Ironworks

Why should I be merciful? This is a question that you may not have asked yourself before. Maybe mercy is something that you are given often. For others, maybe we have forgotten the goodness of the mercy God has shown to us. Jesus said after all, "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy" (Matt.5:7) To answer the question, we must first define mercy. What is Mercy           M ercy which comes from the word eleeo ( ἐ λεέω) and describes the act of showing compassion and pity on someone. God perfectly exemplifies mercy. Paul recognized the mercy that God showed him while he sinned in ignorance. I thank him that enabled me, even Christ Jesus our Lord, for that he counted me faithful, appointing me to his service; though I was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: howbeit I obtained mercy , because I did it ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord abounded exceedingly with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. Faith...

                        Benjamin Franklin was quoted as saying, I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. — I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I traveled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer. To sum up this thought, if we want to get someone out of poverty, we need to make them uncomfortable with it. Think about it. If someone is in relative comfort, being taken care of by everyone else and not doing for themselves, then they will remain in poverty. If on the other hand, they have to rely more on themselves to get out of their situation, they may get ...

                         How can I grow spiritually? This question is one that many Christians, new and old, ask themselves and others. It is a good question and one that corresponds with the right desires. Jesus was a perfect example of this because the Holy Spirit explains, “And Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52). We understand that as Jesus grew from adolescence to adulthood His wisdom and stature would surely grow. I want to focus our attention to the fact that He grew in favor with God and men. When we grow in Christ and mature from the basics of our faith, we will certainly receive the favor of God. So, what are some basics of growing spiritually? Love God and Others             The New Testament Christian must remember their first love, Christ! This was the thing lacking in the Ephesus church of Christ ...

  I believe the Green Bay Packers are going to play the San Francisco 49ers this Saturday at 7:15 PM, CST if the Lord does not return first. I believe this because I have testimony from the NFL, and the Fox Network that this is the case. These two entities can assure us that this is the agreed time and preparations are made for that to occur. Therefore, we can have faith that at 7:15 PM it will occur as planned. We have evidence and faith is based on evidence. Jesus said, “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for except ye believe that I am he , ye shall die in your sins ” (John 8:24). Have you ever considered the enormity of those words? Let’s break down this verse piece by piece so that we can appreciate more of what it means to believe.  For Except Ye Believe Belief is based on evidence. Thomas sought evidence that Jesus had risen from the dead (cf. John 20:24-29). He received evidence as he placed his hands in Jesus’ side and felt his wounds. We ...

  Can we understand the Bible in the same way? Let’s face it, we are unique individuals with diverse backgrounds. We think differently from one another at times. What about the Bible? Is it possible for each of us to differ when it comes to the eternal truth of God? The Bible teaches God’s Word is truth (cf. Psalm 119:160; John 17:17). Thus, we understand that God’s Word is absolute truth. So, why do so many groups, including many educated men, disagree with the Lord’s church? One might say, “We cannot understand the Bible the same way and that is okay.” I find this remarkable, considering all the interactions we have in a day that require us to make the right interpretation. For instance, if you were to head up to the turnpike, once you go through the gate at Afton, you have a choice. If you were intending on going to Tulsa, you would cross the overpass, if you were intending on heading to Joplin, you would take the first right and not cross the overpass. Is it possible for all ...

            Does almost count? There are a good amount of people that would think so. If you have ever had employees that you have managed, you would be familiar with this idea first hand. Over the years, I had many employees that were almost on time. Perhaps the most telling was a young man who worked for me whom we will call Pete. Pete was one of my line cooks who was scheduled quite often to open. I enjoyed working with Pete, he was a hard worker, and fun to be around. When it came to opening, the company policy was that there must be at least two employees present to enter the building. Pete would not show up on time, but was consistently 5-10 minutes late. He would even at times say, “I almost made it on time.” I tried all sorts of approaches to getting him to show up on time, but he rarely was there at 8, if ever. Our conversations usually ended with “sure boss, I’ll try.” I suppose he was almost persuaded. However, does almost count? Why do ...

        A preacher should preach with power, but what is that power? How does one preach with power? Think about what our desire for preachers tends to be. If you were to look at a listing where a congregation was looking for a preacher you would see several qualifications.            Brethren like for their preachers to be dynamic. Maybe they have a nice smile and look good standing in the pulpit. Maybe they are young and have a beautiful wife and kids (I know I do!). When they get up to preach they say all of the right things with great words of wisdom. It could be that right now you are thinking, “That is exactly what I want in a preacher!” These thoughts coalesce to make the quintessential preacher (at least in the minds of many). Is this what powerful preaching looks like?           While there may be some ideals here, what does make a powerful preacher? Specifically, where does one get this power?...