The gospel of justification by faith alone proclaims a mercy so great, so full, that it compromises nothing.  This is forgiveness God feels good about.  His conscience is happy about this way of forgiving inexcusable sinners.  Therefore, our consciences too may quietly come to rest, really rest, in the finished work of Christ on the cross for us. (Ray Ortlund)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! A whole new month, a gamut of links ready for your consumption!

• With the rise of Islam worldwide, believers need to be prepared to explain and defend their faith to them, in the hopes that God would lead them to an understanding of the truth. Stand to Reason has given some excellent resources for the church body: starting a conversation with a Muslim, and an apologetic strategy that will point out an inconsistency in their worldview.
• Amid the flurry of all things Planned Parenthood, how are Christians to respond? Well, to catch you up to speed, Justin Taylor provides links to all (currently) six videos posted from the Center for Medical Progress along with resources for Christians to give a reasoned defense against abortion. Michael Kruger responds to claims made by Planned Parenthood and their supporters in defense of their horrendous actions. Courtney Reissig gives timely wisdom on how moms can show their pro-life commitments, even in the hustle and bustle of taking care of the little ones.
• To extend the argument that those who defend life inside the womb also care about their lives outside the womb, Crossway is making a FREE e-book available by Russell Moore called Adoption: What Joseph of Nazareth Can Teach Us about This Countercultural Choice. If you are considering adoption, or aren’t sure whether it’s worth pursuing, this may be just the thing to read.
• Whenever discussions concerning the Trinity come up, focus is usually drawn on understanding what the Bible teaches about God, and rightly so. At the same time, not much attention is drawn on how our response should be to the glorious truth of the Trinity. Michael Reeves draws our eyes to the beauty of the Triune God of Scripture by calling all believers to delight in Him as Trinity.
• For those of you ministering to Roman Catholics, Leonardo de Chirico has a helpful lecture that will be definitely be of interest: “Understanding and Evaluating the Appeal of Roman Catholicism.“
• Since there are some upcoming first time dads at our church (or have recently become one), biblical counselor and pastor Deepak Reju lists out 12 things every first time dad should know.
• For parents of teens and youth workers, knowing how to engage teens and technology cannot be emphasized enough. Erin Davis points out three things we may be missing when dealing with this issue. For parents in particular, another area to address is how to discuss biblical manhood and womanhood with your children.
• Recent news has appeared pointing out the admission by the Mormon Church that Joseph Smith did claim to use a seer stone to dictate the text of the Book of Mormon. Many apologetic ministries had already pointed this out in their dealings with Mormons, but were denied by Mormon authorities until now. Rob Bowman argues that isn’t the real issue, and it would be helpful for us as ambassadors of Christ to know what the real issue is.
• If you are interested in getting a grip on apologetics, Fred Butler gives a list of great resources to get your feet wet. I personally have benefited from some of these books, and would commend them to you.

That’s all for this week! Be sure to remember to pray for Pastor Patrick and Eugene as they will be in Argentina through this week and next, and for the youth to grow closer to our Savior at this weekend’s Lumos retreat!

Soli Deo Gloria