Articles

“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...

“Strange Fire (Day 1): A Plea For The Middle”

I thoroughly enjoyed day one of the Strange Fire conference...Dr. MacArthur and R.C. Sproul have been forerunners of solid christian teaching in our generation. My article is not to critique, but to plead—plead for the middle ground in regard to the power of the Holy...

“The Church Has 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.) A few years ago, I had a conversation with a pastor who suggested that these articles are written from a position of fear. I agree…I believe that these...

God’s At War: Sex, Money, Power & Addiction – Part III

god’s at war: food—friend or foe? Part 3 in a series. In part one and two, I made the following statement: “God’s at War”; The title says it all. Author of the book, Kyle Idleman, states, “What if I told you that every sin you are struggling with is because of...

God’s At War: Sex, Money, Power & Addiction – Part II

In part one, I made the following statement: “God’s at War”; The title says it all. Author of the book, Kyle Idleman, states, “What if I told you that every sin you are struggling with is because of idolatry.” He is absolutely correct...idolatry is a consistent...

Bathroom Bill: Fiction is now Fact

On August 12, 2013, Governor Jerry Brown did what to many of us would be unthinkable. He signed AB1266 into law. When I first heard of this proposed legislation, I gave it little thought other than disbelief at the suggestion...never thinking that the proposal would...

God’s At War: Sex, Money, Power & Addiction

“God’s at War.” The title says it all. Author of the book, Kyle Idleman, states, “What if I told you that every sin you are struggling with is because of idolatry.” He is absolutely correct...idolatry is a consistent distraction for God’s people. God is crystal clear...

Overcoming Sin…The Battlefield Is The Mind

The enemy rarely pushes us off the cliff, so to speak. We’re often led down one step at a time, one compromise at a time, one wrong choice at a time. For example, the enemy doesn’t show a young couple the pain and anguish and the years of regret that an abortion...

MONEY: Is it Servant or Master?

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21 Throughout the centuries, the church has watched as the pendulum swung between two thoughts: vows of poverty and the “prosperity gospel.” In times past, Christians equated oaths of poverty with...

Many Do Not Seek God. 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...

Understanding the Law Through Grace

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore...

The Deception and The Cost of Carnality

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste (influence), how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world...let your light shine before...

The Difference Between Happiness and Joy

In the years preceding my decision to commit my life to Christ, I was restless and unhappy. I thought that a move would help; therefore, I would often spend time in the mountains or at the beach, but the void never left. It would be years later before I would...

“Why Didn’t Someone Do Something?” Haunting

This article was chosen as one of the top 10 winners of the 2012 Amy Writing Awards (http://amyfound.org/) “There is no nation on earth powerful enough to accomplish our overthrow. Our destruction, should it come at all, will be from another quarter. From the...

An Urgent Fourth of July 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...

Doesn’t the Bible say judge not? Yes & No

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...

“Do False Teachers Still Exist Today?”

“Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have...

“Men: don’t be deceived—knowing is not doing!”

A young Podcast listener recently wrote, “My dad is so self-absorbed that he doesn't notice that we are dying spiritually, relationally, and emotionally. He acts like we are an inconvenience, and is very disrespectful to my mother. At church, he says all the right...

“Avoid These Three Destructive Influences”

Speaking from personal experience and observation, many sabotage their lives through these three destructive forces. According to 1 John 2:16 (paraphrased), they are …the lust of the flesh (what we crave), the lust of the eyes (what is pleasing to the eye) and the...

“Our Only Hope—A Mighty Move Of God’s Spirit”

The need to address revival and the vital role of the Holy Spirit is as relevant today as it has been throughout church history. As America falls deeper into depravity and further from God, the need to be awakened from our spiritual slumber has never been greater. Our...

Do you truly want revival? Most say “no”

"We need to close every church in the land for one Sunday and cease listening to a man so we can hear the groan of the Spirit which we in our lush pews have forgotten” (Leonard Ravenhill).       A genuine revival is God reviving His people—“Wilt thou not revive us...

The Truth About Repentance Will Set You Free

“You can be certain that at the forefront of every significant recovery from backsliding...the doctrine of repentance has been among the precious truths that God has quickened and used” (Richard Owen Roberts). Believe it or not, many Christian leaders are seeking to...

How can we avoid counterfeits and false teachers?

Although disheartening, society’s trend away from God’s Word and absolute truth is not surprising. The apostle Paul warned of this many years ago: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine (God’s Word), but according to their own desires … they...

Christian Leaders Continue To Drift From Truth

“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” (2 Timothy 4:3). It’s not my practice to name names, but I...

“The Cure For Fear, Anxiety, And Depression”

“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 died last year by suicide than in combat,“ wrote David Kupelian, in his article entitled: Americans...

Sex Before Marriage—Yes, No, or Maybe So?

References to sexual experiences in the Bible are sometimes defined as “he knew his wife.” To know, in this context, is to know intimately through sexual experience. Regrettably, for those who experience sex before marriage, it is impossible to un-know what is known....

“Christians, Catholics, Mormons, JW’s…whose truth is true?”

Historical Christianity is built primarily on two foundations: Jesus is God and the inerrancy of the Bible. We can’t be united if we are divided on these foundational issues. This article may help to better understand differences, and why we can’t “just all get...

“Breaking News: Media Halts Coverage of Serial Killer”

Quoting the Family Research Council, “It has all the makings of a riveting courtroom drama: The man on trial is charged with killing seven children and a young mother in a filthy, blood-splattered building near Philadelphia. Over the course of several years, he preyed...

“Wanna be like Mike? Think Again!”

In celebration of Michael Jordan's 50th birthday, ESPN senior writer Wright Thompson spent some time with M.J. Thompson gives the sense that Jordan isn't happy. "I would give up everything now to go back and play the game of basketball," Jordan laments. When asked how...

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...

“Pastors: Speak as a Dying Man to Dying Men”

A few years back, I listened in astonishment as some prominent “Christian leaders” talked about replacing “preaching” with “having a conversation.” At first, I thought that they might be confusing individual conversations with how we should speak to the masses, but I...

“The Price of Pleasure: War Against the Soul”

Society’s influence on the church is very alarming. In times past, the hero was the father, not Edward (from Twilight). The greatest influence was the mother, not Bella. Kids once quoted Scriptures; now they are casting spells. What a sad commentary on the state of...

Have We Lost The Fear of the Lord? Yes!

J.C. Ryle (1816-1900) once said that true Christians must stand guard as soldiers on enemy ground. The problem is that many love the world and do not fear God. They believe in heaven but they don’t truly long for it. They “say” that they fear God but they don’t live...

GUNS—What Does the Bible Say?

Rev. Gary Hall recently called on lawmakers in Washington to stop fearing the gun lobby and fulfill their “moral duty” to restrict guns: “Everyone in this city seems to live in terror of the gun lobby,” Hall said. “But I believe that the gun lobby is no match for the...

Genuine worship—don’t run from it, run to it!

As mentioned last week, most who attend church are not truly worshipping God—they are simply going through the motions. Those who have truly experienced God worship Him...it’s a byproduct of genuine faith. Our lifestyle should reflect a heart of worship. This is not...

“Worship—the thermometer of the heart”

“It is appropriate to ask whether there is much genuine, deep, heartfelt worship in our churches. In many evangelical churches people do not truly worship God...If genuine worship is lacking in our churches, we should ask how we can bring ourselves to experience much...

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...

Questions to Consider Before Entering The Ministry

1-15-2013: As a new church plant with a two and a half year history, I am often asked about planting churches, pastoring, and choosing leaders. Among these questions, choosing the lead pastor often arises. This will be the focus of the article. In general, those...

Marriage & Divorce—the walls built to protect may imprison

Part four in a series ... As stated last week: A Focus on the Family newsletter stated that when a research team studied 5,232 married adults who were interviewed in the late 1980s, they discovered that 645 of them were unhappily married. Five years later, these same...

“WARNING: This Article May Offend”

“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...

Marriages are failing because the foundation has weakened

Part three in a series on marriage... Throughout my teen years, I worked with my father in the under-ground construction business. My dad’s closest friends, builders respected for their work, were very careful in preparing the ground and laying the foundation....

Christmas—the tree, the cost, and the cross

“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). There is a significant shift in the church today to avoid controversial truths, such as sin. God’s Word says to confront, confess, and turn from sin,...

“Divorce—Don’t Twist Scripture to Make it Fit”

Part two in a series on marriage. Perhaps one of the most difficult Scriptures dealing with divorce or separation is found in 1 Corinthians 7:10-11, “A wife must not leave her husband. But if she does leave him, let her remain single or else go back to him. And the...

“Adultery—God can restore if repentance occurs”

The marriage series articles and the sermon series videos on our website are the most requested from our local and national audience; therefore, I'm revisiting the series to close out 2012. Here is part 1: The Bible describes the intoxicating power of passion...

What Are The Signs of a Healthy Church?

There are many signs of a healthy church such as the proclamation of truth, community outreach, spiritual growth, and so on, but powerful prayer and deep conviction should top the list. This will be my focus. Every year, I try to spend a few days alone in a cabin to...

Why have I lost my passion for life?

As a pastor, I often hear this statement. Responses differ depending on the situation, but one thing is clear: Our passion and purpose, along with obedience to God, are closely interwoven. Problems arise when we seek comfort, convenience, money, status, or recognition...

“Vampire, Occult Entertainment Going Too Far?”

By Shane Idleman This week, the Christian Post ran the following headline: ‘Vampire, Occult Entertainment Going Too Far? Christian Leaders Urge Action’. The article captured the words of Steve Wohlberg, director of White Horse Media: "[These programs] will only...

What is the Gospel. . . How can I be saved?

As a pastor, I’m often asked, “How can I be saved?” The Romans Road to salvation has been very helpful during these types of conversations—it uses verses from the book of Romans to explain, not only why we need salvation, but how a person is saved. The first signpost...

What should a Christian’s political stance be?

As America falls deeper into self-reliance and further from reliance on God, our need for Him has never been greater. It’s been said that one of the greatest mission fields in the world today is the United States. This is largely due to the fact that awe and respect...

Christians: Engage, not enrage the culture

“Of the 22 civilizations that have appeared in history, 19 of them collapsed when they reached the moral state America is in today" (Arnold Toynbee; historian). As stated last week, if we fail to contend for what is right, we may see a time in our history when our...