Is This Our Last Stand—Our Last Chance?

Is This Our Last Stand—Our Last Chance? by Pastor, Shane Idleman

Nearly all Christians understand something is off—way off—and that we can no longer confuse God’s patience with His approval. 

America thinks that she is following God, but she is not. We are drowning in a cesspool of moral filth: “The wicked freely parade and prance about while evil is praised throughout the land” (Psalm 12:8).

Recently, I had the privilege of meeting with other Christian leaders at a pivotal event spearheaded by James Robinson in Dallas Fort Worth, Texas. In addition to focusing on the absolute necessity of biblical unity, we also discussed the urgent need for God to awaken His church and what that may look like. I’ve listed a few key takeaways below. A sermon by the same title will also be posted here.

Changing the Label Only Strengthens the Poison

The Titanic has been struck but God doesn’t want us to run, but to rescue—shepherds, for example, must lead the flock, not leave the flock. Our apathy, arrogance, and capitulation has only allowed the culture to change the label,  strengthening the poison.

Let me explain with this example from J. Wilburn Chapman from the late 1800s:

“A distinguished Methodist minister preached on sin, and one of his church officers afterwards came into his study to see him. He said to the minister, ‘Mr. Howard, we don’t want you to talk as plainly as you do about sin, because if our boys and girls hear you talking so much about sin they will more easily become sinners…do not speak so plainly about sin’.” 

“Then my friend took down a small bottle and showed it to the visitor. It was a bottle of strychnine and was marked ‘poison’. The minister said, ‘I see what you want me to do. You want me to change the label. Suppose I take off this label of poison and put on some mild label, such as the essence of peppermint.”

“Did you see what happened? The milder you make the label, the stronger you make the poison.”

In the same way, we cannot continue poisoning truth, sexuality, the family, justice, and other foundational issues by changing the label. We are engaged in a war of words; we must speak the truth in love.

Have We Offended God?

Today many say, “Don’t talk about sin because it offends people.” In our zeal to not offend, have we stopped to consider whether we have offended God? I can assure you that we have.

Like in Israel’s days, an astonishing and horrible thing has happened to America: Bible teachers tickle the ears rather than challenge the heart and Americans love to have it so. But what will we do in the end? (Cf. Jeremiah 5:30-31).

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