Iron Rose Sister Ministries

Written by Kat Bittner, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Colorado 

“When we denigrate a woman, we are in fact diminishing part of the image of God.”–Christine Caine, Unashamed

My husband has often remarked that, historically, women’s suffering lies in the hearts of men. He believes the lack of regard for women is rooted in men who did not and do not “see” women as God intended. And if men had regarded women as Jesus did in His relationships with them, no woman would have ever felt slighted.

If we know anything from Jesus’ relationships, it is that they were intentional. They had a clear purpose and were focused even from the moment His first relationship was contrived (1 John 4:14, Matt. 1: 21-23). Jesus’ relationship with the twelve apostles, with those He healed and to whom He ministered were all purpose-driven relationships. And that intentionality was also poured into the many women in Jesus’ circle.

The first woman in Jesus’ circle was His mother, Mary. She was a model of godliness, a woman who “found favor with God” (Luke 1:30, NLT), and she was an intimate witness to Jesus’ divine nature and purpose (Luke 1:31-35). Mary was a key player in the first public miracle of Jesus (John 2:1-11). And as the mother of the most Holy, she had what was probably a very daunting task. To care for and raise the Savior of the world, the One by whom she herself would be delivered had to be most intimidating. Yet she was honored and cherished by Jesus, exemplified by His declaration to ensure that she was properly cared for after He died (John 19:26-27).

Also counted among Jesus’ personal circle of women friends were Martha and Mary. Scripture tells us that “Jesus loved Martha and her sister” (John 11:5, NKJV) and that these women passionately served and learned from Jesus (John 12:1-3, 7; Luke 10:38-42). Through these women Jesus taught that fulfilling our spiritual responsibilities should be of utmost importance. Women, too, are called to learn from Jesus, apply the Word of God and be disciples. Additionally, Jesus’ love for them and their brother, Lazarus, was the impetus for raising Lazarus from the dead thereby witnessing God’s glory to a multitude. That was the kind of intentional relationship Jesus had with Mary and Martha. Jesus valued it. He valued them.

And then there’s Mary Magdalene, a woman who is almost always mentioned first among the female disciples and leaders (Mark 16:9; Luke 8:2; Matt. 27:56, 61). After being “healed of evil spirits and deformities… out of whom had come seven demons” (Luke 8:2, NKJV), this Mary dedicated her life to Jesus and was with Him when He died (Luke 8:1-3; John 19:25). Perhaps the most intentional thing to happen to Mary Magdalene was to be the first witness of Jesus’ resurrection (John 20:11-18). Women were not known for being credible witnesses in that age, so it was a purposeful and focused thing to have Mary first testify that Jesus had risen from the tomb.

Jesus also surrounded himself with many other women who played important roles in His ministry (Mark 15:40-41).Luke tells us about several women who helped support Jesus and the apostles “out of their own means” (Luke 8:3, NIV). These included Joanna, who managed Herod’s household, Susanna and many others. They fed Jesus’s ministry, literally and financially. Also mentioned are the “many women” who “had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs” (Matt. 27:55-56). After His ascension, many women were among those who were carrying out the Great Commission in varied roles (Rom. 16:1-15; Acts 1:12-14; Acts 18; Acts 21). Phoebe the deaconess, the daughters of Philip who were prophets and Junia who was imprisoned and “outstanding among the apostles” (Rom. 16:7) were women who labored to expand the Kingdom.

Jesus bestowed a special honor on women. His regard for them, though revolutionary for the times, highlighted the way God intended for women to be valued. God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us….in the image of God He created them, male and female He created them” (Gen. 1:26-27, NLT).

Psalm 46:5 – God is within her…..

Because men and women were made in the image of God, God cannot be fully reflected without a woman. When we minimize women, relationally or otherwise, we minimize the image of our Lord and Savior.

Don’t you see the intention behind human creation? There is a clear, divine purpose for man and woman. We are to be image bearers and a living witness of God. If we wrap our heads around that, we cannot help but acknowledge our worth and value. Jesus and all the women were intentional relationships that embody the essence of God. That just blows my mind!

Written by Marbella Parra, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Honduras 

God created us as social beings with a need to relate to other people. We mostly enjoy sharing special moments of our lives with others. In the journey of our life, we ​​meet people—and some of them stay with us. We develop friendships, and we support each other in happy moments as well as in difficult times. We call these people friends.

Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity” (NIV). On this path of relationships, situations can arise in which we are disloyal to that person who has trusted us. Yes, we are talking about betrayal—a pretty strong word, but real. I don’t think that anyone would like to be called traitorous, but the truth is that at some point in our lives we have failed in our relationships, and others have also failed us.

The Bible recounts two quite shocking cases of betrayal that cause us to reflect on our own relationships; they are Judas and Peter, two disciples who had the joy of sharing a close relationship with Jesus. They saw His miracles, walked with Him, ate at the same table, learned from His teachings, and accompanied Him in His ministry. They had a beautiful privilege—to be friends of Jesus. Similarly, we have people who share with us, know us, eat with us, go out with us, and laugh and cry with us. But relationships are always put to the test, and Jesus' relationships with Peter and Judas were no exception.

Let's first talk about Judas. In the gospels, we find few details about Judas, but it is known that he was a follower of Jesus and supported His ministry. It is also known that he had a soft spot for money; so much so that his greed led him to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Judas faced a very tempting opportunity that made him fall and lose the trust and friendship that Jesus had with him. Tragically, after falling and thinking about what he had done, he did not know how to handle the situation and ended his own life.

Then there is Peter, about whom we have more details in the Bible. He had an energetic and impulsive personality, and something that stands out about him is that he recognized Jesus as the Son of God, always ready to serve and work alongside Him. Peter was strongly involved in Jesus' ministry, but, like Judas, he underwent a test of faithfulness. Although in many moments he expressed his faith and love for Jesus, in a difficult moment when he had to express his beliefs and show loyalty to his Lord, he did not measure up and betrayed Him.

Likewise, our relationships go through moments of testing, and often we betray some. Perhaps we speak ill of our friends to others, turn our backs on them in difficult times, envy their achievements, and damage our long-standing relationships in many other ways. At other times, we are betrayed by others. But this is not the end of the story. As humans, we will fail, but the final test is how we behave after betraying others, including God, and also how we behave when others betray us.

We have 3 examples from which we can learn. The first two show us the importance of repentance when we are the ones who betray someone. Judas teaches us that we can take the “easy path”; he believed that he would solve everything by ending his life, but it would have been better to repent and genuinely change. We can take the easy road, pulling away from that special person, not talking to them anymore, and if we have failed, showing them an attitude of pride, and withdrawing without fighting for that friendship. Peter on the other hand, after making the big mistake of denying Jesus, had great pain in his heart and repented. After his betrayal, he changed his life, asked for forgiveness, and continued to serve his Lord faithfully until his death. Asking for forgiveness is the difficult path; many times it is hard for us to admit that we have failed and reach out to that person, perhaps out of shame, or perhaps out of pride, but in the end, fixing things with that special person that we have offended can redeem an important relationship in our lives.

And last but not least, we have Jesus, an example to meditate on when we are the objects of betrayal. He was a faithful friend who was always willing to forgive. Despite the failures of Judas and Peter, I am sure that He was willing to receive them again and give them another chance. Peter took advantage of this blessing and further strengthened his ties with Jesus; unfortunately, Judas did not. In Jesus, we have a great example of forgiveness when someone special betrays us. Although it hurts to be betrayed and produces enormous sadness, it is worth forgiving and rescuing those relationships that God has placed in our path.

Let us learn from the example of our Lord Jesus who was willing to forgive betrayal, and from Peter who was willing to admit his mistake and change completely for the good of his relationship with our Lord.

I want to invite you today to value all those special relationships that you have or have had. Is there any relationship that you can recover today through repentance or forgiveness?

Written by Kathy Thompson, Office Assistant for Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Arkansas

In the gospel of Luke, towards the end of chapter 10, we read the story about Jesus when He came to have dinner at Martha’s home in Bethany. As women, we may have heard multiple lessons about how stressed and distracted poor Martha was when Jesus and His apostles came to eat dinner at their house.

But I’d like to take a minute and look a little closer at Mary in this story.

Let’s suppose that Mary had come over to her sister’s home to help prepare and serve dinner for a very special visitor and His 12 friends – no small feat. Even in modern times, with refrigeration and large indoor kitchens, it isn’t a cake walk to serve dinner to 13 guests! There were many details to take care of, much preparation that had to happen so that the meal would come off in a smooth and timely manner. And, of course, it had to be especially delicious, in honor of their special guest. I imagine that hospitality was very important to Martha, and, on this occasion, she depended heavily on her sister to help make that happen in the most seamless way possible.

In some ways, we women haven’t changed much over the centuries. We all want to offer visitors to our homes a clean and comfortable environment and delicious meals. And make it all look easy, even effortless, while in fact, there has been a large amount of thought, preparation and work put into it beforehand, right?

Let’s imagine that as Mary busily helped her sister in the kitchen, she caught snippets of what the men were talking about in the living room. The more she heard of what Jesus was teaching His apostles and her brother, the more she wanted to hear. Before long, she couldn’t resist slipping into the room and finding an out-of-the-way place to sit and listen. Then she began just drinking in every word that came out of His mouth. His words were unlike any she had ever heard! They were sinking deep into her heart, penetrating her soul and she just couldn’t get enough. His teachings made perfect sense to her, on many levels, some she didn’t even understand herself. They uplifted her, challenged her, inspired her, and I can imagine that these were words she had longed to hear all her life, but had never heard until now.

Imagine her reaction as she slowly began to understand that she had, sitting in front of her: the Son of God! The Messiah that was to come into the world! The One that she had been taught her whole life to expect and wait for. He was here! In her small town! Sitting in her sister’s living room!
All thoughts of the meal preparation disappeared from her mind. The fact that she had come to help Martha was no longer important. All that mattered was this amazing Man and His teachings! All she wanted was to get to know this Man better and hear more of His life-giving words!

Are we ever that focused on Jesus?

A song comes to mind that I love to sing: Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face; and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”

I imagine that is exactly what happened to Mary on that afternoon in Bethany, so many years ago: Mary focused on Jesus. Not the meal she was supposed to be helping with, not her sister. Only Jesus. And everything else faded to dim.

What did Jesus think of Mary’s laser focus? When stressed-out Martha asks Him to direct her to help, His reply is: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only a few things are necessary, really only one, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42). The good part: feasting on Jesus’ teachings.

We read in Colossians 3:1-3 “If then, you’ve been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

Mary was seeking the things above, not the things of earth.

So now we ask: How can we do the same? How do we focus on Jesus like Mary did? And set our minds on things above? Life tends to go flying by in a blur, doesn’t it? We have so many responsibilities and activities and interests…so many things distracting us from putting our full attention on our Savior.

How do we stop and take time for the Lord every single day, every hour?

What would it take for you to turn your focus to Jesus? It’s different for everyone.
For me, the change in focus, came with the sudden death of my husband, last summer, to Covid. We had just moved to a lovely small town to retire. Then he passed on to his reward in paradise and I found myself in a new town, in a new church where I didn’t know anyone yet, without my sweet husband, feeling, in essence, completely alone...

But you know, I was not alone. God was there with me. He gently picked me up and carried me through each painful step. He provided a loving Christian family who reached out to me, cared for me, and prayed for me, even though they hadn’t known me up until now. I drew closer to God than I had ever been in my lifetime. Laser focused on Jesus.

Each of our journeys through this life are different. It doesn’t take a death in the family to refocus our eyes on the Savior. What would it take in your life? You can decide at any moment, like Mary, to set your eyes on Him, to listen to Him and feast on His teachings.

Today, in 2022, we can sit at Jesus’ feet anytime we desire. We have, sitting in front of us, the Son of God. We can drink in His every word. We can allow His words to sink into our hearts, penetrate our souls, and we won’t be able to get enough. You know that His teachings still make perfect sense today, they uplift us, challenge us, and inspire us. We just open the Bible and there it is, all that He had to teach us, laid open in front of our eyes.

Sisters, I’d like to encourage us all to be like Mary and allow Jesus’ teachings to fill us up, to the extent that it’s all we want to focus on. Let’s allow the things of earth to grow strangely dim as we read about His life, hear His parables, and understand the will of God for our lives in His Word.

“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called children (daughters) of God, and such we are…” (1 John 3:1a).

It’s so great a love that we can’t help but turn our eyes upon Jesus, until everything else fades.

#IronRoseSister #HIStories #childofGod #focusonJesus #turnyoureyesuponJesus #laserfocusonJesus #guestwriter #blog

Written by Deanna Brooks, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Arkansas

“Come, follow Me.” What would you do if someone approached you and told you to drop everything and come?

The 12 Apostles did that. They probably had no idea what a life-changing experience that would be.

Luke 6:12-17 gives a brief account of what happened:

“In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.”

From this passage we learn:

• Jesus prayed all night to His Father before choosing His apostles.
• Jesus already had a following… He called the disciples to Him and chose 12 from the group.   

Look at these 12 men:

Peter- a fisherman.

Andrew- Peter’s brother. It was Andrew who first told Peter about Jesus.

James- also a fisherman and cousin to Peter and Andrew.

John- brother to James and a fisherman.

Those four men had been part of a family fishing business that included their fathers who were Zebedee and Jonah (or sometimes referred to as John.) They were living in Capernaum when they met Jesus.

Philip- His hometown was Bethsaida, which was also the home of Peter and Andrew. In John 12:21-22 we learn that some Greeks who had gone to the feast in Jerusalem approached Philip asking to see Jesus.

Bartholomew- In John 1:43-51 he is called Nathaniel, and it is Philip who tells him they had found Him of whom the prophets wrote. Nathaniel’s response was, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?”

Matthew- He also went by the name Levi and was contracted by the Roman Empire to collect taxes from the Jews in Capernaum. Tax collectors were known for lying about how much people owed and pocketing the difference.

Thomas- He is often referred to as “Doubting Thomas,” because when the other 10 saw Jesus after the resurrection, his response was: “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25).

Jesus then appeared and offered to let him do just that.

Upon seeing Jesus in the flesh with his own eyes and possibly touching the wounds, Thomas proclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Jesus responded with one of the most powerful statements about faith in all of Scripture: “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). I think it is important to remember, WE are in the group who have not seen, yet believe.

James the son of Alphaeus.

Simon the Zealot- we know little about him, but the description “Zealot” indicates he may have belonged to a Jewish sect known as the Zealots, who were bent on revolution and looking for a Messiah to violently overthrow Rome.

Judas Iscariot- the only one who was not a Galilean… described as a thief and the one who betrayed Jesus. The word Iscariot is linked to a town south of Jerusalem.

Could Jesus have chosen any group who were more different… in personality, in political beliefs, in integrity and honesty?

As they walked with Jesus, they saw Him perform miracles, talk to people who were outcast, talk with women… Jesus walked a different path from other religious leaders.

During these three plus years, Jesus influenced these men, and 11 of them would remain faithful, even in the face of persecution and death.

Jesus was the AUTHORITY in the group. From the beginning His disciples knew He was the leader. They called Him “Master” according to Luke 8:24, and John 13:13-14 tells us they called Him “Teacher” and “Lord.”

Jesus held them ACCOUNTABLE when they argued… Luke 9:46-48. Jesus called a child to use as an example, to encourage them to have the heart of a child. In Luke 22:24-29, after Jesus had washed their feet and they shared supper together, they still argued over being the greatest. Jesus once again talks about serving, then tells them they will sit at the table with Him in His kingdom, judging the 12 tribes of Israel.

Jesus was APPROACHABLE… Luke 11:1-13. They had heard Jesus pray and asked Him to teach them to pray. These are Jewish men who would have been familiar with the Jewish prayers, but it seems something was different when they heard the prayers of Jesus.

At what we call the “Last Supper,” beginning in John 13, we see Jesus taking the role of a servant as He washes the feet of the apostles. Jesus takes this time to talk with them, to give them hope and comfort, to encourage them to love one another. Then in John 15:14-17, He says:

“You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.”

Hours before His arrest and crucifixion, Jesus calls His apostles “friends.” We expect loyalty and commitment from friends, but this was still lacking among this group of men until after the resurrection. The years together had set the foundation for a friendship where eventually loyalty, trust, and commitment bonded them to the promised Messiah, and they were eager to take His message of redemption to the world.

[ All Scriptures are ESV. ]

Written by Ana Teresa Vivas, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Canada

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, whichwe have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.  The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, andwe proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.”

(1 John 1:1-2, emphasis added)

When John speaks to the brothers in this way, what he is saying in today’s language is: “I want to talk to you about something I know a lot about, or more so someone I knew well. I know what I’m talking about.” Doesn’t that appear to be what he is saying? And when you know less about a certain topic, well, then you easily accept direction, supervision, and guidance from someone who knows more.

Even though the Bible does not mention the word “mentoring,” its practice can be observed through diverse relationships throughout the Scriptures, from the Old to the New Testament. For this reason, it is so important that we recognize the practice, identify the aspects that relate to use and live them out, as part of our identity as Christians, actually our identity as people when you get down to it. And, did you know? Mentorship is equivalent to discipleship. Someone who disciples is a mentor, even when, at times, they don’t “check all the boxes.”

Mentor: Counselor, guide, teacher.

As I mentioned before, there are various examples in the Bible of mentoring relationships; but let’s look at Jesus’ example. Jesus chose 12 men to whom He delegated the task of replicating what He did with them. He taught them something He knew extremely well, the Kingdom. He encouraged and equipped them to complete a mission. He was patient and He loved them. He was their friend and He served them, knowing Who He was and where He was going (John 13:1).

A mentor like Jesus knows who He is, is surrounded by friends, disciples, who are dedicated to His purpose, with perseverance. Just as Paul did and entrusted to Timothy in 1 Timothy 2:2, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.”

A mentor is an instrument of God.

“I came to do my Father’s will,” Jesus said in John 6:38.

“One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles…” (Luke 6:12-13)

A mentor has clear goals in mind and works toward them, guiding his/her disciples there.

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” (Matt. 4:19)

If we are imitators of Jesus, and since we have the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20, we also need to and should want to be in mentoring or discipleship relationships. We are also called to be part of this pattern of teaching and growth that we see in the New Testament.

There is no addendum to the Bible where the characteristics of a mentor are listed, but Jesus showed us how to do it: Get close to one or more people that need to be instructed and learn about the Kingdom. Teach them, treat them with love, develop a friendship with them, and persevere toward the goal of walking with Jesus at all times and encourage others to persevere in that walk. That was the key to the spreading of the gospel in the ancient world: The mentoring relationship that Jesus had with His disciples.

I know that it looks simplistic to mention only these few aspects, but these are at the heart of this service, central to our mission (Matt. 28:18-20).

In the same way as the apostle John, we also have seen and “touched” Jesus. We know Him adequately enough to speak to the world about Him. It is our mission to do so.

Written by Ann Thiede, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Arkansas 

“Insecure” describes me from my childhood through my teenage years, wanting to fit in, becoming a people-pleaser which led to conflicts within and ungodly choices. I craved relationships—people with whom I could be close and share my heart. Unfortunately, many of my contemporaries during my high school and college days followed the crowd. But, praise God, a few helped me walk toward Christ.

Matthew, in his gospel, recorded these last words of Jesus:

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

I’m forever grateful for God’s beautiful orchestration through four peers, drawing me to Him and teaching me what it looks like to follow Him. These are some discipleship steps I’ve learned.

The first step involves getting to know Jesus as you read the Gospels with a hungry, teachable heart, and the willingness to let go of preconceived ideas. In searching for what you believe, you will find Who you believe. I encourage you to read through John’s gospel first, taking note of all of the titles Jesus gives Himself. For example, in John 6:35 He says, “I am the bread of life,” and then “…sothe one who feeds on Me will live because of Me” (6:57b). Ask yourself: What would it look like to feed on Christ?

The writer of Hebrews says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Heb.

Remember my issue of people-pleasing, wanting approval? Jesus wants us to please Him above all others. His desire is to draw us toward His likeness, giving us the courage to talk as He talked, live and love as He lived and loved, and to reach out and share the Good News even as He did.“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). It is the heart of Christ that we who are disciples make disciples by sharing His Good News, studying the Word with those who don’t know Him, planting seeds of faith or watering what others have planted, and watching God bring the increase of souls into the Kingdom.

Discipleship means adhering to God’s Word first and foremost. Spirit-inspired words throughout the Bible embody truth. Luke records these insightful thoughts: “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts

Following Christ as His disciple also means walking together in this life with other disciples; encouraging one another, praying with one another, and sharing joy and grief together. Surrendering to Him as Lord and Savior means becoming a part of His Body, the church. Jesus intends for disciples to function together in harmony. I encourage you to read 1 Corinthians 12: 12-31 and Romans 12:4-8, both beautiful passages about the church and what your part may be, according to the gifts God has given you. Many disciples over the years have enriched my life, encouraging me to be more like Jesus. These relationships go deep as we share life including our spiritual struggles and victories. The Holy Spirit has taught me the value of Paul’s admonition when he says, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). If you desire qualities you see in another person that are Christlike, start asking God!

As you’ve read, in what area of being a disciple of Jesus do you desire growth?

• Getting to know Jesus better through the Gospels
• Developing a consistent prayer life
• Allowing Him to make changes in your life
• Making disciples by sharing Christ with others
• Letting the Word be your guide for truth above all
• Deepening relationships with other disciples

Go to Jesus and share with a fellow disciple. And remember, Jesus has promised to be with you, always.