“Gospel Links for Gospel Culture” is a weekly round-up of content to encourage you in your faith and ministry.
Developing a Gospel Culture in an Urban Context
Dhati Lewis:Three Reasons God Gives Us the Sabbath
JD Greear:Those most mature in Jesus are not those working hardest for him but those resting best in him. Until you learn to rest correctly in Christ, all of your work for Christ is going to be off.
The Danger of an Unscraped Knee
Trevin Wax:The further we get from actual contact with thorns and thistles, isn’t it more likely we will fall for the idea that we are in control, that we are godlike in our powers, or that we can conform nature to our own wills? Isn’t it more likely that we will see nature as something endlessly bendable? Is there danger in the unscraped knee?
How Pastors Can Leave Well
Ed Stetzer:In my experience, transitioning from one pastoral role to another doesn’t happen well by accident; it requires thoughtfulness, intentionality, and proper planning. Looking back on my first formal ‘goodbye’ to a church, it’s easy to recognize the many things that I could have done better. There are ways to leave a congregation well and there are ways to leave that often do more harm than good.
The Glorious Freedom of Mattering… and Not Mattering
Michael Kelley:When I feel big, there is the gospel that reminds me that I was dead in my sin and transgression, too lost to even know that I was lost. That every supposed righteous thing I might do, say, or think is tainted with my own selfish ambition and vain conceit. That although I might be the instrument that offers the word of peace or comfort to another, I am far from necessary when I consider the hand of the One holding me. That it could just as easily be another who was speaking or writing or talking at a given moment, for God will have His way with or without me.
Avoiding Bogus Christian Quotes
Thomas Kidd:The problem of inauthentic quotes is hardly unique to Christian culture, but it is a serious issue. We of all people should prize factual accuracy, but unfortunately bogus quotes are a staple of popular Christian books (including ones by Christian history writers), sermons, and tweets.
Approaching Social Media with a Servant’s Heart
Kelly Minter:Servanthood, of course, can take many forms and doesn’t mean we can only post Bible verses and Christian quotes—that would be terribly rote and uninspiring. Rather, servanthood is a posture that helps shape what we post and why. If our ultimate aim is to love God and love others, many of our internal dilemmas about what to post or not to post will solve themselves. With this in mind, here are some questions that have helped me navigate social media.
The Gospel Project’s editorial team contributed to this post. Photo: Pixabay
