Contemporary Christian, also known as Christian pop; which is bands like Jars of Clay, David Crowder Band, Jeremy Camp

Christian rock; Audio Adrenaline, Relient K, Kutless

Christian metal; Underoath, Norma Jean, As I Lay Dying, Demon Hunter

Christian hip hop/R&B; Lecrae, Trip Lee, Canton Jones, J.R.

And these are just a few of the many, many Christian music performers out there. As you can see, there is a wide variety of Christian music to replace secular music in your life.

One of the ways to get closer to God is to get rid of any negative influences in your life. One of the examples in the Bible of how we can live our lives is this:

There were two men. Each built a house. The foolish man built his house on the sand. The wise man built his house upon a rock. The wind and rain came, and the foolish man’s house got blown over. The wise man’s house was unmovable.

You see, the wise man built his house on a rock, a solid foundation. The foolish man built his house on only sand, which is nearly no foundation; it did not support the house. This is an example of how, when the tough times come, those who have a solid foundation will not be shaken. But those who do not have a foundation will stumble and fall. You don’t want to live your life like this, when hard times come and you sink, swiftly, just like an animal stuck in quicksand. That is why people should absolutely not have unwholesome material in their lives. A pure heart is atttainable, because the Bible says that we should have a pure heart. One of the ways to start obtaining a pure heart is to discontinue listening to ungodly music.

He said, “Go and tell this people: “‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’

Commentary

God sends Isaiah to foretell the ruin of his people. Many hear the sound of God’s word, but do not feel the power of it. God sometimes, in righteous judgment, gives men up to blindness of mind, because they will not receive the truth in the love of it. But no humble inquirer after Christ, need to fear this awful doom, which is a spiritual judgment on those who will still hold fast their sins. Let every one pray for the enlightening of the Holy Spirit, that he may perceive how precious are the Divine mercies, by which alone we are secured against this dreadful danger. Yet the Lord would preserve a remnant, like the tenth, holy to him. And blessed be God, he still preserves his church; however professors or visible churches may be lopped off as unfruitful, the holy seed will shoot forth, from whom all the numerous branches of righteousness shall arise.

Romans 3:22-26

“22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.25God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished–26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”

Commentary

Must guilty man remain under wrath? Is the wound for ever incurable? No; blessed be God, there is another way laid open for us. This is the righteousness of God; righteousness of his ordaining, and providing, and accepting. It is by that faith which has Jesus Christ for its object; an anointed Saviour, so Jesus Christ signifies. Justifying faith respects Christ as a Saviour, in all his three anointed offices, as Prophet, Priest, and King; trusting in him, accepting him, and cleaving to him: in all these, Jews and Gentiles are alike welcome to God through Christ. There is no difference, his righteousness is upon all that believe; not only offered to them, but put upon them as a crown, as a robe. It is free grace, mere mercy; there is nothing in us to deserve such favours. It comes freely unto us, but Christ bought it, and paid the price. And faith has special regard to the blood of Christ, as that which made the atonement. God, in all this, declares his righteousness. It is plain that he hates sin, when nothing less than the blood of Christ would satisfy for it. And it would not agree with his justice to demand the debt, when the Surety has paid it, and he has accepted that payment in full satisfaction.

(Note:Commentary provided by ChristNotes.org.)

But, before all of this, the Rapture occurs, those who are left have to go through seven years of tribulation. The first 3 1/2 years are the Tribulation, and the last 3 1/2 years are the Great Tribulation. From any way one looks at it, it just gets worse and worse. Most of the people of the earth that were left will die. The whole seven years consists of judgments and plagues as punishment for people who rejected Jesus Christ, the Son of God. But, continuing, the Antichrist will make laws that mandates everyone to accept his mark, which is the mark of the beast, on either the person’s forehead, or his right hand. People who accept the mark and worship his image are eternally condemned. Please understand that what people believe are tough times now is like a speck of dust compared to what is to come. It seems as if everyone is doomed for hell during the seven years, but the Bible says that those who believe will go to heaven. So, even after all of the times people have forsaken Him, or have chosen not to believe in Him, are still going to have another chance. That just shows how God is a merciful God, a God of second chances. So people will have the oppurtunity to repent during the seven years, and if they repent, will go to heaven.

In the end, there will be what is called the Glorious Appearing, which is the third and final coming of Jesus Christ. After this, there will be a great battle, the greatest battle of all time, that is termed the Battle of Armageddon. It will be fought in the Valley of Megiddo, and of course, the good side will win. Then the beast and his false prophet will be forever condemned to the lake of fire that burns with sulfur and brimstone. They will be tormented day and night, with no rest, forever and ever. And Satan will be thrown into the lowest depths of Sheol for a thousand years, then released to tempt the nations again. God will destroy the earth, with nobody on it, and make a new earth, with a new capital called the New Jerusalem. There everyone will experience love, joy, peace, the ruler of the New Jerusalem being Jesus Christ.

Those of you who do not have Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior in heart, please accept him, because if you put it off, it might be too late. Time is running out!

Two of these kids were Tight Eyez and Big Mijo. Tight Eyez and Mijo decided that regular clowning was too immatured, so they started making up their own style, which was more aggressive, faster, and more emotionally involved than regular clowning. It evolved into what is now known as krump: Kingdom Radically Uplifting Mighty Praise. As one can see, it’s a praise dance, with Christian roots. Meanwhile, the music for krump dancers to krump to was being developed, and it is called krump music (other names for it are bucc/buck music). The pioneers of this officially recognized genre of music are Tha J-Squad. A lot of people mistake krump music for hip hop, because they have a lot of similarities, but krump music is so distinct, that one can always tell if one is listening to krump music or hip hop, if he is a krump dancer of course. Krump music has become so widespread, that new groups started to make their own krump music. Some popular examples are: Traxamus, Maxamus, Infamus, Soulfamus, Trackformers, Bucc-To-Def, and Alphabex. So Tight Eyez and Mijo started krump, and it has become so popular, that it has spread worldwide. There are three levels of krump: krump, buck, and amped. These are often paired with “get,” to signify the action of attaining one of these levels, like get krump, get buck, or get amped. Krump is the regular level that every krumper starts out with. Then buck is when the krumper’s moves are bigger, more precise, and usually faster. Then amped is when the krumper is just in spiritual mode, being led by the Spirit when he dances. The krump game has become so strong, that, people don’t just get krump anymore; they get buck. Buck is also a major term in krump terminology. Many krump dancers say things like, “That’s buck,” or “That’s straight buckness, man.” It’s sort of a way of saying, “That’s cool,” but for krump dancing.

Romans 1:16

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

Commentary

In these verses the apostle opens the design of the whole epistle, in which he brings forward a charge of sinfulness against all flesh; declares the only method of deliverance from condemnation, by faith in the mercy of God, through Jesus Christ; and then builds upon it purity of heart, grateful obedience, and earnest desires to improve in all those Christian graces and tempers, which nothing but a lively faith in Christ can bring forth. God is a just and holy God, and we are guilty sinners. It is necessary that we have a righteousness to appear in before him: there is such a righteousness brought in by the Messiah, and made known in the gospel; a gracious method of acceptance, notwithstanding the guilt of our sins. It is the righteousness of Christ, who is God, coming from a satisfaction of infinite value. Faith is all in all, both in the beginning and progress of Christian life. It is not from faith to works, as if faith put us into a justified state, and then works kept us in it; but it is all along from faith to faith; it is faith pressing forward, and gaining the victory over unbelief.

Romans 6:14

For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

Commentary

The strongest motives against sin, and to enforce holiness, are here stated. Being made free from the reign of sin, alive unto God, and having the prospect of eternal life, it becomes believers to be greatly concerned to advance thereto. But, as unholy lusts are not quite rooted out in this life, it must be the care of the Christian to resist their motions, earnestly striving, that, through Divine grace, they may not prevail in this mortal state. Let the thought that this state will soon be at an end, encourage the true Christian, as to the motions of lusts, which so often perplex and distress him. Let us present all our powers to God, as weapons or tools ready for the warfare, and work of righteousness, in his service. There is strength in the covenant of grace for us. Sin shall not have dominion. God’s promises to us are more powerful and effectual for mortifying sin, than our promises to God. Sin may struggle in a real believer, and create him a great deal of trouble, but it shall not have dominion; it may vex him, but it shall not rule over him. Shall any take occasion from this encouraging doctrine to allow themselves in the practice of any sin? Far be such abominable thoughts, so contrary to the perfections of God, and the design of his gospel, so opposed to being under grace. What can be a stronger motive against sin than the love of Christ? Shall we sin against so much goodness, and such love?

(Note:Commentary provided by ChristNotes.org.)

(To be Continued)

I went to this camp in New Jersey, called Crusader Youth Camp, and it was quite interesting. We went to school. The school we went to was King’s Christian School. We played basketball at the hotel we were staying at. We had Bible studies. We played basketball and did other sports activities at the gym at King’s Christian School. We had very intriguing discussions. We had some activities that were not quite favorable, but still, we enjoyed the communion. It was much different for me and my brother, because we had not been around a considerable number of black people in five years, so it was revealing to be around black people. We were surrounded in the Nigerian culture, which is very good, because we are Nigerians. We played a lot of games, like this game where all of the boys were lined up shoulder to shoulder, and had to hold hands, and the girls had to do the same thing, but they faced us. A person on the end would start with a hula hoop, and had to put their whole body through it, without letting go of the person’s hand. The hula hoop had to go all the way down the line without one person letting go of anyone’s hand, and if someone did, the team had to start over. The strategy used in this game was flexibility, and quickness. Everyone expected the girls to win because girls are generally more flexible. But, surprisingly, we (the boys) won twice in a row. We also had a spelling bee. We had two lines. One line was boys and girls (the day was gender battle day). It was 13-16, I reckon. The word administrator stood in front of both lines, and would alternate between boys and girls. It went on, and on, and onward. Then one boy (his name will remain unclassified; those of you who were there know who it was), after not doing anything noticeable, was beating everyone, and then it came down to him against this fifteen year old girl, who was, I am guessing, because of her vocabulary, well read. It was close, because both of them kept missing the words, and then, finally, he got this word, I don’t remember the name, and won. He was immediately rushed by all the boys, and championed.

Imagine finding out that you are an heir to some of the most expensive artifacts in the world. What would you do to posses them? In this case, these artifacts are called the Stones of David, and Stephen Friedman is obsessing over the fact that he needs to find these million-dollar artifacts. Stephen is looking at a house; the house where Rachel Spritzer (his mother, a Holocaust survivor) died just a couple days ago. This is the place where the Stones were hidden. He sneaks in and finds a safe shaped like a manhole. He keeps returning to the safe to attempt to find a way into it. After a couple times he finds his realtor friend, Mike. Mike tells him that he just sold the house to some German fellow. Stephen is angry because he’s trying to get to his treasure, and this was another obstacle. He lies to Mike to get into the building and finds the safe just as it had been. He’s relieved. He tries to get in again, and he ends up meeting Roth Braun, a ruthless man that was the son of Gehrard Braun, a man that was in charge of a concentration camp Torun, in Poland.

This book relates to me and Christians in how we should be obsessed with God, the Bible, and all the things that Christians partake in. Stephen is obsessed to the point where he spends almost all of his life savings, about $800,000. I’m not saying that Christians should spend almost all of their life savings; unless God tells them to, I’m saying that we should be obsessed with all things concerning God. Many people are obsessed with things, like baseball, basketball, football, or tennis. Many people are obsessed with TV shows, like “The O.C.”, or “Heroes”. Many people are obsessed with Web sites, like “MySpace”, or “YouTube”. Money can be an idol. Books can be idols. All these can be idols. All this being said, it is not about bowing down to or worshiping these idols. It’s about putting these idols in front of God.

The theme of Obsessed is obsession. It’s about someone willing to sacrifice everything just to satisfy his obsession At first, it’s not really for a noble cause, but towards the end it changes into one. This is a type of book that Ted Dekker doesn’t really write. For all of the Dekker fans, it’s not a thriller, but it’s a mystery and suspense type of book. It’s still extremely good, nevertheless. This book deserves a 4.6-star rating. Are you obsessed?

For those that are impressed with this book, check out some of Ted Dekker’s other books, like the Circle Trilogy, the Project Showdown series, and Blink, by Ted Dekker.

The town of Ashton is steadily being encompassed by spiritual darkness. The main characters, Marshall Hogan and Hank Busche, are fighting this shroud of darkness. Marshall, the former New York Times editor, moved there with his family to have a less hectic life. He runs the local newspaper there called The Ashton Clarion, formerly headed by Ted Harmel, who got run out of town by the Omni Corporation or the Universal Consciousness Society. (They are both connected in many ways.) Hank Busche is the new pastor, that was accidentally voted in by the congregation, of the Ashton Community Church, that used to be pastored by Reverend James Farrel. Marshall goes to pick up his daughter from Whitmore University because his wife has to get groceries. He interrupts the class, and the woman giving the lecture, Professor Juleen Langstrat, told him to wait outside. After the class is over, he apologizes to Sandy and they begin to argue. She ends up getting a ride home with a friend. Marshall was talking with Kate, his wife, and she mentions some stuff about what Sandy had learned from the lecture that day. She tells him that it sounded kind of weird, like reaching inside your inner self and stuff like that. So, having that reporter sense, he decidedes to check it out, and finds out that she also does therapy sessions involving the same type of material. He soon learns that it’s witchcraft, neo-Pagan type stuff. Just like Ted Harmel, Marshall and his reporter, Bernice Krueger, stick their noses where they shouldn’t be. They soon find out that they may be on the same path that got Ted Harmel, along with many other important people, kicked out of town. Hank Busche feels the burden to pray for this town, because recently, there has been so much evil occuring there. He soon confronts demons in both Ron Forsythe and Bobby Corsi, along with the demons in charge: the Strongman and Rafar, the Prince of Babylon, who are in Alexander Kaseph, the head of the Omni Corporation, and Juleen Langstrat, the head of the Universal Consciousness Society. Marshall Hogan and Hank Busche are fighting this present darkness. Marshall fights the physical side of it, (flesh and blood, while not actually harming anyone) while Hank Busche fights the spiritual side of it, renouncing, rebuking, and casting out demons in the name of Jesus as he goes, being the man of God he is. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12, NIV)

This book relates to me and the world in how there is a spiritual battle raging inside of all us between angels and demons, God and Satan, good and evil.That’s why Christians need to petition and intercede for the souls of men. The evil side usually wins if someone is not a Chrisitan, no matter how many good deeds they have done, and obviously if someone is doing bad deeds. The good side has won only when the Christian is doing what he should do as a Christian, like witnessing. Angels and demons are spirits; that’s why we cannot see them, unless we enter the spirit realm. They literally fight, with swords at least. They are both created beings; just like mankind. Demons, along with Satan, used to be angels until they were thrown out of heaven for their transgressions against Elyon. (Most High) “12 How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!13 You said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. 14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. 15 But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit. 16 Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, 17 the man who made the world a desert, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?” (Isaiah 14:12-17, NIV)

The theme of this book is that spiritual warfare happens, and it’s a part of every single person’s life, and he or she can either choose to overcome evil, or help the evil side win. My recommendation for this book is that if you are a person that likes Christian, supernatural suspense thrillers, than this is definitely the type of book you’d like to read. There is tons of fast paced action.(angels fighting demons and chasing them away, especially when the warriors grab the little demons and use them to bat and swat away other demons) There are really good match-ups: angel warriors face demon warriors, Tal, the Captain of the Host, faces Rafar, the Prince of Babylon, and the General faces the Strongman, both that report directly to the highest superiors: God and Satan. These things actually happen: there are groups that sabotage towns and cities for Satan. Demons help them and do Satan’s biddings. Major weaknesses for all demons are praying and rebuking. In the book, angels get strength, speed, and healing from what they call the “prayer cover.” It helps them carry out big operations that they would otherwise fail, because of being sheerly outnumbered.

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