Calvin on God's power and resolve

I could fill this blog with incisive Calvin quotes (I use his commentaries in every sermon I prepare, unless something drastic happens). Perhaps I should! But anyway, here's a relevant one for believers today. Often those who stick to the Bible are told that they are "limiting God". Calvin:

"But it is idle, and unprofitable, and even dangerous, to argue what God can do unless we also take into account what he resolves to do" (comment on Luke 1:37 in Calvin's Gospel Harmony, volume 1).

ACTS Christianity Pack for UK schools

If you are interested or involved in schools work in the UK, this looks worth checking out.

Uncontacted tribes

According to this article, the Brazilian government estimates that there are 68 isolated tribes living in the Amazon.

Note from the article that the Brazilian government views missionary activity as a threat to such tribes. This view is effectively countered by Steve Saint's book, "The End of the Spear"; in the Amazon tribe he worked amongst, 50% of tribespeople died as murder victims before the gospel came: after it came, murder was wiped out.

The Bible teaches that all the tribes of the earth must be blessed through the promises of Christ given to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3). Who is going to reach them? Who is going to pray for those people to be raised up? Christ gave the church a commission to "Go"...

World Magazine's "Books of the Year"

World Magazine, a large US evangelical magazine, chose two "books of 2011". One of them was the US edition of "Should Christians Embrace Evolution?", published by P & R (Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing Company). Praise the Lord!

My wife has obviously been living with a logician too long; she points out that I can't rationally derive too much from this... "this means at least they thought your chapter didn't wreck it" ... :-)

Here's the link: http://www.worldmag.com/articles/18207

Amazon US link: http://www.amazon.com/Should-Christians-Embrace-Evolution-Scientific/dp/1596382309
UK website link (which has a link on to Amazon UK): http://www.shouldchristiansembraceevolution.com

Shepherds of God's Flock

The next issue of Grace Magazine (Kenya) is available online for all to download, print and distribute: get it here.

Articles: The good shepherd (p2), The pastor as a shepherd (p4), The discipline of the flock (p8), Bad shepherds (Ezekiel 34) (p12), Visiting the sheep (p15), The gospel of Mark (p19), Should we fear being cursed? (p22).