CIAM Radio

Listen to today's Laugh Again with Phil Callaway, "The List of Awesome." Enjoy!

What business is the church in? Dr. John Neufeld explores 1 Corinthians 5:6-13, challenging believers to understand their true identity as God's people. Using Paul's analogy of leaven, he shows how tolerating sin transforms a church from the inside out, causing it to lose its unique identity. The church's business isn't fitting into culture to attract people—it's being the redeemed people of God who provide a hopeful alternative to a broken world.

The Gospel Alternative to the Cultures of Men: Being a Christian inevitably puts you in conflict with culture. In this three-week series, Dr. John Neufeld examines 1 Corinthians 5-7 to explore how the gospel creates a distinct counter-culture in the church. Addressing sexual purity, church discipline, and Christian identity, Dr. Neufeld challenges believers to live faithfully in a broken world—not by condemning culture, but by demonstrating Christ's transforming power through humble accountability, moral courage, and authentic community that offers hope to a watching world.

Karen DeArmond Gardner describes her 30-year abusive marriage — living with a man who was charming and overly affectionate at first but soon became a nightmare to live with. Karen explains the majority of domestic abuse is not physical; abusers also use insults, threats, control, manipulation, and other forms of emotional intimidation. Finally, after reading a Christian magazine about abuse, Karen recognized the trauma she had been accepting as “normal” and escaped her husband. Today she counsels other women who’ve experienced abuse.

Ever have a conflict of the wills between you and your child? Let’s face it: it’s easy to give kids mixed messages. We want to be consistent, but we aren’t. We say we’re going to do what we’ve planned to do, and then we don’t. To learn to be consistent, listen to these four essentials to training up your children.

Examine Romans 9 with Pastor Chuck Swindoll to understand four great truths on predestination. Reflect on God’s sovereign choice and irresistible grace.

From the Series: Romans: The Christian’s Constitution

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How churches are reaching 20- and 30-somethings, plus a woman’s quest to love her sisters in Christ, and tips for paying off student loans.

Featured musical artist:  Mosaic MSC

Roundtable: What Does Your Church Do for Young Adults?

Does your church have a strong young adult ministry? Does it have one at all? Regardless of your specific scenario, young adults belong at church, and it’s the responsibility of church leadership plus young professionals (that’s you!) to ensure that you’re fed, included, serving, giving and committing. What does that look like? What are some creative ways to reach and enfold 20- and 30-somethings into the life of your local body of believers? Our panel of two young adult leaders and one pastor to young adults gives tips for being seen and heard and then engaging with your church community. 

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Culture: The Power of Women Helping Women

As a former worship leader, Natalie Runion has lots of experience with the highs and lows of Christian service and culture. But when her pastor offered her a women’s ministry role, she panicked. “I don’t even like women!” she blurted in response. Over time, God changed her heart, and she’s now seen God use her role in women’s ministry in ways she never expected. In our candid conversation, Natalie gives inspiration and advice for women to nurture and lift up other sisters in Christ — and then see what God does. 

 I Don’t Even Like Women: And Other Lies That Get in the Way of Sacred Sisterhood

Inbox: Strategies for Paying Off Student Loans 

Many grads spend years, if not decades, paying off their student loans. Is there a way to short-circuit the process and get ahead? Financial expert Jay Blackman weighs in.  

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There are some things that are just tough to advertise - like things people need but don't want to think about. Like insurance to pay your funeral expenses some day. Well, a local insurance agency gave it a good try in the newspaper ad they ran. In bold letters it said, "FINAL PAYMENT." It went on to make a case for doing something now to take care of the last obligation of your life. Of course, that ad had a serious inaccuracy.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Your Bill With God."

According to the Bible, there is still one more bill to pay after the funeral. It's the payment for all those me-first life choices that the Bible calls "sin." In God's words, "Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). The payment for running our own lives is an eternal payment. But like that final payment for your funeral expenses, you can do something now to take care of that awful obligation once and for all.

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9, and it graphically explains the terrible final payment for sin, and it suggests the way to remove it. These are sobering words from the One who will be your Judge and mine. It says, "The Lord Jesus will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of His power."

Everlasting destruction - shut out from God's presence. I know we don't like the idea of hell, but it doesn't change the reality of it. If you don't have life forever, there's just one alternative-living death forever. But that's not what God wants for you. It's not what He wants for anyone.

He says in the Bible, "This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" (1 John 4:9-10). In other words, God loves you so much that He sent His Son to take on all the punishment for every sin you have ever done. Your final payment was paid by Jesus Christ on His cross!

That's the "Gospel," the good news. God said the ones who would never see Him (never see heaven) are those who "do not obey the Gospel (the good news) of our Lord Jesus." That Gospel calls upon us to grab Jesus as our Savior like a drowning person would grab a lifeguard to save them.

That's why the Bible bottom lines the most important decision you will ever make in these words, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved." That's "believe" as in totally trusting Him as your only hope for having your sins forgiven, for going to heaven someday.

Have you ever consciously given yourself to Jesus to be your Savior from your sins? If not, does it make any sense to wait any longer? Not when eternity's at stake, and eternity can begin any time. If you want to trust Jesus as your rescuer from your sin and from its penalty - the One who died for you - would you tell Him you're His from this day on - that you're pinning all your hopes on Him to forgive your sins and to guarantee you eternal life someday?

Only He can rescue you. That's why we've really dedicated our website to helping you know and be sure that you have begun this life-saving relationship. It's ANewStory.com. Please go there today.

The final payment is one God doesn't want you to pay. He sent His Son to pay it for you. But He leaves the choice in your hands, and that choice will determine your eternity.