And don’t worry about the captcha’s. I don’t think they like me either.

Well if this ever goes, I’ll just say I really must be too old to enter anything on this site as I keep getting errors, saying I entered the wrong captcha code and I know I did it right. Too Old

WoW! Doesn’t that sum up so much of what is called Christianity!

Thanks, Jason (Love it, gonna use it!)

I completely understand. I’ve played the game as well. I’ve looked down on and judged people who didn’t listen to the “right” kind of music. I’ve thought I was better than those who I thought were wrong. Now, I listen to that “wrong” music, and I know there are people who look down on me because of it.

Music is a wonderful outlet for me as well. I’m always listening to some type of music. I don’t try to force my preferences on anyone, and I no longer let anyone force their preferences on me.

As for the music, it took some getting used to for me as well. I didn’t know any of the songs at first either, but I quickly learned them and now I love to sing them.

I will continue to pray for you and your wife.

I’m glad you were able to go to a different church. I’ve been praying for you.

Of the thousands of CCM bands, individual artists and singing groups, not one of them preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ on their websites.

It took me all of about 3 minutes to find this on one of my favorite CCM artists Crystal Lewis:

BEAUTIFUL SAVIOUR [from the album "see"]
© 2005 crystal lewis

beautiful Saviour
beautiful King
in my broken heart
You did a beautiful thing
who am i that You’d be mindful of me?
beautiful Saviour
beautiful King

i’m humbled
by your gracious gift
i’ve stumbled too many times to be worthy of it
yet You pursue me
and lavish me
with mercy, forgiveness and grace

My, what horrendously devilish lyrics those are eh? I think you need to worry about your judgmentalism before you try to find the speck in someone else’s eye.

I don’t think I want to be as charitable as Jamey.

I think you are a dried-up, sour legalist of the worst kind! (tell us what you really think Greg)

“There is no bigger fakes or imposters who masquerade as Christians than Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) singers. What a bunch of sellouts.”

“Of the thousands of CCM bands, incdividual artists and singing groups, not one of them preach the gospel of Jesus Christ on their websites”

My goodness you get around alot. You know “EVERY” contempory group and “EVERY” singer. Based on this statement I guess I’ll go ahead and call you a LIAR, because that is what you are! And who in this world are you to judge “ALL” of them?

“The CCM industry is of the devil”

I want to say badly that you are of the devil, but I’ll stop short of that! I will say that these lies that you have written in this post about CCM music and it’s artists is about as hateful a thing as I have seen in quite awile, from someone that professes to know the Lord even!

I’m sure, or at least hope you have heard of such a thing as the fruits of the Spirit, yes even your KJV has them, please take a couple of days and read about the fruits of the Spirit, and meditate about them, and then come back and read over this vicious, accusatory, lying post of yours and see if you might not think you have been hasty in your comments.

You wrote “Your own words reflect the danger of neglect of Scripture.” I haven’t neglected Scripture. In fact, in the last year, I’ve been in the Word more than at any time in my life. All I said was, I haven’t found any Scriptures that tell us definitively how music should be done in a church setting.

“You were always first in the premise of the music…you contemplated, you enjoyed.” I’m not exactly sure why you wrote that. Everyone has different music tastes. Of course, a person is going to gravitate towards what they enjoy listening to.

The definition of contemplate is “to view thoughtfully.” I contemplated different things regarding music because I was confronted with them. I did not just jump in without careful thought, first.

Also, this was a story of my own musical journey. I wasn’t writing about anyone else’s musical tastes. I even said at the beginning that some would be able to identify with me and I knew that others wouldn’t.

“Of the thousands of CCM bands, individual artists or singing groups, not one of them preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ on their websites.” This sounds like a statistic that you’ve heard someone else say and you are repeating.

As far as salvation, I wrote out my salvation testimony and it was published to this site in August. Here is the link if you would like to read it. http://www.baptistdeception.com/lessons-learned-her-testimony/

“When we sing Hymns in an IFB church it is because it preaches the Blood of Jesus, it preaches scripture, it does not glorify man But gives god the Glory.” I don’t have a problem with hymns. In fact, I like to put together different hymn arrangements for when I sing in church. Sometimes, I sing those. My SBC church sings mostly hymns. In the last few months, we have started singing a bit more CCM, but it is still mostly hymns.

I am very choosy about what I listen to. I don’t like every CCM song. I don’t like every SG song or group either. But, I don’t automatically reject a certain song if it’s CCM. There are CCM songs that preach the Blood of Jesus, preach Scripture and glorify God instead of man. Those are the ones I like to listen to.

Of the thousands of CCM bands, individual artists and singing groups, not one of them preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ on their websites.

At their concerts, the only message given is to open one’s heart to allow God’s love to fill the emptiness. That is a false Gospel not taught in the Bible. Opening one’s heart to allow God’s love to fill the void is not the Biblical plan of salvation. In fact, it’s a road to Hell. Judas was a follower of Christ, one of His very Apostles, and yet Judas went to Hell when he died. Following Jesus is NOT the way to salvation. Opening one’s heart to God is NOT the way to salvation. Joining a religious group, getting water baptized or committing one’s life to God are NOT the ways to salvation. The CCM industry is of the Devil.

If any CCM artist or group were to preach the Biblical Gospel as it is supposed to be preached, they’d lose all their fans. The Bible teaches that all humanity are wicked sinners, deserving of punishment by God in hellfire, forever. We all deserve to go straight to Hell and burn, in torment, for violating God’s holy Law. Even the most noblest and upright amongst us deserve to burn in Hell forever. You won’t hear CCM singers warn their fans about hellfire, judgment or the wrath of God against all Christ-rejecters (Psalm 7:11; John 3:36; 2nd Thessalonians 1:8-9). They propagate a warped message, which is NOT the Gospel.

The good news is that Jesus paid our sin debt, and we can be saved if we’ll BELIEVE on Jesus as the Son of God, the Christ, to forgive our sins; but if one does not acknowledge their guilt of sin before God, for breaking God’s commandments, then they cannot be saved.

The Bible also warns that adding any self-righteousness voids one’s faith as invalid, for true faith excludes all forms of self-righteousness (Romans 10:3-4; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). The Biblical Gospel includes the rejection of trusting in good works, sacraments, church membership, water baptism or any other forms of self-righteousness to get saved. Jesus plainly taught that a person must be BORN-AGAIN to enter into Heaven (John 3:1-7). CCM singer, Michael Smith, propagates the errant teaching at his concerts that fans merely need to invite Jesus into their life to be saved. That is a false Gospel.

Salvation is NOT inviting Jesus into one’s heart. Salvation is a dirty, guilty, rotten sinner coming to God the Father through faith in His Son, Jesus, as the Christ, the Son of God, to forgive their sins. Salvation is coming to God through His Son to be forgiven of one’s sins. If there is no genuine acknowledgement of one’s guilty condition before God, then there is no need for a Savior. Salvation requires the admission of one’s guilt as a sinner. Salvation does NOT require ceasing from living a sinful lifestyle, for that would be self-righteousness.
Salvation is not a reward; it is a free gift (Romans 4:5-6; 6:23). If there is genuine conversion, then God will work in that person’s heart through His Holy Spirit and a change will occur (2nd Corinthians 5:17). A changed life is the FRUIT of genuine repentance and not a part of the ROOT of saving-faith. All God requires for salvation is childlike faith in Jesus as the Savior, because of His work of redemption, as payment for one’s sins. We are saved by faith alone in Jesus as the Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 3:24-26).

CCM artists deceitfully profess to be Christians; but in their concerts, on their websites and in their music, they fail to preach the Biblical Gospel. The producers who control the artists would neither allow, nor tolerate it. Despite all their lies, excuses and masquerading, the truth cannot be hidden—CCM performers are sold out to making money, loving the praise of men more than the praise of God (John 12:43). Their music is void of truth. Their concerts are void of truth. The only message preached is a vague, obscure, watered-down ecumenical Gospel which calls for ecumenical unity, at the expense of doctrinal integrity. They embrace all faiths, all doctrines and claim that God’s love supercedes all else. Consequently, Catholics and other false religious cults continue to be the biggest fans of the CCM industry. Catholics are the biggest fans of the CCM industry! That is because CCM propagates a false Gospel and is the enemy of Jesus Christ.
so when we sing Hymns in an IFB church it is because it preaches the Blood of Jesus, it preaches scripture, it does not glorify man But gives god the Glory…. wonder why you were convicted while walking in the changing music? ever think the Holy spirit was telling you something? thats why we are to not grieve the holy spirit

The IFB condemns such songs purely because they are CCM and they think that CCM is of the devil. I have actually witnessed occasions where SG artists have recorded a CCM song, and then the pastor would allow that particular song to be sung in church.

I listened to the IFB for a long time too. Anything that the pastor said he was against, I was too. I’m also glad that I my eyes have been opened.

How could some man, any man, stand in a pulpit and condemn a song like that, that speaks so beautifully about our Savior! But worse, how and why did I listen and believe them for as long as i did?!! I’ll tell you why, it’s because men are sinful, and unfortunately we like to follow a leader, and at the heart of legalism, there’s something that tells us that we’re just alittle bit better than some one over there. “Look at us we don’t like……….whatever the MOG says we don’t like!”……I am glad to free from so much legalism. “Where the Spirit of the the Lord is, there is freedom”

I know of this. I don’t believe it falls in the category of part of the promise although it could I suppose. One evening after going to bed, I was praising God in my prayer closet. Continually praising God for the way He used me (I refer to the personal ministry I was involved in), as I continued to praise God, I drifted of; it was as if I was in heaven and singing a new song. It was a very beautiful song. As I began to awake, I was singing that song, I reached for a note pad and pencil I kept next to my bed and I write down the words to the song. I could not write the music since I don’t know how to do that. when I was fully awake I looked at what I wrote down and wondered about the words because it was not beautiful to be then as I remembered it was when I sang the words in another place (very similar to what I perceive as heaven). I noticed that I had rested better than I ever had before (I was fully rested). The song had a much better meaning in heaven than it does on earth. I knew people would laugh at the words, so I destroyed them. I do remember what the song was about but I’m not going to say as no one would understand. I do believe however that each person will sing a different song (their new song) in heaven. It had to have been a heavenly experience, I have no other explanation. It’s just something for me to ponder. I do know that God inhabits the praises of His people.

Brian Free’s group is Brian Free & Assurance. I just didn’t feel like typing all of that out. I figured if I just named the lead singer, you’d know who I was talking about. I’ve seen him in concert, too. I’ve also seen the Crabb Family in concert. I like Please Forgive Me as well, but my favorite of theirs is The Reason That I’m Standing.

I would love to play more than one instrument. I have always wanted to play the violin.

There’s a particular CCM song that I listen to a few times a week. It is quickly becoming my favorite CCM song. It’s by Avalon. The name of it is Everything to Me. Here’s a link where you can listen to it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ywzlq2AiAuM

I was wondering if you had located those videos of us, they were not authorized (we don’t care though) but the sound is somewhat sketchy, and if you don’t have good speakers you can barely hear the base guitar. Again, we sell CD’s privately, so you won’t find them in the stores, and they only get played on the radio stations that we send them to. But if you send me your address, happy to send you one!

I have a book that my mother gave me from the late 1800′s, titled simply “Dying Testimonies” by S.B. Shaw. It is a fascinating, first hand account look at folks as they are dying and the things they say, it leaves no doubt that there is spiritual element involved. But one must be careful as to how much value we place on “testimonies” I have always enjoyed “testimony time” in churches, but too often in IFB circles it would become a “look at me how spiritual I am” And in Pentecostal circles (I have many Pentecostal friends and play often in their churches) the tales get even larger, and I must tell you I take it all with a grain of salt.

The story about your mother is very interesting, and of course I’m very curios about what you saw, but I don’t want you to break any confidences to tell us.

I play guitar with this group, but when I was searching for a group to get into, I was hoping to play banjo, but these guys already had a good banjo player, but they didn’t have a lead guitar, so even though I had never really played BG style lead guitar, I figured I could learn. I can also play bass, and some mandolin.

I love the sound of acoustic instruments!

Paul – Josh Groban is one gifted man! Beautiful voice!

What instrument do you play in your bluegrass group?

“You Are Loved” – Josh Groban

Then of course, there’s Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up”.

Paul

I play bluegrass gospel music, and have been with the same group for 13 years, we play all over at local churches. We’ve played for most of the denominations except for catholic, not because we wouldn’t, but because we haven’t been invited.

Love SG, some CCM, one of my favorite CCM groups is Casting Crowns, and I particularly love the Crabb Family, though they have been broken up for awhile, Jason Crabb is an incredible talent! My son, who is in college, plays hard-rock christian, and I gotta tell ya, I don’t like it. His group “In Search of Reason” have been blessed to play Creationfest the last two years.

Ral, I’m with Jamey, post here whenever you like, enjoy hearing from you!

I like to listen to Southern Gospel as well. When I sing in church, it is usually a Southern Gospel song. I don’t think I’m that great of a singer. I only do it because I love to do it!!!