“Patience … . Remember we are not the Holy Spirit … . Trust the Spirit and pour over Scripture … Some truths are ‘first of all;’ in other words they’re primary truths” - Ligonier

What Kind of Facility Does a Church Really Need?

When a church needs a more permanent place to meet, one of the first questions considered is what sort of facility will be necessary to meet the needs of the church. On one side, that seems almost in the category of “first world problems.” Well-taught Christians understand that churches are a group of people that assemble together, not a building. Most of us have read or heard about churches that meet in countries that are hostile to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In my own church, we have an old, cold-war era picture of a group of people meeting in deep snow, outside in Siberia in the Winter.

Trevin Wax writing for TGC shared the findings of a study on ‘Progressive’ and ‘Conservative’ Christians.

But the bigger, underreported story is that conservative Christians are not uniquely prone to such errors, and in fact, “progressive” Christians outpace their conservative counterparts in succumbing to politicization.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevin-wax/research-progressive-conservative-christians/

“Is a Texas man entitled to have his pastor lay hands on him at the time of execution?” - CToday

Related: Podcast: Supreme Court Weighs Death Row Prayer Wish

“Dr. George Barna, who authored the survey, noted that many millennials have failed to find purpose in life because they hold self-centered worldviews. ‘Millennials have largely bought into worldviews that teach “life is about me” ’” - C.Headlines

“Rather than trusting in what Christ has said through his Word, people trust in whatever the personality says. The church’s faith is now in a perilous position, as it has been detached from Christ.” - TGC

“Guinness sets out to show ‘a healthy understanding of doubt should go hand in hand with a healthy understanding of faith.’ He is very careful not to encourage doubt but goes out of his way to show that wrestling with doubt is not wrong because it is not the same as unbelief.” - Brad Paulsey

Tim Chaffey: “By eliminating our true history, evolutionists are left with a false view of humanity. Thus, they explain the so-called racial differences through the lens of a fundamentally racist philosophy.” - C.Leaders

“While assuring her followers that she is a Christian and is opposed to radical Islam, Greene went on to praise NOI’s current leader, Louis Farrakhan, for calling vaccine mandates a ‘declaration of war,’ and urged all groups that support religious liberty, “across the aisle,” to come together to resist them.” - RNS

For the third October in a row, it was my privilege to attend the Shepherds 360 Church Leaders Conference in Cary, N.C., and to help oversee an exhibit there for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry.

I had heard of this conference previously, but I was specifically encouraged to attend by Dr. Tim Sigler, who had become the new provost and dean at Shepherds Theological Seminary. He and I were once fellow students at Faith Baptist Theological Seminary. STS is housed in The Shepherd’s Church, and the school has hosted the conference each year since 2014.

“In a letter … the ERLC’s acting president, told Biden including leaders of faith communities on federal advisory bodies would help guarantee that religious liberty and freedom of expression are priorities in such issues as artificial intelligence” - BPNews

“A half dozen state conventions have proactively commissioned audits of their own abuse protocol as the national Executive Committee undergoes an investigation.” - C.Today

Also…

“Our knowledge of the eternal state, however, is much less extensive. Most of it is confined to the last two chapters of the Bible, Revelation 21-22. The environment portrayed there seems to have two outstanding characteristics” - Olinger

“One of the most emotionally moving experiences of my life was touring Omaha Beach and other locations related to the Normandy landings during World War II.” - BPNews

Related…

“The goal of this video is not prove that sola Scriptura is right. The goal is simply historical accuracy. What Augustine believed is interesting and relevant, but it’s not decisive for sola Scriptura.” - Justin Taylor/Gavin Ortlund

“A few weeks ago, the billionaire founder of Facebook announced the company’s new venture, “Meta.” The idea is to create a world of simulations in which people can, broadly, live their lives.” - Breakpoint

By Karin Brown

One Leper’s Return

One day as Jesus was heading to Jerusalem, He was met at the edge of a village by ten lepers who were keeping their distance, as the Law of Moses required. Knowing Jesus’ reputation as a healer, they cried out to him to have compassion on their suffering.

No one in Jewish history had ever been healed of leprosy. The rabbis concluded that such a healing would surely be a sign of the Messiah. Strangely, Jesus told the ten men to go and show themselves to the priests, something you were to do when you were already healed, as you can read in Leviticus 14.

“In this modern era, this is all the more reason to stop ourselves, be ‘slow to speak’ and ‘slow to anger,’ and perhaps go to a trusted friend and ask, “Should I send this email/post this blog? How would you recommend I change it?’” - Alcorn

“If you have a problem with drinking, you should read this book. It might give you some practical hope. If you drink, but don’t think you have a problem, you should read this book. Perhaps it might show you the wisdom of Proverbs: (Pr 20:1)” - Don Johnson

“Work isn’t something to worship; it is one way we can worship our Creator. It’s a way we give to the world, not just take from it” - Breakpoint

“Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed Senate Bill 1169 into law Monday to clarify that the state’s Health Care Right of Conscience Act can’t be used to challenge coronavirus vaccination requirements…” - CPost

“There are significant arguments, as we would expect, over the path we follow to get there…but the main truths of how it ends are pretty clear. And thus it’s equally clear how we should live now in light of where we’re headed.” - Olinger

“Everyone is different. But for me, if clutter exists, then focus absolutely doesn’t. Check out my 8 warning signs below. They indicate when clutter is becoming a problem in my life. See which symptoms apply to you too” - C.Leaders

Michael Bird: We need to save Scripture from the American culture wars, their tribalism, borderline bibliolatry, their gatekeepers of power and patronage, weird shibboleths, and myopic fixations.

“A new book reenvisions temperance as a global struggle on behalf of the oppressed and exploited.” - CToday

“The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has urged the State Department to add India, Russia, Syria and Vietnam to its list of countries designated as the worst religious freedom violators.” - CPost

“Salvation, however, is not just a one-way bus ticket to heaven, or the earth a bus stop where it doesn’t really matter what we do while we wait for the bus.” - IFWE

“In our increasingly polarized nation, when many elected officials and their strategists believe they need to listen only to those who already agree with them, we must carry our neighbors’ burdens into politics with our own. We must ensure those we disagree with are heard as well.” - CToday

“To say that God is supreme means that God is superior to everyone and everything else. God has no rivals. He is unique.” - Andy Naselli

“…what about their argument that there’s a mistranslation in Exodus 21? AiG’s Tim Chaffey, the content manager for our attractions, thoroughly debunks that claim:” - AiG