Nothing renders us so like unto God as our love unto Jesus Christ, for he is the principle object of his love; in him doth his soul rest, in him he is always well pleased. (John Owen, quoted in Show Them Jesus by Jack Klumpenhower, Kindle Locations 380-382)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! The weekend is fast approaching, so let’s jump right in!

• Can men and women be friends? You would think that the answer would be obvious, but apparently not. Jen Wilkin writes about the necessity of men and women being friends, especially at church. I’d invite you to read and consider your current circle of friends: does it include both genders, or just one?
• If you’ve ever been interested in learning New Testament Greek, this post lists a couple suggestions that are available for free, and may actually help you in your pursuit of knowing Christ more by studying the language in which the New Testament was written. (FYI, this may require you to purchase David Alan Black’s Learning to Read New Testament Greek, which is one of the required readings in New Testament Greek at The Master’s Seminary).
• How come our evangelism doesn’t work? Jonathan Dodson gives two very big reasons, which I hope we all would heed. Leon Brown gives a corollary post that emphasizes wearing Christianity on your sleeve.
• Though this was back in June, the Institute for Biblical Counseling and Discipleship held a conference addressing how to deal with your past. One message that was highlighted this week was Pastor Steve Viars’ message “Handling Evangelism Opportunities in Counseling.” Make sure you check out the first link to find the handout that accompanied this message, as well as the other messages for your benefit.
• R.C. Sproul gives some necessary words of wisdom that was generally assumed a generation ago as he answers the question, “Is Marriage ‘Just a Piece of Paper’?”
• I would consider this the highlight article of the week: a biblical perspective on encouragement. Have you used that word recently (in conversation, in an email, in a text)? Read this article to test your understanding and learn some practical ways of encouraging the church. Hoping to see an overabundance of notes in the encouragement box this coming Sunday. =)
• Robert Kellemen reminds us that growth in grace is done through the church, not apart from it.

That’s all for this week! Looking forward to learning more about finances this weekend from Jim Rickard! Hope to see you all there!

Soli Deo Gloria