There are good and bad things about Christian music becoming a popular item in our materialistic culture. The good thing is that the message gets out.
Paul says that…
“I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel.”
1 Cor 9:22-23
It is an OK thing to take on the look and feel of the culture as a Christian if it is your purpose as a Christian to lead others to Christ. This means simply that as a Christian you should become a skater to the skaters and a rocker to the rockers in order to meet people where they are and bring them to the truth, just as Jesus did with the people around Him. He met them where they were, He didn’t make them come to Him (although they did, as it is the nature of mankind to want to know the truth.)
The point of this is to say that Christian music in the secular (non-Christian) world is OK as long as it stays true to its message. You see, that’s the bad thing about Christian music (and culture in general) becoming more popular in secular society; it often times looses its message. The culture doesn’t like to speak of Jesus, although most people are fine talking about god. Yes, that was an intentional lowercase ‘g’, because the “god” people are comfortable talking about is more the idea of the all encompassing idea of god, such as allowing it to mean “whichever god you worship, allah or Jehovah”. The God of our faith is not an all encompassing idea, He is Jehovah the one and only unique God. The only God, and that’s not something people like to talk about; absolute truth, but more on that some other time.
Anyway, the idea of a general, all encompassing god (one for all religions), is one of the things that is so dangerous about just talking about God in general terms, rather than getting specific about who He is and what He has done. That’s one of the things I like about this song, it is direct. It is not ashamed to say that Jesus is the point of everything. And the unique thing is that this song is very popular on secular radio and among non-Christians.
Song: I Can Only Imagine
Artist: Mercy Me
CD: Almost There
I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By your sideI can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When your face
Is before me
I can only imagine[Chorus:]
Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagineI can only imagine
When that day comes
And I find myself
Standing in the SonI can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine
I love those words. “What will my heart feel? Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still?” Read the chorus again. Just imagine that moment for a minute. What will it be like standing before God? What will it be like to finally be done with this crazy world and to be standing before the Creator and Savior of our souls? Is this a picture that you try to paint in your mind from time to time? I know I do. And every time I do, I am amazed that I even get the opportunity to meet my Heavenly Father, let alone live with Him as a loved child for all eternity.
Alina and I used this song in our wedding during our taking of the Lord’s Supper as a newly united couple. We used this song remind people that our marriage was a great thing, but would mean nothing apart from God. We wanted it to be clear that although it was a great moment for us as a couple, there was a greater moment in store for us because of the mercy that God showed to each of us individually. We wanted to say to our friends and family that this is how we will live our lives; as people anticipating the coming marriage of Jesus to His bride (the church).
Let me just encourage you to stop and listen to and think about the meanings of the music that you listen to. And when appropriate, give all the glory to the one and only true God.
MercyMe is a great group that puts the focus where it should be. If you want some good, passionate worship, go grab one of their CD’s.
