Repentance and faith are the gifts of God, and gifts that He often withholds, when they have been long offered in vain. I grant you true repentance is never too late, but I warn you at the same time, late repentance is seldom true. (J.C. Ryle)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! Another week of blessing, another week of growing in Christ. I pray this has been true of you all, and I hope these links will further those two elements in our walks with the Lord. Here we go!

• Andy Snider has some thoughts regarding the doctrine of creation that is a balance of sorts with the Ham-Nye debate in mind. Creation is discussed throughout Scripture, not just in Genesis. I think if believers disagree about something like young-earth and old-earth creationism, we can do it in a way where the world can see and know that we are Christ’s disciples (John 13:34-35).
• How do you discuss the issue of science vs. religion with secularists, evolutionists, and others who deny a biblical account of creation or of science? Do we need to be on the defensive every time this issue comes up? John Woodbridge, author of a new church history book, gives some perspective and insight in this interview as to where we’ve come from, and where we are now as believers in an age of technological advancement and scientific discovery, even when Christianity is declining in the West.
• Doug Groothuis has a delightful post concerning jazz and apologetics that is sure to get you thinking about how you engage others, and if you do so in a systematic fashion, or if there can be fluidity in your approach. We all speak to people with very different backgrounds who may have different objections to Christian belief. But if the truth has many applications to daily life, the way in which we engage others is surely included. This is coming from someone who affirms pressupositionalism, and actually likes smooth jazz (unlike Groothuis). You may also start listening to jazz as a result of this post.
• There seems to be an idea floating around amongst believers that Christians are not able to become depressed. Is this true? Have you been depressed? Is there someone in your life who is experiencing depression? Justin Taylor has listed a number of resources that helps us gain a better understanding of the issue, and how we can minister to others regarding this dark period in a person’s life. You would be better prepared to face the battle by spending time there.
• CBMW is still going strong with their series on Manhood and Technology, this time with their fourth post, “Brothers, Do Not Be Overcome.” Men, let’s be examples of how we are to engage technology to glorify God and not ourselves. Take up and read.
• Sticking with CBMW, a journal article was recently highlighted that I think will be enough to get you to read because of its title: “Why Homeschooled Girls are Feminism’s Worst Nightmare.” Intrigued?
• Christian philosopher Paul Copan had some research notes that he prepared to use for a radio program concerning theism, atheism and rationality. He decided to make them available for us to see some of his points that he would have brought up.
• Just so no one thinks I’m abandoning presuppositionalism, here’s an audio debate of sorts with Greg Bahnsen (presuppositionalist) and R.C. Sproul (classical evidentialist). I think Bahnsen won, hands down.
• Ever felt like you were the worst example of productivity? I know I’ve been there before. Enter Matt Perman, who has written a new book on productivity that is motivated by the Gospel. This post has the lowdown on how this book is structured, with some other additional notes of interest.
• This may be my personal attempt to start one of these, but there have been groups within the church that have begun theology reading groups, one of which is chronicled in this post. May their tribe increase (hopefully at our church, too).
• How would you rate yourself when it comes to being encouraging (that ever frequent word we use)? How can we cultivate encouragement in the church? Sam Crabtree, author of Practicing Affirmation: God-Centered Praise of Those Who Are Not God, gives some encouraging words to move us there.

That will do it for this week! See you all on Sunday!

Soli Deo Gloria

Biblical love is an affectionate disposition that motivates the lover to consistently act for the welfare of another, whether or not the other deserves it or reciprocates. (Robertson McQuilkin)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! I hope this week has been a week filled with worship towards God and love for others. With today’s national recognition of, whatever it’s called, let’s keep our eyes on Christ, first and foremost, yes? Ok, now let’s dig into these links!

• How do we create a culture of evangelism among God’s people in the local church? Mack Stiles provides some thoughtful pointers in this direction. I highly recommend everyone read this and apply accordingly.
• Unless you’ve been fasting from media or talk of Christianity in the public sphere, you’ve most likely heard about the recent debate between Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis and Bill Nye “the science guy” (a show I thoroughly enjoyed growing up). The reviews and analysis of the debate has been voluminous. I direct your search to the following: Creation Ministries International, Rick Phillips, Al Mohler, Casey Luskin (Intelligent Design advocate), Dr. Jay Wile, David Coppedge, Ken Ham’s post-debate comments, and James White (video). I’d also recommend Randy Guliuzza’s message at TMS Chapel, “Engaging the Evolutionist” (video), along with AiG’s resources specific to responding to Bill Nye’s claims.
• Speaking of evolution, Joe Carter continues his series on apologetics and worldview with his fourth installment, “Should You Trust the Monkey Mind?” I’d highly recommend you read this and his previous articles.
• What is the need of the church, our country, and the world at this time? J.I. Packer believes it to be a renewal for personal holiness in the church. Take some time to watch the message of an 87-year old saint. I believe he has earned our attention.
• For the dads and husbands preparing to be dads, here’s an article that deals with how to come home relying on the Gospel, while your children and wife await you. I think I may need to read this multiple times myself in preparation for marriage.
• Wheaton College recently invited Rosaria Champagne Butterfield to come and speak concerning her past as a former radical leftist, feminist, lesbian professor, and her transformation upon coming to know Christ, leading to a silent protest among some of the students. President Phil Ryken issued a statement, Mrs. Butterfield answered some questions concerning this event, and a concerned open letter was written to the students involved in the protest. May the Gospel guide all conversations following this.
• Since some of the affinity groups are studying the attributes of God this year, I thought it would be fitting to make mention of a new book by David Wells, called God in the Whirlwind: Understanding the Holy-Love of God, in which he explains how God’s holiness and love removes shallow theology from infecting the church. Read this blog interview done by Crossway, or the video series Crossway is putting out in promotion of the book (parts 1 and 2 so far).
• How often do you stick up for yourself? Not in physical fights, but in conflict with those around you, those you love, those who know you well or best? Jared Wilson has some timely thoughts on crucifying defensiveness that I know I will turn to again and again. Something tells me I’m not the only one.
• When should you go public with your faith at work? Here’s some good help in this area.

That’s all for now! Hope you all have a blessed weekend, and remember to pray for the LBCLA church plant inaugural service (and don’t forget LBC East Bay and LBCSJ)! See you Sunday!

Soli Deo Gloria

“I told her I intended to pursue her.

She told me she was going to the remotest part of the Congo she could find.

I told her we’d pray about it.”

(Evan Welcher, “How To Keep Your ‘I Do’ In The Present Tense”)

by Stephen Rodgers

Welcome back to another edition of the Weekly Links, where we direct your attention to the embarrassment of riches made available to Christians with internet connections…

• First up, christianaudio.com is giving away a free copy of When Helping Hurts by Corbett and Fikkert. This is a fantastic resource for anyone who wants to think deeper and better on the implications of financial support and mercy ministries. Highly recommended.
• I like to think that someone over at Logos noticed I made fun of their free offering for January, and in a spirit of reconciliation hired someone to hack into my WTS account and see what books I do like. Ok, that probably didn’t happen, but they are giving away Michael Lawrence’s Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church, which is excellent. And while you could borrow it from our Library Ministry, now you don’t have to! You can have your own copy! Yes you can!
• Ligonier’s free book for February is RC Sproul’s The Prayer of the Lord. Just like Lawrence’s book, you could borrow this from the Library Ministry…but you don’t have to! Because it’s free in both .mobi (Kindle) and .epub (everything else) formats. So enjoy (or if you speak Czechlish…”enyoy!”).
• Speaking of those crazy / wonderful folks at Ligonier, the February edition of Tabletalk is out, and it deals with the subject of Hell. I have no jokes for that, because Hell is not funny.  It would also not be funny if you didn’t avail yourself to the excellent articles in Tabletalk. If you don’t know where to start with that, try the index I made for you.
• There’s also a new issue of Credo out, and this is on the subject of Justification. I have to admit, I wasn’t sure we needed another magazine / journal / ‘zine / whatever, but Credo has proved to be pretty top notch.

Ok, so now that the monthly resources are out of the way, let me direct your attention to just a few other neat things, and then I’ll leave you to it.

• James Anderson has a new book out on worldviews.  He’s also written a nice collection of articles on the subject, and you can read them. You should read them.
• “The Church needs more than nice men.” That’s the last sentence is this article on Franciscus Gomarus that you really should read. If for no other reason than you’ll know who Franciscus Gomarus is after you do.
• Ligonier did another Q&A with RC Sproul, and you can watch it.
• Lastly, I don’t really do much on Twitter…I don’t think I’ve ever twitted…tweeted…twote? But I know a lot of people who do…so here’s some good, Biblical advice on the topic of Twitter for beginners, for more advanced users, and for everyone.

That’s it.  See you Sunday!

Pro Rege

The spiritual talk of today employs clichés that endanger the spirit by making truth secondary to what feels good; Jesus taught that feeling his presence is only possible because of the fact of his existence. The spiritual talk of today claims to be generously accepting of all faiths, while in reality— with a prejudice that disregards reason and misplaces faith— it undermines the only faith that truly teaches tolerance. (Ravi Zacharias)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! I hope that this week has been one of continual meditation and refreshment from our Lord. Without further ado, here are this week’s links!

•  Do you understand your heart? Sinclair Ferguson has created a mini-catechism that helps you get a better grasp of your own heart. I think I need to check this regularly.
• How do you know you’re in a Spirit-filled church? Do you know what to look for in a church? I think these 11 evidences of the Holy Spirit’s presence and power in a local church is something to pray for and pay close attention to in the church.
• The Council for Biblical Manhood & Womanhood’s blog series, Manhood and Technology, continues this week with a post on technology and the social media for the glory of God. Don’t miss out!
• Crossway is continuing to post on worldviews stemming from RTS professor James N. Anderson’s new book on worldviews (which I highly recommend for both believers and non-believers). The second post discusses the importance of worldview analysis, and the third asks why we should think of worldviews in the first place.
• How do you evangelize in the workplace? Should you? Greg Gilbert offers some very practical tips on how to be salt and light in the places people most spend their time throughout the week.
• Speaking of evangelism, Mack Stiles has been a source of encouragement in this area, as he has many stories to tell and biblical insight into how to be a Christian who actually evangelizes. He recently addressed Christians being seen as crazy in our culture.
• Is Jesus better than what you have? Is He better than your earthly relationships? Is He better than anything? Melissa Kruger gives us some food for thought that will help you ponder if you are sharing Christ with others as if He is better, and encourages you to do so.

That’s all for now!  Short and sweet, but good for the soul. See you all on Sunday!

Soli Deo Gloria

[God] is not a taskmaster. He is our Father. If you have no time for prayer, or no chance of secret prayer, why, just tell Him all about it–and you will discover that you are praying! (Author of Kneeling Christian)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday, everyone! I hope your weeks have been filled with opportunities to shine Christ brightly, wherever you are! Here are the links that I hope will be of help to you:

• The Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood blog has begun a series of posts entitled, ‘Manhood and Technology,’ addressing the interactions between our use of technology and how it relates to biblical manhood. The posts thus far have addressed the use of smartphones, why one man has kissed social media goodbye, and how not to be overcome by the use of technology. Knowing our church culture, it would be wise for the men (and even the ladies) to take an interest in this series. Have you had a heart check recently on your use of technology?
• Andy Snider has written a very good post about the temptation to post the sins of others on social media. Is it a good idea to do so? He responds to the five common justifications for it.
• What does good, effective accountability look like? Tim Challies provides some helpful material from Heath Lambert’s book Finally Free. 
• Paul Tripp has a devotional posted every Wednesday on his site and newsletter, which I would highly recommend everyone subscribe to. He just posted the last installment of a series that runs very closely in line with his co-authored book, Relationships: A Mess Worth Making.
• Where is the frontline of the pro-life movement? Brent Aucoin argues crisis pregnancy centers is where the arms of the church are currently engaged. He also makes a historical connection that is worth reading.
• For those who do not know much about the Roe v. Wade decision, here’s 9 facts about it, and 9 more. Here are 60 online resources concerning abortion, and a recent discussion about abortion between John Ensor, Francis Chan, and John Piper (warning for the last link: there are graphic images played in the video).
• Westminster Theological Seminary did some brief posts regarding abortion from their faculty in their News and Updates section. Check out these posts from David Powlison (video), Timothy Witmer, K. Scott Oliphint, David Garner, and William Edgar.
• Do you know what a worldview is? Do you know what your worldview is? RTS Professor James N. Anderson has begun a new series helping us answer these questions and more. The material comes from a new book of his called What’s Your Worldview? An Interactive Approach to Life’s Big Questions (excerpt), which is done in the same format as the “Choose Your Own Adventure” stories. Make sure to check out his recommended list of books related to the Christian, as well as non-Christian, worldviews.
• Ravi Zacharias has a thoughtful post on God, pain, and the irrationality of those who object to evil without the moral foundation to bring the objection up in the first place. Simple, yet clear and inviting.

I hope this week has been a blessed week for all of you, and that there have been many opportunities to pray for one another and for the lost. Make sure, to quote a wise man, to “be in the Lord’s house on the Lord’s day with the Lord’s people.”

Soli Deo Gloria

“O Lord, grant that I may do Thy will as if it were my will, so that Thou mayest do my will as if it were Thy will.” (Augustine)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday, everybody! Another week has gone by, and the benefit of the church at large has provided links for this week! There’s much to chew on, so let’s get to it!

• Recently, on the Dividing Line program, pastor and apologist James White invited Reformed Theological Seminary president Michael Kruger to interact with a phone call between a Lutheran and a Roman Catholic on a well-known Catholic radio show. Common objections to how Protestants view the canon were presented, allowing both White and Kruger to give informed and helpful responses. This was followed up with a post by another contributor to Alpha & Omega Ministries on two thorny questions brought up with regards to this issue (which itself was commented on by a Triablogger).
• When non-Christian religious groups come to your door, are you willing to show Christlike love as much as showing them their error? False dichotomy, I know, but is there another way to show Christ to those who claim to know Him rather than jumping right into a theological boxing match? Case in point.
• In case you missed it, there was a recent student conference focusing on the theme of missions. Called Cross Conference, there were 10 sessions given to mobilize students to consider their lives to be spent for the sake of the gospel. There were also a couple panel Q&A’s, and seminars addressing various aspects of missionary life. I’m personally looking forward to listening to the one on latinos and missions.
• Joe Carter has begun an impromptu series on what he’s calling “an occasional series on apologetics and worldview analysis.” He just published his third entry, “When Atheists Are Angry at God.” Make sure you catch up with the two previous posts.
• Biblical counselor Bob Kellemen listed his top 20 biblical counseling books of 2013 in two parts, with details as to why he thinks so. Check them out!
• Here’s a helpful resource: a new commentary that addresses apologetic issues from the Gospels and Acts. This addition is sure to be of help to pastors, students, and everyone in between. The unique nature of this commentary is that it enters the discussion by demonstrating the criticism of Scripture as incorrect. The contributors “take the challenges seriously and seek to describe viable solutions that support faith and align with a high view of Scripture.” Andy Naselli provides a 29-page PDF to whet your appetite.
• Tim Challies has a theological toolbox that he uses to help guide him in answering questions relative to their importance and also knowing how to live in line with God’s will. I highly recommend adopting this toolbox as your own.
• Piggybacking Pastor Patrick’s post on Genesis and marriage, if you have never heard a defense of marriage from a philosophical and political science perspective (natural law for short), here is a speech given by Ryan T. Anderson that was provided as testimony to the Indiana House Judiciary Committee recently. He has also given a case for marriage early last year that is sure to be of help for us who still believe marriage to be an institution given by God and worth defending. May we use all arguments at our disposal for God’s glory.
• As we celebrate Sanctity of Human Life this coming Sunday, here are some wise and thoughtful words from Russell Moore concerning this issue. May God spiritually transform unbelievers through His Gospel that leads to the preservation of human lives.

That’s all for this week! Looking forward to worshiping God with you all on Sunday!

Soli Deo Gloria

“Prometheus cannot be at once unbound and unreal; the human will cannot be simultaneously triumphant and imaginary.” (Ross Douthat, “The Confidence of Jerry Coyne”)

by Stephen Rodgers

Ok, it’s the first day back from our Christmas hiatus; time to see what sort of resources have accumulated while we’ve been away.

• Well, for starters, the free audio book of the month from christianaudio.com is the ESV Bible. Let me summarize for you: get this, get this, get this. It’s 2014 now, which means it’s time to find more ways to get the Word of God into your brain than ever before.
• Logos also is offering a free resource: the Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges: Hebrews. I’m not entirely sure, but that might actually be a cure for insomnia.  All jokes aside, it’s there if that’s your sort of thing. And if you’re just looking for free books from Logos in general, here’s a list of freebies.
• Ligonier is coming out guns-a-blazin’ with both a new edition of Tabletalk (“Hermeneutical Fallacies”) and a free copy of RC Sproul’s commentary on the gospel of John. Both of those are pretty awesome.
• Speaking of Ligonier, here’s a quick update on a couple of their other projects: they’ve added more books to the also-free “Crucial Questions” series by RC Sproul, and they’ve also updated and improved RefNet.
• Not to be outdone, Desiring God has once again updated their website. I greatly appreciate the free books are now given a permanent link of their own at the top of the site. Oh, and they’ve got a new ebook out, in which John Piper reflects on the influence Jonathan Edwards has had on him.
• I keep pushing Credo Magazine. If you haven’t checked them out yet and would like a neat little summary, here’s an article that gives you an overview of all their 2013 issues.
• And last but not least, in the better-late-than-never category, Issue 18.2 of the Journal of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (JBMW) is now available.  And they’ve fixed their archive page.  And the people rejoiced.

Alright then.  It’s 2014. And plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose, so I’ll see you Sunday!

Pro Rege

by Stephen Rodgers

Technically, we’re still on hiatus, but since it’s a new year, here’s a quick post reminding everyone where we stash the resources related to Bible-reading plans.

First of all, we have a number of resources available here on the Beacon already:

• Patrick has a stellar article on Bible-reading in general from 2011.
• I have a less-stellar article on the same subject from 2013.
• We maintain a semi-up-to-date selection of Bible-reading plans on the Recommended Resources page.

Second, the free book of the month from christianaudio.com is actually the ESV Bible! This is a great resource for being able to hear the Bible read out loud, which is wonderful because 1) it’s another way to get it into your brain, and 2) some portions of Scripture were actually intended to be consumed that way.

Third, a number of sites have their own recommendations and ideas for what constitutes a good Bible-reading plan in 2014.  In no particular order, they are:

• Ligonier Ministries (a collection of 14 different plans)
• Peter Krol’s Bible-reading plan for readers
• Denny Burk’s canonical order plan
• Justin Taylor has a rather large post describing various types of plans with links to over a dozen of them

One last comment: it’s very easy to get wrapped up in the technical merits of one plan over another, but let me go slightly out on a limb here and say that the best Bible-reading plan is the one that you’ll actually do. Pick a plan, and stick with it. That’s really the first, and most important, decision to make.

So Tolle Lege…it’s not just for Augustine! It’s for you as well.

by Stephen Rodgers

We’re actually going to be going on hiatus until early next year, but before we did that I wanted to drop a little Christmas cheer on you, Beacon-style.

First off, long-time readers (and people who know how to use the search box), will recall that we’ve done special Christmas posts before.  The content therein is still as timely as ever:

• 2009
• 2010
• 2011
• 2012

Seriously, if you’ve never checked those out, you really should.

Most of those sources are still good, but I have a few additional ones that I’d like to highlight:

• If you need to speak to someone who’s been confused by Andrew Lincoln’s book against the virgin birth of Christ, then you’ll find this to be quite handy in particular, and this to be quite handy in general.
• Each year, Triablogue highlights a number of Christmas-related resources.  This year is no exception.
• And if you have a lot of time on your hands, they also have an entire tag dedicated to the subject of “Christmas.”

That’ll do for now. Have a merry Christmas, and we’ll see you in 2014!

Pro Rege

He, the Life of all, our Lord and Saviour, did not arrange the manner of his own death lest He should seem to be afraid of some other kind. No. He accepted and bore upon the cross a death inflicted by others, and those other His special enemies, a death which to them was supremely terrible and by no means to be faced; and He did this in order that, by destroying even this death, He might Himself be believed to be the Life, and the power of death be recognised as finally annulled. A marvellous and mighty paradox has thus occurred, for the death which they thought to inflict on Him as dishonour and disgrace has become the glorious monument to death’s defeat. (Athanasius)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Happy Friday, everyone! I hope this week has been a blessing to you as we continue to prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior (you are preparing…right?)!

• Pastor Jeremy Walker has some timely advice for prospective students that is applicable to anyone who is making plans to enter college. This is helpful for high schoolers, parents of high schoolers, and also leaders to be reminded that the primary goal for decisions related to a student’s future should always be the glory of God, and not our personal glory. If you fit any of the above categories, you would do well to look into this article.
• Speaking of Jeremy Walker, he has also finished a series on doing effective personal evangelism (which Richard pointed us to in October). We are to be effective in the sense of “faithful communication of God’s saving truth to those who have not known it either entirely or accurately.” The completed series can be found with links to all the posts. May we all grow effective in the work of sharing Christ to all.
• Ligonier Ministries (R.C. Sproul’s main ministry) has made their Crucial Questions booklets available to download for free back in June, but have continued to add more booklets that deal with more questions believers have about different topics. The three new booklets that came out How Do I Develop a Christian Conscience?, What is the Church? and What is the Lord’s Supper? Make sure to grab them (you can get all of them on Kindle, and most on iTunes), and grow deeper in your understanding of the Word.
• How do we keep kids from expressing greed during Christmas? The ladies at Girltalk give 10 ideas, some of which I think I need to apply myself.
• Christmas is a time we focus on being with our families (and rightly so), but we can also be thinking about how to bless those who are serving Christ in a foreign country, or who are currently away from family, who need encouragement from the body of Christ. Here are 15 ways we can do this.
• James White, pastor and apologist (if you haven’t heard of him, let it end this day), was recently interviewed in Germany concerning Roman Catholicism, which is titled and subtitled in Czech (hi Mellwig family…and Hanka!), but is in English. Wise words from a seasoned debater who has engaged in about 40 different debates with leading Catholic apologists.
• Stephen Meyer, one of the leading advocates of intelligent design, was interviewed by Eric Metaxas, concerning his newest book, Darwin’s Doubt. He gives some concise answers to what intelligent design is, along with some witty comments from Metaxas.
• Looking for last-minute Christmas gifts for children and families that are solidly biblical? Then look no further.
• Al Mohler writes a helpful essay on the state of the media in its praise of Pope Francis I and recent outrage at Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty fame, who are positionally on the same page concerning homosexuality. We all have been warned, and expect to be warned again and again. (Make sure to read Joe Carter‘s angle of this issue, as well as Mark Lamprecht‘s, who also gives some background to Duck Dynasty’s theology.)
• It’s never too late to begin meditating on the birth of Christ, and what that means for us as believers in Him. Don’t waste your Christmas!

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas wherever you spend it! May we truly remember the greatest gift that has ever been given, our Lord Jesus Christ, and rightly view all other gifts as pale in comparison. See you next year!

Soli Deo Gloria