I trust you’re enjoying your Labor Day (that’s “Labour Day” in Canada) if that’s a holiday where you happen to be.

If you have a ONE Audiobooks account, you can get their free audiobook of the month, the William Gurnall classic The Christian in Complete Armor.
Logos users will want to take a look at the September Super sale which has some great resources on sale along with this month’s selection of free and nearly-free books. There are also some Zondervan collections and resources discounted at the moment.
(Yesterday on the blog: Hang One by the Tongue and the Other by the Ear)
9 Things You Should Know About the Prosperity Gospel
Joe Carter lists 9 things you ought to know about the prosperity gospel.
Give Your Secrets Away
“God has uniquely wired every human on the planet. No two people are alike. Everyone has something about them no one else has or could ever imitate exactly. It’s a great joy to discover that gift in yourself.”
To Know Jesus Is To Love Jesus
“We sometimes make the mistake of thinking we must choose between knowledge and passion; but in fact the two feed each other, especially in relation to Jesus. The more we learn about Jesus, the more we will love and trust him; on the other hand, it is impossible to genuinely love or truly trust someone you don’t even know.”
‘Just Not Feeling It’: How Routine Awakens Devotion
This article discusses the importance of routine (or habits or disciplines or…) in the Christian life.
Died: ‘Jesus Calling’ Devotional Author Sarah Young
Sarah Young, author of Jesus Calling, died last week. Christianity Today writes about her life, her books, and some of the controversy those books ignited (for very good reason). The article is behind a paywall but it should still be possible to access it, especially if you have a free account with CT.
Serve in Children’s Ministry. It’s Bigger Than You Think.
Russ Ramsey wants to remind you of the joy and importance of serving the children of your church.
Flashback: Tips for Young (and Maybe Not-So-Young) Bloggers
…even as you grow in knowledge and begin to share that knowledge with others, be certain that you put the higher priority on humility. The Christian world has greater need of examples of humble young people than know-it-all young people.

God is God. Because he is God, He is worthy of my trust and obedience. I will find rest nowhere but in His holy will that is unspeakably beyond my largest notions of what he is up to. —Elisabeth Elliot

This week the blog is sponsored by P&R Publishing.

You may have a burden for the lost and a desire to learn to defend your faith but can’t see yourself becoming a philosopher or scientist to do so. I have good news. You don’t have to!

Being a good evangelist or apologist does not require you to obtain an academic degree or read obscure texts. Jesus never commanded his disciples to go to Athens to learn at the feet of philosophers in order to reach the world. While knowing a little about philosophy, science, and other fields of study may help, extensive knowledge in these areas is not necessary. Ordinary Christians can become skilled and effective evangelists. 

Whatever your background, you can learn to defend the faith, share the gospel, shake the unbelief of non-Christians, present the Christian worldview, and lead people to saving faith in Jesus Christ.

“Marvelously clear, practical, and emboldening. Excellent guidance for anyone who seeks to be more faithful and effective in gospel advance.” —Fred G. Zaspel

Being a good evangelist or apologist does not require you to obtain an academic degree or read obscure texts.Share

That is what this book is all about: equipping you with the confidence and skills you need to fulfill the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19–20), give an answer to those who question you (1 Peter 3:15–16), and declare the mystery of Christ (Col. 4:3–4). If you simply want to reach your unbelieving neighbors, friends, coworkers, family members, and classmates, this book is for you!

Use coupon code EBC25 at checkout.

Buy Every Believer Confident (50% OFF) from P&R. 

The first day of a new month is an ideal time to ponder this: Right now, at this very moment, God is reigning from his throne. All will be well.
A new month brings a whole new batch of Kindle deals. I’ve added some already and should have a more complete list by 6:30 AM EST or so.
(Yesterday on the blog: What a New Day and New Month Will Bring)

Megan Basham’s new book intends to show that many Evangelical leaders have sold out to a leftist agenda. Samuel James offers this thorough review which accounts for the book’s strengths and weaknesses. “Somewhere in the process of development, this book had something that would have been genuinely persuasive and effective. There’s a version of it that would have focused on evangelical consequences rather than evangelical motivations, and would have provided a perch for truth-conscious Christians, regardless of what presidential candidate they like, to reflect on lessons learned in a truly incredible decade.”

This is a helpful call to cultivate Christlike compassion on social media. “It isn’t just my reputation on the line; I am a representative of something bigger than myself. The Lord has used this concept to point me toward an even greater reality: whenever I am on social media, regardless of what account I am logged into, I am a representative of Christ.”

In this case, Dave stands in for that person you know who is struggling to read the Bible regularly. “Few of us have it fully sorted, and so we don’t feel qualified to tell others what they should be doing. I certainly don’t feel like I can speak from anything other than the wisdom that comes from regular failure. But failure is a good teacher, even if I’m not a good student, so here are five tips I might give to Dave.”

Timothy Paul Jones explains how we can have confidence in the authorship of the gospels. This matters because it is a routine point of attack for skeptics.

Casey McCall: “Truth and righteousness become elastic concepts that bend at the discretion of whoever stands behind the podium. When it comes to doing what’s right, it’s damned, if you do it; justified endlessly, if we do it. When it comes to truth-telling, the rules change based on who’s doing the talking. This all occurs within a financially lucrative media ecosystem that has mastered the art of keeping everyone perpetually outraged by focusing our attention on what’s wrong with them.”

Small is often underrated. That’s true of churches, pastorates, disciplines, and much else.

When we are heavily burdened we are to take one specific action: cast. We are to throw or hurl or toss our burdens upon the Lord. We are to bring them to his attention and to plead with him for his help. And so we close our eyes and pray or we lift our eyes and cry out for his help, his assistance, his deliverance.

Some men pray to be made holy, but they wish to keep some little pet sin in the backyard.
—C.H. Spurgeon