Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. -- Hebrews 12:28-29 (ESV)
Words have meanings. As a former English teacher and current writer, words have power. Not the false power word faith adherents attest to but real power. When it comes to worship, our theology often seems worse than what we see from the pulpits. It is just an area we take for granted. I remember being late to church once and sliding into my seat with hands raised since worship had begun. Suddenly I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit literally lower my hands. Confused I realized I had never heard the song before so I stopped and read the lyrics on the screen horrified. The screen was telling me all sorts of lies. Like I was God's portion and not the other way around. That the Creator of the Universe was somehow jealous for me. There was all sorts of sexual innuendo like heaven embracing earth with a secret kiss. Then the hook came and I understood. The song of course was "Oh How He loves Us" and that was the hook as well. The hook of a song is the part that is repeated over and over again until it hooks you like a fish. The hook, as well as the entire song was telling God how much He loved me! That is not worship beloved. Well, it is self-worship and it fits quite nicely within the "Friend of God" paradigm of praise and worship music. Since the purpose driven church demands sermonettes that are about us instead of God, it fits right in with the modern church experience. So let us take a break today from bad sermon theology to expose a new worship song that is really bad. I mean, like you will want to take a shower after hearing it.
For the uniformed, Jesus Culture is the worship outfit of Bill Johnson's Bethel Church in California. Bethel is a literal cesspool of false teaching as they embrace everything false in Christianity today. Johnson routinely disparages the bible and places personal experience equal to if not above scripture. He operates a "supernatural school" that is based entirely on the heresy that they can teach you the gifts of the Holy Spirit. New age mysticism, including tarot readings, grave sucking, dead raising teams, and soaking worship are all found at Bethel. False signs and lying wonders such as glory clouds, gold dust, gem stones and angel feathers are all found at Bethel. This is where Jesus Culture calls home and is taught. Is it any wonder that a lot of their music is simply narcissistic self-worship with poor theology at best? Their top leader, Kim Walker-Smith, tells her testimony all of the time about a maniacal laughing Jesus who visited her while she was awake and whisked her away to the throne room of God where she met the Father face to face, which the bible assures us is impossible. In this demonic visitation, Walker thinks that God ripped out a piece of His heart to mold a miniature version of Kim Walker-Smith to dance and sing for Him in a music box. I kid you not. This is who Christian youth are listening to today beloved. Recently, Jesus Culture got in a little hot water by releasing "Reckless Love" which went wild in the purpose driven church circuit. The problem of course was in using such a negative connotation to describe God. The arrogant writer refused to back down, and why would he with all the money he was making but who does the bible say is reckless?
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, - 2Timothy 3:1-4 (ESV)
Oops. Words matter. Jesus Culture does not care what critics say because they see that their fearless leader Bill Johnson does not care. So now they have doubled down with Walker-Smith's new hit -- Insatiable. That's right, God is now not only reckless but He is insatiable. There are two primary definitions:
"of an appetite or desire) impossible to satisfy. "an insatiable hunger for success"
of a person) having an insatiable appetite or desire for something, especially sex.
synonyms:
