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Over on the Oasis Facebook page I have been profiling some hip-hop artists who's lyrics are impressively deep theologically. In case some of you have kept up with some of that and you are interested, I just thought I would post the lyrics to one of the songs here, just so you can see what I mean. This song is by the artist "Flame" and it is from his CD "Our World Redeemed" (which was a follow up to his CD "Our World Fallen"). Each song not only has very catchy beats and rhymes, but theology that is God-centered and grounded in His Word. This song is called "Who Can Pluck Us?"
Who can pluck us out His hands?
Not even a professional plucker
Who plucks for life to pluck the unpluckable
Rooted and grounded
Doctrinally sound when
Checking my options
It's obviously that God wins
[Repeat]
[VERSE:]
See what I'm about to mention some consider
Secondary
But never weary guarantee it's very
Necessary
When Jesus hit the wood and shed His blood on
The tree
He did something good He was atoning for
Me
And all believers we see Peter would call the elect
And
Even Jesus said that His sheep could never be
Snatched
Out of His hands nor the Father cause He's
Greater than
All and their one like a married woman and
Man
So listen up (listen up) I'm bout to make it plain
So
You can hear me clearly and sincerely what I'm
Saying
Through Jesus sacrifice the Father was satisfied (run
It back)
Through Jesus sacrifice the Father was satisfied
(one more time)
Through Jesus sacrifice the Father was
Satisfied
Now He gives assurance to all those for whom He
Died
Now you wonder why would I say something like
That
I'll be right back, I'll be – I'll be right back
[HOOK:]
Who can pluck us out His hands?
Not even a professional plucker
Who plucks for life to pluck the unpluckable
Rooted and grounded
Doctrinally sound when
Checking my options
It's obviously that God wins
[Repeat]
[VERSE:]
I'm trying to tell you something you probably have
Never heard
And if you have you probably perceive them as
Dirty words
Words like election and predestination
Can get
You stoned and thrown out of a congregation
But there in
The bible we gotta talk – talk about it (run it back)
But
There in the bible we gotta talk – talk about it (one more
Time)
But there in the bible we gotta talk – talk about it
We
Can still love each other and share our thoughts about
It
When Jesus died He drank the full cup of God's
Wrath
When He was crucified it was on our behalf
For all
Those the Father chose in eternity past
To be redeemed
That simply means to be bought back
So when Christ
Expired the debt and the price was paid
For particular
Would I say something like that?
I'll be right back, I'll be –
I'll be right back
[HOOK:]
Who can pluck us out His hands?
Not even a professional plucker
Who plucks for life to pluck the unpluckable
Rooted and grounded
Doctrinally sound when
Checking my options
It's obviously that God wins
[Repeat]
[Spoken:]
Do you enjoy fellowship with God?
Are you sensitive to sin?
Do you obey God's Word?
Do you reject the evil world?
Do you eagerly await Christ's return?
Do you see a decrease pattern of sin in your life?
Do you love other Christians?
Do you experience answered prayer?
Do you discern between truth and error?
Do you have the witness of the spirit?
Are you rejected or persecuted for your Faith?
Just a lil taste for your salvation man
Read the whole book of 1 John
Jesus Christ – Holla!
[VERSE:]
Some people are truly tricked cause Satan's got 'em
Convinced
That they are saved when everyday they
Straddle the fence
But yet that's nonsense for them I'm
Truly afraid
But those who mature can be assured that
They're truly saved
The Son who preexisted
Took on human
Flesh
Fulfilled the Father's Commission
Lived a perfect
Life
Took the wrath of God
Spoke to the Father and said
That it was finished
I'm done!
[HOOK:]
Who can pluck us out His hands?
Not even a professional plucker
Who plucks for life to pluck the unpluckable
Rooted and grounded
Doctrinally sound when
Checking my options
It's obviously that God wins
If you like Hip-Hop music, and you love the doctrines of grace and the Sovereignty of God, then this is certainly worth checking out. I actually have several others I have been listening to as well -- artists such as Lecrae, Tedashi, Eric Cross, Cam, Dre Murray, Trip Lee, 116 Clique (a compilation of several of those mentioned). Do a search on them. See what you think. I am very pleased with what I hear.
Posted at 10:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Oasis Christian Fellowship Church!,
Posted at 11:22 AM in Theology | Permalink | Comments (1)
This might seem like a funny heading and a weird thing to write about. In fact, for those of you who have been part of our fellowship for more than three years it might seem like sort of a "Duh!" statement. Well, believe it or not, it isn't.
For local churches, typically new (less than 15 years old) churches, who do not have a building or do not have the "traditional" feel of what the local culture is used to church looking like, feeling like, sounding like, etc. it is often hard to be taken seriously. That is, until some of those "legitimacy" items begin to appear in the church. Having no building, office space, or any "landmark" of our own that we can be identified with can present some challenges for a young church. Don't get me wrong, these challenges are good ones. Needed ones. But they are challenges nonetheless. Let me give you some examples:
We could make this a very long post by continuing to create scenarios like the ones in the bulleted list above, but hopefully you can see the intent here. Yes, we are still very young (in terms of church life). Yes, we do things a little differently, look a little different, sound a little different, etc. Yes, we do not have a building or property of our own. But are all of those "legitimacy" items really necessary to make a church "legitimate"? In the eyes of some, perhaps, and unfortunately, yes. But we aim not to please man. I ask again, in the eyes of the One who has sent us to this little mission field in Ohio, are we legitimate?
We find our validation, not in whether or not our services are listed in the newspaper, or our sermons are on the radio, or we have a nice marquee sign out in front of our building that put us into debt. We find our validation in Christ alone, and in His Word alone. Look nowhere else. Consider nothing else when wondering, "Is that church legit?"
God is in the midst of doing great things among the fellowship of believers called Oasis. This has been "Part 1" of a three-part article. Stay tuned...
Posted at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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