Month: July 2010

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Praise music like you’ve never heard before.

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when I say “I think I’m going to throw up?” If you said “kids praise music,” then you must have listened to the Crazy Praize Volume 3 CD. The back of this kids praise CD boasts:

I think I’m gonna throw up. (I know what you’re thinking . . . is this really a praise song?) Of course it is . . . It’s Crazy Praize! (I think I’m gonna throw up – my hands and praise the Lord.) The third volume in this very popular series of wacky praise songs for kids features ten new songs, with equally silly motions guaranteed to produce giggles and guffaws every time. Great for kids worship times, or anytime, these songs are not only fun, but they’re loaded with Scriptural truth to reinforce the message of God’s love and grace in the hearts of children – young and old.

Why “of course” it’s praise music. We’ve been redefining what Christianity is for years, why just stop at doctrine? Why not redefine what praising God means too?

Welcome to Western Christianity where we pull out all the stops to make false converts of kids and inoculate them from the true gospel for the rest of their lives. A world where black is now white, up is now down, hot is now cold, dry is now wet, and juvenile potty humor is now “praising God.” A world where this type of foolishness is quickly becoming the norm, and those who still try to hold to a reverence for God are quickly and summarily dismissed as legalists, judgmental, and Pharisees.  Woe unto us.

Here’s the video to the song (with lyrics). Oh, and even if you can’t make it through the whole three minutes of this song “loaded with Scriptural truth,” be sure to listen to the last ten seconds to really get the feel of “crazy praize.”

This trash is so bad that it makes Rick Pino’s music (see here and here) appear like actual praise and worship.

I’m interested to hear from anyone who has or is using this for their children.


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Jesus Our High Priest – Part 1

We are pleased to begin the Saturday Sermon Series again. This is the first in a series of messages from John 17. It was sovereignly delivered by Akash Sant Singh, who is one of the elders at Community Bible Church in Reno, Nevada. May it bring conviction to each of us as we realize our deep lack of prayer, which should be elemental to our Christian faith. Sadly, our prayer lives tend to reveal more about our self-sufficiency than of our utter dependency on the Saviour of our souls.

Jesus Our High Priest – Part 1

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“Paul never quoted Jesus!” (Galatians)

Today, we look at the places where Paul told to the saints in Galatia of the things taught by our Lord Jesus Christ.

Galatians 1:1—Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead).

  • Acts 22:15-18—“So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’“

Galatians 1:3-4—Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.

  • Matthew 20:27-28—“And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave-just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
  • John 16:33—“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Galatians 1:15-16—But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood…

  • Acts 22:9-10—“And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me. So I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.’“

Continue reading →

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Sermon of the week:”The Authentic Christian” by Angelo Sanchez.

Your sermon of the week is The Authentic Christian by Angelo Sanchez of Community Bible Church (CBCReno.net). In this sermon, Pastor Sanchez covers a subject most pastors won’t touch, and says things most pastors aren’t willing to say, yet is so vitally important to hear.

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Quotes (778)

“Paul does not say, [in Philippians 2:12–Ed.] ‘Work out something that will tell for your salvation’; he says, ‘Work out in the expression of your life the salvation God has worked in.’ If we think for a moment we shall soon know how much we are saved—What does our tongue say? what kind of things do our ears like to listen to? what kind of bodily associates do we like to be with? These things will always tell not only other people but ourselves what kind of salvation God has worked in. In regeneration God works us into relation with Himself that by our bodily expression we may prove Whose we are.

If you are trying to be a Christian it is a sure sign you are not one. Fancy trying to be the daughter of your mother! you cannot help being her daughter. But try and be the daughter of someone else’s mother! Unless God has worked in us we shall hinder Him all the time by trying to be His children; we cannot, we have to be born from above by the will of God first, be regenerated; then our working is not working to help God, it is working to let God express through us what He has done in us so that we may prove we are the children of our Father in heaven (see Matthew 5:43-48).

So many of us put prayer and work and consecration in place of the working of God; we make ourselves the workers. God is the Worker, we work out what He works in. Spirituality is what God is after, not religiosity. The great snare in religion without genuine spirituality is that people ape being good when they are absolutely mean [not ‘mean’ as in ‘angry, &c.’ But rather, ‘mean’ as in ‘useless to God’–Ed.]. There is no value whatever in religious externals, the only thing that is of value is spiritual reality, and this is spiritual reality—that I allow God to work in me to will and to do of His good pleasure, and then work out what He has worked in, being carefully careless about everything saving my relationship to God.”

Oswald Chambers
1874-1917

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An attendee reports on the Cornerstone “Christian” music festival.

When you think of a summer-time Christian music festivals, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

Well, if you said zombies, you hit the nail on the head (sadly).

For those of you who would have never guessed zombies, and have no idea what zombies have to do with Christianity, then you evidently missed the Cornerstone Christian music festival and you’ll have to check out the article I’ve linked to below to understand what in the world I’m talking about.

We at DefCon have taken a beating time and time again whenever the subject of music comes up when we dare to question the type (and utter idolization) of music that has infiltrated the church and captivated this generation of professing Christians.

Perhaps what took place at the Cornerstone Christian music festival is simply one of those inevitable conclusions some of us have been sounding the warning about. Whatever it is, it should cause us to step back and re-evaluate what we allow to entertain us.

You will be utterly shocked at the report (and accompanying videos) of what this person experienced at a music festival operating under the guise of “Christian.” It seems that nowadays, we–and not God and His Word–define what “Christian” is (and anyone who dares question it best be ready for a fight).

If this music festival is what a generation of youth groups and contemporary Christian rock music has brought us to, I shudder to think of what American Christianity will look like in another ten years.

Brace yourself: Here’s A Reader’s Experience at the Cornerstone Festival from Apprising Ministries.

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ADDENDUM

Lest some are persuaded to believe that the writer of the Apprising Ministries article (and this DefCon post) are casting aspersions and making judgments on the music festival based on a one-sided view, I offer for your consideration the following videos produced by the Cornerstone festival which should provide a better, all-around, perspective:

Zombies! What band will make it?

Adventures with Allan (2009)

Adventures with Allan (2010)

Youth Group Camping

The Asylum: Goth Makeover

Seminars: Eric Greene Interview

Creation Station

Art Pilgrimage: Burning Brush