Jesus vs the Tree

Sometimes plant life doesn't have a good relationship with God. All the trees and grass were destroyed in the Flood, the trees of Egypt got blasted during the Exodus, and a little fig tree got cursed by the King of Kings.
Poor trees!

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus went to procure for Himself a fig. What He found was a fig-less fig tree. That's like finding a roll-less Swiss Roll. It's unnatural! Apparently Jesus felt the same way,because He cursed that fig-less fig tree! Pow!

According to Matthew, who was there, it withered immediately. This was the real Pre-Wrath view, where our Lord tests His destructive powers on the landscape. That poor fig would never have baby figs. . .

What had the hapless tree done to deserve such treatment? To wither beneath its master's voice? Simply put, it forsook its purpose of making figs. It had become pointless and useless.
Like our Congressmen!

It also serves as a good example of a Christian who bears no fruit. He spiritually withers to the point of being useless, like an empty salt shaker. Nobody wants to reach for the salt shaker only to find it salt-less. Just like no one wants to reach out to a Christian only find out they are empty with nothing to give.
So be a tree, brothers! With big, fat fruit!



 

Does God Like Metal?

Christian metal is an interesting thing. It sometimes uses harsh and aggressive music to proclaim the Gospel, and sometimes is a vehicle for a particular Christian's viewpoint on life. The term "Christian Metal" can mean metal performed by Christians, or metal with a Christian message. Either way, it's assumed the band members are Christians. But what does a non-Christian see when they look at this:

This is Antidemon's latest album, Apocalypsenow. A metalhead will think it's cool, I think. But the general public will be disgusted. Some will say: "That's Christian?!" And they will not receive the message. Then again, it's not aimed at the Michael Buble crowd, is it?

Heavy metal tends to veer toward the dark side of things. Behemoth and Vader are blatantly anti-Christian, while many other bands are simply twisted in some way. Cattle decapitation comes to mind. Many thrash bands have anti-religious messages. Slayer, anyone? While other bands simply opine about life or politics. But usually there is an occult undertone of some sort, like in the art or lyrics or both. Skulls, pentagrams, violence, these are not holy themes! So should a Christian participate in unholiness?
No. Isn't that the obvious answer? What does Christ have to do with Belial, the Bible asks? Aren't Christians supposed to be pure like their Lord?

Are Christian metal bands just making themselves look like fools?

This is Slechtvalk, a black/Viking Christian metal band from the Netherlands. I will say this: Christian metal bands know how to mix genres and make something interesting. But here lies the point: Is this right? Should we followers of Christ use such insane sounds like black metal for God's glory? Is God glorified by raspy vocals and blistering riffs? Listen to this and tell me what you think:

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

Loud, isn't it? When you think of Christ-like, do you think of that? Or the above album art? Perhaps people who play and people who like Christian metal enjoy the darkness and want to slap Jesus' name on their favorite thing and think it will now be acceptable to God. Syncretism, like when the Israelites mixed Baal worship with the worship of Yahweh. Maybe Satan is laughing at how gullible we are. Nergal seems to think metal and Christianity do not mix. Metal is about rebellion. Ask any metal guy.

That is Batista from Antidemon. They are big in Brazil. Well, big for a Christian death/grindcore metal band. Go ahead and analyze this. Listen to the croaking! Some of you are mortified, some of you love it. No that isn't English. It's Portuguese. But is it godly?
If you haven't noticed, I vacillate on this issue. I like metal. I like Antidemon. And you know what, they really do love Jesus. They travel all over preaching Jesus, and they aren't cheesy posers. The rough youth of South America will listen to them. And maybe that's the point. God will use them whether metal is inherently evil or not.

Some say music is neutral. It's the lyrics that mean something. That's asinine! Music is not neutral. If it makes you feel something, then it isn't neutral. It's influential. If the music sounds evil, then maybe it is. Or maybe Christians are good at masquerading as Satan, much like he masquerades as an angel of light. (Joel Osteen? Sorry, had to throw that in there.) Shoot, take a look at these guys:

Grave Robber, a horror-punk band. Very catchy. Very Christian? That's what the band says. They like horror movies, and thought they could combine that imagery with Biblical imagery of being dead in sin and being born again. Are they two mutually exclusive things? Are these guys trying to eat that famous cake?

"We're all gonna die!" is one of their songs. Lots of subtexts in that. Hidden under the shock is the Gospel, and if the band members are living a righteous life before God, do the masks matter?
I don't know.
Pastor Bob Beeman likes metal. Go watch some Pastor Bob Daily shows on Youtube. Very cool even if you don't like metal. He says metal is a style, like country or rap. But those styles don't sound evil unless the lyrics convey a godless message. Metal is different. Metal is supposed to sound evil! That's why black metal was created. So maybe unblack metal is just plain stupid.

Having said that, these guys put black metal to good use. Extol. Have you heard this? They sound like Antestor meets Yes. no, I'm not kidding. This album is so different I don't know what to say about it. Like I said earlier, Christian metal bands are great at mixing genres. And Extol does it effectively. Listen.
Does God like it though?
Maybe. I didn't ask Him. The Bible does say this, though: "If it's not of faith, it's sin." Meaning if it bothers your conscience don't partake of it! That goes for movies or any other thing in life. If you look at my other posts, you will see I'm attracted to creepy-looking stuff. Monsters, aliens, death-metal art. I like it. So perhaps this is my issue alone, and I'm just sharing with all of you the strange workings of my mind and faith. Can Christians co-op the world's stuff? C.S. Lewis and Tolkien did. Can Impending Doom? Well, they do, along with Pantakrator, Mortification, and Living Sacrifice. Maybe they can, because God built them that way. Me, I don't know yet. I will leave you with some cool album art anyway, because we're here already. This is from the afore-mentioned Slechtvalk.
Till next time. . .

 

Do You Want To Go To Heaven?

Let's take a break from the weird today and get straight to the point.
Do you want to go to Heaven?

I assume the answer is 'yes'. The first thing you must do is be good. Really, really good. Don't kill, don't rape, don't steal, don't vote Democrat. The second thing you must do is pretend number one is true.
Now you're home free!
Heaven awaits. . .

Not so fast. See, "doing good" is great for society, but doesn't earn you a spot in Heaven. God's standard is perfection, which is impossible. We all sin. Therefore, we are not good enough for Heaven. But, is there any way to get "good enough"?
No, there isn't.

There is, however, a way to become 'perfect', at least in a legal sense. We sin against a holy, pure God. To be with Him we also must be holy and pure. To accomplish this a sacrifice must be made. The sacrifice must also be holy and pure, and not an animal. It must be human, for it is humans who sin. This is where Jesus enters the picture. He was 'spotless', free from sin, a perfect sacrifice for us. We could not satisfy God's righteous wrath against sin on our own, so He took our place. Jesus' death on the cross paid the price for all man's sin, but is not put into effect until an individual receives it. What good is a pardon if you refuse to accept it?

Now it comes down to faith. Will you believe in the God who sent His Son, or not? Will you receive that gift, which is clemency from eternal punishment? Hell is for the Devil and his angels, not for us, unless you refuse the pardon.
Take the pardon! What are you waiting for?!

Jesus will wash us clean, making us fit for heaven. Ever wonder why Christians suffer so much? To get them ready for eternity with God. Suffering has a way of stripping the filth away and leaving only the faithful part. The gold, if you will. The good stuff.
All you have to do is believe that Christ died for you and rose again. Then, follow Him. There is no better path.

So, what is Heaven like? Are there people sitting on clouds playing harps? I doubt it. There are countless angels worshiping and people giving their crowns back to God, but other than that nobody really knows. The Bible is silent on what we will do. It does mention that there will be no more war, death, or pain. No more crying. No sin or perversion. Only brightness, peace, and God. I think that's enough! Jesus did say that how we used what abilities we have here will affect what we do in Heaven. I guess we will be doing something, but I don't know what. I would personally like to travel through space, exploring the universe. We'll see.

I ask again: Do you want to go to Heaven? There may not be much time to decide. You may have a minute to live, or fifty years. Why take the chance? Receive the pardon now, and begin looking forward to eternal life!