REBIRTH: Unexpected beauty and purpose for lives which were previously barbaric!

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."

2 Corinthians 5:17

In the late '90s, Finland’s hottest rock group was Apocalyptica; their fans don’t use drugs or mosh, instead they sit quietly and listen attentively.

Apocalyptica is composed of four young cellists, who study at Sibelius Academy, Finland’s top classical training ground. Their music? Metallica, Faith No More and other heavy-metal musicians.

Jim Heintz, writing for the Associated Press, says,

“Apocalyptica achieves something that surprises adults: it finds dignity and intelligence in music usually dismissed as the theme songs of glue-sniffing morons. … The warm, woody tones of a cello can change a riff that that sounds shrill and ugly on an electric guitar into something yearning and lovely.”

Heintz goes on to say,

“The result is to bring an unexpected formality and deliberation to songs that in their original versions were barbaric yawps. In Apocalyptica’s hands, heavy metal leaves the torture chamber and becomes chamber music.”

In the hands of God, the unrighteous and ungodly become dignified, “yearning and lovely”.

The world looks upon what once belonged to it and finds “an unexpected formality and deliberation” where once, “in their original versions,” stood “barbaric” noise.

In God’s hands, sinful man “leaves the torture chamber and becomes” free indeed.
[The Washington Times; July 12-18, 1999; 2]

Christianity, Illustrations,
Rebirth, Religion

FAITHFULNESS - God keeps His Word!

UNFULFILLED EXPECTATIONS! [Isaiah 55:11; Expectations]

Our Sunday evening song leader carefully and thoroughly prepared the congregation to learn a new chorus: “I Am the God that Healeth Thee,” by Don Moen. With a certain flourish, he pressed the PLAY button on the tape deck … suddenly the velvet-like tones of Dean Martin filled the sanctuary with “When the moon hits your eye, like a biga pizza pie … that’s amore!”

Life is like that … we all get lulled into false expectations and are surprised by the results.

Martha expected Jesus’ support but was humbled instead. [Luke 10:38-42] The Pharisees expected to trap the Lord with their conundrums but had the tables were turned on them instead. The lame man expected silver or gold but received healing instead. [Acts 3:1-8] And the rich man, because of his worldly success and wealth, expected to see heaven only to awaken to his worst nightmare. [Luke 16:19-31] Another rich man expected to live out his retirement satisfied with his good fortune, never suspecting his soul would be required of him that very night. [Luke 12:16-23]

The redeemed will do well not to count on anything this side of heaven … except that the Lord God Almighty will keep his word.

MUSIC -Only His ear knows for sure!

THROWING OUT THE BABY AND THE WATER! [Mark 11:29-34a; controversy]

Some of the religious people of Jesus’ day were challenging His authority for doing His miraculous works; He responded by asking a question concerning a minister who was extremely popular with the people.

The dialogue was, in part, as follows:

And Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one question, and you answer Me, and then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men? Answer Me."

And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Then why did you not believe him?' But shall we say, 'From men''?" --they were afraid of the multitude, for all considered John to have been a prophet indeed. And answering Jesus, they said, "We do not know."

Since before I became a believer in 1980, God’s children have been locked in heated debate over the issue of praise or contemporary music as opposed to traditional hymnology.

Let me ask those of you who are opposed to this musical genre, “Is it from heaven, or from men? Answer me.”

I fear many of you will reason as the chief priests, and scribes, and elders, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why do you carp about it?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ we will have to contend with the multitudes all over the world who consider this music anointed and holy.” I fear even more that your answer will ultimately be, “We do not know!”

How, I ask, can a composition such as Michael W. Smith’s Agnus Dei or Maranatha’s As the Deer Panteth be anything but from God?

I must admit some of what passes as Christian music is not of heaven or men but right out of the pit of hell … but this has been a problem as old as Eden.

FUNERAL - God's occasional rose!

A ROSE IS A ROSE! [2 Chronicles 16:9; Grief, Love]

Marty Robbins, a world famous, western singer of a generation ago, performed a song titled: An Occasional Rose. A key refrain in the song is this line: “I can take the thorns if there’s an occasional rose!”

Note: Point out how we can dwell on the thorn of our lose or we can decide to see (insert deceased’s name) as one of God’s occasional roses.