How to Know if You are Saved

If you don't know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, or if you are unsure if you are saved, you need to read what the Bible says about how we can be saved from our sins and go to heaven, instead of being condemned to hell.

• Every person who ever lived on this earth, except Jesus, has sinned.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

(Referring to Jesus) "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15)

• There is a coming Judgment Day where all men must give an account of himself to God

“Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” (Revelation 14:7)

“…for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:10-12)

• The penalty of sin is death and eternal separation from God in hell

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

“And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!” (Luke 12:4-5)

• But God Has Made a Way for Man to Be Forgiven and not Condemned!

God made a way for us to himself by sending his Son Jesus, God in the flesh, to pay for our sins.
There is only one God, with 3 distinct persons in the godhead-the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, yet all are the one God.

(Jesus said) “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30)

“And the Word [God] was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

• We can be forgiven for our sins and saved from God’s wrath because Jesus shed his blood and died on the cross in our place

“In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7)

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” (Romans 5:8-11)

• But Jesus did not stay in the grave! He rose again and defeated death!

"... Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures ... he was buried ... he rose again the third day according to the scriptures ... he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once" (1 Corinthians 15:3-6)

"knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. "(Romans 6:9)

• Jesus is the Only Way to God

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." (John 14:6)

• We are Saved By Grace and Through Faith Alone (We are not saved by doing good works)

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

• It is not good enough to just believe there is one God

"You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!" (James 2:19)

So What Must A Person Do Then to Be Saved??

• You must admit you are a sinner

"Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. " Mark 2:17

• You must believe in Jesus (which means believing Jesus’ words and that salvation comes through Him alone and following Him).

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

• You must confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:9

• You must repent, which means to change your mind to obey God’s Word, turn from your sins, and try to live by God’s Word revealed through the Bible

"Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent. " Acts 17:30

• You must receive Jesus

. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” John 1:12

• Then, if you have truly accepted Jesus' free gift of salvation, you will live differently

"Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2nd Corinthians 5:17)

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)

• When we make our decision to follow Christ and believe, obey, and receive Him, we receive the Holy Spirit, which then lives in us, and seals us in Jesus, and continues to guide us and bring conviction to our hearts. The Holy Spirit also convicted us and drew us near to God before we even chose Him.

“knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 1:4-6)

“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14)

"If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you” John 14:15-17

"All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14:25-26

If you truly acknowledge and admit that you are a sinner, and if you believe in your heart that God the Father sent his sinless Son Jesus to die on the cross and He shed His blood to pay for your sins, and that He did not stay in the grave but rose again and lives, and you repent from your sins and will try to follow His words spoken to us through the Bible, and you receive Jesus into your life, and you believe the His words spoken to us in through the Bible, you are born again---a new creature, who will be separate from the world. If you are truly born again, you will no longer feel comfortable in your sins. You will repent of your sins and try to obey God's commandments. You will be separate from the world, and produce the fruits of the Spirit. You will have a love for the Lord Jesus. Also, if you are born again, you are a true child of God. And, God disciplines his children. And, you will want to share about the Lord Jesus to people who are not saved and will spend an eternity in hell.

(Jesus says) “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. John 5:24-27

One day, Jesus is going to return from heaven and come for a second time!

"Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him." (Revelation 1:7)

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.Titus 2:11-14

If you have made a decision to accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior and commit yourself to Him, please email me or tell someone you know who is a Christian so that you can find a Bible-believing church where you can grow in your faith and be supported by fellow Christians and perhaps take the next step in your Christian walk by obeying Jesus's commandment to be baptized, which is a symbol of your decision to follow Him and your identification with Him in his death and resurrection.

Iran President-A Man of "Peace"?

Because my husband and I are still members of the mennonite brethren conference, we receive the MB Herald monthly, which reports on the going-ons regarding MBs. I'm not in favor of many things that are going on at many of the MB seminaries, and so I don't like to have my name attached with being a member anymore. However, we have not yet withdrawn our membership. In the November issue, I was shocked to see a picture of MCC (mennonite central committee) interim executive director pinning a dove, usually associated with peace or the Holy Spirit, onto the shirt of Iran President Ahmadinejad. If you don't know who Ahmadinejad is, well here are a few things you should know:

• Referring to Iran's late revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Mr Ahmadinejad said: "As the imam said, Israel must be wiped off the map."

• He said in 2005 that the Holocaust was a "myth"
  

• Western powers suspect Iran of enriching uranium to build a nuclear weapons capability. Iran says its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful.

• President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran had reached the significant milestone of 3,000 centrifuges for uranium enrichment. Experts say this could be sufficient to produce enough material for a nuclear bomb within one year, if Iran wanted to do so.

Is a man who wants to wipe Israel off the map, denies the Holocaust, yet says his nuclear programme is "peaceful", someone the MCC should be pinning a dove on? Is this man peaceful? Does he plan to promote peace? I agree that we are supposed to promote peace. Jesus does say "blessed are the peacemakers", but do we need to go so far as to pin a dove of peace on him?

He hates Israel and the Jews-God's chosen people. What was the MCC thinking when they had a representative pin a dove representing peace on this man, who hates God's chosen people? Was that really necessary?

Satan's Greatest Weapon

So, I just read a great blog on watchers lamp, which talks about Rick Warren's whole unity push. This sparked intense feelings for me, as I have heard this whole spiel from those me and my husband have met with to discuss some of these emerging church unbiblical teachings. They often throw the whole unity speech at us.

Rick Warren says, "As pastors, as shepherds of God’s people, it’s our job to protect our congregations from Satan’s greatest weapon – disunity" .

Watchers Lamp reminds us that the Bible says Satan's greatest weapon is NOT disunity; it is DECEPTION! Did Eve eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which God commanded them not to do, because she was disunified? No, she took it because Satan deceived her!

" And the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Genesis 3:13

The Bible says that those who cause disunity are those who are deceiving others by teaching false doctrine...And often they use good words and fair speeches...in other words, they are smooth talkers! It is not Bible-believing Christians who cause disunity by bring up teachings that are unbiblical. It is those who are doing the unbiblical teaching who are causing the disunity.

"Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple." Romans 16:17-18

It is not disunity but DECEPTION that leads people astray from God's Word and corrupts our minds.

"For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it! 2 Corinthians 11:2-4

"The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." Revelation 20:10

The Bible is clear that deception, not disunity, is Satan's greatest weapon. And Satan's job is made a lot easier when those who are deceived are unified in their deception.

And therefore, do not be deceived!

The Former Things Will Pass Away

Wow, am I ever relieved to be home! My day this morning started with an hour and a half cramming study session for my english midterm. Then, I ventured outside to wait for the bus, and the biting wind gave me brain freeze. Was I ever happy to see that bus coming for me! So, I got to the university and went and wrote the dreaded midterm, which, I have to admit, did not go so well. At least, I sure didn't feel very good about it. I had a few moments of panic and then reminded myself that in an hour and a half this would all be over. Then I ventured back out into the cold to wait for my bus ride home. So now here I am.

And when I entered my warm home, I was reminded how blessed I am to have a heated, safe home. It's ridiculous how sometimes it takes a bitterly cold day to remind me of my blessings. As I felt the blast of heat when I walked into the door, I offered up a prayer to God for blessing me so much more than I deserve.

But, back to my first mention of how happy I was to see that bus come to rescue me from the cold...I was just thinking about how crazy this world seems at times. There is so much crime, sexual immorality, love of money, pride, presssure to "expand your knowledge", etc. And you can't turn the tv on anymore without seeing offensive material. It's like just about anything goes nowadays. It seems that biblical morals are going down the toilet, and it will likely get worse before the Lord comes again.

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy 1-7

But once again, I think of how one day Jesus is coming back for me to take me out of this sinful world! I was happy to see a bus come to take me out of the cold??? How much more relieved will I be when I see Jesus (!!!) coming for me to take me out of this present world!!! And, this old earth will all pass away, and I will be able to be with my Lord and God forever and ever and ever... and there will be no more sin, no more pain, no more tears.

"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." Revelation 1:1-4

What a glorious day that will be for those who know Jesus as their Lord and Savior and have repented from their sins. If you don't know Jesus as your Savior and have not repented, you need to make that decision. Please see one of my up-coming posts about what the Bible says one must do to be saved from an eternity in hell. It will be posted shortly.

Be Alert and Awake Out of Sleep

I just thought I should mention that I have read a good blog that explains how this contemplative spirituality stuff has entered the mennonite denomination in the form of labyrinths, the Jesus prayer, the Eucharist, etc.

Read that blog here

This emerging church/contemplative spirituality stuff is not only found in one denomination. You can find it in mennonite, mennonite brethren, baptist, alliance, pentecostal, evangelical etc . churches. This trend crosses denominational boundaries, which is partly why it's having such a widespread effect. (--- also Hindus, Buddhists, New-agers, and other religions also all practice the same meditation method that is being practiced in some Christian circles---that is also partly why contemplative spirituality is so dangerous and having such a widespread effect)

If you don't believe this has also entered the mennonite and mb denominations, you need (!!!) to read that blog called--- "Rogue" MB Bloggers

"For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, "Peace and safety!" then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober." 1 Thessalonians 5:2-6

"And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed." Romans 13:11

"Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee." Revelation 3:2-3

Dalai Lama Willing to Break Tradition

I often skim bbc news to see what is happening around different parts of the world, and yesterday and today I've discovered a few articles related to the dalai lama and his deciding how to choose his successor.

Now, I'm not sure what all this means with respect to what's happening in the rest of the world's religions, but it is definitely interesting. The dalai lama has stated that there is
the possibility of himself naming a new Dalai Lama while he is still alive, a proposal he outlined in Japan last week, according to BBC news. He has also said ten years ago that if Tibet was still occupied when he died then his reincarnation would not be born under Chinese control but in the free world. (also from BBC news).

Click here to read this article.

As far as I know, traditionally, the Buddhist elite leaders choose, through visions and such, the successor for the dalai lama, who is a child born around the time of the lama's death. But like I mentioned before, the current dalai lama is willing to break tradition and perhaps hand-pick the next one. He has not mentioned, to my knowledge, whether or not the next one must be a child. But he has stated that the next one does not have to be Tibetan or Chinese...hmmm..interesting, I think. Could the antichrist also appear to be the reincarnated "dalai lama" for Tibetan Buddhists? Of course I don't know the answer to this, but I think all the buzz about this breaking tradition thing is interesting.

But, I have been reminded through God's Word that as Christians we aren't supposed to look for the tribulation, but for the "blessed hope", our Savior Jesus. So, therefore, I will leave you with this encouraging verse for us believers.

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

Yale Confirms High-Profile Names

I hope everyone in my neck of the woods is staying warm! And now that my face has finally thawed out, I can begin my post. As I mentioned in my last post, I emailed both Yale and Willow Creek to try to confirm whether, indeed, Bill Hybels and Rick Warren indefinitely signed this letter. I am pleased to let you know that I have received confirmation from Yale. While I appreciate their response, I am somewhat disturbed to find out that, without a doubt, Bill Hybels and Rick Warren, along with all the other high-profile names DID sign this letter.

I know I shouldn't be surprised at this, but I have a hard time believing everything seems to be moving so fast. Believing Jesus Christ is God is "essential" (to steal a term from the emerging church "unity push") to our faith. To say we can love God together with Muslims is absolutely offensive, when the Islam religion rejects Jesus Christ as God.

Here is an excerpt from the email Yale's Associate Director of the Reconciliation Program sent me, addressing my questions of how they monitored the names on the letter, particularly Bill Hybels and Rick Warren, which was published as an advertisement in the New York Times on November 18. Here is part of their personal email response to my email:

"In answer to your inquiry, all of the high-profile signatories listed in the Nov. 18 New York Times advertisement, including Rick Warren and Bill Hybels, were added in response to a direct invitation from someone here at Yale Divinity School, or through invitation by a direct Yale Divinity School contact. This was verified through written and/or telephone confirmation in all cases. With few exceptions, all of the approximately 300 signatures presently listed on the Yale Divinity School website were similarly obtained...."We very much appreciate your concern for accuracy and integrity in these matters of such significance, and are working hard to ensure that nobody is publicly misrepresented in any way."

So, according to Yale, Bill Hybels and Rick Warren were directly contacted by Yale and they definitely signed this letter. I am going to pass this information on to some people in leadership in, which very recently became my "former home", church. We no longer attend there after meeting with the pastor to discuss these emerging church issues and his confirmation that they would not be withdrawing from Willow Creek Association and saw no reason to do so.

When the world's major religions (Christianity and Islam) start believing and agreeing that we all worship the same God, there will no longer be a need to evangelize. And, eventually, it is likely that those who do try to "convert" people to Christianity will be shunned and intensely persecuted even in the western world. It's already started to happen. And then, when the antichrist does come (and he will), he will be widely welcomed by a world who already believes we all worship the same God.

"Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a snare in your midst. But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down theirAsherim
--for you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God--otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they would play the harlot with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone might invite you to eat of his sacrifice," Exodus 34:12-15

I wouldn't dare even think of signing this letter that dances with this idea that the God of the Bible and the God of the Koran are the same, so we can share "a common love for God".

I fear God, not men.

Our God is a jealous God.

Are those who signed this letter trying to arouse the Lord's anger?

"Common" Love For God Between Christians and Muslims?

Dear Friends,

I recently left my home church that I had been attending for just over a year due to a few things. One of them being its membership in the Willow Creek Association and its support for WC's Leadership Summit. Today, I came across an article from the Christian Post that reported that Bill Hybels and Rick Warren, along with many other Christian leaders, have signed a letter as a response to a Muslim open letter. This letter calls "on the two Abrahamic faiths to love God and neighbors together." Now, as Christians we are to love others and even our enemies, definitely; no doubt about it. But to "love God together" is not possible because we do not serve the same God. Read the article from Christian Post here.

The entire letter and the list of all those who it claims have signed this letter can be found here at the official Yale website.

I have emailed both Willow Creek and Yale to try to determine if these men did, indeed, sign this letter, and if it is possible, someone had added their names without their approval. We shall see if I receive a response.


Here is an excerpt from the article:

"Christian leaders urged for an interfaith dialogue that moves beyond “polite” ecumenical talks between selected leaders. Instead, leaders of both faiths should hold dialogues to build relations that will “reshape” the two communities to “genuinely reflect our common love for God and for one another,” the Christian letter stated."..."The letter’s main emphasis is the “absolutely central” commonality between both religions: love of God and love of neighbor. "

The Koran is clear that Muslims are to believe Jesus was ONLY a prophet. They deny that Jesus was God in the flesh. How can we possibly say that we share a "common love for God" when Muslims reject Jesus as God and Savior?? WE CAN'T!! We do not serve the same God. Allah and Jesus Christ are not the same!!

Jesus came to bring peace between men and God. If you read Matthew 10, Jesus is clear that the world WILL HATE us because of Him. In fact, Jesus said he will bring division and that he did NOT come to bring peace on earth. This is what Jesus said:

"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes." (Matthew 10:21-23)

"But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. (Matthew 10:33-34)

These are the words of Jesus, folks, not me. The Bible is clear about this issue. Case closed.

To Clarify "Meditation"

I just want to clarify what I mean by "meditation". First of all, I do NOT mean simply pondering what the Bible says and thinking about the meaning of a biblical passage. What I do mean, is the repetition of any word or phrase in order to empty one's mind. Jesus says this is something we should not do.

"But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." Matthew 6:7

I hope this maybe clears up what I mean when I say meditation. It was evident that the "drumming meditation" was the use of a repetitive sound to "tune out" or empty one's mind, so to speak. The Bible tells us not to practice this type of thing, and to my knowledge, there is nowhere in the Bible that says this is something we should try. Here is a good article about this.
http://www.onetruthministries.com/MysticsMisuseofScripture.htm

The Beat of a Different Drum?

Today as I walked down a high-traffic hall at my university, I noticed a strange booth set up that said "Drum Meditation". There was this man standing there beating a drum, incense was burning, and candles were burning. I looked over and noticed he was also talking to a girl who seemed quite interested in this "meditation". Appalled at this all, I quickly went on my way, when one of my friends called me over to chat for a minute. I mentioned how disgusted I was about this all, and we chatted for a minute and then I ran to catch my bus. As I started thinking about this, the Holy Spirit reminded me that I need to be appalled at the sin, but I need to have compassion for that man because he too needs the Savior. God hates the sin, but he still wants all to come to know the truth and repent so that none should perish.

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
2 Peter 3:9

...this whole drumming meditation thing did bring up some other interesting thoughts for me. For example, I one famous pastor has said
“Music is nothing more than an arrangement of notes and rhythms; it’s the words that make a song spiritual. There is no such thing as ‘Christian music,’ only Christian lyrics. If I were to play a tune for you without words, you wouldn’t know if it was a Christian song or not” (Purpose Driven Church, 281).
This whole drum meditation brings up something interesting, however. This man was beating a drum, sang no lyrics, and claimed he was entering the spiritual realm. It seems quite obvious to me that, in fact, music (or at least a rhythm) can, in fact, be spiritual (it definitely seemed to be for this man) and therefore, perhaps style of music in church does matter. I am not saying I know this for sure, as I have not actually given it a lot of thought, quite honestly. But maybe we should. Here are a few verses to consider that may or may not be relevant to this:

"This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Matthew 15:8-9

It seems that words are not the only things that matter. Jesus says the heart matters, and also Jude mentions "sensual". What happens when the style of music in church makes us feel sensual?

"But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit." Jude 17-19

I guess these are some things we should maybe think about.?

Welcome to my Blog

Hi everyone,

I want to welcome you to my blog. The purpose of this blog is to inform readers of some of the things that are going on in these crazy times we are living in and to use God's Word to examine what Jesus has spoken to us through the Bible about these things. All Scripture is God-breathed, infallible, and unchangeable. I, however, am not infallible; therefore, I do not claim that my judgment is correct in my opinions, and I may even, unknowingly, wrongly interpret Scripture. So, I urge and encourage anyone to bring to my attention anything that I may misrepresent or misjudge. Please examine everything I write about for yourself, studying the Scriptures-examine if "these things are so" as the Bereans did in Acts 17. Examine the Bible faithfully. That is where the truth is. This blog will attempt to cover topics such as false teaching, current events, and just my daily going-abouts. I'll try to post links for all my resources. I welcome any and all comments! Until next time...