Ironbridge Church | Pastor’s Corner

Revival conjures up images of fiery preachers and flashy musicians that roar into town for a few days of high-octane preaching and singing. People weep, altar calls last for an eternity, the offering plates go by, and after a few days, we wave goodbye as the evangelist and singer head to their next scheduled meeting.

I’m sorry to be the one to break the news, but this is not revival. Revival is far more than fancy preachers and revved up emotionalism. Tom Landry, the legendary coach of the Dallas Cowboys made an interesting observation about the difference between a good athlete and a great one. He said the difference was 18 inches—the distance from the head to the heart. Good athletes, he said, had skills and knew the game. Great athletes, however, had the skills, the knowledge of the game, and they had something more—a passion, a drive, and “a heart” for the game that only a select few possess.

True revival is the 18-inch difference between your head and your heart—a heart passion for Jesus! Revival in your life is Jesus in you, around you, through you, under you, over you, before you, and behind you. Personal revival is just Jesus—Jesus on your mind, filling your heart, and Jesus overflowing from your lips.

I like the way Anne Graham Lotz, (Billy’s daughter) described it. “Revival is breathing the breath of God, God purifying His Church, People saturated with God, the in-rush of the Spirit into a body that threatens to become a corpse, a work of God’s Spirit among His own people…what we call revival is simply New Testament Christianity, the saints getting back to normal.”

Today’s Scripture Promise: “Will You not Yourself revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?” (Psalm 85:6)

The Scriptures clearly teach that we will reap what we sow. It’s true in the financial realm, and it’s true in the spiritual realm as well. Colossians 3:15 says, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.” God’s will for our lives is joy, prayer, and a contagious thankfulness. God does not intend for His people to be held captive to anger, gossip, slander, and negativism.

Live each day intentionally letting the world know your faith in Christ by your joy and gratitude. For those things that need remedy, turn them over to the Lord in intercession and prayer. Within the body of Christ, every need, every challenge, and every issue that arises in our fellowship is an opportunity for us to turn it over to the Lord for His supernatural intervention.

In every situation, strive to remain thankful. That’s why God’s Word says, “…in everything give thanks…” (I Thes. 5:18) Thanksgiving is the language of faith and trust in God.

The enemy has been far too effective in sowing seeds of ingratitude, discontent and grumbling within the body of Christ. An upbeat, positive, confident disposition is more than just what the world calls “positive thinking.” The Psalmist wrote, “What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.” (Ps. 34:12, 13)

Make the most of this new day. Be an ambassador of God’s goodness by living out your joy and thankfulness. A positive disposition born of a spiritual gratitude is the gateway through which God’s blessings enter our lives.

Today’s Scripture Promise: “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you.” (I Thes. 5:16-18)

The Lord’s House, the Church, is the very gate of Heaven!

When we gather with our brothers and sisters in Christ at God’s House on the Lord’s Day, we are assembling ourselves in the place where heaven and earth meet! It was Jacob who first brought this amazing truth to light.

Jacob had just tricked his brother Esau out of his birthright. On his way to find a bride from his own kinsmen, he had a divine encounter with God. “…he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the Lord stood above it…” (Genesis 28:12, 13) When Jacob awoke, he said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” (v.16) He called the name of that place, Bethel, which means, “house of God.” (v.19)

Brothers and sisters, what Jacob declared long ago still defines who and what we are to this present day! When the Church of the living Lord Jesus Christ is filled with humble, prayerful, believing, holy and united believers, there is absolutely no place like it on earth! It truly is the gate of heaven. One wise writer has rightly said, “We will never succeed in toppling the gates of hell until we first unite and become the gate of heaven.”

Jesus said that His Father’s house was intended to be a house of prayer which would open the “gate of heaven” for all the nations. In this place, sacrifices are brought, forgiveness found, praise lifted, and thanksgiving offered!

Today’s Scripture Promise: “…How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” (Genesis 28:17)

Jason McElwain is a senior who never played a single second of high school basketball—until last week. Jason is autistic. Despite his disability, in two years on the team, Jason never missed a game, practice, or workout. As a reward for all his hard work, the coach let Jason play the last four minutes of the last game of the season. You won’t believe what happened next. Jason hit six—three-point shots and ended up being the game’s high scorer with 20 points!

Jason’s exploits on the basketball court remind me of a simple Biblical principle—you reap what you sow. Think of how negative the coach could have been—“Jason, you’re autistic, you can’t play, and you can’t even be on the team.” Instead, this amazingly positive coach let him suit up and the result was what one sportswriter called, “as perfect a sports moment [as] . . . any of us will ever know about.”

As brothers and sisters in Christ, our words have power. Scripture reveals a vitally important truth, “…death and life are in the power of the tongue…” (Proverbs 18:21) As believers, if we are incessantly negative and critical about things, it gives Satan a foothold in our lives, our families, and yes—our church family.

A brother in Christ much wiser than I has said, “Satan gains access to our world, to destroy all that is good and holy in it, through our tongues…If we talk negatively about someone [or something] or maliciously gossip, the destructive fire of hell itself is released through our words.”

Choose your words carefully today, because we do indeed—reap what we sow.

Today’s Scripture Promise: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7)

I hope you’re wearing something green because today is St. Patrick’s Day. Long before everyone focused on wearing green, leprechauns, good luck charms and green beer, there really was something spiritually significant to celebrate—a bold believer letting his light shine for Christ in a pagan land.

5th Century Ireland was a pagan land shrouded in spiritual darkness and superstition ruled by warlords and druids. Around 400 A.D., Patrick was abducted and carried away to Ireland as a slave. Amidst the horrors of slavery, Patrick came to know the risen Christ as his Savior. Patrick escaped and returned to his homeland where he studied for the ministry.

One night Patrick had a dream. A man came to him with letters and a voice from the letters said, “Holy boy, please return to us. We need you.”

Once in Ireland, Patrick faced down the chieftains and their druid priests. Part of their pagan worship celebrating the coming of spring involved lighting a bonfire on the hill of Tara. No other lights were allowed. In defiance, Patrick lit a forbidden fire on top of a high hill. When the pagan king demanded an explanation, Patrick said he was bringing the new light, the light of Christ, the Savior of the World, the light of the World.

During 29 years of ministry, Patrick baptized over 120,000 converts and planted 300 churches. There is even a story that Patrick used the shamrock to teach the doctrine of the Trinity.

On this St. Patrick’s Day, are you willing to let the light of Christ shine forth from you life into the darkness around you?

Today’s Scripture Promise: “…Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

Click here for more info on St. Patrick.

Satan is relentless. He never gives up, and his ability to deceive and distort the truth is beyond what we could ever imagine. Satan seduced one third of the angels in heaven to revolt against God. And these angels lived in the very presence of the glory of God—and still Satan convinced them to rebel! If Satan can accomplish that with angels in heaven, imagine the damage he can do in the minds and hearts of believers here on planet earth. Rightly did Hal Lindsay write, “Satan is alive and well on planet earth.” What’s a believer to do?

In a single word—encourage! Live your life as an ambassador of the encouragement found in Christ Jesus. One of my favorite characters in the New Testament is a man named Barnabas. In the book of Acts, he is described in this way, “Now Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement).” (Acts 4:36)

Barnabas lived up to his name in marvelous ways. When Saul first got saved, it was Barnabas who single-handedly took him to meet the other believers—even though they were scared to meet with him. (Acts 9:26, 27) Later, a young believer named John Mark left Paul & Barnabas on their first missionary journey. (Acts 13:13) Barnabas sought to restore John Mark and take him along on the next missionary venture. Paul was strongly opposed to this idea. Paul had given up on John Mark, but not Barnabas! (Acts 15:36-39)

Live like Barnabas today—be an enthusiastic encourager in Christ! Find a brother or sister that you can encourage today!

Today’s Scripture Promise: “…encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:25b)

We are fortunate to live in Virginia. We’re in the direct flight path of Canadian geese that make their way to and from warmer climates in the south. We can observe these amazing creatures as they make their way on an incredibly exhausting migration.

As they rest and feed in our area, it’s correct to refer to them as a “flock” of geese. You can refer to them as a “skein” of geese while they are in flight. However, their most majestic flying formation, the V formation, is appropriately called a “wedge” of geese.

God’s wonderful creation is a marvelous discipleship tool for believers. A wedge of geese teaches us about the importance of every member of the body of Christ supporting and encouraging our brothers and sisters in Christ.

The three most exhausting flight positions in the wedge are the “point of the V” and the last position on each of the two ends of the V. The middle flight positions on each side of the V are the least tiring. As the wedge of geese makes its way in flight, they constantly switch positions within the V to make sure that every member of the wedge maximizes their endurance. Scientists who study aerodynamics say that this wedge formation increases their range by 71%. Isn’t that amazing? By sharing the work load, and taking turns, the wedge can go seventy-one percent farther by cooperating and encouraging. The “honking” sound you hear is coming from those geese in the middle positions. They’re cheering their comrades on!

What’s the lesson for our earth-bound lives? Share the load, get out in front from time to time, and keep honking if you love Jesus.

Today’s Scripture Promise: “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)

Millions of readers (and now moviegoers) have delighted in C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia. The latest offering of Lewis’ imagination hit the silver screen this past year as audiences flocked to The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. The hero of the story is Aslan, a majestic lion—a type of Christ in this amazing allegorical tale. As the story unfolds, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver share an ancient rhyme with the children that have found their way into Narnia.

“Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.”

It’s appropriate to use a roaring lion as a figure of Christ because the Scriptures speak of Jesus as, “…the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah…” (Rev. 5:5)

Every mature follower of Jesus understands that there’s another roaring lion on the loose. The Word of God warns us of the spiritual enemy that every believer faces. “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (I Peter 5:8)

When you become a Christian, Satan simply changes his strategy. His goal is to destroy your testimony! Like a lion stalking its prey, Satan will watch you and wait for an opportune time to strike! He doesn’t want you living a victorious Christian life! He will do whatever he can to demoralize and discourage you. The Word of God tells us what we must do. “Resist him, firm in your faith…” (I Peter 5:9)

Today’s Scripture Promise: “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11)

In a land far, far away, and a high-school basketball tournament long, long ago, one particular high school team learned an important lesson the hard way. It pays to be prepared.

This particular high school team was not known as a basketball powerhouse. It was a small school and the talent pool was limited.

Every year this small school would participate in a regional tournament. As the tournament began, the coach attended the early games to scout future opponents. Sadly, only one student athlete bothered to watch the other teams in action.

The coach came, but the team players didn’t. The results were, to say the least, devastating. When this school played in the tournament, they were not beaten–they were annihilated! Losing by seven points in basketball is a wide margin of victory. They were humiliated by seventy (70) points. I’m sure it was painful to watch.

As followers of Jesus, the tournament is coming. The tournament is not athletic competition but the challenges and questions that our culture fires at us as Christians! We better know our opposition well enough to defend our faith and be ready to answer the questions that unsaved people are asking. If we don’t prepare, we’ll be “blown out” in our culture’s tournament of ideas.

The resulting lose won’t be a game, but the heart and mind of a seeker that turns away from Christ because we couldn’t give them a reason to believe. The tournament of truth has already started in our culture.

As a faithful team player, will you be in the bleachers, scouting the opposition?

Today’s Scripture Promise: “…always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” (I Peter 3:15)

Today is the Lord’s Day when followers of Jesus gather together in the Lord’s house, in the Lord’s name, for the Lord’s glory. As your faith walk with Jesus Christ becomes more rich and meaningful, do you find yourself filled with joyful anticipation of our time together as a spiritual family?

The prophet Balaam was looking out over the nation of Israel as they journeyed to the Promised Land. On several occasions from a high elevation, he could only see portions of the camp. And then, as he walked along the heights, he came to a scenic overlook where he could see the entire nation. He couldn’t contain his enthusiasm. Filled with the Spirit of God, his heart leapt, “How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your encampments, O Israel!” (Numbers 24:5)

The pure delight of meeting with God was expressed by the Psalmist who wrote, “How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.” (Psalm 84:1, 2)

Each and every believer has an important role to play in making our day of congregational worship what God has intended it to be. Don’t be deceived into thinking that only the “high profile” ministries are important. The truth is, every ministry, no matter how seemingly insignificant, matters to God and sets the tone for the day of worship and praise.

The Psalmist even considered being a “door greeter” in God’s house as a great honor, “…I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” (Psalm 84:10b)

Today’s Scripture Promise: “Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise!” (Psalm 84:4)