minister to orphans & widows                                   instrument types
forgive others                                                            Bible translations
carry each other's burdens                                       architecture/buildings
pray                                                                           pews
sing/worship in spirit & truth                                      age group ministries
study/read Scripture                                                  potlucks
take Lord's Supper                                                    Sunday night worship
baptism                                                                      Wednesday worship (prayer meeting)
tithe                                                                           Sunday School
evangelism                                                                order of service
go                                                                              bulletin
go extra mile                                                              programs
hospitality                                                                  entertainment
use spiritual gifts                                                       special events (egg hunt, fall festival, etc.)
obey 10 commandments                                           choir
show grace & mercy                                                  donuts & coffee
be a living sacrifice                                                     committees
be holy                                                                       majority voting
be an example                                                           steeples
                                                                                   paid staff
                                                                                   denominational hierarchy

Now, let's have some fun with these lists and ask some probing questions. In the leader's guide, Chan asks questions in response to these lists that I want you to think through personally and for our church. What do you give more time, money, and energy toward? Do you get more upset if we aren't taking things on the command side seriously or if we aren't taking things on the tradition side seriously? By the way, let's be honest in our response.

I don't want to share everything that was said in our staff meeting, but I want to highlight a couple of comments that were made and some of my personal thoughts. Also, remember that the traditions are not inherently bad. However, they are not commands either. First, we felt like our church spends more of its time, money, and energy towards the traditions. One person commented that maybe we do the traditional things in an attempt to fulfill the commands. I can buy that. For example, Sunday School was created as a tool for evangelism. Potlucks are an attempt at creating fellowship. But we need to remember that it is the command that is the most important; not the tradition.

This leads to the second thing I want to discuss. People get more upset with the traditions being messed with. Does it personally bother you that you haven't intentionally made a disciple? Are you convicted that you haven't shared the gospel with anyone lately? What about ministering to orphans and widows? How does your life model "going"? When was the last time we baptized someone? Does that really bother you and make you upset?

Now, let me ask how you would respond if we, the leadership in the church, announced that we were going to cancel your favorite program? Would you be upset? What if we said we were not going have a choir anymore? What if we said we were going to change our governmental structure and not allow members to vote anymore? (By the way, when they voted in Scripture they got it wrong.) What if we quit printing bulletins? Let's be honest. People are more passionate about traditions. Someone posted on social media a couple of weeks ago that it wasn't right that our church had Pancakes and PJs for kids on time change Sunday. Wow! I wonder if they are as upset with the fact that lost people are dying without Jesus?

In my years in ministry, I have had people get upset with me about changes. Keep in mind the changes are about tradition and not commands. I have even had individuals make attacking, harmful comments about me on social media. I always wonder why people are not upset with our disobedience to the direct commands of Jesus. Things like going, making disciples, forgiving, abiding in Christ, serving, and using my spiritual gifts. Maybe we are not growing because our traditions mean more to us than the commands of Jesus. What do you think?

Let me leave you with a question by Jesus in Matthew 15:3. "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition?"

In Christ,
Mark Smith, Pastor of FBC Jacksonville, AR

Faith Rewarded

My wife, Shannon, and I have been transitioning into a new phase of life. Over the past year and a half, our two oldest have graduated high school and moved to college. Our daughter graduates in a few months, and our youngest will have completed his freshman year of high school. Honestly, I am filled with mixed emotions. Facebook will show pics on my Timehop that do nothing but thrust memories into my mind that make me long for when they were younger. I even saw a Disney commercial the other day, and I started thinking of our vacation there. I did not cry, but I wanted to. I am just a mess. However, I also find myself celebrating as they live out their faith. As parents, we have tried to teach them how to walk with Jesus, but you never know how they will fly until you push them out of the nest.

I am reminded of Psalm 127:3-5, "Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate." I know to even use the phrase "my children" is incorrect. They are not mine but they belong to the Lord. They are His, and I have been given the blessing of raising God's children. My job has been to raise up God's children and then release them like an arrow. That's scary to think about, and what an incredible responsibility! I know the enemy wants to discourage, tempt, and draw them away, but I have to entrust them to the Lord. Honestly, that is difficult. As a parent, I want to rush in and help, but I know they have to live out their faith and follow Him. I definitely find myself praying for my children now more than ever. I pray God's blessing and favor on them. I pray God protect them, raise them up as leaders, and that He keep them, and their future spouse, pure. God has been faithful.

It has been fun, exhausting, and stressful in recent days to watch them take their own steps of faith. I want to share one brief story of my oldest, Caleb. He completed basic training a little over a year ago, and he was attending a local college. However, the National Guard benefits were better in an adjoining state, and he felt led to move five hours away to another city to attend college. Like many college students, he was trying to figure out financially how everything would work. On top of that, he was trying to transfer to a different military unit and transfer to another school. He was confident this was God's leading, but all the details between finances, school, and military were not coming together. Let's just say we all felt the stress and anxiety.

For me personally, God has often called me to take a step of faith before He works out the details.  Moving my wife and two kids to seminary with no job, a small place to live, and a few bucks in my wallet is just one example. I believe these moments are a test to see how much I really trust Him. As we talked with Caleb, I felt the same thing was happening in his life, but I also know he had to take that step on his own. Faith works that way. Others can't do it for us. Each one of us must take that step and trust when our foot comes down that we will feel solid ground underneath. And that's what happened. Caleb moved, and shortly after he took that step of faith all the details came together. I know in his life it has been a moment he won't forget. It was a moment where God again proved His faithfulness. That's a lesson one only learns from experience, and I'm thankful to see my children walking by faith.

Let me leave you with 2 Corinthians 5:7, "We live by faith, not by sight."

In Christ,
Mark Smith, Pastor of FBC Jacksonville, AR

Building Committee Presentation

Church Family,

In the early Fall of 2017, our church elected a Building Committee to evaluate, research, and recommend the next steps for our church's building plans. This process has been working simultaneously as the Envision 20/20 Stewardship Campaign; which we are a little over a year into. After a great deal of prayer, discussion, visiting other churches, and refining the design, we are ready to report to our church on March 3, at 5pm in the sanctuary. The meeting will consist of the committee sharing a plan with our church, and then we will allow time for questions. This night is not a business meeting where we vote. We simply want to share and give our church time to process and ask questions. The committee will then have follow-up meetings with several smaller groups. After that, we will have another all-inclusive meeting to give everyone one final chance to ask questions. Once done, we will have a business meeting to vote on the steps to be taken.

I do not want to go into great detail here, but I want to share a couple of thoughts to prepare you for the meeting and give you a direction for personal prayer. First, the committee has spent a great deal of time in prayer both together and individually. We visited three churches to see their design, and we took a video tour of another church. We have tried to take into account what they did while focusing on what we believe will work best in our context. During our first meeting, we asked two questions. Why do we need to do this, and what are our greatest needs? We will share those answers during the meeting, but I want you to know that the answers to those questions are what have motivated and shaped what we are going to present. In addition, we looked at the ministries we are doing here regularly. We do not believe it makes sense to let ministries that are outside of our church and use our building to dictate what we do. Neither does it make sense to design a building based on things that happen once a year.

Remember that what is presented is a balance of our greatest needs, a step of faith, and also stewardship of God's resources. Please be in prayer for unity in our church. We know this will be an opportunity for Satan to divide us. So, be in prayer for yourself and our church that we work together through any differing opinions in a Godly manner. Pray for yourself as well that you will be willing to think out-of-the-box, sacrifice personal preference, and honor the Lord with how we steward His resources.

In Christ,
Mark Smith, Pastor of FBC Jacksonville, AR

Something a Little Funny

Laughter. Laughing is one of my favorite things to do; even if it is at myself. Lord Byron has said, "Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine." I'm no Lord Byron, but one of the things I find myself often saying is, "You just have to laugh." People are funny. Sometimes they do/say things that make perfect sense to them. However, when you are on the other side or watching from a distance, it leaves you scratching your head. I can't think of a place this happens more often than in the church.

I love the blog that Thom Rainer writes. Occasionally he will blog about something funny. So, if you click the link below you can read, "20 Really Weird Criticisms Pastors Receive." I hope as you read these, even if you are guilty of saying them, you will laugh a little. I know I did.

20 Really Weird Criticisms Pastors Receive

If you have time, it is worth reading the comments below the blog. Some of it is funny, but in reality most of it is truly sad.

In Christ,
Mark Smith, Pastor of FBC Jacksonville, AR

ONE Theme

The first sermon of every year I preach a celebration sermon. It has stories of the things God has done during the previous year, and I always conclude with goals for the upcoming year. Remembering the past can be healthy, encouraging. Becoming stuck in the past can be dangerous. It is important to remember that God is at work today, and we need to keep our eyes focused on Him, what He is doing, and what He is preparing us for. 

This year, I shared what is called ONE Theme. We are asking individuals in our church to make five commitments centered around the word ONE:

1. Commit to ONE worship service every weekend
We are reminded in Hebrews 10:24-25 the importance of gathering together. The author writes, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." It is important that we gather together for encouragement to prepare us to be sent out again. Plus, it's biblical. You can look up 1 Chronicles 16:23-31 and John 4:24 for further study.

2. Commit to ONE small group (Sunday School or Connect)
Small groups are where deep relationships, discipleship, and fellowship really happen. It worked for Jesus, and if it is the model Jesus used, it would make sense for us to follow that model. Jesus had 12 disciples that he poured Himself into. This model was carried on by the early church in Acts 2:46, "Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts." A couple of other verses that don't mention a small group but give evidence of that type of fellowship are Galatians 6:2 (carrying each other's burdens) and James 5:16 (confessing sin and praying for one another).

3. Commit to ONE place of service
Serving the body of Christ is both biblical and modeled by Jesus. 1 Peter 4:10 states, "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms." We are to use our gifts, talents to serve one another. By doing so, we are being faithful to the Lord. Jesus spoke about serving in Matthew 20:28, "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” The greatest example is in John 13, when Jesus takes the form of a servant to wash the disciples feet (John 13:12-14). How can you follow His model and serve the body of Christ?

4. Commit to  intentionally build ONE relationship with a lost person and share the Gospel
The church was never meant to be inward focused or me-centered. One purpose of the church is to go out, build relationships with those who don't know Christ, and share the Gospel with them. In Luke 15, we read of a lost sheep, lost coin, and a lost son. In the first two stories when something was lost, the person stopped everything to go find the lost item (sheep, coin). In the final story, no one went to find the lost son. Which story describes you the most? Remember what Jesus said in Luke 19:10, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

5. Commit to invite ONE person to church

Jesus was always inviting people. We only get a few chapters into Matthew before we see Jesus inviting the disciples to follow Him, and He invites Himself to eat at Zacchaeus' house. For those who accepted His invitation, it radically changed their lives. We can learn from the example of the woman at the well in Joh 4:28-29, "Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 'Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?'" A few verses later we are told that many believed because of her testimony. Let us remember the power of invitation. When we invite people to church, we are ultimately inviting them to meet Jesus.

In Christ,

Mark Smith, Pastor of FBC, Jacksonville, AR

What Impacts My Prayer Life

I realized a couple of months ago that it had been a year since I last posted. I made up my mind I wanted to begin again in January and to make this blog one of my goals for 2019. The simple goal is to be more consistent in posting. I am posting today because I had several ask me about the list I read in yesterday's sermon about things that can impact my prayer life. I wanted to post that here for any who want to look it over. I admit that these verses came from several places. Some are ones I knew and others came as a result of a google search. So, here it is, and I hope it is helpful:

·         1 Peter 3:7 – Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

o   How you treat your spouse

·         Psalm 84:11 – For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.

o   Disobedience

·         Ephesians 3:20 – Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us

o   God has something more

·         Isaiah 55:8 – “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.

o   Wants you to wait…not right time (God’s timing)

·         James 4:3 – When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

o   Wrong motives

·         Micah 3:4 – Then they will cry out to the Lord, but he will not answer them. At that time he will hide his face from them because of the evil they have done.

o   Sin/evil

·         1 John 5:14-15 – This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

o   Not according to God’s will

·         Isaiah 59:2 – But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

o   Unconfessed sin

·         Proverbs 28:9 – If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable.

o   Rebellion/Continuous life of sin

·         Proverbs 21:13 – Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.

o   Close ears to needy

·         John 15:7 – If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

o   Out of fellowship with God

·         Psalm 121:7 – The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life;

o   God could be protecting you from danger

·         Matthew 21:22 – If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.

o   Doubt ability of God

·         James 4:6 – But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposed the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

o   Pride

·         Matthew 6:5 – And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.

o   Hypocritical prayer for attention

·         Mark 11:25 – And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

o   You won’t forgive others

·         1 Corinthians 10:31 – So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

o   Sometimes God says no to bring Him glory

·         Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

o   God wants you to depend and trust in Him more