“The Christian church has long been understood by the culture at large to be the guardian of what is right and righteous. But now the situation is fundamentally reversed. The culture generally identifies Christians as on the wrong side of morality.” (Albert Mohler, We Cannot Be Silent: Speaking Truth to a Culture Redefining Sex, Marriage, and the Very Meaning of Right and Wrong)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! The week is nearly over, but the links abound! Without further ado, here you go!

• Who do you think is the greatest missionary of all time? You may be surprised at the answer. In another co-written post, Andrew Naselli and J.D. Crowley lay out 12 (biblical, I might add) principles for disagreeing with other Christians. This is well worth your time.
• What does a Muslim think about a given topic? The proper response should be, “Which Muslim?” Professor James Anderson gives a broad picture of the many Islamic traditions that would be helpful in your witness t them.
• Are you aware of Satan’s strategies to sway you from following Christ? Ed Welch writes of his many deceptive tactics that are more subtle than you think. Be prepared for battle against the enemy.
• When Christians are accused of believing in blind faith, is there any merit to it? Craig Biehl would argue the opposite: atheism is accepted on blind faith, and when you read his explanation why, you won’t be dismayed when the opportunity arises to make that clear.
• If you have doubts as to whether false teachers can come to embrace true, saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, I would simply point you to the grace of God in the life of Pastor John Samson. A former Word Faith teacher, Samson has now come to the truth and shares his story of God’s patient and powerful grace.
• Students, are you ready for finals week and summer break? Well, whether you are or not, there’s some wisdom from the pen of Peter Krol, who gives a plan conducive to productivity for the glory of God. He even dares you to prove him wrong. Take up the challenge!
• In a world where retaliation is accepted to a certain extent in our culture today, what does Scripture have to say about that? Mary Kassian provides some godly wisdom in this area. This is probably more pervasive than we think. Along similar lines, Ken Sande recently spoke on gospel-centered relationships, which will be a helpful strength for us to cultivate in our everyday friendships.
• How do we obey the commands to feel when it doesn’t seem that we are in control of our feelings? John Piper recently did a lab working through 1 Peter 3:8-9 that I think will be of help to you in this area.
• The Women’s Hope podcast features Gloria Furman discussing her upcoming book Missional Motherhood: The Everyday Ministry of Motherhood in the Grand Plan of God. This is a conversation that looks like it will spark great conversations between moms and women in general (Furman even states the book is for all women, not just moms), so make sure you give it a listen!

That’s all for this week! This week is flocks week, so make sure you spend some time getting to know the church body and blessing one another with discussing the sermon together! See you all tomorrow at banquet! And Sunday!

Soli Deo Gloria