Ironworks

                    When we hear the word “church”, several things may come to mind.  What do you think that the religious world thinks about that word? What do you think that those who do not follow any type of religious group think about it? It is evident in conversations with people that for the most part people think of a building and not what the church actually is. Often times you will hear people say they are “going to church.” What do they mean by this simple statement? They mean that they are going to worship, but they use the word church interchangeably with the thought of going to a building. Is the church a building? Or is it something more? Can we go to church? Is the church really the building of Christ? Do we need the church?           First, let’s consider the word that we get our word “church.” In the original text (Greek), the word is ekklesia. It means “called out.” The chur...

     This week we will begin a series on the qualifications of elders. We know the pattern for the New Testament church is that elders be appointed in every congregation (cf. Titus 1:5). Each of those who would be appointed as elders must be fully qualified according to what the Holy Spirit has revealed in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9, 1 Peter 5:1-4, and Acts 20:28.  We are very blessed to have good and godly men, Bob, Jack, and Gary, who have served and continue to serve well. With Bob and Colene’s relocation, our elders have taken the task of looking at adding a man to the eldership. It is important that all of the congregation be invested in our study of such an important role in the Lord’s church.       When elders are appointed, they must be fully qualified according to the Scriptures. If they are not fully qualified, they must not serve in that role. A brother made the observation recently that it is easier to get a man in than it is to get ...