roniya“Live for the glory of God and the good of many.”

Dear friends,

Greetings in the Name of the LORD Jesus Christ! For those few people who do read this blog, here is an update on some of what the Lord has been doing in my life and the lives of those around me.

This summer is rapidly slipping by and will soon be gone. The Lord has been very gracious in making it thus far a summer that has been exceedingly profitable in the growth of my love and knowledge of Jesus Christ and has been fruitful in opportunities to pour out my life for the LORD in love and service to the body of Christ as well as the unsaved.

It has been a blessing spending time alone seeking the LORD through prayer and the study of the Word. I have found the secret place to be even more of a place of renewing of my strength then it ever was before. If any of you do not have the fixed habit of spending much time alone with Jesus Christ, I urge you to place a higher priority on this. It is for the growth and protection of your own soul to spend much time seeking the Lord.

The Lord has been good in bringing into my life several new sisters, some of whom have been recently made new creatures in Christ, and giving us many opportunities to fellowship and pray together. I rejoice in the works of the Lord in each of their lives and am so grateful for their humility and desire to grow in their knowledge of Jesus Christ. It has been wonderful seeing them grow in the area of modesty both in apparel and spirit. In the middle of June seven of these sisters were able to come to Missouri for a visit and we had a most blessed time together.

Once again the Lord has given my father the privilege of organizing South African Evangelist Keith Daniel’s fall tour to the US. It is a time consuming task that my father fulfills with much carefulness and dependency on the Holy Ghost. The Lord has given me the blessing of assisting my father in this project and I rejoice to say that for the time being, the schedule is completed, tickets bought and all the information has been sent to each pastor. Next on the list in this area is to begin preparing for family camp in the areas of registration and media ministry. If you would like to see where Keith Daniel will be speaking you may go here, and if you have any interest in attending our church’s family camp, October 1-3, where Keith Daniel, his wife Jenny and son Roy will be the main speakers you will find more information here.  Tour Schedule. Family Camp.

One of the highlights of this summer was my recent trip to Texas with my beloved sister Jen. The Lord clearly directed us to go down there to visit and hopefully edify and encourage the saints and it was such a delight to be led of the Lord every step of the way. For the sake of remembering all that the Lord did I will share more with you about this trip. If you find the details to be too cumbersome, please do not trouble yourself to read over this. I know I tend to be a wordy writer, but I will attempt by God’s grace to make every word profitable to the reader and glorifying to the LORD.

We drove down to Allen, TX early Thursday morning, July 8, to arrive in time to go out to lunch with our dear friend Debbie Speed. It was special to meet Debbie’s co-workers and spend time with this joyful lady. I have met few people who exuberate so much joy and enthusiasm in loving and caring for the people around her. I know it is the Lord’s grace to fill Debbie with so much joy in the midst of many trials.

Navigating through Dallas traffic on our way to Arlington was an adventure and test to trust the Lord to direct our steps. Looking back He really did help us get to Arlington and I could see His hand clearly guiding us, even in the missed turns and frequently adjusted route. We arrived at Jesse and Lindsay Morris’ home that afternoon and how I praise God for this godly couple and their generosity in making their home available for the Lord to use it however He pleases. A more hospitable and flexible hostess than Lindsay I have rarely seen. And Jesse is a faithful servant who was ever watchful for the practical needs of his guests.

It was a wonderful blessing and encouragement to spend time fellowshipping and visiting with brothers Sean and Ryan, as well as meeting brother Chris (a godly brother recently saved in March who is ablaze for Christ and meekly following his Master with everything he has). The Lord has directed brother Sean and brother Ryan to oversee the establishing of a church in the Dallas area. To read more about this you can visit their website here. I rejoice in the faithful obedience of these godly men to follow the LORD in starting this church and I praise God for the wisdom and great discernment He has given them for this daunting task that would be impossible but for the grace of God and leading of the Holy Ghost.

It was a great delight to see sister Stephanie again. Her boldness and zeal for sharing Christ’s Gospel with those around her was a great blessing to observe and glean from. Sister Megan came over later that evening and how my heart rejoiced to see this beloved sister that the Lord has given me. I am exceedingly grateful for how the Lord has knit our hearts together in true Christian love and friendship. Sister Meg is one of the godliest women I know and the sweet fragrance of Christ’s love and compassion overflow out of her life into the lives of all those around me. A greater example of a merciful and compassionate heart I have not found.

Sister Lindsay and Sister Stephanie

At the end of that evening we followed Meg to her home in Dallas where we spent the next few days with her and her family. We were so grateful to the Turner family for their gracious hospitality in opening up their home to us. It was a blessed quiet place to be for a few days to seek the Lord as well as spend precious time praying, studying the Word, and fellowshipping with sister Meg. The Lord gave Jen opportunity to practice her gift of cooking which proved a great blessing to the Turner family and all those who tasted of her skillful cookery.

Friday evening we went over to Arlington for dinner with all the saints there. Sister Meg’s friend, Kelsey, also came and on the drive over she shared her testimony with Jen and me of coming out of the Christian Science cult. I learned a lot about this deceitful movement and am grateful to the Lord for bringing Kelsey out of it. We also met Ben Douglas, a friend of sister Meg.

It was a blessing to meet brother Brett, a friend of sister Stephanie, who was born again earlier this year. It was good to see his softness toward the Lord and eagerness to grow in holiness and truth. Sister Kelsey flew in from Memphis and I was so glad to see her again. We had spent one hour together in Memphis back in May and I was very excited to have more time with her. The Lord plucked sister Kelsey out of the net of false Christianity earlier this year and He has given her a heart that is hungry for truth and surrendered to obeying the Lord no matter the cost. The Lord graciously gave us much time together during my last few days in Texas and closely knit our hearts together. I also met sister Emily who was saved June 30 and was aglow with the love of the Lord. The Lord mercifully saved her from much deception and made her heart so tender to Him. Her humility and sincere love for Christ was a blessing to be around.

Friday night we had a blessed time of singing hymns together and praying together. It reminded me of the early church and how they gathered in homes to pray and seek the Lord together. The saints are truly walking in the fear of the Lord and comfort of the Holy Ghost. The Spirit of the Lord is present amongst these dear saints, and working mightily to purify them and make them holy. The men are dependent on the leading of the Holy Ghost in everything that they do and faithfully seek Him for direction. There is true charity amongst the believers that is not self-seeking nor self-exalting but each esteeming the other better than themselves. A purer and more loving setting of believers I have never experienced before. The brothers are faithful to exhort, reprove and encourage the saints through the Scriptures by sharing what the Lord has been teaching them. There is a strong commitment on an individual level to seek the LORD first and spend much time with Him. Each one is burdened for lost souls and is faithful to witness wherever they go. There is spiritual reality, transparency and the joy of the LORD is evident in each saint (more or less so in each one according to spiritual maturity).

Saturday was a sweet day of fellowship with sister Meg in her home. We had dinner with her family that evening and the Lord gave a few opportunities to speak for truth and love into their lives. After dinner we packed up our belongings and traveled over to Arlington where we stayed for the remainder of the trip with Jesse and Lindsay in their home along with sisters Stephanie and Kelsey.

Saturday evening after a time of prayer and seeking the Lord about going to downtown Dallas to witness at the clubs, the Lord directed for brothers Sean, Chris, William and Brett and sisters Stephanie and Kelsey to go out and seek to share the Gospel with lost souls. It was my first time to go share the Gospel at a club and I was a bit apprehensive about it, but I submitted to the Lord and His direction and wholly trusted in Him to help me and give me the words to share.

Here are a few pictures from that night to help you visualize what it was like. The club was on one side of the street and people would line up outside waiting for admittance into the club. The brothers stood on a medium in the street and preach to the people standing in line while the rest of us spread ourselves out to pass out tracts and talk with people on the other side of the street. There were about seven policemen and policewomen who were present to break up any fights. Unfortunately they did not take a favorable view of us sharing the Gospel, but we respected them and tried to show the love of Christ while at the same time not backing down on sharing the Gospel. Sister Steph and I ended up on the end of the block passing out tracts to the few people who came our way. Having less people coming through gave us more opportunities to talk with people.

Eventually Stephanie engaged an atheist in conversation who was very arrogant and confident in what he believed. Truly the god of this world has blinded his mind to the truth of God’s existence and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the midst of that conversation, sister Kelsey called me away from it and asked me to show another man who she was talking with the Scripture about women not teaching. I shall call his name ‘Fred’. At first he refused to believe that the Scriptures taught that and so I showed him 1 Timothy 2. His main hang-up was the way the brothers were preaching the Gospel. He said it was too harsh and would turn people off. I showed some Scriptures to him from Matthew 23 about how Jesus preached to the Pharisees as well as some verses on John the Baptist’s preaching. ‘Fred’ was convinced that the way we girls were sharing the Gospel was much more affective than the guys preaching. To demonstrate this he stopped two black guys who I will call “John” and ‘Benjamin”. He started a conversation with them comparing the preaching of the guys to us girls and asked if the preaching of the guys turned them off. They nonchalantly agreed. Then ‘John’ started saying how he was a Christian but he just needed his ‘private time’ and that there wasn’t anything in the Bible that said it was wrong to drink or smoke. I opened up my Bible and started to walk him through Galatians 5:16-21. In the middle of verse 21, ‘Fred’ interrupted me and wasn’t going to let me finish the verse, but ‘John’ stood up for me and insisted that I finish. ‘Fred’ decided to leave the conversation and left me with ‘John’ and ‘Benjamin’ to preach the true Gospel to them as well as the fruits of a true Christian. I went over Scripture after Scripture, especially in Matthew 7. ‘John’ said he was born again but the fruits of his life did not confirm that. He looked over at his friend ‘Benjamin’ who as I later found out had just come from talking with brother William and had earnestly preached the Gospel to him, and ‘John’ asked ‘Benjamin’ if he was saved. ‘Benjamin’ said ‘no’, so ‘John’ asked me to pray for his friend to get saved. I said, ‘Okay, I will pray for both of you. But let me tell you what I am going to pray so that you are sure you want me to pray for you. I am going to pray for God to do whatever it takes to save you. I am going to pray for God to takeaway everything you own, your home, family, job, if that is what it takes whatever to save you, I am going to ask Him to show you your sin, etc…’ They looked at me very soberly and agreed that they wanted me to pray for them. I started praying for them right there on the sidewalk pleading with God to do whatever it takes, pleading with God to show them their sinfulness and to bring them to the place of absolute brokenness and weeping over their sin and at the right moment to give them saving faith in Jesus Christ and set them ablaze for Christ. They were very grateful and left very sobered and serious. I was amazed at the opportunity the Lord gave and for how He enabled me to share truth with them.

Another highlight from that night was singing hymns with our windows rolled down as we traveled down the freeway. There was a wreck so others were able to hear us sing. We even saw a carload of kids who were at the club earlier that evening and brother William preached again to them and told them they needed to pay heed to the preaching they had heard earlier that night. Those kids were totally shocked to see us again. It was great.

The Lord’s day was a most blessed day. Brother Ryan preached a wonderfully encouraging message on the joy of the Lord. I highly recommend it. That afternoon we had a baptism service for sister Emily and it was the most powerful and Spirit anointed baptism I have been to. Many of her old friends and some of her family were there and the LORD mightily enabled brother Sean to preach the Gospel to them while expounding upon the true meaning of baptism. It was glorious.

Monday morning, Jen and I went to Dallas to visit our dear friend Holly and her two cute kids, Josiah and Ellie. We had a sweet time with them and were grateful to the Lord for that time. That afternoon I listened to a sermon by Rolfe Barnard on ‘Watching Men Die‘ and few sermons have impacted me in the area of being burdened for the lost like that sermon. I was so stunned after listening to it that I took a walk and was silent before the Lord for at least fifteen minutes. My heart was greatly overcome at the thought that at the Judgment throne of God there will be no mercy, only justice. Now is the time of mercy, now is the time we must plead with the sinner to seek God while mercy is to be given. During that walk I had the opportunity to meet an old neighbor lady and was invited to come back to see her which sister Lindsay and Jen and I did the next day.

Tuesday afternoon we had a powerful time of prayer interceding for a brother dear to our hearts who has strayed from the path of truth. The Lord enabled us to weep and cry out for him for one and a half hours. I have never been at such a prayer meeting where God came so powerfully. My heart was greatly quieted before the Lord after that prayer meeting (Psalm 131).

On Wednesday sister Kelsey and I went to the mall to shop for some modest shirts for her. Truly that mall was a vexation of spirit to me. But the Lord did give me an incredible opportunity to witness to a young man for 20 minutes or so about the true Gospel. The Lord greatly helped me in that conversation. We went home and spent time with sister Meg and a friend who is seeking the Lord. Then sister Kelsey and I went to Panera to spend time studying but instead ended up spending some key time talking and getting to know one another. That evening brother Trace and sister Gina from Mabank came over for dinner and the Lord greatly blessed that time of fellowship with them and moved mightily. After they left late that night, Stephanie brought three guys over who were hungry for truth and some of the brothers stayed up late sharing truth with them.

Thursday, sister Lindsay, Jen and I went to Mabank to sister Janice’s tearoom and enjoyed a wonderful luncheon with Gina and her two daughters and dear Mrs. Suzette. It was a sweet time blessed of the Lord. The remainder of our afternoon and evening was spent seeking the Lord and fellowshipping with the saints.

Friday morning we took our departure and stopped in Dallas for our last visit with beloved sister Meg. It was with reluctant steps that we turned our travels homeward, reluctant to take leave our much loved brothers and sisters in the LORD, but our time with them had come to an end for the time being. The Lord blessed us with a safe trip home and oh how good it was go be home again and to look upon the dear faces of our parents, sisters and brother.

My heart is exceedingly grateful to the LORD for blessing our trip so richly and using it to encouraging us greatly in the Lord. Praise be His HOLY Name!

Thank you for taking the time to read this lengthy update. I hope and pray it was profitable, edifying and of encouragement to you to take the time to read it. This fall I look forward to our family camp which is October 1-3, Roy and Jerusala’s wedding in Pennsylvania on October 9th, and Jake and Hannah’s wedding on October 23.

May the LORD Jesus Christ bless you with a greater hunger and thirst to seek Him and grow in the knowledge of His Holy Person, and may He bless you with a strong faith in Him that will endure unto the end.

Only by His grace,
sister Joy

Robert Murray M’Cheyne
1813-1843

It is not how long you live, but how you live that counts.” Robert Murray M’Cheyne was a living example of this often neglected truth. At twenty-three years old he was ordained and inducted into the church of St. Peters at Dundee. At thirty years old he finished his course, dying in the spring of 1843.

Like John the Baptist and the Savior Himself, M’Cheyne ushered in Christ’s kingdom in just a few short years. It was during his brief public ministry that Scotland experienced one of its greatest revivals. From 1839-1842 much of Scotland was turned upside down through the Spirit-filled labors of W. C. Burns and Robert Murray M’Cheyne.

For every time M’Cheyne directed men to look at their sins he pointed them ten times to look on Jesus. This was the key to his tender and passionate preaching. To him Christ was not just one of many theological concepts in a message, Christ Jesus was the message! M’Cheyne’s power in the pulpit was the result of his intimate knowledge of Jesus. He could boldly say, “I am better acquainted with Jesus Christ than I am with any man in the world.”

Often as he preached the entire congregation was brought to tears. M’Cheyne’s diary and letters describe for us some of these precious meetings. He wrote, “It was like a pent-up flood breaking forth; tears were streaming from the eyes of many, and some fell on the ground groaning and weeping and crying for mercy.” At other times men and women were so overcome with grief and conviction that they literally had to be carried out of the church – “In some areas whole congregations were frequently moved as one man, and the voice of the minister was drowned out by the cries of anxious souls.”

M’Cheyne’s voice, eyes and gestures spoke of the tenderness of Christ. It was not Robert Murray M’Cheyne the people saw, it was Jesus. M’Cheyne declared, “A man cannot be a faithful minister, until he preaches Christ for Christ’s sake – until he gives up striving to attract people to himself and seeks only to attract them to Christ.”

Perhaps more powerful than M’Cheyne’s preaching was his praying. To him the prayer closet was a refuge of fellowship, holiness and intercession. M’Cheyne’s diary and letters are replete with examples of his prayerful life. He wrote, “I rose early to seek God, and found Him whom my soul loveth. Who would not rise early to meet such company?” “King Jesus is a Good Master. I have had some sweet seasons of communion with the unseen God which I would not give up for thousands worth of gold and silver.”

Only a few months before his death M’Cheyne drew up some considerations concerning “Reformation in Secret Prayer”. “I ought”, said M’Cheyne, “to spend the best hours of the day in communion with God. It is my noblest and most fruitful employment.” It is said that Robert Murray M’Cheyne had a special place in his church where he would pour over the names on the church role and weep with groans of intercession. Though only a young man, M’Cheyne possessed that rarest of jewels; a TRUE shepherd’s heart. M’Cheyne fervently labored among the people of Dundee, as if he somehow knew he would soon die.

He was a man motivated by eternity. He wrote, “As I was walking in the fields, the thought came over me with almost overwhelming power, that every one of my flock must soon be in heaven or hell. Oh how I wished that I had a tongue like thunder, that I might make all hear; or that I had a frame like iron, that I might visit every one and say, ‘Escape for thy life! Ah sinner! You little know how I fear that you will lay the blame of your damnation at my door.’”

To love Jesus is to love holiness. Many professing Christians shrink from the message of purity and thus draw back from the Savior they claim to love. Robert Murray M’Cheyne understood the necessity of a holy life. He wrote, “Study holiness of life. Your whole usefulness depends on this, for your sermons last but an hour or two; your life preaches all the week. If Satan can only make a covetous minister, a lover of praise, and pleasure, he has ruined your ministry.

A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God. A word spoken by you when your conscience is clear, and your heart is full of God’s Spirit is worth ten thousand words spoken in unbelief and sin.” Lying upon his deathbed with a raging fever, M’Cheyne lifted his hands in prayer, he exclaimed, “This parish Lord, this people, this whole place.” Robert Murray M’Cheyne ended his life like he lived it, full of fervent prayer.

Please, please listen to this sermon! I beg you to take 1 hour to listen to this powerful and sobering message on the seriousness of seeking the Lord while He may be found. If you think you can seek Him on your death bed and just wait till the end, you are deceived. God is not obligated to give you repentance after you have rejected Him again and again and again and have spit in His face by your refusal to bow the knee to Him and instead living a life of rebellion and sin. I implore you to please listen to this sermon and see if the salvation you have is true salvation. If you haven’t given absolutely everything up to follow Christ, you are still following the god of this world, satan, and you will perish for all eternity in hell. Now is the time to seek God for mercy for your soul. There will be no pity on judgment day for the sinner who refused true salvation found only in Jesus Christ. Today might be the last day that God can hear your cry for Him to save you. Please think about this. There is nothing more important for you to consider than the eternal future of your soul.

www.youmustbebornagain.org

(James Smith, “The Pastor’s Evening Visit”)

“Who is this coming up from the wilderness–leaning upon her Beloved?” Song of Solomon 8:5

Jesus is the object of a believer’s love.
To him–the world is a wilderness.
Heaven is his Father’s house–and his home.
He is passing through the wilderness in company with Jesus.

He is represented as the bride leaning on her Beloved.
This is indicative of weakness in herself–and confidence in her Beloved.

He is her strength–as well as her guide.

He is her support–as well as the object of her affection.

She leans on Him–as well as converses with Him.

He supports her–as well as comforts her.

Believer, keep close to your Savior’s side! Never leave Him while in this waste howling wilderness. Lean on Him! And when you feel weak–lean hard!

His strong arm is put forth to support your weak frame.
He will bear you up. He will lead you on.

The more you lean on Him–the more you will love Him!
The more you love Him–the closer you will cleave to Him!

Yield to His guidance,
trust in His love,
lean on His power,
walk by His side.

In His company–you are safe!

In communion with Him–you will be happy! Like the two disciples of old, your heart will be warmed, and you will be at the end of your journey before you are aware of it!

He is always at your side–so lean hard!

“Who is this coming up from the wilderness–leaning upon her Beloved?” Song of Solomon 8:5

Please listen to this sermon by Roy Daniel.  It is so easy to fall into spiritual pressure and to be deceived about rules that we think we must keep.    I pray this message blesses you and remember what the key to freedom is, the Scriptures!  The truth shall set ye free!  Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life!

This is a gripping message by Rolfe Barnard on the memory of the sinner in hell. I have never heard such an intense and gripping message on hell as this one. Please listen to it!

[note: I do not know who the author of this article is, but this is one of the clearest and most concise articles on CCM that I have read that exposes the errors in CCM as well as providing a Biblical standard by which to evaluate music. The article is very lengthy but I ask you to take the time to read it and seek the Lord about your music and whether it is pleasing to Him or not. If you listen to CCM, rap, or any music that has a rock beat to it, you might find it helpful to take a 4 week fast from your music and listen to instrumental hymns or acapella hymns, or classical and then go back and listen to your music after that time period. This is a good way to gain discernment about your music since it is easy to become desensitized to wrong music as is testified at the end of this article in the testimonies. May the Lord bless you and reveal His perfect and holy path that He desires His people to walk upon. ~~~joy ]

What should we think of contemporary Christian music (CCM)? In this discussion, CCM includes Christian rock music, Christian rap music, and Christian “pop” music.

The CCM issue is clearly one of criteria— what criteria should we use to assess music? What rule or standard or yardstick should we use to measure or evaluate CCM?

Two well-known contemporary Christian musicians have offered their opinion on this “criteria” issue:
David Meece: “Basically you have to focus on the lyrics, and what the song is saying. That is my criteria to decide whether the song is right or wrong. It has nothing to do with the music style. It has to do with the lyrics. What is the song saying? What are the words saying? As Christians, we can objectively judge it from that standpoint.”

Sandi Patti: “Music is a very powerful force. It has a way of breaking down barriers….But a lot of artists are taking that very powerful tool and putting negative, horrible lyrics to it, and those lyrics are getting into the hearts of the listeners and are shaping their values….Why can’t we [i.e., contemporary Christian musicians] take that same powerful force — music — put positive lyrics to it and begin shaping values that way?”

If Meece and Patti are right, then CCM is more than just okay—it is a powerful spiritual weapon that we must use.

I believe, however, that both Meece and Patti are wrong. First, they ignore the fact that God’s Word offers criteria for evaluating music that is different from theirs. Second, they both assume (and this is an important word) that we must evaluate music solely on the basis of its lyrics. They assume that the music itself apart from the lyrics is morally neutral, or that the music itself apart from the lyrics communicates no message. These are false assumptions. Tunes or melodies communicate messages regardless of lyrics (or, to put it another way, there is always a message implicit in the music). Bad music that contains “good” lyrics still transmits a bad message. What Meece and Patti (and most other defenders of CCM) do is “rig the game”: they begin by setting the rules for assessing CCM, but their rules guarantee that CCM will come out in a favorable light.

Before I continue, I must clarify something. I’m sure that most CCM performers are well-intentioned and sincerely think that they are doing what is right. Of course, good intentions and sincerity are no guarantees that one is right. And it would be a foolish thing indeed if we blindly assume that CCM performers are mature spiritually, or if we assume that CCM is okay simply because we like it.

I. Criteria For Evaluating Contemporary Christian Music

A. Recall Philippians 4:8: Finally, brethren, whatever things are true (or represent truth), whatever things are noble, whatever things are just (or right), whatever things are pure (or untainted by sin), whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report (or good reputation), if there is any virtue (or moral excellence) and if there is anything praiseworthy— meditate (or think) on these things.
This verse obviously applies to music because music is something that we meditate on or allow our minds to dwell upon. Philippians 4:8 clearly has much to say about a song’s lyrics. All people — even CCM performers like Meece and Patti — agree that a song’s words must be true, noble, morally excellent, and worthy of praise if that song is to be acceptable.

But notice what else Philippians 4:8 says. Good music must be of good report (the New American Standard Bible provides the literal translation “of good repute”). In other words, good music must be of a good reputation, or be wholly disassociated with things that are wrong or contrary to God. If something is okay in itself but it is strongly linked to or associated with something else that is evil, then that thing has a bad reputation. It has a bad report. This is a principle that we all accept. I’ll give you an example: Do you think it is okay for me to go into a store and buy a Coca-Cola? Yes. But do you think it is okay for me to go into a bar or a saloon and buy a Coca-Cola? Even though buying a Coca-Cola is obviously okay, when I buy one in a bar I associate that Coca-Cola (and myself) with things that are evil. It would not be right for me to go into a bar and buy a Coca-Cola because wicked things have given my innocent act a bad reputation or a bad report. Philippians 4:8, then, says that your music must be associated only with good or righteous things. Your music cannot resemble or be linked to things that are evil. If your music is identified with music that is evil or wrong, then your music is not of good report. Clearly CCM is linked to secular rock, rap, and pop music. Indeed, CCM performers consciously try to “cross over” and appeal to non-Christian audiences by making their music sound just like that of non- Christians. Don’t many CCM performers dress just like secular musicians? Don’t they sport hairstyles just like secular musicians (and in disobedience, I might add, to 1 Corinthians 11)? Don’t many male CCM performers go so far as to wear earrings, while some female CCM performers wear clothing that is by any definition immodest?

No one will deny that secular rock and rap music has a bad reputation. Is CCM linked to or associated with secular rock music? Is it sometimes hard to tell the difference between CCM and secular rock music? Do most people see a connection or a similarity between CCM and secular pop music? The answer to these questions, I think, is yes— which means that CCM is not of good repute and therefore does not pass the Philippians 4:8 test.

B. Notice something else about Philippians 4:8. Good music must be pure. This means that good music can not have bad stuff mixed in with it. Music that is 95% good and 5% bad is not pure. Good music, then, must be completely free from contamination or pollution. Does this seem unnecessarily strict? If so, it is only because you don’t realize how important your “thought life” is to God. Because your thoughts shape your character, God is very concerned with (and very strict about) what you set your mind upon. That is why your music must be pure. The Bible says that the world taints and makes impure (James 1:27; 2 Peter 2:20). In other words, when worldly things are mixed with or introduced into something, impurity results. Is CCM worldly? Does CCM liberally borrow from the world and adopt the world’s practices? The answer, I think, is obvious. This is serious. Romans 12:2 says “be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Compare Ephesians 4:23 and 1 John 2:15-17.) This means that God commands us to not live like everyone else. Our lifestyle cannot match up to or be similar to that of other people. If a kind of music sounds like the world’s music, looks like the world’s music, and is marketed like the world’s music, then that music is worldly (what else could “worldly” mean?). Worldly music is impure music.

Is CCM worldly music?

—On Stryper, perhaps the most famous “Christian heavy metal band,” Rolling Stone magazine says, “The band looks and sounds like a bunch of standard-issue hard rockers: polished, guitar-dominated music, glittery yellow and black outfits, shaggy long hair and a flashy stage show.” Stryper no longer uses overtly Christian lyrics in their songs. The band said, “You won’t pick up this record and hear anything that says ‘God’ or ‘Christ.’ That was intentionally done.”

—Rolling Stone magazine said this about Amy Grant: “Regarding her album covers and publicity photos, which portray her as a sexy, attractive young woman, the Christian pop star says, ‘I’m trying to look sexy to sell a record….I feel like a Christian young woman in the Eighties is very sexual.” The video for Grant’s recent song “Baby, Baby” portrays the married singer flirting with a young male actor. Grant responds: “If somebody says, ‘You’re trying to go secular,” I say, ‘Of course I am: That’s the whole point.’”

—With regards to Sandi Patti, The Saturday Evening Post writes that “One of the reasons she attracts the adulation of young fans is her thoroughly modern look, sound and style.”

—Sheila Walsh’s new album, according to Newsweek, “artfully mixed the sacred and sexy.”

—Commenting on CCM, Time writes that CCM performers are “indistinguishable — except for their lyrics — from their secular counterparts.”

The above testimony reveals that even non-Christians recognize that CCM is worldly music. Worldly music is not pure music. Impure music fails the Philippians 4:8 test.

This issue of purity is actually a much larger issue that I will only briefly comment on here. Some people would argue that it doesn’t matter how you reach people with God’s truth just so long as you reach them. Any method of proclaiming God’s Word is valid, these people say, so long as it works. They are really saying that the end justifies the means— which is a sinister and dangerous principle. Indeed, the Catholic Church adopted this strategy around 300 A.D. with regard to pagan rites and celebrations. Rather than telling their converts that they had to give up their false religions, their idols, their holy days, and their superstitious beliefs, the Catholic Church “christianized” those pagan things and allowed them to remain.

This is why the Catholic Church began to worship saints, instituted hundreds of unscriptural (and sometimes demonic) holy days, and developed elaborate ceremonial rituals. Instead of remaining pure and separate from the world, the Catholic Church tried to “baptize” worldly things and then retain them. We see where this unscriptural strategy took the Catholic Church. CCM does much the same thing. Instead of rejecting worldly music, CCM tries to “christianize” it.

Robert Pattison, a non-Christian scholar and a defender of secular rock music, makes this illuminating comment concerning CCM’s attempt to use secular musical forms for Christian purposes:

“Some dreamers have hoped to harness rock to propagate the values of transcendent ideologies. Populist Catholics sponsor rock masses, trendy educators produce textbooks using rock lyrics as a vehicle for inculcating traditional values, various Protestant denominations commandeer the airwaves on Sunday mornings to broadcast uplifting advice larded with rock songs to make the message palatable to young ears…But rock is useless to teach any transcendent value. The instigators of these projects merely promote the pagan rites they hope to co-opt. Rock’s electricity as much as its pantheistic heritage gives the lie to whatever enlightened propaganda may be foisted on it.”

Did you see what Pattison said? CCM performers only “promote the pagan rites they hope to coopt.” Though not a Christian, Pattison is confirming that “christianizing” secular music is a strategy that is doomed to fail. Rock music is simply too strong. The musical medium has a distorting influence on the message.

John Fischer, a prominent CCM performer, says something similar. He admits that “Some art forms have been created to express certain philosophies and are so wedded to those philosophies that they convey that kind of outlook….We can’t assume that we simply plug in a Christian message, and everything will be okay.”

Rock and rap music are so wedded to secular, godless themes that they communicate that outlook regardless of the song’s words.

C. Philippians 4:8 says that music must be morally excellent, noble or something that you could be proud of, and so beneficial that it is worthy of praise. Meece and Patti, you will recall, assume that this only applies to the lyrics of a song. They imply that a song’s music (i.e., the sound only) does not communicate a message. Is this true? No. A song’s music — regardless of the lyrics — does communicate a message. Many doctors, researchers, and musicians — many of them not Christians — agreed that a song’s music does communicate a message regardless of the words. Dr. Max Schoen, for example, writes in The Psychology of Music that “Music is the most powerful stimulus known among the perceptive senses. The medical, psychiatric and other evidence for the non- neutrality of music is so overwhelming that it frankly amazes me that anyone should seriously say otherwise.” (And yet people like Meece and Patti say otherwise!) Dr. William J. Shafer, a non-Christian sociologist, writes similarly that “Rock is communication without words, regardless of what ideology is inserted into the music.” Professor Frank Garlock says that “The words only let you know what the music already says….The music has its own message.” The primary message of CCM lies in its music, not in its lyrics.

If all music (regardless of the lyrics) has a message, then what is the message communicated by the music of CCM? CCM uses the same style of music as does secular, non-Christian rock music; therefore, CCM’s music communicates the same message as secular rock and rap music! Nearly all of the effects produced by contemporary music’s beat, repetition, and loudness are negative. Rock music is mildly hypnotic and can become addictive. Rock music produces chemical reactions in your body that encourage aggressive and emotional behavior. Those same physiological reactions prevent you from thinking and judging rationally. By the same token, contemporary music’s beat, repetition, and loudness unmistakably convey a mood of defiance, rebelliousness, aggressiveness, and self-assertiveness. Clearly these effects are neither “morally excellent” nor “noble” nor “praiseworthy.” Bad music, regardless of comparatively “good” lyrics, communicates a bad message.

How is it that music can affect me? The music itself, regardless of the words, affects your emotions. Even if there are no words to a song or a tune, it affects you. Everybody knows this. Lullabies put babies to sleep regardless of the words. National anthems can at times create feelings of pride or move listeners to tears. Some of the most powerful music ever written — like Beethoven and Wagner — contained no words. Ask any young person why they like rock music and they always say something about the beat or tempo. They are admitting that, regardless of the words, the music itself is quite powerful.

This is important. It means that “good” words does not make something good music. Regardless of the “good” lyrics, the musical score itself has an impact on the listener. Assessing music as good or bad or acceptable or unacceptable, is not simply a matter of evaluating the words. You must evaluate the tune also, because the sounds themselves affect you.

D. Philippians 4:8 says that your music must not only be “not bad,” but that it must be positively good. In other words, it is not enough for the music to be free of evil— the music must strongly communicate a positive message. Is it true that CCM’s lyrics are positively good? Most CCM, it is true, does not contain profanity, does not talk about sex, and does not glorify violence. But do these songs express deep, meaningful spiritual truths (such as you read in old Isaac Watts hymns)? Does CCM teach good, solid theology? Doesn’t CCM usually express a light, flippant, and shallow view of Christianity? I, for one, have rarely heard a CCM song that expresses profound or meaningful spiritual truth.

Christianity Today commented in 1987 that CCM sales were slumping because of CCM performers’ “lack of spiritual commitment and meaningful lyrics.” John Styll, editor of Contemporary Christian Music magazine, complained that “Some ‘Christian’ songs today are so veiled in terms of spiritual content that their meaning is lost to all but the most imaginative.” In other words, Styll was saying that CCM doesn’t even communicate a good message in its lyrics. “Many singers,” writes Christianity Today, “have softened their Christian message in an effort to ‘cross over’ into the secular marketplace. But many now say this practice has damaged their credibility with Christian audiences while blunting their impact on secular customers.”

While it is true that CCM’s lyrics are not filthy, vulgar, or wicked, neither are they positively good. Most CCM lyrics — especially the recent “Christian rap” of performers like DC Talk and Mike-E — contains a weak message or no message at all. At best, these songs encourage a superficial and flippant understanding of spiritual things. At worst, listeners simply ignore the empty lyrics and allow the sensual, rebellious music to influence them.

E. “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:28-29) Many, many times we are exhorted by Scripture to fear God and to have reverence for Him. How does this relate to music? If I really fear God, if I really am overwhelmed by His holiness and dignity, if I have great respect for God’s dignity, if I am truly zealous for His Name and His glory, then I will make sure that my music is appropriate for glorifying God. Not only must the words be appropriate for the glorifying of God, but the sound or melody must befit the majesty, the purity, and the holiness of God. I will ask questions like these: Is this music — both words and melody — suitable for glorifying God?
Does this music — both words and melody — cheapen divine things or trivialize spiritual truth? Does this music encourage a non-serious or frivolous view of religion? Might it lead a listener to think that God is Someone that you can play games with or treat lightly?

Does this music — both words and melody — handle sacred truth in a sacred way? Is the music compatible with or complementary of the sacred things of which it claims to speak?

If this music bears Christ’s name (as CCM does), then does it — both words and melody — also bear the marks of Christ’s character? Does this music reflect His holiness, His righteousness, His purity, and His majesty? CCM fails here. It is not a suitable medium for glorifying God. CCM cheapens spiritual truth and encourages irreverent attitudes toward God. Even in songs where the words are okay or even good, CCM employs a type of music or sound that is not appropriate for worshipping God. The sound of CCM is, at very least, casual and worldly.

I realize that this concern may make little sense to some of my readers. We Americans have, unfortunately, grown up in a generation that doesn’t understand what it means to fear God. We have no sense of God’s holiness. We play with sacred things flippantly. We rarely tremble at the fact that our God is a consuming fire. Incredibly, we think that if something is good enough for us, then it must be good enough for God. But Hebrews 12:28-29 merely alludes to something that is suggested over and over in the Bible: God is so holy that many things, actions, or attitudes are simply not appropriate before Him. If you have low views of God’s holiness, then you won’t appreciate my concerns here. But the more you appreciate God’s sacredness, the more you will be concerned about the appropriateness of your music.

A former CCM performer, writing in the mid-1980s, put this well. He said that “For three years I sat under the sound of biblical teaching and those years revolutionized my life. Very soon I learned what the gospel was, and as soon as I did so doubts arose in my mind as to the suitability of rock as a medium for the gospel….When I saw the seriousness of the gospel I saw the paradox of using a non-serious medium to try to convey it.” The musician realized that his “Christian music,” despite his good intentions, actually communicated a non-serious attitude.

II. Other Questions To Ask About Contemporary Christian Music

A. When you listen to CCM, what effect does it have on you? What happens when you listen to it? Do you find yourself worshipping God in spirit and in truth? Do you begin thinking about Bible verses or Scriptural truths? Do you think about God? Are you convicted of sins and failings in your life?
Or do you get pumped up? Do you get psyched? Do you simply start “feeling good”? Do you start playing “air guitar” or “air drums”? Do you feel like getting rowdy?

If you listen to CCM because it produces the second effect, then that should tell you that your music is dangerous. Your music is not glorifying God.

A seventeen-year-old girl from Texas testifies that CCM — despite its “good” words — communicates a bad message through its beat and melody. CCM encouraged her not to worship, but rather to be sexually immoral. She writes: “I would like to share a testimony concerning my experience with ‘Christian rock’ music. I had listened to this music with my friends and at church social functions for several years before I got my own tape, recorded by a famous artist. Buying that tape was the biggest mistake of my life. Under its influence, my moral convictions began to dissolve and I allowed myself to become involved in a relationship with a boy from my church, against my parents wishes. When we were together we listened to ‘Christian’ and ‘soft rock’ music. It was all sensuous and destroyed my inhibitions. I am so ashamed of what happened. The music made me rebellious and pulled me away from my family. I thank God that I can say today that I have not listened to this harmful music for several months now, and I feel a freedom I had not experienced before.”

A fifteen-year-old student from Ohio agrees. He writes that “When I got into secular rock music I was bombarded by many sensual thoughts. Those that think that ‘Christian rock’ is OK because of the words, are wrong. When I listen to that type of ‘Christian’ music, I have the same reaction.” A twenty-one-year old student from Washington writes that rock music “has had a definite bad impression on me. It makes me feel rebellious, and I just have weird feelings when I play it. To me, ‘Christian rock’ is no different than regular rock. It still gives me those wrong feelings.” A sixteen-year-old student from Missouri writes that “I have many contemporary Christian music tapes, and I find when I listen to them that I get a rebellious spirit.”

B. Who is it that is always defending CCM? Who is most vocal in arguing that CCM is actually good? Aren’t CCM’s primary defenders a) the unsaved; b) teenagers who, if they are Christians, must certainly be babes in Christ; or c) people who have only a questionable claim to being Christian? I’m struck by how no spiritually mature men that I know rally to the defense of contemporary Christian music. In other words, it is the spiritually weak that argue that CCM is good.

I’ll briefly mention a related issue. CCM makes songwriters and performers our spiritual leaders. By listening to their songs, we are shaped by their music. Are CCM composers and performers qualified to be our spiritual leaders? Does the fact that someone can put words to rhyme or possesses a good voice necessarily mean that they are qualified to teach us spiritually? Certainly this is a frightening phenomenon. At the same time when young people increasingly ignore preaching and pastoral counseling — indeed, young people often find pulpit teaching boring — they flock to CCM as their source of spiritual nourishment. Little surprise that our children are not saved, and know so little about the great doctrines of our faith?

C. Many young people testify that listening to CCM harmed them. Listening to CCM led many to listen to secular rock and rap music. In other words, CCM is a dangerous “slippery slope.” A few testimonies:

A sixteen-year-old student from Oklahoma: “I began to listen to ‘Christian rock’ without the blessing of my father. He told me that if I listened to ‘Christian rock’ it would open the door for Satan. I just laughed, and listened anyway. It totally deadened my Christian growth and led to terrible immorality, rebellion, and rejection of God. It then developed into secular, hard rock. Now all I can do is go back and pick up the pieces. But I still have a scar in my life that will never be removed.”

A twenty-one-year-old student from Michigan: “‘Christian rock’ has hindered my life because the only real difference between ‘Christian rock’ and secular rock is the words. The beat, rhythm, and the melody are not different; they are the same. It does not matter whether I listen to secular or ‘Christian rock,’ when the songs are over, I feel the same. I feel an emptiness in my soul, a heavy burden. Even ‘Christian rock’ sometimes makes me feel like going out and getting rowdy or even hurting someone else if they provoke me.”

An eighteen-year-old student from Oklahoma: “When I was twelve or thirteen years old, I was given some ‘Christian rock’ tapes by my parents because they thought I was getting into secular music. The truth is, I was getting into some bad music. The ‘Christian rock’ dominated my life for over a year until I could not get the same satisfaction I received the first time I heard it. I went to secular rock music and kept this desire and sin from my parents. I started out on soft music and grew to pop/rock-type music. It was not long before my desire grew to ‘hard rock’ and ‘progressive’ stuff. I started getting into drinking and going to dance clubs. Minor recreational drugs came in and soon my life was going down the drain. One night while drinking, I fell into immorality and my life was devastated….I feel very deeply that if I had not started out in ‘Christian rock’ I would have been convicted about the bad music I got into. Maybe I would not have messed up my life so much.”

A twenty-year-old student from Oklahoma: “When I used to listen to rock music it hindered my spirit and caused a rebellious attitude. I can tell you that when I hear ‘Christian rock’ music, it makes no difference what the lyrics are. It is the music that causes the poor spirit and rebellious attitude.”

A sixteen-year-old student from Florida: “‘Christian rock’ music has probably been the biggest hindrance to my spiritual growth. When I first heard this kind of music, it really bothered my spirit. But then this music was brought into my church. The more I heard it, the less it bothered me. The less it bothered me, the more I listened to it. It wasn’t long before I was involved in secular rock music because I didn’t see any difference. This music caused me to resist the Lord and hold parts of my life back from Him. I was not able to have a freedom to truly serve Him and be totally dedicated to Him until I was willing to give up this music.”

A nineteen-year-old student from California: “I began listening to ‘Christian rock,’ and shortly thereafter I began a fast, steady pace downhill. This eventually led me into a totally backslidden state. I know that my own rebelliousness was the cause of my fall. However, ‘Christian rock’ entered into my life at a very crucial point and added fuel to the fire. I remember the specific day and the song I listened to first. I remember feeling rebellious— like I was going against what is considered acceptable by the standards of Godly people. Within weeks, maybe months, a very apparent breakdown of my conscience, morality, and appearance was evident.”

A seventeen-year-old student from Pennsylvania: “‘Christian rock’ and Christian contemporary music have, in my life, been stepping stones. Not stepping stones going up— but down. Just a few months of listening to ‘Christian rock’ and contemporary music led to a life of being controlled by acid rock. This quickly led to and encouraged rebellion, greed, moral impurity, and trying to protect my rights and hide from my parents.”

A fifteen-year-old student from Nebraska: “When I started listening to ‘Christian rock’ I slowly started to listen to just regular worldly rock (soft rock). Then I was listening to something harder and harder. It not only led me into worldly rock, but I was getting rebellious toward my parents, and I was having sensual and lustful thoughts. I also could not memorize or read God’s Word and understand it or retain it.”

III. How Can You Tell If A Piece of Music Is Acceptable or Not? Where do you “draw the line”?
Based upon the discussion above, and relying heavily on Philippians 4:8, I come up with the following “yardstick”:

1. Good music must have good lyrics. Lyrics must not only be not bad; they must be positively good (i.e., pass the Philippians 4:8 test).

2. Good music must have a good sound. The sound or tune itself can not be conducive of irrational thinking, aggression, or impulsiveness. Nor can the sound communicate a rebellious or defiant mood.

3. Good music cannot be associated with or linked to negative or questionable things. Good music must be pure. Good music cannot be worldly.

4. a) If music claims to be Christian, then (in addition to the above points) it must be music that befits God’s majesty. Christian music must be sober and reverential. Christian music must exemplify or display Christ’s character. b) If music does not claim to communicate a spiritual music (e.g., orchestral music), then (in addition to the above points) that music must be refined, balanced, sublime or subtle, and tranquil.

My conclusion is that much, if not all, of what is today called contemporary Christian music fails to measure up to this yardstick.