Category: Hillsong

The Hidden Reefs In Worship Songs

DebbieLynne Kespert1 Comment

Jude famously wrote his epistle to warn believers against false teachers. He used several strong images to describe them, ensuring that his readers would understand the danger these teachers presented. Let me quote a couple of verses with these images.

12 These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; 13 wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever. ~~Jude 12-13 (NASB95)

He begins by calling them hidden reefs. Living in the First Century when travel depended on boats and ships, Jude undoubtedly knew how unseen reefs could tear up a sailing vessel before the sailors even knew a reef was there. He chose this image to emphasize his point from verse 4 that false teachers come into churches under the radar, avoiding detection by blending in with church culture. Often, Christians don’t realize they’ve been deceived by these false teachers until it’s too late. These figurative hidden reefs shipwreck the faith of unsuspecting souls.

In the 21st Century, false teachers seem to be all over the place, requiring that we know the Word of God backwards and forwards. To this end, it’s imperative that we submit ourselves to churches in which our pastors not only preach with faithfulness to Scripture but also encourage us to rightly divide the Word. In most cases, familiarity with the Bible is the best defense against falling into deception.

This past week, however, I learned that sometimes even the best shepherds can unintentionally let a stray wolf wander into the fold. This potentially serious mistake usually happens when they put too much trust in leaders of the music team.

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What If There Is No Good Church Near You?

DebbieLynne Kespert6 Comments

Elusive Church

In response to the article I wrote Monday, a reader from Australia commented that the only churches near her were five Hillsong churches. My heart broke for her, causing me to pray that the Lord will open up something that allows her to enjoy fellowship opportunities and to serve the body of Christ. I ask each of you to join me in praying for her.

As I read her comment, my mind went back to 2014. John and I had just Read More »

Saturday Sampler: April 22 — April 28

DebbieLynne Kespert3 Comments

Spring Sampler

The Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood reports on the disturbing Assembly Bill certain to become California law. Colin Smothers’ article, Banning Christian Orthodoxy in California, serves as a sobering warning to those who stand for Biblical principles.

Even though Steven Lawson writes Is It Necessary to Preach Divine Wrath? with his fellow pastors in mind, his article on the Ligonier blog also applies to us in our evangelism efforts. In this era of trying to make the Gospel palatable, we need this reminder to present truth in its entirety.

I always look forward to Mondays and Thursdays because I know Leslie A will be posting on Growing 4 Life. No disappointment this week! Please read How Do I Respond to My Enemies? as another example of her Biblical wisdom.

Jordan Standridge of The Cripplegate takes the pope to task in Five Reasons Why Pope Francis’ Answer Was Demonic. Standridge doesn’t conceal his anger. And he shouldn’t! Assuring anyone that an atheist gained entrance to heaven will lead countess souls to hell, all for the sake of this man’s popularity. We should all be as outraged as Standridge!

Go over to excatholic4christ for Tom’s post, Roman Catholics and Astrology: “Am I a Taurus or an Aries?” To my dismay, I’ve also heard evangelicals talk about horoscopes as if they provide nothing more than harmless entertainment. Let me be clear: astrology is strictly pagan at best, and a possible gateway to demonic activity. Stay away from it!

Why Christian Blogs Aren’t What They Used To Be by Tim Challies examines the growing trend of vanishing Christian blogs. He offers a few intriguing suggestions to explain the movement away from blogging. But his closing paragraph, typed in italics, is worth the whole article for its encouragement to continue blogging.

In her own unique style (which I absolutely love), Michelle Lesley details Scriptural evidence that God’s Not Like “Whatever, Dude,” About The Way He’s Approached in Worship. Michelle addresses some extremely important problems in contemporary church life with this article. For that reason I strongly recommend you read it.

In his most recent blog post for Parking Space 23, Greg Peterson begins his series on Reasons to Study the Book of  Revelation by introducing us to the value of eschatology. I love his perspective that the book of Revelation is essentially about Jesus Christ.

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Why I Regret Using Hillsong’s Music As Part Of My Wedding (And Why You Should Avoid The Group)

DebbieLynne Kespert3 Comments

9af2c-deviationThe song, as far as I could tell, focused on the Lord’s incomparable greatness and sought His help to worship Him with everything in me. It reminded me that not even the wonderful man next to me could ever mean as much to me as Christ. Although I committed myself to John that day, I maintained a higher commitment to my Savior. Therefore I believed the song fit our wedding perfectly!

At the time, I had no idea that Hillsong, the supposedly Christian group that wrote and popularized the song, represented Hillsong Church, an extreme Charismatic church that promotes Word of Faith teachings. Sadly, I have since learned the truth about the church, and have consequently been convinced to categorically avoid their music.

Over the almost 15 years since my wedding, I’ve had more exposure to Hillsong’s music through the church we attended early in our marriage, and some of those songs betrayed the group’s aberrant theology.  As my exposure to their songs increased, I also began coming across articles about the church, its beliefs and finally its ambiguous posture toward homosexuality.

The difficulties with Hillsong can’t be contained in a single blog post, particularly when I’ve just spent an hour rummaging through Google searching for a definitive article that would conveniently consolidate all the documentation I want in one handy place. I can only urge you to research Hillsong Church for yourselves, asking why they have women pastors, why an unrepentant homosexual serves on the worship team of their New York church and why their music never mentions repentance or God’s wrath.

Notice that I have trouble making a distinction between Hillsong’s music and their church. This overlapping is precisely the reason we must avoid their music. Music has tremendous power over human emotions, which in turn inform how we think. The doctrinal imprecision of Hillsong’s lyrics, coupled with the hints of Word of Faith ideology, lower a listener’s resistance to their church’s message. For that reason Bible-believing Christians must regard their music as highly damaging.

We live in an age that celebrates emotion at the expense of Biblical doctrine. Hillsong’s music thrives on this tendency, subtly pulling people in to its Prosperity Gospel. As discerning Christian women, however, we must recognize the dangerous influence of Hillsong’s music, and the even more dangerous teachings of their church. Buying their music only finances their spread of false teaching. Using their music in our weddings, whether intentional or not, endorses doctrinal error that might cause others to deviate from sound teaching. And we just can’t take those risks.

 

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