Ironbridge Church | Pastor’s Corner

Today is the day of Passion Week when Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples for the last time before His crucifixion.  He transformed this ancient Jewish tradition into what we now come to know as “The Lord’s Supper.”  Immediately after the supper, Jesus led His disciples to a place called Gethsemane.

It was here in Gethsemane where Jesus agonized in prayer as He contemplated the spiritual and physical pain of the Cross.  In Matthew 26:38, Jesus said to His disciples, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.”

Jesus exemplified perfection submission to the will of God.  Jesus prayed, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” (Matthew 26:39) 

Sadly, in these critical hours before His arrest, His trial, His torture, and His crucifixion, the disciples were sleeping.  On several occasions, Jesus tried to wake them from their physical and spiritual slumber.  When He found Peter sleeping, Jesus said, “So, could you not watch with me one hour?”  (Matthew 26:40)

I believe that Jesus is asking the same question of us today.  “So, could you not watch with me one hour?”  Prayer is one of the most demanding of all the spiritual disciplines, but also one of the most spiritually satisfying and rewarding.  Unfortunately, our busy, hectic, crowded lives leave little room for the sweet communion that we enjoy with our Savior when we go to Him in prayer.

Take a few moments today and spend some time with Jesus in prayer.  It will be your best spiritual investment of the day.  It’s time to pray!   

Today’s Scripture Promise:  “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”  (Philippians 4:6)

Life is not intended to be a static, unchanging experience.  Each new day presents new challenges, new issues, and new realities.  As followers of Christ, the fact is that our lives are not and will not be like a beautiful painting, where each item in the picture will be where it is and the way it is–always.  Life doesn’t work like that.  Things change…everything changes.  We’ve even developed polite clichés to gently remind ourselves of the nature of our existence, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”  Thus we plumb the depths of our own understanding.  But what does God have to say about all this?

Jesus tells us not to be troubled by the fact that objects in the picture will change.  He’s reminding us not to fret over the fact that our lives are not a static, stationary painting.  And then Jesus gently reminds us of what we must do in times of change.  We must believe in Him.  He and He alone must become the focus of our faith.  Believe in a person, and that person is Jesus!

In Mark 9, a boy is being tormented by an unclean spirit.  The disciples couldn’t help him so the desperate father brings the boy to Jesus.  The father asks, “…But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”  (Mark 9:22)  And Jesus said to him, “If you can!  All things are possible for one who believes.” (v. 23) The father cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (v.24)

As the painting of your life changes today, you can believe in Jesus!  Ask Him to help you overcome any vestiges of unbelief that may still be present in your life!  It’s time to believe! 

Today’s Scripture Promise:  “Let not your hearts be troubled.  Believe in God; believe also in me.”  (John 14:1)

There it was, a mysterious and unexpected gift from our Baptist headquarters in Nashville—a beautiful, miniature, silver hourglass.  Emblazoned with the F.A.I.T.H. logo, I knew that this little curio was more than a coincidence.  The Lord was trying to tell me something. 

The second paragraph of the letter that accompanied the gift said, “The time is now for us to step up as men of God to do more than we have ever done to reach people for Jesus, to bring them into the church, to follow in believer’s baptism, and equip them as disciples for Jesus.  Please accept the enclosed hourglass timer as a reminder that “It’s Time” to go out and reach one more for Jesus.”

The hourglass reminded me of a time in my life twenty-five years ago when I was first in the Dallas/Fort Worth area to attend seminary.  I was driving through a fashionable part of north Dallas when I drove by the stately campus and the elegant buildings of the Park Cities Baptist Church.  The main sanctuary building had a magnificent bell tower with a steeple on the top.  On the side of the bell tower was a huge clock-face with two simple words prominently displayed underneath, “Night Cometh.”   These two words are a direct quote from John 9:4 in the language of the King James Bible.  This poignant message reminds us of the urgency of the hour.  We must not squander or waste the precious time that the Lord has given us to bring in a great harvest of souls. 

From now until the end of our “77 Days of Prayer and Fasting” spiritual emphasis, each day’s devotional will explore another facet of the spiritual reality that, at Ironbridge–“It’s Time!”   

Today’s Scripture Promise:  “We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work.”  (John 9:4)

I walked into my outer office this past week to find a strange cardboard box lying on the glass table in the center of the room.  I noticed it was a package from our LifeWay headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee.  It seemed odd to me because I had not ordered anything from LifeWay recently.

When I opened the box, there was bubble wrap around something tucked securely inside.  I pulled the small object out of the box.  I had no earthly idea what it could be.  To my surprise, it was a beautiful, silver hourglass with the F.A.I.T.H. Evangelistic Sunday School Strategy Logo on the top.  As I turned the hourglass upside down to watch the sand begin to fall into the lower chamber of the hourglass, I noticed that a letter accompanied this interesting gift from Baptist headquarters.

The first sentence of the letter caused my heart to leap!  It read: “Today, I am writing you to express my gratitude for your continual faithfulness to equip people in your church to be fishers of men.”   My message the day before was entitled “Obeying God’s Call.”  The text for the sermon was Matthew 4:19, “And He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’”

It was at that moment that I realized that this unexpected gift was more than just a random present.  It was both an affirmation from the Lord and a wakeup call for our church.

Nothing in our lives or the life of our beloved Ironbridge must ever be allowed to rise above the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19, 20.  Tomorrow, we’ll look at the “rest of the story” as it concerns this mysterious gift of the silver hourglass.

Today’s Scripture Promise:  “Go therefore, and make disciples…”  (Matthew 28:19)

Today is Palm Sunday, the day when Jesus made His triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem. It’s called “Palm Sunday” because as Jesus rode into the city on a donkey, people spread their cloaks on the road and others cut palm branches from the trees and spread them on the road. It was their way of welcoming Jesus into the city! Palm Sunday officially begins what has come to be known as “Passion Week” because it was the very last week of Jesus’ earthly ministry before His death, burial, and resurrection.

As Jesus came into the city, people were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9) “Hosanna” is a Hebrew expression meaning “O Lord, save us!”

Luke’s gospel records an angry and jealous response from the Pharisees as they watched this joyous entry into the city. “Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, rebuke your disciples!’” (Luke 19:39) Jesus’ reply was swift. “’I tell you,’ He replied, ‘if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.’” (Luke 19:40)

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is worthy of all our praise! If we don’t praise Him, then the rocks will surely have to cry out! As followers of Jesus, it’s our privilege each and every day to tell people of the goodness of the Lord. We should never keep silent. We have no right to ask the rocks to do our ministry of praise for us.

It’s up to us each and every day to keep the rocks quiet.

Today’s Scripture Promise: “O Lord, save us; O Lord, grant us success. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless You.” (Psalm 118:25, 26)

Jesus came to the little town of Bethany on the Friday before His triumphal entry into Jerusalem on what we now call Palm Sunday. His dear friends, Martha, Mary, and their brother Lazarus whom Jesus had raised from the dead were there to throw a dinner party in honor of Jesus.

As you would expect, Martha served dinner (see Luke 10:40). Her sister Mary did something absolutely extraordinary. The Scriptures tell us, “Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” (John 12:3)

Judas Iscariot was quick to complain about this extravagant waste of money. But Jesus complimented Mary, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have Me.” (John 12:7-8) Jesus was teaching all those in the house of the profound nature of what Mary had just done. She had sacrificed something of great value for an even greater cause—the cause of Christ!

As you live your life for Jesus today, you can learn from Mary’s beautiful example of sacrifice. Whenever you give up something of value in your life for the cause of the Gospel (your money, your time, your talents, etc.), you can know that it is sweet smell to God. Jesus was saying, “You’ll have plenty of opportunities to do good to the poor, but you won’t have that many opportunities to honor Me.”

Live for Jesus today in such a way that your life, like Martha, Mary, & Lazarus’ house, is filled with the sweet smell of sacrifice.

Today’s Scripture Promise: “and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” (Ephesians 5:2)

These are incredibly exciting days for the Ironbridge family. God is moving in a mighty way. Our best and brightest days of evangelism, ministry, and Kingdom Advance are just ahead.

The beautiful thing about Ironbridge is that any new believer or new member can walk through the doors of our church and “touch hands with the beginning.” What do I mean by that statement? It’s really very simple. Any person walking through our doors for the very first time can shake hands with our founding families, those courageous and faith-filled men and women who left established, comfortable churches 20 years ago to start an exciting new evangelistic church in the heart of Chesterfield County.

Who am I talking about? You know many of them. We cannot honor them enough. We owe them all a great spiritual debt of gratitude for their willingness to attempt “great things for God” in their generation. People like the Osterbinds (Al & Cindi), the Jenkins (Paul & Mavis, and Steve & Karen), the Rogers (Butch & Patsy), the Wynns (Roy & Becky), the Moores (Wayne & Donna), and the Browns (Ken & Barbara), and the Childresses (Buddy & Cheryl) are all still with us to the present day.

We must never spoil their legacy with a spirit of hesitancy, fear, or a lack of faith. Let us take courage from their example of faith and press ever forward with the life-changing message of the gospel of Jesus Christ!

When you come to Ironbridge this weekend, whether you’ve been here for many years or just a few weeks, don’t miss an opportunity to touch hands with our incredible beginning!

Today’s Scripture Promise: “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

The story of how God led His people from slavery in Egypt to freedom and victory in the Promised Land of Canaan is truly one of the epic stories from the Bible. But it’s more than that, it’s a story of how we learn and live out our obedience to the Lord in our daily lives as well.

In Numbers, chapter nine, we read about the marvelous way that God led His people from place to place. For us, the message to our lives is how God directs His people and His church. We don’t travel from one geographical destination to another, but rather God leads us to a “new place” spiritually. And yes, sometimes that does include a new location, but quite often it’s a new “spiritual” place of understanding, obedience, or effectiveness.

God used a cloud by day over the tabernacle and fire by night to signal His people as to the time of their departure for the next leg of their journey. “Whether it was two days or a month or a year that the cloud lingered over the tabernacle, staying above it, the sons of Israel remained camped and did not set out; but when it was lifted, they did set out.” (Numbers 9:22)

Is God lifting a cloud in your life today? Is the Lord giving you the freedom to launch out into a new area of obedience or faithfulness? By staying in the Word of God on a daily basis and talking to Him in prayer, you’ll get a better sense of when God is giving you that precious signal to “Go!” to the next place on your spiritual journey.

Today’s Scripture Promise: “At the command of the Lord they camped, and at the command of the Lord they set out; they kept the Lord’s charge, according to the command of the Lord through Moses.” (Numbers 9:23)

Jesus did something incredible. “And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear.” (Matthew 14:25, 26)

Can you imagine how you would have felt, seeing Jesus walk on the water? Impulsive Peter then answered Him, “…Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” (v.28) Jesus told him to come and Peter got out of the boat! Amazing! He walked on water…at least for a few seconds. And then as Peter looked at the wind and the waves, he began to sink. And once again, Jesus was there. “Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’” (v.31)

Let’s not be too harsh with Peter. After all, he did have the faith to want to get out of the boat, to ask Jesus if he could come to Him on the water, and to actually take those first few steps.

If you’re going to walk on water (spiritually speaking) in your life today, you better make sure you ask Jesus if it’s O.K. first. Then, you’ve got to do one more thing—you’ve got to actually get out of the boat. You’ve got to leave the security and safety of the boat to get to Jesus. It’s both scary and exhilarating to be out of the boat, but that’s where you meet Jesus.

Today’s Scripture Promise: “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

C.S. Lewis is arguably the greatest Christian writer of all time! His nonfiction books like Mere Christianity and A Grief Observed continue to draw people to faith in Christ every year. His series of children’s stories known as The Chronicles of Narnia have delighted kids of all ages for more than fifty years now.

Lewis, a professor at Oxford for 29 years was a towering intellect who was well versed in Greek & Latin Literature, Philosophy, Ancient History, and English Literature. An avowed atheist earlier in his life, Lewis was led to faith in Christ by a fellow professor named J.R.R. Tolkien—the author of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

Lewis understood the power of storytelling. When he began writing children’s stories, his closest associates tried to discourage him, saying that it would undermine his reputation as a “serious” writer. Lewis knew better. Even his dear friend and mentor in the faith Tolkien was critical of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Our lives are richer because he didn’t listen to his critics.

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is a masterpiece of storytelling. This amazing allegorical tale marvelously informs our spiritual understanding without being too heavy-handed. The movie version which is available starting today is one of those rare films that I can heartily recommend for you and your family. Make plans to sit down with your children or grandchildren and enjoy this classic tale brought to life through the magic of moviemaking. But don’t just watch it, discuss it with your family afterwards as a creative way of discipling them.

The product of Lewis’ imagination and spiritual discernment will greatly enrich your walk with Christ. Enjoy it with your family sometime soon.

Today’s Scripture Promise: “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)