May the God of love and peace be with you today.
As usual, you’ll find a few new Kindle deals today.
Visible Grace in Disagreements
This is a good one. “Here are three things we should strive for: Christians who are willing to confront but aren’t eager for controversy. Christians who pursue a gentle revival, not a holy war. Christians who eavesdrop on Jesus’ intercession instead of joining Satan’s accusations.”
Whataboutery
This article grapples with “whataboutery,” the inclination to apply Scripture to everyone else before ourselves.
Is Church Discipline Mean?
R. Scott Clark explains why church discipline is not mean. To the contrary, when carried out as intended, it is a form of love. “In our time, the tendency is to view the church as a means of therapy, merely as a place of fellowship and encouragement, but not as the divinely instituted embassy in which the keys of the Kingdom of God are administered. Viewed thus, the very idea of church discipline seems high-handed, arbitrary, unjust, and even cruel. After all, the reasoning goes, who are those sinners to judge this sinner?”
Do You Want My Opinion?
Andy Farmer offers some helpful thoughts on offering opinions. “I’ve had to develop a kind of ‘rules of engagement’ so that I respond appropriately when I’m ever asked or pressed to engage a hot cultural topic. Here’s how I parse it out…”
No Need to Fear, Ever
“You are not alone, Christian believer! God’s people have always wrestled with fear, with questions, with sickening doubts when it comes to the many challenges of living in a sinful world. Yet the answer continually returns: there is no need to fear!”
How Many Types of Jesus Are in the Bible Old Testament?
This video from SBTS will help you better understand biblical typology—a key subject for understanding Scripture.
Flashback: Spare the Rod, Spoil the Parent
The parent who spares the rod does not only ruin the child, but also ruins a future relationship with the child. The parent who spares the rod hates his son, but he also hates himself.
If believers are lost, God loses more than they do, for he loses his honour, he loses his character for truthfulness, and the glory of his name is tarnished.
—Charles Spurgeon
