Tom Denlinger

Do NOT Envy EVIL MEN!

2009-03-28T04:14:00.000-07:00

This blog is written to people who have yielded their lives to Jesus Christ. It is not for people who do not consider themselves to be followers of Jesus. The Bible teaches that everyone who confesses Jesus Christ as Lord (Romans 10:9) receives God's Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19) and a new nature (2 Corinthians 5:17). Having the Holy Spirit living in you gives you spiritual discernment to understand what the Bible is teaching. If you are not a follower of Jesus, you do not have the Holy Spirit living in you (Romans 8:9). This is what the Bible teaches. Therefore you will not be able to fully understand or accept what I have written if you do not belong to Jesus Christ.

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14.

The bottom line is this: If you are not a follower of Jesus Christ, you might as well not even try to understand what I have writen here. In fact, it will probably tick you off because I am talking about your heroes and why the Bible calls them "evil men" and women.

My goal for this blog is to challenge my fellow brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ that your choices in life always have an effect on your relationship with God ... both positively and negatively.

Who are your heroes? Who do you consider yourself to be a "fan" of? Who do you "envy"? Who do you think are so cool that you pattern yourself after them? And if you think this way, I am going to challenge you that your thinking is not pleasing to God nor will it lead you to spiritual maturity and intimacy with God. In fact, it will only keep you entangled by sin which will lead you to misery and shame later in your life. Do you wonder why the Christian life "just isn't working" for you? Then read on ...

God is clear in His Word. Yes, He loves the world (John 3:16) and desires that all men and women be reconciled with Him (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). But He also is very clear that He sees some men and women as "evil". Yes, I said "evil". Do you want to see an interesting word study? Check out this to see how many times the words "evil men" are used in the Bible.

Evil men/women are not just normal people who are living life and trying to find truth and a reason for their existence. The Bible uses terms like "enemies of the cross" that quite literally defines them as people who have made conscious choices to live in opposition to God, His Word (the Bible) and His people (followers of Jesus). Question: How can a follower of Jesus Christ also be a follower of people who live their lives in opposition to Him?

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. Philippians 3:18-19

Who are your heroes? Can any of your heroes be described as "enemies of the cross"? If so, on the authority of God's Word, I have to tell you that you are making a HUGE mistake. I have seen many. many people get discouraged in their Christian experience because they have not learned this lesson. You cannot pattern your life after men/women who do not love God. If you do, your relationship with Jesus Christ will not work! Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us us to "put off" everything that entangles us and "fix our eyes on Jesus". How can we become like Jesus when we think people who are in opposition to Him are cool?

For example: I grew up watching Clint Eastwood westerns and thinking he was cool. But as I grew closer to Jesus I realized that the gunfighter who killed everyone who crossed him was not someone who would help me become more like Jesus. By the way - I am not saying Clint Eastwood is an "evil man". I am simply pointing out that the character he played (the outlaw Josey Wales) was someone many people patterned their life after. This is a problem for the follower of Jesus because everything Josey Wales stood for was in opposition to the teachings of Jesus.

I have seen many, many rock stars influence fellow brothers and sisters in Christ in the same way. Let's be clear - I have learned as a musician to respect and learn from people's musical talent while being very discriminating of their choices to turn people away from God. It really hurts me to see followers of Jesus Christ calls themselves fans of people who are obvious "enemies of the cross". For example: I know several people who call themselves Kiss fans even though the band is committed to leading people away from Jesus and into a life of sin. Gene Simmons has a deep disdain for followers of Jesus Christ. How can any follower of Jesus think he and his band are cool when they promote hedonism and anti-Christian attitudes? Years ago, Rob Halford (singer of Judas Priest), sang sexual lyrics that should have alarmed "fans" who knew that the Bible teaches us to live a life of righteousness. But as time went on we realized that Mr. Halford wasn't really speaking of his love for sex with women but rather he was promoting a homosexual agenda. Today he is a militant homesexual activist yet I know of people who claim to be followers of Jesus who call themselves Rob Halford's "fan". Maybe we should talk about a defintition of terms or something because this totally boggles my mind. Understand clearly that I will not call myself a "fan" or "follower' of any man or woman who is actively promoting a lifestyle that is in opposition to God's Word. Dimebag Darrell is not partying in hell folks! And I cry out to you not to pattern your thinking after men like these. The Bible refers to these men as "evil men" who set their hearts against the things of God!

Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish. They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. 2 Peter 2:11-13

Two years ago "Hannah Montana" (Miley Cyrus) was an innocent little Walt Disney girl and my daughter was drawn to her. We even let her put a poster on her wall. But now I am seeing a transformation taking place as Miley is becoming more sensual and provocative. I pray to God that she doesn't become the next Brittany Spears. I am actively involved in my daughter's life and I am encouraging her to see this "slippery slope" that Miley Cyrus is getting close to. We have to make these choices when to "pull the plug" on who we let influence our lives and our children's lives. Sometimes we have to take drastic measures and completely cut off certain influences that drag us down.

What "drastic measures" are you taking in your life? What CDs have you chosen to get rid of? What TV shows have you chosen not to watch? What idol have you chosen to "smash" in your life? Why is this important? Because as followers of Jesus Christ, God tells us that we are not of this world.

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Philippians 3:20-21

Hebrews 12:1-2 says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Please consider the possibility that you are being influenced by this world more than you realize. Ask God to reveal the dangers of envying people who are living in opposition to those who follow Jesus Christ. Ask God to give you wisdom not to fall into this trap.

Do YOU Love the Body? - Part 2

2009-01-09T11:05:00.000-08:00

So once you understand the fact that every follower of Jesus Christ or Christian is in the process of being conformed into the image of Jesus, it should be easier to understand how you fit into the "BIG PICTURE". You are just as imperfect as all the other "stupid" people are. And actually ... most of us realize over time that we can also be pretty stupid sometimes too. So lets consider some other things ...

I want to make it very clear that you are responsible for you. When you stand before God you will give an account for what you have done on this earth. And you will give an account what you have not done. Read Matthew 25:14-46 for a reference. You will give an account for every idle word spoken (Matthew 12:36). So don't you think it is wise not to base your salvation on someone else's relationship with God? And it's also kinda stupid to reject God by someone else's blunders as well. A friend of mine said once that when someone says, "I don't go to church because of all the hypocrites!" you should reply, "you are welcome ... there is always room for one more!"

Do you get it yet?

You are responsible for you! You will someday give an account to God for your life - not anyone else's. So don't you think it would be smart to figure out how to maximize your time on earth in order to experience all of God's rewards when you stand before Him? That's my goal for my life - plain and simple!

But there is a deeper point. Once you learn your place in the Body of Christ and you realize the process that you are being put through (to become like Jesus) is happening to everyone in the Body of Christ simultaneously, it makes you feel like you are really part of something.

I'll be honest, I fall apart when I see people genuinely going front to give their lives to God in a public meeting. If you ever saw the movie "Joshua" I lost it when Joshua healed that blind girl in the tent meeting. I absolutely trembled with tears. I yearn to see people healed and set free from the bondage of the enemy. For years I wondered why I felt like that. Later God revealed to me that He was the one who gave me a sensitive heart for people. I can honestly say that without the Holy Spirit living in me, I probably would not be like that. It's not something I have learned to do or be. Instead it's His working in me that gives me a heart for people. Do you know what I mean? Has God given you a love for people?

But loving people is only the start. Once a person gives their life to Jesus Christ they start going through that process that shakes them down and finds out if they really experienced the truly life transforming work of the Holy Spirit or whether it was simply a whim of theirs to "try something new". Time always tells doesn't it. When the honeymoon is over and following Jesus Christ isn't as cool as they expected it to be people start thinking twice. In the whole process, people stand back and watch ... and criticize ...

Do you criticize the Body of Christ? Even worse - did you ever criticize a follower of Jesus Christ to a person who does not know God? Wow! That is a HUGE mistake. I can you story upon story when this happened in my circle of relationships and every single time it brought shame to the Body of Christ which ultimately brought shame to Jesus. Many people who are not followers of Jesus Christ turn away from giving their lives to Jesus because of the gossip they hear from Christians!

A couple years ago I was shocked at the number of Christians who said they thought the movie "Saved" was a good movie. One person said he thought it was as good as the "Passion of the Christ". For the life of me I do not understand that. "Saved" was a slam on the Body of Christ by a man who had a vendetta against the Body of Christ. People said they liked it because it revealed issues that the Body of Christ has to deal with. I agree that some of the scenarios in that movie were stupid characteristics of immature "youth group" Christians ... some. But much of the movie contained exaggerated disfunctions of very immature people that did not represent any Christian I know.

I brought up the movie "Saved" for a reason. If you were hurt and shocked as I was at this producer's slam on the Body of Christ, it is my opinion that you understand what "love for the Body" really means. It's like someone slamming your family. Muslims kill people for slamming Muhammad. Modern day Christians laugh at people slamming their brothers and sisters. I do not understand that.

I want to talk more about "Body Life" and what it means for you if you are part of the Body of Christ. But for now I want to end Part 2 with this statement. Learn to love the Body of Christ - all of it! In doing so you will begin to feel the pain the Head of the Body feels when His body does not love each other. And you will also begin to understand what it means when Ephesians chapter 5 tells us not to grieve the Holy Spirit Who lives in us!

... more soon ...

Do YOU Love the Body? - PART 1

2009-01-02T06:06:00.000-08:00

I hate Christians ... but I believe in Jesus!

I love Jesus but I can't stand going to church!

God, yes! People? uhhhh ... most of them are stupid ... especially people who go to church!

Be honest - How many of the above statements do you identify with? The first one is kinda harsh but some might identify with it. The second is pretty common among people who don't have a good church near them and a pastor who isn't trying to play the "re-enact the past" religious game. Tradition is nice for people who want to live in the past but many times it turns others away. But the last statement ... I've found that one to be pretty common among people - especially those who haven't studied what the Bible says about who the body of Christ is and the importance for the body to work together as a healthy, functioning unit.

Most of you who have given your lives to Jesus Christ understand the biblical teaching of the body of Christ. The body of Christ in short is all living followers of Jesus. First of all, you are His - you belong to Him that you might bear fruit to God:

"... you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God ... " Romans 7:4 (read the whole chapter).

The Bible describes the body as made up of many different parts that all give glory to the Head which is Jesus Himself (Ephesians 5:23, Colossians 1:18). Your gifts that God gave you define who you are and how you are to function in the Body (1 Corinthians 12:12-26). Some parts are "out front" parts that do jobs that everyone can see. Other parts of the body are to do work that no one sees. One thing is clear in the Bible - If you are a follower of Jesus, you are part of His body. I want to be clear about what God says - check this out:

"... But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be." 1 Corinthians 12:18

So what about stupid Christians? I'll get to that ... I know they are out there ...

God teaches us in His Word that since you are part of a living organism, the body of Christ or the Church, you have to work as a body. You cannot work alone. You cannot act like the body doesn't exist. There should be no division in the body of Christ.

" ... so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." 1 Corinthians 12:25-27

But what about the stupid people ??? Hold on - let's keep studying ...

Every single person in the body of Christ (every follower of Jesus) is "IN PROCESS" being conformed into the image of Jesus Christ Himself (Romans 8:29, 2 Corinthians 3:18, and many other verses). Everyone is making mistakes, learning from them (hopefully), hitting brick walls as they try their "own way", etc. But when we go our own way, it only brings pain and sometimes death (Proverbs 14:12). Paul also taught that when someone is caught up in a sin that we are to restore them (Galatians 6:1). This is a normal part of "body life" marked by bucket loads of GRACE. Remember the verse above in green ... "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. " The body cares for other parts of the body.

So, here's the deal - If we believe the Bible is God's Word - without error - our standard for living - the Creator's owners manual - then we know that this teaching on the body of Christ is set in stone. What God says about the body of Christ is His final Word on the issue. So, when you are tempted to think you can operate (as a Christ follower) outside the rest of the body of Christ (other Christ followers) you are wrong - period.

"But God told me differently" ... aaahhhhh ... no ... the owner's manual says "no". As a follower of Jesus, if you don't love the rest of the body of Christ you need to re-evaluate if you are really part of the body - really His. Or it is very possible that you might have, in fact, bought into a wrong teaching that you can be His and not part of any other part of His body - what is commonly referred to as being a "lone ranger christian". No. That cannot exist according to the Bible.

But what about the stupid people ???

The Bible is clear. We are all stupid (Romans 3:9-18).

Let's talk more about this in PART 2.

CHRISTIAN MUSICIANS - You Are Responsible!

2008-12-28T15:57:00.000-08:00

The older I get the more God is impressing on me the need to humbly serve people and help them understand why they were created. The biblical teaching of discipling started with Jesus and continues today. Jesus discipled 12 men and comissioned them to go out and make more disciples (Matthew 28:19-20) and gave them the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish the task (Acts 1:8). The process continued all throughout church history and today I thank God that someone before me took time to challenge me with the truths of God's Word, the Bible.

I went to school (Philadelphia Biblical University) to be a pastor because I was certain that God was leading me into ministry. How did know I was called into ministry? Because my heart hurts for people. I yearn to see people experience freedom in Christ and life as He, the Creator, intended it to be. But getting out of Bible college in the early 80s left me unsure about who I was called to minister to. Through many different circumstances, God clearly opened doors to minister His Word to the 80's metal counter culture as a frontman for the band SARDONYX. But enough about me. Here is something I want to challenge you with.

Becoming a minister of God's Word is not like any other profession because it involves more from you than simply learning to say the right words and "looking the part". It involves a deep and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. A well known Bible teacher named Howard Hendricks influenced me greatly in my younger years. He used to say, "You cannot impart what you do not possess"! Wow! That is a truth that all of us need to grasp.

Let me be clear about what I believe about Christian rock and metal bands. I joined the ranks of the Christian metal musicians of the 80's not simply because I wanted to be cool and play good music. As a child I learned to carry God's Word to my generation. That calling was leading me. My voice and music talents that God gave me were only tools to be used for my calling. Sadly, many of us lose sight of our calling and focus on our talents (tools). Our tools become idols and the ministry God called us to fades into history. We end up envying the world and becoming like them ... and people continue to die and go to hell ...

I want to make something very clear. I could never use my tools for my own glory or the glory of the enemy (1 Peter 5:8). That is why I believe Christian musicians need to have a clear and defined purpose before they step on stage. They need to be ready to accept the responsibilities of a man or woman called of God. If you can't do that then either play for the enemy or get off the stage and keep your mouth shut.

Why do I keep hearing Christian bands talking gloom and doom? You know what? My life doesn't suck! It's hard ... but it doesn't suck. I hear Christian bands say things from the stage and in interviews that are really sad these days. And their fans email me and tell me they can't stand Christian bands because and all they get from them is [quote], "... grief, disgust, disappointment ... an f*in' joke". That is literally from an email I got recently. Does that describe you?

So.

That motivates me. That motivates me to lead. It's time to lead. I've been raising kids and heavily involved in my local church ministry and missions in Alaska for the past 14 years. But now God is calling me back into music ministry.

If you are a Christian and you are also a musician, it's time for you to take some time evaluating how you are going to live out the rest of your days. YOU are responsible for WHAT you are teaching the people who look up to you. YOU are responsible for living a consistent life off stage as well. YOU will not be respected simply because of how you look or how good you play or whatever no more than a pastor who has a nice suit and tie but is bangin' women in his church. Don't start complaining about what you don't see when God is calling YOU to be the consistent one.

Consistency takes WORK. Consistency takes being disicipled by someone who is already living a consistent life. Questions need to be asked. A teachable desire to learn and be mentored needs to be just as important to you as turning on your amp. Are you willing to do that?

Maybe some of you older guys and gals are you the ones who should be leading and you are hiding from your calling. Maybe you are a lot like Jonah and you are being swallowed up by a "BIG FISH" and you don't even realize it. Maybe you think you are too old to lead. That is not a good excuse. I'm 46 and I experience the presence of God every time I step on stage. I know I am not "out to pasture" yet.

I can't emphasize this enough. God wants you to lead! There are too many going down in flames who are crying out for someone to help them ... someone who they can follow. It's time to lead. It's time for the Church of Jesus Christ to rise up in this world of intense music and lead again with lyrics and lifestyles that lead people to Jesus Christ. It's time!

Where I Draw the Line in Music

2008-12-06T05:21:00.000-08:00

Hi Brian! It was 17 degrees here in PA this morning. What about Tampa, Florida? Well you have fun in the sun while we enjoy some chapstick and heating bills! hahaha! Well ... honestly, I love snow. I'm cool with 17 degrees. Hopefully we will have a White Christmas this year!

I decided to answer your question here because of all the links to Bible verses and the length of my answer. I hope you don't mind. For those of you who are reading this, Brian is a friend of mine from Florida and asked me this question:

Tom, this is something that I have often wondered. I still listen to alot of secular metal music along with my christian metal classics (like Sardonyx :) ). Now there are alot of anti christian lyrics in that kind of secular metal music. I don't pay them any mind, because I know what I believe in. My question is, back in the Sardonyx days, did you guys listen to any secular metal and if so, did anti christian lyrics keep you from listening to certain bands?

Thanks for the question. It's interesting ... last night I was talking to someone on the phone about this very subject when I refreshed my Facebook page and saw your comment. Brother, let me tell you that I am very passionate about encouraging people to yield to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in their lives so my comments might be a little hard core.

I have personally been "burned" by the enemy (1 Peter 5:8) and allowed myself to "go down roads" that I never should have gone down. The result always left me like Samson with my "spiritual" eyes gouged out laying powerless in the corner of a jail cell. I've also hurt a lot of friends when they needed me to be strong and I allowed my sin to scar relationships. That really bothers me. I'm tired of being a victim of demonic lies that come through others who are also people laden with sin and guilt or literally are enemies of the cross as described in Philippians 3:18-19. God redeemed us and has a powerful plan for using us to destroy the work of Satan (the god of this world) and build the Kingdom of Jesus Christ in the hearts of people.

It's time to redeem the time and get back to work. That is my calling.

I also love passionate, intense music. I have said for 20 years that metal music is an incredible music form to proclaim and teach the Word of God ... especially classic metal. I believe all forms of music are expressions of the Creator working through mankind. All forms of music show us parts of God's character as does the natural world (warm rain on growing grass, blistering deserts, gently falling snow, warm sun on our skin, dense fog, raging hurricanes). But all forms of music pass and everything falls away except the Word of God (Isaiah 40:7-9). To me, lyrics are the most important part of a song. Lyrics expose the heart of the writer. It is the lyrics that leave the listener with a message.

The Standard - The Measuring Line

The Bible is God's written revelation of Himself. It is without error. It is absolute Truth. Therefore is should be our standard for living. It is a measuring line for all thoughts, dreams, visions, philosophies and world life views. This is what I believe.

With that being said, the answer to your question is YES.

There are many examples. Here is one:

Metallica made a point of slamming Christians who make judgments on people's actions by taking Matthew 7:1 out of context.

I hear it all the time coming from people who don't like being held accountable for their words or actions. But the next verse says, "For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." I personally believe there is a principle here for us to apply.

So ... applying the Bible to this subject this is a principle in my life. I judge what I write (or listen to) with the same judgment that I evaluate what others write. In other words, I compare what I hear with God's Word because it is the standard for all truth.

If a follower of Jesus Christ does not live by this principle, they will continually find themselves being swept away by the enemy. Many wonder why their Christian life "doesn't work" and why there are so many hypocrites (they see that other Christian lives not working either). And Satan continues to dull the edge of the Word of God and trash people's potential in Jesus Christ.

So what does God's Word say about the lyrics that men without God promote in their music? Here is what Jesus Himself said in Mark 7:21-23

For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.' "

Jesus Himself hit the nail on the head. How about Solomon?

Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways, for the LORD detests a perverse man but takes the upright into his confidence. Proverbs 3:31-32

Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the LORD. Proverbs 23:17

Do not envy wicked men, do not desire their company; for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about making trouble. By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; Proverbs 24:1-3

There is much more but I just wanted to show you a couple verses that I live by.

The Bottom Line

I listen to a lot of music written and performed by people who don't know Jesus Christ in the same way I watch movies and other forms of media. But I have learned to compare what I allow into my mind with what I know God's Word, the Bible clearly teaches as a standard. If the Creator tells me (His creation) that something will hurt me, I won't allow it into my brain. I have found that this is the key to happiness, joy, peace and success in my relationship with Jesus Christ. But we have much to learn from people who have been gifted by God (musically) and don't even realize where they received their gift.

Call sin, sin ... and live by this principle found in Ephesians 5

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

I realize that is a long answer to your question Brian but it comes from my heart!

I'm back ...

2008-07-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

Hey. Sorry I took so long to write another blog. Well, more is coming. Thanks for your comments everyone. ... more soon ...

A Mature Manifestation of Christ

2008-03-22T09:23:00.000-07:00

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.

My Christian Music Fast

2008-03-22T09:21:00.000-07:00

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

Blind?!?! How can you say that?

2008-01-11T06:15:00.000-08:00

Remember these guys?

WHITESNAKE

This morning I heard "Here I Go Again" from the 80's and it got me thinking ... what an absolutely well written song ... both musically and lyrically that describes the mindset of the people of this world. Check this out:

And here I go again on my own ... Goin down the only road Ive ever known ... Like a drifter I was born to walk alone ... cos I know what it means ... To walk along the lonely street of dreams ...

There are countless songs written like this describing a lonely existence. This world is all they know! They've been hurt so many times by people that they've had enough! They say, "You can't trust anybody so I'll just do life to myself!" The amazing thing to me is how many Christians buy into this philosophy and say they relate. But that is not what the Bible teaches. Christians are being lied to by the philosophy of the world and they are buying into it ... they are being distracted ...

Let me ask you this.

How can a follower of Jesus Christ know if they are being affected by the lies of the god of this world? If you don't think you are being lied to consider this ...

- Are you being DISTRACTED ?-

Once a person has been redeemed by Jesus Christ's blood which was sacrificed for their sins (1 John 2:1-3), the Bible teaches that they have been adopted into the family of God (Ephesians 1:4-6).

ADOPTED INTO GOD'S FAMILY! ... not to be DISTRACTED!

The Bible teaches that they are joint heirs (Galatians 4:6-7) with Jesus Christ. They are also part of a universal Body called the Church (Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27) which Christ is the Head. The Bible says they are not part of this world just as Christ was not part of this world (John 18:36). Do you want to see a really cool word study? Check out this one using the phrase of this world.

So what?

If you think you already knew all that, ask yourself if you have a purpose in life.

Do you know where you came from?

Who you are?

... and where you going?

The Bible teaches that if we are God's people we should know all these things. A mature believer knows who they are in God's eternal plan. The Bible also teaches that Satan is a deceiver and leads people away from truth. He wants to devour people and destroy their potential in Jesus Christ (1 Peter 5:8). Satan wants to cloud our vision ... keep us busy ... distracted.

The question is not whether you should listen to secular music or not. The question is whether or not you are allowing your mind to changed by what you hear!

Be aware what people who don't know God are saying to you! Don't buy into it! If you know Jesus Christ the Bible says you are a child of the King! You are not of this world.

Do you want to live your life by what the Bible teaches? Then let me challenge you with these verses until my next post ...

James 4:4 says, "You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. "

1 John 2: 15-17 says. "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever."

Bummin'

2008-01-10T09:03:00.000-08:00

This one will be short.

Did you ever fast before? ... like, from food? Honestly ... this "fast" from music written and performed by brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ is really starting to bug me.

It's amazing to me how much strength to overcome evil in my life comes from music written from a biblical perspective. Listening to the mindset of the world is really bugging me. I'll be honest and say it starting to make me angry.

You know that hymn "This Is Our Father's World"?

That is a stupid song. That is not what the Bible teaches.

This isn't God's world.

This is Satans's world
(2 Corinthians 4:4) and there are a whole lot of blind people running it. The blind leading the blind. The only difference between the secular rock audience and the performers is that most of them are good musicians. But they're all hopelessly blind. What a shame.

Our Lord Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit's power as an example for us. He told us that we would do even greater things than He did! And what is His Church doing about the blindness we see in others? We are busy keeping up with the world so they think we are cool! We are dropping the ball ...

... an even bigger shame!

I am motivated ... Pray that I find time to write what I am really thinking ...

... back to it ...

2008-01-05T05:40:00.000-08:00

It's been a couple days of my Christian music fast. I've been listening to the classic rock and current metal stations here in PA whenever I would normally listen to our local Christian rock station. It's amazing to me the feelings it is bringing out in me.

You know ... hhhhmmmmm ... here's the deal ... I've been a follower of Jesus Christ all my life ... meaning ... I was raised to love Jesus. Once I was old enough to understand Who He is and my sinful state that keeps me from Him I realized that I had to yield myself to Him and accept His free gift of salvation. That was 36 years ago when I was 9.

PERSONAL STORY - Here's some inside information that I don't think I ever publically shared before ...

One of my relatives (not the guy in the photo) really gave my family a hard time while I was growing up. We had a nice family and all of us (I mean aunts, uncles, grandparents ... everybody) went to church and enjoyed the blessings of God, good family get togethers, a lot of laughter, etc. ... except for one person. Out of respect for that person I will leave out the details but understand that this person's sinful lifestyle probably singlehandedly caused me to get into ministry to the rock/metal culture. They would probably be surprised to hear that.

Why?

Because as a boy, I watched this person go through hell on earth and drag my family through some of the worst pain all because they chose to reject Jesus Christ and plunge into the world's pleasures. To this day, it is very hard for me to listen to music from this person's youth (late 60's into the mid 70's) because I associate it with the wounds of this person's past. Yet I still love this person as a family member and pray that they would connect with their Creator and give their life to Him.

When I listen to secular music, I clearly see the confusion, anger and point of view of people in the world who do not know Who Jesus Christ is. It makes me sad. But it also motives me ...

Over the years I have come to realize several reasons why people reject Jesus Christ.

1. SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS - The first reason is that they have been blinded by Satan (2 Corinthians 4:4). The Bible is very clear that some people have never been able to even make an honest decision for Jesus because they are blind to Who He is.

2. DISGUST FOR CHRISTIANS - Some people have an idea of Who He is but their view has been tainted by the stupidity of His followers. Hypocrisy hurts people's views of the sinless Jesus Christ. So do Christians who live worldly lifestyles. Inconsistancy in followers of Jesus causes passerbys to shake their heads in disgust and keep walking or running away ... God cries out because of our carnality.

3. REBELLION - Some people think they have a better way. King Solomon said it best in Proverbs 14:12, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." In John 14:6 Jesus Christ said, ""I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." I guess that is why people hate Christians so much because Christians follow Jesus Who said He is the only way ... an exclusive statement. You either give your life to Him or you don't. Many choose not to.

Here's the deal ... once you understand all I've written above, you can understand why we hear the things we do in music that is not written by followers of Jesus Christ.

In my next post I'll give you an example of what I am talking about. I gotta go help take down the Christmas tree ...

... later ...

Only secular music!

2008-01-01T05:52:00.000-08:00

Hello from Pennsylvania,

Doug Van Pelt from HM Magazine has asked me to do a little experiment for him. I've known Doug for over 15 years on a professional level and recently he asked me to help him with an experiment which he wants to feature in an upcoming article of his magazine. Remember the guy who ate only McDonalds food for a month which was featured in the DVD "Supersize Me"? ... yeah, kinda like that. HM Magazine wants me listen to only non-religious (secular) music for the month of January and journal my thoughts. The editor asked me predominantly because he knows I normally listen to almost all Christian music and Bible teaching. So I created this blog to share my thoughts with whoever wants to read them.

Oh, by the way, there's another guy doing the exact opposite. This will be interesting ...

Why do I listen to almost all Christian music? Mainly because I am a follower of Jesus Christ and I have learned to fill my mind with music that enhances my relationship with Him and not distract me in my love and obedience to Him. I was taught as a child the importance of filling my mind with things that honor God. Philippians 4:8 comes to mind:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

I am also a rock/metal singer and musician and God has allowed me to use my talents to build His Kingdom here on earth. The photo to the right was taken in 1994 as the vocalist for the power metal ministry band SARDONYX. Our music is available on iTunes, Amazon, etc.

I believe music is a tool for teaching the Bible. You must understand that I take the Bible literally when Jesus commanded His followers to make disciples of Him (Matthew 28:19-20). People today call it proselytizing. Yeah, I guess that is what it is. I have accepted the idea that I want to be an agent of change in the culture God has placed me in. I want to use every tool He gave me to point people to Him.

A little more about me ... I have been married to my wife Ruth for over 22 years and I have three children who are 15, 12 & 11. I am the founder and director of LightShine Ministries. You can visit our music website at http://www.lightshineministries.com/ and see some of what we do as music ministers. You can also visit our other website which shows our missionary work in Alaska http://www.lightshineministries.org/. I am not doing metal that much anymore but I am still a musician who loves to point people to Jesus. This is a recent photo of me below.

I guess I want to start this blog on my Christian music fast by giving you the context of my observations that will follow in the coming days.

So thanks for reading. I may say things that bug you. Feel free to respond. And those of who are also followers of Jesus Christ, pray for me. I will need it. I am 45 years old and I learned a long time ago that feeding your mind with things that are contrary to God's Word is sometimes harmful to your life. Pray that I would learn some things about the world around me and develop a deeper love for people. I appreciate it a lot!

And pray for the other guy ... the one who usually listens to only secular music. Pray that God would greatly encourage him in the coming days.

... more soon ...