The Christian call to evangelism is a call not simply to persuade people to make decisions but rather to proclaim to them the good news of salvation in Christ, to call them to repentance, and to give God the glory for regeneration and conversion. We don’t fail in our evangelism if we faithfully tell the gospel to someone who is not converted; we fail only if we don’t faithfully tell the gospel at all. Evangelism itself isn’t converting people; it’s telling them that they need to be converted and telling them how they can be. (Mark Dever, The Gospel and Personal Evangelism)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! It has been quite the week with the weather change (where is the sun?), new baby in the LBC family, and more as we come to the end of the week. However, we can’t let you start the weekend without your links, so here you go!

• Nancy Pearcey points out the freeloading nature of materialists when it comes to moral ideals. In other words, atheists tend to steal concepts like equality and human rights from the Christian worldview. Her incisive analysis is definitely worth the read.
• Ever wondered how to do analytic philosophy? Ever been confused by your philosophy professor? Christian philosophy professor James Anderson gives a wonderful primer on learning how to do philosophy. If you want to be a clear-headed thinker (remember, Christ does command us to love God with our minds), this would definitely be a good place to start!
• Pastor Mark Jones wrote a convicting post on the death of corporate prayer meetings. Believe me, we need to be convicted in this area. More than that, we need to come together to pray. May our church be a church that prays.
• Russell Moore considers some reasons why Islam is growing in the world, and it has less to do with ISIS and more to do with Christians. Moore was also asked five questions that range from singleness to same-sex attraction to Catholicism. Wise words.
• Tim Challies writes of the one sure mark of maturity. Do you know what that is?
• Did you know that Mormon leaders claim their temples are patterned after Solomon’s temple? Would you know how to counter that claim? Look no further.
• One of the Core Devotionals on the Glory Books website focused on the busyness of life and the possible idol it has become in the lives of believers. Don’t be too busy to read this and reflect on your priorities. FYI, the passage cited is Philippians (not Ephesians) 4:19, in case you were wondering.
• What does it mean to be a man in today’s culture? At the beginning of the week, Paul Tripp wrote about what makes a man, and was asked a number of questions since then. He chose to answer them on video, and we are all the better for it.

That’s all for this week! Be in prayer for Sam Chung and Stephanie Leung as they tie the knot tomorrow, and for us to come together and worship the Lord with gladness this Sunday!

Soli Deo Gloria