It’s Not 42

Let it Rain

Let it rain
Let it rain
Open the floodgates of Heaven
Let it rain
(repeat until the cows come home)

1. Is Jesus mentioned?
   
   No.
   
2. Is the song clear?  Does it use full sentences or fragments?
   
   Each sentence is written in a command form with God as the implied subject.  However, the actual meaning of the song is vague and could be open to interpretation.  Typically, the intent is a command for God to pour out the Holy Spirit upon the singers.
   
3. Is the song about the things that God has done, or is it about my own emotions and experiences?
   
   The song is emotional and about what the singers want God to do.
   
4. Does the song repeat the same phrases over and over in a hypnotic mantra?
   
   Yes.  This is a classic example of what many call a “7-11 song”.  (7-11 = the same 7 lines repeated 11 times).  Let it Rain will typically begin quietly with a gradual crescendo on each repetition.  After a number of repeats, the song will climax with a much louder volume and then will finally repeat a few more times quietly.
   
5. Does the song proclaim the law in its sternness and the Gospel in its sweetness?
   The Gospel is the promise of the forgiveness of all sins won for us through Jesus’ death on the cross.  Are law and Gospel rightly divided (and not mixed up)? Is the law presented as something that we can do, or does it show us our sins? Is the Gospel conditional (based on my actions, decisions, acceptance)?
   
   The song contains no law or Gospel.
   
6. Is there any explicit false teaching?
   
   This song does not contain any teaching whatsoever.
7. Final thoughts
   Let it Rain is a popular song in many Pentecostal, charasmatic, and non-denominational churches.  Ever since Michael W. Smith, a contemporary Christian artist, recorded the song, it has gained much more attention in other denominations.  I find it unfortunate that this song’s lyrics attempt to turn God into nothing more than a genie to grant our wishes.  Rather than attempting to bend God to our will, shouldn’t we submit to his?

Breathe

This is the air I breathe
This is the air I breathe
Your holy presence
Living in me

This is my daily bread
This is my daily bread
Your very word
Spoken to me

And I … I’m desperate for you
And I … I’m lost without you

This is air I breath
This is air I breathe
Your holy presence
Living in me

This is my daily bread
This is my daily bread
Your very word
Spoken to me

And I … I’m desperate for you
And I … I’m lost without you
And I … I’m desperate for you
And I … I’m lost without you
And I … I’m desperate for you
And I … I’m lost without you
I’m lost without you
I’m lost without you
I’m lost without you
I’m lost .. without you

This is the air I breathe
This is the air I breathe

1. Is Jesus mentioned?
   
   No.
2. Is the song clear?  Does it use full sentences or fragments?
   
   This song is written with many sentence fragments.  Also, many of the main sentences begin with the word “this”, used as a demonstrative pronoun, before defining the object.  Both issues can make the song’s meaning confusing.
3. Is the song about the things that God has done, or is it about my own emotions and experiences?
   
   This song is indirectly about God, but the focus seems to be on the singer.  The air represents God’s holy presence and the bread represents God’s word.  However, the references to God seem to take a backseat to repetitious statements of being lost and desperate.  It is true that we are lost without God, but the song fails to state why we are lost and how we can be “found”.
4. Does the song repeat the same phrases over and over in a hypnotic mantra?
   
   This song is very repetitive.
5. Does the song proclaim the law in its sternness and the Gospel in its sweetness?
   The Gospel is the promise of the forgiveness of all sins won for us through Jesus’ death on the cross.  Are law and Gospel rightly divided (and not mixed up)? Is the law presented as something that we can do, or does it show us our sins? Is the Gospel conditional (based on my actions, decisions, acceptance)?
   
   The law and Gospel are both absent from this song. The song is an emotional cry to God, but it does not address the cause and solution for the being lost and desperate.  More on this in my final thoughts.
   
6. Is there any explicit false teaching?
   
   There does not appear to be any teaching whatsoever, right or wrong.   
    
7. Final thoughts
   
   Breathe has a soft, emotional melody, which is probably a primary reason for its popularity.  However, the song falls flat on actual content.  As mentioned, the singer is crying out in desperation, stating that he is lost without God.  The song never discusses why we need God, and never discusses how we reach him.
   
   The answer is that we are lost because of the sin that is in every one of us. Every one of us has broken God’s commandments and justly deserve his present and eternal punishment. The Gospel, the good news, is that Christ died for our sins. Jesus paid the penalty in our place. Faith in Jesus Christ is the only method by which we can be saved.

   “I (Jesus) am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  John 14:6

There has been a big debate in churches for a long time about the types of praise and worship songs that are sung.  Some chuch bodies stick with old classic hymns only, some churches throw out all of the old hymns in favor of modern worship, and some churches try to incorporate a blend.  What the debate frequently centers on is the worship style.  Traditional churches tend to prefer piano, organ, and a variety of classical instruments (violin, trumpet, etc).  Modern churches commonly throw out the organ and replace it with a rock band (electric guitars, drums, flashing lights, etc).

I can see a point to both sides of the style argument.  There is no place in scripture that forbids modern musical instruments.  However, should we blindly accept a song just because it is being sung in church?  Some would argue that you can sing anything you want, as long as you have good intentions and are singing it to God.  I would disagree though.  Just like we’re supposed to test what is being preached in light of scripture, I think it’s important to test what we sing in church as well.  How can we sing praises to God if we’re singing that we’re on the “Highway to Hell“?

Table Talk Radio, an online Christian radio program, occasionally does reviews of popular praise and worship songs.  Rather than evaluating the songs based on style, they examine the content of the song and use the criteria developved by Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller:

1. Is Jesus mentioned?
2. Is the song clear?  Does it use full sentences or fragments?
3. Is the song about the things that God has done, or is it about my own emotions and experiences?
4. Does the song repeat the same phrases over and over in a hypnotic mantra?
5. Does the song proclaim the law in its sternness and the Gospel in its sweetness?
   The Gospel is the promise of the forgiveness of all sins won for us through Jesus’ death on the cross. Are law and Gospel rightly divided (and not mixed up)? Is the law presented as something that we can do, or does it show us our sins? Is the Gospel conditional (based on my actions, decisions, acceptance)?
6. Is there any explicit false teaching?

I am not affiliated with Table Talk Radio, but I hope they don’t mind me borrowing their criteria as I plan to do regular reviews of both modern and classic praise/worship songs and hymns.

The lesson I’m learning is that we Americans have a right to the freedom of speech, unless we disagree with the media. If we say something the media dislikes, they discredit us through childish name calling and by digging up every mistake that we may have made in the past. In this case, it seems obvious that the media’s goal is an attempt to turn conservatives against Miss California because of her traditional marriage views.

Instead of throwing Miss California to the lions like the media wants, lets address the real issues.

• Yes, Miss California has committed sins and is a sinner.
• Homosexual behavior is a sin.
• Having sex outside of marriage is a sin (homosexual and heterosexual).
• Having lustful thoughts is a sin (homosexual and heterosexual).
• Failing to keep every one of God’s laws perfectly is a sin!!!
• We are all sinners.
• I am a sinner

The good news is that Jesus Christ died for our sins.  We are made righteous through his death burial and resurrection.  Each week in my church, we have a corporate confession:

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Let us confess our sins to God our Father.

Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word and deed, not loved you with our whole heart; we have not love our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen

Soli Deo Gratia

I read a story on Fox News today that talks about how a growing number of schools are eliminating zeros and Fs.  Instead, student’s grades are placed on hold while they are given extra time to complete or improve the assignments.  Is this a good thing?

It seems to me that these schools are taking away consequences for students who are lazy and choose to either not do the work at all, or students who makes a minimal effort.  There are legitimate cases where a student may not grasp the lesson material as easily as others.  However, I wonder how many of those instances could be resolved by the PARENTS & teachers properly teaching the children how to apply themselves.

The article:  http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,518101,00.html

This article made me think of other cases where society tries to remove consequences rather than dealing with the cause.   Rather than teaching teens that having sex, whether protected or not, can result in pregnancy or a wide variety of STDs, society passes out condoms, immunizes young girls against HPV, and encourages abortions.  Rather than exporting aliens that sneak into our country illegally, society wants to reward them with driver’s licenses and citizenship.

Rather than coming up ways to cover up mistakes, wouldn’t it be more beneficial to address the root problem?  Getting back to the original topic, don’t we sometimes learn from failure?  Failure is a difficult lesson, but it is also part of life.

Life has been busy and I haven’t had much free time to write.  I read an interesting article today on Extreme Theology though, and I wanted to share.

http://www.extremetheology.com/2009/04/the-false-of-assumption-of-decisional-evangelism.html

I’ll be posting more soon. 

Soli Deo Gloria

The Birth of Jesus Christ

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.  This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.  And all went to be registered, each to his own town.  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.  And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.  And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”  And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.  Luke 2:1-20

Peace with God Through Faith

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die — but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.  For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.  Romans 5:1-11

Soli Deo Gloria

I’ve been busy lately and haven’t had a chance to write, but seeing my wife frantically running around to prepare for Christmas motivated me to take a little time to blog. I guess that it’s typical for people to be stressed around the holidays. You have to run to the stores and fight crowds for gifts. You have to watch your finances and worry about not overspending. You have to frantically prepare food and desert items. The eventual reward is that you get to spend some (hopefully) quality time with family. However, is it all worth it?

Christmas is a time that was set aside for us to stop and reflect on the birth of Christ. More importantly, we should stop and reflect on the reason why he came — to live a perfect life and then to suffer and die on a cross to pay the penalty for OUR sins.

Instead, Christmas has turned into a holiday that is about commercialism, family togetherness, feasts, and Santa Claus.

Santa has unfortunately become the central focus of Christmas for many people, including Christians. I did believe in Santa when I was a child. My wife did not. As a result, we’ve both had to consider whether or not we would play Santa with the children that we hope to someday raise.

For the most part, I always saw Santa as a fun and innocent game that adults played with kids. However, I’ve started to reconsider.

I was seven when my sister revealed the truth about Santa. She told me that as long as our parents thought that I believed in Santa, we would get more presents. She said that she wanted me to know the truth, but that I should pretend to keep believing.

I was shocked and mad at her for telling me such a “lie”. Santa was real! My parents told me that he was real and they would never ever lie to me! My sister’s plan backfired when I went and told on her for lying. I told my mom what my sister had said and then asked if it was true. My mother grinned at me and said, “what do you think?” With that, I knew the truth.

I remember feeling betrayed. Every adult that I had ever known had lied to me my entire life. I remember questioning, “if Santa isn’t real, what about the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy?” The worst thing of all was that I even questioned the existence of God!

Last week as I listened to the Issues Etc. radio program, Pastor Todd Wilken discussed “Santa Claus theology”, meaning that the idea that many Christians have of God is similar to Santa. As Wilken put it, “He sees you when you’re sleeping. He knows when you’re awake. He knows if you’ve been bad or good, and at the end of it all, he either rewards or punishes you based on the way that you lived your life.”

As I thought about that, another thought struck me. Are we also turning Santa into a god for children? For many children, Christmas revolves entirely around Santa. Jesus is just a side item. Also, when parents describe Santa to their children, he is often given god-like attributes. Let’s consider this with scripture.

The first of the ten commandments is,

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3

I must ask again, are we turning Santa into a god?

Jesus said,

“but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” Matthew 18:6

As a Christian, I’m honestly not sure if telling children about Santa really is innocent and safe. Each parent is free to choose how he or she wishes to raise their children. However, I do not want to lie to my children. I do not want to be a reason for my children to question the existence of God. I do not want to create a false god for my children to worship.

My young nephew does believe in Santa, but fortunately I think he may have his priorities straight. The other day he changed the words to the song Santa Claus is Coming to Town. He sang…

“You’d better watch out. You’d better not cry. You’d better not pout, I’m telling you why. Jesus Christ is coming to town!”

Soli Deo Gloria

I recently listened to an interesting lecture about Emergent theology.  I thought I’d share.

From Fighting for the Faith - Emergent Errors Deconstructed

Soli Deo Gloria

My wife and I have been talking recently about our roles as Christians when interacting with unbelievers.  Specifically, my wife and I have been talking about a close friend of ours who has been broken by the church.  Our friend has had many “examples of Christ” who have failed her.  She is now bitter about church and sees Christians as hypocrites.  My wife asked one day, “do you see me as a hypocrite?”  Her friend answered no, but expressed that my wife probably looked down on her because of the way she lived.  My wife was able to say, “No!  Are you kidding?  I’m no better than you.  We’re all imperfect sinners.”  Eventually in the conversation, our friend actually asked my wife to clarify exactly what it meant to be a Christian.  My wife was able to present the gospel.

Was my wife being Jesus?  I would say no.  She was acting as a messenger in behalf of Jesus.

As I was talking with my wife today, I told her, “We’re imperfect sinners.  Jesus is the perfect Son of God.  It seems to me that if we try to be Jesus, then we’re either trying to raise ourselves up to his level, or we’re bringing him down to ours.”

Just some thoughts.

Soli Deo Gloria