Ironworks

“I thank my God upon all my remembrance of you, always in every supplication of mine on behalf of you all making my supplication with joy, for your fellowship in furtherance of the gospel from the first day until now; being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ “  Philippians 1:3-6           Last week it was announced that a new Disneyland-like family-themed amusement park is coming to Green Country. With this announcement, there has been much excitement and some apprehension. Some of the latter comes from all the required work, especially infrastructure that will have to be taken into account with increased tourist traffic in the area. Roads will have to be built, others improved, and there is much work to be done. Have you ever noticed all the ongoing work on our highway system? It is likely that some projects will never come to an end. How does this reality of our lives relate to our lives in Christ Jesus? Wh

          We left Ceredo, WV (where I was preaching at the time) after services Wednesday night, July 27, 2022, on our way to Hot Springs, AR where we intended to spend our 15th year wedding anniversary. My wife is so special to me and she has blessed me with 5 beautiful children. This was going to be a special time for us. We have never really celebrated like this before, nor had we ever gone anywhere for an extended period of time without our children. I was driving through the night that we could drop the kids off with my in-laws (Tim and Robin Kidwell), and then on to enjoy some time with just my wife.           I was so excited as I was driving. Originally I had planned to leave that Thursday and drive us there, but I was too excited to wait. A few days before we decided that I would drive through the night. This was always nice as children slept I could catch up on listening to podcasts and books that I have great interest in. Everyone was sleeping except for me.            I had

     The five previous weeks we have discussed how to become saved and stay saved. While this subject is fresh in our minds, let us reflect and seek to understand what forgiveness is. The need for forgiveness necessitates the perfect sacrifice of the Messiah, Jesus. Without forgiveness of sins, we remain in sin and hopeless. So with regard to forgiveness, how must we as Christians forgive those who have sinned against us? Some have attempted to look at Matthew 6:14-15 to justify forgiveness as a purely one-sided transaction. The text reads,  “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Does this mean that one forgives regardless of repentance or is forgiveness unconditional?  Repentance is Always a Prerequisite of Forgiveness There has been an error taught in the world including many denominational groups, that has begun to creep into the teaching

 “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.” Mark 13:13 Obedient Faith is Ongoing             The final step of God's plan for saving man is ongoing throughout the rest of our natural lives. We must remain faithful unto death (cf. Rev. 2:10). The Word of God instructs the first-century church, as it does all New Testament Christians, that we must be faithful whether or not it is a good, spiritual-high moment or if it is safe. We must remain faithful even when it might cost us our lives. This was a very real circumstance for the church under the Roman Empire and in many nations today. There are brethren today in countries who face certain death for wearing the name Christian. This is clearly in agreement to what is written above when Jesus made it clear there were expectations of His people. We will be hated because of Jesus’ name; we will face opposition from all sorts of people and religions. Family members,

                    Over the past few weeks, there have been some who have asked about tips on taking notes in your Bible. This is a great thought, especially for those who purchase a new Bible. If you are beginning to take notes and highlight it is a pretty big commitment as you probably would like a system that you can use consistently. We will look at some tools in order to help in your note taking, as well as give a little guidance for writing in your Bible. Tools to Consider           There are several tools that you may want while writing in your Bible. You may want to start by purchasing a small ruler to go with your Bible (a Bible bag may also be preferred). You need this so that you can underline in a straight line (if you want to be particular). Some people may not care, but if you want things neat and you don’t have a steady hand, this is a must.           The biggest consideration is what to use to write within your Bible. There are only a few things you should use to write

He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned.  Mark 16:16  Diagram           Mark 16:16 is one of many passages that confirm that baptism is one of the five steps in the Gospel Plan of Salvation that is applicable to all men. Some observations in the verse include the fact that both belief and baptism are coequals to be saved. The diagram below shows their correlation as well as the order of both belief and immersion for the purpose of salvation. Belief is an absolute prerequisite of baptism, and this is very well explained in the second section of the verse, for it is by disbelief that one is condemned. As noted before, it certainly takes more to be saved than to be condemned.  He____________________________________________________/shall be saved That______________________    /believeth                        /and                                                                        /is baptized  He___________________________

“Because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved: for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Rom 10:9-10 A Proclamation and a Promise Who are you willing to confess? Did you know that your salvation depends on it? I trust that many of you who are reading this do know this, and others have heard something along those lines but we must not lose sight of what God has required for salvation. Paul reminded the Christians in Rome that this was something that they had done and brought them unto salvation. This was not some cleverly added thing of Paul's own volition but the Inspired Word of God. This was the same thing that Jesus said prior. “Every one therefore who shall confess me before men, him will I also confess before my Father who is in heaven.” (Matt10:32). As Christians, our proclamation is based on Christ’s promise.