Shane Idleman is the founder and lead pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship in Lancaster, California, just North of Los Angeles. Shane's sermons, articles, books, and radio program can all be found at shaneidleman.com or wcfav.org. He is the author of Feasting & Fasting, If My People, Desperate for More of God, and Help! I'm Addicted. Follow him on Facebook at: facebook.com/confusedchurch. You can also follow Pastor Shane on the new free speech platform Parler https://parler.com/profile/ShaneIdleman/posts.
Why would we fear encountering God in powerful and profound ways? To be stoic and stiff is fine for a graveyard but not for a dynamic worship service. I wonder if these types of people would be embarrassed if they were in the upper room when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples on that historic day in Acts 2?
It’s possible to be “Bible taught,” but not “Spirit-led”—straight as a gun barrel theologically, but just as empty.
Don’t misunderstand. We need sound doctrine. Our motto at Westside Christian Fellowship is “Times Change, Truth Does Not,” but we also desperately need the power of the Spirit. It’s possible to be “Bible taught,” but not “Spirit-led”—straight as a gun barrel theologically but just as empty.
Our decisions either fuel the fires of revival or quench the Spirit—we either rejoice in God and walk in His Word or grieve the Spirit by disobeying. The choice is ours.
Nationwide revivals begin with personal revivals—believers one by one begin to seek God again, and before long, there are family revivals, and then churchwide revivals, and then community revivals. Yes, it can happen, but the seeds must be planted by individual members of the body. In other words, it begins with you.
Make the choice today and turn your life completely over to Him. Your anguish over sin will be turned into tremendous peace and joy: “Who the Son sets free is free indeed” (John 8:36).
This type of waiting expects something to happen and waits patiently for it. When we wait and pray, anger doesn’t influence us, impatience doesn’t drive us, impulse doesn’t derail us, and fear doesn’t stop us
A “prophet,” as mentioned in the Bible, can be anyone in a position of spiritual authority or claiming to be. They are not to be elevated or idolized. We follow Christ, not men.
In these dire times, many are looking to the church to offer hope, but true hope and peace only come through conviction of sin and deep repentance. This is how we will truly change our nation.
Students often miss the critical connection between America’s unparalleled greatness, her rise to world leadership, and the spiritual foundation that made it possible. This should concern us.
