Articles

Caffeine – Friend Or Foe? What You Need To Know

Part 2 in a series on physical health As stated last week, I don’t believe that everyone will be healthy and wealthy. We live in a very sinful world that often results in disease and sickness. God sometimes uses pain, sickness, disease, and suffering to draw us closer...

Poor Nutrition Affects Us Negatively In Many Ways

Part 1 in a series on physical health - “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in good health as your soul does prosper” (3 John 2).   We were designed to be healthy under most circumstances. The statement, “as your soul does prosper” reminds...

TRUTH – Is A Hill To Die On

“Truth is a hill on which to die” is often used as a military metaphor. To defend certain strategic hills from attack may cost soldiers their lives. In battle, there are strategic “hills” that must be captured in order to gain victory. This example parallels the hill...

Many Problems Are Self Created

  Many of us talk as if God is real, but act as if He’s not. We are witnessing a generation of people hearing the word of God but not applying it. James 1:22 warns, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”   Many of our...

America Then Vs. Now – It’s Almost Unbelievable

  Newsweek magazine, on December 27, 1982, in an article entitled, How the Bible Made America, made this revealing statement, “Historians are discovering that the Bible, perhaps even more than the Constitution, is our Founding document.” To understand the core values...

Sin Never Stands Still – It Either Grows Or Withers

    Dan Delzell, in a riveting blog entitled, Google Executive's Tragic Death Sends Somber Warning, wrote the following: “How do you go from being a devoted father of five and a successful Silicon Valley executive, into a 51-year-old man convulsing from a...

The Legalist vs. The Compromiser ; Neither Is Right

  The pendulum often swings when following truth (biblical principles). At one extreme is legalism. Legalists have self-righteous attitudes that rate spirituality by how well a person follows rules. This we want to avoid at all costs lest we become modern-day...

Prone To Wander – Lord I Feel It

    “Like a bird that wanders from the nest, so is a man who wanders from his from his place” (Proverbs 27:8).   Written in 1757, the following lyrics echo with great clarity to a generation that has wandered so far off that we can barely hear God’s...

4th of July—America Then vs. Now

    Newsweek magazine, on December 27, 1982, in an article entitled, How the Bible Made America, made this revealing statement, “historians are discovering that the Bible, perhaps even more than the Constitution, is our Founding document.” To understand the...

Many Do Not Seek God or Hear His Voice. Here’s Why.

  “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). “I would like to buy three dollars’ worth of God, please. Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk, or a snooze in the...

Has The Church Lost The Fear Of The Lord

    (When the word “church” is used, I’m referring to the church collectively, as a whole, rather than “all” churches.) ​As war rages in the Middle East, and the potential for nuclear war intensifies, the church is asleep at the wheel. Many Christians mock...

Fathers – Families Would Rather “See” A Sermon”

  Our ministry often receives email correspondence from desperate wives and mothers. They often read something like this, “I’m at a loss. My ‘Christian’ husband is verbally and physically abusive. Ironically, he thinks that I’m the problem; he sees no need to...

WARNING : This Article Will Offend Many ‘Christians’

      It’s no surprise that the church, and our nation, desperately need to hear “the voice of one crying in the wilderness” to awaken, convict, and restore. It was not so long ago that we were concerned about “the fall of America.” America cannot fall...

The Cost Of Speaking The Truth

  There is a cost to speaking the truth. This realization came nearly 10-years ago when I was asked to speak at the annual conference for the American Baptist...unaware that they were about to divide over ordaining those who embrace the homosexual lifestyle....

Speak The Truth In Love

    Darkness and dense fog forced the captain to maneuver anxiously through uncertain waters. The eerie silence was shattered as he faced his greatest fear. Through the thick fog, a faint light signaled disaster. He was on a collision course; another light...

An Urgent Memorial Day Wake-up Call

"We have forgotten God, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own” (Abraham Lincoln). Over the last few decades, Americans have seen the destruction of the...

I Preach As A Dying Man To Dying Men

In a recent sermon I confessed to my congregation that I’m not primarily a pastor. After a brief pause, and a few blank stares, I stated, “I’m not primarily a pastor... I’m a preacher.” (Hear it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lSd9F6PDRc) Those who have been...

Is Alcohol Use Among Christians The New ‘Golden Calf’ ?

  The person who consumes alcohol walks a very fine line between freedom and sin, responsibility and carelessness, liberty and abuse—over-indulgence can even disqualify a person from leadership (cf. 1 Timothy 3). This discussion is not about a glass of wine or...

What Might America Look Like in 2020?”

  Although fictitious, these imaginary headlines may be more fact than fiction if America continues to ignore the warning signs. Mandatory Euthanasia Bill: What many call genocide, Congress calls necessary to curtail rising healthcare costs. In the hope of...

Pastor Offers 5 Biblical Reasons Why Gay-Marriage Is Wrong

Dan Haseltine (singer for Jars of Clay) used Twitter recently to support gay-marriage; stating, “Because most people read and interpret scripture wrong. I don't think scripture ‘clearly’ states much of anything regarding morality.” Many say that we cannot take a...

Pastor Offers Warning To America On National Day Of Prayer

“Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?” Psalm 85:6 I’m not referring to all churches collectively in this article, but to the large majority who have drifted away from God. The present condition of the church leaves one to wonder if the...

Gay Marriage : What Does God Say Not Jars Of Clay

Dan Haseltine (singer for Jars of Clay) used Twitter recently to support gay-marriage; stating, “Because most people read and interpret scripture wrong. I don't think scripture ‘clearly’ states much of anything regarding morality.” Many say that we cannot take a...

Altar Calls—Are They A Biblical Approach?

The altar call is an appeal where the speaker invites attendees to come forward as a way of acknowledging their decision to follow Christ. Many consider Charles Finney (1792-1875) to be the founder of the altar call even though early Methodist used a similar approach...

7 Reasons Why Christian Leaders Fall

Within weeks, two of my heroes have fallen from grace, and some of my friends in pastoral ministry have taken detours in their destiny as well. Moral failings among leaders are becoming an epidemic. No one is beyond the reach of Satan’s grasp. Although I’m...

This Easter—Don’t Forget About The Cross

“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14). Why is the world offended by the cross? Why are so many disturbed when the name of Jesus is mentioned? Why is His...

Easter—Should Christians Celebrate Holidays?

Author’s Note: There is always an attempt to de-emphasize the true, spiritual significance of Christian holidays and place emphasis on Santa, toys, bunnies, baskets, and candy. That is a sincere cause for concern. This article assumes that is understood. This article...

The Top 4 Reasons Why Christian Leaders Fall

These points are nothing new, but they will help us stay the course. 1. Many say, “It will never happen to me.” 1 Corinthians 10:12 reminds us that  if we think that we are standing firm, we should be careful that we don't fall. Years ago, I stumbled across a journal...

An Open Letter to Brendan Eich; Pastor Says, “You Don’t Have to Apologize”

The Christian Post reported, “After less than a month on the job, Brendan Eich has stepped down as CEO of Mozilla, the company he co-founded, amid a firestorm of criticism he's received for making a 2008 donation to support a California amendment that defines marriage...

Shootings, Violence, and Perversion: Who’s to Blame?

Is there too much sex and violence in the media? The short answer is absolutely! Simply scan the various media outlets—sex and violence surround us, and it’s not getting any better. I asked my mother for feedback and as one who has studied the breakdown of the...

Sinful Nature At War With God

Galatians 5:17 says that the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what our sinful nature desires, and that these two forces are constantly fighting against each other. As a result, our choices are rarely free from this conflict. Don’t be alarmed. The fact...

Alcohol – Liberty Has Limits

True freedom in Christ allows for personal freedoms, but most freedoms are intended to work within a framework of social responsibility (cf. Galatians 5:13). Food and beverage, for example, are good, but we are warned against extremes such as gluttony and drunkenness....

“Seven Scriptures To Improve Worship”

1. Psalms 100:4, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” Before worshiping God we’re instructed to first look within. Is jealousy, envy, or bitterness influencing my attitude? Do I have a critical spirit? Am...

“Church Hopping is often Fueled by Commercialism”

A significant number of people are switching churches and/or discarding relationships. I’ve found that judging instead of loving often plays a role as seen in a recent correspondence, “I continue to move from church to church. I can’t seem to find a place where I fit....

“Guns : What Does the Bible Say?”

Lawmakers in Washington are being pressured to restrict guns. But what we are seeing today is not a gun problem; it’s a moral problem called sin. We are witnessing the rapid deterioration of a nation. We have lost our moral compass…we have lost the fear of the Lord....

“Is Some Depression Self Inflicted?”

Pastor Offers Hope For Those Struggling With Fear, Anxiety & Depression; Says Much Is Self Inflicted “Suicide has surpassed car crashes as the leading cause of injury death for Americans. Even more disturbing, in the world’s greatest military, more U.S. soldiers...

“Does Baptism Save? No . . . Here’s Why”

Some believe that salvation occurs, not when we believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, but when immersed in water. Granted, many of the early church fathers did embrace baptismal regeneration. Even though we cherish their teachings, they were fallible...some taught that...

“An Indictment Against America”

An Indictment Against America. God Help Us. K.P. Yohannan, in his powerful book, No Longer A Slumdog, seeks to help the people of Asia. He makes a striking comparison between life in America and the slums of developing countries: “After a risky home delivery on the...

“Being Tempted Isn’t Sin – Surrendering To It Is”

“And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13). One simple story illustrates an example of an opportune time, “Alexander was trying to save all the pennies that he could in order to buy a baseball bat. But he...

“Five Lessons I Learned From Planting A Church”

Westside Christian Fellowship in Southern California arose out of a desperate need to encourage Christians to seek God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. God has graciously honored our desire and is spreading His Word. Although we are a fairly new church...

“Most Who Attend Church Are Not Worshiping God”

Most who attend church are not worshiping God, they are simply going through the motions. But what is genuine worship? Worship is a combination of attitude and acts focused on reverence to God. The Hebrew meaning denotes a “bowing down, or prostrating oneself”; it is...

“On Valentine’s Day: Married, Single, Divorced, or Separated? This Article Offers Hope”

Watch the sermon, Hope for the Hurting, here: http://vimeo.com/39250214 In the book, Sacred Thirst, the author writes, “The bride and groom are standing in front of everyone, looking better than they are ever going to look again, getting so much attention and...

“Shocking Confession: Pastor Says, ‘My Child Would Have Been 22′”

Why didn't someone do something? Those five words still haunt my thoughts today. Sometime ago, I sat speechless as I listened to a man recount his trip to a holocaust museum with his young daughter. As they walked by photos of the death camps, gas chambers, and...

“How Great Is Our God? Creation Reveals a Creator”

Christians don’t “check our brains at the door,” we simply acknowledge Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are...

“Wolves Don’t Advertise: 7 Traits of False Teachers”

By Shane Idleman. Watch accompanying sermon here: https://vimeo.com/84673779 A false teacher can be anyone in a position of spiritual authority or claiming to be. Wolves don’t often attack wolves, but they do go after sheep. They bring destructive teachings and lies...

“WARNING: This Article May Offend Many Christians” – Part II

WARNING (Part 2): This Article May Offend Many Christians (The Christian Post featured part 1 on their Facebook page. It received 35,000 views in less than a week and prompted part 2 below.) A few years ago, I had a conversation with a pastor who suggested that these...

“Duck Dynasty – Shot by the Politically Correct Police”

Phil Robertson, of Duck Dynasty fame, sparked controversy after saying that homosexual behavior is a sin. The PC (politically correct) police went on high alert and encouraged suspension from his popular A&E show for expressing views about homosexuality. "It is a...

“Christmas: Should Christians Celebrate Holidays?”

(There is always an attempt to de-emphasize the true, spiritual significance of Christian holidays and place emphasis on Santa, toys, bunnies, baskets, and candy. That is a sincere cause for concern. This article assumes that is understood. I respect those who may...

“Church Hopping is often Fueled by Commercialism”

(Excerpt from the new ebook by Pastor Shane, Desperate for More of God--the heart cry of every believer.  More about the book can be found at www.ShaneIdleman.com.) A significant number of people are switching churches and/or discarding relationships. I’ve found that...

“A Message to Church Hoppers. . . Self Examination”

A significant number of people are switching churches and/or discarding relationships. I’ve found that judging instead of loving often plays a role as seen in a recent correspondence, “I continue to move from church to church. I can’t seem to find a place where I fit....

“Who Are You to Judge Others?”

A few years ago, a news report featured a famous athlete who was considering running for political office. As soon as the news correspondent asked about abortion and gay-marriage, the potential candidate became visibly upset. He criticized Christians and ended the...