“You do not have the luxury of sitting out the battle for knowledge. No Christian can afford to be on vacation from speaking the truth in love in the strength of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:15). Eternity is too long and God’s glory too important to do Christianity on the cheap.” (Douglas Groothuis)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! I hope your weeks have been filled with time with the Lord in His Word and in prayer. Now that the week is coming to a close, I pray these links will only draw you to a closer look to His Word and a deeper trust in Him.

• Ligonier Ministries is making their book Abortion: A Rational Look at an Emotional Issue by R.C. Sproul free to download for the rest of this month. You would be wise to get your (digital) hands on this book! Don’t miss the link to his video/audio series on abortion at the end. To give you a taste, Sproul addressed the issue of whether one who has had an abortion can be forgiven.
• The Grace to You blog has begun a series addressing the many Christian clichés that pop up in discussions amongst our own. First up, “Ask Jesus into your heart.“
• What does the term, ‘evangelical,’ mean? Greg Koukl from Stand to Reason gives a short, succinct answer.
• Michael Kruger addresses a claim, in academic circles (and becoming more mainstream), the idea that Christianity was more diverse than what many Christians think. So much so, in fact, that to speak of early Christianity would be misleading; rather, it would be more accurate to say, ‘early Christianities.’ Don’t be surprised when you hear this at the university, and take in what Kruger writes.
• Robert Kellemen continues his series on how to have gospel conversations by finishing his five portraits of a loving biblical counselor with the latter three portraits. Make sure you read the previous posts, as they are very helpful things to consider in counseling others.
• It’s common to hear that idolatry only took place in the past or currently in a religious context, but it can occur in the habits that have formed in our lives. Ken Sande zeroes in on what an idolatrous habit looks like, and what the cure is.
• How can Christians who are pro-life honor a pro-choice president? John Piper writes a helpful primer.
• In this week’s Glory Books Women’s Hope podcast, Kim Wine, Kimberly Cummings, and Brandi Huerta provide some sound wisdom for ladies in how to pursue a holy marriage. Just so the guys don’t feel left out, Pastor Phil Wages gives a great overview of the structure and content of the Old Testament, in anticipation of the New (Testament and upcoming post). Ladies, this post is for you, as well.
• If you wonder how you’re doing in the art of communication, Joel Beeke provides seven ways for us to grow in that area. Every Christian needs to grow in the area of talk, and hopefully, this will lead you in the right direction. Dads, this is definitely an encouragement for you to teach your children in the way they speak (and the original reason for this post).
• Don Whitney recently came out with a book on family worship, from which Crossway posted a snippet of it: husbands, it’s time to start leading family worship. May we all, whether with or without children, take the charge humbly.
• Here’s one to bookmark and give some time to: the 2015 Bahnsen Conference, named after presuppositional apologist Greg Bahnsen, has a number of presentations related to the issue of apologetics from a number of speakers/authors/pastors/professors. Also included is a debate about the existence and attiributes of God. I don’t expect everyone to agree with everything presented, but I am thoroughly looking forward to watching Jeff Durbin, K. Scott Oliphint, and E. Calvin Beisner’s presentation (Gordon Clark vehemently differed with Cornelius Van Til, and Bahnsen was not a fan of Clark, either).

That’s all for this week! Don’t forget to keep the youth and collegians in prayer, as they meet tonight at church for Bible study. See you all on Sunday!

Soli Deo Gloria