Here is an article by Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, which will help you think through the issues. 



http://www.albertmohler.com/2015/09/03/in-this-world-you-will-have-trouble-welcome-to-rowan-county/

An Couple Examples of Prayer

How did Christian slave owners justify slavery?

 Last week, while preaching from Ephesians 6:5-9, I mentioned that the New Testament does not endorse slavery. I also promised to publish a blog post addressing this issue in detail. I have not been able to finish the post, but I should be able to publish it by the end of next week. This short video by Susan Wise Bauer (College of William and Mary) addresses the misunderstanding many have regarding Christianity and Slavery. Basically her thesis is: Yes, some "Christians" in the American south used the NT to condone slavery, but this was an abuse of Scripture.

A Church Worth Remembering

     This past Sunday I mentioned the reality that several of the churches we read about in the NT had many problems.  These churches were made up of redeemed, but imperfect people.  These churches were not immune to conflict, dissatisfaction, gossip, and/or heresy.  It was several of these issues which promoted the apostle Paul to write letters to the NT churches.  And while we recognize that these churches were not perfect there are several characteristics of these churches we should emulate.  We discussed three of these this past Sunday from 1 Thess. 1.2-3. 

1. Genuine Faith Produces Work
     The church at Thessalonica was an active church, and their activity was motivated by their faith.  In James chapter 2 we read about a possible scenario of two people coming into an assembly of Christians: one rich and another poor.  If we pay closer attention to the rich and give her the best seat in the house then we have misjudged the individuals and the situation.  We are tempted to serve those who can "pay us back" or serve us also.  This is the "I scratch your back, you scratch mine" mentality.  In contrast to this mindset, true faith produces within us a work or activity that is not-partial to people around us, because we realize that the Lord is the one who rewards us (Matt. 6).  Our reward does not come from the rich person.  This is a faith which work and serves God, because we trust Him, and know that He is good.  This is a faith which trusts Christ alone for salvation.

II. Genuine Love Serves Others
     For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son...  God's love motivated him to give sacrificially, and this is a mark of true love.  We say we love others, but I hope our actions match our words. 
     John reminds us in 1st John 3
¹⁶ This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers. ¹⁷ If anyone has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need but closes his eyes to his need—how can God’s love reside in him?
¹⁸ Little children, we must not love with word or speech, but with truth and action. ¹⁹ This is how we will know we belong to the truth and will convince our conscience in His presence, ²⁰ even if our conscience condemns us, that God is greater than our conscience, and He knows all things.

III. Genuine Hope Produces Steadfastness
     The Christians at Thessalonica experienced persecution and suffering, yet their hope in Christ produced endurance in the midst of this suffering.  They were confident that Christ would return for his church and He would be victorious (1:10).  When we lose sight of the coming of Christ or our eternal reward then we will waver in our faith when we face suffering.  Only this rock solid hope in Christ will produce within us the endurance to stand in the face of suffering.  May we cling to this hope!
    
    

Resources for the Family

     This Sunday I mentioned the importance of raising our children up in the nourishment and instruction of the Lord.  This happens informally (teachable moments) and formally (structure training times). 
     How do we do this?  I've listed a few tools which should point you in the right direction.  Please don't hesitate to ask for more resources! 


http://www.shepherdingtheheart.org/
     This is a good website with articles and videos.

Shepherding a Childs Heart by Tedd Tripp
     This is excellent resource to understand the vision and practical details     of Biblical parenting.

Don't Make Me Court to Three by Ginger Plowman
     This excellent little book gives practical suggestions based on Shepherding a Child's Heart.

Family Shepherds: Calling and Equipping Men to Lead their Homes by Voddie Baucham Jr. 
     This is a great book for fathers regarding the calling of Biblical leadership with practical insights. 

The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones
     This is a great devotional book designed to help smaller children understand to the Great Story of the Bible.  Adults will enjoy it also!

Technology and Translation

     Even though personal computers and much of the technology associated with them are relatively new it is hard to image life without these tools.  However, it is important to remember that technology is a tool, and not the answer to many problems we face.  Tools help us solve problems and make our work easier, yet at times they create other problems and make our work more difficult when they do not work properly.  We will never be able (nor should we want to) to take the human/ personal element out of our work.  This is very much the case regarding the work of Bible translation. 
     During the past week we has discussed the importance of translating the Bible for the many people around the world who do not have access to the Word of God, and we have explored how Wycliffe Bible Translators are addressing this need.  Wycliffe works one on one with native speakers in order to accomplish this task, and therefore the need for trained and gifted personal is vital to the work.  A recent post on Wycliffe's website reminds us of this need and the complexities of this vital work.

https://www.wycliffe.org/stories/details/wycliffe-101-why-not-just-use-google-translate?utm_source=pardot&utm_medium=enews&utm_campaign=07SRV

What does the Bible Teach Us About the Family?

     We have finally made it to Ephesians 5:22 where the Apostle Paul turns his attention to the family.  These instructions to the wife and husband are hard to digest for many people in our culture, including Christians.  This is because so much of what we believe derives not from the Bible, but by the culture.  For the next three weeks we will be discussing Paul's instructions to the family, and how fulfilling God's design is for us.  Since our culture is so confused on the definition of a family this is a much needed word to our church. 
     There is so much I am not able to address in three weeks, so I have attached a article which gives a general survey concerning the Bible's teachings on the family.  It was written by Andreas Kostenberger who teaches at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. 

http://www.biblicalfoundations.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/FRC-The-Bibles-Teaching-on-Marriage-and-the-Family.pdf