2014)

“[I[n the dark hours of suffering, Christians want more than the assurance that their beliefs are consistent. They draw comfort only from the living Lord himself, from the Spirit whom whom he has graciously given, from a renewed grasp, a felt experience, of the love of God in Christ Jesus (Eph. 3:14-21)….in addition to holding that Christian beliefs are true and consistent, the Christian, to find comfort in them, must learn how to use them.” (D.A. Carson, How Long, O Lord? Reflections on Suffering and Evil, p.20)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! Another week to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior. I hope this week has led you closer to our Lord, and pray that these links can help move you in that direction as well. With that said, here are this week’s links!

Graduation is on the way for many high-schoolers, which means a new stage of life is about to begin for those entering college or even the job market. What are some words of wisdom that they need to hear? Alex Chediak, author of Preparing Your Teens for College and Thriving at College (written for collegians), has choice words that I would encourage both high-schoolers and collegians to heed.
Some of our former and current LBCSD members have pursued biblical counseling training, and some of you may wonder why it’s necessary. Dr. Jeremy Pierre of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary offers two reasons to consider pursuing a biblical counseling degree. Though he’s partial to SBTS, there are many great programs that are available to get trained in this area. Howard Eyrich of Birmingham Theological Seminary writes about the worldwide impact of biblical counseling through the counselors’ ministry. Robert Jones of SEBTS lays out the importance of being biblically trained to give accurate biblical counseling, citing some common mistakes Christians make in giving counsel. Dr. Wayne Vanderweir of Overseas Instruction in Counseling gives a ministry report of translating some of the best books on biblical counseling to Arabic to be used in Egypt. I don’t believe the series is done yet, so be on the lookout for more to come!
What books would you recommend a new believer to read in order to grow in evangelism? Though a list springs up in my mind, Pastor David Murray recommends the book of Proverbs as a great place to learn evangelism. Here are eight lessons he learned as a result of his study.
A single woman writes of her desire to be married, yet satisfied in her singleness. How can this be? Here’s another article on how to deal with sexual desire as a single. I hope these articles are a good start in the right direction for the single lady. May Scripture be the focus of the ladies’ circumstances, and may we all continue to love our sisters in Christ with humility and grace.
Westminster Theological Seminary recently put out a number of booklets (nine, if you’re wondering) under the titled series “Christian Answers to Hard Questions,” inviting various faculty to respond to various issues like “Did Adam Exist?”, “Was Jesus Really Born of a Virgin?” and “How Did Evil Come into the World?” They also made a number of videos for each booklet, with the authors explaining some of the specific responses that flow from their topic. This looks to be a very helpful series, even if we may not agree on every issue. But it doesn’t hurt to grow in our preparation to give a defense for the hope that is in us. Take up and read (or view).
How does the Christian worldview affect our role in the workplace? Nancy Pearcey and Paul Henley discuss this issue.
What does it look like to explain biblical complementarianism (the role of men and women in the church and home) to a woman utterly opposed to the idea? Here’s a sample conversation that may prove beneficial for all who read.

That’s all for this week! Looking forward to Mission Bowl this Saturday and the next, but especially the time we will have to worship God and hear Him speak through the preached word!

Soli Deo Gloria

Tag Team – Podcasts #2 (Richard)

by Richard Shin

So when Cesar and I signed up for this Tag Team bit, I had no idea Stephen had initially considered doing any form of “lively discussion” or “robust debate.” If we were to pursue such a thing, I recruit Pastor Patrick into my team.

In any case, here are my top three.

Ask Pastor John – If The Briefing is “gold” (per Stephen), then this one is platinum. Desiring God, the organization that produces this podcast, receives a slew of questions from everyday Joes and Janes like us on a regular basis. In response, John Piper addresses one question every weekday. The topics can range from current events to theological questions to counseling issues to whatever else you can think of. Each podcast is usually 5-10 minutes long, and Piper does a good job of tackling the heart of the issue in that short time. If you’re looking for an in-depth analysis of the finer points, this is not it, but it serves as a good launching pad for you to study the topic on your own, as you should.
The Dividing Line – James White is an apologetic genius. He not only knows his Greek and Hebrew, but he studied Arabic to read the Quran and debate Muslims (uh… what?). I was introduced to him when I first came to Lighthouse, and he has not yet disappointed. I remember devouring his debate videos one after another until my eyes and my brain couldn’t handle anymore… until the next day. His podcasts are often a hodgepodge of random unconnected topics, but they generally revolve around getting to the truth through fact-finding and biblical exegesis. His podcasts usually go over an hour, but don’t be too scared of the length; if you follow the blog, White always follows up his podcasts with a quick recap of his latest session which is handy if you want to pick and choose. Furthermore, he has compiled a dangerous archive of videos, sermons, articles, and podcasts on his website aomin.org (or the old website, vintage.aomin.org) you can use at your disposal.
White Horse Inn – Are you like me who enjoys the panel discussions at conferences? The White Horse Inn’s motto is to help you “know what you believe and why you believe it.” A theological giant himself, Michael Horton hosts the weekly podcast which seeks to understand and apply truth through dialogue (similar to the Christ the Center podcast from Stephen’s set). The podcast is usually ~30 minutes long, which isn’t bad for a weekly production. The discussions that transpire are always informative, never dull and extremely enlightening, and they undoubtedly give way for a time of heartfelt reflection.

Stay tuned for Cesar’s post to be continued next Monday.

Coram Deo

Tag Team – Podcasts #1 (Stephen)

by Stephen Rodgers

So, as I mentioned yesterday, we’re experimenting with a new type of series, where multiple authors all individually weigh in on a particular topic or issue. So, to start us off, we’re going to try to answer the following question:

“If you could recommend three (and only three!) Christian podcasts to everyone reading this, which three would you recommend, and why?”

Of course, there are a couple of rules:

You’re not allowed to pick the LBC Sermon Archive. Of course we all recommend that people keep a weather on that so that they know what’s being taught in the various classes / ministries at LBC. If we don’t stipulate that is off limits, then everyone will pick it and our top 3 will suddenly look a lot like a favorite couple.
Sermon archives are different than podcasts. We may do a series on those at a later date, but this is for podcasts only.

Alright, since it’s my job to get the ball rolling, here are my top three Christian podcasts that I would recommend to the folks reading this:

The Briefing with Al Mohler – Ok, this is pure gold. Seriously, I’m not messing around here; if you’re not already listening to this podcast you should be! Al Mohler really needs no introduction (author, speaker, theologian, president of the SBTS, etc., etc.) but what you might not know about him is that he also hosts several podcasts including “The Briefing.” In this daily podcast Dr. Mohler discusses newspaper articles and current events from a Christian perspective. New episodes are released weekdays, and each weekend there is a bonus episode where people call in and Dr. Mohler does a Q&A. The average length is ~15 minutes.
5 Minutes in Church History with Stephen Nichols – This is a neat little gem that I’m pretty sure Richard and Cesar won’t recommend. Stephen Nichols is an accomplished author and professor of church history, and he puts out a weekly podcast on various topics in (surprise!) church history. As the name of the podcast suggests, the average length is ~5 minutes, so these are interesting insights and tidbits rather than extended lectures.
Christ the Center from Reformed Forum – Ok, for my last recommendation I’m going to cheat (just a little bit). Reformed Forum actually puts out a whole slew of material (podcasts included), but my favorite ongoing series is “Christ the Center.” It’s a weekly podcast where a group of panelists discuss…something. Seriously, you never know what you’re going to get: sometimes it’s a book review, sometimes it’s an interview, sometimes it’s a doctrinal debate. Some of the episodes are better than others, and the vast majority of these folks are conservative Presbyterians (so we’d differ with then on a few issues like baptism), but it’s always interesting. The average length is ~60 minutes, and be sure to check out one of their older series, “Philosophy for Theologians.”

That’s it! Next time, we’ll see what Richard recommends…

Introducing “Tag Team”

by Stephen Rodgers

For the next couple weeks, we’re going to try a little experiment here on the Beacon: a new type of article series called “Tag Team.” Unlike previous series where a single author wrote multiple articles, we’re going to see what happens when we turn multiple authors loose on a single topic. In this case, those multiple authors are Richard, Cesar, and myself. Our hope is that we’ll succeed beyond our wildest dreams, but if we fail spectacularly and serve as an illustration for what exactly “and great was the fall of it” looks like on a blog, then that will be interesting as well.

I’m crossing my fingers for “succeed beyond our wildest dreams” though.

So…to inaugurate this new series, we had a few ideas:

A lively discussion as to whether the ghost of Samuel was actually Samuel or not.
A robust debate as to exactly what “the perfect’ is that Paul refers to.
A puff piece about Christian podcasts.

Since for our first time out of the gate we wanted the difficulty set to something like “Easy Mode” instead of what is colloquially known as “Nintendo Hard,” we’re starting with #3.

So tune in tomorrow. I’ll be introducing the rules for Tag Team and our first series on podcasts. You don’t want to miss it.

O Ye Sons Of Men, How Long Will Ye Turn My Glory Into Shame?

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Psalm 4:2

An instructive writer has made a mournful list of the honours which the blinded people of Israel awarded to their long-expected King.

They gave Him a procession of honour, in which Roman legionaries, Jewish priests, men and women, took a part, He Himself bearing His cross. This is the triumph which the world awards to Him who comes to overthrow man’s direst foes. Derisive shouts are His only acclamations, and cruel taunts His only paeans of praise.
They presented Him with the wine of honour. Instead of a golden cup of generous wine they offered Him the criminal’s stupefying death-draught, which He refused because He would preserve an uninjured taste wherewith to taste of death; and afterwards when He cried, ‘I thirst,’ they gave Him vinegar mixed with gall, thrust to His mouth upon a sponge. Oh! wretched, detestable inhospitality to the King’s Son.
He was provided with a guard of honour, who showed their esteem of Him by gambling over His garments, which they had seized as their booty. Such was the body-guard of the adored of heaven; a quaternion of brutal gamblers.
A throne of honour was found for Him upon the bloody tree; no easier place of rest would rebel men yield to their liege Lord. The cross was, in fact, the full expression of the world’s feeling towards Him; ‘There,’ they seemed to say, ‘Thou Son of God, this is the manner in which God Himself should be treated, could we reach Him.’
The title of honour was nominally ‘King of the Jews,’ but that the blinded nation distinctly repudiated, and really called Him ‘King of thieves,’ by preferring Barabbas, and by placing Jesus in the place of highest shame between two thieves.

His glory was thus in all things turned into shame by the sons of men, but it shall yet gladden the eyes of saints and angels, world without end.

4.7a

Weekly Links (5/16/2014)

“It is one of the defining marks of Our Time that God is now weightless. I do not mean by this that he is ethereal but rather that he has become unimportant. He rests upon the world so inconsequentially as not to be noticeable. He has lost his saliency for human life. Those who assure the pollsters of their belief in God’s existence may nonetheless consider him less interesting than television, his commands less authoritative than their appetites for affluence and influence, his judgment no more awe-inspiring than the evening news, and his truth less compelling than the advertisers’ sweet fog of flattery and lies. That is weightlessness. It is a condition we have assigned him after having nudged him out to the periphery of our secularized life….Weightlessness tells us nothing about God but everything about ourselves, about our condition, about our psychological disposition to exclude God from our reality.” (David Wells, God In The Wasteland)

By Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! I pray this week has been one filled with love, meditation and prayer for those in our communities who have been affected by the fires. Let us keep them in mind as we get through this weekend. Here are this week’s links:

Joe Carter is back with another article in his apologetics and worldview analysis series called, “What Does 1+1=2 Mean? – Why Christianity Matters for Math (and Everything Else).” If you want to delve deeper into this subject, Vern Poythress, who has a Ph.D in Mathematics and teaches New Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary, has a very thorough article that argues for a distinctly Christian view of mathematics. This will change the way you do math. Not sure about those AP tests, though…
How are you doing… sleep-wise? We know we have that notion in the back of our minds that we should be sleeping more, but in this fast-paced, on-the-go world, who really has the time? Pastor David Murray has written about the deleterious effects of sleeping less than 6-7 hours of sleep, along with ten excuses (he said “reasons”, but I think we all know he was being nice about it) for why we don’t sleep longer. As a late-night owl, I heartily amen the advice given by Pastor Murray and hope to begin this tonight.
Speaking of advice, we tend to give it out a lot (I do it all the time on these posts!). However, is every bit of advice we give helpful? How can we discern when we are giving good or bad advice? Ed Welch has a gem of a post worth reading regarding giving advices.
Yesterday was the 30 year anniversary of the death of Francis Schaeffer. He was a model for someone consistently spoke truth and acted with grace. An unconventional evangelist, he opened his home for anyone to come and ask him whatever questions they had, and he would even let them spend the night when the conversation carried into the night. I first heard about him from a book called Truth with Love: The Apologetics of Francis Schaeffer and have enjoyed learning from him ever since. In commemorating this, Ray Ortlund gives three reasons he’s grateful for the life of Schaeffer. I echo those reasons and hope to grow in my love towards others as well as be unwavering in speaking the truth as an expression of love.
This week, Apologetics 101 brought us a new release of lectures by Westminster Theological Seminary professor K. Scott Oliphint. He is considered to be one of the foremost proponents of presuppositional apologetics, and this is a great resource to benefit from. Also, keep in mind that it’s FREE. Don’t pass on this one!
Ben Edwards of Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary has written a review/critique of a book that chronicles a Word of Faith church. The author provides an insider’s perspective, as he provides sociological data that will give you some background of the inner workings of the mindset of those who accept this kind of teaching. Very informative.
For those interested in the Calvinist-Arminian debate, Mark Jones was interviewed concerning the relationship between definite (limited) atonement and penal substitution, and how those who refer to themselves as Reformed or Calvinists differ in their views from Arminians, both in the past and today. It may seem heady at first, but there is some solid insight in this interview. Check it out.
Andy Davis is a pastor at First Baptist Church in Durham, North Carolina. He is known for his discipline of memorizing large portions (even books) of the Bible. He has just published a small booklet called An Approach to Extended Memorization of Scripture and was interviewed on how every believer can develop the discipline of Scripture memorization and why this isn’t done more often. An earlier draft has been made available. I’m not sure if it’s been updated, but I hope this will be a reminder of our need for God’s Word to be embedded into our hearts more so than our own words. Jon Bloom from Desiring God follows up with ten reasons to memorize large portions of Scripture. Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness (1 Timothy 4:7)!
What does Jesus say about homosexuality? I think you’ll be surprised at the answer.
As promised, Michael Kruger’s full review of Bart Ehrman’s book How Jesus Became God has been posted. Don’t be caught off guard with these kinds of objections.
How often should we talk about ourselves in counseling others? Bob Kellemen has some thoughtful words related to this question that we would be wise to consider.

That’s all the links for this week! We can praise God even during this difficult time while our neighbors are evacuating from their homes because God is still good. Let us that this time will bring many to recognize their need for a Savior, and to hold our own possessions loosely for the sake of the Gospel. See you all Sunday!

Soli Deo Gloria

Age of Opportunity: Chapter 3 – Like Apples and Oranges

“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)

by Josh Liu

Do you have a robust theology of fruits and plants? I am not speaking of literal fruits and plants, or that God created them, or of their design and purpose in a complex cycle of natural life. Rather, are you familiar with Christ’s analogy of fruits and trees to illustrate man’s actions and spiritual condition? The actions, words, thoughts, and motives of a person (the fruit) reveals the spiritual condition of that person’s heart (the tree/root). How does Christ’s teaching, that you will know a false teacher by his fruits (cf. Matt. 7:15-20; 12:33-37; Luke 6:43-45), impact your understanding of man? Of confronting sin? Of your philosophy of ministry?

The Lumos youth staff has been reading through Paul David Tripp’s Age of Opportunity. It has been helpful in considering biblical principles related to parenting, which is significant as Lumos seeks to partner with parents in the discipleship of their children. In chapter three, “What Is A Family? A Definition,” Tripp identifies several ways the Bible describes children (which may be applied to all people): children are covenantal beings, children are social beings, children are interpreters, and children behave out of the heart.

There are few principles concerning biblical anthropology as important as understanding that man acts out of the passions, desires, will, wishes, plans, and thoughts of the heart (cf. Prov. 4:23; Matt. 12:34b). Tripp helpfully reminds us that often times, parents’ goals focus on getting their children to obey or meet their expectations; in other words, behavior control. Since Scripture (and God) is concerned with the heart (cf. Ps. 51:16-17; Jer. 31:33; Ezek. 36:6; Matt. 22:37-40), parenting (and youth ministry) ought to focus on the heart. Speaking of parents, Tripp says, “Our goal is to be used of God to expose and nurture the hearts of our children so that they want to behave in ways that please the Lord” (Tripp, 48).

To slightly modify Christ’s illustration used at the beginning of this article, in the context of shepherding the heart of a youth, the staff seeks to confront actions, words, responses, etc. (the fruit) to examine the motivations, intentions, and desires (the heart). This goes beyond behavior modification. Tripp concludes,

This “sin is bad, don’t do it” brand of parenting forgets that sin is not only a matter of behavior, but a matter of the thoughts and motives of the heart as well. It fails to recognize that if the heart does not change, any behavior changes that take place will be temporary and cosmetic, because they will not be attached to roots in the heart. (Tripp, 50)

In shepherding the heart, the staff seeks to help the youth examine themselves through a biblical lens. We challenge them to realize that particular fruit will accompany a particular tree (cf. Gal. 5:16-26)–one who is genuinely saved will demonstrate a life of repentance; one who is not saved will demonstrate a life of unrepentant sin. We also challenge the youth who profess to know Christ as their Lord and Savior, to continually submit areas of their heart in repentance and to seek God-honoring actions, words, and attitudes.

How do you address the heart when counseling? when evangelizing? when making decisions? when repenting of sin? David Powlison’s “X-ray Questions: Drawing Out the Whys and Wherefores of Human Behavior” from The Journal of Biblical Counseling provides a helpful sampler of heart-probing questions. May your heart be found with Christ at the center (cf. Matt. 6:20-21; Phil. 3:8).

Signs of Spiritual Maturity #16: Respectful of Authority

by Elder Peter Lim

A spiritually maturing Christian respects authority because Scripture describes several relationships that God has ordained wherein we are instructed to obey. These relationships are there not only to create order within society but ultimately is an illustration of God’s sovereignty over all relationships…whether they are easy to deal with or not. A mature Christian realizes this and voluntarily submits himself despite our natural tendency to be independent. We don’t like being told what to do. We would much rather tell others what to do.

Four years ago, I wrote a couple of articles called “Star Trek and the Local Church” which would be helpful for you to read in order to gain further insight into my mindset when I mention “Respectful of Authority” as a sign of Spiritual maturity. In these articles, I talk about the polity of the church and that mutual submission within the leadership of the church is a requirement in order to bring God the glory instead of a human leader in running a local church. Mutual submission is difficult to achieve at times but it provides opportunities to hold God in the highest esteem and to humble ourselves. In other relationships that God outlines for us, this same mutual submission and seeking after God’s glory as the primary focus is the key to understanding all submissive relationships. In College Life, we are currently going through a Dating and Relationship series. I’ve been preparing for a message on considering the authoritative role of parents as it relates to collegians in a dating relationship. It’s a difficult issue and on one hand, I’m not looking forward to presenting this message this Friday since I am expecting that some may misunderstand my message or that I won’t speak clearly and possibly confuse people, especially parents who may listen in on the message online. On the other hand however, I am looking forward to declaring the truth of God’s word as it relates to both parents and college-age young adults seeking the glory of God in their relationship with each other.

As a parent myself, I understand how my children need to obey me since I’m looking out for their best interests and they sometimes lack the ability to make good decisions. It seems as if they are unaware of the consequences down the road if they continue in their present course. With the best of intentions, I advise them and expect to be obeyed. After all, the Bible is pretty clear that they are to obey me. I wonder though how absolute that authority is. As they get older, aren’t they more and more liable before God to act on their own convictions and responsibility? Isn’t my goal to raise them in such a way that they can become responsible adults who will seek to glorify God above all else including disobeying me if they think that my opinions are not aligned with God’s will for them? Just how long can I expect them to be under my tutelage?

I am reminded that we are all under authority. Not only are we fathers responsible for not provoking our children to anger (Eph. 6:4), but we are also to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Fathers, how are you doing with that? We are also to be subject to them unless you think that Eph. 5:21 is talking about everyone except your own children. (It’s not.) If we are to be rigid in our insistence that our children obey us without question or flexibility, we must hold ourselves to the same standard when dealing with other relationships that we are to submit to: people to the government, employees to employers, wives to husbands, congregation to church leaders. Do you honestly think that there’s no flexibility and exercising of our own judgment when we submit ourselves in these relationships? Of course we must exercise good judgment and make decisions that each of us believe to be most God-glorifying.

Although it’s obvious that we are to exercise our best discernment to follow God’s will, Scripture is quite clear that we are to be characterized by submissiveness that’s not mindless, but rather it is to be intentional so that we would be characterized by peace which will ultimately show the world that we Christians represent the only One who can bring true peace and joy to this world which is characterized by sin and chaos. Mature Christians voluntarily do this because we love God and we want to magnify Him. In the words of John the Baptist, “He (Jesus) must increase and I must decrease.” (John 3:30)

In The Name Of The Lord I Will Destroy Them

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Psalm 118:12

Our Lord Jesus, by His death, did not purchase a right to a part of us only, but to the entire man. He contemplated in His passion the sanctification of us wholly, spirit, soul, and body; that in this triple kingdom He Himself might reign supreme without a rival. It is the business of the newborn nature which God has given to the regenerate to assert the rights of the Lord Jesus Christ. My soul, so far as thou art a child of God, thou must conquer all the rest of thyself which yet remains unblest; thou must subdue all thy powers and passions to the silver sceptre of Jesus’ gracious reign, and thou must never be satisfied till He who is King by purchase becomes also King by gracious coronation, and reigns in thee supreme. Seeing, then, that sin has no right to any part of us, we go about a good and lawful warfare when we seek, in the name of God, to drive it out. O my body, thou art a member of Christ: shall I tolerate thy subjection to the prince of darkness? O my soul, Christ has suffered for thy sins, and redeemed thee with His most precious blood: shall I suffer thy memory to become a storehouse of evil, or thy passions to be firebrands of iniquity? Shall I surrender my judgment to be perverted by error, or my will to be led in fetters of iniquity? No, my soul, thou art Christ’s, and sin hath no right to thee.

Be courageous concerning this, O Christian! be not dispirited, as though your spiritual enemies could never be destroyed. You are able to overcome them-not in your own strength-the weakest of them would be too much for you in that; but you can and shall overcome them through the blood of the Lamb. Do not ask, ‘How shall I dispossess them, for they are greater and mightier than I?’ but go to the strong for strength, wait humbly upon God, and the mighty God of Jacob will surely come to the rescue, and you shall sing of victory through His grace.

4.6p

Weekly Links (5/9/2014)

Atheism assumes all truth is relative. But that statement itself must either include itself or exclude itself. If it includes itself (which it must), then it means the statement itself is not always true.

Atheism is self-destructive. (Sam Crabtree, “Atheism Saws Off the Branch on Which It Perches”)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! Lots to look at, so let’s get to it!

Every woman is a mother already. There, I said it. Good thing is, I’m not the only one who thinks so.
With Mother’s Day coming up, hearing about Emily Letts and her viral video showing her abortion is very disheartening, to say the least. Albert Mohler weighs in with his insightful commentary. Though not mentioned in his post, this goes to show that not all viral videos are fun and exciting to watch. Let us pray that abortion ends and motherhood is highly valued, primarily in the church, and that the grace of God extends to those who have partaken in that act. If you are looking for resources that help you better understand the issues involved, Scott Klusendorf has written a series of articles called, “The 5-Minute Pro-Lifer” that would be an immensely helpful start.
Along with Mother’s Day, graduation day is coming up for students. What books would you give as gifts to those who are entering college, or just going on summer break? David Murray has some great books.
What are some lessons we can teach our kids about money? David Murray (again) has ten of them to pass on.
Tim Challies had written in his false teachers series one on Pope Francis, and got some pushback. He then followed up with a post citing Rome’s response to the Protestant Reformation, and examining if Rome is within the Christian fold or not. This will bring clarity to any discussion you may have with Catholics. Prayerfully read through this and ask God to open up opportunities to share the Gospel with those embrace a false gospel. (Editor’s Note: It looks like Sound Ministry needs to fix a few things, but Roman Catholicism was covered in my Cults & World Religions class).
Speaking of the false teachers’ series, Tim Challies continues it with a post on prosperity preacher T.D. Jakes. If you are unfamiliar with Oneness Pentecostalism, Fred Sanders has a phenomenal overview and critique of this movement. If you have ever seen people wear the ‘Ask Me about Jesus’ shirts, and wouldn’t mind wearing that, how ready would you be to wear a shirt that had ‘Ask Me about the Trinity’ printed on it?
Did you hear that a company was sued over their ‘homophobic’ catalog? No? Well, it sounds like it could happen. Here’s Christian philosopher James Anderson’s story of the absurdity of the current cultural mindset.
The Singles Ministry has been going over 1 Peter to finish the year prepared for suffering, whenever God wills to bring that about in our lives. In line with that theme, Ed Welch has written 10 things to do during suffering. I pray our church is filled with believers in Christ ready to endure what awaits us this side of heaven.
Of course, I have no experience being a mother, but Nikki Daniel does, and she encourages the moms in church to battle loneliness in pursuing friendships with other ladies (though I’m sure this is being done already; excel still more!). I pray that the ladies of LBC become shining lights of true, biblical womanhood to their non-Christian friends, where opportunities abound to display the life-changing power of knowing Christ and demonstrating that in your love and involvement in each other’s lives as believers in Christ.
Stand to Reason puts out an issue every other month covering some current apologetic challenge, providing concise and thoughtful answers related to common topics Christians hear raised against their faith. This time around, Greg Koukl addresses the question, “Can evolution explain ethics?” and gives clear answers that will help guide your next discussion with a skeptic.
What priority do you place sound doctrine in your life? Is it top priority, because you need it to correct a member of a cult, or that you don’t look bad in front of others when trying to explain something? Is it low on your priority list, because you don’t see any relevance to your Christian walk? Bobby Jamieson has written a short post that explains how sound doctrine is more vital to your life than you may realize.
Fred Butler has begun a series of posts evaluating the many different responses of Old Earth Creationists to Young Earth Creationist arguments. Thus far, he has two posts, which I highly encourage both sides to take a look at.
Which worldview provides the proper soil for science to grow? If you think it’s atheism, think again.
In understanding local church life, sometimes people have seen member involvement in the lives of others as controlling, or intrusive. Eric Davis at the Cripplegate argues that eight of these ‘boogeymen’ are not as scary as people think. In fact, they may be more misunderstood than scary. Check it out.
Michael Kruger has begun reviewing Bart Ehrman’s latest attack on the deity of Christ in How Jesus Became God—The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee. If you haven’t been able to purchase the book-length response, make sure you get a chance to read through these posts, as they will be helpful in providing a reasoned defense of what we believe. Kruger examines Ehrman’s worldview problem, and his claim that early Christians viewed Jesus as an angel before they considered Him to be God. Are you ready to answer these challenges?

That’s all for this week! Looking forward to worshipping our God together this coming Sunday!

Soli Deo Gloria

LBC Beacon

A Ministry of Lighthouse Bible Church