Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview

THIS & THAT: A Gathering of Favorite Articles and Quotes

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  • Favorite Quotes of the Week

  • Is There Good Magic and Edifying Sorcery? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to a question asking if there’s good magic and edifying sorcery. The question is a popular one about Lord of the Ringsand Harry Potter and fantasy literature in general.
  • Why is Witchcraft Handled So Differently Across Scripture? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “In our Bible readings coming up in the Old Testament, we read that sorcerers and those who practice witchcraft are to be killed. That’s very clear to me according to Exodus 22:18and Leviticus 20:27. But when Jewish Bible scholar the apostle Paul enters Ephesus, a city full of magic, he calls for no one to be executed — simply for all the books to be piled up in the city center and to be burned. That I see in Acts 19:19. Certainly, Paul would have known full well the contrast from what he saw in Scripture from what he was calling for. Why is the Old Testament more violent here? And why is the same sin handled so differently in the New Testament?”
  • Who Do Christians Pray To? In this video, Michael Reeves unpacks the profound relationship between prayer and the Trinity.
  • Living with Gospel-Sized Ambition. On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “I graduate from seminary this spring, and as I prepare for full-time ministry, I want to better understand Paul’s claims in Acts 20:24when he says, ‘I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.’ For your life as a pastor, what do you take from this text? What did this Pauline conviction for the gospel over life look like — and feel like — for you?”
  • Why Does the Bible Say Baptism Saves Us? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “Are we saved after water baptism, before water baptism, or in water baptism?”
  • What Makes Someone Spiritually Dirty? On this episode of the Ask Pastor John podcast, John Piper responds to the question “In Leviticus 5:2 and Leviticus 7:19–21, we read that touching unclean things makes one unclean. But Jesus completely changes this. He later says it is what comes out of us that makes us unclean. He says this in Matthew 15:18–20. What caused such a major turnaround here, in what seems to me to be a fundamental redefinition of evil?”

  • A life well lived is a life lived for the glory and the kingdom of God. Will that be your legacy? Paul Tripp
  • Are you under the care of godly leaders? Then know that as they serve the Lord faithfully, they need your prayers, encouragement, and support! Be sure to pray for them regularly and seek to build them up frequently. Alistair Begg
  • Unlike every other religion, Christianity does not provide step-by-step instructions for what we must do to avoid hell; it provides a Savior who endured hell in our place, if we will simply have the humility to admit it should have been us. The Bible does not give us steps to take or a list of duties to fulfill as if avoiding hell were like building a bunk bed. The Bible gives us a Rescuer. Dane Ortlund
  • Do not become self-sufficient . Self-sufficiency is Satan’s net where he catches men, like poor silly fish, and destroys them. Be not self-sufficient . The way to grow strong in Christ is to become weak in yourself. God pours no power into man’s heart till man’s power is all poured out. Live, then, daily, a life of dependence on the grace of God. Charles Spurgeon
  • God often uses the hardest things in life to produce the best things in us. Paul Tripp
  • It is enormously restful to say, no matter what’s happening in your life, “Thy will be done.” Tim Keller
  • We are not defined by our circumstances but by how we respond to them. Scott Sauls
  • When our eyes aren’t fixed on Christ, it’s usually because they’re fixed on comparing ourselves with other Christians. Burk Parsons
  • It is a good thing that our lives are controlled not by failed human shepherds, but by the good shepherd, who will never fail. Paul Tripp

Author: Bill Pence

I’m Bill Pence – married to my best friend Tammy, a graduate of Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis Cardinals and Illinois State University Men’s Basketball fan, formerly a manager at a Fortune 50 organization, and in leadership at my local church for thirty years. I am a life-long learner and have a passion to help people develop, and to use their strengths to their fullest potential. I am an INTJ on Myers-Briggs, 3 on the Enneagram, my top five Strengthsfinder themes are: Belief, Responsibility, Learner, Harmony, and Achiever, and my two StandOut strength roles are Creator and Equalizer. My favorite book is the Bible, with Romans my favorite book of the Bible, and Colossians 3:23 and 2 Corinthians 5:21 being my favorite verses and Romans 8 my favorite chapter of the Bible. Some of my other favorite books are The Holiness of God and Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul, and Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper. I enjoy music in a variety of genres, including modern hymns and classic rock. My books Called to Lead: Living and Leading for Jesus in the Workplace, A Leader Worth Following: 40 Key Leadership Attributes and Applications to Master, and Tammy’s book Study, Savor and Share Scripture: Becoming What We Behold are available in paperback and Kindle editions on Amazon. Go to amazon.com/author/billpence or amazon.com/author/tammypence

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