“If Jacob had realized that when Joseph left for Shechem, the back of his head was the last Jacob would see of his beloved boy for twenty years, I’m not sure he would have sent him. God, though, was in control of the circumstances. It was actually better for Joseph to be isolated from his home but in the center of God’s plan than to be at home but isolated from God’s purposes. Similarly, we make a mistake when we try to determine God’s guidance on the basis of what is the most comfortable, acceptable, and rational to us. God’s providential dealings overrule, even in the fracturings, separations, and jealousies of life.” (Alistair Begg The Hand of God)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! I hope this week has been a blessing, despite the many things happening in the world recently. I pray this week led you into a deeper time in the Word, and in prayer. Hopefully these links will push you in the right direction, so enjoy!

• This past Resurrection Sunday, bombs went off in four cities in Sri Lanka. Ajith Fernando, teaching director for Youth for Christ in Sri Lanka, gave a personal report of some of the people affected by the evil acts, and provides the church five ways to pray for the persecuted believers there. Let us be faithful to the task of “pray[ing] for one another” (James 5:16).
• What results from believing in the Resurrection of Christ? Pastor Clint points to two effects, which comes from acknowledging the truth of what really happened 2,000 years ago.
• With the recent laws related to abortion expanding when women can have one, it is up to us ordinary Christians to step in and speak out. Pastor Tim Counts writes of eight ways we can fight against the killing of the unborn.
• ACBC’s Truth in Love podcast features an interview with Caroline Newheiser, who talks about the issue of gossip in the church, and how to replace it with God-honoring speech.
• On the Crossway blog, Pastor Kevin DeYoung warns of being passionate at the expense of being theologically precise. This is a lead-in to his new book on an old confession, of which he wrote at Desiring God: the history of the Canons of Dordt. This is where we identify the origins of the five points of Calvinism. If you have only heard of TULIP but aren’t sure of the history behind it, this is a good place to start.
• The Gospel Coalition’s Themelios journal is out, and it looks great! Some highlights include a debate on cessationism vs. continuationism, a way to show the reliability of the gospels, and a load of book reviews. Check it out!
• This is a great story of how John Piper’s influence began to increase, because of one man’s desire to use the talents God gifted him with to expose Piper’s teaching to the world. I, for one, am definitely a beneficiary of Moe Bergeron’s faithfulness in getting the Word of God out through the ministry of Desiring God.
• Ligonier Ministries has a new podcast, Simply Put, that will explain a theological term in a way where all believers can understand. Their first term: original sin. This looks like it’s going to be very helpful for the layman.
• C.S. Lewis’ book The Abolition of Man is considered by many to be one of Lewis’ most important works. A book is in the works from Crossway about this book, and Justin Taylor highlights a set of doodle videos that correspond with each chapter in the book. Make sure to go to the specific videos’ YouTube page to get more info on each doodle.
• RTS President Michael Kruger deals with an interesting question: when is the first time we see a New Testament book used as Scripture? You may be surprised at his answer.
• On The Crossway Podcast, Rebecca McLaughlin was interviewed about themes from her new book, Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion. She comments on the secularization hypothesis and two of the most common objections against the faith. This is currently what believers will face when receiving push back from the culture, so this is something worth paying attention to.

That’s all for this week! I pray most of you will enjoy flocks tonight, and have great discussions of this past week’s message about the resurrection of our Lord and Savior. See you all on Sunday!

Soli Deo Gloria