At this time of year, young people are embarking on a new chapter in their lives. Some are heading back to school while others are starting at a new school or college. With this change can come numerous fears: Will I fit in? Will I make friends? Will my friends from last year still like me? Will I be lonely? Will I get on with my teachers and the workload? For Christians there are additional challenges: Will there be any other Christians? Will people laugh at me for reading the Bible, believing in Jesus, and going to church? Will I be able to answer questions about my faith? It is wonderful to open the pages of the Bible and read the commands to “not be afraid” and to “be strong and courageous.” God is the Great Shepherd of the sheep, and He knows us better than we know ourselves. He is fully aware of our tendency to fear, which is why He repeatedly encourages us to take courage. One of the best examples of this in the Bible is Joshua. He had every reason to fear. Moses, the great leader of God’s people, had died (Josh. 1:1–2). The responsibility of leadership now fell onto his shoulders. He was to lead Israel into the promised land. Doubts, fears, and anxieties must have crowded in. God not only anticipated Joshua’s fear, but He also allayed it with three repeated commands: “Be strong and courageous” (Josh. 1:6–9). These commands and the reasons given for them can help us as we begin a new year at school or college. Take Courage in God’s Promises God’s first encouragement to Joshua was to remind him that He is a God who makes promises and keeps them (Josh. 1:6). God had promised Abraham that He would give the land of Canaan to him and his descendants. And now, at this critical time, God reiterated His promise to Joshua. How can this give you courage as you start a new school or college year? It should encourage you immensely to know that God is still about the business of fulfilling His promises. With the coming of Christ, God’s program for world history is for the whole earth to come under His rule and reign (Acts 1:8–9). And we live at one of the most privileged times in history. We can look back at the last two thousand years and see those promises coming to pass. The gospel has spread to almost every corner of the world, and the church continues to grow. God’s promises to Abraham, now fulfilled in Christ, are as true as ever for us. This perspective should give us courage as we begin the new academic year. Since God is sovereign over history, He is sovereign over our lives. Whatever fears we face in the months ahead, we face them knowing that our God sovereignly keeps His promises. Joshua was surely encouraged to know that God’s commitment to secure the land of Canaan was as relevant as ever. How much more can we be encouraged in knowing that God’s promises in Christ are as true as ever for us? Take Courage in God’s Word Joshua must have had a long list of things he would ideally like to have as he entered this new stage of life. Battle plans, logistical capability, and military prowess would all have been helpful. Yet God didn’t provide any of them. Rather, God encouraged him to use the one thing he needed the most and already had—the Book of the Law (Josh. 1:7–8). In other words, God directed Joshua to His Word. He was to obey it and meditate on it. Why? Because God’s revealed Scriptures are life, and by putting them into practice, he would prosper and have success. Joshua’s courage would in part be drawn from the pages of the Bible. The same is true for us. As you enter a new school or college year, it would be fantastic to know for sure that everything is going to be great. Assurances that your personal, social, and church life are going to prosper would be wonderful. However, God has already provided what we need in the Bible. His Word is to be our source of courage and strength. Take Courage in God’s Presence God’s final encouragement to Joshua is the best of all (Josh. 1:5, 9). God promises to be with Joshua and never leave him. The people of Israel had already experienced this as a collective nation. God’s cloud by day and pillar of fire by night had led and protected them during their forty years in the wilderness. But now God’s promise of His presence became personal. God would be with Joshua, just as He was with Moses. He had the greatest reason of all to take courage: God was with him. And for God to be with him meant He was for him. This “Immanuel principle” of God being with His people is a major theme in the Bible. With the coming of Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, this is even more true for us (Matt. 28:20). Whatever you face in this new chapter of your life, as a Christian you can know with absolute certainty that God is with you. This is the ultimate encouragement anyone can be given. We have every reason to take courage not in ourselves or our own self-sufficiency but in the triune God who is with us. As you face change, new beginnings, and even significant challenges, take courage. You have the promises of God, the Word of God, and the presence of God. With these three, Christians can face anything in the strength of the Lord and with the courage He has given to us.

It’s time for our weekly $5 Friday (and More) sale. Today only, browse a collection of discounted discipleship resources on a vast array of subjects to help you deepen your knowledge of God and His Word. This week’s sale includes the following resources and many more: A Field Guide on False Teaching, paperback $10.00 $5.00 Mark: An Expositional Commentary by R.C. Sproul, ebook $9.00 $5.00 The Life and Theology of Paul with Guy Waters, teaching series digital download $24.00 $5.00 Can I Know God’s Will? By R.C. Sproul, paperback $3.00 $1.00 May 2023 Issue of Tabletalk Magazine: “Commonly Tolerated Sins”, $1.50 While supplies last, fill your library with biblical materials and stock up on gifts for your loved ones. This sale ends tonight at 11:59 p.m. ET. Shop now and save.

The close of summer can be exciting with the transition back to school. For many, it is a return to rhythm, goal setting, and friendships. Those heading to college may be excited about a new adventure, which will bring with it new questions: Who will my roommates be? What will I be involved in? When will I study? For Christians, the question to begin with is, Where will I go to church? Foundational Questions There is much to say about why students should go to church in college. Suffice it to say, God’s call on all Christians is to actively live within the church. The local church is vital to the Christian life, so the question that needs to be asked is, How do I find a church? As simple as the question sounds, in some ways it has become increasingly difficult to answer. We no longer live in a time (if we ever did) in which one can assume things about a church from the outside. One cannot necessarily assume that because the church is in the “Bible Belt” it means one thing, nor can one assume that because its name includes key Christian words that it means another. Many false teachings, for example, use familiar language that can delay the impulse to ask foundational questions. Instead of assuming, begin by asking two vital questions when looking for a church away from home. The first question is of utmost importance: Does this church believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as the true Son of God, sent to save sinners who repent and believe in Him alone for salvation? The second question is closely connected: Does this church believe the Bible to be inerrant, infallible, inspired, and therefore the authoritative and sufficient Word of God? In other words, is the Bible the central truth that is communicated and the standard by which everything is measured? If the answer to either of these questions is no, then it is not a true church. Believing that Jesus is the Son of God and the only way of salvation, and that the Bible is the rule of faith and practice, is necessary. If the answer to both questions is yes, we can proceed with investigating a few other areas. Believing that Jesus is the Son of God, the only way of salvation, and that the Bible is the rule of faith and practice is necessary. What to Look For Often there are secondary areas that require observation and discernment. Living in a social-media-crazed age, it is important that popularity or various forms of celebrity do not become the leading reason we choose a church. Big churches and big names may have big platforms that can be attractive to college students. Programs can be useful, but there must be more to a church than its programs. Because church is vital to the life of a Christian, the leaders of the church will be held accountable to speaking the truth and living the truth (see James 3). The church is always to be about the Man, Jesus Christ, and not a man. Jesus must be central in the teaching and living of the leadership of any true church. For many college students, excitement can be joined with confusion. Questions can arise in regard to fellow students’ beliefs or lifestyles, the teachings of professors, the judgments of the administration, and making major life decisions. Additionally, college students are inundated with all sorts of advertisements and recruiting mechanisms, making them vulnerable. The church should be clear on the truth, aware of the threats against truth, and willing and able to answer questions when they arise. The church should preach the truth and not shy away from the truth while welcoming and thoughtfully answering questions about the truth. Doctrine is important. Convictions about doctrine are important. Seeking out a church’s confessional standards or statement of faith will clarify what kind of doctrine the church professes. Additionally, the church’s disposition is important. We see the practical outworking of doctrine in how the people of the church live. College students should seek to meet church members of all generations and backgrounds, then ask themselves: Does the church come off as prideful or speak unkindly about others, or are they gentle and compassionate? The church should display the truth it teaches. One of the chief things that recruits college students is community. To be sure, the college campus will provide all kinds of communities, some that are good and some that are not. There will likely be a host of campus ministries offering the same. None of those, however helpful they may be, can replace the church. Yet the church can be mindful of college students in their area and be intentional about involving them in the life of the church. Students must prioritize Lord’s Day worship. Corporate worship—as well as Sunday school, prayer meetings, and opportunities to serve—offers a full picture of community rather than being influenced only by one’s own “age and stage.” While Lord’s Day worship should be prioritized, there is more to being involved in a church than just corporate worship. Ask the following questions: Does the church pray and fellowship together? Are there other opportunities that allow you to serve and to use your gifts? The church should have avenues to pursue multi-generational Christian fellowship. Conclusion These qualities, however simple they might sound, are often hard to discern in just one visit on a Sunday morning. Perhaps you have looked at the church online and still aren’t sure. God’s Word shows us what we should be looking for—it is the ordinary church and the ordinary means of grace. Look for devotion to the Apostles’ teaching. That is where the Apostolic church began (Acts 2:42). As you look for a church, ask these questions: Are they preaching through the Bible? Do you see the centrality of the Bible in other areas outside of the sermon? Are they praying the Bible, confessing the Bible, singing the truths of the Bible? Does the church show its dependency upon God in prayer? Do they pray for the people of the church, their community, and the work of the gospel in the world? College students should approach this question of how to find a church in college with discernment and not simply as consumers. The church should be a home away from home. For many college students who hear the gospel for the first time in college, their involvement in church is a life-changing experience. The local church is the greatest place for Christian growth and discipleship. It is the vehicle through which God extends His glory throughout creation. So, as simple as the question may sound, it carries with it great significance. Finding a church might be the most important decision you make while in college. It is why we visit, pray for discernment, and ask questions. The goal is not to find a perfect church—that exists only in glory—but a faithful church, standing solely on the Word of God and focused on the worship of God. This article is part of the Questions Young People Face collection.

The Bible is full of hidden gems. Many of those hidden gems are found in the smaller books in the Bible. Most Christians who take the reading of God’s Word seriously will be reasonably acquainted with its “big books” (such as Genesis, the Psalms, Isaiah, John’s gospel, Romans, and Ephesians). My guess is that not so many are well acquainted with books like Joel, Haggai, Zephaniah, and John’s three letters. In this brief meditation we will reflect on three things every Christian should know about John’s three letters. 1. Though these books are brief, they play an important role in the Christian’s spiritual growth and maturity. After forty years of pastoral ministry, I have learned not to assume that Christians know their Bibles as well as previous generations did. Biblical literacy and expository biblical preaching are not as common as they once were. The general attention span of even faithful believers has been infected with the spirit of the age. The good desire to minister relevantly into the culture has often led to sermons that are more topical than expository. All of this has robbed believers of a knowledge of the Word of God that is as wide and as deep as Scripture’s totality. Paul reminded Timothy, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–17). Paul was especially impressing this truth on this young man of God that he might embrace God’s written Word in its totality and have it shape his life and ministry. What was true for Timothy is surely no less true for every Christian. So, we should know 1, 2, 3 John so that we might be trained in righteousness and complete Christians, equipped for every good work. 2. John’s three letters were written against the dark backcloth of heresies that were threatening the purity, peace, and mission of the church. These heresies were not new to John’s day. Satan resurrects them regularly to derail Christ’s church, absorb it with itself, and rob it of its gospel credibility. As he begins his first letter, John writes: > This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:5–10) Notice the triad, “If we say . . . ” (1 John 1:6, 8, 10). Why does John feel the need to write this? Because some people in the church were saying they had fellowship with God but were walking in darkness. Later in 1 John 2:19, John wrote, “They went out from us, but they were not of us.” As a faithful pastor, John is warning his “dear children,” as he calls them, to be on their guard against false teaching: “God is light and in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5; see also 1 John 2:22; 4:1–3). In 2 and 3 John we see more of the Apostle’s concern to shepherd his dear children away from error. In 2 John 7 we read: “Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.” In 3 John 9, John even warns his dear children about a particular man, “Diotrephes . . . who likes to put himself first.” John knows only too well that bad character is as deadly as bad doctrine in corrupting the life of God’s people. 3. John’s three letters model the love, compassion, and courage that should be found in every gospel minister and indeed in every Christian. God-honoring and sheep-nourishing ministry is rooted in preaching that is not only accurate and orthodox, but also rich in compassion, courage, and tenderness. It is striking to notice how often John describes his readers as his “little children” (1 John 2:1, 12, 28; 3:18; 4:4; 5:21). His teaching to them flowed out of his love for them. How different many of our churches would be if the people knew, even felt, that their pastors carried them in their hearts and cherished their good above life itself. John’s three letters are gospel gems. Read them, ponder them, and perhaps even make the effort to memorize them, so that you may continue to grow in the grace of our Lord. This article is part of the Every Book of the Bible: 3 Things to Know collection.

At the church I co-pastor, Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Florida, we are deliberate about making sure that both our church members and visitors understand the doctrinal basis of our fellowship. As a small way of helping to further that end, we note in our church bulletin every Sunday morning that “we affirm the solas of the Protestant Reformation.” By way of reminder, the five solas are five points that summarize the biblical theology recovered and proclaimed during the Protestant Reformation. As we note in our bulletin, these five solas are: Sola Scriptura: The Bible is the sole written divine revelation and alone can bind the conscience of the believer absolutely. Sola Fide: Justification is by faith alone. The merit of Christ, imputed to us by faith, is the sole ground of our acceptance by God, by which our sins are remitted, and imputed to Christ. Solus Christus: Christ is the only mediator through whose work we are redeemed. Sola Gratia: Our salvation rests solely on the work of God’s grace for us. Soli Deo Gloria: To God alone belongs the glory. Each sola is important, but the first four really exist to preserve the last one, namely, the glory of God. By sola Scriptura, we declare the glory of God’s authority by noting that only His inspired Word can command us absolutely. Sola fide, solus Christus, and sola gratia all exalt God’s glory in salvation. God and God alone—through His Son, Jesus Christ—saves His people from sin and death. We need the glory of God to be reinforced because it is the hardest truth of all for people to accept. The refusal to glorify God in an appropriate and proper way is basic to our corrupt state. As Paul says in his penetrating description of human fallenness in Romans 1: “They did not honor him as God” (Rom. 1:21). So often when we talk about God, we describe Him in such a way that He isn’t recognizable as the God of the Bible. I’ve said more than once that if our god is not sovereign, our god is not God. But I must go further. If we don’t acknowledge the sovereignty of God, if we don’t acknowledge the justice of God, if we don’t acknowledge the omniscience of God, the immutability of God, then whatever god it is we are acknowledging, it is not God. We’re not glorifying God as God, we’re glorifying something less than God as if it were God, and to glorify something other than God or something less than God as if it were God is the very essence of idolatry. Idolatry is our most basic sin, and in it an exchange is made: God reveals His truth about Himself, and we trade in that truth and walk out with the lie. We exchange the glory of God for the glory of the creature. This can be done in a crass way of worshiping something that we craft with our own hands such as a statue or an icon. But there is also a more sophisticated, intellectual sort of idolatry—the reconstruction of our doctrine of God in such a way as to strip Him of those attributes with which we are uncomfortable. All of us have a propensity to reconstruct a god who is not holy, who is not wrathful, who is not just, who is not sovereign. We find it easy to take the attributes of God we like and reject the ones we don’t. When we do that, we are as guilty of idolatry as a person who is worshiping a graven image. Every day in America, we hear one of the great pernicious lies about God, namely, that we all worship the same god. We are told that whatever we call him or it—Allah or Yahweh or Tao or Buddha—it doesn’t matter. We all worship the same thing. To that I reply, “No, we don’t.” The scary part about religion in general is that it underscores man’s guilt before God, but then goes on to create ineffective solutions to this guilt. The impetus for creating alternatives to the religion that God reveals in nature and in Scripture is idolatry. But even if we boldly confess this truth, we must be on guard against idolatry even within the Christian community. Because we are fallen creatures, we can be religious and be idolaters at the same time. All of us can remake God in our own image, downplaying or ignoring those aspects of His character we do not like. If we do that, we are withholding the glory that belongs to God alone. The whole goal of our salvation is to bring us to a place where we worship God and we honor Him as God. The great danger is that we make ourselves the center of concern, and we steal the glory of God. In all that we do, the driving passion of the Christian must always be Soli Deo Gloria, to God alone be the glory. And the only way for this passion to be realized is to honor God as God, to understand Him as He has revealed Himself in His Word and not according to the mere opinions of fallen creatures.