---------------------
We are surprised to find a point of agreement with the author. He tends to have a bit of trouble focusing, so we have deleted long passages that are unrelated to the matter at hand.
In addition, the author has in the past engaged in some incendiary rhetoric, a fault that continues below. But he is correct about this song, in our view.
---------------------
Audio link.
From time to time we run across worship songs that frankly cause us to pause. It isn't our intent to berate the songwriter or to throw charges of heresy around, but simply to apply analysis.
We would like to articulate our criteria for examining worship songs, which is something we would have thought the author might have taken the time to do.
- A worship song is an expression to God, and best addresses Him in the first person. There are some perfectly acceptable songs that address the people, that is, refer to God in the Third Person voice ("How great is our God, sing with me..."). While they might contain elements of worship, are generally not considered worship songs. Related faults: God/Jesus not mentioned.
- A worship song generally does not tell God what we will do. Songs about our commitment to Him or our statements about our intentions (Jesus, lover of my soul; Jesus, I'll never let you go...) are generally not worship songs.
- A worship song is doctrinally sound. It doesn't have to be a doctrinal treatise, but it cannot contain heresy. Related faults: vague theology, no theology.
- A worship song is better if it's not excessively metaphorical. (Like a tidal wave, crashing over me, rushing in to meet me here, Your love is fierce! Like a hurricane, that I can't escape, tearing through the atmosphere, Your love is fierce.) Related faults: flowery metaphor, contradictory metaphor, thematically unconnected or no theme.
- A worship song is better if it's not excessively repetitive. (There is power in the name of Jesus, there is power in the name of Jesus, there is power in the name of Jesus, to break every chain, break every chain, break every chain.)
- Facilitates congregational singing. Songs with a wide range are not singable.
- Jesus is not your boyfriend. (I wanna sit at your feet Drink from the cup in your hand. Lay back against you and breath, feel your heart beat This love is so deep, it's more than I can stand. I melt in your peace, it's overwhelming...)
- A worship song is not focused on self. (We're the forgiven, singing redemption's song, There's a fire that burns inside, A fire that burns inside, Nothing can stop us, We'll be running through the night, With a fire that burns inside, A fire that burns inside.
Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. -- Hebrews 12:28-29 (ESV)
Words have meanings. As a former English teacher and current writer, words have power. (We don't wish to be grammar police, but a former English teacher ought to be able to put together a grammatically correct sentence. The sentence opens with a self-referential statement, but the contents after the comma are not related to the the author. He attempted to say, "As a former English teacher and current writer, I know that words have power." What he actually said was that "words with power" are a former English teacher.)
Not the false power word faith adherents attest to but real power. When it comes to worship, our theology often seems worse than what we see from the pulpits. It is just an area we take for granted. I remember being late to church once and sliding into my seat with hands raised since worship had begun. Suddenly I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit literally lower my hands. Confused I realized I had never heard the song before so I stopped and read the lyrics on the screen horrified. The screen was telling me all sorts of lies. Like I was God's portion and not the other way around.
Not the false power word faith adherents attest to but real power. When it comes to worship, our theology often seems worse than what we see from the pulpits. It is just an area we take for granted. I remember being late to church once and sliding into my seat with hands raised since worship had begun. Suddenly I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit literally lower my hands. Confused I realized I had never heard the song before so I stopped and read the lyrics on the screen horrified. The screen was telling me all sorts of lies. Like I was God's portion and not the other way around.
(De. 4:20 But as for you, the LORD took you and brought you out of the iron-smelting furnace, out of Egypt, to be the people of his inheritance, as you now are.
Ps. 28:9 Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them for ever.
Ps. 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.
Je. 12:7 “I will forsake my house, abandon my inheritance; I will give the one I love into the hands of her enemies.
Ep. 1:18-19 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.)That the Creator of the Universe was somehow jealous for me.
(Ex. 34:14 Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.)There was all sorts of sexual innuendo like heaven embracing earth with a secret kiss. Then the hook came and I understood. The song of course was "Oh How He loves Us" and that was the hook as well.
(Re. 1:5 ...To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.)The hook of a song is the part that is repeated over and over again until it hooks you like a fish. The hook, as well as the entire song was telling God how much He loved me! That is not worship beloved. Well, it is self-worship and it fits quite nicely within the "Friend of God" paradigm of praise and worship music. Since the purpose driven church demands sermonettes that are about us instead of God, it fits right in with the modern church experience. So let us take a break today from bad sermon theology to expose a new worship song that is really bad. I mean, like you will want to take a shower after hearing it.
For the uniformed, Jesus Culture is the worship outfit of Bill Johnson's Bethel Church in California. Bethel is a literal cesspool of false teaching as they embrace everything false in Christianity today. Johnson routinely disparages the bible and places personal experience equal to if not above scripture. (Undocumented statement.)
(...)
Recently, Jesus Culture got in a little hot water by releasing "Reckless Love" which went wild in the purpose driven church circuit. The problem of course was in using such a negative connotation to describe God. (We discuss the song here.)
The arrogant writer refused to back down, and why would he with all the money he was making but who does the bible say is reckless?
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, - 2Timothy 3:1-4 (ESV)
Oops. Words matter. Jesus Culture does not care what critics say because they see that their fearless leader Bill Johnson does not care. So now they have doubled down with Walker-Smith's new hit -- Insatiable. That's right, God is now not only reckless but He is insatiable. There are two primary definitions:
"of an appetite or desire) impossible to satisfy. "an insatiable hunger for success"
of a person) having an insatiable appetite or desire for something, especially sex.
synonyms:
unquenchable, unappeasable, uncontrollable, voracious, prodigious, gluttonous, greedy, hungry, ravenous, ravening, wolfish, avid, eager, keen;"
The first definition is regarding an appetite or desire. The second one is regarding a person, thus the second one applies. Is God gluttonous, which would make Him sinful? Is He unquenchable? Ravenous? Of course not. Defenders might focus on keen but if you meant keen, say keen. The majority of the definition of insatiable is easily recognizable as a sexual connotation at best. So what has got God all hot and bothered according to Kim Walker Smith? Why it is Kim Walker-Smith of course! Keep in mind this is supposed to be a worship song:
Jealous for my attention
Longing for my affection
You call me beloved
You call me friend
You never stop...pursuing
Craving...for communion
You call...me beloved
You call me friend
I couldn't...dare imagine
The depths of Your devotion
Wilder than oceans (The oceans)
Oh-oh-oh
This is criminal from a theological standpoint. God is NOT, I repeat NOT jealous for your attention. God is not longing for your affection. He can get by just fine without you. These are the kind of lyrics that would make Steven Furtick blush in their narcissism. God does NOT call you beloved.
(Jn. 14:21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.
2Co. 9:7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.)He calls the collective church His beloved. The sloppy agape experiential crowd often makes this conflation. They confuse the collective standing as His bride with themselves personally. God only calls you friend if you do as He says and this song is not a good indication of that standing. God is not craving communion with us. This theology makes God dependent upon us, after all He will never stop pursuing! The depths of His devotion to us? Seriously? God is not wild nor reckless and neither is His love. This song makes Kim Walker-Smith God and that is not surprising since that is what her theology believes. Do not be caught dead singing this arrogance to the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth. Now we sludge our way into the chorus, or the hook:
[Chorus]
Insatiable
You'll never stop until You have it all
You can have it all
My heart and soul
You'll never stop until You have it all
So You can have it all
You can have it all
Ohh
Ugh, pass the soap and disinfectant. Hey God, wink wink. You'll never stop until you have it all. Well guess what? You can have it all. Beloved, God is not insatiable. He is very much in control, 24-7. Imagine this is sung to our youth! That is who Bethel targets with Jesus culture, who packs tens of thousands of youth into each concert they perform! As if sensing the blowback, Walker-Smith reverses the language in the second verse:
[Verse 2]
You can have my attention
You can have my affection
'Cause You are my beloved
You are my friend
I'll never stop pursuing
Craving for communion
'Cause You are my beloved
My closest friend
Jesus, I surrender
Become my one obsession
'Til nothing else matters (Matters)
Oh-oh-oh
Aww, isn't that sweet. God is allowed to have your attention and affection? Exactly how is this worship again? God is not your beloved, nor your friend unless He is your Lord and Savior. I do not see anything in this song about these foundational roles God must have in our lives. Become my one obsession? Words matter. An obsession is compulsion, addiction or fetish. Nowhere in the bible does it suggest God wants your attention to the point that nothing else matters in your life!
(Mt. 10:37 Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
Mt. 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Mk. 8:34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."
Lk. 9:62 Jesus replied, “No-one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”)Stop with the poetic carnality being placed on an infinite God. This is how Bethel hooks you into their theology beloved. The same way Hillsong, Elevation and IHOP do. If you sing over and over again how reckless His love is for you and how insatiable He is for you, then you will start to believe it as a matter of doctrine. That is how you end up communing with demons who convince you that Father God has just ripped out a piece of His own heart to shape a miniature you! Because you are so special! The maker of everything is just so jealous for your attention. He craves you. He desires you. He is insatiable for you. Except He is not. Sorry. Mercifully we approach the bridge:
[Bridge]
Oh-oh, Your love is an all-consuming fire
Your love is an all-consuming fire
And all that You ask for is surrender
Your love is an all-consuming fire
These experiential outfits always talk about the fire of God as something to eagerly pursue. I think if they ever truly caught up to it they would not find being consumed by an all-consuming God is a good thing. His wrath is all-consuming beloved. Consider the key verses:
Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. -- Hebrews 12:28-29 (ESV) (This verse does not mention wrath.)
Note the emphasis on acceptable worship. acceptable worship has reverence and awe for God. It is so serious that the writer of Hebrews has to remind us that the God we serve is a consuming fire. (The author's position seems to be that fire is never used in the Bible to describe anything positive, like passion, fervor, purity, or commitment. We must again take issue. He appears to lack the ability to consider any Scripture outside his doctrinal prejudices.
So let's examine some verses that associate fire with positive workings of God in the believer.
1) Mt. 3:11 I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
First we see that John the Baptist notes the superiority of Jesus' baptism. This baptism is much better than John's baptism, because it is from Jesus. He's more powerful, so it's more powerful. It's a better thing for us.
Both fire and the baptism of the Holy Spirit are mentioned together. Considering the sublimely positive gift that is the Holy Spirit, it is reasonable to conclude that the coupling of the baptism of the Holy Spirit with fire is good.
This baptism of the Holy Spirit is so important that Peter references it in his testimony (Acts 11:16). He doesn't include "with fire," but then, neither did Mark (Mark 1:8). Clearly there is something notable about this baptism.
We can safely assert that this baptism is positive.
2) Mk. 9:49-50 Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.
Both fire and the baptism of the Holy Spirit are mentioned together. Considering the sublimely positive gift that is the Holy Spirit, it is reasonable to conclude that the coupling of the baptism of the Holy Spirit with fire is good.
This baptism of the Holy Spirit is so important that Peter references it in his testimony (Acts 11:16). He doesn't include "with fire," but then, neither did Mark (Mark 1:8). Clearly there is something notable about this baptism.
We can safely assert that this baptism is positive.
2) Mk. 9:49-50 Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.
This fascinating passage is the subject of much speculation, given that it appears just after an extended explanation of the perils of hell. One might connect it with that concept, but it is an uncertain passage, and not everyone does connect it with hell:
I would venture to say that what we will experience is what Paul tells us:
Bratcher and Nida have counted at least 15 different explanations for the verse, and Gould calls it 'one of the most difficult to interpret in the New Testament.' He connects the saying not with the fire of judgment in the preceding context, but with the idea of purification as in the fire of a sacrifice. This is because both fire and salt were used by the Jews in their Temple sacrifices. According to the Mishnah, salt was put into the carcass of the sacrificial animal in order to soak out the blood. After the blood was soaked out, the carcass was fit for consumption or sacrifice: 'The priest. . . dried it by rubbing salt on it [the carcass of the sacrificial animal] and cast it on the fire.'We need to particularly note that "everyone will be salted with fire." Everyone. Clearly and unequivocally, we will all experience this. "Salt is good." Therefore, it is good to be salted with fire. It would be ridiculous to claim that we are all going to be punished via fire; remember, the author thinks fire is always bad.
I would venture to say that what we will experience is what Paul tells us:
...his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 1Co. 3:13-14
"Each man" will experience this fire. I certainly am glad for this fire. It's not a fire of punishment. I'm hoping that something of eternal worth will come out of this life of mine on earth. Treasure in heaven!
So, we would conclude that being "baptized with fire" and being "salted with fire" are expressions of a process or event in the lives of believers associated with sanctification, purity, or walking more properly with God (Gal. 5:25). These would be positive fire associations for the believer.
3) Ac. 2:3-4: They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
3) Ac. 2:3-4: They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Many have undertaken to explain away this verse. They especially do not like the idea that the presence of the Holy Spirit led to odd behavior, let alone positive changes in someone's life.
Note that the symbolism of fire here is not a negative thing. It doesn't indicate God's judgment or anger. This fire is equated to the Holy Spirit and His power in the lives of those people. It is not our purpose to enter the debate regarding the Holy Spirit in the Church today. We only intend to point out that it is passages like this that negate the author's thesis.
4) 1 Pe. 1:6-7 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Note that the symbolism of fire here is not a negative thing. It doesn't indicate God's judgment or anger. This fire is equated to the Holy Spirit and His power in the lives of those people. It is not our purpose to enter the debate regarding the Holy Spirit in the Church today. We only intend to point out that it is passages like this that negate the author's thesis.
4) 1 Pe. 1:6-7 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
The fire here is a metaphor for the process of refining, purity, or holiness, a desirable thing we ought to embrace. The difficulties of life refine us like fire refines gold to produce something pure, valuable, and tested. This verse ties in closely to 1Co. 3:13 discussed above.
5) 1 Th. 5:19: Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.
5) 1 Th. 5:19: Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.
Clearly this is not referring to the fire of judgment, for it appears in a list of preferred behaviors, like joy, prayer, thankfulness, and avoiding evil. This fire is some sort of positive, desirable work of God in our lives. And, we apparently can quench this fire, but should not.
6) 2 Ti. 1:6-7: For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
6) 2 Ti. 1:6-7: For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
This would be the opposite of putting out the Spirit's fire. It is obtained by an impartation, facilitated by the laying on of hands, and has spiritual benefits and spiritual fruit.
"Timidity" is the Greek word "deilia" (Strong's 1167), which can also be translated "cowardice." It's a spiritual condition, according to Paul, which needs to be supplanted via the usage of the God-given gift by power, love, and self discipline. Clearly, here the fire of God is beneficial and desirable.
This fire yields power, of love and of self-discipline.)Maybe we ought to remember that before declaring that God is jealous for us or that He longs for our affection. Maybe we would do well to dwell on that before singing to the creator of the universe that He craves communion with us or that His devotion for us is wilder than the oceans. Perhaps we ought to have a sliver of respect before declaring our God to be reckless, insatiable, unappeasable, ravening, wolfish, and greedy. Perhaps we ought to be mindful before chasing after that which would consume us for such blinding arrogance and stupidity.
(...)
"Timidity" is the Greek word "deilia" (Strong's 1167), which can also be translated "cowardice." It's a spiritual condition, according to Paul, which needs to be supplanted via the usage of the God-given gift by power, love, and self discipline. Clearly, here the fire of God is beneficial and desirable.
This fire yields power, of love and of self-discipline.)Maybe we ought to remember that before declaring that God is jealous for us or that He longs for our affection. Maybe we would do well to dwell on that before singing to the creator of the universe that He craves communion with us or that His devotion for us is wilder than the oceans. Perhaps we ought to have a sliver of respect before declaring our God to be reckless, insatiable, unappeasable, ravening, wolfish, and greedy. Perhaps we ought to be mindful before chasing after that which would consume us for such blinding arrogance and stupidity.
(...)
No comments:
Post a Comment