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 ...

  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 ...

            Jesus said, And he that doth not take his cross and follow after me, is not worthy of me. (Matthew 10:38). Each must consider how costly this proposition truly is in light of the Scripture. Upon consideration, we understand that New Testament Christianity is an active religion abounding in commitment to the Christ. Shall we consider the cost of taking up our cross to follow Jesus? It will Cost Your Confession Leading up to this command, the Lord made statements to show the prerequisites of carrying the cross. He made it clear in Mathew 10:32-33 that one cost would be confession of Christ before men. The Greek word for confess used here is homologesei, which means to speak the same thing. When we speak the same thing as Christ, we will affirm His doctrine and those of His apostles We cannot devolve into synthetic sectarian doctrine, but rather we must speak the message of Christ and Him crucified (cf. 1 Cor 1:23). Failing to do so is to...

                    The Bible is the Word of God. It is the only approved standard by which men must live to be right in the eyes of God. We must treat the Word of God with the utmost respect, not because it is just another book, nor is it merely words printed on the page with a human origin. The Bible is authored by the Holy Spirit of God, and we must listen to what He has said concerning His Word. We must be careful first and foremost never to add nor take away from God’s Word.   A Command Under Moses A command was given to the Jewish nation in the law of Moses first. “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of Jehovah your God which I command you” (Deut. 4:2). God delivered this Law on Sinai as the only approved standard by which Israel would live. It was the supreme law of the land and any question or dispute that needed to be resol...

          How amazing it must have been to sit at the feet of Jesus. Have you thought much about that? What would it have been like to be around the Master? It was obviously life altering for His disciples, the majority of which (by historical accounts) would go on to violent deaths. Christians would go on to be persecuted throughout the centuries. Why? Jesus is worth the shame (Acts 5:41). Jesus is worth it all, because “there is no other name, under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). It is for this very reason we think about how amazing it would have been to personally sit at the feet of Jesus. To Talk to Him Must Have Been Tender           Talking to Jesus must have been so tender. We know that He would tell people what they needed to hear, and sometimes that was rather forthright (see Matt. 23), but he was loving and compassionate to those who wanted to learn from Him. Remember when parents were b...

               Most Christians know that there were several sacrifices in the Old Testament. They also realize that the Old Testament sacrificial system pointed to Christ, and that those sacrifices are not needed today because Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice (Heb. 10:10). This is not the problem we have in our understanding of sacrifices. The problem with the sacrificial system for the New Testament Christian is not that we haven’t heard of it, but that we never had to do it. Therefore, we get confused as to what the purpose of each one was, how it worked, and when a person (under the old covenant) was supposed to offer that sacrifice. Let’s look at the different types of sacrifices to help us better understand the scriptures. The 5 Types of Sacrifices/Offerings           In the first 7 chapters of Leviticus the parameters are given for 5 different types of sacrifices. They are: burnt offerings, grain offerings,...

                  Have you stopped to consider what Christ offers to all who will accept Him? One of the greatest ways we can learn to be grateful is to remember the benefits of being in Christ. Consider God’s ability to provide the essentials we need and even more (cf. John 14:1-4).  Jesus saves! He does so according to the plan that was established before the foundation of the world, it began to be enacted when Adam and Eve willfully chose to transgress the law of Jehovah. Jesus made the way possible for all to be saved. It is a way that is linked to His plan to be born again (cf. John 3:3-5; Mark 16:15-16).  Jesus gives us life! We who were dead in sin are now alive in Christ (cf. Eph. 2:5). Jesus is the source of our life. It is written,  “The thief cometh not, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy: I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly” (John 10:10). He is the only source of that l...