Where You Go, I Go (Ruth 1)
A famine drove Elimelech and his family from Bethlehem into Moab, but the refuge they sought soon became a place of profound loss. After the deaths of her husband and two sons, Naomi returned home bitter and empty. Yet Ruth refused to abandon her, declaring that Naomi’s people would be her people and Naomi’s God would be her God.
Ruth 1 reminds us that we cannot see the fullness of God’s plan. What appeared to be hopeless ruin was already becoming the setting for God’s gracious provision and redemptive purpose. Trusting God’s sovereignty does not mean knowing how everything will turn out. It means obeying Him before we know the outcome.
Suffering may tempt us to flee from God, blame Him, or pursue relief outside His will. Instead, suffering should drive us toward the Lord in repentance, surrender, and renewed trust. Our circumstances do not diminish God’s power, alter His character, or prevent Him from accomplishing His purposes.
Ruth’s faithfulness in disappointment points us to the faithfulness of God. Even when circumstances appear bleak, we can remain faithful to our calling because God is always faithful to His Word.
More sermon resources:
Enhance your sermon engagement with this comprehensive 3-page study resource and listening guide for "Love One Another" on 1 John 3:11-18.
How does salvation change your relationship to sin? It is possible to confess Christ with your lips while making room for sins you have grown accustomed to excusing. In 1 John 3:4–10, the apostle John calls the church to take sin seriously. Sin is lawlessness, a rejection of God’s rightful rule. How you relate to and respond to sin reveals the genuineness of your salvation.
In Free from Sin, Ben Smith explains why the Son of God appeared to take away sins and destroy the works of the devil. John’s words call believers to examine how they respond when they sin and to take heart in what Christ has done for them. Those who have been born of God still struggle with sin, but Christ has broken its power over them and given them new life as children of God.
Enhance your sermon engagement with this comprehensive 3-page study resource and listening guide for "Free From Sin" on 1 John 3:4-10.
Church Bylaws and Parliamentary Consulting
Clear governing documents help a church carry out its ministry with consistency and care. When responsibilities are unclear, provisions no longer reflect present ministry, or meeting procedures are confusing, leaders can spend valuable time trying to determine what should happen next.
I help churches, associations, and nonprofit organizations examine their documents and address practical questions about how they conduct their work. Drawing on my pastoral leadership experience and work with church governing documents, I offer thoughtful review, parliamentary guidance, and written recommendations tailored to your organization’s needs and stated convictions.
How I can help
Review constitutions, bylaws, and policies for clarity, internal consistency, and practical ministry concerns.
Identify outdated provisions and discuss changes that support present ministry while respecting the organization’s beliefs and duly adopted rules.
Help committees organize a new document or revision project and develop proposed language within an agreed, permissible consulting scope.
Prepare meeting scripts for association moderators, church moderators, presidents, and chairpersons.
Help frame motions clearly and plan the parliamentary steps needed to consider them.
Assist clerks and meeting secretaries with preparing, submitting, and correcting minutes.
Research other parliamentary questions and explain recommendations in a written report.
Present findings to designated representatives or, by separate arrangement, to the full church or organization.
Begin with an initial consultation
The $75 initial consultation includes a 45-minute phone or video meeting and up to 15 minutes to review your intake answers and prepare a brief written next-step summary. We will discuss your needs, identify the relevant documents, and determine whether a focused service or a larger project is appropriate.
Detailed document review, substantive research, drafting, and presentations are quoted separately. You will receive the scope, fee, and anticipated schedule before additional work begins. Purchase starts the scheduling process; it does not reserve a particular appointment time. I will contact you within two business days to arrange our conversation.
About Ben Smith
I am a pastor with more than 25 years of pastoral leadership experience and a member of the National Association of Parliamentarians. My consulting focuses on practical ministry needs, clear documents, and orderly decision-making. I do not hold the Registered Parliamentarian credential.
This service provides ministry and parliamentary consulting, not legal advice or a legal compliance opinion. Legal drafting and questions about legal rights or obligations must be handled by qualified counsel. Your organization retains responsibility for its decisions and for adopting any proposed changes through the proper process.
The promise of Christ’s return raises a searching question: Can we stand before Him with confidence when nothing will be hidden from His judgment? For those who belong to Christ, the gospel provides lasting hope. Through His saving work, those who were once enemies of God have become His children, welcomed into His presence and assured of His love. This hope changes both how we anticipate eternity and how we live today.
In this expository sermon on 1 John 2:28–3:3, Ben Smith explains three ways abiding in Christ transforms believers: it gives lasting hope, produces confidence in love, and creates a desire for holiness. The sermon distinguishes righteousness as the evidence of regeneration from human efforts to earn salvation, encouraging Christians to rest in the Father’s love, trust His promises, and grow in likeness to Christ.
Enhance your sermon engagement with this comprehensive 3-page study resource and listening guide for "Confident as Children" on 1 John 2:28-3:1.
How can the church endure when hostility is great and discouragement abounds? False teachers confuse the gospel, cultural Christianity offers false assurance, and the departure of those who once professed faith brings heartbreak to the church. In Enduring the Last Hour, 1 John 2:18–27 speaks directly to these concerns, calling believers to recognize those who oppose Christ and trust the provision God has made for His people.
Through careful exposition and pastoral application, this sermon examines the reality of antichrists, the difference between true saving faith and an empty profession, and the gracious work of the Holy Spirit in preserving believers in the truth. John’s warnings call the church to discernment, while his assurances direct our confidence to the Savior who knows and keeps all who are His. The church endures by the power of God alone.
Enhance your sermon engagement with this comprehensive 3-page study resource and listening guide for "Endure the Last Hour" on 1 John 2:18-27.
The world continually competes for our love, tempting us to devote our time, attention, possessions, and lives to things that cannot last. Although salvation transforms what Christians love, believers must remain watchful against sinful desires, rebellious thoughts, and arrogant pride.
This expository sermon from 1 John 2:15–17 explains what it means not to love the world or the things of the world. John calls believers to give their hearts to what God loves, guard against worldly temptation, and devote their strength to God's eternal will.
A church can be friendly on Sunday morning and still overlook a brother or sister in need. John calls believers to love one another in deed and in truth. How we respond when a fellow believer needs our help reveals what the gospel has done in us.
In this expository sermon on 1 John 3:11–18, Ben Smith explains why Christians are commanded to love one another and how Jesus Christ teaches us to love by laying down His life for us. John moves from Cain’s hatred to Christ’s sacrifice and calls believers to give practical help, speak the truth in love, and care for one another even when it costs them something.