Top 10 Blog Posts from 2016

1

Discontentment Says Something about You, Not Your Circumstances
Philip Graham Ryken

"Our own complaints are not caused by our outward circumstances; rather, they reveal the inward condition of our hearts. Really, the Israelites had nothing to complain about. They were not running out of food, but were confusing what they wanted with what they needed. This is often the source of our discontent: thinking that our 'greeds' are really our needs."

2

12 Principles for Disagreeing with Other Christians
Andrew David Naselli and J. D. Crowley

"Welcome those who disagree with you (Rom. 14:1–2). Concerning any area of disagreement on third-level matters [i.e., disputable issues that shouldn’t cause disunity in the church family], a church will have two groups: (1) those who are “weak in faith” (14:1) on that issue and (2) those “who are strong” (15:1). The weak in faith have a weak conscience on that matter, and the strong in faith, a strong conscience."

3

10 Questions to Ask at Your Thanksgiving Gathering
Don Whitney

"On Thanksgiving, many of us find ourselves with people we rarely see or hardly know. In these kinds of situations, meaningful conversation is often difficult. Here are some questions designed to spark not only conversation, but also dialogue relevant to the season."

4

The Most Important Part of Youth Ministry
Cameron Cole

"What attracts people to ministry to youth? Why are they in this field? Is it the massive salaries? Probably not. Is it the promise of feeling impressive when they tell people at family gatherings or high school reunions about their career path? Unlikely. Is it easy hours and strict boundaries between work time and personal life? Not a chance. Youth ministry can be a frustrating field of employment and a challenging volunteer calling. According to various studies, the normal tenure of a youth minister at a local church lasts approximately eighteen months."

5

3 Tips for Leading Prayer
Megan Hill

"If the fear of public speaking is the general population’s greatest fear, fear of praying publicly may be its Christian equivalent. It is no wonder. In prayer together, the leader brings his brothers and sisters on a holy errand to the very throne room of almighty God. But the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Prov. 1:7), and appreciating the enormity of the task can lead us to appreciate the enormity of our help. The Christian never prays alone, and the Christian never leads others in prayer by himself but always has the promised and sufficient help of the three: the listening Father, the mediating and interceding Son, and the helping Spirit. With this confidence, you can take steps (I’ll suggest three) to better lead others in prayer."

6

Why It's Dangerous to Misrepresent the Gospel
Mez McConnell and Mike McKinley

"Between my time church planting in Brazil and my work now in Edinburgh in one of Scotland’s most deprived housing schemes—a mixture of social housing and low-income homeowners—I have been on the receiving end of a lot of short-term missions teams. And while I appreciate the help, I have noticed over the years that a lot of well-meaning, Jesus-loving groups from the United Kingdom and United States will show up with their paintbrushes and hammers, but with no understanding of the gospel message they think they’ve come to proclaim."

7

An Interview with Andreas J. Köstenberger and Thomas R. Schreiner
Andreas J. Köstenberger and Thomas R. Schreiner

"What does Paul mean when he says that women will be “saved through childbirth” in 1 Timothy 2:15?

"I, Tom, have a different opinion than Andreas on this! I think it means spiritual salvation. Paul says women are saved if they persevere in godliness (last part of v. 15). Women express their godliness by living out their role as a woman, which for most women means having children. Clearly, Paul isn’t saying that women must have children to be saved. That would contradict 1 Corinthians 7 where Paul encourages singleness. Furthermore, it would suggest a kind of salvation by works—birthing children. Hence, I think Paul uses a representative example of what it means to live out your life as a godly woman. He selects what separates women so dramatically from men—only women can have children! Still, the verse is difficult and it could be misunderstood easily. We want to rely on what the Scriptures clearly teach elsewhere."

8

Held by the Bible
John Piper

"Whenever I read the Bible, it was never like a masterpiece hanging in a museum that I viewed this way and that. Rather, it was like a window. Or like binoculars. My view of the Bible was always a view through the Bible. So, all along the way, my view was getting clearer and brighter and deeper, I mean the reality seen through it was getting clearer and brighter and deeper. Clearer as the edges of things became less fuzzy, and I could see how things fit together rather than just smudging into each other. Brighter as the beauty and impact of the whole message was more and more attractive. And deeper in the sense of depth perspective—I suppose photographers would say 'depth of field.'"

9

10 Things You Should Know about the Election
Hunter Baker

"The Bible tells us to obey the governing authorities (Romans 13).But that doesn't mean we should merely remain passive before the government. Christians in the United States live in a democratic republic. Citizens actually possess a portion of the state's sovereignty within themselves. To some extent, we are the governing authorities in the sense that we vote on representatives and sometimes directly on policies."

10

10 Things You Should Know about the Bible’s Teaching on Men and Women
Andreas J. Köstenberger and Margaret Elizabeth Köstenberger

"We were created male and female by divine design. According to the Genesis creation account, God created humanity male and female (Gen 1:26–28). Maleness and femaleness are creational, not contractual. They are divinely instituted rather than socially defined. Thus our gender identity cannot simply be renegotiated the way in which we refinance a mortgage or reschedule an appointment. God created us, and we are his creatures, both men and women."