Ok...I can't wait any more!

Well, the past two times I was at church, I did not get a chance to talk to anyone about my 'very interesting discovery' with anyone, so I decided I'm going to post on it.

My interesting discovery was 'Melchizedek'. Has anyone heard of him? He is mentioned only a few times in the Bible.

Once he was mentioned in Genesis 14. Another time in Psalm 110. And again in Hebrews 5, 6 and 7.

Why do I find him so interesting and perplexing? Hebrews 7:1-3 says:

1This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, 2and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means "king of righteousness"; then also, "king of Salem" means "king of peace." 3Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever

It says he is 'with out father or mother, with out genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life'. When I first read that, I was like 'WHOA!' How can this be!?! Well, after going some research, I read somewhere that back in those days the term 'without mother or father' met that the parent's were not notable in society....they were not high in social stature. Well, ok, that makes a little sense and may explain the 'no genealogy' part too.....if in fact that is true. But what about the 'without beginning of days or end of life'? This still has me stumped.

Later in Hebrews it says that "The Lord has sworn and will never change his mind, 'You are a priest forever'". So let's see.....according to the Bible, this dude is a high priest of God forever, he is the king of Salem(Jerusalem), he has no mother or father or genealogy, he has no beginning or end of days...... Abraham gave him a tenth of the spoils and Melchizedek blessed him: Hebrews 7:4

"Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicest spoils."

I'm not sure what I think of all of this. In someways, it sounds like Jesus, or a character representing Jesus; but if it was, then why would he be called a preist of God? And Jesus DID have a mother. So, I think it's a real person. But it still doesn't make total sense........

I would encourage you all to read Hebrews 7 in particular and share your opinions and thought on it! I am still rereading it, as I really want to understand it. However, maybe there are things that God just doesn't want us to understand.....

Music- Part 2

Alrighty....this is very over due. Sorry about that.

This post on music is a response to the comments on my last one as well as building on what I said in the last post.

First, I want to try and stay away from anything that seems legalistic or self-righteous....because that is not what I want this to be like. I merely want to cause people to think.

All clear? Moving on.

I don't want what I said in the first post about 'not calling Him by name' to be confused with clearly singing to Him, but maybe not saying God, Jesus, Lord, etc. I don't think there's anything wrong with that, as long as it's for the right motivations.

Right now, I could post lyrics to a song that I believe is a good example of not necessarily saying His name, but clearly singing to Him. However, I'm going to refrain, because I have a feeling that this does not need to be explained any further.

Secondly, I think that the artist's heart and motivations play a big part in their music. If their goal is to make money, they will sing what will be the most 'popular'. If they want to worship God, they will sing to Him and not disguise or be ashamed of it.

If they want to share the gospel, they are not going to spread the 'Good News' by playing what is most 'popular'.... Yes, more people will listen to their music if they play what pleases the world, but if the gospel is not evident in the music, then how in the world will they reach the lost? If I am singing 'positive' or music that is not 'bad', it won't do much for the unbelievers unless I am proclaiming Jesus clearly in the music. Does that make sense to anyone?

Matthew 5:10-16(NASV):
10"Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11"Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12"Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 13"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. 14"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Wow does this very say a lot or what!?! It covers a few important points.
First, God blesses us when we stand up for Him and do not compromise even if people hate us and are mean to us because of it.
Second, we are the salt and light in this earth. He wants us to preserve our 'saltiness' and let our light shine brightly so everyone can see it. All this so that it glorifies Jesus Christ.

Also, for another thing to consider, read 1 Corinthians 5:9-13. Galatians 5:16-25 is also interesting......

So, all this said, I think my point is clear about Christian music. I would really like other people's thoughts on this now :)

Moving on to non-Christian music.

Clearly, if a band is not Christian, they can't be a 'shining light'. They don't have God's influence in their music. Does this make their music bad? I don't think so. But it also does not mean that anything is ok for us.

There are three categories I'm going to make for music(Christian or non).
Moral
not good or bad('fluff')
Immoral

'Moral' as defined in the dictionary: "expressing or teaching a conception of right behavior". Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."

'Fluff' basically means that it's of no significance, and doesn't have a lot of meaning. While this music isn't bad, it's somewhat of a 'waste'. However, if it has no meaning and no significance and it's not really 'uplifting', how much of this should we be stuffing in our mind?

'Immoral' means: Not conforming to a high moral standard; morally unacceptable. Not guided by or showing a concern for what is right. If something is immoral, it will not please God. Period. 1 Corinthians 10:31 "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

So....that's all I have to say for now. Thoughts?

Just so you know.....

When I make posts on this blog, I put a whole lot more thought, prayer and study into it. For that reason, the posts will take me longer to prepare and post. I'm currently working on two posts......and I'm hoping to put one up within a few days.....

Thanks for hanging in there!

Music-part 1

I love music, like most of us do. One thing that really disappointments me about Christian music is that a lot of artists call themselves 'Christian', then show no fruit of that in their music. There are some supposedly 'Christian' artists that have absolutely amazing vocals or talent and then, after reading their lyrics, more than often, I'm disappointed.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not necessarily against listening to non-Christian music. What does bother me is when a so-called 'Christian' artist does not produce anything more than songs about their current girlfriend, high school drama, their favorite flavor of ice cream or some other shallow thought. Even if they say that 'it has good values'. Even if they mention that it is bad to steal, murder and lie. Even if they say they're trying to reach the 'non-believers'. I do not believe that it necessary or right for them to compromise their music 'to reach the lost'. It is sad to me that they are too ashamed of Jesus to call Him by name.

They don't seem to understand that it is impossible to please the world and God at the same time. They are either for Him or against Him...no in between. "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who doesn't gather with Me, scatters." Matthew 12:30

Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that these artists aren't truly Christians, nor am I judging them, because only God knows their hearts. I'm not saying that their music is bad or wrong to listen to. I'm not saying that I don't like them.

Basically, I wish that there were more unique, talented Christian artists out there that devoted their entire music profession(and life) to Jesus. I wish that by hearing their music I could instantly know if it is 'Christian' or not, rather have to spend a hour researching them to find out.

Opinions? Has anyone else ever thought this?

More thoughts on music coming later....

A second blog.....

Hi everyone!

I have decided to make a second blog. This one will be used for more of my 'philosophical/theological/doctrinal' thoughts. Also, for anything relating to the Bible, even if it isn't 'doctrinal'. My goal is to create some deep discussions and debates.

Anyhow, don't get your hopes up for some type of profoundness....at least not yet. :-)