I am reading a book right now by Bill Johnson called "Face to Face With God". Meditate on this quote from the chapter I just finished:
The question for every believer is whether we will be satisfied with only a partial transformation or whether we will be so captivated by who He is that we allow Him to kill everything in us that would inhibit us from becoming a mature manifestation of Christ.
The idea that Jesus Christ limited Himself while He was on this earth is truly a paradox ... fully God yet limiting His second Person power (His power as God) for a reason ... why? I believe that all the miracles Jesus performed were done by the power of Holy Spirit (third Person power) living in Him as an example for us! He comissioned us to do even greater things (John 14:11-13) in order to displace the kingdom of Satan (the world) with the His Kingdom. Obviously we will never become a god. But a mature manifestation of Christ ... YES! The older I get, the more I am captivated by this concept. I believe there is much more to the Christian life than we know. The ministry of the Holy Spirit imparting wisdom and revelation o f the Word is not just to make us smarter (Bible knowledge) but to make us aware of unseen realities and work in the lives of people just as Jesus did ... a mature manifestation of Christ! I have been a follower of Jesus Christ for 37 years and have been in ministry most of my adult life. But I was never taught this before. Do we really know how to use the power we have been given in Acts 1:8? I am in school right now.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
My Christian Music Fast
My assignment: Doug Van Pelt, editor of HM Magazine, asked me to fast from Christian music during the month of January 2008 and listen to only non-Christian music. He then asked me to write down my experience. First, you should know a little more about me.
Background: I was raised in a Christian home. I was privileged to grow up in a solid Bible teaching church which gave me a good foundation for understanding Who Jesus Christ is and His plan for my life. I learned to love the universal Body of Christ (all living followers of Jesus Christ) and from an early age I felt a call from God to lead others to Him and build His Kingdom here on earth. I graduated from high school in 1980 and attended Bible College till 1983 because I thought God was calling me to become a pastor and missionary. Life didn't turn out like I expected. I became a heavy metal singer instead. Long story. Email if you want to know details. God gave me a heart for music ministry and in 1988 helped form SARDONYX which was an 80's power metal ministry band. Check out "Sardonyx: Holy Avenger" on YouTube to see us sharing our intense love for Jesus Christ and the audience God gave us. That was 14 years ago. I still love the Lord and I am still serving Him as a lead vocalist in another rock music ministry band called JUST RAIN.
I knew what I was getting into when Doug asked me to do this. To be honest, I felt some apprehension in even attempting this Christian music fast. Why? Because I have learned the value of surrounding myself with brothers and sisters who are also passionate followers of Jesus Christ. Just like some learn to enjoy and identify with a particular bar or pub, I find the local church to be a place of nurturing growth, grace, love and acceptance. I have to surround myself with people of like faith and motivation for life. I am quite experienced at getting lost in the sea of compromise which leads to personal sin. Exposing myself to blatant temptation isn't a good idea. My own sin nature is my worst enemy and I have to learned the value of "putting to death" the things that are warring against my love relationship with my Creator, Jesus Christ (Romans 8:12-14). I have learned that saturating my mind with things that give glory to God is the key to growth and being filled with God's manifest presence in my life (Ephesians 5:18). So when I was asked to not do this ... for a month ... it gave me some concern. I wasn't wrong ...
First, I should define a term I will be using throughout this article. Merriam-Webster Online defines "secular" as 1. a : of or relating to the worldly or temporal. Some Christians want to obliterate the term secular because they want to even the playing field in the world of modern music. They believe music is just music and should not be categorized as secular or religious. I am one to offer a different point of view. All throughout the 90's I watched Christian musicians, bands, radio shows and magazines start to talk like this because they realized that calling themselves "Christians" in a secular world would limit their popularity. That wasn't how Christian metal started in the 80's. Back then, we stood unashamed to be counted as followers of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16). But many compromised this clear public profession of faith and chose to blend in to their surroundings. As a famous person once said, "words mean things". Allow my sarcasm to push my point. The Bible draws a clear line of distinction between the secular (things of this world) and things spiritual that are true and lasting. 1 John 2, near the end of the Bible, is a clear example for you. Challenge: Read the entire chapter and see how God reminds you to make a distinction between being in the world but not being "of" the world. In fact, read the whole book of 1 John and it will blow you away. So ... please understand something ... I will use the term "secular music" in this article because I believe this is the best term to describe the music I was supposed to only listen to.
Being limited to only secular music for a month had some significantly negative effects on my daily routine. On the way to work I listened to the morning shows until the raunchy jokes started to fly. I just couldn't listen to them. It would have been a direct sin for me to listen because of what Paul taught us in Ephesians 5. How many mental images does it take to bring down you down into sin? It doesn't take many for me. I have to live in guarded repentence before God (Proverbs 16:17, 22:5). The amazing thing to me is how the message of the world's music hasn't changed in 30 years. It's still about self indulgence, arrogance and selling their music at the expense of their audience. There is no fear of God in their eyes (Romans 3:10-18). At first it's easy to get mad when I see the negative influences of the ungodly bands in the music industry and the effects they have on our culture. But when you understand the spiritual dynamic of the real enemy behind these secular musicians, it makes me cry out for them to be released from their blindness (2 Corinthians 4:4). And thier fans ... oh God, they are STILL a HUGE mission field! One of the things this Christian music fast did for me was awaken my calling for the lost within this rock/metal subculture. The leaders of the music industry who promote hedonism at the expense of people will be held accountable by God (Matthew 18:6-7). You can't be a student of the Bible and not see examples of people who actually choose to hate God and promote their way to an innocent audience. Paul taught in Philippians 2:18-19. "For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things." How much clearer can the Bible describe many of the secular musicians of our day? To be honest, it was hard for me to listen to these guys for a solid month and not have access to the music of brothers and sisters in Christ.
I work as a graphic sign artist and have the luxury of working by myself. During the month I cried out for music to feed my spirit and not tear it down. I didn't find what I was looking for in secular music. For many days I chose not to listen to music at all and worked in silence. I would listen to a station for a few minutes until a song came on which openly grieved the Holy Spirit in me and then I had to turn it off. So it was back to silence.
Did I ever find anything positive in my secular music diet? Yes. Occaisionally I would hear an interesting song which described an honest human emotion. Over the past 20 years I have known many non-Christian musicians who honestly write good music without knowing their Creator. But it breaks my heart to see them merely surviving without ambition or hope for the future. Obviously there are a lot of fabulous musicians to learn from musically. But lifestyle, personal integrity and character should be in the forefront of things we choose to pattern our lives after. For the bands and musicians in the secular world who have respect for themselves and attempt to answer some of the questions of life, I applaud them. But there are many more who are obviously searching for some kind of eternal significance. For those of us who know our Creator, we should see this as a beacon of distress. Picture a small lifeboat adrift in an icy, murky fog shooting their last flare for help into the impersonal darkness. Please allow me to remind you fellow followers of Jesus Christ that we have the answers that people are looking for as well as a command from God to make disciples of Him (Matthew 28:19-20). We cannot compromise our convictions in order to somehow "fit in" with a world which is hostile to our faith.
Philippians 2:20 says "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ," This is my identity as a follower of Jesus Christ. This is who I am. And this is who my brothers and sisters are who also know Jesus Christ. We are honored and privileged to live in this time when there is so much music available to us that builds us up in our faith instead of tears us down.
Because I am an artist and a musician called to making disciples of Jesus Christ among the rock/metal subculture, I have learned to observe from the mechanics of the world's art while guarding myself from the mindset of idolatry (Colossians 3:5). But that is always tough. I've learned the value of making reconnaissance missions into the world's territory to learn how to minister to them in a language they understand but retreating to our camp to keep focussed and strong. I've been doing this for 20 years. But not being able to listen to Christain music was like getting lost in enemy territory without knowing where my camp was. Thank God for His revealed Word to us. I spent time reading and listening to Bible teaching which helped me stay focussed. Some of you might think, "Dude, you've been a follower of Jesus for 36 years and you have a hard time staying focussed?" Yeah, that's right. The Bible says this "fight" or battle between my sin nature and the Holy Spirit living inside me will be with me till the day I die. Just before Paul died he said, "I have fought the good fight (2 Timothy 4:7-6)." That is my goal as well.
Philippians 2:12 says it well. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. That is my advice to you. Always remember that Satan's goal is to rip you to shreds (1 Peter 5:8). Do not envy evil men (James 3:16). Instead, make it your goal to lead a life of godliness because of your love for Jesus Christ. But remember, this will be the harder road and the world will persecute you for it (2 Timothy 3:12-14).
Conclusion: I am a follower of Jesus Christ and I cannot live without spiritual nourishment. Fasting from Christian music brought me to two conclusions: 1. I can learn from the world's music as a musician. 2. I can also clearly hear their heart's cry for truth. My calling and responsibility is to give them answers which are only found in the Bible.
Tom Denlinger
lightshine777@comcast.net
www.lightshineministries.com
Background: I was raised in a Christian home. I was privileged to grow up in a solid Bible teaching church which gave me a good foundation for understanding Who Jesus Christ is and His plan for my life. I learned to love the universal Body of Christ (all living followers of Jesus Christ) and from an early age I felt a call from God to lead others to Him and build His Kingdom here on earth. I graduated from high school in 1980 and attended Bible College till 1983 because I thought God was calling me to become a pastor and missionary. Life didn't turn out like I expected. I became a heavy metal singer instead. Long story. Email if you want to know details. God gave me a heart for music ministry and in 1988 helped form SARDONYX which was an 80's power metal ministry band. Check out "Sardonyx: Holy Avenger" on YouTube to see us sharing our intense love for Jesus Christ and the audience God gave us. That was 14 years ago. I still love the Lord and I am still serving Him as a lead vocalist in another rock music ministry band called JUST RAIN.
I knew what I was getting into when Doug asked me to do this. To be honest, I felt some apprehension in even attempting this Christian music fast. Why? Because I have learned the value of surrounding myself with brothers and sisters who are also passionate followers of Jesus Christ. Just like some learn to enjoy and identify with a particular bar or pub, I find the local church to be a place of nurturing growth, grace, love and acceptance. I have to surround myself with people of like faith and motivation for life. I am quite experienced at getting lost in the sea of compromise which leads to personal sin. Exposing myself to blatant temptation isn't a good idea. My own sin nature is my worst enemy and I have to learned the value of "putting to death" the things that are warring against my love relationship with my Creator, Jesus Christ (Romans 8:12-14). I have learned that saturating my mind with things that give glory to God is the key to growth and being filled with God's manifest presence in my life (Ephesians 5:18). So when I was asked to not do this ... for a month ... it gave me some concern. I wasn't wrong ...
First, I should define a term I will be using throughout this article. Merriam-Webster Online defines "secular" as 1. a : of or relating to the worldly or temporal
Being limited to only secular music for a month had some significantly negative effects on my daily routine. On the way to work I listened to the morning shows until the raunchy jokes started to fly. I just couldn't listen to them. It would have been a direct sin for me to listen because of what Paul taught us in Ephesians 5. How many mental images does it take to bring down you down into sin? It doesn't take many for me. I have to live in guarded repentence before God (Proverbs 16:17, 22:5). The amazing thing to me is how the message of the world's music hasn't changed in 30 years. It's still about self indulgence, arrogance and selling their music at the expense of their audience. There is no fear of God in their eyes (Romans 3:10-18). At first it's easy to get mad when I see the negative influences of the ungodly bands in the music industry and the effects they have on our culture. But when you understand the spiritual dynamic of the real enemy behind these secular musicians, it makes me cry out for them to be released from their blindness (2 Corinthians 4:4). And thier fans ... oh God, they are STILL a HUGE mission field! One of the things this Christian music fast did for me was awaken my calling for the lost within this rock/metal subculture. The leaders of the music industry who promote hedonism at the expense of people will be held accountable by God (Matthew 18:6-7). You can't be a student of the Bible and not see examples of people who actually choose to hate God and promote their way to an innocent audience. Paul taught in Philippians 2:18-19. "For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things." How much clearer can the Bible describe many of the secular musicians of our day? To be honest, it was hard for me to listen to these guys for a solid month and not have access to the music of brothers and sisters in Christ.
I work as a graphic sign artist and have the luxury of working by myself. During the month I cried out for music to feed my spirit and not tear it down. I didn't find what I was looking for in secular music. For many days I chose not to listen to music at all and worked in silence. I would listen to a station for a few minutes until a song came on which openly grieved the Holy Spirit in me and then I had to turn it off. So it was back to silence.
Did I ever find anything positive in my secular music diet? Yes. Occaisionally I would hear an interesting song which described an honest human emotion. Over the past 20 years I have known many non-Christian musicians who honestly write good music without knowing their Creator. But it breaks my heart to see them merely surviving without ambition or hope for the future. Obviously there are a lot of fabulous musicians to learn from musically. But lifestyle, personal integrity and character should be in the forefront of things we choose to pattern our lives after. For the bands and musicians in the secular world who have respect for themselves and attempt to answer some of the questions of life, I applaud them. But there are many more who are obviously searching for some kind of eternal significance. For those of us who know our Creator, we should see this as a beacon of distress. Picture a small lifeboat adrift in an icy, murky fog shooting their last flare for help into the impersonal darkness. Please allow me to remind you fellow followers of Jesus Christ that we have the answers that people are looking for as well as a command from God to make disciples of Him (Matthew 28:19-20). We cannot compromise our convictions in order to somehow "fit in" with a world which is hostile to our faith.
Philippians 2:20 says "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ," This is my identity as a follower of Jesus Christ. This is who I am. And this is who my brothers and sisters are who also know Jesus Christ. We are honored and privileged to live in this time when there is so much music available to us that builds us up in our faith instead of tears us down.
Because I am an artist and a musician called to making disciples of Jesus Christ among the rock/metal subculture, I have learned to observe from the mechanics of the world's art while guarding myself from the mindset of idolatry (Colossians 3:5). But that is always tough. I've learned the value of making reconnaissance missions into the world's territory to learn how to minister to them in a language they understand but retreating to our camp to keep focussed and strong. I've been doing this for 20 years. But not being able to listen to Christain music was like getting lost in enemy territory without knowing where my camp was. Thank God for His revealed Word to us. I spent time reading and listening to Bible teaching which helped me stay focussed. Some of you might think, "Dude, you've been a follower of Jesus for 36 years and you have a hard time staying focussed?" Yeah, that's right. The Bible says this "fight" or battle between my sin nature and the Holy Spirit living inside me will be with me till the day I die. Just before Paul died he said, "I have fought the good fight (2 Timothy 4:7-6)." That is my goal as well.
Philippians 2:12 says it well. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. That is my advice to you. Always remember that Satan's goal is to rip you to shreds (1 Peter 5:8). Do not envy evil men (James 3:16). Instead, make it your goal to lead a life of godliness because of your love for Jesus Christ. But remember, this will be the harder road and the world will persecute you for it (2 Timothy 3:12-14).
Conclusion: I am a follower of Jesus Christ and I cannot live without spiritual nourishment. Fasting from Christian music brought me to two conclusions: 1. I can learn from the world's music as a musician. 2. I can also clearly hear their heart's cry for truth. My calling and responsibility is to give them answers which are only found in the Bible.
Tom Denlinger
lightshine777@comcast.net
www.lightshineministries.com
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