• How Can the Church Remain Faithful in this Current Cultural Climate? Ligon Duncan offers wisdom in this short video from Reformed Theological Seminary.

• The Calling & Hard Work of Marriage, Part 1. Russ Gehrlein writes “My goal in writing this two-part article is to explore marriage as a divine calling.”
• Ask God for More of God: Lessons for a Better Prayer Life. Matt Smethurst writes “Few people have taught me more about prayer than Tim Keller. He himself taught eloquently on the subject for decades before (at least in his estimation) he truly learned to pray.”
• Questions for Our Pro-Abortion Friends, Church Leaders, and Politicians. Kevin DeYoung offers these important questions.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:

• More interesting article links
• Favorite Quotes of the Week

• Strategies for Building a Reverent Church. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to a question that reads in part “Fostering such healthy reverence on Sunday mornings requires more than just sermons. We’ve talked coffee. We’ve talked preaching. But now, what about dress codes and music and announcements, and all the other factors at play here on Sunday mornings?”
• What Would World War III Mean to Missions? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to a question that reads in part “How do you comfort yourself with biblical truth, and with God’s sovereignty, when it seems that the world is growing more hostile, and World War III is talked about more and more openly as a real possibility in the near future?”
• How Have the Writings of John Owen Shaped Your Theological Development? John Owen is sometimes called the “Prince of Puritans.” What can we learn from this 17th-century theologian? From one of the live Ask Ligonier events, Sinclair Ferguson discusses the influence that Owen has had on his theology.
• Was Jesus Confused by the Cross? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to a question that reads in part “I’ve always struggled with Matthew 27:45–46, where Jesus recites Psalm 22:1. Why would Jesus question the Father like this in asking, ‘Why have you forsaken me?’ when he certainly knew the answer? It was for this very reason Jesus came to die — to be forsaken on our behalf!”
• Do I Have a Hard Heart? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to a question that reads in part “I’ve recently started to pursue a better relationship with the Lord. I often come across this phrase, though, in the New Testament about the ‘hardened heart.’ My question is: How would I know if my heart was hardened against God? What does this mean? And how can I ensure that I don’t have a hardened heart toward God?”

• Ask Ligonier with Michael Reeves. Michael Reeves joined Nathan W. Bingham live on Ask Ligonier January 18 to answer biblical and theological questions. The program begins at the 15:04 point.
• What is the Church? Derek Thomas writes “The church is comprised of those who are called into fellowship with the Lord.”
• Homosexuality is Sin. John MacArthur writes “The truth is that homosexuality is not an alternative lifestyle. It’s not simply a viable sexual orientation, a genetic predisposition, or a personal preference. In fact, it is nothing more than a perverse sexual proclivity—one of many that Scripture identifies as rebellious deviations from God’s good design.”
• Compassion vs. Condemnation. How are Christians to walk the fine line between affirming and reviling those whose actions declare them to be God’s enemies? In this message, Alistair Begg seeks to answer that as he clarifies the counsel he gave to a grandmother.
• We Believe: 2024 Winter Conference at Ligonier Ministries and Reformation Bible College. The messages from the We Believe: 2024 Winter Conference are now available to streamon org, the Ligonier app, and YouTube. Speakers include Michael Reeves, Burk Parsons, and Stephen Nichols.

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• We too often worry about tomorrow because our focus is on tomorrow and not on our God who is sovereign over tomorrow. Burk Parsons
• As long as you are alive, there is gospel work for you to do. You may retire from your career, but you never retire from ministry. Steven Lawson
• If you want to be anxious today, pretend you’re in control. Michael Reeves
• We need to remember that God never promises his people that they will not enter the valley of the shadow of death. The absolute promise God gives to his people is that he will never send us through it alone. R.C. Sproul
• You will never know everything that is coming your way, but you can rest knowing that your Savior knows and will give you what you need when it comes. Paul Tripp
• A Christian is not of hasty growth, like a mushroom, but rather like the oak, the progress of which is hardly perceptible, but, in time, becomes a great deep-rooted tree. John Newton
• Divine mercy should change our hearts so that we are able to forgive as God forgave us. Tim Keller
• Celebrate today that your Heavenly Father knows you better than you know yourself and knows what you need better than you do. He’s not sitting idly by, but is always supplying from his storehouse of grace. Paul Tripp
• Service is not an optional aspect of the Christian life. All believers are called to be servants of God. R.C. Sproul