Where have all the Christians gone?

—When will Christians come out of the closet?

?     ?     ?     ?     ?

 

In 1900, Europe was home to 70% of the world’s Christians. Today it’s less than 1%.  The U.S. and the U.K. (and Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) and South Africa are following the same road to oblivion through perversion and apostacy and amalgamation (self-genocide) with the world. 

Who will hit rock bottom first is anyones guess.  The antichrist aliens are absorbing and consuming the peoples of Christendom to the point of extinction.  Christ said that unless the Father draw the final days of vengeance short, no flesh of the elect would survive.  It is about to that point.

“32Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in Heaven.  33But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in Heaven.” (Matthew 10)

 

After Christ comes back it will be too late for “Christians” to come out of the closet: for by being therein, they demonstrate that they are not His.

His true followers speak His Words and do what He did, rebuking evil... not cowering before it or smiling submissively and pretending not to notice it.

Where are all the so-called “Christian” pastors, singers, book authors, evangelists, teachers, professors, theologians and where have they been for the past 50 years...?  Why don’t they speak out against evil...?  Why don’t they rebuke and renounce and separate themselves from homo-perverts who claim to be Christian singers, pastors, authors?  It seems quite clear that such “Christian leaders” they are not really of God.  They merely found a nice little niche in which they could earn a comfortable living, have prestige and celebrity—but have “a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof—from such turn away!” (II Timothy 3:5)  Christians need to stop supporting them and write to them and denounce them and explain why they will no longer listen to or support them: for they are traitors of Christ, Christianity, and Christendom!  They are friends of the world and therefore they are the enemies of God.  If Christians continue to listen to and support them they share in the evil and sins of those wicked wolves in sheep’s clothing, and they will also share in their judgment.

I call all so-called “Christian” pastors, singers, book authors, evangelists, teachers, professors, theologians to stand up now!  Who is on the Lord’s side?  How do you expect your congregation, your followers, your supporters to know the right way if you are too cowardly to lead them?  Choose you this day!  God or mammon (wealth).  God or the world?  You cannot have both.  They are diametrically opposed.  They are opposite sides in the War of Good against Evil.  BOTH sides will view you as a traitor because that is what you are!  

If you don’t stand up and speak out and choose what God commanded and choose Christ* then your refusal to stand up and speak out is powerful evidence that you are not of God and that all your “wonderful works” (in the eyes of the Apostate Church and the Antichrist world) will earn you the declaration of Christ: “depart from Me ye that work iniquity [lawlessness], I never knew you!”  

[* You cannot choose side with Christ Jesus if you do not embrace His full and true Message.  Christ’s Message is not your perverting of the “Gospel” to please a godless world though a modern “interpretation” making God’s Word to conform to sinful man’s notions of “good” and “evil” and making God’s Nature and God’s Plan compromise to reflect modern political correctness.  God is Immutable.  His Plan never changes; His Standard of Morality never changes; Christ never changes; the Gospel never changed from God’s original declarations.  Anyone who preaches the modern altered Gospel is accursed, antichrist, and a humanist.]

Clearly you don’t care about your flock whom you have fleeced if you don't stand up.  You allow the communities of your congregation to be flooded with aliens and perverts while you with your body guards live in your gated communities.  There should be 50 million or more Christians who could stand up and oppose evil and the 3% of perverts would have to back down and the corrupt politicians inviting aliens into our land, burying us in unpayable debt and committing all sorts of Treason and war crimes while enriching themselves would be forced to stop and held criminally accountable.  The so-called "Christian" pastors, singers, book authors, evangelists, teachers, professors, theologians are MOST-RESPONSIBLE; they are watchmen on the wall who have fallen asleep in apathy, are cowards (dumb dogs who cannot bark), or who are in league with the enemy.  Those are their only choices to explain why they do not STAND UP NOW and why they have not STOOD UP for the past 50 YEARS.I indict you before a Holy God this day.  CHOOSE YOU THIS DAY.  WHO IS ON THE LORD'S SIDE?  STAND UP AND BE COUNTED.

I indict you before a Holy God this day. 

CHOOSE YOU THIS DAY. 

WHO IS ON THE LORD’S SIDE? 

STAND UP AND BE COUNTED. 

If you don’t stand up now and do something then we all know whose side you are on.

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After titling my Rumination as I did, I could not help but to think of Irish Christian singer Sheila Walsh’s song “God Put a Fighter in Me”.

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

This song has some great elements.  The verses and the beginning of the chorus are quite special, with an ancient British European Crusade classical-like flavor, dreamy, calling to arms, calling to our heritage.  However, the second half of the chorus, to me, ruins the song, which I believe should have been kept pure with the classical theme.  I realize what she was trying to do, attempting to mimic or create the rushing chaos of war.  However, the “God put a fighter in me” by comparison, is a monotonous, fast-paced droning... but the song is worth listening to, even to the end, to get the full picture.  The verses make a doughty effort, but seem to fall flat and while they have some good, vivid imagery, they seem to lack real substance and remain merely symbolic fluff—however, the first part of the chorus is spectacular and it is unfortunate that the entire song did not maintain the same theme (and hone the words to have a little more depth and true edge).  Regardless, the first part of the chorus goes:

“Where have all the Christian soldiers gone?
Where is the resistance?
        —will no one be strong?
When will we stand up tall and straight?
Rise up and storm the gate?
                —

[While making an admirable effort the chorus here is the fly in the ointment rather than the feather in the cap... but bear through it at the link.]

                —
How can we fail to get excited?
The battle is ours why don’t we fight it?
Battalions of darkness rise above me
But God put a fighter in me, put a fighter in me.”

[And I don’t say anything to be unkind, and of course it is just my opinion.  The first part of the chorus is genius, and the verses could have been with more effort and clarity of Bible doctrine; the second part of the chorus gets honorable mention in words, but as a whole the music detracts as if the entire drum section, cymbals and all, and the guitar players fell down a flight of stairs in the middle of the song.]

She has been producing albums for about 3 decades, and she has an incredible depth, color, range, and purity of voice.  Two of her most famous and lovely songs, well worth listening to over and over, are:

Star Song (There Is Born A Child)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLCYjBxk9FM

Turn, Turn, Turn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBmRt1fmXBQ

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Also, another great song, this one by Texan singer songwriter Jeoffrey Benward,* which should give you goosebumps, is a fabulous, moving, emotional, anthem and call to battle.

[* —who decades after this album would form a duet with his son, called “Aaron & Jeoffrey” and produce several quality albums.]

Turn the sound up.  The verses may be a little hard to hear, and you will want the sound up for the chorus.

“Let the Church Rise”. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7ypcktjvPs

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Also... though not related to the above theme...

I’ve listened to Steve Camp for decades, late 70s early 80s.

I haven't really listened to anything new by anyone for a few decades now, but he has an incredible voice, a very moody low register and a razor-edged, electric high register, very moving color to his voice and interpretation and his piano is excellent and his lyrics are often bold and with deep spiritual insight; not that I can say whether his theology is sound or not going from memory, but he has great merit and the below songs are recommended and even try others you see in the sidebar to the right at youtube once you listen to these songs.  Many of his songs are very devotional.

There is no other name / Wonderful Merciful Saviour

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-O8cqjcCgA

Love That Will Not Let Me Go

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKCFa-l-2GI

and 2 of his classics:

He Is All You Need

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n34RKnLsPY4

He Covers Me

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

See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Camp

He has sold over a million albums.  Camp is a Dutch name (prob. originally van Camp or Vander Camp).  He was born in Wheaton Illinois, so it is quite possible that having been born in 1955 in the bastion of Dutch Reformed northern Mid-west U.S. that he has sounder theology than most today Christian singers today (many of whom are universalist and pentecostal)... reading further I see I am correct,

“Camp is theologically Reformed, in the tradition of John Owen, Jeremiah Burroughs, Thomas Watson, Dr. John F. MacArthur, Dr. D.A. Carson, Dr. R.C. Sproul and the late Dr. Stephen Olford.”

Also, admirably, even as I said many of his lyrics are challenging to casual Christians,

“He is well known for his strong view that Christian musicians are called to make direct, uncompromising music that confronts the world with the message of the Scriptures. In the tradition of Martin Luther's 95 theses, Camp sent out his own 107 theses on Reformation Day (October 31), 1998, calling for a reformation in contemporary Christian music.”

He is also a senior pastor at a church in Florida.

With music like this—and many other excellent artists: Dallas Holm, Michael Card, John Michael Talbot, Wayne Watson, Twila Paris, Jonathan David Brown, Kelly Willard, Margaret Becker, 4Him, Joanne Hogg, (also with her group Iona), Will McFarlane, Geoff Moore, Buddy Greene, Don Francisco, Steven Curtis Chapman, Kim Hill, Susan Ashton, and a myriad of others, there is no reason for a Christian to listen to secular radio or buy albums of secular artists and fill your mind with filth and support godless people; fill your mind with truth.

Well, these other two classics of his might go well with the theme of this Rumination:

Where Are the Heroes Now?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1i9cnLXI1nc

Living in Laodicea

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDJNF6ys0fk

Stranger to Holiness

https://youtu.be/UvChQJ3ITas

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After 900 years, still the greatest hymn ever

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xtpJ4Q_Q-4

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See also John Michael Talbot’s superb song, “One Faith” with the London Philharmonic accompanying him and his classical guitar on his superb album The Regathering.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzGqD_0EeWg

Though Catholic in his view of doctrine, he is an incredible troubadour, songwriter / singer / guitarist, who has produced dozens of albums well worth listening to.

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See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTf5VvpBa18 for an excellent song “Abba Father” by Michael Card,

whose father was a doctor and his grandfather was a Baptist minister; though he considers himself half-way between Baptist and Presbyterian.  He has a B.A. and M.A. in biblical studies from Western Kentucky University (in 1997 received that university’s Distinguished Alumni Award).  Having studied physics and astronomy led to his once having a job at a planetarium, which helped him to finance the rest of his education.  He has also worked toward a Ph.D. in Classical Literature.  A gifted musician and songwriter, he has produced 32 original albums;

one of his most famous songs was “El Shaddai”; popularized by Amy Grant, as was his song, “I have decided” which has a bluegrass sound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnqwoM5z3ec . 

He is a talented lyricist, and his songs often reflect deep understanding of Reformed Doctrine (as in the “Abba Father” song).  He has distanced himself, to some degree, from the Christian music industry, due to its secular / carnal focus on the personality of the artist and making money, rather than producing Doctrinally sound music to glorify God and minister to His people. 

See also his Now That I've Held Him in My Arms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12awl0WYH5g and This Must Be the Lamb: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYdAekV1FcA

 

 

One of the best songs ever written and performed:

Janny Grein: We’ve Been Made More Than Conquerors — Count it all Joy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bG6m0_A5k8

I was again reading in the book of James (and Isaiah) this morning... I meant to look for this song online yesterday, but forgot, but made a note this morning, even though I forgot about the note for about 6 hours...

Turn up the volume.... put it on "repeat" and listen to it half a dozen times....

Read also the short testimony on the youtube presentation 

I see that Janny passed away a decade ago.

https://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/news/Janny_Grein_Dies/44163/p1/

That is sad... but I will say what I wished I could have said to her, were she still with us today:

I bought your album (1 or 2 of them) around 1978...? 

I have not been able to not think of you or your song whenever I read or think about the Book of James... for the past 45 years or so...!

One of the most-beautiful and moving songs ever written.

“Perfect and entire” in every detail... “wanting nothing”...! a depth rarely equaled in Scriptural musical perfection, instrumentation, ripping, uncommon harmonies, and emotional realism—POWER—that only a few artists have ever achieved... a few songs by Jonathan David Brown (a friend of mine), Steve Camp, Margaret Becker, Dallas Holm & Praise (with Ladonna Johnson?), Jeoffrey Benward (“Let the Church Rise”), Wayne Watson, and some of Will McFarlane’s songs are the only ones that equal or come close.

Thank you for nearly a half century of memories in musical and Scriptural perfection, from the tickling of the tenor piano notes and the massive bass piano intro, to the words and harmonies and instrument subtleties and overtures... all the way to the last raspy, vulnerable vocal fade out, and the repeat of the same tender tenor frolicking notes interrupted by the deep, powerful bass piano notes to end the song as it began... but this time as a decrescendo to powerfully cause the listener stop and to reflect upon the whole, and the Biblical Truth, to the very last deep bass vibrations that resonate alone.

This song is like an addictive snack, to someone who truly appreciates rare quality musical perfection and Biblical truth (not just a pretty song about nothing), and is a song that should be listened to with the sound up and the repeat on... and be listened to half a dozen times... (I listened to it AT LEAST 7 times while writing this “Thank you”); a song you wish would never end..., a song that you can never listen to just once, a song that ruins you for almost any other song, for such perfection can never be surpassed... a song that gives you chills and nearly brings you to tears... from the perfect pairing of the vocals, the instrumentation, and the comforting POWERFUL Scriptural content.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!  May God bless you in a special way for this song alone... a Rembrandt!

Robert

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Margaret Becker

O Come O Come Emmanuel

https://youtu.be/F9_QBF3HdZ8?t=58

 

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Margaret Becker, with Maire / Moya Brennan (sister to Enya) and Joanne Hogg of Iona)

from their superb album Irish Hymns

Jesus Draw Me Ever Nearer (May This Journey)

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Iona - lead singer, a medical doctor, Joanna Hogg

leading Christian Group in Ireland (though not all members are Christian)