I am once again wanting to express my gratitude to BJU Seminary for sponsoring the blog this week to let you know about their biblical counseling programs.

Today’s Kindle deals include a couple of good titles.
(Yesterday on the blog: Rediscovering Christian Wisdom in an Online Age)
Pastors All the Way Down?
Rhys Laverty has written a fascinating post about what the church (and in his context he is referring primarily to the UK church) may lose if we do not find a way to better support and enable Christian intellectuals.
Misreading Scripture Cross-culturally
There are some interesting reflections here on reading the Bible cross-culturally.
Sovereignty and Evangelism
Bryan Schneider has a useful reminder that God is sovereign in evangelism. And that makes our task much more straightforward.
God Takes Our Stinginess or Generosity Personally
“Any lifestyle that doesn’t align with God’s priorities and won’t hold up after death is not a good one—no matter how glamorous or appealing or sensible it seems at the time.”
Jean Twenge’s ‘Generations’: Four Takeaways for Youth Ministers
Pastors and others involved in ministering to young people may appreciate these takeaways from an important new book.
Bruised But Not Broken
This one is about getting back on your feet after failure.
Flashback: Responding Wisely to Domestic Abuse in Your Church
When Home Hurts is exactly the book I had hoped it would be when I picked it up. It is a book that will do what it promises—help well-meaning but inadequately-trained Christians to respond well to very difficult situations.

It is a sin to be indifferent to the grief of a person who is before us. It is both human and Christian to come alongside those who weep and to mourn with them. —Guy Prentiss Waters

This week Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by BJU Seminary. They are giving away their book series “Biblical Discernment for Difficult Issues,” authored by their faculty. BJU Seminary equips Christian leaders through an educational and ministry experience that is biblically shaped, theologically rich, historically significant, and evangelistically robust.

The Glory Due His Name: What God Says About Worship by Gary Reimers
Gary Reimers provides a theology of public worship in The Glory Due His Name. Traditional, contemporary, or blended? Worship philosophy may be the most divisive issue in church leadership today. Many churches simply offer multiple styles. But does worship style also matter to God? Reimers shows what God says about worship. He discusses music and preaching in worship, God’s response to deviant worship, and the characteristics of right and wrong worship. Essential for pastors, worship leaders, and music directors.

The Law and the Christian: God’s Light Within God’s Limits by Ken Casillas
Ken Casillas explores whether Christians are under the law in The Law and the Christian. Reformed theology and theonomy emphasize intertestamental continuity and subjection to the law, but dispensationalism and Lutheranism emphasize discontinuity and freedom. Casillas says Christians are both under and not under the law. He covers differences between Israel and the church, purposes of the law, and non-legalistic ways to apply Old Testament commands. His balanced exposition and interaction with secondary sources will enrich both professional and personal study. This book is essential for expositors.
Upright Downtime: Making Wise Choices About Entertainment by Brian Hand
Brian Hand provides wise counsel for entertainment choices in Upright Downtime. From sports to movies to hobbies, Americans must evaluate multiple entertainment options. Libertines insist that all entertainment is neutral or good; ascetics insist that most, if not all, is evil. Hand provides a balanced biblical theology of entertainment. He shows entertainment’s dangers, its purposes, and its place in a biblical theology of humanity. He also measures his criteria by a reading of Ecclesiastes and evaluates television as a test case. Essential for parents and educators.

Handling Earthly Treasure: Biblical Certainties about Money by Alan Patterson
In Handling Earthly Treasure, Alan Patterson presents a biblical view of finances. The familiar warning “The love of money is the root of all evil” is often repeated as Scripture’s definitive word about finances; but God has much more to say about money—its purpose, its pitfalls, and its proper use. Patterson shares biblical truth on issues such as giving, owning property, borrowing and lending, financial planning, profiting from a business, and responding to poverty. In a world consumed with personal gain and faced with significant economic challenges, this book serves as a timeless resource for believers—a Bible-based guide to making wise decisions about money.
Enter Here

There are books you may be drawn to, but probably do not actually need to read. (Seriously, at some point you need to stop reading books about methods of prayer and just pray!) Then there are other books you may not be particularly drawn to but probably ought to read. Among these are books on technology, and especially the new digital technologies that have come to dominate our lives. I’d wager that your phone is in your hand at least several hours every day; I’d wager that you are on social media at least every few hours, often without even thinking about it; I’d wager that you communicate with others through your devices on a near-constant basis. Would it not be important to do some reading about these technologies, about how they are functioning in society and the church, and about how they may be quietly transforming you? What else could form such an important part of our lives yet receive so little attention?

Samuel James’ Digital Liturgies is meant to help you think about these technologies and the social internet they enable. For these are not harmless or inconsequential tools. Neither can they be exactly compared to any tools that we have previously experienced in human history, for they alone provide a “disembodied electronic environment that we enter through connected devices for the purpose of accessing information, relationships, and media that are not available to us in a physical format.” Our use of these technologies and our increasing immersion in them essentially brings us into a whole new kind of world in which we leave aside so much of what makes us who we are.
“Rather than being a neutral tool, the internet (particularly the social internet) is an epistemological environment—a spiritual and intellectual habitat—that creates in its members particular ways of thinking, feeling, and believing. It’s true in one sense that the web is a tool that responds to its users’ desires. But the web is not a tool in the way that a screwdriver or wrench is a tool. The web speaks to us. We talk to the web, and the web talks back, and this dialogue constitutes an ever-growing aspect of life in the digital age.”
What James means to show is that these new technologies teach a kind of liturgy, a series of practices, habits, beliefs, and desires that form us and shape us in particular ways. Just as Christians maintain a vision of the life they want to lead before the Lord and institute practices meant to foster it, these technologies hold out a vision of the good life and then promote practices that will further it. His burden is to identify and evaluate these liturgies to see where they may be opposed to the Christian faith and the Christian life. This is not a book that is anti-technology or promoting the way of the Luddite, but a book that takes seriously our responsibility to live with deliberateness, with care, and with a kind of biblically-inspired prudence.
In the first three chapters, James does some foundation-building by focusing on the Bible’s demand that we live with wisdom. He means to convince us that Christians are called to a way of life that is transcendent but also intensely practical. We are to live according to a liturgy that far surpasses anything the world can offer—a liturgy that the social internet and digital technologies can never come close to matching (but will do their utmost to displace).
The heart of the book is comprised of five chapters that each address a different digital liturgy. Here James means to help us understand both the content our technologies are preaching to us and the ideologies they are fostering within us. “The question is not, Is this technology shaping me right now? The question is, How is this technology shaping me right now?” And so he writes at some length about authenticity, outrage, shame, consumption, and meaninglessness—each of them a readily identifiable aspect of life online. He relies on a wide variety of Christian and nonChristian sources to prove and bolster his arguments. Each of them is concerning and compelling. 
In the end, he really means to convince Christians that God calls us to live according to divine wisdom and that the internet is an epistemological and moral context that makes such wisdom look like foolishness. If we are to thrive as Christians who take advantage of these technologies instead of eschewing them altogether, we will need to know how they are leading us to adopt and practice liturgies that are directly opposed to a Christian life of godliness, wisdom, and significance. Though I have studied these issues deeply in the past, I still benefited a lot from James’ insights and am grateful I read them. I’d highly encourage you to do the same.
Buy from Amazon

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you on this fine day.

Westminster Books has a deal on a new devotional book by Paul Tautges.
The Sons of God and the Daughters of Man
Mitchell Chase has just wrapped up a really interesting series of articles on “the sons of God and the daughters of man.” He looks at the various interpretive options, tells which he prefers, and defends his view.
Online ‘Prophets’ Are More like Jonah than Jeremiah
“It’s never been easier to step into the role of a would-be prophet, to stand in the long line of men and women over the ages called to ‘speak truth to power.’ Social media has amplified the ability to speak out on any number of issues—to expose the hidden corners of injustice, to rail against the abuses of the strong against the weak, and to point out the flaws in institutions and the people who lead them.”
Hospitality
“One of the lost and dying arts in the church these days is the practice of exercising hospitality.” That much is clear. But what can and should we do about it?
Life After Death
“While I can’t say this with 100% certainty, my guess is, we’ve all experienced an event now considered ‘before.’ These events can be positive or negative, maybe even neutral, but they’re a way we mark time…a way to say ‘before’ life was one way and ‘after’ it is another.” Malinda considers such events.
Contributing Factors of a Crushed Spirit
“Over my years as a biblical counselor and pastor, the book of Proverbs has been a go-to on many occasions. The pointed doses of wisdom speak to many of the dynamics and nuances that a strictly moral view misses. The perfect wisdom of God, as seen in the book of Proverbs, very much has in mind the immense complexities of life and of humanity.”
German Homeschoolers Face Deportation After 15 Years in the US
“A Christian family who fled Germany to be able to homeschool their seven children say they now face deportation, 15 years after arriving in the United States and fighting for asylum.” CT reports on a troubling situation.
Flashback: Set An Example: Don’t Surrender To Low Expectations
God calls you to be an example. Your youth is no excuse for ungodliness or spiritual immaturity.

For His people, Christ brings an end not to the experience of death but to the fear of death. —Guy Prentiss Waters

The God of love and peace be with you today.

(Yesterday on the blog: Never Be Discouraged and Never Be a Discourager)
Five Blessings of Marking Up Your Bible
Of course, there’s no rule saying you must mark up your Bible. But if you do, perhaps you’ll experience these blessings.
Creators, Consumers, and Christ: 10 Social Media Resolutions
Aaron Lee: “Whether creating or consuming, Christians can use social media as a tool to steward and leverage well for the glory of God and the good of others. To encourage Christians and especially youth on social media, here are some very practical tips and strategies…”
2 Common Pitfalls to Avoid When Evangelizing Muslims
A. S. Ibrahim is such a helpful guide when it comes to sharing the gospel with Muslims. “We are called to bring the gospel of hope to our Muslim neighbors, but there are some mistakes that Christians can make—intentionally or unintentionally—that we should avoid.”
“What if I feel abandoned by God?” (Video)
Sinclair Ferguson answers the question theologically and pastorally.
5 Things at the Heart of a Pastoral Visit
Pastoral visitation is such a blessing to pastor and parishioner alike. Andrew Roycroft offers a few principles that may help those who are receiving a visit. “Not everyone who is engaged in pastoral visitation is an ordained Pastor,” he clarifies, “and so this post shares more widely about those men and women gifted for and engaged in caring for God’s people (as well as those in full time Pastoral ministry).”
Cultural Contamination and Scripture’s Emphases
“Among the many forces that shape contemporary missions, fear of cultural contamination looms large. Missionaries, and Western missionaries in particular, often feel and express a deep aversion to passing on aspects of their own culture to those that they reach through their ministry.” This is a helpful reflection on the matter.
Flashback: Our Understanding of Earth and Our Assumptions of Heaven
Are we certain that the one who leads the church in worship is really far ahead of the one who prepares the church by shoveling its sidewalks and setting up its chairs? That the one who labors in the pulpit is doing more important work than the one who labors in her prayer closet?

Let every Christian assert his high birth by his high bearing. —Theodore Cuyler

“I offer two pieces of wisdom,” he told me, “two commitments you can make: Never be discouraged and never be a discourager.” I have thought deeply about this counsel and have decided it is good—mostly good.

I say “mostly good” because there are times when we cannot help but be discouraged, times when we are deflated and demoralized, when we lose confidence or enthusiasm. After all, this world is messy and this life is difficult. We have friends that hurt us, bodies that fail us, minds that betray us. We wage war against fierce and persistent enemies and endure the toughest of circumstances. So there are times when discouragement is unavoidable and neither sinful nor wrong.
Similarly, there are times when we cannot help but be discouragers, times when we need to take the wind out of another person’s sails by speaking firmly or warning soberly. We may have to deliver difficult news or announce just consequences. There are times when, for a higher purpose, it falls to us to express disapproval and, in that way, cause someone else to become downcast or dispirited. So too, there are times when being a discourager is unavoidable and neither sinful nor wrong.
Yet it seems to me that being discouraged is far more often a choice we make as we respond to the vicissitudes of life and being a discourager is far more often a choice we make as we act sinfully instead of purely. Far more often both are more of a decision than an absolute necessity and more a matter of sinfulness than holiness.
We often prove a discouragement to others when we make ourselves a source of negative news rather than positive encouragement or when we spread information that is outright false or perhaps merely unnecessary. Sometimes in our interactions with others we focus on what is false, vile, and base rather than what is true, lovely, and worthy of praise. And then we can permit bad character to flourish rather than the fruit of the Spirit and evil words to leave our lips rather than those that build up. Then our sinfulness overflows from our hearts and manifests itself in words and deeds that hurt or hinder those we are called to love. In all of these ways, discouragement is a choice we make. It would do us good to determine, “Never be a discourager.”
We often grow discouraged when we allow sin to put down deep roots in our hearts rather than committing ourselves to proving good soil for the work of the Spirit. We often grow discouraged when we interpret God through our negative circumstances rather than interpreting our difficult circumstances in light of our glorious God. We often grow discouraged when we fail to remember that God is working all things for good and when we fail to meditate on the fact that this light, momentary affliction is preparing us for a glory far beyond our ability to comprehend. We often experience discouragement when we simply fail to be encouraged by the truths of God, the love of God, and the promises of God. It would do us good to determine, “Never be discouraged.”
“Never be discouraged and never be a discourager,” he told me. And I find myself agreeing with his counsel and, so far as it depends upon me, committing myself to it.

May the Lord be with you and bless you today.

Westminster Books is offering a deal on a new book by Paul Tripp—a book meant to help you embrace your Sundays.
And yes, there are more great Kindle deals today.
Robbers of Assurance? In Defense of the Puritans
Mark Jones pushes back against those who accuse the Puritans of robbing people of assurance. “To make a sweeping claim that basically amounts to warning people that the Puritans are dangerous to the soul (e.g., they rob one of assurance) reveals a stunning ignorance of their theology.”
3 Times You Should Disobey Authority
Jonathan Leeman: “What are the limits to our moral obligation to submit when someone possesses an ostensibly legitimate authority over us, like a parent over a child? Certainly there are limits. Remember, no human authority is absolute. Authority is always relative to the assignment given by the Authority Giver.”
If Sin’s Penalty Is Eternal, Why Isn’t Jesus Still Suffering?
“If the consequences of our sin against a holy God require eternal judgment, why did Christ suffer for no more than 33 years? Shouldn’t his sufferings also be eternal, if that’s what we deserve?” That leads to an interesting answer from John Piper.
Sounding an Alarm on Social Media Evangelism
Emmy Lopez sounds a warning against too freely using social media for evangelistic purposes. After all, no technology is entirely without negative consequences.
When Political Power Is Lost
“The funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 will be seen as the last great public acknowledgment in the West of a transcendence that limits temporal power. In our secular age, religion is reduced to a privatized experience. The public square declares, ‘No heaven above us and no hell below.’ The Queen’s funeral, replete with the language of temporal power being given by God, threw down a challenge to the rulers of this age: there is a God in heaven.”
My Favorite Pastors
“I can listen to a thousand good sermons, but a sermon can’t keep watch over my soul. A podcast can’t shepherd. Not really. I can be helped, but nothing beats the actual commitment of local pastors in the local church.” I have linked to articles like this many times over the years, but I think it is always a helpful reminder.
Flashback: Thank You, God, That I Am Not Like Other Men
Comparison is the enemy of joy. Though we so readily compare ourselves with others, we discover that this fosters a deep unhappiness. What promises joy actually delivers misery.

It is said that the young must be allowed to sow their “wild oats.” I have noticed that those who sow their wild oats seldom try to raise any other kind of crop. —De Witt Talmage

Good morning from Portugal, the final stop in this Worship Round the World journey. I am here for just a few days before heading home at last. (Thankfully, Aileen has been able to join me.)

There is another good little list of Kindle deals today.
(Yesterday on the blog: When You Long to Know the “Why” Behind Your Sorrow)
What Smaller Churches Get Wrong When They Look at Bigger Churches
This is good—a list of things smaller churches can get wrong as they look at larger churches.
Ponytails, Buns, & The Blessing of Small Mercies
“Grief finds its way into even the smallest cracks. Having suffered through bangs and large rim glasses of the 90s, my late wife longed to protect our girls from the world of bowl haircuts. Always possessing an eye for artistic design, April delighted in doing the girls up like Elsa or Belle and in sending them off to school with some new braid that she had picked up from a You Tube tutorial. One needed to only look at my girls’ hair to know that they had a mom that loved them.”
Calvin’s Take on Venerating Relics
Many Protestants are surprised to learn that many Roman Catholics continue to venerate relics. Leonardo De Chirico explains here and tells what Calvin thought of the practice (though I expect you can guess).
What is Natural Law?
You have probably heard the terms “natural law” and “natural theology?” What are they all about? This article explains.
Is God More Wrathful in the Old Testament?
Is God more wrathful in the Old Testament than in the New? If you think that, you probably haven’t read your Bible very carefully.
Never Enough
“Jesus wasn’t joking when he said, ‘Sufficient for the day is its own trouble’ (Matt. 6:34). God’s promises are real and true and trustworthy. Believers stake their lives on them, but they can be hard to remember when the sapping drudgery of each wink of the clock streaks through our consciousness never to be recovered. Believers invest in a future that hovers just beyond our grasp, told over and over that contentment comes from accepting God’s graceful provision for today. But achieving that contentment is hard.”
Flashback: Learning to Be Rich
The temptation to rely on our wealth instead of on God is very real. The God-given response is for you and me: To do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share.

We are not called to be like the world, and the world does not need us to be like the world. We have something better to say because we have someone better to follow. —Alistair Begg

Today’s post is sponsored by BJU Seminary and written by Stuart Scott, professor of biblical counseling and ACBC Fellow. BJU Seminary equips Christian leaders through an educational and ministry experience that is biblically shaped, theologically rich, historically significant, and evangelistically robust.

God cares how we treat people because He Himself is gracious and kind to all. But in our individualistic society, the doctrine of “loving your neighbor as yourself” is not commonly put into practice. We often neglect others, especially a particular group of people in great need: widows.
God expresses concern for widows, divorced parents, and single parents and instructs His people to care for them throughout the Bible. For example, in the Old Testament: “you shall not mistreat any widow” (Exod. 22:22); “cursed be anyone who perverts the justice due to the … widow” (Deut. 27:19); “plead the widow’s cause” (Isa. 1:17). In fact, widows were so frequently subject to abuse in the Old Testament that the Book of Job uses their exploitation to exemplify human iniquity.
In the New Testament, Jesus Himself dealt with the topic of widows throughout the Gospels, and He even saw that His mother, probably a widow, was taken care of as He hung from the cross. Then one of the first issues the church faced was the neglect of widows’ needs (Acts 6). And the most thorough passage on the church’s care for widows, 1 Timothy 5:1–16, goes so far as to give specific instructions for specific types of widows. 
At the end of the day, caring for widows is mandatory for the church and entails several areas of practical application.

To be able to care for widows, we first have to know who they are. We should look within our families, churches, and even neighborhoods to identify who needs help, how we can help, and how we can pray for them.
We also need to give widows hope by bringing God’s Word into their lives. Reminding them of how He provided for Noami, Ruth, and others can be helpful at the appropriate times.
Similarly, we should give words of love and encouragement to widows. There are various opportunities, like in passing at a church or family function, or through a note or a phone conversation. These are necessary forms of ministry when spoken at the appropriate times.
Deeds of love are also crucial when caring for widows. We can pray for them. Run errands for or with them. Visit them (not just a 10-minute drop-in). Invite them to our homes and gatherings. Support those who have special needs. “Adopt” them. Find their practical needs, like repairs. Listen to their concerns and fears. The goal is to look after them, not just give them passing glances.
We should help widows specifically with their finances. Churches are not welfare agencies, but most have a benevolent fund and other resources that can be allocated to practical care for their members. We must investigate their true needs, examine whatever options are available, and seek to meet those needs (1 Tim. 5:3–16).
Planning ahead (pronoeo, 1 Tim. 5:8) is often overlooked for grandparents and parents. Have we considered where they would live? Would our homes accommodate them? Could we support them if they can’t live with us? And we can’t forget to plan for spouses, too. Taking out a term life insurance policy or a policy for the family is wise in case the unexpected happens. 

Caring for widows is a rewarding ministry. When we treat widows, widowers, the unmarried, and singles with the loving care God shows us, we meet their needs, help the church, and, most importantly, please the Lord Jesus (1 Tim. 5:4).

For a fuller treatment of 1 Timothy 5:1–16, listen to Stuart Scott’s chapel message here.

We have a natural longing to know why. It is the question a child first asks her parents. It is the question an inquisitive toddler asks at every turn. It is the question that has spurred a world of exploration, invention, and innovation. Why?

It is no surprise, then, that when we encounter troubles, when we experience tragedies, and when we find ourselves in situations that grieve us, we ask why. When the pain comes upon us and cannot be dulled, when the illness takes over our bodies and cannot be cured, when sorrow settles deep within us and cannot be comforted, we want to know the reasons. It is not hard to see what has happened—the evidence is stamped upon our bodies, imprinted upon our souls, and etched upon our minds. But it’s very hard to see why it has happened. Why would God allow this unremitting pain? Why would God permit this distressing sickness? Why would God take that person I love? If God cares and God loves and if God ordains and God controls, why would this be his will? How could this ever make sense?
Yet the answers are rarely forthcoming. We may know the general answers—“all things work for good” and “for my name’s sake” and find some comfort in them. But when we scour the Scriptures and devote ourselves to prayer in search of the particulars—or even go further and appeal to prophecies, coincidences, or inner feelings—we are met with silence or uncertainty.
I offer four responses to those who long to know the why to their sorrow or their suffering, their time of illness or of loss.
The first is to trust God with it. You have been graciously saved by faith—faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ. Yet faith is not a one-time reality—“express it and forget it.” You need faith for all of life. This faith calls you to not merely entrust your soul to God, but also your life, your times, your health, your loved ones, and everything else. “God, I have trusted you for salvation,” you may pray, “and now I trust you with my suffering.” If you can confidently place your soul in his hands, so too your health, your safety, your children, and all you count dear. And even if he chooses not to answer your why questions, you can know that he is eminently trustworthy and that he must have very good reasons and a very good plan.
The second is to consider what answer would actually satisfy you. You may think you want to know why, but it is worth asking if you actually do. What answer would satisfy you? And do you have a mind capable of grasping it? Because the answer may reach deep into the past and extend far into the future. God may be up to things that require knowledge far beyond your ability and capacity far beyond that of your limited, little, sin-tainted mind. And then even if you could understand, are you confident that you would judge it worth it? That you would hear God’s explanation and receive it with joy? Consider if you actually want to receive an answer and if any answer would satisfy you.
The third is to steer your mind away from what God has not revealed and to steer it instead toward what he has. Instead of searching for the reasons for your tragedy, look to the character of God—all the things he has revealed about himself. Where your temptation may be to interpret God through what you know about your tragedy, it is infinitely more important to interpret your tragedy through what you know about God. So as you endure your time of suffering, bring to mind the glorious reality of who God is and what God has done. Then consider your circumstances in light of those truths.
The fourth is to turn your focus from “what God did” to “how God is using it”—and then be careful not to conflate the two. You do not need to know God’s reasons in order to praise him for the results. Yet you need to be careful that you do not assume the results are the reasons. Is the reason Jim Elliot died so that Elisabeth could have the ministry she did? Maybe. We can’t know because God doesn’t tell us. What is one of the ways God used Jim Elliot’s death? By raising up Elisabeth and allowing her to have a long and powerful ministry. These are two very different ways of looking at the issue and you are on much firmer ground when you focus on the second. In your own life, as you set aside “why did God do this?” you free yourself to ask, “How many God wish for me to use this in a way that brings him glory and shows love to my neighbor?” You can begin to ask questions like these: How has God proven his character in this? In what ways has he been true to his promises? How have I grown in faith and love through it? How have I seen others become more like Christ? How has this hardship loosened my love for the things of this earth and lifted my eyes to heaven? You can rejoice in how God is using your sorrow and suffering even though you do not know the reasons.
Times of suffering are a tragic reality on this side of heaven. And as you endure them, I plead with you not to cheapen your tragedies by being too quick to assume you know God’s purposes in them. Rather, entrust them to the One who has proven worthy of your trust, your confidence, and your deepest devotion. Entrust it to him, look to him with faith, rejoice in every evidence of how he is using it for good, and wait for the day when he will make it all clear.