Exploring Christian Entertainment, Part 1: Music

 Exploring Christian Entertainment, Part 1: Music, Written by my Wife

What would you say if I told you all of the above photos are of bands who promote themselves as Christian?  If you look like the world on the outside, what does that say about the condition of your heart on the inside? 

How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Matthew 12:34

 There were also plenty of pictures of female Christian artists dressed and posed provocatively.  We did not feel comfortable sharing such images, but trust us, they are out there.  

In like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation... which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.  I Timothy 2:9-10 

We are not trying to discredit any one specific artist or band, but we just don't understand why anyone would promote themselves as a Christian band if they are not willing to act the part.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.   And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.  Romans 12:1-2 

For that matter, why would we, as Christians, listen to such music, thus promoting ungodly music? 

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.  Philippians 4:8-9

We may think that any kind of music is safe as long as it is promoted as Christian.  We have both listened to Christian music in the past with a heavy rock beat. (And sometimes not-so-heavy, but it is still obvious the artist is compromising.)  Our flesh enjoyed the secular rhythm.  There was not always a Godly message to be found in the lyrics, but the voices were good, and the beat was pleasing.  What we both noticed was that, even while trying to enjoy the music, we would always feel a sense of agitation while listening to it.  That is called a check in your spirit when God is trying to warn you something is bad.  It is also called discernment.

 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ.  Philippians 1:9-10

David Wilkerson was an amazing holiness preacher. He had a great gift of prophecy and discernment.  In 1987, David was invited to attend a well-known Christian singer's concert.  While at this concert, the band began playing a very popular song.  In the spirit, David saw Satan laughing at the crowd because they were doing this all in the name of Jesus, but they were truly worshiping Satan in their hearts.  (Please read his profound article: http://tscpulpitseries.org/english/1980s/ts870803.html )

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Isaiah 5:20 

Think demons aren't real?

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Ephesians 6:12

My husband gave up "Christian" rock music in his teens, when his late mother saw demons attached to the music he was listening to. His mother, Marie was a prophetic woman with the gift of spiritual discernment.  Like Pastor Wilkerson, even before I knew he also had a vision, I had a vision of a demon on stage at a "Christian" concert my husband and I attended.  The demon had a wide, sadistic grin on its face as if it was fully enjoying the fact that the audience was enjoying and even dancing to the very secular music that had nothing to even do with Christ.  I turned to him and said, "Do you feel that? The air is heavy and making me sick to my stomach." He acknowledged he felt the same way. We quickly left. As we were heading out the door, my husband felt the urge to loudly say, "Ichabod! The spirit of the Lord has departed."  Another concert goer, also about to leave, looked at him and shouted, "Amen! Preach it brother!"  

This is a great meme.  Those artists promoting themselves as "Christian" are truly wolves in sheep's clothing.  They do not care about the condition of your soul.  What they want is your adoration, and of course, your money.  Look again at the faces of those in the pictures at the top of this blog.  Do you see any humility?  Do their songs really praise Jesus or just ask for stuff and whine about life being hard?  The only message given is the very watered-down grace message that says we are all forgiven because we are only human.  You will never hear repentance or holiness preached.  You rarely even hear the name of Jesus or God, but rather the songs are about a generic, "you." 

If you have ever been to one of these concerts, pay attention to who is getting worshipped.     

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought... Romans 12:3

Ungodly music does not just come from professional studios.  Many churches are also into promoting the same ungodly beats for the sake of entertainment and, more importantly, for the sake of getting money placed in the offering.  Do not be deceived that just because the music is sung in a church that it is pleasing to God.

My husband once had a dream where he was attending a fancy mega-church.  He sat in the bleachers with some younger people, and the elders of the church were seated to their right.  The worship leader began encouraging them to worship God by clapping and lifting their hands to the Lord.  Then he began telling them to dance before the Lord.  Don't be fooled that there is anything holy about the Holy Ghost Hop, for this is what they were doing in the dream.  Then he encouraged the congregation to take their clothes off before the Lord.  This is symbolic of sin.  As the younger people began peeling their clothes off, the elders began to point and chant, "Shame!  Shame!"

Also, consider this:  the heavy drum beats used in some of the popular music styles come from tribal music used in satanic rituals.  Some of these same rhythms have been and still are used to call on demons.  The demons have not forgotten this fact, nor do they care who you think you are calling.  They will answer.

Not all Christian artists are wrong to listen to. There are many that sing beautiful songs that glorify the Lord. With that said, however, even the softer style of music is likely to be sung by lukewarm Christians. Often I see popular artists dancing around, jumping up in down, raising their hands, using phony mood lighting, and even strobe lights, all for show-and-tell and to promote him/herself.  When you are close to the Lord, you can tell the difference between these Actors pretending to glorify the Lord with teary eyes and up-raised arms. Emotionalism sells albums and tickets! The lyrics and beats may be safe, but even if the singer is phony, just make certain you are glorifying God in your personal worship and not the singer. 

We are both very careful about the type of music we listen to.  We pay close attention to any discernments the Holy Spirit may give us.  If either one of us feels uncomfortable, the music gets turned off.  We encourage you to also listen closely to the Holy Spirit when he warns you about what you allow into your home, car, or office.

Do you celebrate Halloween?

Deut18:⁹ “When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the ^[d]abominations of those nations. ¹⁰ There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass^[e] through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, ¹¹ or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. ¹² For all who do these things are ^[f]an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you.

Satan's Throne in your Home

Most people are unaware that Satan has a throne in their home. Many people desire to be healed of sickness, delivered from demonic oppression or possession, or to hear from God, but they are being blocked. Quite often the programs that people watch on television is robbing them of God's blessings, as well as bringing demons into their homes. The television set is Satan's throne in most homes. The Lord showed me that music, video games, as well as television programs are blocking prayers from being answered, as well as keeping his children in bondage. Many Christians are receiving visions and dreams from familiar spirits, instead of the Lord because of the compromise of television. Throw out your television set and you will open yourself up to the blessings that God desires for his children.

In the past, the Lord dealt with me on the issue of television. I felt that if I was careful to what programs I watched, everything would be okay, but television was an idol to me, as well as a compromise to my Christian faith. Television is filled with extreme violence, fornication, adultery, occultism, profanity, swearing etc. I was filling my eye gates and ear gates with the trash that Hollywood produces. For the eyes and the ears are gates to the soul, should Christians be filling their souls up with darkness? So, we made the decision to rid ourselves of all television shows, as well as movies, with the exception of wholesome Christian music and preachers of sound doctrine. If you can't limit yourself to Christian only programming, then it is best to throw the thing away! Be careful to not watch the majority of preachers today for they are the products of the harlot Babylon (wicked culture). Also, avoid Christian rock music for it is demonic!

Even commercials have become X-rated, on CNN they would frequently show this commercial that showed men and women dancing provocatively, taking off their clothes. How much of this are we going to tolerate as Christians? Also consider how tv has de-evolved over time. There are now infomercials about sexual enhancement. Also consider the heavy metal/black metal music being played in the background of movies, shows and commercials. Many claim that they would never allow this type of music to be played within their homes, but they are allowing it in their homes through television. After watching a television show, how many times have you gone to bed and had undesirable music playing in your head? It has happened to me many times.

Also consider how the family structure is being perverted by Hollywood. The children are always fussing or cussing at their parents in many of these shows. Women are always in charge of their husbands, as well as belittling them, and men are always cheating on their wives. The homosexual agenda has really taken over tv as well, there are now tv sitcoms featuring gay parents raising children. A gay man, child, or lesbian woman is featured in many programs today, in an effort to desensitize the American public. I believe that it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgement than for this generation. Many people use the excuse that everyone, including pastors have televisions, but does that make it right? During Noah's generation he was the only righteous man on earth, and because he refused to compromise his convictions, God spared the lives of Noah and his family.

Also consider the occultism within television and movies today. Witchcraft, Satanism, Buddhism, New Ageism, Hinduism, channeling, ghosts, reincarnation, quija boards etc., are all being promoted by television. Even children's cartoons are filled with occultism. These types of programs are an open door to demons in your home.

The Lord gave me some dreams, as well as words concerning television, that reflects how serious this issue is to the Lord. The Lord said that I was cut off from him, I asked how? The Lord told me that I was cut off due to compromise by watching television. The Lord also told me that there is No grace for watching television. Grace is given for repentance which means to stop sinning.

A number of years ago, I dreamed that I was going to a movie theater to watch a western. I pulled up into a reserved parking space marked rodeo. When I got out of the car, I was surrounded by five or six, seven-foot-tall men. They said that they were looking for runaway slaves. I told them that I was not a slave. They said that they were going to hold me captive until they could verify that I was not a runaway slave. They put a chain around my neck to lead me away, and then I noticed that one of the tall men looked like Frankenstein, another looked like Dracula. I believe that the tall men were fallen Angels, and I was being held captive by the sin of television and movies. The Lord showed me that even supposedly innocent shows were still wicked to him because they are produced by Hollywood. Everything from Hollywood is accursed to God.

In another dream, I was seated on the couch in front of our entertainment center like I did in the past. Where the tv once was, there was a coffin, and on each side of the entertainment center there were full size coffins. My arms were outstretched, and between my arms was a mini coffin. The Lord spoke and said,” Mystery Babylon has been in front of your face this entire time”. I understood that my arms had been wrapped around television for a long time, I loved it, and it was idolatry to me. Our culture, as well as much of the church system is Mystery Babylon. The Lord then spoke to me as I was waking up and said, “Television is a magnet for demons to enter your home”. According to the Lord, tv is spiritual death. In a recent dream the Lord showed me a slimy pig entering a home through a television set. Consider the following Scriptures in regard to the Christian life.

Matthew 7:13” Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.

Matthew 7:14 “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it

.

Luke 13:24 “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.

Also, consider this account from God's Word. In Joshua, we read that Israel could not stand before their enemies because of disobedience, Achan took a Babylonian garment, as well as gold and silver from the enemy's camp and hid it, in the camp of the Israelites, and according to God, this accursed thing brought a curse upon Israel. The Lord showed me that in the same way, television is also an accursed thing, that is bringing defeat from our enemies as well and is blocking Gods blessings.

(NKJV) Joshua 7:1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things, for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed things; so, the anger of the LORD burned against the children of Israel.

10 So the LORD said to Joshua: “Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face? 11 “Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff. 12 “Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you. 13 “Get up, sanctify the people, and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, because thus says the LORD God of Israel: “There is an accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you.”

20 And Achan answered Joshua and said, “Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I have done: 21 “When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them.

25 And Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? The LORD will trouble you this day.” So, all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones. 26 Then they raised over him a great heap of stones, still there to this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore, the name of that place has been called the Valley of Achor to this day.

A call to Anguish by Pastor David Wilkerson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcUh2xLmJy4

Modern Christianity (Written by my Wife)

Modern Christianity (Written by my Wife)

The amount of holiness Christians with the belief that our works do indeed matter and we must pursue righteousness to obtain eternity with Jesus Christ, has seriously decreased.  When I did a search on the words, "What percentage of people have holiness beliefs?" the results were quite sad, though not unexpected. In an article by G. Shane Morris (I don't know much about him, so I am not specifically promoting him, just quoting him. You can read his article here: https://thefederalist.com/2016/10/10/survey-finds-american-christians-actually-heretics/), he said that today's Christians are basically heretics. One of the things he writes is, "Two-thirds admitted that everyone sins a little bit, but still insisted that most people are good by nature, which directly contradicts scripture (See “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,” and “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”). Over half said it’s fair for God to exercise his wrath against sin, but seemed to waffle about which sins deserved wrath (not theirs!). Seventy-four percent said the “smallest sins” don’t warrant damnation, in contrast to Jesus’ brother, who when writing at the Holy Spirit’s inspiration taught that even one infraction of God’s law is enough to sink someone."

Another article I found by George Barna (again, I am not specifically promoting him, just quoting him https://www.barna.com/research/the-concept-of-holiness-baffles-most-americans/) says, "Holiness is a matter embraced by the Christian Church, but it is not one that many Americans adopt as a focal point of their faith development. This is partially because barely one-third of Americans (35%) contend that 'God expects you to become holy.' A larger share of the born again public believes God has called them to holiness (46%) but that portion remains a minority of the born again population."

According to Wikipedia (which I know is not always accurate), in the past 50 years or so, people who consider themselves a part of the holiness movement has dropped from 600 million to 12 million.

‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: “I know your works, your labor, you patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent... He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” Revelation 2:1-7

We have both written quite a bit on the importance of striving to live a holy life, so I will not dwell on that issue today. My goal is to focus on the perception, or I should say, misperception of the true Christian. For the sake of this article, I use the term "true" or "holiness" Christian meaning one who has Arminian beliefs rather than believing in the false doctrine of eternal security.  I am not attempting to be derogatory or sarcastic, but just based on what the Bible says. We are labeled as legalistic, judgmental, hateful, and narrow-minded. True Christians who stand up for their beliefs are no longer admired or respected, but just the opposite. Although my heart goes out to the  martyrs that are being persecuted in other countries, and I greatly admire them all, my focus is on what is happening in America.  

Sadly, one of the reasons most that call themselves Christians have watered down in their beliefs is that they fear persecution from the world and do not have the courage to stand up for Jesus.  In the ancient days of the Romans, the Christians initially rejected Paganism (false gods).  Yet after being tortured and executed for their faith, they decided to allow the Pagans into their churches, believing this would cause the persecution to stop.  They also believed they would be the stronger influence and would not let the false religions drag them down.  However, that was not the case, and the Christians compromised their beliefs and adopted the false gods and even used the images of false gods as the faces on their own saints.  This is also a topic that would make another good issue for another blog, but I will move on for now. However, if you are skeptical of this, do your own research and notice the similarities between the Pagan goddesses Diana & Isis and the Catholic Mary (just as one example). 

My point is that the ancient Christians chose to conform to the world and exchanged the truth for a lie just to be popular.  Today's Christians have done the same thing. They care more about being liked than living a life of holiness and standing up for their beliefs.  You no longer see congregations in modern churches weeping at the altar repenting of their sins because they believe there is grace for all sins.  The modern church members no longer dress as if church is a special occasion, but come in shorts (men and women), mini skirts, low cut tops, and  other provocative clothing.  Even the pastors dress in blue jeans (sometimes ripped) and T-shirts.  They all want to look like the world and in turn treat church irreverently as if going to the mall. Why not when churches now have book stores and coffee shops.  Didn't Jesus warn against turning the church into a marketplace? 

I am continually saddened by people who call themselves Christians then say homosexuality is okay, admire witchcraft, drink alcohol, dress provocatively, tell dirty jokes, etc., all to fit in with their buddies.  Wake up, if these people were really your friends, you would not need to compromise your beliefs to stay friends!  True friendship is as true Christianity, you are loved in spite of your differences. 

That brings me to the topic of true Christians being seen as hatemongers.  Just because I do not support LGBTQ, that does not mean I hate the people involved.  My heart is saddened for them and I have great compassion for their souls.  The old saying, "Love the sinner, hate the sin," applies.  Hating the sin does not mean I hate the person.  98% of our friends have different beliefs from us.  We do not stop being their friends, nor do look down on them. We love them and cherish their friendships.  Instead, we say an extra prayer every day that their eyes will be opened to the ways of holiness. With that said, it is also a shame that the more liberal Christians no longer accept the holiness Christians as if we are not all striving to serve the Lord.  But are we?  Do the modern day Christians really care about serving Christ or serving themselves? Donating time or money to a worthy cause is more than it takes to please the Lord; it takes a lifestyle of holiness and striving to put down sin.  It takes repentance and the casting away of habitual sin, not just throwing money in the offering.  

 If you want to be truthful, you can admit that true Christians are looked at with a lot less tolerance than the LGBTQ community, or any other group that goes against the principles of Jesus Christ. Shortly after we moved to Washington, there was a report on the radio about a street preacher in Seattle being beaten up when he protested gay rights.  This was not an isolated incident. It has become more and more frequent for a Christian to be harmed for speaking the truth more than ever before. Christians are not beating up nonbelievers and yet we are seen as the ones filled with hate?

Even those that call themselves Christians look down on true Christianity and say we are being legalistic and judgmental. When I looked up the definition of legalism on dictionary.com, I was shocked.  One definition was, "the doctrine that salvation is gained through good works."  What?  Even this website is against true holiness Christians! Legalism is what Jesus Christ spoke out against.  Read the gospels!  The Pharisees were so steeped in manmade laws that they were mistreating one another and not focusing on a relationship with God! True Christianity is not about manmade traditions, it is about focusing on the lessons and words of Jesus Christ and striving to live like Him and treating others with love! It is not tolerating sin, but loving the sinner by showing good works to all. 

As the world becomes more and more liberal, the holiness Christian becomes more and more hated.  And I no not use the term "hate" lightly.  The Bible says we will be hated and persecuted for our faith, and this is nothing new.  However, there was a time when non-believers were more tolerant of us.  I fear it will eventually be so bad that just saying the name of Jesus (other than as a curse word) will get one beaten up. 

We all know the day is coming when true Christians will be thrown into jail and certain types of churches will be banned.  In order to stay safe, we will have to hide our faith.  Whenever I think of such things, it both saddens and frightens me.  However, I am not here to scare you. But I do want to wake you up to what modern Christianity has become and will eventually become a huge taboo. 

I also want to encourage you not to water down your beliefs.  Read the gospels of Jesus Christ to know what is right and wrong and quit compromising to be popular!

There is so much more I can say on this subject, but I feel horribly inadequate to expound farther.  I will end by pointing you to the prophet David Wilkerson who said, "I see an hour of persecution coming such as mankind has never before witnessed. This will be a persecution of true Jesus believers that will soon arise like a many–headed monster out of the sea" He also predicted, "An antichrist spirit will enter the hearts of certain men in high places in government and in the judicial system, causing these officials to engage in legal maneuvers designed to harass independent churches, missionaries and ministers."