Moravian Baptist Assembly-Brno

17/01/2026

We sure miss everyone! Praying for you!
Praying for a great 2026!!!

27/09/2025

03/08/2024

MY HIDING PLACE

Pastor Thomas Smith

Aug 03, 2024

“Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.” Psalm 32:7

Where do we go when we feel overwhelmed, when life’s pressures seem to be more than we can handle? The world has a variety of responses to that question. Some turn to entertainment as an escape from troubles. Others surround themselves with friends and try to hide in the crowd. Still others rely upon strong drink, illegal drugs, or medication to help them cope with life’s hardships. However, when the noise fades and the friends are gone, the problems remain. There is a better solution. The psalmist said, “Thou art my hiding place.” God is our hiding place. He would have us turn to Him in times of trouble and find His protection to be real.

One of the reasons we all love the Psalms is because the writer spoke of personal trials and fears. In his difficulties, he trusted in the Lord for his help and protection. Slowly read the following verses and notice the examples of his “hiding place.” “The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble” (Psalm 9:9). “For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock” (Psalm 27:5). “Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings” (Psalm 17:8). He knew where to go when his world seemed to come crashing in on him.

God is our Protector. In the Old Testament, He ordered the establishment of cities of refuge for people to flee to for protection. Our refuge is not in a city or a geographic location. He is our Refuge. The world may not understand us, friends may forsake us, and Satan will certainly oppose us. There is a place where we can find rest and refuge. We cannot run away from our problems, or escape all adversities, but we can flee to the one who comforts and preserves us in them. He is our “hiding place.”

In times of trouble, we run to Him. When we are afraid, we hide in Him. When we feel guilty and the accuser of our souls reminds us of our failure, we have a “hiding place.” The songwriter said it this way: “There is a place of quiet rest, Near to the heart of God, A place where sin cannot mo**st, Near to the heart of God.” Let our troubles drive us to the safest and surest place, and may He always be MY HIDING PLACE.

23/07/2024

THE REWARD OF OBEDIENCE

By Pastor Thomas Smith
Jul 23, 2024

“And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee…” Genesis 22:16, 17a

The faith of Abraham is the attribute that he is best known for. By faith, he left his home in Mesopotamia to settle in the Land of Promise. By faith, he and Sarah were blessed with a son when he was one hundred years of age. Then, God commanded Abraham to take his miracle son, Isaac, and offer him for a burnt offering. This is one of the great acts of obedience in the Bible and pictures the sacrifice of God sending His Son to die for our sins. Abraham promptly obeyed, and just prior to his carrying out the order, an angel stopped him and Abraham was directed to offer a ram instead. In referring to Abraham’s obedience, we have a part of God’s response in our text. God said, “because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee.”

There is great reward to those who obey. We will never know the full blessing of God in our lives if we are not willing to obey Him. God’s commands for us are for our good and for His glory. It is always best to obey. Some things are easier to obey than others. Undoubtedly you can think now of many areas in your life where you have been walking in obedience to God. Thank God for that. Whether we recognize it or not, God will certainly bless the obedience of His children. For instance, He said of those who obey Him in tithing, “prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10).

God wants to bless His children, but He will not bless disobedience. Some things are much harder to obey than others. Perhaps, as you read this, you are thinking of such an area where you struggle to obey. It will require much more faith and sacrifice than most other things. Such was the case with Isaac. God was asking Abraham to give what was most precious to him. This is one of the lessons we should remember from this story. The more difficult the act of obedience, the more sure we can be of God’s blessing and reward. Of course, we do not obey just to get a blessing. We obey because we love God and want to please Him, but rewards will come.

28/05/2024

IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME

By Pastor Thomas Smith
May 28, 2024

“Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Matthew 15:7-9

What is it that makes worship true and meaningful, and acceptable to God? Is it when the worship makes us feel good? Is it when our worship appeals to the appetites of the unsaved or unspiritual? Is God obligated to accept any form of worship, simply because it is what we offer? These are questions that should be considered by Christians and church leaders in our self-pleasing society. These questions are also addressed in our text. Jesus rejected the worship of these religious leaders. Jesus said in quoting from Isaiah, “in vain they do worship me.” Their religious activity was vanity.

Could it be that there is much worship today that could be described similarly? Could it ever be that our worship would be categorized as vanity? The word “vain” means “to no purpose.” Their worship was meaningless; it was a waste. Obviously, they considered their worship to be of some purpose, but God did not accept it. He did not accept it because it was offered in hypocrisy. They were not sincere worshippers, but hypocritical worshippers. They were like actors, putting on a show. Jesus said, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” They were acting like they were something that they were not. Their words were declaring something that was not consistent with what was in their hearts.

A lack of sincerity and honesty makes our worship vain. If we would be honest, there are times that we can be just as guilty. If our hearts are not surrendered and we sing “I Surrender All,” that is called hypocrisy. When we sing “I Am Satisfied With Jesus” and we are resisting some area of His will, our worship is not sincere.

Secondly, their worship was in “vain” because they honored the traditions and commandments of men over the Word of God. “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Worship and service that is not based on or in agreement with His Word is not acceptable to God. Our worship should be “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).

11/05/2024

THE FRUIT OF PRIDE

Pastor Thomas Smith
May 11, 2024

“Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.” Proverbs 13:10

This illuminating verse exposes the root cause of the majority of our conflicts. From where does strife and contention spring? What is the source of quarrelling and division? These unfortunate and damaging traits do not flow from meekness and humility, but rather from arrogance and pride. So many contentions in families, friendships, communities, and churches are generally owed to pride.

It is possible that the majority of disputes could usually be prevented or resolved if it were not for the presence of pride. Would it not be wonderful to eliminate, or at least greatly reduce, the contention in our lives? This is very possible if we are willing to pay the price, which is recognizing and repenting of the pride that creates it.

It is pride that causes us to insist on having our way. It is pride that keeps us from admitting our wrong and asking forgiveness. It is pride that refuses to forgive those who have hurt or disappointed us. It is pride that exalts personal agendas and ignores the needs of others. Pride is such a destructive force. It damages or destroys all that fail to treat it as the enemy that it is. Pride blinds us to our own stubbornness and ambition. Pride deceives us about our own selfishness and independence. Relationships are hurt and sometimes permanently broken because of the venomous presence of pride.

If we want to free our lives from contention, we must free our lives from pride. How common it is for us to blame all of our problems on things other than ourselves. Usually the last place we look for the solution to conflict is in the mirror. It is the fault of the other party, or the fault of unfortunate circumstances, or the fault of the society, but seldom is it our fault. Our pride hinders us from seeing our role in contentions.

Even the strife we can find in our own hearts and our relationship to God is sometimes born in our pride. Contention is not only conflict between us and other people. It can also be tension between us and God or inner strife, where we are not at peace with ourselves. Again, pride is at the root of these contentions. Our pride keeps us from surrendering to God and His wisdom, from being willing to say, “Not my will but thy will be done.” To avoid contention, we must humble ourselves and walk humbly with God.

25/04/2024

PREACHING THAT PROFITS

Pastor Thomas Smith
Apr 25, 2024

“And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.” Ezra 6:14

Like anything that is worthwhile, the rebuilding of the temple faced opposition. In an amazing demonstration of God’s sovereign power, Cyrus the king of Persia commissioned the work to begin. When the adversaries of Judah heard that the construction had begun, they sought ways to hinder the work. These enemies were eventually successful in getting the work to stop. What was it that revived the work of building? It was the preaching of Haggai and Zechariah that motivated the workers to continue. Our text gives us this record, “the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo.”

What a testimony to the power and influence of preaching! It was the proclamation of truth that inspired the workers to return to the work and finish the project. Thank God for the way He uses the simple, truthful, and powerful preaching of the Bible. Preaching should stir us to understanding, to commitment, and to action. The idea that preaching should have no noticeable affect on our belief or behavior is foreign to the Scriptures. As a matter of fact, we are warned not to be hearers only, but doers of God’s Word. The purpose of preaching is not to entertain or pacify, but rather to rally our hearts to obedience and service.

How is preaching changing our lives? How is it changing our conduct? We need PREACHING THAT PROFITS. We need preaching that stirs us to repentance and challenges us to obedience. The people of Judah had been discouraged and defeated. Their adversaries were intent on hindering their work. When one method of interference did not succeed, the enemies came with another. We all face similar setbacks in the work of God. At times, you may have wondered if it is worth it to keep striving for the work to go forward. What can help us to stay focused and not lose our focus in times of difficulty? Remain faithful to the preaching services, and let God’s Word stir us to faith and action.

03/04/2024

MAKE US GODS

Apr 03, 2024

“And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.” Exodus 32:1

When the children of Israel became unhappy with their leader, they went to Aaron and said, “Up, make us gods.” How could this be possible? This tendency to create new gods is definitely worth our consideration. On the surface, their actions are shocking. How could they turn away from God and Moses so quickly? How could they be tempted to forsake the living God, after all He had done for them?

The closer we look at their reaction, however, the more we realize it is not all that uncommon. What caused the Israelites to turn to idolatry? They “saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount.” They were displeased with their spiritual leader. They did not approve of Moses’ spending so much time with God. Therefore, the simple solution was to get a new commander and new gods. Herein lies the problem. People want gods and spiritual leaders who please them.

However, this is not what we really need. We do not need gods who please us. Rather, we ought to make it our life’s ambition to please God. We are not to search for men who seek to meet our conditions and desires, but for leaders who take us where God wants us to go. It is man’s selfishness and pride that causes him to seek gods of his own creation. What could be more arrogant than thinking we know better than God? There is a sense in which we can all be affected by this evil thinking.

The God of the Bible, the true God, is holy, perfect, all-wise, and does all things well. Our loyalty to Him should not be based on how His actions meet our approval. His decisions may not always be according to our preference, but we can know that they are always perfect. It is not our place to sit in judgment of God Almighty. Many people have made the same mistake the Israelites made in our text. When God or His leader disappoints them, they are ready to jump ship. When God does not do as they wish, or as soon as they wish, they are quick to blame God and go another direction. We do not need new gods, but we need faith to follow and love our great God and Savior.