May the Lord be with you and bless you today.

I mentioned earlier in the week that Westminster Books has some excellent biographies for young readers on sale. Today they’ve added a good book on reading the Bible well.
To Stay and Serve: Why We Didn’t Flee Ukraine
Here’s a dispatch from within Ukraine: “In recent weeks, nearly all the missionaries have been told to leave Ukraine. Western nations evacuated their embassies and citizens. Traffic in the capital of Kyiv is disappearing. Where did the people go? Oligarchs, businessmen, and those who can afford it are leaving, saving their families from potential war. Should we do the same?”
Bursting Christian bubbles
“We need to regularly ask God to burst our Christian bubbles.” This article explains how and why.
Did Justin Martyr Know the Gospel of John?
“There has been a long-standing scholarly discussion about how far back we can trace the roots of the fourfold gospel. ” Michael Kruger asks whether we can trace them all the way back to Justin Martyr.
Why be a small group member?
Tony Payne considers why we should consider being part of a small group (assuming that is something our churches offer).
The Trinity and Blaspheming the Holy Spirit
“God does not demand worship because he is insecure and needs affirmation, but simply because it is true. This truth means that any time someone misuses or defames the name of the Lord, blasphemy is the charge. One person could sin against another, and it would not be blasphemy; but to dishonor the Lord is to commit a different kind of sin.”
Closeness Comes Through Fire
Ed Welch considers the connection between suffering and sanctification.
Flashback: When Grumbling Meets Gossip
As Christians, we are responsible to maintain the unity of our local churches, and to do that, we need to protect our relationships with our brothers and sisters.

If you cannot fly towards heaven with the wings of assurance, walk there on the legs of faith. —Andrew Gray

The Lord be with you and bless you today.
(Yesterday on the blog: Fallen Planes and Fallen Pastors)

Here’s a thought-provoking article. “Critique is easier to make compelling than charity. This explains why the books consistently generating the most conversation—both from fans and detractors—follow a similar format: a book length dismantling of a problem followed by a single chapter or epilogue offering a positive vision forward. When was the last time you read a book (on evangelicalism and culture) that spent one or two chapters on a problem, and then the remainder offering a constructive alternative?”

Rebekah looks at a few Christian songs that have had “offensive” lyrics removed. She encourages us to make sure that we sing the whole gospel.

This is an encouraging and transparent reminder that the Lord is with you, no matter your situation. “Fear is an expert at making me believe I’m in the farthest seat from God. How could He see me and my problems in the flood of others—many, I’m sure, far more important than mine?”

“She spent Christmas in our small town hospital, a full week of therapies, breathing treatments, medications, coughing, and pain. She’s 89 years old. Being with her is like dipping a toe into the rivers of Heaven–she speaks almost exclusively about Jesus and her eternal home.”

Jonathan offers a bit of a mea culpa here, then celebrates the distinctions between pastors and professors. “Pastoring and being a seminary professor are two different things. This is not to say that pastors can’t be seminary professors and seminary professors can’t be pastors: in many cases they effectively fill both roles. But both vocations require a distinct set of skills, and thus a distinct course of training.”

John Piper answers an interesting question here: Was Jesus in some way confused by what was happening on the cross?

God’s love for his people is so great that he will continue to tolerate all of this sin and rebellion, all of this hatred toward him, until the last of his chosen and beloved children has been born, has heard the gospel, and has been saved.

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

Blessings to you on this fine day!

(Yesterday on the blog: Idolatry is Futility)
What Are the Charismatic Gifts?
This is a respectful and charitable (yet also distinctly cessationist) perspective on the charismatic gifts.
Why Do Christians Make Such a Big Deal about Sex?
“Whenever people ask me why Christians are so weird about sex, I first point out that we’re weirder than they think.” Rebecca McLaughlin explains.
The Bitter Splinters of Marburg
Michael Haykin: “When we think of the issues debated during the German Reformation, we think of matters such as justification and the authority of the Scriptures. But as contentious as these primary issues were, the nature of the Lord’s Supper was also heavily debated. Is Christ present at the Table? And if so, how? That’s what Luther and Zwingli came to debate.”
People Pleasing is a Shapeshifter
“Several years ago, it dawned on me that I was no longer obsessed with other people’s approval. I had grown strong enough in my identity as an image-bearer of God that I no longer craved constant affirmation. Of course, it was still nice when I got it, but I didn’t need it to validate my worth. I had attained the unattainable: I was no longer a People Pleaser. It felt freeing. I must be a pretty mature Christian. To God be the glory and all that good stuff.” However…
What Job Titles Should Churches Use? Two Simple Rules
Jonathan Leeman: “In case you missed it, the Southern Baptist Convention got into a bit of a tussle at this year’s annual meeting over the definition of the word ‘pastor.’ What provoked the tussle was the fact that in recent years Saddleback Community Church, a SBC church, installed several women as pastors. This seems to contradict the SBC’s statement of faith, The Baptist Faith & Message 2000.”
A Savior Who Knows What It Is to Weep
Colin Smith wants to assure you that “God is always intimately involved in the grief of His people.”
Flashback: It’s All About the Conscience
Our task as spiritual physicians is to treat bad consciences, continually delivering the healing balm of the living word of God and his life-giving sacraments.

I have given God countless reasons not to love me. None of them have been strong enough to change Him. —Paul Washer