“Throughout the Bible, acceptable worship means approaching or engaging with God on the terms that he proposes and in the manner that he makes possible. It involves honouring, serving and respecting him, abandoning any loyalty or devotion that hinders an exclusive relationship with him. Although some of Scripture’s terms for worship may refer to specific gestures of homage, rituals or priestly ministrations, worship is more fundamentally faith expressing itself in obedience and adoration. Consequently, in both Testaments it is often shown to be a personal and moral fellowship with God relevant to every sphere of life.” (David Peterson, Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! Shorter post this time, so let’s get right to it!

• Randy Alcorn gives a very clear answer to the question of why churches should study systematic theology. After reading this, I hope that becomes a priority in your life as a Christian.
• How do we engage with other believers on social media? Nicholas Batzig has some biblical guidelines every Christian who posts ought to heed.
• With the number of study Bibles growing, every year it seems, how are Christians to use them well in their study of Scripture? Justin Taylor has some suggestions. While we’re on the issue of Bible reading, New Testament scholar D.A. Carson has some great insights into reading the Bible and doing theology well, while pastor David Murray addresses the believer who has found the Bible to be boring and how to rekindle love towards God’s Word.
• What are the rights of Christians in a public school? It might be worth your time to read on and find out.
• If you haven’t noticed, the Pope came to the U.S. this week. Seeing as we are not Roman Catholics, why bring it up? Well, this can be an opportunity to talk with those who call the Pope their spiritual leader. Over at The Cripplegate, Jordan Standridge addresses why we cannot be together, as well as recommended books on addressing Roman Catholicism from a biblical perspective. Do not miss these resources to build up the true church.

That’s all for this week! Continue to pray for the youth and collegians, as they meet tonight for Bible study. Don’t forget to come worship together on Sunday! And make sure to join us for FiTS after!

Soli Deo Gloria

Wherever mission communities were around the world, the Moravians sought first to root them in Bible meditation along with ecstatic hymn singing and prayer. The Bible was a book about a missionary Father with a missionary Son who was wedded to a missionary Bride. (Evan Burns, “Moravian Missionary Piety and the Influence of Count Zinzendorf”)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! I hope your weeks have been a joy to our Lord and a time of blessing to others. Hopefully, that continues on into the weekend, so here’s some links that will point you to our Savior!

• How do we engage the culture around us with a faithful Christian witness? Greg Koukl has spent his life teaching believers how to be winsome ambassadors of Christ, and has distilled his insights in ‘Diplomacy or D-Day?‘ Believe me when I tell you: this is must reading if you want to grow to be a more faithful witness to Christ and His gospel.
• Evangelist Jeff Durbin has begun airing a series of talks from his Apologia Academy that will be of interest to some of you. His first talk connects how to do presuppositional apologetics in critiquing Mormonism. Hopefully, it will benefit you long after watching.
• Over at the Grace to You blog, a new series is being posted, dealing with Frequently Abused Verses. So far, the eye of the needle and judging have been covered.
• If the occasion came to speak to your kids about death, what would you say? Jeff Robinson has some biblical insights worth considering.
• With the recent posting of the 10th video from the Center for Medical Progress, some may argue that the focus of these videos is on the ugliness of abortion. Though that may come through in some of the graphic images, the focus is more on Planned Parenthood profiting from the sale of baby parts. Keep that in mind.
• In light of the videos surrounding Planned Parenthood appearing nearly every week, now would be a good time to prepare for discussions concerning abortion. Learning to present a view towards life that honors God and shows love to those who have had an abortion requires training. To help towards that end, Wretched Radio is working alongside Scott Klusendorf of Life Training Institute to create a tv show dedicated to defending a pro-life view. It would also be helpful to know that medical science is on the side of life, in case you were wondering.
• How do you move from head to heart knowledge? In other words, what is most helpful to practically apply what you learn from God’s Word? Here are five ways to get you going.

That’s all for this week! I hope your weekend will bring many opportunities to represent Christ well, wherever you are. See you all on Sunday!

Soli Deo Gloria

Many disparate believers, in many ways, have helped me toward the Lord.  How could I be ungrateful?  I don’t believe that verses like Romans 12:10 apply only to other Reformed believers.  My heart has been stretched out beyond that circle, without diminishing my own convictions, and for that too I am grateful. (Ray Ortlund)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! I pray this week’s links helps you to strive to live under Christ’s Lordship. Here we go!

• As the culture continues to shift away from a biblical worldview, many areas of Christian living need to be addressed with one another as believers in a post-Christian society. CBMW has been faithfully making headway into this by writing on how parents can teach their children biblical gender roles in all of life, how fathers can train their boys to be courageous, and even starting a new podcast, first of which is an interview with Pastor Ligon Duncan on parenting, family life, and challenges to complementarianism today.
• A lot has happened since the incarceration of Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. A lot of writing has happened as well. The best I’ve seen thus far have been from Harry Reeder, Richard Phillips, Lydia McGrew, and Ryan Anderson.
• A video that makes the claim, “I am a Christian but…” has gone viral this week. Denny Burk provides a clear response.
• Medical doctor Charles Hodges writes about new developments concerning medications, depression, and biblical counseling, specifically on the issue of serotonin and treatments.
• Using the example of a blind 8th-grade runner and her guide-dog, Ken Sande asks us a simple question: how much do you trust God?
• Another end-time prediction is looming on the horizon: four blood moons on September 28th is claimed to signal the end of the world. Clint Archer provides some simple and profound thoughts for believers to heed.
• This is a good heart check for everyone: ten more ways churches drive away first-time guests. Linked on that page is the first 10 ways (this is the next 10 ways). Please read and consider.
• R.C. Sproul has beena a trusted Bible teacher for quite some time. Consider his advice in getting a basic overview of the Bible. This is especially for those who aren’t sure where to start in their Bible reading.

That’s all for this week! Please be in prayer for the youth and collegians as they meet tonight at church, luau tomorrow, and corporate worship on Sunday!

Soli Deo Gloria

“We all want progress. But progress means getting nearer to the place where you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turning, then to go forward does not get you any nearer. If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that case the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man.” (CS Lewis, Mere Christianity)

by Stephen Rodgers

So, it’s the first Friday of the month, and that means I’m back with hopefully enough reading material to keep you occupied until next month rolls around!

• If audio books are your thing, then the free book of the month by christianaudio.com is AHA by Kyle Idleman. I can’t really tell you much about this one, since it’s new to me, but you can check the link and see if it’s of interest to you.
• If Logos is your thing, then the free book of the month is the Mentor Commentary on Amos. I’ve heard a few people say some nice things about it, so I’d recommend snatching it up.
• Ligonier puts out a monthly collection of articles called “Tabletalk,” and this month the topic under discussion is “The Study Bible.” You definitely don’t want to miss that.
• Also, the Gospel Coalition puts out a more…robust…journal entitled Themelios, and issue 40.2 is out. A good chunk of each issue is given over to book reviews, but definitely scan the table of contents and see if there’s anything in there that grabs you. Personally, I thought Ovey’s essay on Antigone being misunderstood in secular society was pretty…what’s the word the kids use these days?…boss. It was pretty boss.
• Ligonier Ministries is also on a roll this month. Not only is there a new edition of Tabletalk (see above), but there’s also a free ebook entitled The State of American Theology. It’s an expansion of their article series on demographic data of religiosity in America, with a number of additional articles thrown in. It’s definitely worth getting, especially if you want to get a better understand of where our culture and context are heading.
• Last but certainly not least, they also have expanded their free offering of RC Sproul’s Crucial Questions series to a whopping 22 books! GET THIS! It’s on Kindle, it’s on iBooks, it’s on Logos…seriously, now is a great time to check to make sure that these are all on the reading device / platform of your choice. While Sproul and LBC would quibble on a doctrinal distinctive here or there, on par these are excellent, Gospel-centered resources, and your library and mind will be better for having them and reading them.

That’s pretty much it for now…see you Sunday!

Pro Rege

We assert that all human life is sacred and belongs to God because all people are made in the image of God (Gen. 1:27). Since every human being is created by God and in His image, every human being has intrinsic rather than relative value. People are not valued according to their quality of life or their usefulness to serve the desires of others. They are not to be destroyed when “unwanted” by us. God, in making them, wants them. They are not to be discarded, sacrificed, or euthanized because they are useless to others. They have sovereign use to God. (John Ensor, Answering the Call: Saving Innocent Lives One Woman at a Time)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! As the new school year begins, new opportunities to speak the truth in love abounds. Not only at school, but also at work, with family and friends. To prepare for this, this week’s links are geared to help you be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in you. Here you go!

• The Center for Medical Progress continue their series of sting videos with Planned Parenthood representatives discussing the selling of fetal body parts this week. This most recent video reveals StemExpress, a biotech supply company, as a company that partnered with Planned Parenthood to buy human fetal parts, some possibly born-alive infants. Since then, Planned Parenthood has sought to discredit these videos. The Daily Signal reports on CMP’s response.
• How do you prepare for entering the university setting? Most students coming from a Christian home are instructed to stay away from parties, study hard, and make good decisions. However, the intellectual arena is largely untouched in the preparation of a young believer. Professor Michael Kruger gives some sound advice as to how to be ready to represent Christ well in this post-Christian culture. Youth, collegians: click that link!
• In an effort to address a common misunderstanding of what the Bible is all about, Pastor Jared Wilson provides a helpful corrective in his article, “The Bible Is Not an Instruction Manual.” Let us never get tired of what we need to be reminded of in this article.
• The Biblical Counseling Coalition has been working on a series related to biblical counseling and higher education. This week, Dr. Robert Jones offers eight reasons why theology and theological training matters. Lilly Park offers a female perspective on pursuing biblical counseling training, and Kevin Carson explains why you should pursue further training in this area. If anything, I hope your desire to offer biblical counsel is heightened by reading these posts.
• In a very simple yet biblical manner, R.C. Sproul gives us a peek into how he would counsel someone who is unsure of their salvation. I hope this will be bring much comfort to those who are struggling in this area.
• A common objection to only recognizing marriage as the one-flesh union of a man and a woman is that there are many couples who are infertile, thus pointed out that marriage doesn’t require every couple to have kids, since some can’t. Ryan Anderson responds. Over at The Federalist, another article addresses why same-sex ‘marriage’ will never measure up to the real thing.
• Examining the bumper stickers of a car while driving, Michael Kruger lays bare the common mantras you hear promoted in our day. A beautiful display of sound, biblical thinking.

That’s all for this week! Make sure you pray for the collegians, as College Life begins the new school year tonight! See you at church on Sunday (and at FITS)!

Soli Deo Gloria

 A man who only opposes the sin in his heart for fear of shame among men or eternal punishment from God would practise the sin if there were no punishment attending it. How does this differ from living in the practice of the sin? Those who belong to Christ, and are obedient to the Word of God, have the death of Christ, the love of God, the detestable nature of sin, the preciousness of communion with God, and a deep-rooted hatred of sin as sin to oppose to all the workings of lust in their hearts. (John Owen, The Mortification of Sin)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! I hope this one, which has some serious content, will draw you all to pray and seek the Lord in this time of rebellion from the culture around us. God is still in control!

• The Center for Medical Progress released their seventh video exposing more and more the ugliness of Planned Parenthood. Justin Taylor links to the previous videos and provides more resources to be a winsome advocate of life wherever you are. Alan Shlemon from Stand to Reason gives some thoughts to consider concerning the issue of rape and abortion with a real life situation in Egypt.
• Collegians, want to know how to be successful in college? Here are five prerequisites. Also, while you’re at it, seeking biblical friendships may be hard, of which Jonathan Holmes offers a reason why that is, and suggests five ways to practically form friendships that isn’t weird or forced.
• Joe Carter asks and answers a very neglected question: “Is there any actual demand for same-sex marriage?“
• Did you know that a new NIV Study Bible is about to come out, and that D.A. Carson is one of the editors behind it? Andy Naselli gives a very informative post that will get you up to speed. This is an exciting time!
• Robert Zink gives a timely devotional on being men and women of our word, which he sees as a subtle problem in the church. Heed the call to integrity.
• Rico Tice simply lays out the implications of a passage that transformed his evangelism. Hopefully, the same happens with you.
• Justin Taylor has written a very thoughtful post on the reality and vision of Christian education, and it probably isn’t what you’re expecting! In relation to school, here are 35 things an older adult wish they knew while in high school. Youth, this one’s for you!
• This one may be a little long, but definitely worth reading. If you are researching the claims of Joseph Smith and the Mormon Church, knowing what they are and the lack of evidence shown in this post will definitely be of benefit to you and those you seek to minister the gospel to.
• CBMW highlights how to counsel a woman after they suffer a miscarriage. How can you show them the love of Christ in this very difficult time? Allow Brittany Lind to offer five thoughts to help counsel those who are hurting, maybe even today.

That’s all for this week! Please pray for the joint volleyball tournament tomorrow at LBCOC, and that we would welcome guest preacher Morgan Maitland this coming Sunday as he brings God’s Word to us on Sunday.

Soli Deo Gloria

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

“I simply argue that the cross be raised again at the centre of the market place as well as on the steeple of the Church. I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles; but on a cross between two thieves; on a town garbage heap; at the crossroad of politics so cosmopolitan that they had to write His title in Hebrew and in Latin and in Greek…And at the kind of place where cynics talk smut, and thieves curse, and soldiers gamble. Because that is where He died, and that is what He died about. And that is where Christ’s men ought to be and what Church people ought to be about.” (George Macleod)

by Stephen Rodgers

Well, after a month on hiatus here we go again! And is our custom, the first WL of the month is given over to alerting you to some free resources to help you profitably spend your time for the rest of the month…

• The free resource from christianaudio.com this month is Rosaria Butterfield’s The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert which is really, Really, REALLY good. You should imbibe this book…read it, listen to it, absorb it…whatever works. It’s…as the kids say these days…stupid good…which means it’s actually very smart. And good.
• Logos’ free resource this month is the Paideia Commentaries on the New Testament: Acts. I’m afraid I don’t know too much about this one, but there it is.
• The August edition of Tabletalk is out, and it deals with the topic of “Persecution.” On top of it always being an excellent resource, this month, Ligonier is making it free in every digital form imaginable, so you are without excuse (unless you only read printed material, in which case you probably don’t read the Beacon).

So, that address the new and recurring stuff, but let’s take a look at two other resources for you:

• First of all, Gary Habermas, a Christian historian, apologist, and scholar, has made one of his books available for free online: Evidence for the Historical Jesus.
• Also, as you know, Al Mohler’s podcast “The Briefing” is a favorite around these parts. He took a break for the last month in an expression of solidarity for our missions trip (no, not really…just seeing if anyone reads this), but has now resumed.

That’s it. See you Sunday!

Pro Rege

In a world without God, there are still many questions that need answering: how do we define good and bad; what is the basis for morality; what is the meaning of our lives; how do we deal with suffering, etc? Everyone thinks about these questions at some level. So you don’t have to speak with an atheist for very long to discover that there is a wide range of doctrines and beliefs to which most of them subscribe— even though they may hotly deny it! (David Robertson, Engaging with Atheists: Understanding their world; sharing good news)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! It’s been a busy week, to say the least, so I hope this week’s links will be a means to re-calibrate our commitments to Christ and His church!

• Jay Adams makes a simple, but overlooked, observation, that the church must fight against error creeping in. Why? Well, it’s a theme that’s present in every New Testament book.
• When discussing the issue of so-called gay marriage, Christians need to learn to engage the conversation seasoned with salt, but how can we do that? Christopher Yuan, professor at Moody Bible Institute, who knows the struggle of same-sex attraction firsthand, was recently interviewed. He has been a faithful and compassionate evangelical voice on this issue in the past few years, and we would do well to heed his advice.
• If you have recently seen the new Pixar film Inside Out or plan on watching it, have you considered it an opportunity to discuss the role of emotions with your kids? If you’re not sure where to start, TGC gives some pointers, as does Ken Sande, author of The Peacemaker. Dan DeWitt, however, gets the worldview correct, which isn’t as positive as you may think. If you’re hoping to continue to have conversations with your kids, or would want to bring a Christian perspective to the movies your family, friends, and/or co-workers watch, you’ll want to bookmark this post.
• When asked if so-called gay marriage hurts anyone, there are at least 15 reasons to consider. Denny Burk, who thinks, as do many, that the Supreme Court will legalize so-called gay marriage, points to a new-ish resource, which has been newly revised by ERLC and ADF, on how churches can protect themselves from lawsuits for their stand on marriage. Are you prepared for what’s to come?
• Over at Dr. Greg Harris’ blog, a call to remove the battle lines between stay-at-home moms and working moms has been sounded. Will we listen to that call?
• In honoring the life of Elisabeth Elliot, Ligonier Ministries has now made available her video series, Suffering is Not for Nothing. This looks to be a very valuable resource at the best price available: free!
• With the upcoming missions trip to the Czech Republic (please remember to pray for the team!), opportunities to speak truth in love to unbelievers and believers will abound. It’s helpful to be reminded of the fact that Scripture gives counsel sufficient for every person in every culture. What a gracious God we serve!
• In line with the Czech trip, one of the biggest religious groups in the Czech Republic are Catholics. As a resource for the team, as well as those who have regular interaction with Catholics, how do we tell them the Gospel faithfully? Recently, Chris Castaldo was interviewed about his new book on the subject. Don’t miss out on Gregg Allison’s interview, linked in the same post, on an evangelical assessment of Roman Catholic theology.

That’s all for this week! Please pray for the joint Bible study with three out of the four affinity groups tonight, as well as the finishing of VBS, and the Czech sendoff next week! See you all on Sunday!

Soli Deo Gloria

But it is always possible to be thankful for what is given rather than to complain about what is not given. One or the other becomes a habit of life. (Elisabeth Elliot)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! Links abound, so get ready to do some major clicking!

• The New York Times recently profiled children of same-sex parents, yet noticeably absent were children who were raised by same-sex parents and do not support same-sex marriage. Ryan Anderson highlights a couple of those stories that underscores the desire for a mom and a dad to raise them. Anderson himself has been vilified by the media for his stance on marriage (as designed by God) as complementary, which Christians need to be prepared to give a defense for.
• The situation with Bruce Jenner continues to appear on media outlets regularly, though recently, so has the outing of Rachel Dolezal of being transracial. The obvious question that rises is, “If Rachel Dolezal isn’t black, how is Caitlyn Jenner a woman?”  Some have called the comparison fraudulent, which is telling, to say the least.
• Over at the Grace to You blog, in their series on sin, attention is drawn on the Hypergrace movement that has been gaining ground in evangelical circles. Emphasis in that movement is on our depravity and God’s forgiveness, while there’s a deemphasis on God’s transforming work in the life of the believer. Read this post and that post for more.
• How can parents, specifically fathers, reach their child’s heart? Pastor Richard Phillips gives some sage wisdom in this area. Pastor Ed Braswell broadens the focus for husbands and dads in how to lead in the home.
• Earlier this week, Elisabeth Elliot passed on to glory. Read a testimony about her influence, another testimony, yet another one, 9 things about her life, a tribute to her, and a reminder from Mrs. Elliot.

That’s all for this week! Please be in prayer for the graduating youth and their families as we celebrate their transitions into the next stage of life, and look forward to seeing you on Sunday!

Soli Deo Gloria