Discernment in Music

DiM | “The God I Know” by Love & The Outcome

Faithful Stewardship 2 Comments

disapproveCCM Radio Edition.

August 02, 2016. Today we’ll be taking a look at “The God I Know” by Love & The Outcome, which currently sits at #19 on 20theCountdownMagazine.

I first heard this song a couple of weeks ago and immediately thought, “So, who is the God you know?” as the song finally drew to an end. I was hoping it wouldn’t gain popularity, but sure enough, we find it on the top20 chart this week. The song doesn’t actually answer the question, and the official music video doesn’t help at all. Suffice it to say that this song doesn’t stand on its own, it’s a proclamation of self-made religion build around the typical “god is my boyfriend” trope. Sensual mysticism being offered as an alternative to legalism. We solidly Disapprove of this song.

Official Music Video

If you’re thinking, “what did i just watch” you’re not alone. The whole John Cuzak “Say Anything” (IMDB link) intro threw me for a loop and, frankly, it was hard to recover from. Why are we going back to this era? What’s the appeal? I’m not sure. I’m also completely confused by their use of that pool. Particularly with the warning in large letters, “Caution: Avoid Long Deep Dives”. As I listened to the song and saw the video, my mind went to, “yep… don’t dive too deeply into this song, it’s shallow and you’ll get hurt. Also, there’s no water in that pool, just like there’s no Christ in this song”. Fairly sure the artists would object to that interpretation of the imagery used in this video… but that’s what I saw in it. Let’s get to the Lyrics.

Lyrics (via KLove)

If It Was All About Religion
What To Do, What To Say, What To Wear On A Sunday
All About Perfection
Black And White, Wrong Or Right, Never Grey
Well I’d Never Make It
I’d Never Be Good Enough

I Tried To Walk The Line, Pray That I’d Find
Somethin’ That I Knew Was Real
Began To Realize, The Harder I Tried
The Colder I’d Start To Feel
Until The Moment
The Second I Met Your Love

(Chorus)
And Then I Threw My Hands Up
Worries Down
I Remember When He Showed Me How
To Break Up With My Doubt
Once I was lost but now I’m found
No Strings Attached When He Saved My Soul
I Want You To Know The God I Know
Oh, You Gotta Know
Oh, The God I Know

He Is More Than Just A Rescue
Thats Where It Starts, Not Where It Ends
Let Freedom In
More Than Just A Story
In The Sky, Wearing White, He’s Alive
In Every Moment
And Now That I Know This Love

I Can Throw My Hands Up
Worries Down
I Remember When He Showed Me How

To Break Up With My Doubt
Once I was lost but now I’m found
No Strings Attached When He Saved My Soul
I Want You To Know The God I Know
Oh, You Gotta Know
Oh, The God I Know

What was I waiting for
I came alive when I let go
All I had was a broken heart
Then He held me in His arms

What was I waiting for
I came alive when I let go
All I had was a broken heart
Then He held me in His arms

I Can Throw My Hands Up
Worries Down
I Remember When He Showed Me How

To Break Up With My Doubt
Once I was lost but now I’m found
No Strings Attached When He Saved My Soul
I Want You To Know The God I Know
Oh, You Gotta Know
Oh, The God I Know

What was I waiting for
I came alive when I let go
All I had was a broken heart
Then He held me in His arms

What was I waiting for
I came alive when I let go
All I had was a broken heart
Then He held me in His arms

Publishing: The God I Know (Jodi King/Chris Rademaker/Seth Mosley/Colin Munroe) © 2016 Word Music (ASCAP)/CentricSongs, 2 Hour Songs (SESAC) (Adm. by Music Services)/Don’t Think Less of My Publishing, EMI Blackwood Music Inc. (SOCAN) Produced by Seth Mosley for Full Circle & Colin Munroe, Co-produced by Mike “X” O’Connor for Full Circle Music
Writer(s): Jodi King/Chris Rademaker/Seth Mosley/Colin Munroe

Discussion

Oh my, where shall we start on this one. Let’s begin by giving the best possible construction on the intended purpose of the song. It’s attempting to address evangelical legalism, a version of legalism that as dated as the video seems. You know, back when evangelicals churches were worried about long hair, men piercing their ears, rock music and dancing… basically your footloose scenario. It’s a straw-man. The song is going after a straw-man of legalism. Now, don’t misunderstand what I’m saying, modern-day evangelicalism is seriously struggling with legalism today, chiefly because it has forgotten what it means to preach the Gospel to Christians. But this song isn’t targeting that real and present danger (I’m sorry, there will probably be several references to movies now… *sigh*), instead the song goes after a straw-man of legalism. And what does the song use? Sensual mysticism. This song presents “the God I know” as the Johnny Castle who came in to free baby from the corner with no strings attached. Okay, hopefully I’ve gotten the movie reference thing out of my system.

Verse 1. If it was all about Religion. Isn’t it? What’s your definition of religion if you find this statement meaningful?

James 1:26-27 (ESV) If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

James doesn’t seem to take issue with the concept of religion. The issue for James wasn’t about whether or not life was about more than religion; rather, it was about whether or your religion was True. The Apostle Paul addressed this similarly in his letter to the Colossians.

Colossians 2:20-23 (ESV) If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

Man-made religion is worthless in stopping the indulgence of the flesh, and the flesh is hostile to the things of God; therefore, man-made religion kills. God’s Word is effective, sufficient, and the power of God unto Salvation. Christians have been given a True religion found only in God’s Word, the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. It is this Word we are to keep as Stewards and proclaim as ambassadors of reconciliation. So, there is a sense of wisdom that might be gleaned from this first line of the song, but it lacks substance and no solution is provided.

The rest of the first verse or stanza is actually correct if we are talking about the Law. The precious gem that the Lutheran church has to offer American Evangelicals is the proper distinction of Law and Gospel (C.F.W. Walther). In trying to set a straw-man ablaze, it doesn’t know how to deal with the Law of God’s Word. It IS all about perfection, black or white, wrong or right, never grey… it IS, that is the Law of God. And no, you can’t make it, none of us can, we are ALL born dead in sins and trespasses. No one is righteous, no not one. No one seeks after God. In Adam, we all surely died on that day that he ate of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. Dead. This is the Truth of the Law found in God’s Word and the purpose of the Law is to convict us of our sin and completely dismantle any hope of self-righteousness before the Creator. The song confuses the Law with legalism and seeks to dismiss the whole thing. That’s folly.

So, in the next stanza we see the fruit of works-based righteousness… despair. This is real, yes, and it is destroying the visible church. All of this self-centered inward fixation of works-based, self-made religion is crushing us under the full weight of the Law, and in some cases the extra burdens of man-made condemnation… all under the guise of “church”. The message of the gospel isn’t “if you’ll walk the line, then you’ll be okay, or If you pray hard enough, then you’ll know TRUE salvation, if you give everything you’ve got, then you’ll finally reach the goal of sanctification”… that’s all false gospel, false religion. The Message of the Gospel is that Christ, being both fully God and fully Man, lived a perfect (completely sinless) life when you couldn’t, He paid the ultimate price you couldn’t pay, and He took on your sin and granted you His righteousness by Grace, through Faith, and that isn’t of your own doing, that Faith is a Gift from God to you, for you.

Until the moment the second I met your love. What is that supposed to mean? Seriously… how is this even remotely an answer to the problem the singer is trying to address? This is that sensual mystical nonsense. After having thrown all of religion under the bus, now, somehow the singer “met God’s love” and was suddenly free of religion and doubts? Well, great… so how does that help anyone else? It doesn’t. It’s nonsense. Vapid emotional mysticism.

Chorus. So then she threw here hands up, worries down. Okay, so does this fall under the ‘what to do’ issue that was complained about in the first verse of the song? If she’s alluding to Scripture, well, we’ll just end up having to deal with more religion:

1 Timothy 2:8-10 (ESV) I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling; likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.

Yep, Religion, and it is wonderful.

Hebrews 12:11-13 (ESV) For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.

So you see, the song isn’t addressing a real problem with real solutions, instead it is countering a straw-man of legalism with mysticism. You can’t come back to the Written Word of God once you’ve generically condemned Religion.

So how did the singer realize who God truly is, beyond a shadow of doubt? Apparently, He showed her directly. Well doesn’t that just make her seem so enlightened, so special. If only I could someday see God the way she got to… then it will all be better for me, too. I’d love to “break up with” my doubts. Dating metaphors, ugh. The song is simply dripping in romantic comedy… and it’s terrible. She isn’t dating God. She hasn’t broken up with her doubts. She’s in love with a god of her own imagining, not the God of the Bible. I know that’s very blunt, but she’s awash in sensual mysticism, and it will shipwreck her faith if it hasn’t already. We do not look to our emotions to find the God of Truth, we look to His Word, God the Son, Jesus Christ our LORD and Savior.

The chorus ends with a call for listeners to know the God she knows… but she hasn’t said anything about how that is to be done, or who He is. We’re left hoping to have an experience similar to the singer and then, maybe, possibly, we’ll be as happy as she is?

Verse 2. This verse seems to be swatting at bad church clichés or something. More than just a rescue is something that can only be said seriously by someone who has no idea just how desperately we are in need of rescue. We don’t truly see the gravity of our own sin, that’s just part of the problem of sin. If we could see it clearly, we’d crumble in despair. She is right, He is far more than “just” a rescue… He is the Creator of Life. And we were dead. He rescued us from Death. Get out of hear with that just a rescue nonsense.

On the second line, I’ll counter with how Jesus referred to Himself in Revelation 1:8 (ESV), “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” He is the end, and the beginning. Our salvation begins and ends in Christ. There is no “and then”. There is only Christ.

Christ is alive, and seated at the Right Hand of the Father, interceding for us, forgiving us, and preserving us for the Day of His Return. He has sent His Holy Spirit to dwell in us, sealing us, teaching us, and advocating for us.

Bridge. We still don’t have any real answers, no Gospel, just fluff. Here, again, we get a sort of “this is what I did, can’t believe I waited so long to do it” snippet. To do what, to let go? Let go of what? Is this where we go back to “breaking up with our Doubt”? But didn’t God show up to show you how to do that? Can you share the advice? Can you please, tell me how I can be saved? Or, if I’m a Christian, can you please show me where I can find assurance of my salvation? All I had was a broken heart, then He held me in His arms. Oh, you have a special relationship with God where He did all of the work for you, but I just have to wait for Him to do that for me?
Conclusion

Dear Christian, the singer isn’t sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ in this song. She’s singing about her emotional experience of her spirit boyfriend. There is no water in this pool, don’t dive in, don’t ‘let go’ and look within, look to the Word of God. There are many places we could look in the New Testament for the assurance of our Salvation in Christ Jesus, but I also want to address what the song was trying to get at, the issue of legalism. I can think of no better place to turn than Paul’s letter to the Colossians. I strongly recommend reading through the whole letter, but for now let us read through large portions of chapters 1 & 2.

Colossians 1:3-23 (ESV)

Thanksgiving and Prayer

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit. And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The Preeminence of Christ

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Colossians 2:6-23 (ESV)

Alive in Christ

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Let No One Disqualify You

Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

Legalism is error, and so is mysticism. Trust in the Written Word of God. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of Christ (Rom 10:17). Grow in faith and knowledge, grow in the Word of God. The Christian life is one of repentance and forgiveness, in Jesus’ Name. Don’t look inwardly to the fallen flesh and its desires, look to the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, of all of your sins.

Brothers and sisters in the LORD, meditate on these Words of Christ. Find the assurance of salvation in these Scriptures, in the Promise of Salvation, in your baptism, and in the Lord’s Supper. Christ does the work, and He forgives you of all your sins, by His Word, His Blood, and His Flesh, broken and poured out for you on the cross.

Hebrews 13:20-21 (ESV)  Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

In Christ Jesus,
Jorge

DiM | “Thy Will” by Hillary Scott

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Presentation1CCM Radio Edition.

July 27, 2016. Today we’ll be taking a look at “Thy Will” by Hillary Scott and the Scott Family, which currently sits at #17 on 20theCountdownMagazine.

You may know Hillary Scott as a country singer in the band Lady Antebellum. It’s a good band, as secular country music bands go, but not one that proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have absolutely no problem with being in a band as your vocation. None whatsoever. I don’t even have a problem with being in a secular band as your vocation. I have no problem with listening to secular music. None whatsoever. But a song doesn’t become a Christian song simply because the artist says it is, or the artist claims to be a Christian. A song is a Christian song when its lyric proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Hillary Scott is a gifted singer. The song doesn’t stand on its own… and I worry about the theology driving the songwriters. It’s a song begging for the Gospel to be preached to the singer. I pray we learn to preach the Gospel to those asking these questions.

VEVO Lyric Video

Lyrics (via KLove)

Verse 1
I’m so confused
I know I heard you loud and clear
So, I followed through
Somehow I ended up here

I don’t wanna think
I may never understand
That my broken heart is a part of your plan
When I try to pray
All I got is hurt and these four words

Chorus
Thy will be done
Thy will be done
Thy will be done

Verse 2
I know you’re good
But this don’t feel good right now
And I know you think
Of things I could never think about

It’s hard to count it all joy
Distracted by the noise
Just trying to make sense
Of all your promises
Sometimes I gotta stop
Remember that you’re God
And I am not
So

Chorus
Thy will be done
Thy will be done
Thy will be done

Like a child on my knees all that comes to me is
Thy will be done
Thy will be done
Thy will

Bridge
I know you see me
I know you hear me, Lord
Your plans are for me
Goodness you have in store

I know you hear me
I know you see me, Lord
Your plans are for me
Goodness you have in store
So

Thy will be done
Thy will be done
Thy will be done

Like a child on my knees
All that comes to me is
Thy will be done
Thy will be done
Thy will be done

I know you see me
I know you hear me, Lord

Publishing: © 2016 W.B.M. Music Corp. / EKT Publishing, admin. by W.B.M. Music Corp. (SESAC); WB Music Corp. / Thankful For This Music, admin. by WB Music Corp. (ASCAP); Songs of Universal, Inc. / G650 Music/Pure Note Music, admin. by Songs of Universal, Inc. (BMI).
Writer(s): Hillary Scott, Emily Weisband and Bernie Herms

Discussion

Overall, the song is begging for theodicy, an answer for the question “if God is good, then why is there so much evil in the world?”. It is an honest lyric in that the singer is asking questions we all ask from time to time. However, within these honest questions there is also evidence of bad theology. So, the honesty of the questions does not make them good questions by default.

As for the target audience and purpose for the song, I believe it is intended to be a song of prayer. It focuses on 4 words from the Lord’s Prayer, two of which form the song title, and the object of the “you” and “thy” in this song I’m assuming to be the God of the Bible.

Verse 1. A confession of being confused is a good thing, but in common vernacular here in the U.S., it can also be a loaded turn of phrase indicating that the source of confusion is mixed messaging from the messenger, or even hypocritical double-speak. So let’s continue in the lyric. I know I heard you loud and clear So, I followed through Somehow I ended up here… and there it is. I did what you asked me to do, and now I’m here. This is an accusation. Now this doesn’t mean she’s putting God on trial just yet, we see in the book of Job that he hadn’t done anything to “deserve” his trial (though we dare not suggest he was sinless, because he wasn’t). But noticed the claim to having heard God (I’m assuming) “loud and clear”. I don’t know where she goes to church, but with so many big-box churches catering to celebrities and spewing vision-casting leadership driven bad theology, she could be referring to “life tip” sermons filled with man-made law as the source of her hearing from God, or she could be referring to direct revelations she had while practicing the sort of channeling or divination presented in “Jesus Calling” (available at and heavily marketed by your local “christian” bookstore). What we don’t see is her questioning God based on the Written Word of God.

So, the first part of the first verse at least presents the questions:
I’ve done everything You told me to do, God, now why am I here?
I did everything I knew to be right, why am I being punished?
I did everything your church told me to do, so why is none of it working?

The second part presumes an answer based on limited knowledge of Scripture and then extrapolates that assumption into a solution that resembles faith, or at least how faith is generally described in modern evangelicalism. The limited knowledge of Scripture is the idea that God is sovereign over all things. While that is true about God, it doesn’t guide us in the Law nor does it explicitly point to the Gospel, it simply asserts that God is over all things. That’s what I mean by limited knowledge of Scripture, it is Truth that God is Sovereign, but that truth alone does not give us much to go on. The singer then takes that nugget of truth and assumes that since God is sovereign, then clearly she is suffering because God wants her to. I may never understand That my broken heart is a part of your plan is vague enough to be corrected theologically, but it can also run contrary to the full character of God revealed in Scripture. It ignores the problem of sin, the true source of death and heartache in this temporal life.

At the end of this verse, we are still left with a very real question that most in the visible church are asking and even praying. The presumed answer of “God must have a reason for me to be going through this… I hope I can hold on long enough to see what it was” isn’t so much faith as it is positive self-talk. It’s self-focused, and doesn’t point to Christ who is the author and perfecter of our faith.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV) Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

I’d like to address this question more fully scripturally, but let’s get through the rest of this song first.

Chorus. So the chorus of the song is simply “Thy Will be Done” repeated over and over again. “Do what You want to do, LORD.” While it is indeed part of how we were taught to pray, why not pray the rest of the prayer (Matthew 6; Luke 11)? We’ll get back to this point in a bit, but I want to do so after the second verse.

Verse 2. Yes, God is good. This is an attempt to affirm or confess the goodness of God. Very difficult to do from an emotional place when you’re in despair. That is why it is so important to me to point out that Faith is not an emotion. Our emotions are fleshly, Faith is not part of our flesh. Notice the “but”… it doesn’t feel good all of the time, not even for Christians. In fact, the life of a Christian very rarely “feels” good, because the world hates us. It hates us because it first hated God. It doesn’t feel good because the wages of sin is death, and as long as we live in this temporal flesh, we will have to struggle with sin. Struggle doesn’t feel good. Feelings are a terrible way to find God or search for Him or to try to muster up faith in Him.

Now, to this point the song has been theologically poking at Romans 8, so we’ll look at that in a minute. In the next section, however, I think it starts poking at a passage in James.

James 1:2-4 (ESV) Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

We find in this second verse a similar thread that we found in the first verse, a bit of an accusation that on some level God isn’t or doesn’t seem to be keeping His promises to the singer, and then she backs out of that thought with a “I’m not God, You Are”… it’s a pious statement, again, treating faith as a sort of blind trust in a Supreme being that I want to know and think I know but I don’t know and am confused by what seems to be double-talk, or even a failure to keep promises.

What promises? The song doesn’t say. The local “christian” bookstores are filled with so-called promises of God that are out there and simply need to be claimed, or earned, or declared. Most of these books are filled with false-promises, blasphemous lies spoken/written from the imaginations of men. God’s promises are True and Amen. We find them in His Written Word, the Scriptures.

Bridge. The endless repeat of the chorus and the bridge ends the song in much the same way it began. I’m doing my part, Lord, I know you see me and hear me but all I’m getting is ‘Thy will be done’. She’s still asking for an answer. What has she done wrong? What should she be doing? Why won’t You answer her? What is she missing?

Conclusion

Well, she’s missing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I’m not saying she “isn’t saved”, I’m saying she’s spending so much time looking to circumstances and seeking direct revelation about them, she is missing the Promises of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She is also missing the Law, or has been filled with man-made laws presented as some quid-pro-quo arrangement for blessings and prosperity. She doesn’t seem to understand the role of sin and death in this temporal life with its heartaches and struggles. You know, the early Church struggled with heavy persecution, imprisonment, torture, and death. I can think of no more relevant source for encouragement than the Epistles of the New Testament, written in a time and under persecution most of us may never witness or understand.

James 1:2-18 (ESV)

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Romans 8:18-30 (ESV)

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

1 Peter 1:1-13 (ESV)

Greeting
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:

May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

These Church fathers endured tough times, hard persecution, and the LORD blessed them, not in temporal comforts, but in eternal Hope, Faith in Jesus Christ and in the Resurrection. Christ grew His Church through the preaching of His Word. These are the answers to the questions of this song. Christ is the answer, for all of eternity.

Pray to God, make petitions to Our Father in Heaven, a bold proclamation made possible only through the death and resurrection of God the Son, Jesus Christ. Seek His Will by reading His Word. The answers are there. The Holy Spirit speaks through the Written Word, pointing us to Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV) All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Don’t look for God in your circumstances, look for Him in His Word.

Hebrews 13:20-21 (ESV) Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

In Christ Jesus,
Jorge

 

DiM | “The Lion and the Lamb” by Big Daddy Weave

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ApprovedCCM Radio Edition.

July 19, 2016. Today we’ll be taking a look at “The Lion and the Lamb” by Big Daddy Weave which currently sits at #20 on 20theCountdownMagazine.

This is an older song that has popped up on the Top20 charts this week. It’s a good song. It’s a very good song. I’d rather have some of the excessive repetition traded out for a call to repentance, or bring forgiveness closer to the individual rather than simply “the world”, but as the song stands, it’s good, and I am so happy to be adding another song to the “approved” list.

Music Video (Official Audio)

[youtube https://youtu.be/aTUX8_ETIjc]

Lyrics (via KLove)

(Verse 1)
He’s coming on the clouds
Kings and kingdoms will bow down
And every chain will break
As broken hearts declare His praise
For who can stop the Lord Almighty

(Chorus)
Our God is the Lion
The Lion of Judah
He’s roaring with power
And fighting our battles
And every knee will bow before You
Our God is the Lamb
The Lamb that was slain
For the sin of the world
His blood breaks the chains
And every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb
Oh every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb

(Verse 2)
So open up the gates
Make way before the King of kings
Our God who comes to save
Is here to set the captives free
For who can stop the Lord Almighty

(Chorus)
Our God is the Lion
The Lion of Judah
He’s roaring with power
And fighting our battles
And every knee will bow before You
Our God is the Lamb
The Lamb that was slain
For the sin of the world
His blood breaks the chains
And every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb
Oh every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb

(Bridge)
Who can stop the Lord Almighty
Who can stop the Lord Almighty
Who can stop the Lord Almighty
Who can stop the Lord

Our God is the Lion
The Lion of Judah
He’s roaring with power
And fighting our battles
Every knee will bow before You
Our God is the Lamb
The Lamb that was slain
For the sin of the world
His blood breaks the chains
And every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb
Oh, every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb

And every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb
Every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb

© 2014 Meaux Mercy, The Devil Is A Liar! Publishing (BMI) (Adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com)/Thankyou Music (PRS) (Adm. worldwide at CapitolCMGPublishing.com, excluding the UK which is adm. by Integrity Music, part of the David C Cook family. Songs@integritymusic.com)/Bethel Music Publishing (ASCAP)
Writers: Leeland Mooring/Brenton Brown/Brian Johnson

Produced by Jeremy Redmon for Red 91 Productions, LLC

Discussion

Overall, I like the song. It’s a declaration of the imminent return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. There are areas of the song where I think the theology could be a bit clearer, but I don’t want to reiterate that I do like this song and think it is good.

Verse 1. This verse sets the tone for the song. It is a song of joyful expectation of the return of Jesus. It’s wonderful. This is our great comfort in these trying times, that one day Jesus will return. If there is room for confusion, it is in the tenses being used in the first verse. One might get the impression that chains will break and broken hearts will praise Him upon His return. That is not the proper order of things. As far as our enslavement to sin is concerned, that work is already finished by Christ on the cross. Let us turn to Revelation 1, where John is writing a letter to the 7 churches (actual churches in his day) from Jesus Christ our LORD.

Revelation 1:4-8 (ESV) | Greeting to the Seven Churches

John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Amen. The work of salvation has already been done, and will already have been done for those who are in Christ Jesus at the hour of His return. His return will mark the end, the final judgement. We who are in Christ will live forever, and those who reject Him are condemned already.

John 3:16-18 (ESV) | For God So Loved the World

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

The first advent (Christ coming to earth in human flesh) was not to condemn it, but to save it. The second advent will be to judge.

2 Timothy 4:1-2 (ESV) I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

Chorus. I love the clear message that the Lamb was slain for the sin of the world. It is so rare to hear of sin being preached or sung on the radio these days, I’m very pleased to hear it brought up and in context.

Verse 2.  This verse gets a little on the evangelicalistic side. It is allegorizing a bit the local church with the Kingdom of God. There is a tendency in modern-day evangelicalism to treat the doors to their auditorium as analogous to the gates of heaven. I think that is a poor way to go. This verse may also play into the doctrine of the church needing to do something to bring on the Return of Christ. Christ is indeed coming for a spotless bride, but He has already washed her clean. All attempts to link Christ’s return with something the church has done or accomplished is folly. If I could make a part of this lyric more clear and focused, it would probably be a rewrite of this verse. Thankfully, the focus of this song is in the chorus.

Bridge. I don’t think the bridge adds anything worthwhile to this song. But it is worth noting that just as there is nothing that can stop the Lord Almighty, there is also nothing that helps Him accomplish what He chooses to accomplish. Our service to God is not to help Him, it’s to serve Him.

Conclusion

I’m very pleased to be adding a song to our Approved list. Bid Daddy Weave has some good songs, and some vague ones. I’d like to see more of the good songs get airplay and recognition on the top 20 charts. I wish somewhere in the song there would have been a mention of repentance, but I’m so grateful to have sins mentioned and that Christ died for the forgiveness of sins.

Hebrews 13:20-21 (ESV) Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will,working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

In Christ Jesus,
Jorge

DiM | “Priceless” by For King and Country

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disapproveCCM Radio Edition.

July 12, 2016. Today we’ll be taking a look at “Priceless” by For King & Country which currently sits at #15 on the20theCountdownMagazine.

This song makes no attempt at sharing the Gospel in any way. It’s not a Christian song. We’ll review the lyrics briefly, but the song is merely a promotional song for an upcoming movie. Here’s a note the band left on the lyric site I used today:

We just wrapped up a film called Priceless, and this song is going to be in the trailer. It’s going to be the theme song for that movie.

It’s a song that we have been trying to write in a roundabout way for years and years and years, and it’s just never come. But then, in the last 3 or 4 months, out comes this song! “Priceless!” Our challenge was, as men, how to write a song with the word “Priceless” and still have it feel masculine, you know. It was a super hard thing to achieve, because you don’t want it to come off soft, you want it to come off strong, and we worked super hard trying to make it feel like it had some weight to it.

What is this movie about? From the promotional website:

THE STORY
There was a time when James Stevens saw himself as a good man. But that seems like a different life … one that vanished somewhere between the day his wife died in his arms and when his young daughter was ripped from those same arms by the child services’ agency.

Today, he finds himself with more regrets, more troubles, and more heartbreak than one person should ever face in a lifetime. And he just unknowingly signed up for more. Much more.

Desperately in need of money with hopes of regaining custody of his daughter, James embarks on a cross-country delivery for cash—no questions asked.

But when he discovers what he is delivering is actually who, the questions in his mind begin haunting him … along with the lasting image of two innocent women he now feels compelled to save.

Drawn to the beautifully mysterious Antonia, James aspires not only to undo his wrong—but to do so for the right reason. With the lives of Antonia and her younger sister Maria in peril, James may need to sacrifice everything to rescue them.

From the creative minds behind two-time Grammy Award-winning band for KING & COUNTRY, PRICELESS stars Joel Smallbone, Bianca Santos, Amber Midthunder, with Jim Parrack and David Koechner. PRICELESS is the first movie from the Smallbone Brothers and is directed by Ben Smallbone, with Luke Smallbone as executive producer.

Coming to theaters this fall, PRICELESS is a powerfully compelling, suspense-filled love story that reminds us that no matter who we are, what we’ve done, or even how far we’ve gone astray, we are of infinite worth in God’s eyes.

Well, now… aren’t we just so stinkin’ special. *sigh*. Please forgive the snark, but this movie and the song are bent in on themselves, worshiping the created rather than the Creator. No Law, no Gospel, just humanism.

For King & Country TV (Official Audio)

 

Lyrics (via Genius)

[Verse 1: Joel]
Mirror mirror, mirror on the wall
Tellin’ those lies, pointing out your flaws
That isn’t who you are
That isn’t who you are

[Verse 2: Joel]
It might be hard to hear, but let me tell you dear
If you could see what I can see, I know you would beleive
That isn’t who you are
There’s more to who you are

[Pre-Chorus: Luke]
So when it’s late, you’re wide awake
To much to take
Don’t you dare forget that in the pain
You can be brave, can be safe

[Chorus]
I see you dressed in white
Every wrong made right
I see a rose in bloom
At the sight of you (oh so priceless)
Irreplaceable, unmistakable, incomparable
Darling, it’s beautiful
I see it all in you (oh so priceless)

[Verse 3: Joel]
No matter what you’ve heard, this is what your worth
More than all the money or the diamonds and pearls
Oh this is who you are
Yea this is who you are

[Pre-Chorus: Luke]
So when it’s late, you’re wide awake
To much to take
Don’t you dare forget that in the pain
You can be brave, can be safe

[Chorus]
I see you dressed in white
Every wrong made right
I see a rose in bloom
At the sight of you (oh so priceless)
Irreplaceable, unmistakable, incomparable
Darling, it’s beautiful
I see it all in you (oh so priceless)

[Bridge]
Sisters, we can start again
Give honor till the end
Love, we can start again
Brothers, we can start again
Give honor till the end
Yea, we can start again
(2x)

[Chorus]
I see you dressed in white
Every wrong made right
I see a rose in bloom
At the sight of you

[Chorus]
I see you dressed in white
Every wrong made right
I see a rose in bloom
At the sight of you (oh so priceless)
(You’re) Irreplaceable, unmistakable, incomparable
Darling, it’s beautiful
I see it all in you (oh so priceless)

[Outro]
I see you dressed in white
Every wrong made right
I see a rose in bloom
At the sight of you
(3x)
I see you dressed in white
Every wrong made right
Oh so priceless

Discussion

The theme of the song is human worship. If I can just tell you how precious you are then you’ll believe it and be better for it. Not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That’s humanism. Does God love us? Yes. Does that make us automatically infinitely precious? No. It means God is Love. That God Loves us reflects greatly on Him, not us.

John 3:16-21 (ESV) | For God So Loved the World
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

The song uses some vaguely churchy imagery to push the idea that this is in some way pushing a Christian narrative.

I see you dressed in white, every wrong made right. At best, this is an attempt to reference the Revelation account of the saints in white.

Revelation 7:9-14 (ESV) | A Great Multitude from Every Nation
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

But this is really giving its best construction. A mormon (non-Christian) will see their magic underwear (temple garments) in the lyric, and no one could argue to the contrary. The lyric doesn’t stand on its own as a Christian lyric.

Beyond that attempt at Christian imagery, there is nothing else in the lyric that suggests a Christian message or reference or inspiration. This is a humanist song. At some points, these lofty platitudes over reach into worship of the person to whom this is being sung. That’s bad. That’s very bad.

Romans 1:24-25 (ESV) Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

Conclusion

So how does such bad writing find its way onto a top 20 Christian song chart? Well, because people don’t want to hear sound doctrine. This is what the flesh wants, it wants to be worshiped, it wants to be justified in its own sight, it wants to be praised.

2 Timothy 4:1-5 (ESV) | Preach the Word
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Dear Christian, may you also be sober-minded, and remain a faithful steward of God’s Word, both Law and Gospel. Preach repentance and the forgiveness of sin in Jesus’ Name.

In Christ Jesus,
Jorge

DiM | “Great Are You Lord” by One Sonic Society

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Evangelical Worship Edition.

July 7, 2016. Today we’ll be taking a look at “Great Are You Lord” by One Sonic Society which currently sits at #20 on 20theCountdownMagazine.

Though this song is on the top 20 CCM list, it was very clearly written for corporate worship, so we’ll treat it as such and address its use over the radio. I heard it on the local CCM radio station a couple of weeks ago and thought it was a bit seeker-worshipy. I really didn’t expect it to break the top 20, but I was wrong. Is the song bad? Well, there isn’t anything bad in the lyrics. But the song isn’t particularly aimed at teaching or enforcing doctrine or the Gospel of Jesus Christ, nor does it specify the “You” or the “Lord” to whom the song is being sung. While the lyric is generic, it’s how the song is put together and performed that bothers me the most… it’s not aimed at worship, but at stirring up emotion. Emotion != worship.

 

One Sonic Society VEVO

 

Lyrics (via Essential Worship)

VERSE 1
You give life, You are love
You bring light to the darkness
You give hope, You restore
Every heart that is broken

PRECHORUS
Great are You, Lord

CHORUS
It’s Your breath in our lungs
So we pour out our praise, We pour out our praise
It’s Your breath in our lungs
So we pour out our praise to You only

VERSE 2
You give life, You are love
You bring light to the darkness
You give hope, You restore
Every heart that is broken

BRIDGE
All the earth will shout Your praise
Our hearts will cry, these bones will sing
Great are You, Lord

Chords and lyrics provided by EssentialWorship.com

Discussion

Verse 1+2. There is nothing distinctly Christian in this message. Sure, there are some general truths about God being alluded to, but try as I might I cannot think of any false religion that couldn’t make the same claims for their false gods. Buddhism perhaps, since there is no central or chief deity in that odd system. Point being, if we are going to worship the King of kings and Lord of lords in song, we can do much better than this vague stanza. To give this verse its best construction, I’d have to say that the author(s) attempted to identify the “You” of the song by covering several attributes of God. What ends up happening, though, is each attribute is glossed over thinly. The focus of the first verse is in the “restoring of the broken heart”. That’s the goal, that’s the punchline, that’s the focus. The aim of this song isn’t Worship, it’s creating an emotional experience of feeling like your broken heart is being mended.

Pre Chorus. This refrain is oddly set apart from the rest of the lyric. I wonder why it was set apart from the verses and chorus. Probably to allow plenty of instrumental build in the song, or endless repeats to give the impression that the Holy Spirit is leading the band. Again, the lyric isn’t bad, it’s how it’s being used that bothers me.

Chorus. Okay, so God breathed life into Adam’s nostrils when He created man. That same breath is what grants us life today. But we also are born into Adam’s death. There’s no mention of that truth in this song, not in any way. The closest we come to acknowledging our sin is the mention of our broken hearts. Though not necessarily an essential element of every corporate worship song (though I see no reason to avoid it) I do think it is vital in a CCM song purportedly intended to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That’s how CCM identifies itself as a ministry. That’s half the chorus, by the way. The other half indicates that since it’s God’s breath in our lungs (life) we pour out our praise to Him. Again, no mention of sin or regeneration or faith. The unbelievers have breath of life in their lungs, but are dead, spiritually and cannot offer praises to God. They cannot worship Him. If we alegorize the breath of life to mean the regeneration that comes by Grace through Faith in Christ, then why not point to our forgiveness as the motivation for praise? I fear it is because forgiveness is by faith alone, and not an emotion, the lyric would rather focus on the senses. Breathing, repetitive singing, focusing on “healing our broken hearts”, and then giving it a spritual context works very well at creating that warm and fuzzy feeling that seeker-sensitive mysticism aims for and calls “worship”. This chorus also focuses completely on the singer.

Bridge. Overall, this is truish but vague. It’s meant to serve as a climax to the emotional frenzy of the song. When will the earth shout His praise? On the Last Day? In Eternity? Not sure what the reference is here. Up until now, the singer has been pouring out his praise to the Lord because God’s breath was in his lungs. Not sure what is being referenced in this line. Our hearts will cry and these bones will sing. The emotional connection to the heart has been the focus of this song all along, but the addition of bones singing is interesting. In modern-day evangelicalism we see a lot of references to the valley of dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14). They eisegete themselves or their local church body into the prophecy as the dry bones that need “revival”. Nevermind verse 11, where God makes clear the interpretation of the dry bones:

Ezekiel 37:11 (ESV) Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’

Context. It can be a major buzzkill sometimes. That’s not to say that it doesn’t point us to something, because it does. It points us the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are all born dead in sins and tresspasses, cut off, without hope, without faith, condemend.

Ephesians 2:1-10 (ESV) | By Grace Through Faith
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

The prophesying that Ezekiel does to the bones and to the breath points to the preaching of the Word of God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the power of God to Save.

Romans 10:11-17 (ESV) For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Indeed, by Grace through Faith in the preached Word of Christ we are saved out of the kingdom of darkness and granted the Hope of Salvation in Jesus Christ our LORD.

Romans 1:16 (ESV)For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

So, I know I went on a bit of a side track there, but I wanted to make the Gospel of Jesus Christ the clear focal point of the Scriptures.

Conclusion

This song is ill-suited for CCM Radio play. I wouldn’t recommend it at all for such use. As for this song being appropriate in corporate worship? There is nothing blatantly wrong in the lyric, but there is also no clear, Biblical objective of the song either. Emotional revivalism is pointless manipulation of the masses. The song doesn’t serve any purpose within a church service, it doesn’t teach or reinforce sound doctrine. Now there are many who will read this who truly believe that the point of worship is to feel emotionally moved toward God. That is not how the Bible defines worship. This song was written to evoke emotion, not worship. I’m sure many folks will like the song, and consider it helpful in “getting them into an attitude of worship”, but those are not Biblical arguments, they are fleshly.

Hebrews 13:20-21 (ESV) Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.