NOW THAT’S A GOOD QUESTION!
- Should Christians Attend Gay Weddings? Does It Matter Whether They’re Religious or Secular? Randy Alcorn writes “Regardless of people’s individual opinions, one thing is certain: this is an issue that will NOT go away. While there is a strong trend toward evangelicals attending gay weddings in the name of Christ’s love, I have to say I believe it is more loving to God and to the participants to not encourage them to think their union is good and healthy, when God’s Word shows otherwise.”
- How Much Sleep is Too Much Sleep? In this episode of the “Ask Pastor John” podcast, John Piper answers this question – Is it more glorifying to God to utilize his gift of rest through sleep or to capitalize on the time we have to go sleep-deprived in order to more fully serve him?”.
- What is the Purpose of Fasting? In this six-minute video, Don Whitney states “The most important thing about fasting when you actually try it is to realize that fasting is to be done for a purpose, a God-centered, biblical purpose. Otherwise it becomes a miserable, self-centered experience.”
- #AskRC Live Twitter Event: July 2017. My favorite sessions at Ligonier conferences are the “Question and Answer” sessions. Enjoy this “Ask R.C.” Twitter Event with R.C. Sproul in which he answers a wide variety of questions.
- Is Christianity Rational? R.C. Sproul writes “The God of Christianity addresses people’s minds. He speaks to us. We have a Book that is written for our understanding.”
- Why Did God Create? Steven Lawson writes “Why did God create? Certainly not because he needed someone to love.” This seems to contradict the sentiments of the new popular song being sung in churches by Hillsong “What a Beautiful Name”, which includes the lyrics “You didn’t want heaven without us, So Jesus, You brought heaven down.”
- Does Our Marriage to Christ in Heaven Mean Our Earthly Marriage Partners Won’t Be Important to Us? Randy Alcorn writes “I do envision that people who’ve had important roles in each other’s lives will continue to be friends—and that would include a lot of people who’ve been married. So although married couples’ relationships will look different in Heaven, that certainly doesn’t mean that earthly marriage is unimportant and that God doesn’t use it in our lives in profound ways.”
- Is Christ the Only Way? When R.C. Sproul was in college he was asked by one of his professors, “Is Christ the only way?” Watch this four-minute video to see how he responded.
- Husband, Life Up Your Eyes. John Piper writes this open letter to a would-be adulterer.
- 3 Ways Ministry Can Make You Conceited. Tim Keller writes “Paul—the very apostle trained in theology and for ministry by the actual risen Christ—warns us that theological training and life in ministry can lead to conceit if you fail to cooperate with Christ’s gracious intervention.”
- 8 Ways to Help Depressed Christians. David Murray writes “Many of us struggle with what to do when someone we know is depressed. We want to help but fear, confusion, or misunderstanding holds us back.”
- Martin Luther’s Shelter Amid the Flood of Depression. Ryan Griffith writes “Amid his turmoil, Luther practiced the discipline at the Reformation’s heart: meditation on Scripture. His focus fell on Psalm 46. Luther’s seized on God’s promises, appealing to him for their fulfillment, and applying Scripture’s comfort to his troubled soul. As his depression lifted, Luther used prayerful meditation to benefit others, capturing biblical truth in song. Out of this crucible came the famous Reformation hymn “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.””
- A Spiritual Inheritance. “When we approach the subject of leaving our children a spiritual inheritance, we should be asking ourselves a series of diagnostic questions. These are only a few of the questions that we should be asking ourselves as we evaluate what sort of inheritance we are preparing for our children.”
- 4 Principles for the Exercise of Christian Liberty. Sinclair Ferguson writes “True Christian liberty, unlike the various “freedom” or “liberation” movements of the secular world, is not a matter of demanding the “rights” we have.”
Courtesy of World Magazine
IN THE NEWS:
- Watch this twelve-minute talk from Propaganda. Forty percent of Americans believe that those with opposing political views pose a threat to the nation. In many ways, we are more divided than ever before: from race, to women’s rights, to conservative and liberal policies. But when we focus on differences it’s impossible to move toward creating community. In this twelve-minute talk, Propaganda, reminds us that the solution is to be intersectional. As a prophetic voice for reconciliation, he encourages us to find common ground.
- Bono and W. While on tour in Texas with U2, Bono stopped by and visited with his old friend George W. Bush.
TO MAKE YOU SMILE:
- Trump Leads Aides On Wild Chase Through White House As They Attempt To Confiscate His Smartphone. The Babylon Bee reports “According to sources within the Trump White House, the President and Commander in Chief led a squad of White House aides on a wild chase through the West Wing early Monday morning, after the team of assistants attempted to confiscate Trump’s smartphone to prevent him from posting anything on social media.”
- Local Church Offers ‘Introvert Service’ Where Nobody Has To Talk To Anyone Else.The Babylon Bee reports “Taking place after both the traditional and contemporary offerings, this new service allows congregants to enjoy church in silence, without being forced to greet each other with a saying or question, touch each other in any way, or engage in never ending small talk afterward.”
Doug Michael’s Cartoon of the Week
- We are eternally secure not because perseverance in obedience is optional, but because God is the one who decisively makes it happen. John Piper
- Doctrine does matter. R.C. Sproul
- The rich brother needs to let the gospel humble him while the poor brother needs to let the gospel affirm him. Tim Keller
- I usually find that the greatest doubters are the people who do not read the Bible. Charles Spurgeon
- There is nothing more important to learn about Christian growth than this: Growing in grace means becoming like Christ. Sinclair Ferguson
- We discover the will of God by a sensitive application of Scripture to our own lives. Sinclair Ferguson
- We may never know the treacherous journey people have taken to land in the pew next to us. Rosaria Butterfield
- The most important words I’ve heard: Let us worship God. Sinclair Ferguson
- We are to learn from leaders, yet be imitators of none. Iain H. Murray
