“We need revival, a reformation of our hearts and minds. We don’t need more self-help books, we don’t need more welfare programs or feel-good efforts: we need more of Jesus Christ. Our battleground is not marriage, sexuality, sanctity of life, justice, or hunger. Our battleground is the gospel. Jesus is enough.” [Sheldon Nord (foreword) in David Steele, Bold Reformer: Celebrating the Gospel-Centered Convictions of Martin Luther]

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! Quite the week, to say the least. Here’s hoping that this week’s links will provide some encouragement to you, wherever you are in your walk with Christ today.

• What do you do when your pastor begins sharing the gospel in his sermon? Do you start packing up? Thinking about what to eat for lunch? Pastor Jordan Standridge calls you, believer, not to shut off your brain when your pastor preaches the gospel. This is probably the best post I’ve read this week.
• Ok, the election has come and gone. Anything worth reading out there? Well, Andy Naselli has a great post-election roundup of articles. Jonathan Leeman reminds us of our responsibility as a church body, Hunter Baker tells us 10 things we should know about the election, Heath Lambert provides timely counsel on how believers on either political side can love one another, and Mark Dever a few years back preached on the relationship between Christians and politics that has been helpful to me personally over the years.
• Nancy Guthrie recently gave a talk at RTS Charlotte on how to struggle with grief, a very needed subject in the Christian community. RTS President Michael Kruger interviews her and her husband David in light of their new book, What Grieving People Wish You Knew about What Really Helps (and What Really Hurts).
• What are some of the fruits of the Reformation? Sinclair Ferguson provides four implications of Martin Luther’s theology, while Joel Beeke provides a picture of Luther’s family as a picture of cultivating Christian discipleship in the family.
• Brad Hambrick discusses the difference between the noun counsel and the verb counseling, and the perceptions people have about both. Trust me, it’s worth the read.

That’s all for this week! Please be in prayer for the youth and collegians, as they meet tonight, as well as our members’ meeting this Sunday night. See you all Sunday morning!

Soli Deo Gloria