All We Like Sheep Have Gone Astray

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Isaiah 53:6

Here a confession of sin common to all the elect people of God. They have all fallen, and therefore, in common chorus, they all say, from the first who entered heaven to the last who shall enter there, ‘All we like sheep have gone astray.’

The confession, while thus unanimous, is also special and particular: ‘We have turned every one to his own way.’ There is a peculiar sinfulness about every one of the individuals; all are sinful, but each one with some special aggravation not found in his fellow. It is the mark of genuine repentance that while it naturally associates itself with other penitents, it also takes up a position of loneliness. ‘We have turned every one to his own way,’ is a confession that each man had sinned against light peculiar to himself, or sinned with an aggravation which he could not perceive in others.

This confession is unreserved; there is not a word to detract from its force, nor a syllable by way of excuse. The confession is a giving up of all pleas of self-righteousness. It is the declaration of men who are consciously guilty-guilty with aggravations, guilty without excuse: they stand with their weapons of rebellion broken in pieces, and cry, ‘All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way.’

Yet we hear no dolorous wailings attending this confession of sin; for the next sentence makes it almost a song. ‘The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.’ It is the most grievous sentence of the three, but it overflows with comfort. Strange is it that where misery was concentrated mercy reigned; where sorrow reached her climax weary souls find rest. The Saviour bruised is the healing of bruised hearts. See how the lowliest penitence gives place to assured confidence through simply gazing at Christ on the cross!

4.3p

Weekly Links (3/28/2014)

All that can properly be called truth, not just “religious truth,” resides first in God and men know truly only as they come to God’s revelation of Himself as the source of truth… ( Psalm 94: 10)… This dependence on God in the area of knowledge does not mean that men are without the true ability to think and reason… Men do actually think, yet true knowledge is dependent on and derived from God’s knowledge as it has been revealed to man. (Richard Pratt)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! Another week of God’s blessings and sovereign power over all things has come and gone. Here are this week’s links!

  • The audio from this year’s Shepherds’ Conference has now been uploaded! Make sure you take advantage of the wisdom from many of the pastors that spoke at this great conference!
  • Speaking of conferences, one that has sprung up recently has to do with how to be a faithful Christian in the workplace, in relation to the book The Gospel at Work by Greg Gilbert and Sebastian Traeger. Called by the same name, it has many resources (audio and video of past events, particularly) that give a deeper look into the doctrine of vocation. This is a post specifically for the singles, but it can be helpful for anyone who is either entering the workforce or has been in it, and wants to grow in greater faithfulness to their service to God in this area.
  • If you haven’t heard already, news broke out concerning World Vision’s policy change to now allow professing Christians in a legal same-sex marriage to work in their organization. Some of the responses are: Denny Burk (here and here), Al Mohler (essay and radio), Matthew Anderson (specifically, wise considerations for those who currently sponsor a child through World Vision), and Kevin DeYoung (here and here). World Vision did, however, remove that new policy a couple days later after supporters expressed disagreement. Additional responses came from Timothy Dalrymple, Todd Pruitt, Peter Jones, and many more.
  • Bart Ehrman, an apostate from the Christian faith and professor/author of a number of books attacking Christianity, has come out with a new book called How Jesus Became God promoting the idea of Jesus’ divinity as a human concept that developed within the church, and was even contested early on at the start of Christianities (plural, not singular, according to Ehrman). Coming right on the heels of Easter, this book has already generated a book-length response from some evangelical scholars titled How God Became Jesus. An interesting take comes from the Answering Muslims blog, along with a long review by Christian scholar Rob Bowman and some comments from James White. Who knows? This may come up in conversation this Easter. Be prepared.
  • If you have a Kindle, or use the Kindle App on your phone or computer, you may have been aware of R.C. Sproul’s Crucial Questions series of booklets that are free. Now Logos has followed suit. Go get ’em!
  • Lyndon Unger has continued his series of practically living out the doctrine of biblical sufficiency. This time around, it’s not as weird as the last post, but the process is what is most beneficial. Read on!
  • Steve Lawson was recently interviewed concerning his new book The Evangelistic Zeal of George Whitefield. This one is worth watching.
  • If you had any plans on watching the movie Noah, I’d invite you to read this early analysis and critique from Christian screenwriter Brian Godawa. It was of the screenplay, but he later confirmed after watching the movie that it did not stray too far from the script. He wrote a number of posts leading up to the release of the film, if you’re so inclined.

That’ll do it for this week! Looking forward to seeing you all on Sunday!

Soli Deo Gloria

Grace Life Ministry Update

by Pastor Patrick Cho

This past week for Grace Life, we enjoyed a nice break from our regular Bible study and partook in fellowship over some pizza! During that time, I asked our Grace Lifers if they could share some feedback about how helpful the study on the attributes of God has been thus far. Here are their responses:

“I have enjoyed the fellowship and getting to know others better. I appreciated learning more about God’s truth. Because He is true, we can believe everything about Him.”

“This Grace Life study has been helpful for me because it has helped reveal that my view of God was limited. Our sinful human mind could never understand the vastness of God. When we are diligent to study His character, it will elicit a greater appreciation of His grace to us and how small we are in comparison.”

“The Grace Life Bible study has encouraged me midweek to be accountable for my actions during the week and to reflect on my spiritual discipline.”

“Grace Life has reminded me of the greatness of God in all of the attributes discussed and that He is perfect in them.”

“It has been very helpful to focus on God and have application flow from that, rather than starting with ‘more practical’ things. The lesson on His eternality helped me see the comparative brevity and fragility of my life and it compelled me to be more intentional in time management and stewardship.”

“The lesson on God’s omniscience stood out to me. It gives me comfort to know that even though I don’t know the future, God already has a plan in place before the creation of the world.”

“One lesson that stood out was when we discussed God’s holiness in Isaiah 6. Specifically, the passage showed how God was set apart even to the extent that angels covered their eyes in His presence. Through this passage, I was reminded of how pure and perfect God is compared to anyone else.”

“The lesson on immutability stood out to me. I never thought about how there are passages in the Bible that can be construed as God changing His mind. It was eye-opening in understanding that He is truly unchanging and that those passages are not talking about Him actually changing His mind. Also, it was helpful that God does not have a Plan B. But that every contingency was accounted for from the beginning.”

“This series has been helpful to me in that it stressed the importance of cultivating a deeper understanding of God and His character. A deeper understanding of Him causes my devotion, worship, and service to Him to be deeper. I remember feeling comforted knowing that our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I am thankful that our God doesn’t change His mind about the way of salvation. His word is unchanging just like His character.”

“I enjoyed learning about God’s eternality and how He sees all events in time all at once instead of like us experiencing one event at a time. It increases my trust in God that He has perfect understanding of past events in my life as well as my future.”

“Reminders of God’s omnipresence have transformed my thoughts little by little each day for the last few months. Not only is He everywhere at all times, but He is ever near me, personally guiding and comforting me through daily trials.”

“The aseity of God was a helpful lesson because it forced me to more closely examine God’s self-sufficiency, independence and sovereignty. That these inherent qualities of God are not related to us or any of His creation only served to magnify His grace, love, and mercy – that He would choose to create us, choose to love us, and choose to save us.”

“This study has been a good reminder about God’s attributes and what an awesome God we worship.”

“This series has been helpful because it helped me to appreciate and see God in a more grand view. To see God exhibit each attribute perfectly is amazing.”

“I’ve been learning that God cannot change, that He is immutable. This reaffirms that all His promises are sure and will be kept despite my unfaithfulness. I am so thankful that my security in salvation is unchanging.”

“Reviewing the truth of God and His word particularly was helpful for me. Knowing that God’s absolute truth is clearly laid out throughout the Scripture encourages me to keep pursuing to grow in His knowledge and in His grace, all for His glory!”

This study has certainly been impactful and spiritually beneficial. I would encourage all married couples and parents to come out and join us for Bible study on Thursday evenings! It has also been a tremendous joy to teach through this series. Preparation for the lessons has focused my attention on the greatness of God (which is a wonderful theme to focus on!). Walking through these lessons with the group has been a great time of worship together. We’ll still be continuing this series through the month of May so hopefully we’ll see more people come out and join in the blessing!

They Took Jesus, And Led Him Away

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From John 19:16

He had been all night in agony, He had spent the early morning at the hall of Caiaphas, He had been hurried from Caiaphas to Pilate, from Pilate to Herod, and from Herod back again to Pilate; He had, therefore, but little strength left, and yet neither refreshment nor rest were permitted Him. They were eager for His blood, and therefore led Him out to die, loaded with the cross. O dolorous procession! Well may Salem’s daughters weep. My soul, do thou weep also.

What learn we here as we see our blessed Lord led forth? Do we not perceive that truth which was set forth in shadow by the scapegoat? Did not the high-priest bring the scapegoat, and put both his hands upon its head, confessing the sins of the people, that thus those sins might be laid upon the goat, and cease from the people? Then the goat was led away by a fit man into the wilderness, and it carried away the sins of the people, so that if they were sought for they could not be found. Now we see Jesus brought before the priests and rulers, who pronounce Him guilty; God Himself imputes our sins to Him, ‘the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all;’ ‘He was made sin for us;’ and, as the substitute for our guilt, bearing our sin upon His shoulders, represented by the cross; we see the great Scapegoat led away by the appointed officers of justice. Beloved, can you feel assured that He carried your sin? As you look at the cross upon His shoulders, does it represent your sin? There is one way by which you can tell whether He carried your sin or not. Have you laid your hand upon His head, confessed your sin, and trusted in Him? Then your sin lies not on you; it has all been transferred by blessed imputation to Christ, and He bears it on His shoulder as a load heavier than the cross.

Let not the picture vanish till you have rejoiced in your own deliverance, and adored the loving Redeemer upon whom your iniquities were laid.

4.3a

Weekly Links (3/21/2014)

The Bible was written with the assumption that we are the rational and spiritual beings God made us to be, giving us the created dignity of marrying our belief with reason. Christian faith is true not only because we really want to believe it but also because the truth it believes is the most plausible of all explanations. (Andreas Köstenberger, Darrell Bock, and Josh Chatraw)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! Another week of fellowshiping with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and His bride, the church, has come and gone. It’s always a joy to bring you this week’s links, and I hope and pray that it brings you closer to the One who is the Truth!

  • Which is the preferred type of pastor you would want to serve under: a single or married one? Steve DeWitt was a single pastor for 19 years before entering marriage, and has now been ministering as a married pastor for 3 years. Check out his article on this very issue, and let’s celebrate God’s wisdom in using both to bring about His kingdom purposes!
  • Here are some words of wisdom on learning evangelism if you think of yourself as a beginner in this area. There’s some good reminders for us all here.
  • What do women wish men knew about beauty? Nicole Whitaker (co-author of the new book True Beauty with her mom, Carolyn Mahaney) has written a beautiful post that us guys need to read. If we’re going to live in the family of God, we need to grow in our love for our sisters in Christ. This would be a good start, men. Whitaker follows up with a post about the crisis of beauty in our culture and church, followed by the solution. Read up!
  • Are you known for being a gossip or a brash person with your words? Do you have a filter for the things that you say? Sometimes I hear others speak their mind and immediately justify/excuse it with, “That’s just my personality.” As Christians, are we allowed to throw out the ‘personality’ card when it comes to speech? I believe the suggested three questions from the True Woman blog is a good place to start if you want to be have ‘seasoned’ speech (Colossians 4:6).
  • Last week, I mentioned the Theological Primer for Counselors series that Paul Tautges began for us all to benefit, and up until that time, he had seven out of ten posts done. Here’s the rest: the doctrine of progressive sanctification, the local church, and the return of Christ. Don’t miss out on reading this! It is succinct, full of content and easy to absorb. This will definitely be a resource I return to again and again.
  • Here’s another post that I think is worth ready simply because of the title of the post: Pre-Marital Counseling Asian-American Stlyle (Part 1). Written by Ben Shin (who has spoken at LBC in the past), he gives a dose of what issues come up that are unique to Asian-Americans in their pursuit of marriage. Notice this is part 1, so be sure to check for the part 2!
  • Recently, I was able to attend the IBCD Spring Conference in Escondido, IBCD being a biblical counseling organization that offers further training for people wanting to grow in giving biblical counsel in the church. This most recent conference dealt with practicing affirmation from Pastor Sam Crabtree from Bethlehem Baptist Church (where John Piper ministered up until recently). I’d encourage everyone to give it a listen; there’s much wisdom to learn about this subject.
  • Lyndon Unger continues his series on practically applying the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture, this time using a strange example to bring up a simple but well-rounded method at getting a deeper understanding of a topic that Scripture surprisingly addresses.
  • Coming at it from a counseling angle, what do you do when Scripture seems to fall silent in a counseling issue? Ed Welch has some hope-filled words that can be a lead-in to you growing to be a more biblical counselor.

That’ll do it for this week! Please continue to pray for some of our collegians, as they wrap up their finals and rest up for the final quarter of the year! Way to go, guys!

Soli Deo Gloria

It’s All Good

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
(Psalm 118:1)

by Kevin Tse

These days the word “good” can be taken many different ways. It can be used to describe a state of being, ability, or a character quality. Usage of the word “good” has also become rather relativistic, being used to denote that something is better than something else. The main issue with this usage of the word “good” is that it is completely divorced from the true definition of “good”, which can only be described as “that which is inherently God”.

God is good, and He defines what “good”-ness means. First, God is good because He is perfect (Matt 5:48). Second, God is good because He is a God of blessing, to believers and unbelievers alike (Matt 5:45). We all experience the common grace of God that sustains our lives on a daily basis. God particularly promises to bless the nation of Israel (Genesis 17:7-8), and the church (Eph 3:20-21). Third, God is good because He is righteous and holy (Is 6:3).

God defines goodness on His terms, and we all fall short of His goodness (Rom 3:10,23). This is called sin, and it is what separates us from God. Our salvation, therefore, cannot come from ourselves because we have no inherent goodness or righteousness of our own. We can only be saved because God, being rich in mercy, bestowed upon us the blessing of the righteousness of Christ. It is Christ’s imputed righteousness that is the ultimate manifestation of the goodness of God to us, and God’s imputed righteousness is what saves us from the punishment of sin (Phil 3:8-9).

Sometimes, even the strongest believer forgets the goodness of God (Ps 13, 73). This is what happens when we take our eyes off the eternal and instead focus on the present. Sometimes it appears that the wicked are getting away with anything they want (right before our very eyes!), while the believer is left to suffer. In those times, we must recall that we were never promised an easy life (John 15:18-20), but instead what we are promised is that our ultimate reward is an inheritance that is stored up in heaven with Christ, imperishable and eternal (1 Peter 3:7).

We have a choice when we are faced with doubting the goodness of God. We can choose to doubt the veracity of His promise that he causes all things to “work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28). We can choose to ignore the answered prayers and faithfulness He has demonstrated to us in the past, and focus only on the present trial. We can choose to forget His eternal promise of blessings to those who have run the race faithfully (Rom 5:3-5, 1 Peter 1:3-9). But the Bible is clear that though we may choose to doubt, God is truly good from everlasting to everlasting.

In Psalm 73 we see that it is only when we can regain our eternal perspective by entering “the sanctuary of God” (Ps 73:16-17) that we are reminded of the goodness of God. Only then will we see that the wicked does not truly prosper (for their reward is a just punishment administered on their day of judgment), but also that our heavenly rewards are super-abounding and an overflowing reminder of the goodness of God towards us. Even more, God has not left us to ourselves, but has blessed us with His Holy Spirit who is continually with us. It is as if God’s infinite goodness lives within us (and walks with us) at all times. This is what caused the Psalmist to write some of the most comforting words in all of scripture, when he writes (Ps 73:23-28):

Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works.

LBC Weekly SPARK – March 19, 2014

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear LBC family and friends,

Consider the following excerpt from Jerry Bridges’ Respectable Sins. I found this analogy to be extremely helpful in conveying the deadly nature of sin:

“Cancer! It’s a dreaded word, a word that often invokes a sense of despair and sometimes even hopelessness. . . . Another term for cancer is malignancy. Medically, the word malignant describes a tumor of potentially unlimited growth that expands locally into adjoining tissue by invasion and systemically by metastasizing into other areas of the body. Left alone, a malignancy tends to infiltrate and metastasize throughout the entire body and will eventually cause death. . . . Sin is a spiritual and moral malignancy. Left unchecked, it can spread throughout our entire inner being and contaminate every area of our lives. Even worse, it often will metastasize from us into the lives of other believers around us. None of us lives on a spiritual or social island. Our attitudes, words, and actions, and oftentimes even our private unspoken thoughts, tend to have an effect on those around us.”

With this analogy in mind, it’s no wonder the Lord Jesus called His disciples to deal with sin in a radical way (Matt. 5:29-30). Even unrepentant sin in the church, like a cancer, must be removed because of the deadly influence it can have (Matt. 18:15-20; 1 Cor. 5:1-13; Titus 3:10-11).

As believers in Christ, it is not that we should walk around defeated because of our constant failures. Actually, we should rejoice in the grace of God that He forgives sinners (cf. 1 John 1:9). The problem is that all too often the opposite is true of our attitude towards sin. Instead of treating sin with seriousness, we have a flippant and casual attitude towards it. We justify our ungodly behavior with excuses and we cover up our sins.

We need to remember how dangerous personal sin is. We have been called to walk in holiness as God is holy. We are called to be set apart from this world, denying the flesh and its desires. We certainly aren’t going to do this perfectly (Praise God for His patience and grace!), but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t constantly strive for it. Instead of making excuses for our sin, let’s remember the amazing grace of God and our love for our Savior by fighting for personal holiness and excising sin from our lives with surgical diligence and precision.

In His grace,

Pastor Patrick

Here are some opportunities for ministry for this week:

  1. MIDWEEK BIBLE STUDIES. All of our regularly scheduled midweek Bible studies and fellowships will continue this week. This includes Kids’ Club, Lumos Youth, College, Singles, and Grace Life. Here is the schedule: Wednesdays at 6:30 PM – Single Life (Main Meeting Room), Thursdays at 6:30 PM – Kids’ Club (Room 108) and Grace Life (Room 107), Fridays at 7:00 PM – Lumos (Room 107) and College Life (Main Meeting Room)
  2. SUNDAY. With our collegians off for spring break we will not be having Sunday School classes this weekend. Classes will resume on Sunday, March 30.
  3. SUMMER MISSIONS. Applications are now available for our summer missions trips to Argentina and the Czech Republic. If you are interested in applying for missions, please talk to Pastor Patrick for more details and for an application. Applications are due by March 23. Pastor Patrick will contact the references once applications are submitted. You must have been a member of LBC in good standing for at least a year to apply.
  4. FLOCKS. March 26-29 is flocks week for LBC, so our regular Bible studies will be cancelled. For more information about flocks, please visit the church website.
  5. WOMEN’S SEMINAR. The Women’s Ministry will be hosting the last women’s event of the 2013-2014 term on Saturday, April 5, from 9:00am-12:30pm for all LBC ladies, youth group on up. The theme is “WORD-ly Wise: Building up the Body” and will be a study in Ephesians 4. Please email Mrs. Grace Lee to RSVP (gracelee357@aol.com). There is no cost to attend.
  6. GOOD FRIDAY SERVICE. On Friday, April 18, at 6:30 PM, we will be coming together for a communion service in observance of Good Friday. This will be a wonderful opportunity to remember the cross of Christ that has saved us. Be sure to invite family and friends for this time.
  7. RESURRECTION SUNDAY. Sunday, April 20 is Resurrection Sunday, so we will be having a special morning service focused on the resurrection of Christ and our hope in Him. That morning, we will also be having a breakfast fellowship in the parking lot starting at 7:30 AM.
  8. ANNUAL BANQUET. Signups are now being taken for the annual banquet. The cost is $35/adult and $15/child ($100 max/family). You can sign up with Cesar Vigil-Ruiz in the foyer on Sunday.
  9. ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND. Don’t forget to mark off May 2-4 on your calendars as we will be celebrating the church’s 15 year anniversary that weekend. Here is the tentative schedule:

FRIDAY, MAY 2
7:00 PM General Session 1 – The Mission of LBC (Pastor Patrick Cho)

SATURDAY, MAY 3
9:00 AM General Session 2 – The Vision of LBC (Pastor Jim Kang)
12:00 PM Lunch Fellowship (FREE!)
2:00 PM Break
5:00 PM Annual Banquet/General Session 3 – The Passion of LBC (Pastor Chris Mueller)

SUNDAY, MAY 4
9:00 AM General Session 4 – Reflections on 15 Years of Ministry (Pastor John Kim)
11:00 AM Fellowship and Refreshments (No Sunday School classes)

He Shall See His Seed; He Shall Prolong His Days…

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Isaiah 53:10

Plead for the speedy fulfillment of this promise, all ye who love the Lord. It is easy work to pray when we are grounded and bottomed, as to our desires, upon God’s own promise. How can He that gave the word refuse to keep it? Immutable veracity cannot demean itself by a lie, and eternal faithfulness cannot degrade itself by neglect. God must bless His Son, His covenant binds Him to it. That which the Spirit prompts us to ask for Jesus, is that which God decrees to give Him. Whenever you are praying for the kingdom of Christ, let your eyes behold the dawning of the blessed day which draweth near, when the Crucified shall receive His coronation in the place where men rejected Him. Courage, you that prayerfully work and toil for Christ with success of the very smallest kind, it shall not be so always; better times are before you. Your eyes cannot see the blissful future: borrow the telescope of faith; wipe the misty breath of your doubts from the glass; look through it and behold the coming glory.

Reader, let us ask, do you make this your constant prayer? Remember that the same Christ who tells us to say, ‘Give us this day our daily bread,’ had first given us this petition, ‘Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.’ Let not your prayers be all concerning your own sins, your own wants, your own imperfections, your own trials, but let them climb the starry ladder, and get up to Christ Himself, and then, as you draw nigh to the blood-sprinkled mercy-seat, offer this prayer continually, ‘Lord, extend the kingdom of Thy dear Son.’ Such a petition, fervently presented, will elevate the spirit of all your devotions. Mind that you prove the sincerity of your prayer by labouring to promote the Lord’s glory.

4.2p

Weekly Links (3/14/14)

Youth is the seed-time of full age, the molding season in the little space of human life, the turning-point in the history of man’s mind.

By the shoot we judge of the tree, by the blossoms we judge of the fruit, by the spring we judge of the harvest, by the morning we judge of the day, and by the character of the young man, we may generally judge what he will be when he grows up. (J.C. Ryle)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! Time has flown since we last had this. Well, before we get another week to fly by, here’s this weeks’ links!

  • James Anderson gives some short and sweet responses to four common objections people have against Christianity. You would be wise to read and be prepared the next time you’re faced with these challenges to the faith. Michael Kruger has additional commentary on the fourth objection, FYI.
  • Ever read books by Jerry Bridges and wanted to pick his brain about some spiritual topic he’s written about? Well, in this post, some have done so. As he’s about to publish a memoir of his life, it’s good to get in on some of the discussions he’s had in the past. This is a short sampling, but learning how to preach the Gospel to yourself from someone who does it regularly would be worth your time.
  • Andy Snider (this year’s Single Life retreat speaker) invited a ministry friend to post on his blog about reevaluating what we find most precious and valuable to us. This is always on my heart and mind, and I hope it is for you, too.
  • Sometimes, getting reports from a certain ministry you are personally involved in can be a welcome source of encouragement. Especially if you see them on the frontlines of getting the Gospel to penetrate not in areas where there is no Gospel witness, but also in areas where the Gospel is not dominant in people’s lives. Peacemaker Ministries is one ministry I am continually thankful for, mainly because they are living examples of workers who truly believe and see the fruit of biblical peacemaking take root in the lives of believers. Especially when they themselves didn’t think it was possible that certain conflicts could be resolved in the light of Scripture. Here’s their quarterly monthly report. Be encouraged.
  • How do you comfort a brother or sister in Christ? What immediately comes to mind? Can I suggest that giving words of truth about God in Scripture would be good for the body of Christ to hear? Corresponding to our series of the attributes of God, here’s some good counsel given by God Himself concerning Himself, relayed to us by an ordinary pastor.
  • Though written for the church leader, I think anyone can benefit from learning some biblical reasons why we all should learn to memorize Scripture, and to do it together. Anyone up for it?
  • Piggybacking off Pastor Patrick’s message this past Sunday, here’s more thoughts on fellowship that may be just what we need to stay on the path in our Christian walks. May you take advantage of the means of grace that God has given every believer in His family.
  • What do we really need in marriage? Mark Altrogge gives some great thoughts on some real expectations marrieds should have of their spouse.
  • Paul Tautges has begun a 10-part series, giving a theological primer for counselors. So far, he’s covered theology proper, bibliology, the lordship of Christ, the Holy Spirit, Satan and his demons, the doctrine of man, and the doctrine of sin. Check next week for the completion of the series!
  • Here’s a practical outworking of the sufficiency of Scripture that I think will be immensely useful. And it’s the beginning of a series! Bonus points!

That’ll do it for this week! Please pray for the Singles, who will be away for their retreat this upcoming weekend! See you back here in a week!

Soli Deo Gloria