Gospel.com Blog

The Back to the Bible website has a new look! If you’ve not stopped by lately, pay them a visit and take a look at the many different online resource that BttB makes available–a huge assortment of devotionals, Bible reading guides, online/radio broadcasts, and more.

Have you ever felt the need to rebuke somebody for something they’ve done or said? Have you ever been on the receiving end of a rebuke or reprimand? Did the confrontation result in repentance and change, or in bitterness and anger?

The Bible presents specific steps to follow when you feel the need to rebuke another person. At Know the Word ministries, Sam Thorpe looks at the Bible’s guidelines for rebuking and being rebuked. It comes as no surprise to learn that the Bible has very strict standards that must be met before we can criticize someone for their behavior–and the Bible also expects us to respond to earnest reprimands from others in a gracious manner. Confronting somebody is never a pleasant task, but when it needs to be done, these are some good guidelines to follow to keep the confrontation Christ-like.

What are Christians to make of Islam and the millions of people who follow it? Yesterday, we noted Arab World Ministries’ resources for better understanding the Muslim world. Here’s another helpful resource along the same lines: Radio Voice of Christ’s excellent essay on responding to Islam, which dispels common stereotypes about Muslims and talks about positive ways to talk to followers of a religion that is often poorly understood by Christians.

It also discusses the problem of violence and terrorism and their relationship to Islam as a whole. A good starting point for anyone who hopes to better understand–and better witness to–their Muslim neighbors.

Several years after Saddam’s fall, Iraq is still in a state of uncertainty and instability, with reports of bombings and casualties filtering in weekly. What are we as Christians to make of the situation? It’s tempting, admist news stories about terrorism and chaos, to simply shrug our shoulders and despair that things will turn out well.

Despair, however, is not the best Christian response. A new article at Arab World Ministries encourages us to look realistically at Iraq and at the places where Christians can make a tangible difference–refugee assistance, infrastructure rebuilding, and other challenges. Whatever your political position on the second Gulf War, and whatever you think of current events, AWM challenges us to look for ways we can help, and to support ministries already at work in Iraq. (And while you’re at the AWM site, be sure to check out their helpful articles about Islam and the Arab world.)

Are you familiar with the apologetics ministry of Ravi Zacharias? Ravi’s ministry has a decidedly intellectual edge–its goal is to engage the varied ideas, philosophies, and mindsets of the modern world with the Gospel of Christ. If you aren’t familiar with Ravi’s unique approach to apologetics, the Ravi Zacharias Apologetics Ministries site has an absolutely huge array of article and essays through which you can get to know the ministry.

If you find the long list of essays a bit intimidating, there’s also the daily Slice of Infinity devotional, which you can read online or via RSS or email. Today’s Slice, Tried and True, tackles the tough question of whether or not–and why–God tests us. Whether you’re drawn to Ravi’s apologetics essays or the shorter devotional series, it makes a worthy addition to your bookmarks.

Looking for good Christian teaching? Got some extra space on your iPod? At Regent Audio, you can buy MP3 downloads of lectures, conferences and courses by N.T. Wright, Eugene Peterson, J.I. Packer, and other Christian teachers and professors. These MP3 downloads are a natural evolution of the books-on-tape that Regent has offered for years, but are generally much cheaper than their tape or CD counterparts.

If you’d like to get a feel for Regent’s audio material without buying anything, tune in to their Regent Radio site, where each day they broadcast a lecture from their audio library. Today’s lecture is from a course by John Stackhouse on the topic of Christianity and its relationship to culture. Fire up your favorite MP3 player and give it a listen!

Looking for a good family devotional series? The Understanding Your Teenager ministry has a large collection of short, humorous daily devotional messages that would be ideal for reading at a family meal (or sharing with the family online). The latest devotional is #89: The Fishing Trip, but if you want to start from the very beginning, start with #1: Can You Hear Me Now.

Answers is Genesis is trying out something new–this week, they kicked off their new video-on-demand program. Each week for the next six months, AiG will release a new video segment from the popular DVD series Answers with Ken Ham on their website, free for the viewing. The first 15-minute segment (”Is Genesis Relevant Today?”) is online now, along with a release schedule for future videos all the way through August.

If you’re looking for some good material supporting the creationist viewpoint, these videos are an excellent, and free, resource. Stay tuned each week as they release new Answers installments.

A disability or medical difficulty can transform even the “simplest” everyday acts into serious challenges. Does a serious condition like blindness or paralyzation mean the end of your Christian ministry in everyday life? Not at all, says the Christian History Institute–this week, the CHI looks back at famous Christians who made great contributions to the church despite physical and mental difficulties.

They’ve collected biographies of eleven disabled Christians whose afflictions ranged from moderate to severe. Their biographies make for inspirational reading and a reminder that God can work through anyone, regardless of the challenges they face.

“Passion”–now there’s a word with a lot of different connotations! The word conjures up thoughts of anything from sexual desire to anger and rage. But the latest Online Pulpit essay takes a close look at the often-misunderstood word, and at the place of passion in the Christian life:

….passion is morally neutral. It is simply a strong feeling or deep longing for something. In essence, passion is the fuel that ignites the fires of our meaningfulness, the force that drives the soul and the burden that compels the individual to action….

Passion is not something we work up but something planted within our being. Passion derives from the God-given ability to feel so strongly about something that it causes us to relentlessly move toward the object of desire. Channeled correctly, passion is the birthplace of a dream, the trailhead of a new path God calls us to follow.

The article argues that passion, in the proper context, is not only a fact of life, but a necessity for effective leadership in the church and in your everyday life. Read the full article, and while you’re there, be sure to check out the Online Pulpit archives for dozens more essays about Christian leadership.