You don't need an education wisdom is not some academic thing wisdom is a spiritual thing
That can only become from one source and that's from god himself
And god the bible says if any man lack wisdom
Let him ask of god who giveth to all men liberally and the bread is not me
And if you want a boatload of wisdom
God will just dump it right on you won't even ask for won't even ask for an invoice or receipt won't even ask for a tip
He'll just give it right to you as much as you want and you can have it and stop living a foolish life
You can make your life count for god the harvest is plenteous
But the laborers are few so we're just uh praying the lord would bless our ministry and he has and we're thankful for that
And so we're looking forward to do many more good years of videos and ministry and uh, just doing all that for the lord
So that's basically who we are what we're doing
Amen brother smith. How did you get into preaching god's word? What made you decide to go ahead and preach the bible?
So
Well, uh when I was 18 I got saved and you know, I was listening to preaching tapes
I mean I was just consumed with bible and just trying to study the word of god
And do everything I could to please the lord of my life
I was just so excited that god would save me and then the idea that you know
My life had purpose now my future was secure, but now my present made sense
And uh, so I told the lord I said lord i'll do anything you want me to do anything anywhere any anyhow
Whatever you want me to do lord. I really surrendered my life to christ
and uh the lord called me to preach and I just I just felt like if if I did not
Become a preacher
Then I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I just knew that's what god wanted me to do
And so I decided I if i'm gonna be a preacher i'm gonna have to study the word of god
And I went to bible college not long after and found my wife and we got married of course after bible college
And uh, but I just I believe
That the bible has the answer and i'm not looking for the truth
I'm looking in the truth in my copy of the word of god
And I I don't have any gimmicks. I don't have any cute sayings. I don't have anything that can change your life
But I have a book that can change your life and have a book that has all the answers
I don't have the answers but that book does and I can point you to that book and so
I think the greatest service that a man can do to his community to his nation to his country to his state
Really to the world is to just tell people what the word of god actually says
And that's really it. I mean there's so many people looking to make a difference in the world with their life. Well, I mean
Why is the bible not ever brought into that equation and I think god's word not only does it have the answer?
I think it is the answer and so I don't have anything interesting to tell you
The only thing I can tell you is that i'm a nobody who who met christ
And that bible tells me all about who he is and I want the world to know him
So that's really why I preach the bible. I don't have the answer but the bible does and I want you to know it
So
There's this mindset we get into where it's like a tug of war of my my religion is better than your religion and
and in a sense, that's true, of course, but um,
You know when i'm standing in the streets of nairobi and I talk to a muslim man
I I don't really have any different angle than I would if I was walking across the street from my house here in kentucky
Talking to a neighbor. Uh, the issue is sin and it's not really you know
You're a muslim or a buddhist or a hindu or a catholic or whatever. The issue is your sin
And and the only there's only one person who can cleanse and forgive sin and that's the lord. Jesus christ
It's not krishna. It's not buddha. It's not allah. It's not muhammad. It's not uh, finding nirvana
It's it's none of that stuff. It's not even the pope
Uh, no man can cleanse sin
And I think even the pharisees even acknowledged that when they were scoffing at the lord. Jesus healing people
No, man can cleanse sin, but jesus can
and so the first approach that I take is convince them that they are a sinner that they do have sin and use the
Ten commandments of course to do that and convince them that
They have sin and that they are wicked and unjust before god
And then I I use that to bring them to the idea that there is a savior who can cleanse you from your sin
and he can
Wash your sins away and and and and forgive you and justify you and make you a child of god
Uh, john 112 that as many as received him to them gave you power to become the sons of god even to them to believe
on his name
And so really that's the angle I have for everybody that really that's just the only angle that the gospel has
um, you know, i'm not trying to uh,
I'm I'm there there's a fine line really and a lot of people go out there
We'll say we're trying to trying to get these people to repent of islam and come to jesus
Well, no, it's really it's that's not really what we're trying to do
We're trying to convince people that they're in sin
And the holy spirit's job is to convince people of sin righteousness and judgment to come
And uh, and I don't want to miss under people misunderstanding me
I mean islam is a false religion and there is no forgiveness of sin in islam and even they'll admit that
But what we're trying to do is convince folks you're a sinner and you need a savior
And the only savior is jesus christ, and that's really the only angle I have. I don't have any special, you know
Angle with anybody else. That's really it
And can I be honest with you church? Can I give you my honest assessment? I have a perspective in this
I'm, i'm not an old man. I'm not an elder but i'm telling you today in america
We have got church after church after church after church after church after church
That are as dead as a hammer
And they're not doing anything for god. They're not passing out gospel tracts. They're not witnessing the people. They're not running tent campaigns
They're not evangelizing people. They're not running bus routes. They're not doing anything for god. They're not trying to get people saved
They're not going out with gospel tracts and trying to witness the folks on their streets trying to tell people have me saved. They're dead
When I see people I I I I did a seminar in rock music a few months ago
And I found out that there's people that are like maryland manson that are rock music junkies in this
In this country and ozzy osborne and all kinds of junk like that. They've they've grown up and given their lives to satan
But you know what?
They can't there was a day
Go where ozzy osborne was a little boy that probably could have been picked up on a bus route
And probably been taken to a church and could live for god on this very day
Marilyn manson at one point was a little boy that could have been raised for god and could have been reached at an early age
With the gospel of jesus christ, but because a bunch of people fled the harvest and didn't stand
Where god whether for god where they're supposed to they fled and left the philistines have the harvest because of that
We've got a bunch of satans in america
I'm sick of this seeing the world dying and going to hell i'm sick of seeing people die without christ
I'm seeing i'm sick of seeing families ruined by all kinds of wicked sin
I'm sick of families being ruined by immorality and teenagers going to the devil
I'm sick of seeing kids living their life for satan
I'm sick of people dying in the mission field having never heard one time about how to be safe
I'm tired of all that stuff and i'm gonna stand for god
And as long as there's breath in my body as long as there's power in my legs to stand
I'm gonna stand for god and you ain't getting this harvest
I'm talking about i'm leaving the lentils for the last time i'm sick of it. I'm sick of it
I'm sick of it. I'm sick of it. I'm sick of it. I am sick of it
I knew I felt like preaching tonight. I am sick of it and as long as i'm alive
It don't happen anymore
Hey, yes, sir
Preaching time in the house of god tonight. I think I need a little water. Hang on a second
You know, i've got family members that are not saved and I see them every now and then and
I when I got saved I had family members that told my parents that I don't ever see him again. And so
Um, that was that was fun
Um, but I do have family members that I see that are that are not saved and
the approach that I try to take with them is uh, you know,
It a lot of them are older than me. And so, you know to them
I'm, just some snotty nose little kid, even though i'm a grown man with my family
Uh, they think i'm just some snotty nose kid who doesn't know anything and they they remember me when I was a you know
A little toddler. So why would they ever take any advice from me?
Uh, that's the disadvantage I would have with some of these people, uh, but I try to love them try to be kind and uh,
Try to tell them the truth. Um, I
With family, it's not like you're seeing you're just passing crossing paths with somebody in the street, you know, you'll never see them again
with family
You you'll you know, if the lord terry's is coming and if everybody aside from something tragic happening, you know
You'll see them every now and then and I try to give them some literature to read
I want you to take this track once you check this out read this
Um, and then i'll see you in a few months and we'll you know, if I give you something at thanksgiving
I'll see you at christmas and uh and try to try to do it that way. Um, I try not to
Especially like a family setting we're sitting there. Everybody's carving turkey around thanksgiving dinner
Uh, just put them on the spot like that and embarrass them. I try to be tactful and respectful, uh to these people
But uh, you know family
I think the best testimony you can do the best witness you can have with your family is living a changed life
My family knew who I was before I came to christ and they know who I am now
And they see that there's a difference now
They might not understand why but they cannot they they cannot explain it, but they can't deny it either
I'm a different person now and that is the best testimony that your lost family can get
Is the evidence of a changed life
And if you can't show that to them
Then you're probably never going to win them oftentimes I would suggest a lot of people are at their worst when they're around their family
And it shouldn't be that way. So the changed life I think is probably the number one thing
That can be used to win your very family to jesus christ
What can I tell you that we ought to try to reach?
Undesirable people
We ought to try to reach people that we don't like
Can I tell you that um in november of 2001?
There was a public school kid that walked into a church peach field babish church in swanee, georgia. He was 18 years old
He was a he was a teenage drunk
his his
His clothes smelled of cigar smoke and he uh, he was listening to heavy metal music pulling into the church parking lot
and he walked into that church and he
Smelled like a furnace and he was he was out of his mind living in sin teenage drunk
And and those people of that church
They they they shook his hand and they hugged him and they loved him
And they bought him suits and they bought him a bible and they told him that jesus loved him and they they sang
They preached the truth to him. Amen. They told him they told him they told him how it was where he was
Amen
And tried to love him and tried they divided this boy over to their house and and this guy was out of his mind
He was crazy, but can I tell you this young guy got right with god and that young guy's preaching to you today
He did
And can I tell you you need to learn to see what people could be not what they are right now
They said there was a master sculptor years ago and he would walk up to a piece of rock
They they'd say he would just he would buy a big big gigantic
15 ton rocks and and he'd walk up to a rock and he'd look at it and say you know what?
Uh, that's not the one he said that one right there. That's the one I could just I can see it
It's it's going to be beautiful
And the guy that was loading up the rock to him said, you know, you said this rock's gonna be beautiful
He said how do you say that? It's just a rock man. It's just it's it's just a piece of stone
And the artist said, you know, I don't I see what it is now
But i'm seeing more than i'm seeing what it's going to be when i'm finished with it
And can I tell you that's what you need to see when you see people that you don't like people that are drunk on your job
You know, there's people that there's people that you work with that are
Monsters that could if you would just get a burden for them and go get them saved
They could be some of the best church members that this church has ever seen
But you got to learn to see what they could be not what they are right now
It's hard to nail it down because there's so much good in the bible
But I think my life versus philippians 3 12 not as though i'd attained either already made myself perfect
But I follow after if I might apprehend that for which i'm apprehended
of christ's jesus
And that's really my life's goal is just to do the will of god apprehend that for which i've been apprehended
God saved me for a purpose and I want to fulfill that purpose
And do whatever god wants me to do with my life and that's that's really all life means to me man
Just you know, i'm just i'm just a steward here. Just just uh managing
The time and the talents that god's given me and trying to use them to bring a return to my master when he comes
and i'll actually be preaching on that on wednesday night and uh
I you know
To me that's really about it joy and serving jesus and doing the will of god and so philippians 3 12 has become
Really has become my life motto
um, you know, i've also recently in the past few years, uh, the lord has
Brought out my mind and clarified so beautifully to me
The importance of bible doctrine standing for doctrine standing for truth
Um, you know if any if any man have any other form of doctrine mark that man have no fellowship with him
Um, you know adorning the doctrine the you know, and there's so much
Uh, just go search the word doctrine people in the in the new testament. They heard jesus teach they were astonished at his doctrine
And so that's why we've made the motto of our channel doctrine matters because it does
and uh, so
Really, you know, it's hard for me just to nail it down to one little passage
but those are some of the things the lord's working in my heart here in recent years and um,
And like I said, i'm i'll be preaching this wednesday at our church on stewardship
And stewarding your life and I have I I used to say this a lot. I don't
The lord's corrected me on it. I used to say I don't want to waste my life. I don't want to waste my life
But I found out it's not my life. It is the life that god gave me to steward
And there's a big difference there
so i'm gonna be preaching on that on wednesday night at our church and that's just something that the lord's working in my heart and
Life and and uh in recent history and uh, but it's very important that we stay in the bible study the bible
And let the lord cleanse us through the word of god. I say you have no sin
Uh, you see yourselves and the truth is not in you
And so, uh as you read the bible you come more and more acquainted with your sins and how wicked you are
and some people say well that sounds like a bad thing to do or no, it's a great thing to do because
the more the the the more
Depraved and wicked you realize you are the more
You realize you need the lord
And when you need the lord
That's when you start reaching out to him and that's when he starts reaching out to you
You know draw nigh to god and he'll draw nigh to you. That's when you start fellowshiping with the lord
And uh, and that's that's when life really starts becoming worth living and that's the life that I want to live
But you can't do it without uh walking the word of god you have to have that time in the word of god
And as you get in that word of god and the word of god gets into you that's when you find out
that uh boy
Life is really worth living when it's living for the lord
They keep asking me who do you listen to and who do you recommend?
And I say well I you know, I may give them a handful of people and they say well
You don't like this guy and i'll say well he believes this
And i'll quote off and it doesn't matter what it could be it could be the man believes in the flying spaghetti monster
I mean he could it could be anything insane way out there, whatever and you know what people say
But I like him
I like him
Did you really think that satan was going to put a man behind pulpit preach heresy and have that man be a jerk
Satan polishes up his product real well
Yeah
I'm gonna tell you something. You know how you know how you can know the difference between a charlatan and a real man of god
A charlatan does this all the time
That's what they do you ever watched joel osteen the body language of joel osteen is almost just gross
Yeah
There's people on broadway saying he needs to tone it down, you know
I mean lord have mercy crazy
That's how a false teacher looks like
But a real man of god looks something like this
Hey, give me a preacher that acts like hulk hogan over a preacher acts like peewee herman any day of the week. Amen
I look like that. I want I want him to judge me with his judgy finger all the time. That's what I want. Amen
Praise god, that's what bible preaching is. It's this it's reproving and rebuking and exhorting. Amen. That's what it is
As far as music the you know, I I would tell folks it really it's not even about music
It's about the very character nature of who god is
And uh, you know whether you like it or not music is a language music is not neutral
It's not amoral and if music was amoral
Then why did they not play like swedish death metal in an elevator? Okay, that's that's the classic line. I always use with that
But it's really more about the character of who god is
And uh for for more understanding on that I would encourage your audience to go watch our third atom documentaries
Because we lay all that out
From an angle that I don't hear anybody else talking about and I think the angle that we've we've given is very helpful
And I think a lot of people would be benefited from that. So go watch our documentaries third atom
We got one two three and three extended cuts what we called three x so go check those out and that'll be a blessing to you
People don't get hurt by
preachers
They get hurt by unqualified men standing in the place of a pastor
I'm going to say that again because I want you to get that people don't get hurt by a preacher
they get hurt by an unqualified man pretending to be a preacher a
Real man of god and a shepherd is not immoral
He's not dragging a church through a scandal and he ain't going around abusing people
He's a good man a gentle man
He's a kind man a godly man
Godly man, and by the way, let me say also people are not getting bad doctrine from a real preacher either
A lot of people say well i'm not in a denomination
I just believe in jesus and and you know as if that was some sort of you know, good thing really that's that's
that's not how any of this works and
Uh words mean something and the word methodist means something the word baptist means something and the word catholics means something
That's like going to the voting booth and say well i'm not i'm just going to vote for whoever it doesn't matter
Democrat republican libertarian green party i'm just going to vote for whoever because none of those labels mean anything. Well, yes, they do
they mean everything and uh, and so
I here's you know
I'm i'm not saying the independent fundamental baptist is is like the end-all be-all of everything. Well,
Let me explain to you why I say that uh, why I believe i'm an independent fundamental baptist
Of course, i'm an independent because I don't think that the new testament church was anything but an independent church
I don't see a convention in the bible. I don't see a universal catholic church in the bible
I see a group of independent churches who are independent operated independent funded and indigenous
They're they're autonomous they're self-governing they can make their own decisions scattered throughout the the word of god
That's what I see
So because of that I model myself after that as an independent
I'm a baptist because I believe in what what are often referred to as baptist distinctives and there's acronym b-a-p-t-i-s-t
Uh believers baptism is the is the b and the authority of the scriptures
Uh, the two ordin uh, let's see, uh, priesthood of believers is the p the t is the two ordinances you have
baptism and the lord's supper, uh, the i I forget I think the i b-a-p-t-i-s, uh stands for
I forget what the i stands for but uh
There's the s which is separation of church and state and then there's a there's another t which is two offices
Okay, so there's baptist
Uh, and and there's there's much more to it than that, of course
But I'm just trying to give you a brief overview but I I believe that a a person
When they get saved they need to be baptized after salvation. I don't believe in infant baptism
That's why i'm not a lutheran lutherans practice infant baptism
They believe that's like the the new testament equivalent of old testament circumcision to which
That logical leap. I don't know where they got that but they didn't get it from the word of god and for proper
Harmonitics and exegetical interpretation of the scriptures that is for sure and covenant theology is part of all that as well
So I I don't believe in infant baptism. So i'm an independent meaning i'm not a part of a convention
I'm a baptist which is I get that because of what I believe about church polity and church ordinances
And then i'm a fundamentalist which means that I don't I don't hold hands with uh with heretics
I don't hold hands with men who hold hands with heretics
Uh, for example, uh, you know
Priscilla shire is a woman preacher and priscilla shire goes and preaches for like one of the worst
Heretics alive today joel osteen. Well, even if priscilla shire was doctrinally sound
I wouldn't fellowship with her just for the simple fact that she fellowships with joel osteen. I couldn't I can't do that
So I practice ecclesiastical separation
And that's what fundamentalism is is is the idea of
We're strictly going to stand for what the word of god clearly says and we will not fellowship with those who do not
Um, you know, I I can't fellowship with steven furtick. I I can't fellowship, uh with a I mean you name it
There's a lot of guys out there who fellowship with total false teachers. This is what the
Bible teaches about the new testament church is very important. We get that
This is what the bible teaches about the new testament church what what the character of the true new testament church looks like
They are independent. They are fundamentalist
And they are baptists and so that's why I tell folks it is it's it's very important that you get in
a church that is
properly
Demonstrating the character of the new testament church as outlined by the new testament and in that case, there will be three things
They will be independent. They will be fundamental and they will be baptists
And a lot of people give you some grief over that but that's okay, you know, uh, and I do want to say this too
Matt, I think there are people out there who have taken the name independent fundamental baptists
But they do not properly demonstrate the character
Of that new testament church. They're just basically hijacking terms
And those guys are being marked and avoided and I think they're very dangerous, too
So what we have is we have a website called independent baptist church independent baptist dot church independent baptist dot church
And we have over 5,500 churches on there and we've been able to vet most of them
Although we can't get all of them because sometimes things change a new pastor comes in and he takes the church
The rick warren route progressive and all that stuff. So sometimes that happens. We have to add a few guys take a few guys off
Uh, but that's what we got going on right now
Independent baptist church find a good church on there and uh, some people say well there isn't one in my area
Well pray about moving. That's what I can tell folks. So that's why it matters
Life is too short
To waste your life on this world invest in the eternal things live for god
And uh, really if the bible is the word of god, then it's that's all that matters
But if the bible's not the word of god then nothing really matters
And uh, but the bible is the word of god. And so really that's all that matters in life and I don't care about your
You know
I don't care about your money. I don't care about your fame. I don't care about nothing
I just I want you walking with god and really at the end of your life when you're laying on your deathbed
That's all that matters. Did I you know the old him? I wonder have I done my best for jesus?
and uh if you can find the will of god for your life
And fulfill that
Calling then you will have found what life is all about
It's there's it's just that simple and a lot of people miss it because of how simple it is
Life is about finding and fulfilling the will of god for your life. And if you'll do that
Then you will live a life worth living
But if you don't you can be out there, you know
chasing
Nonsense and chasing vanity and chasing shadows and you waste your life. I don't want that for you
So find and do the will of god and thank you brother matt for this interview. I appreciate you so much man
And I appreciate you guys. Let me come on and god bless you
But I ain't got much room for a man coming into the church and saying let's let's sing this song and it's some
Contemporary hill song nonsense and I got much room for a guy coming into a church and say well
You know the king james is just you know, it's the best but but you know
We're not that narrow-minded about the thing, you know
You know, whatever and hey, you know, I I look I got all the room in the world for new converts
But I ain't got no room in the world for false teaching and false doctrine
I ain't got no room in the world for rick warren. I ain't got no room in the world for steven furtick
I ain't got no room in the world
I ain't got no room in the world and no compassion for people that are sending people to hell
The other night the other night we had a live stream
Johnny was in there with me
And we started talking about this new rap christian star came out with a stupid song
And it was it was a christian rap song
It was filled with what think there were things in that song that if I said that right here in this pulpit
Y'all would ask me to sit down
And I probably would never preach again. And this is a christian rap song
And I got up on the live stream and I said this man's an idiot
Amen this man's a false teacher he's and I didn't I didn't have anything nice to say
And people emailed me said you need to be more compassionate
You're not being very loving
Good
This loving thing is is a bunch of nonsense what it is
You know what? This this love thing is it's it is a cop-out for a bunch of cowards who won't call false doctor now
And won't call sin out i'm gonna tell you i'm gonna call if it's sin
It ought to be called sin
If he's a false teacher, he ought to be called a false teacher if he is a if he's a wolf
He ought to be called a wolf and I don't have any compassion for wolves that are attacking sheep. Hallelujah
And if you don't see it that way then you see it wrong hallelujah some of you ain't liking this sermon amen
Amen
I'm telling you there's more at stake here than just music
There's more at stake here than just music and truth be told all of that music pushes you to the foot of the pope