• Imbedded Deceit in Florida Amendment 4. Jim Davis writes “Florida’s proposed Amendment 4 to potentially legalize full-term abortion without parental consent is as deceptive in its presentation as it is wrong in its ethic.”

• Why Church Membership Matters. Alistair Begg writes “God’s desire is to see His children attached to Christ by faith and then to faithful local churches in membership.”
• Use Psalm 2 to Calm Your Political Anxiety. Kevin Halloran writes “When I meditate on Psalm 2, my perspective zooms out from the current turmoil of the world to see the true eternal drama unfolding. As I see who truly reigns over history, my anxiety turns to worship. This psalm motivates me in three specific ways.”

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:

• More interesting article links
• Favorite Quotes of the Week

• What is “White-Hot” Worship? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “Can you explain what you mean by ‘white-hot worship’ for those of us coming from a Pentecostal background?”
• How to Find the Meaning of a Bible Verse. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “You have said in the past that you didn’t understand Matthew 6:22–23for a long time. But then you spent more time looking at the context before, in the treasuring focus in Matthew 6:19–21, and more time after the text, in the money focus in Matthew 6:24 — those contexts helped make sense of everything in between. Also, what you learned in Matthew 20:13–15 you brought into your discovery, too. Can you explain how you came to understand Jesus’s teaching on the healthy and sick eye using both the close context, before and after it, and the broader context together? These seem like Bible interpretation principles we all need to master when the text in front of us doesn’t make immediate sense.”
• On Hoarding. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “My unbelieving husband has the habit of hoarding. He keeps boxes, newspapers from years back, packaging — all the things that average people may regard as garbage once their expected usage is over — all that accumulates in our home. I tried to throw away some things, but it caused disharmony in our relationship. I feel like I live in a rubbish dump. How do I deal with the problem biblically?”
• The Pitfalls of Being a Thinker. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to this question about thinking “I am a thinker. It’s one reason why I love the podcast. You are a thinker. However, I have noticed that some thinking is very dangerous. Paul warns of the dangers of thinking in 1 Corinthians 8:1–4. And yet he also says that thinking is indispensable in Romans 10:1–4. Can you explain how knowledge is both indispensable and dangerous, and how you manage this balance in your own thinking?”
• Theological Questions and Answers with Ligonier Ministries. In this Q&A compilation, watch as R.C. Sproul, the Ligonier Teaching Fellows, and other gifted teachers provide clarity to a wide variety of theological subjects. Featured teachers include: Sproul, Sinclair Ferguson, Robert Godfrey, Steven Lawson, Stephen Nichols, Burk Parsons, Derek Thomas, Kevin DeYoung, Joel Kim, John MacArthur, Miguel Núñez, and Michael Reeves.

• How Can I Balance Serving Others with Dealing with My Chronic Illness? Chronic illness can take a significant toll on both the body and the mind. Sinclair Ferguson offers three ways that we can look to Scripture for guidance on serving the church while still taking care of ourselves.
• How Do People See God in Scripture if He is Invisible? Kyle Claunch answers this question in this episode of Honest Answers.

• Gresham Machen, A Conservative Mind in a Liberal Age: A Conversation with Richard Burnett. On this episode of the Thinking in Public podcast, Albert Mohler visits with Richard E. Burnett, the Executive Director and Managing Editor of Theology Matters as well as co-director of the Master of Arts at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary about his most recent book, Machen’s Hope: The Transformation of a Modernist in the New Princeton.
• Pastors Need Pastors: A Conversation with John Piper and John MacArthur. Enjoy this conversation from the recent Shepherds Conference, moderated by Austin Duncan.
• Contentious Culture Wars in a Political Age: A Conversation with Sociologist James Davison Hunter. On this episode of the Thinking in Public podcast, Albert Mohler visits with LaBrosse-Levinson Distinguished Professor of Religion, Culture and Social Theory and the Executive Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia, James Davison Hunter. They discuss his latest book, “Democracy and Solidarity: On the Cultural Roots of America’s Political Crisis.”

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• One way to know the health of a church is by listening to the theology of their songs and by observing the passion with which they sing them. Too often it is one or the other: Sound theology and little passion or passion but unsound theology. Sing what and how you believe. Burk Parsons
• The basic purpose of prayer is not to bend God’s will to mine, but to mold my will into His. Tim Keller
• A Christian has never finished his education till he stands before the golden throne of God. Charles Spurgeon
• There are no draws with God, no split decisions. When we wrestle with the Almighty, we lose. He is the undefeated champion of the Universe.  R.C. Sproul
• It is said that when we see the rainbow, the shower is over. It is certain that when Christ comes, our troubles withdraw; when we look on Jesus, our sins vanish, and our doubts and fears subside. Charles Spurgeon
• Our Enemy is set on trying to destroy you, but he’ll settle with just getting you to become bored with the gospel. Burk Parsons
• It is not our eye on him which is our great protection, but his eye on us. Charles Spurgeon
• Only what God has commanded in his word should be regarded as binding; in all else there may be liberty of actions. John Owen
• God, who made everything, controls everything and owns everything, has no problem supplying his children with everything they need. Paul Tripp