Today’s video takes a closer look at Paul’s odd statement in I Timothy 2:15 that women will be “saved through childbearing.” The final podcast episode on Dr. Willie Parker’s Life’s Work considers how a boy who wanted to be a pastor grew up to be an abortion apologist, and draws out some lessons for us all. And the links of the week cover singleness and intimacy, the dangers of ignoring God’s design for marriage, expository preaching, encouraging your pastor, understanding the Bible, and more!
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“Some Christians seem to do little but pray for new spiritual blessings, apparently oblivious of the fact that God has already blessed them in Christ with every spiritual blessing. Others lay such emphasis on the undoubted truth that everything is already theirs in Christ, that they become complacent and appear to have no appetite to know or experience their Christian privileges more deeply. Both these groups must be declared unbalanced. They have created a polarization which Scripture will not tolerate. What Paul does in Ephesians 1, and therefore encourages us to copy, is both to keep praising God that in Christ all spiritual blessings are ours and to keep praying that we may know the fullness of what he has given us.”
~ John Stott
Latest Video
Paul’s statement in 1 Timothy 2:15 that women will be “saved through childbearing” sounds both sexist and confusing at first. But perhaps that is because we don’t realize what he was saying…
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Answers for Ambassadors Podcast
Our final episode on Life’s Work steps back to ask how and why a boy who dreamed of becoming a pastor turned into an evangelist for abortion. It’s a story of failures by family and church which offers lessons for us all.
Answers for Ambassadors is available via SoundCloud or by searching in iTunes and most other podcast players. You can also direct your podcast player to the podcast RSS feed.
Best Reads of the Week
Some important observations about the single person’s search for intimacy.
How to encourage your pastor. A good reminder, and good suggestions.
The New York Times recently profiled some couples engaged in “ethical non-monogamy,” and the resulting picture, despite the story’s affirming perspective, was less than healthy and happy. Denny Burk observes, “We cannot alter the nature of marriage, though some are certainly trying. And they do so to their own hurt.”
Challenging and thought-provoking observations from Sam Storms about the reasons for the decline of expository preaching.
How can we be sure the Bible contains all God’s inspired books, and only those? Karen Coleman’s answer is a helpful summary.
This piece on the way our personal lives reinforce or undermine our presentation of the gospel is written for pastors, but we can all benefit from the reminder. Because, after all, we are all commanded to share the gospel as we have opportunity, whether or not we are called to do so from a pulpit.
If you’re interested in the differences between Bible translations, you may enjoy this helpful article.
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