Christian Living:

• Pray Like a Child. Listen as Paul Miller, author of The Praying Life, reminds us of how dependent Jesus was on his heavenly Father, even to the point where he said he did nothing on his own. As Jesus prayed then, so must we, coming to God with childlike faith. A special guest is Paul’s mute autistic daughter, Kim.

• Scotty Smith Prayers. This week, we’re including two wonderful prayers from Scotty. The first is A Prayer for Lamenting the Death of Unborn Children. The second is A Prayer for Grace to Love Well in Stories of Memory Loss.

• The Importance of What We Do in Secret. Derek Thomas writes “According to Jesus, it is what we do in secret that matters most.”

• 15 Ways to Fight Lust with the Sword of the Spirit. Kevin DeYoung writes “How in the world, in this world we live in, and with our sex-saturated hearts, can we obey the seventh commandment? Let me suggest fifteen passages of Scripture that can help us fight lust and the temptation to sexual immorality.”

• Fasting for Beginners. David Mathis writes “Chances are you are among the massive majority of Christians who rarely or never fast. It’s not because we haven’t read our Bibles or sat under faithful preaching or heard about the power of fasting, or even that we don’t genuinely want to do it. We just never actually get around to putting down the fork.

• Does Joy Die in Sorrow? This video is the sixth and final of a six-part series on the theme of joy in the book of Philippians. John Piper walks us through a short study of how to understand joy, pursue it for ourselves, and then apply it in all of life.

• Don’t Take It from Me: Reasons You Should Not Marry an Unbeliever. Kathy Keller writes “Over the course of our ministry, the most common pastoral issue that Tim and I have confronted is probably marriages—either actual or proposed—between Christians and non-Christians.”

Current Events:

• The 8^th Planned Parenthood Video, A Prayer at the Protest and Counsel for Healing from an Abortion. Justin Taylor shares this helpful information.
• Ohio Bill Would Ban Abortion if Down Syndrome Is Reason. Tamar Lewin writes “Opening a new front in the abortion wars, abortion opponents are pushing Ohio to make it illegal for a doctor to perform an abortion if a woman is terminating her pregnancy to avoid having a baby with Down syndrome.”
• 9 Things You Should Know About Margaret Sanger. Joe Carter shares important things to know about the founder of Planned Parenthood.
• Ashley Madison and the Death of Monogamy. Dr. Albert Mohler writes “Life is indeed short, and so is the Seventh Commandment: “You shall not commit adultery.””
• Three American heroes on French train are strong Christians. Mark Ellis writes “The families of the three Americans who foiled a terror attack on a Paris-bound train recently said their heroism was directly related to their sturdy Christian faith.”
• I’m a Duke Freshman. Here’s Why I refused to Read ‘Fun Home.’ Brian Grasso writes “As a Christian, I knew that my beliefs and identity would be challenged at a progressive university like Duke. My first challenge came well before I arrived on campus, when I learned that all first years were assigned “Fun Home,” a graphic novel by Alison Bechdel.
• Convictions and Cultural Change. Dr. John MacArthur and Dr. Stephen Nichols discuss the urgency to stand with conviction in a time of rapid cultural change. During this session, Dr. MacArthur referred to being approached in the pulpit at Grace Community Church by a man claiming to be a prophet sent to confront him on his views on cessationism. Watch the video of that here.

Great Resources:  

• Tim Keller Sermons. You can listen to nearly 100 of Tim Keller’s sermons free at the Gospel in Life Redeemer Presbyterian Church You Tube site.

• Can I Be Sure I’m Saved? R.C. Sproul writes “At a practical level, people who are struggling with their assurance of salvation often approach me and ask, “How can I know I am save?” In response, I ask them three questions.

• Openness Unhindered Part 2. In this episode of the Mortification of Spin podcast, Carl Trueman, Aimee Bryd and Todd Pruitt continue their discussion on Rosaria Butterfield’s latest book: Openness Unhindered, in which they respond specifically to her thoughts on and approach to Christian fellowship and hospitality. I found the section of the book on hospitality of particular interest.

• Openness Unhindered: Further Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert on Sexual Identity and Union with Christ. Kelsey Hency writes “In Openness Unhindered, Butterfield sets out to equip and encourage those dealing with sexual temptation, guide unbelievers to Christ’s hand, and rouse believers blind to their own sin. If you come to the book seeking answers about one of today’s most controversial topics, you will certainly find some. But you’ll leave with more than answers. You’ll leave with the hope of the gospel.

• Five Easy Pieces. Carl Trueman, who I enjoyed a wonderful week of classes on B.B. Warfield a few years ago at Covenant Serminary, gives a brief overview of five new books.

• NIV Zondervan Study Bible. In this five-minute video, D.A. Carson talks about the new NIV Zondervan Study Bible, which he served as General Editor for.

Church Life:

• The Mark of Christianity That is Disappearing from Our Worship. Trevin Wax writes about the disappearance of confession from our worship.
• Every Believer’s Responsibility. In this short video, John MacArthur states that it is every believer’s responsibility to hold their pastors accountable by searching the Scriptures, just as the Bereans did.
• On Leaving Church. Bill Muehlenberg writes “There are many Christians who have stopped going to church. They have not given up on God, have not renounced their faith, have not denied Christ, and have not become pagans. They simply are no longer going to church. That this is happening is not a matter of doubt, but why this is happening is in fact a difficult question to answer.”
• Eight Reasons Why We Need the Puritans. My pastor introduced me to the writings of the Puritans years ago via the publishing ministry of my friend Don Kistler. Here’s a good article from Jeff Robinson on why we need the Puritans.

Just for Fun:

• #‎TRUMPBIBLE. Eric Metaxas writes “Donald Trump recently said the Bible is by far his favorite book, but when asked to share a favorite verse or two, he declined, saying religion was a private thing and he didn’t want to get specific. Many concluded he doesn’t read the Bible. But to silence his critics, Trump today shot off the following “25 of my favorite Bible verses”.  Here’s just a few:
  • In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was TERRIFIC. And also YUUUUGE.
  • Look, I prefer Messiahs who don’t get crucified, okay? I mean, I’ve given a lot to his churches. A LOT. Face it, he let us down.
  • A good wife, who can find? I found three.

 

• Before the sun goes down, extend God’s grace to somebody that you’d rather altogether avoid. Scotty Smith

• Father, so overwhelm my heart with your beauty and grace today it’ll be difficult to complain about anything or criticize anyone. Scotty Smith

• God is so boundlessly pleased with Jesus that in him he is altogether well pleased with us. Charles Spurgeon

• If Christ were only a cistern, we might soon exhaust His fullness, but who can drain a fountain? Charles Spurgeon

• I believe that every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam does not move an atom more or less than God wishes. Charles Spurgeon

• The Gospel is not good instructions, not a good idea, and not good advice. The Gospel is an announcement of what God has done for us in Jesus. Michael Horton

• Just be who God has called you to be right where you are, with the people he has called you to serve. Michael Horton

• All men have offended God’s justice and deserve His judgment. R.C. Sproul
• If God ceased to exist for a second the universe would perish with Him. R.C. Sproul
• If it were left to us, we would all fall away from the faith and perish. R.C. Sproul
• There is no such thing as a great man of God, only weak, pitiful, faithless men of a great and merciful God. Paul Washer

• Pray earnestly for a deep sense of your own insufficiency.” It’s a God-given gift. John Newton

• It is evil to be enslaved to good things. John Piper

• Don’t make yourself more miserable than you have to be. If God wanted you to feel guilty all the time he wouldn’t have sent Jesus. Kevin DeYoung

• Self-loathing is self-worship. Andrew Peterson

• You can never be righteous without being redeemed, you cannot worship without being redeemed and righteous. Ravi Zacharias

• Don’t love Jesus just for what he does, love him for who he is. Tim Keller

• Lukewarm people don’t really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin. Francis Chan

• We are great sinners, but Christ is an even greater Savior. Steven Lawson

• Legalism gives us a temporary feeling of security based on self, the gospel gives us assurance of our eternal security based on Christ. Burk Parsons

• The root and source of sin is unbelief and turning from God, just as the source and root of righteousness is faith. Martin Luther