“Note that Jesus did not expose the rich young ruler’s pretensions to holiness by disputing his claim to sinless perfection.  Instead he tested his love for God.  Was God first in his life, or was something else?  By instructing the man to give away his possessions Jesus was not saying that we can win our way to heaven simply by giving away our wealth.  The requirement for salvation is faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone.  The rich ruler was willing to keep some of the commandments but he refused to surrender his standard of living for the glory of God.  One writer says “for this man to choose insolvency for the sake of joining Jesus’ movement was to choose a kind of social death”.  What do you suppose Jesus would tell you or me to give up for the kingdom of God?  Jesus would tell us to give up anything that we love more than we love Him.” (Dr. James Benecke)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! Another week has flown by, but the links keep on coming! Without further ado, here they are!

• If you have ever wondered how to explain to someone, whether a co-worker or a kid, why we shouldn’t take the Lord’s name in vain, Philip Graham Ryken gives a thorough and clear answer.
• Matt Smethurst explains three ways to share the gospel this week, which if you haven’t done, can always begin today! Pastor Clint Archer also lays out three different things to pray for in sharing your faith in Christ as you proclaim Him.
• Grace to You blog continues their series on Christian cliches by addressing the phrases ‘travelling mercies‘ and ‘backsliding.’
• How would you respond to someone you love if they broke your trust? You may need to look at how Jesus treated Judas in order to see how you should be with your betrayer.
• If you had to choose between a knowledgeable, but immature believer, or a mature but simple believer, which would you choose? Kevin DeYoung gives his answer, but also explains why neither is sufficient.
• Randy Alcorn gives a plea for Christians to raise the bar in their book-reading. I think all lovers of books would give a hearty ‘Amen!’ Brother, sister, if you don’t like to read, please read and heed Alcorn’s advice.
• Michael Kruger continues to deal with common objections to the faith, this time answering someone who believes Christians didn’t accept Jesus was God until much later. Don’t get caught without an answer to this one.
• Would you believe that married couples have contributed to an increase in singleness? It depends on how the marrieds speak of their spouses, especially in the presence of a single. Katie Van Dyke provides some corrective wisdom for married couples in how they can help with the singleness epidemic, primarily by enjoying our marriage to God’s glory.
• For the sake of fairness, Ken Samples deflates 7 common myths about old-earth creationism that we should be mindful of, especially if we are seekers of truth, and want to represent our brothers in Christ accurately.

That’s all for this week! Don’t forget that we’re on break for affinity groups, and have flocks instead. Members, don’t forget we have members meeting Sunday night. For the rest of you, see you all Sunday morning!

Soli Deo Gloria