My P.O.D. Easter playlist

P.O.D.’s music has become an intrinsic part of my spirituality – music is powerful and has the potential to be used positively to make a difference in this world. P.O.D. understands that power and true to themselves and their faith has consistently produced positive, life affirming and spiritually uplifting music. This week is Holy week, an important time of reflection and contemplation as we approach Good Friday and remember Jesus’ supreme sacrifice. Here is a list of my particular favourite P.O.D. tracks to help me focus on the meaning of Easter:

  

          Youth of the Nation (album Satellite) – this song was written to address the tragedy of teenage deaths and laments the suffering that young people experience. It’s a song that reminds us of the importance of showing our loved ones just how much they mean to us and that the pain we feel in this life points us to something beyond what we can see. It is also comforting to know that Jesus is a suffering saviour and went to the cross, enduring the torture and humiliation so He can completely relate to our pain.  

     “There’s gotta be more to life than this; there’s gotta be more to everything I thought exists.”

  

     Change the World (album Payable on Death) – this song is about the power of love and the beauty and simplicity of love. The song is an affirmation of the transformative effects of loving others regardless of race, religion or creed. Jesus’ crucifixion is God’s supreme act of love for humanity (John 3:16); a love that we should seek to emulate.  

    “Imagine a place only your soul can vision. The heart of a child who looks, sees and listens. She paints a picture using every colour and what she sees, she sees it like no other.”

           

 

      Goodbye for Now (album Testify)  – this song looks forward in hope to the blessedness of salvation and eternal life with God. The song was inspired lyrically by Psalm 30. Jesus’ sacrifice brings joy and salvation.  

     “If joy really comes in the morning time then I’ll sit back and wait until the next sunrise.”

          

         Set your eyes to Zion (album the Fundamental Elements of Southtown) – this song is a call to look to Heaven and place our trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sin. The song itself draws heavily from P.O.D.’s love of reggae music and creates an uplifting and chilled out vibe.  

     “I’ve begun to search of one, giver of life, I and I recognize; to be with You, forever I’ll be with You, in paradise, Zion I set my eyes.”

           

      One Day (album B.R.O.W.N) – this song is about the deep need we have for God and the hunger to be filled with God in our lives. It is a song about the spiritual longing to be satisfied and transformed into the people God originally intended us to be. The song is a heartfelt cry to God and is very intimate and personal in tone. When we reflect upon the cross we see our spiritual need that it is by grace alone that we are saved (Ephesians 2:1). 

     “I can’t see the light because it blinds me, try to forget but my past always reminds me. Exposed, looked on by eyes of grace, I’m so ashamed, don’t look at my face... Get up by your strength, I rise up to Thee, but I’ll stay on my face, if You will of me.”

      

      If it wasn’t for You (album Warriors EP II) – this song is a statement of faith. It is direct and straight to the point. It is a confession of everything the band stand for, bold and unashamed. This song is not only spiritually edifying and empowering but it is also an important reminder that life begins and ends with Jesus.  

    “If it wasn’t for you none of this would ever mean a thing.”

          

      Full Color (album B.R.O.W.N) – this song is basically lead vocalist and song writer Sonny Sandoval’s testimony of how he came to faith at the death of his mother, who suffered from terminal cancer when he was a teenager. It is a profoundly personal song that speaks of heartbreak and love as well as hope in the resurrection and being reunited. The title full color refers to the stark reality of death, with which he was confronted with for the very first time through his mother’s passing. It serves as a reminder of the cost of our salvation that Jesus had to die for our sins to be forgiven.  

     “You showed me how strong you could be, if Jesus saved your life, could he do it for me? I’ll lay down my life for you and for Him. Believe God’s promise, I’m gonna see you again.”

           

      Alive (album Satellite) – this song speaks of the joy of salvation and the feeling of being alive in the total sense of the term. It is a positive song that resonates strongly with me, both because it was the first P.O.D. song I ever heard but also because of the wonderful truth that Jesus brings everlasting life.  

     “I, I feel so alive for the very first time; I can’t deny You I feel so alive. I, I feel so alive for the very first time and I think I can fly!”

  

Preach (album B.R.O.W.N) –The song is in defiance to our secular culture that attempts to keep religion in the private sphere away from public life. Easter is a time when the Gospel needs to be shared with people and Christians should proudly declare where their faith lies, as Paul says in Romans 10:17 “Consequently faith comes through hearing the message…”. 

“I ain’t down, you preach too much but if you ask me boy I don’t preach enough!”

      

      Shine with Me (album When Angels & Serpents Dance) – this song is about being light – reflecting the light of Christ in our lives. Ultimately Jesus’ sacrifice leads us into new life and we should take on the characteristics of our saviour as our old life has passed away and we are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). As Paul says in Philippians 2:15 we are to: “shine among them like stars in the night sky.”  

      “And if the heavens should open up, with a vision inside Jah love, the earth and the moon and the sun will align with the voice from the sky above, one love.”

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The apostasy of secular Britain

There was a story in the Daily Mail newspaper today about the Reverend Graeme Anderson who complained to the BBC about blasphemous comments presenter Jeremy Clarkson made during an episode of Top Gear. The BBC responded to his objections with derision by claiming that "there is no consensus about words that are acceptable." This is complete nonsense and proof that Christianity is institutionally discriminated against in the UK and treated with contempt. Freedom of expression, as defined by the Human Rights Act, carries with it responsibility for the protection of the reputation and rights of others. The Human Rights Acts stipulates: "The exercise of these freedoms, since it carries with it duties and responsibilities, may be subject to such formalities, conditions, restrictions or penalties as are prescribed by law...". In other words Freedom of expression exists within the framework of the Law. Currently British Law contains a Blasphemy Act, which the BBC website reports was amended in 1838 to protect the "tenets and beliefs of the Church of England". The Sixth Article of the Church of England states: "Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation...In the name of the Holy Scripture we do understand those canonical Books of the Old and New Testament, of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church." The Third Commandment found in the book of Exodus chapter 20:7 says: "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name." Yet the Blasphemy Law is violated without reproach and the Human Rights Act is even used to protect blasphemy in this country despite the fact that it is contrary to the regulations of the Act and the Law.

Moreover, other forms of discrimination are prosecuted and intolerated in this country. No-one condones racism, sexism, homophobia or Islamophobia with intent to cause religious or racial violence. There are numerous examples in the media where other forms of discrimination and 'isms' have been condemned. In January 2011 Football pundit Andy Grey was sacked from Sky Sports for sexist comments made about a lineswoman. In February 2011 a Pentecostal Christian couple lost their court case to remain in custody of their foster children after claiming they were discriminated against. The couple, Eunice and Owen Johns had their right to foster taken away on the grounds that they taught their foster children that homosexuality is morally wrong. Lord Justice Munby and Justice Beatson claimed the lawyer's claims were "a travesty of reality" and despite arguing that they were not asserting Christians or other religious adherents were unfit to foster children they did reinforce the secular nature of British society: "We live in this country in a democratic and pluralistic society, in a secular state not a theocracy." (source guardian.co.uk) I do not condone homophobia and do not believe homosexuals should be discriminated against because of their sexuality, rather I am citing this story as an example of how this nation does not tolerate homophobia. Sadly Christian rights in this country are trumped by secular rights every time. Increasingly in this country Christians are ridiculed and mocked for standing up for their faith as bigoted, prejudiced, anachronistic and foolishly out-dated.

The tragic irony to this prevailing attitude is that this country was built and founded on Christian values, the very values that British Law, society and the media now reject and feel at liberty to disrespect. Humanism as defined by the British Humanist Association: "trusts to the scientific method when it comes to understanding how the universe works and rejects the idea of the supernatural (and - a humanist - is therefore an atheist or agnostic)". It goes on to say that a humanist: "makes their ethical decisions based on reason, empathy, and a concern for human beings and other sentient animals". Secular, democratic law is based on a humanistic world view and implies that science and reason are the only sources of truth and morality. Yet this is contrary (and completely unjustifiable) to the history of Christian Britain in which Christian clergymen, philanthropists and politicians have campaigned for the betterment, improvement and protection of human life in all its forms. Christians such as William Wilberforce who campaigned for the abolition of slavery, Seebohm Rowntree who worked with Charles Booth in influencing government views on poverty through their poverty line map of London, George Dawson who created the 'Civic Gospel' of social activism and Thomas Barnardo who founded Barndardos children's charity. The legacy of these great men is being forgotten or at least their Christian faith and values are being overlooked in this country's ongoing desire to divorce itself from its Christian heritage.

How a civilized, democratic nation that strives for equality and the advancement of human rights could tolerate such ignorance towards a spiritual leader as beloved and followed as Jesus Christ is astonishing. Jesus' teaching on the Sermon on the Mount is one of the most famous writings in human history and has profoundly influenced Western Civilization. Other religious figures are revered and protected from the barbs and mockery of the media and yet Jesus is constantly caricatured, ridiculed and blasphemed. This is a travesty of decency and justice. Why is Christianity held in such disdain by society? I believe this is evidence of the spirit of anti-Christ found in the New Testament. Secular Britain in this post-enlightenment, post-modern age has apostatized its Christian faith and has committed idolatry with the idols of science and secularism. 

 

Cult of Personality

The historicity of Jesus is continually questioned by sceptics and opponents of the Gospels. Just today I had a very sincere student ask me questions about the reliability of the historical Jesus. Sometimes what appears at first to be logical can in fact be flawed when you take into account all the variables and evidence. “If Mary was pregnant with Jesus before she married Joseph, then couldn’t they just have made up he was the Son of God to hide the fact they were breaking their society’s laws?” This is a perfectly reasonable assumption naturalistically speaking. Mary becomes pregnant before she marries her fiancé therefore they must have been having sexual intercourse. However, if Jesus’ birth was purely natural than how do you explain his miracles or the crucifixion?

How do you explain the calming of the storm or the feeding of the five and four thousand respectively? Yes people were more religious and superstitious in general than today but that kind of power over nature cannot be manufactured. It either happened or it didn’t. People were either eye witnesses to it or they weren’t. You cannot trick five thousand people into believing you supernaturally multiplied a tiny amount of food and still had food left over after the miracle took place and people had eaten their fill; that is no mere illusion. Jesus travelled from region to region so the people whom he healed would all have been known locally. These were people who were physically handicapped whose disability would have been common knowledge. These were not people Jesus surreptitiously planted in the crowd in order to con the people into believing he was divine. Moreover, Jesus’ moral teaching on the Torah as found in the Sermon on the Mount as well as his teaching on love proves Jesus to be a man of very high moral character contrary to this notion of Jesus being a sophisticated con-man capable of deception.

Secondly, if Jesus was not truly the Son of God then why would Mary and Joseph convince their child he was somebody he was not whilst blatantly distorting the prevailing belief in Jewish society that the messiah would be a warrior king who would liberate them from political oppression to the Roman Empire? If Mary and Joseph maintained the lie in order to protect their reputations that Jesus’ birth was divine then why did Jesus go to the Cross? There was a consensus of scholarly opinion at this time that the Messiah would be a valiant, righteous warrior king after the nature of David, the warrior king of Israel who God made a covenant with promising to keep a descendant on his throne forever. But Jesus was not a warrior king, as evidenced by the unilateral rejection of Jesus’ messianic claim by the Pharisees and Sadducees. The Jewish authorities rather than embracing Jesus as their long foretold messiah saviour misconstrued his teaching as blasphemous and campaigned for his crucifixion. So Jesus did not fit the archetype of the expected messiah.

Jesus’ miracles and the cross can only be explained by Jesus’ divinity and identity as the incarnate Son of God. The Immaculate Conception explains Jesus’ ability to perform powerful miracles and his crucifixion. Jesus chose to die – he chose the path of suffering and sacrifice because he knew who he was: he was the Son of God incarnated to atone for the sins of the world. Jesus’ life was mission led; it was purposeful. Jesus led a purpose driven life that ultimately was focussed on the cross and his ministry led him directly to it.

Retrospectively, the resurrection vindicates Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God and long awaited messiah. Alongside the Immaculate Conception as the best explanation of Jesus’ extraordinary life and ministry, his resurrection after the crucifixion proves that the historical Jesus and the Jesus of the Gospels is one and the same person. If Jesus were not resurrected there would be no Christianity today. If his disciples out of grief or a stubborn refusal to embrace reality, decided to fabricate his resurrection then the Jewish authorities (with a great degree of glee) would have been able to prove them wrong as his burial tomb would have been intact with the decomposing body still inside. Notwithstanding the evidence that would undeniably have been there to counter the disciples’ claims as fraudulent, the disciples themselves had no reason to concoct the resurrection. Jesus’ ministry had been peaceful and non-militant. Jesus had not led an insurrection against the Roman authorities; he did not call his followers to arms. That was not Jesus’ cause and neither was it the cause of his disciples. Instead, the disciples were grief stricken and disillusioned. They hid themselves away behind locked doors in fear of the public. For three years they had openly and publically associated themselves with a man who had just been executed for treason and blasphemy. They were afraid and leaderless.

No, if Jesus was not raised from the dead then there is no logical explanation for the disciples’ evangelism or for further Jewish suppression of the early church. Christianity would have become a footnote in Jewish history as a personality cult of an influential travelling rabbi known as Jesus, which ended in tragedy and disgrace. The resurrection is proof of Jesus’ deity and his subsequent earthly life, Immaculate Conception included. The Gospels therefore make the most logical sense of the rise of the early church, the ubiquity of Christianity and the worship of a man who utterly redefined and transformed the Jewish perception of the Messiah.

The faithfulness of God

This has been quite an extraordinary week in many respects. Earlier this week I accepted an invitation to co-lead the 11-13 age group at our Summer Mission this year. I had received an email asking me to take over from the current leaders who are stepping down but had not replied because I was reluctant to take on further responsibilities to my burgeoning ministries. But when a friend of mine asked me for my help and explained she felt called to take over the group I was inspired by her vision and passion; I immediately said yes because I felt together God would use us. I then responded to the original email explaining our plan to co-lead the group, which set a whole series of wheels in motion as I was officially welcomed to the leadership of the Mission. However, it wasn't until tonight as I was speaking to another friend at church about these new developments that God opened my eyes and really showed me His faithfulness and purposes for me.

Last year when I went to Japan I believed I got a Word from God. I believed that God had given me a parable and gave me its meaning. It was the parable of the Ten Minas; a parable about faithfulness and reward. I felt God had given me this specific parable as an answer to my searching and my prayers. I wanted guidance regarding my future and whether or not God was calling me to full time mission in Japan. Using the parable of the Ten Minas God told me "not yet". My time had not yet come for me to move to Japan and there was still a purpose and a plan for me back home in Essex. I accepted this Word of Knowledge in faith and came home from Japan with a peace. Sadly in our busy day to day lives we can forget God's higher plans for us.

Yet tonight God graciously brought my current circumstances back into focus. Tonight I again felt that same sense of peace and reassurance that God was in control and that He was faithful to His promises. Tonight God proved once again that He is faithful and I am in no doubt about the parable He gave me last year in Japan. I know and trust that all God's plans for me will come to pass in my future and I can rest in the knowledge that God is faithful as proverbs says:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." Proverbs 3:5

2012 is becoming a bigger and bigger year for me (or rather God's purposes for me) and I am so grateful that I have been given this awesome privilege to be used by God here in Essex. I am a servant of my Lord and saviour Jesus Christ and know that Jesus will be glorified through my ministries. My ministries are a result of God's faithfulness and for His glory. I am so excited about making a difference in these young peoples lives this summer at the Mission and being given an amazing opportunity to share the Gospel. God is good and this year is going to be so special. I now must be faithful to my calling; I must be patient and wait on the Lord to answer my prayers and fulfill his purposes while continually being faithful to the ministries God has given me.

August Winterman

So I have returned from another Kidderminster and have returned with a heavy heart. Maybe I'm not very good at taking compliments, maybe I'm a self-deprecating kind of person... I'm not sure? If God truly is using me then that is awesome; not for my own sense of satisfaction or to boost my ego but because God is reaching out to people and helping them. However, I felt a terrible sense of loneliness. This loneliness cannot be fulfilled by a quick and simple hug. This loneliness cannot be sated through a week spent with friends. This loneliness is the longing for companionship: spiritual, emotional and physical companionship. In short, I'm searching for my soul-mate.

I'm beginning to think that leadership is an incredibly lonely vocation. As a youth leader you spend alot of time with teenagers. Teenagers can frequently try your patience; they can also truly inspire you and even surprise you with what they are capable of. I have seen all these facets to youth this week but at the end of the day, while rewarding can leave you feeling isolated. They say to give is better than to receive and while that is true in so many respects a life spent serving others can be incredibly wearisome when lived alone.

God did not fail this year and I have been humbled by the undeniable answer to prayer. God moved powerfully and faithfully throughout the week, from beginning to end. We prayed earnestly for spiritual protection and God ensured that spiritual attacks held no sway over the Kingdom and Gospel work undertaken. Young people whose lives have been extraordinarily hard experienced God's love in very real ways; teenagers who felt jaded and doubtful about Christianity were given grace afresh and were strengthened through the Holy Spirit. On Thursday evening we had a time of open testimony where the teenagers could share what was on their hearts and their collective and personal experiences. There were many testimonies given as they poured out their souls and gave glory to God for the breakthroughs in their lives as well as given encouragement by the leaders. Whether the 'Kidderminster bubble' is illusory or not, God does move in that place; not because of the place itself but for the open and contrite hearts that meet there.

I am thankful to God for His faithfulness and have learnt much about praying in faith and expecting God to answer. God desires for us to engage in prayer for He is a God who glorifies Himself in service of His Church. God is not a god who insists on being served slavishly without any reward or answer to prayers. No, God is an Almighty and loving God who is jealous for His holy name. Yet, as my eyes are lifted gratefully to the sky and my mind searches the wonder of Heaven, my heart is troubled. I don't think I can live this life alone; I don't believe I can continue serving God for the rest of my life as a bachalor. Frustratingly my self-esteem has been damaged by my past heart-break as well as a deep hurt and anger that causes me to withdraw from people in self-sabotaging introversion. Prayer is my only hope in finding my soul-mate because I believe in and serve a God who answers prayer - the proof of which I have seen with my own eyes this week.

Take a Look in the Mirror

The world is as fragile as glass and we are a mirror of the world. When the world breaks, we shatter into a myriad of shards. The shards pierce our flesh and our hearts and we slowly have to piece ourselves together, piece by piece. But the cracks never heal and we remain an imperfect reflection of an imperfect world.

“My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the Spring of Living Water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” Jeremiah 2:13

 A mirror cannot fix itself. Searching for a solution to the problem in this world when this world is the problem will ultimately leave us in a haze of disorder and confusion, like trying to reassemble the pieces of a jigsaw without the complete picture as a guide or as the Bible says trying to drink water from a broken cistern that cannot hold water. Our only hope for peace, our only hope for restoration is God.

“The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God will all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:4-5

In a chaotic world God is logic. In a world of disorder God is order. In a broken and fractured world, God is whole. In an imperfect world, God is perfection. But how do we reach God – a perfect, sinless Spirit who by very nature must be outside of the universe and our experience?

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father (God) except through me (Jesus).” John 14:6

The blood of Christ reconciles us to God and connects us to the whole again. Jesus is a conductor to God, like a lightning rod that attracts lightning to the earth. The Holy Spirit is the glue that binds the shattered pieces of our lives together again, slowly but surely healing us to become a mirror not to a broken world but to a Holy God, reflecting his perfection and glory. The Bible, God’s inspired Word is the mirror to our souls that allows us to understand the world.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7

Your heaven's a lie

Heaven, what is it? A happy thought, a care free holiday, an ideal to inspire hope or a reality? There are hundreds of thousands of words in the English language and yet English speaking people have a tendency to devalue and overuse a choice few of them! If we eat a delicious meal it is common to say “Oh that was divine” or if we find relaxation on holiday “this is heaven!” Using such language may elevate such things that we have ascribed such connotations and high praise to but it also inadvertently lowers the true essence and meaning of those words. If this is where our concept of heaven stops then we have fallen far short of the glorious reality. How then should we speak of heaven? What is appropriate? The book of Hebrews gives a wonderful description that captures beautifully the essence of this truly amazing reality:


“But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” Hebrews 12:22-24

So then what do we learn about what heaven is? Well we learn it is a place where the Living God resides. The use of the term ‘Living’ is in contrast to ‘dead’. This may sound like a strange adjective to use considering if God exists then naturally He is a living entity. But what the writer of Hebrews is drawing attention to is the contrast between the true God and the false gods found here on earth. There are many religions in the world and many smaller cults. While many of these religions may contain some truth within them, the gods that they worship or obey are not The true God that created the universe and the author of salvation. The statues around the world to various gods or avatars of gods are merely work of human craft, they are artificial imitations (and sometimes demonic distortions) of the true God. In other words they are counterfeit. So Heaven must always be thought of and understood in connection to the living God – the One true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of Jesus Christ.

Secondly, we learn that Heaven is a place where Angels in joyful assembly live. Heaven is a supernatural place. It is not found here on earth. That does not mean there is nothing good or beautiful or awe-inspiring about this world; in Genesis it says that God saw that what He had created was ‘very good’ (Genesis 1:31). But Heaven is not found on earth. Heaven is another reality altogether and we have only got glimpses and visions into that reality. As the Bible says: for now we see a reflection as through a mirror but then we shall see face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12). Just because we can’t touch something or even fully comprehend something doesn’t make it unreal or imaginary. Also Heaven will be a place of joy. Angels live in joyful assembly. Heaven is a place of unparalleled and unbridled joy. Why are the Angels joyful? The Angels are joyful because they are in the presence of the glory and majesty of the Living God; a God who is Just (the Judge of all). Just as light engulfs darkness, so too being in the presence of God eradicates sorrow and misery. God is Light. God is Love. God is Justice. In God there is Joy.

Moreover, we learn that those considered righteous and worthy of a place in heaven are perfected therein. Heaven is a place of perfection. There is no evil, war, suffering, violence or pain in heaven. This is cause for tremendous celebration, even if we will never fully experience it in this life and should give us hope to continue persevering through our current circumstances. God is perfection; there is nothing imperfect about God, neither can God tolerate imperfection. The two are completely incompatible. You cannot have a perfect being living in an imperfect environment. This teaches us another important truth about Heaven: it is very far removed from our experiences because our world is not perfect. Even when there are times when we feel like we’ve experienced a perfect moment it is not true perfection because we live in a fallen, sinful world.

So we have established that Heaven is a place so far removed from our experiences and our comprehension – it is a place where there is no deceit or untruth (the city of the Living God), a place of pure joy with Angelic beings and it is a place of true perfection. How then can anyone dare to hope that we could one day live in such a place? The passage from Hebrews gives us the answer – through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ as he is described in Hebrews is the mediator of a new covenant. What does that mean? It means only through faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection for the forgiveness of our sin can we be justified in the eyes of God (the Judge of all) and find acceptance by this perfect, incorruptible being. Jesus is the means by which God saves sinful people. There is no other way given in the whole of the New Testament. This is the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ that we can have salvation and forgiveness from our sin; that we will one day be restored to a state of perfection abiding in the presence of the Living God enjoying Him forever along with the assembly of Angels. Now that is Heaven!