You’ll probably wonder why I’d start this week’s Sampler with such a heady article as Leonardo De Chirico’s Nature and Grace in the Theology of Joseph Ratzinger — A Historical Sketch of the Nature-Grace Interdependence in this month’s edition of Vatican Files. Okay, reading it requires a little more effort than reading a typical blog post. But it goes a long way in clarifying how Roman Catholic thought (even in the 21st Century) departs from the Bible’s teachings on nature and grace.

False teachers are more harmful than a lot of us might think. In The End Time, Elizabeth Prata warns, Don’t let anyone disqualify you from the prize! Using Colossians 2:18, she shows us some of the subtle tactics these teachers use in their attempts to divide Christians from the true Gospel.

Clint Archer makes a compelling case for a Pre-trib Rapture in Rapture vs Second Coming: Back to the Future, Part 4. I’ve been learning a lot through his series, which The Cripplegate has been running, and I definitely appreciate understanding his position. I would have liked it better, however, if he had presented the common arguments for Mid-trib and Post-trib raptures. Thankfully, he did touch on the reasons to reject those possibilities, which helps me understood the Pre-trib position better.

Pastor Tedd Mathis shares a Letter to a good man about the Gospel in teddmathisdotcom. I regret that I didn’t write a similar letter to my mom before her death. If you have unsaved loved ones who stand at the doors of eternity, Tedd’s letter might serve as a helpful template for your own letter (of course, you’ll write in your own words, using some original thoughts, to avoid plagiarism).

I have a second offering from The Cripplegate, this time written by Jesse Johnson. How to become a Calvinist in 5 easy steps is entertaining and amusing. It may also encourage you to keep praying for your Arminian friends.

Michelle Lesley encourages women to focus on our legitimate opportunities in Throwback Thursday – Unforbidden Fruits: 3 Ways Women MUST Lead and Teach the Church. I read this blog post when Michelle first published it in 2018, and I believe I included it in Saturday Sampler at the time. But the debate over women pastors has only escalated since then, so I’m pleased to bring it to your attention a second time. She gives marvelous suggestions for ways women should serve our local churches.