The parable of the blacksmiths, By Ayo Akerele

Where are the blacksmiths who will sharpen the swords of this generation and the next? Where are the smiths, leaders and fathers in the church who will restore holiness and purity in the church? Where are the smiths, leaders and fathers in the church who will kill greed and greed among the ministers and restore the dignity and integrity of the church?

Abraham Lincoln once said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I’ll spend the first four sharpening the axe.” Traditionally, blacksmithing is associated with sharpening axes in a fiery furnace. The sharper the ax, the more effective the instrument. Conversely, the duller the axe, the weaker the axe. In fact, the book of Ecclesiastes 10:10 says, “If the ax is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, it should be stronger; But wisdom leads to success”.

In this article, I refer to leaders and fathers in the Gospel as spiritual blacksmiths in heaven. He is a propagator and interpreter of truth and doctrine. He was the leader of the church in every generation. They are entrusted with the responsibility of baking the souls of the next generation in the oven of truth and righteousness. They are the ones who are gifted with grace and a unique capacity to work in the place of prayer, until Christ is fully formed in the souls of the present generation and those to come.

Sadly, for the nation of Israel, on the most important day, there was no blacksmith in the land to sharpen the swords of the soldiers.

Where are the blacksmiths that this generation really needs, those who will burn the souls of men in the unquenchable fire of the truth of God’s word without fear or mercy? Pastors and church leaders whose ministry will produce the much needed fire of revival that will destroy the most hardened sinners and turn our churches into mini crusades…

Opinions, true people, who want to be in the protection and keep the name of Christ and His will on earth, are getting thinner in the body of Christ. For the most part, the original blacksmiths have been replaced by compromisers and empire builders. Unfortunately, the ones left in the city are old; it’s thin. In a new documentary by Evangelist Perry Stone, he shocked the audience when he released a shocking statistic: more than four hundred pastors have died in the United States due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most of whom are faithful blacksmiths. from America. This is a steadfast servant of God, whose ministry is built on prayer and word; a person who knows the prophecy and the heart of God. And to make matters worse, Dr. Perry Stone continues to alert the audience that many of God’s true servants in this “generation of blacksmiths” continue to leave this sinful world in a way that seems as if God has purposely removed the righteous leaders. preparation for what is to come on earth.

Where are the blacksmiths that this generation really needs, those who will burn the souls of men in the unquenchable fire of the truth of God’s word without fear or mercy? Pastors and church leaders whose ministry will produce a much needed revival of fire that will break down the most hardened sinners and turn our churches into mini-crusade grounds, where the rubber of “truth” meets the “road” of repentance. Where are the blacksmiths? The days of war are coming to this world. The clouds gathered. It will rain.

In the days of Israel, the day of war came when there was no sword in the hand of the Jewish soldier, simply because there was no smith to sharpen his sword.

At a time in the history of the United States, in 17^Th century, God raised up a blacksmith for the American nation, by the name of Jonathan Edwards. He was a blacksmith who preached what is widely known as the greatest evangelistic message in modern history, “sinners are in the hands of an angry God”.

“Therefore, in the day of battle, no sword or spear was found in the hand of a man like Saul and Jonathan” (1 Samuel 13:22).

The day of war is coming to this world, and it is starting now. Prophecy upon prophecy is being fulfilled at an alarming rate. The prophetic hours have passed, tick tock, tick, tick, tick, tick. Where are the blacksmiths? Where are the bakers of human souls in the oven of truth? At a time in the history of the United States, in 17^Th century, God raised up a blacksmith for the American nation, by the name of Jonathan Edwards. He was a blacksmith who preached what is widely known as the greatest evangelistic message in modern history, “sinners are in the hands of an angry God”. Dr. David Jeremiah, when thinking about the state of the backward church, who recently said, “this generation will make sinners Jonathan Edwards in the hands of God’s angry message to be rephrased as “God in the hands of angry sinners” .

Unfortunately, for the Jews, the Philistines ensured that there were no blacksmiths in the land of Israel, so the Jews had only the choice to sharpen their swords in the land of the Philistines. What an irony! Sharpen your sword in your enemy’s house. Alas! Many of our pastors today have gone to the Philistines to sharpen their swords, joining different occult groups for power, fame and wealth. Many people are now completely oppressed by Mammon, to the danger of our nation. Generally, many of the blacksmiths that God has given us fail. Where are the blacksmiths who will sharpen the swords of this generation and the next? Where are the smiths, leaders and fathers in the church who will restore holiness and purity in the church? Where are the smiths, leaders and fathers in the church who will kill greed and greed among the ministers and restore the dignity and integrity of the church? Where are the leaders and fathers who will restore love to the body of Christ, true love that gives birth to compassion, empathy, sympathy, and finally, unity of faith and teaching? Where are the blacksmiths?

Ayo Akerele, a development and system development strategist, and minister of the word, writes from Canada and can be reached through ayoakerele2012@gmail.com.