4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,
6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.
In order to experience the newness of life in Christ, we have to see ourselves as dead to sin. Taking up our cross and following Jesus requires us to put aside selfish desires and accept our new identity in Him, as our lives truly belong to Jesus now. That means we do not do what we want - it's not a matter of merely saying that we're trying to follow Jesus or to be a good Christian, but to surrender ourselves so that the nature of Christ is evident in a powerful way.
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God is calling each of us to the surrendered life, identifying with Jesus in His death, so we can walk in the new life He has provided for us. Paul writes in 1st Corinthians 15:
31 I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
32 If, in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!"
33 Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits."
34 Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.
So, is there a pop superstar who is about to join the ranks of Christian music? USA Today states about a current release that it "hits the coveted sweet spot of multi-genre appeal," saying that it has songs that would feel as at home on R&B, hip-hop and Christian radio as they would on Top 40..."
In a review of this pop star's latest album, Purpose, Plugged In says that this artist is "now at least trying to go a different way. Lead a cleaner life. Walk a straighter path." But, it warns, "There's suggestive content on it that clearly implies love and sex are still intertwined" for him. It continues, "And that's not easily squared with his renewed proclamations about his faith."
So, if you're a parent of a fan of pop music, you certainly cannot expect a G-rated experience with the new Justin Bieber album. But, Bieber attracts attention in Christian media, as well as secular, because he actually dares to address the subject of...God.
The website, Faithit.com, states:
But the review points out the duplicity that Bieber still exhibits:
For one thing, again - a parental content advisory. Just because there's some spiritual stuff here doesn't mean that overall this is an acceptable product that is consistent with Christian values.
I think this saga also goes to show how difficult it is for someone who is steeped in the world of entertainment to make a clean break and walk in the path of the Lord. Some have done it effectively, but it's tough. And, I'm talking about authentic, holiness-centered Christianity.
There is evidence that Justin Bieber is on a search. He has pastor Smith in Seattle who is apparently walking with him in his spiritual journey. And, I think each of us can evaluate our own lives to make sure that were are seeking God with our whole heart and making progress.
But, we also have to ascertain if the progress we're making is the right kind. Jesus spoke of bearing fruit. So, we could talk a great game and put a God-stamp in our conversation, but if we're not allowing the Holy Spirit to live through us from the inside out, then we are living an incomplete story. It's great to talk about "following Jesus," but we have to make sure we can effectively define what that really means - it has to do with more than just receiving His love; it means to completely surrender, to take up our cross daily, and to crucify the desires of the flesh and live in holiness. We are called to give up ourselves, so that Christ might express His life through us and be our all in all. That's the kind of spiritual progress with which He is pleased.
31 I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
32 If, in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!"
33 Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits."
34 Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.
So, is there a pop superstar who is about to join the ranks of Christian music? USA Today states about a current release that it "hits the coveted sweet spot of multi-genre appeal," saying that it has songs that would feel as at home on R&B, hip-hop and Christian radio as they would on Top 40..."
In a review of this pop star's latest album, Purpose, Plugged In says that this artist is "now at least trying to go a different way. Lead a cleaner life. Walk a straighter path." But, it warns, "There's suggestive content on it that clearly implies love and sex are still intertwined" for him. It continues, "And that's not easily squared with his renewed proclamations about his faith."
So, if you're a parent of a fan of pop music, you certainly cannot expect a G-rated experience with the new Justin Bieber album. But, Bieber attracts attention in Christian media, as well as secular, because he actually dares to address the subject of...God.
The website, Faithit.com, states:
Though he’s been trying to publicly reboot his image for a while now, he’s only recently released the source of his recent redemption: Christianity.
He’s ready to take off the mask and show the world who he really is…and who he wants to be like.
“I just wanna honestly live like Jesus,” said Bieber in an interview with Complex.
However, he affirms that religion is not the answer: “I’m not religious. I, personally, love Jesus and that was my salvation. I want to share what I’m going through and what I’m feeling and I think it shouldn’t be ostracized,” he said.And, you have stories like the one that appeared on the Christian Post website. It starts out by saying:
Justin Bieber is making news for statements he made in his recent Billboard interview, but it was what happened after the interview that caught our attention. The young pop star invited his interviewer to church with him where Pastor Judah Smith of The City Church in Seattle overtly preached the gospel of Jesus Christ.
As Bieber gears up to release his upcoming album Purpose on November 13, he has adamantly been bringing mainstream media on his faith journey with him during his promotional tours.According to Plugged In, the title track of the album, Purpose, includes these lyrics: "I put my heart into Your hands/Here's my soul to keep/I let You in with all that I can/You're not hard to reach/And You've blessed me with the best gift/That I've ever known/You've given me purpose." In a voiceover at the end of the Deluxe Edition bonus track, All in It, you can hear, "And with God, it's like He's perfect and He never disappoints. So I just get my recognition from Him. And give Him recognition."
But the review points out the duplicity that Bieber still exhibits:
The sensual, suggestive, sleazy, some might even say criminal video for "What Do You Mean?" illustrates just how difficult it is for someone like Justin Bieber to extract himself—even if he might sometimes want to—from the sexualized entertainment industry he's still very much at the heart of.The takeaways from this news about the new Bieber album and what is apparently taking place in his life spiritually:
For one thing, again - a parental content advisory. Just because there's some spiritual stuff here doesn't mean that overall this is an acceptable product that is consistent with Christian values.
I think this saga also goes to show how difficult it is for someone who is steeped in the world of entertainment to make a clean break and walk in the path of the Lord. Some have done it effectively, but it's tough. And, I'm talking about authentic, holiness-centered Christianity.
There is evidence that Justin Bieber is on a search. He has pastor Smith in Seattle who is apparently walking with him in his spiritual journey. And, I think each of us can evaluate our own lives to make sure that were are seeking God with our whole heart and making progress.
But, we also have to ascertain if the progress we're making is the right kind. Jesus spoke of bearing fruit. So, we could talk a great game and put a God-stamp in our conversation, but if we're not allowing the Holy Spirit to live through us from the inside out, then we are living an incomplete story. It's great to talk about "following Jesus," but we have to make sure we can effectively define what that really means - it has to do with more than just receiving His love; it means to completely surrender, to take up our cross daily, and to crucify the desires of the flesh and live in holiness. We are called to give up ourselves, so that Christ might express His life through us and be our all in all. That's the kind of spiritual progress with which He is pleased.
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