The Quiet Neglect of the Ministry of the Blacksmith
The Forgotten Forge
Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, ‘Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears.’” — 1 Samuel 13:19 NKJV
The Forgotten Forge
A blacksmith is one who makes weapons, tools, and instruments of precision by fire, pressure, and patience. In spiritual terms, the blacksmith is the theological educator—the forgotten artisan of the Kingdom, quietly shaping God’s vessels for battle.
“He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver… That they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness.” — Malachi 3:3
No denomination can rise above the spiritual depth of its ministers. And no minister can exceed the quality of the hands that shaped him for service. As Jesus said, “No student is above his teacher.”
The spiritual future of the Church—her pulpits, her preachers, her leaders—is forged in seminaries, theological colleges, and Bible schools. These are the foundries of divine preparation, and the theological educator is the blacksmith of Israel—called to shape and sharpen God’s battle-axes and threshing tools for the crises of this generation.
A Missing Ministry
In Saul’s day, Israel faced a national crisis not just of weaponry, but of preparation: there was no blacksmith in the land.
The Philistines had executed a quiet but devastating strategy: remove the blacksmiths, and the soldiers are rendered powerless. Eliminate the preparation, and the people become prey.
This was not accidental. It was intentional.
And today, the same quiet dismantling is happening within the Church.
There is a quiet discouragement of the ministry of those called to make weapons of war. There is a subtle devaluing of those who prepare the tools and sharpen the edge—those who labor to shape the servants of God.
The Church may not say it with words, but our actions—our budgets, our platforms, and our priorities—declare loudly: We do not need the forge.
Ministers are launched without ever being refined. Platforms are handed out without the fire of formation. Seminaries are treated as graveyards of passion rather than nurseries of spiritual authority.
A Testimony from the Furnace
As someone who serves within the training arms of the Church—as a missionary lecturer and theological educator—I can testify that the neglect is not imagined.
I've seen firsthand how the Church leadership often fails to encourage gifted, called individuals to pursue serious preparation. Many see no value in formal training. Some outright ridicule the ministry of the blacksmith. The message is subtle but devastating: “Why bother? Just go and start.”
And so, we’ve churned out many half-baked ministers. Passionate but unshaped. Loud but unrooted. And now, a new generation sees these untrained voices as models. They follow their zeal without following their discipline.
And the place where strong instruments are meant to be forged has become deserted—polluted by neglect and discredited by ignorance.
What is happening, though silent, is nothing less than spiritual sabotage.
“You are My battle-axe and weapons of war.” — Jeremiah 51:20
But where are these battle-axes forged? Where are they sharpened? Where will their teeth be set?
Who will teach them not just how to talk, but how to preach with weight? Not just how to lead, but how to bleed in intercession?
A Global Warning
Around the world, we’re now importing strategies from the world to train men for spiritual battle—consulting marketers instead of calling mentors. And we are paying dearly for it. Not just financially, but spiritually.
Israel went down to the Philistines to have their tools sharpened (1 Samuel 13:20–21). In like manner, we now rely on secular institutions to craft what only the fire of the Spirit can refine.
And with every sharpened tool from foreign fires, we increase the net worth of the world but impoverish the Church.
This isn’t just a local problem—it’s a global spiritual emergency.
When Satan Strikes the Forge
When the devil wants to exterminate the Church, he does not begin with the pew. He begins with the pulpit. And to weaken the pulpit, he extinguishes the furnace where God’s instruments are made.
Let us not be deceived: eloquence without depth is no weapon. Influence without intimacy is no threat to hell. We are facing a future where the pulpit may be packed, but the forge is forgotten—and the Church will be defeated in the day of battle.
We must return to the forge. We must reignite the fires. We must honor again the ministry of the blacksmith.
Let us pray:
Prayer Points
Lord, uproot every person or ideology planted in the Church to frustrate the ministry of the blacksmith.
Father, revive the training arms of the Church. Let the seminaries and schools of ministry become places of fire again.
Frustrate the plans of those assigned by hell to dismantle or corrupt our training institutions.
Raise a new generation of blacksmiths who will shape vessels of honor and prepare warriors for Your end-time army.
Thank you for praying!
Your brother,
Oluwaseun Folarin
Oluwaseun Folarin is a Nigerian missionary trainer and theological educator with a deep passion for connecting God’s people to His global purpose. He serves at the Redeemed College of Missions in Ede, equipping cross-cultural missionaries for the Redeemed Christian Church of God and beyond. He also co-founded Mission Awareness Outreach, a platform dedicated to mobilizing the Body of Christ for world evangelization.
His ministry focuses on mission training, advocacy, empowerment, and discipleship—particularly in underserved and challenging terrains across Africa. At heart, he is a voice calling sinners to salvation and saints to mission. He is joyfully married to Mosunmola Folarin, and they are blessed with two children.
This is an exceptional write up. More grace sir