“Most people today understand evil as anything that harms others…. Evil is the fundamental and troubling departure from goodness. The Bible uses the word evil to describe that which violates God’s moral will.” - Randy Alcorn

“in the three presidential election cycles since 2012, when Gallup first measured presidential qualities this way, the candidate with the higher honest/trustworthy score has won.” - Gallup

When I began my ministry with The Friends of Israel in 2019, I started with one verse emblazoned on my mind: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). I saw FOI as a wonderful outlet through which to serve the Lord and His people. And God gave me a burden to minister in this way.

“The reason Gnostics denied that God became fully man in the incarnation is that they held a low view of matter in general and flesh in particular. For Gnostics, matter and flesh were not products of a good creation that fell; the creation of matter and flesh was itself the fall.” - Ref21

“The shift dates back to the growing awareness, acceptance, and promotion of transgender sexual identities in mainstream American culture. This shift, dating to the mid 2010s and probably peaking in the early 2020s, did two things that fundamentally changed the evangelistic landscape for Christians in America.” - Mere Orthodoxy

“Legal counsel… sent a cease-and-desist letter to Evangelicals for Harris after the political action committee rolled out a $1 million ad campaign last month using footage of the late Rev. Billy Graham to attack former President Donald Trump.” - CPost

“Where did the idea of going to church originate? Some of the typical culprits suggested are Constantine, American business models, old people, or pastors desperately in need of jobs. But whose idea is it, really?” - 9 Marks

From Voice, Jan/Feb 2015. Adapted from Stephen Davey’s book In Pursuit of Prodigals. Kress Biblical Resources (The Woodlands, TX, 2010). Used by permission.

In the matter of church discipline, the Bible is clear that believers must judge themselves (See Part 1). When else is it right to judge?

2. It is right to judge someone who is openly living in sin.

The Apostle Paul instructed the church in Corinth:

“Recently, a few cases have helped right some wrongs against religious freedom. The latest battle involves an attempt by activists to keep students from using federal assistance to attend religious schools. Thankfully, this case went the right way.” - Breakpoint

“In a previous article on Proclaim & Defend, we discussed ‘The Biblical Approach to Disaster Relief,’ enabling churches to minister to others. The purpose for this article is to give you links to stay informed on the current efforts by Operation Renewed Hope after Hurricane Helene.” - P&D

“evangelicals have been regarded as a uniform, monolithic group… and that they are a reliable conservative voting bloc. As a scholar of American religion who has studied the evangelical movement for over 30 years, I was dissatisfied with this interpretation.” - The Conversation

“One week ago, I preached at a church in the area where I pastored for 14 years…. I also think about some things I wish I had done differently. So, here are some of those things I wish I had said.” - Chuck Lawless

Was Tyndale’s translation heretical? Did secular authorities kill Tyndale or was it the Roman Catholic Church? - Truth Unites

“The claim is false. FEMA does provide nonfederal entities with grant funding to assist noncitizens in the country, but the program’s funding is separate from FEMA’s disaster relief efforts.” - The Dispatch

“Simply because a plural ‘you’ is used—because a community is being addressed—doesn’t exclude individual action. That said, an individualistic application of a plural “you” should not lead us to assume every plural “you” is meant for the individual. There is much more going on.” - 9 Marks

“A good hymnal collects high-quality songs that span centuries and continents and cultures. It is a rich devotional resource for churches and families and individuals, and it fosters beautiful harmonious singing that stirs our hearts.” - Andy Naselli

“Self-styled ‘post-liberal’ conservatives see the American founding as the flawed product of the radical, secular Enlightenment. They argue that the American experiment in ordered liberty was already rotten the moment Jefferson put pen to paper in 1776.” - Acton

“One of the key principles of properly understanding and applying the Bible is this: Scripture interprets Scripture…. we have properly understood one part of the Bible only when we have interpreted it in the context of the whole Bible.” - Challies

From Lectures to My Students: A Selection from Addresses Delivered to the Students of The Pastors’ College, Metropolitan Tabernacle

First Series, Lecture IX
By C.H. Spurgeon

Romans 1:21 “ ‘Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption….’ What is a ‘creature’?” - Mark Ward

Randall Goodgame “felt called to write for congregational singing. His new Scripture Hymnal, which releases October 21, contains 106 word-for-word Scripture songs.” - TGC

“Our takeaway regarding those who have left the United Methodist Church is that we applaud them. There are certainly other issues that would divide us theologically and practically, but commendation is in order” - P&D

“By the end of the day, over 1,200 Israelis—men, women, children, even babies—were slaughtered. For around 250 others, however, the terror was just beginning, to be followed by captivity in Gaza.” - Providence

“Reading lyrics on a page helps us grasp what kind of song we’re singing and enables us to meditate on lyrics after the slides move on. We can also look back at lyrics we sang previously to see connections the writer is making.” - 9 Marks

Daniel 7 has the same message as Daniel 2 (see the article here). But, whereas Daniel 2 quickly sketches God’s victory over Babylon, Daniel 7 expands the message by way of more fantastic visions. It’s like how Genesis 2 expands on Genesis 1.

“On the podcast, Pastor Perry discusses his ‘seasonal’ approach to living on mission, detailing what it looks like to ‘Put your Yes on the table for the Lord’ and keep it there.” - MBU

“First, Christian parents should play and learn to appreciate ‘classical music’ in their homes on a regular basis…. Second, Christian parents should seek to provide classical musical training to their children in the form of music lessons if possible.” - P&D

“1. Give your pastor and his family a weekend getaway…. 3. Catalog his books…. 7. Make a personal commitment to speak well of him—and choose not to listen to those who speak otherwise.” - The Baptist Paper

“Our modern Promethean aspirations are not merely marked by Frankenstein’s desire to play God in the creation of life. We have taken on the role of God in the bringing of death as well.” - Carl Trueman