(The modern Christian\u2019s obsessive love affair with music.)<\/p>\n
Remember this old song? The chorus begins with:<\/p>\n
\u201cLet us have a little talk with Jesus,
\nLet us tell Him all about our troubles.\u201d<\/p>\n
The song goes on to mention a \u201cprayer wheel.\u201d A prayer wheel is a Buddhist originated instrument with mantras written on it. The writer of the song, Cleavant Derricks, likely did not know that fact. In the early part of the last century some Christians, including Billy Graham, openly used prayer wheels.[i]Apparently, according to a recent discovery of the Liesborn Prayer Wheel, the use of a prayer wheel in Christianity goes back to the 12thcentury. It has been defined as a map of \u201cthe soul\u2019s journey to God\u201d or \u201ca Christian way of life,\u201d a \u201cmeditation aid\u201d and \u201ca study guide.\u201d[ii]I advise against spinning a prayer wheel to \u201chave a little talk with Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, millions of people, including me, have sung that song with gusto not realizing that, although it was entertaining, it did not contain solid doctrine. In fact, if we consider all the troubles or the seriousness of our trials, we may need much more than a \u201clittle talk with Jesus\u201d to \u201cmake it right.\u201d We should know that God\u2019s word instructs us to pray to God, not to Jesus\u2014but we pray in Jesus\u2019 name. It is also a fact that Jesus is not \u201ca friend that guides us day and night,\u201d but the Holy Spirit is our guide.<\/p>\n
The song represents what is wrong with so-called Gospel music, and Christian music in general. Please do not misunderstand me. There are some godly singers and songwriters in Christian music and I\u2019m personally acquainted with a few of them. But merely because a song is appealing, well sung, and stirs our emotions does not make it sound doctrine. As it is with preaching and teaching, it takes a genuine relationship with God to write songs with substance. Reading an old hymnbook often makes me weep at the richness of line after line saturated with meaning.<\/p>\n
I often hear Christian songs that are not only void of any helpful substance, but are pollinated with heresy. Some Contemporary Christian Music could be sung in a nightclub, or a New Age church. Amy Grant, dubbed the \u201cQueen of Contemporary Christian Music,\u201d once said that the best Christian songs were \u201cgod\/girlfriend\u201d songs, i.e., songs that could be sung to God or your girlfriend. No thanks!<\/p>\n
Now this may be controversial, but it needs to be said. Numerous professing Christians have apostatized and many are daily falling like autumn leaves onto the path of heresy. It is not only because of heresy from the pulpits, or a lack of doctrine in their personal lives, but the tremendous obsession with heretical music.<\/p>\n
Music has moved numerous churches away from a focus on God\u2019s word and the leading of the Holy Spirit. In cases I am aware of where music has become the main attraction, the obligatory sermon is casually tacked on at the end. Obsession with music has become so powerful that music by groups associated with dangerously heretical churches is completely accepted.<\/p>\n
Several years I had a conversation with a young man concerning Bethel Music. The young man argued that because the musicians were very talented and their music contained what he considered to be sometruth, that I was wrong to condemn them.<\/p>\n
What if you were very hungry and Satan handed you somebread? To ignore the source is to ignore the intent, which is to ignore the danger.<\/p>\n
Ever wonder if Satan or demons can sing? If Satan could sing, would he sing a Christian song? Would it be sung well, enormously appealing, and perhaps rise to the top of the music charts?<\/p>\n
Yes, Satan would sing, and most likely does so. He might sing, \u201cJesus Loves Me\u201d with sarcaism dripping as posion slobber from a Kmodo Dragon. Or he may croon a poetic and captivating song with a psuedo-Christian hook. Our flesh may want to weep, dance, or sing along when we heard the music. We might even raise our hands in worship.<\/p>\n
Finally, the australian musical Megachurch, Hillsong, recently became a denomination. I believe that it is the first denomination not founded on a great revival, the efforts of godly Christians, or on a biblical belief system, but on music. It was not bad music in the beginning, but it became bad as they became large and popular. Their doctrine became laced with heresy, the musical presentations became secular in style, and even salacious, and they continue to grow numerically.<\/p>\n
We should expect nothing less in the last days period of great deception and apostasy. The pragmatism of using whatever means necessary to lure people into a building does nothing to get them into God\u2019s kingdom.<\/p>\n
The \u201csiren song\u201d inHomer’s\u00a0Odysseypromised to Odysseus that he would know great truths and live to tell them. However, the siren\u2019s song lulled sailor\u2019s to sleep, and then the sirens would tear them to pieces.<\/p>\n
“Their song, though irresistibly sweet, was no less sad than sweet, and lapped both body and soul in a fatal lethargy, the forerunner of death and corruption.” \u2013 Walter Copland Perry; Wikipedia<\/p>\n
Likewise, music capturing the hearts, indeed souls, of Christian generations is very alluring, compelling, and seductive. That appears to be the only standard by which it is deemed good and acceptable. I am a musician and songwriter, so music has a strong pull on my spirit. I know the experience of being hooked on music because of its carnal attraction rather than its spiritual benefit. Therefore, I can explain from experience that the power of the unregulated and unaccountable music industry is no minor issue.<\/p>\n
The Apostle Paul wrote to a church that majored on emotion, man worship, and even toleration of incest, rather than sound doctrine and practices.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor I determined not to know anything among you\u00a0except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.\u201d (1 Corinthians 2:2)<\/p>\n
Pentecostalism and the Charismatic Movement are prone to major on emotion. I have witnessed emotional frenzy whipped up by music in church meetings. The belief was that the Holy Spirit had arrived. No wonder the Seekers and other Millennials believe that the Holy Spirit arrives with the grinding, throbbing, rhythms of the worship band, and departs when the noise subsides.<\/p>\n
Do not be deceived, beloved! This is a period of great, intense, and supernaturally clever deception. It would be a disaster to stumble this close to the finish line. When we begin to regard music more than God\u2019s word then we desire the \u201cdessert\u201d much more than the main meal. We may as a result spiritually rot on the vine. But addiction to the \u201cdessert\u201d could be the very reason that people have gravitated to music-oriented church meetings. Consequently, God\u2019s word has been relegated to low priority, and truly biblical and anointed preaching is deemed boring and even repulsive. Godly preachers and teachers are considered expendable.<\/p>\n
Please consider that not in one scripture that pertains to faith, spiritual growth and maturity, the salvation of souls, and God\u2019s gifts of leadership, mentions \u201cmusic ministry,\u201d \u201cworship leaders,\u201d or even of music as having any spiritual benefit in ministry. \u00a0Why then has modern Christians consigned God ordained ministry subordinate to music?<\/p>\n
The Apostle Paul wrote:<\/p>\n
\u201cAll things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.\u201d \u2013 1 Corinthians 6:12<\/p>\n
Edify: Greek; oikodome\u014d, build up, construct, establish. Biblical usage includes; to found, establish, to promote growth in Christian wisdom, affection, grace, virtue, holiness, blessedness, to grow in wisdom and piety.<\/p>\n
The question is, how far is this musical perversion of Christianity going to go? It go as far as Satan wishes to take it. And who\u2019s going to stop him now that professing Christians have accepted his standard for determining good and evil? Where it is going is out of the realm of fidelity to and respect for God\u2019s word and into the realm of the primacy of flesh with religion tagging along on a leash. For example, some churches are involved in \u201cBeer and Hymn Night,\u201d where they guzzle the suds and sing like duds. Shame on the leaders for allowing this to occur, and without even a mild protest!<\/p>\n
When individuals decide that gratifying the flesh is the best way to be a Christian, Christianity becomes nothing more than a cruise ship without rules on the open sea. Professing Christians taking that cruise will have much to be ashamed of when they stand before God.<\/p>\n
[i]The History of Christianity in 25 Objects: Billy Graham\u2019s Prayer Wheel<\/p>\n
Tim Challies, Challies.com, March 13, 2014<\/p>\n
[ii]How Readers Solved the Mystery of the Prayer Wheel, Religion News Service, May 5, 2015<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(The modern Christian\u2019s obsessive love affair with music.) Remember this old song? The chorus begins with: \u201cLet us have a little talk with Jesus, Let us tell Him all about our troubles.\u201d The song goes on to mention a \u201cprayer wheel.\u201d A prayer wheel is a Buddhist originated instrument with mantras written on it. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","post-preview"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paIm2N-st","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.truthkeepers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1765"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.truthkeepers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.truthkeepers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.truthkeepers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.truthkeepers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1765"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.truthkeepers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1765\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1766,"href":"https:\/\/www.truthkeepers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1765\/revisions\/1766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.truthkeepers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.truthkeepers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.truthkeepers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}