CIAM Radio

Listen to today's Laugh Again with Phil Callaway, "Hide and Seek." Enjoy!

Excommunication reminds us of church wounds and harsh judgments, yet the Bible teaches it has a place. Dr. John Neufeld examines 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 to show that biblical church discipline, when done correctly, is actually an act of love. A faithful church grieves over sin and, when necessary, removes unrepentant members—not to be cruel, but to protect the church's holiness and hopefully lead the person to repentance. Paul teaches that excommunication must be done under Christ's authority, yet is always undertaken with hope for restoration.

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.

These 12 important words from Chuck Swindoll are helpful for those who are in a transition time. These words, put into practice, will leave you more secure, self-confident, and not afraid to fly free.

An emotionally health family starts with emotionally healthy individuals. Debra Fileta is a licensed counselor and mom of four. In her books, Are you Really OK? and Any Day Emotions, she equips parents and children to understand their emotions, assess their mental health, and pursue a path to wellbeing. For parents, Debra brings hope and practical tools to navigate a child’s emotions in a God-centered way.

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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Because we lived along the East Coast for so many years, we had the opportunity to see many of America's old lighthouses. I mean, we came up over the top of a hill on an interstate one day and I saw what I certainly never expected to see hundreds of miles from the ocean. It was a lighthouse with a bright, functioning light on top. Obviously, it wasn't there to point any ships in the right direction. Actually, it was part of a church that stands right near the highway. This lighthouse is for people!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Great Lighthouse Shortage."

It seems to me that Jesus intended for every church to be a lighthouse, whether or not they have a lighted tower as part of their building, as He intended for every Christian to be a lighthouse, every ministry. Tragically, there are so many lives around us headed for eternal disaster, and there is a terrible lighthouse shortage.

We know that Jesus said that those who belong to Him are "the light of the world" (Matthew 5:16). And Matthew 4:16, our word for today from the Word of God, tells us which direction our light should be pointing. Jesus says, "The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned." See, it's the people in spiritual darkness, the people who are spiritually dying who should be the focus of all this light that God has given us.

The problem is that often we're content to have all the lights inside the church, shining on those who are already headed for heaven. Meanwhile, we let countless lost people just get another day closer to hell. We do what's easy. We just work with the sheep who are already in, when Jesus said He would leave ninety-nine of those just to go out and find one lost one. But notice, you have to go out to find them. You can't just stay in the Christian cocoon waiting for someone to stick their head in the door and say, "Excuse me, but is there any light in here?" The lighthouse needs to be out where they are!

We can go to all our Christian meetings, and fellowship with all our Christian friends, and enjoy all our Christian books and programs, and we feel like we must be winning. Well, not when two-thirds of Americans can't tell you half of the Ten Commandments or who did the Sermon on the Mount! Not when the number of people who say they believe in nothing has doubled in just a few years, not when the number of those who are self-declared witches grew over 1,500% in a decade. Even in one Bible Belt state, the statistics came in this way: two-thirds of the people even there are essentially un-churched! You have working near you, living near you, going to school with you - people who have no idea that what Jesus did on the cross was for them and that He's their only hope! If our Christian subculture makes us feel like we're winning, it's the illusion of winning.

How can we be content to spend all our time with the already rescued when we're living surrounded by a sea of dying people? How can we say that we're following the One who came, as He said, to "seek and save what was lost" and not be doing that with all our heart?

If you're following Jesus, I'll tell you where He's going. He's always headed for a sea of lost people. That should be where we end up, too. Oh, it's bright inside the lighthouse, but it's very dark outside the walls.

So many headed for eternal destruction! They desperately need a lighthouse - a lighthouse that's out where they are, pointing them to life in Jesus Christ. Please, be their lighthouse!

When my two nieces were younger, they’d coax me into a game after dinner. They’d turn off all the lights in the house, and we’d shuffle through the darkness, clutching each other and laughing. They enjoyed scaring themselves by choosing to walk in the dark, knowing they could turn on the light anytime.

In his letter to the early believers in Jesus, the apostle John talked about choosing to walk in a different kind of darkness. First John 1:6 refers to sin as “darkness.” Walking in darkness isn’t a momentary lapse, but a choice to keep engaging in wrongdoing. John reminds us that our holy God “is light” and “in him there is no darkness” (v. 5). So when we claim a relationship with Him yet willfully continue sinning, “we lie and do not live out the truth” (v. 6). Jesus, the light of the world, came so that “whoever follows [Him] will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

By God’s grace, after we’ve wandered in spiritual darkness and we turn to Him in repentance, we can walk in His light again—in His ways and purposes. He will “forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Only when we live in obedience to God can we enjoy the full blessing of relationship with Him and with other believers (v. 7).

Our faith is meant to guide every area of life, including how we invest. When our hearts are set on God, our investing reflects His priorities—caring for creation, serving our neighbor, and letting what we treasure shape how we steward His resources. On the next Faith & Finance Live, Rob West and Tim Macready (Mah-KREED-ee) talk about a “Theology of Investing.” Then, it’s on to your calls. That’s Faith & Finance Live, where biblical wisdom meets today’s finances—weekdays at 4pm Eastern/3pm Central on Moody Radio.

Faith & Finance Live is a listener supported program on Moody Radio.  To join our team of supporters, click here.

To support the ministry of FaithFi, click here.

To learn more about Rob West, click here.

To learn more about Faith & Finance Live, click here.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Segment 1

• Theology isn’t just intellectual — it should change everything about how you live.

• Our eschatology teaches us to live with expectancy and purpose.

• Even ordinary encounters (like dinner with Cody Rhodes) can remind us that what you believe shapes how you behave.

Segment 2

• The postmodern church trades conviction for comfort—Jesus’ exclusivity gets downplayed.

• “Nice” replaces holy: loose morality, shallow sermons, and emotional experiences over truth.

• True churches teach on sin, repentance, and Christ alone—not self-help or motivational speaking.

Segment 3

• Modern psychology can’t cure what’s spiritual—it ignores the biblical view of the soul.

• Only the Word of God can transform the mind and bring real healing.

• Life Without the Numb (now on Fortis Plus) exposes how our culture has redefined the mind.

Segment 4

• What if we’ve accepted inferior solutions for our minds?

• Real renewal happens when God’s truth—not therapy trends—shapes our thinking.

• Life Without the Numb helps believers rediscover how God heals from the inside out.

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