How to Kill & Be Killed 101: Systematic Boldness - The Gospel v. The World

Romans 1:1-6 - The Gospel Defined.

Up and against much of the spurious and aberrant teaching of his day, Paul makes a clear distinction from the outset of what the "Gospel of God" truly is...

Romans 1:14 - The Intended Audience.

Paul is making it clear, (as he states in Rom. 1:8) that the Gospel is UNIVERSAL. It is meant to be proclaimed and heard among everyone, everywhere. Complete and total "everyday apocalypse" -- regardless of status, education, race, finances, etc.

Romans 1:16, 17 - A Declaration of Boldness.

Paul's affirmation and unwavering confidence in the Gospel is the hinge point of this chapter. Everyone is familiar with what the message entails. And in such a culture as Rome, it would most likely be deemed as foolish by the majority. This could be his way of encouraging others to follow his example of bold proclamation even under the threat of ridicule or even death. Also to be noted is that he lets the reader and listeners know that this gospel is only wrought by faith and faith alone from beginning to end -- from dust to glory.

Romans 1:18-32 - The Current State of Affairs (or Why It's Necessary)

Paul's weightiness of his unashamed proclamation (Rom. 1:16) is emphasized here by an awareness of the wrath of God that looms over the creation due to man's hardened and ungrateful heart, and willingness to believe lies instead of the truth. The long list of sinful behaviors starts off with sexual sin (including homosexuality), but he is not trying to put emphasis on this as more of a sin than others. What Paul is trying to show here could be seen as a two-fold consequence:

1. As a result of man not acknowledging God, he now acts like the things he worships -- an unreasoning beast, driven by base and lustful desires.

and,

2. Being driven by said desires, he often engages in acts (both sexual and non-sexual) that have natural consequences that lead to ultimate demise (inability to reproduce or replicate themselves, and/or leading into war, murder, strife, etc.). Therefore, not only unable to have communion with the Creator, but with each other as well; this will sever any chance of truly being fruitful and multiplying. Sin causes the image of man to be seriously broken on all levels; thus the need for a bold, unashamed proclamation of the Gospel in the person and work of Jesus Christ.


Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

Truth In a Million Pieces

"The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him." - John 1:9-11

We take the truth
And break it up
Into a million little pieces
That way, it's easier
To sweep it under the rug
And come up with a different thesis...

But particles always linger
So as soon as we lift a finger
To point in the other direction
The light brings it back to our rememberance

All around the atmosphere
It becomes a nuisance and a problem
Because it settles into everything
Giving a reason to the logic

Harboring the Harbinger
That's come down through the ages
That we misappropriate to the aliens
Or the wisdom of the sages

Dangerous mental assertions
As the blind lead the blind
Into miscalculated divination
(Maybe it's just a sign of the the times)

Or maybe a deeper symptom
When the hearts of men wax cold
And an old lie becomes new truth
Wherever an alternative reality is sold

It's a bold statement - I know
But somebody had to say it
Because we're playing roulette
With a loaded .45
And with no one else to play with

Every shot hits the mark
Even though we're aiming in the dark
Because the world and everything in it
Is just a firing range
When it ain't seen as a work of art


"And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed." - John 3:19, 20


(cf. Isaiah 8:14; Matthew 21:44; Romans 9:32; 2 Corinthians 10:4; 1 Peter 2:8)

Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

Firebrand

"Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction." - Isaiah

48:10

I was a hard-wired screw up
Given righteousness in lieu of
The punishment that was due
I got a one way ticket to true love

Redeemed and blood-bought
From the stain of my offenses
Imputed with Christ’s perfection -
Propitiation for the defenseless

I was shown relentless grace
In the pursuit of my own glory
Went from being a vessel of wrath
To an instrument of his mercy

Trying to live out my dash
Was only coming up ashes
I was a masterpiece in the making
The magnum opus of a disaster

By the design of the Refiner
That was the day the fire started
Ignited in my bones
‘Til all impurity has departed

Old ways aborted
And old habits tend to die hard
But what’s left amidst the flame
Will be incorruptible and unharmed


"...so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." - 1 Peter 1:7


Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

Enemy of The State

I'm an enemy of the state of mind

That tells me that ignorance is bliss...
Homey, that's a hiss
A lick to tickle the ears
Something to soothe our deepest, subconscious fear
That is searing our collective conscience like a hot iron
And firing across the great divide
Between reason and cosmic treason
Because we deem it a way better option
To credit creativity to the creation
And fashion ourselves in the way of logic
Instead of "Our Father in heaven..."
We're always willing to go one god further

Make 'em up as we go along
And then turn around and say that
Religion is a pestilence
(Pay no attention to the evidence)
Yeah, this is what's wrong with society
Still praying every night that someone would come along
And worship me
Or at the very least, let me do as I please
But we wouldn't call that sovereignty
We call it "freewill" -
"Doin' whatever suits me
And I don't even gotta take a pill"

Homey, wake up!
You are still in the Matrix
The Oracle was always wrong
And Morpheus is a sadist
This is real life
Where the strife comes by the boatloads
And we've still got starving children in Africa
And dudes smokin' each other in the 'Hood
Over shoes and clothes

I'm at odds with the atheistic narrative
So I'm labeled narrow-minded
I refuse to be blinded by the Zeitgeist
'Cause it ain't nothin but a bank heist
You jack the riches of another worldview
And then apply it to your own life...
(Minus the sacrifice, of course)

Homey, that's a myth
Wishful thinking being fleshed out in a valley of dry bones -
I stand opposed to giving up everything I have
To try to hang on to all the things
That I will never own
You see, it's not foolish for a man
To stand against the odds
The portrait of a proper fool
Is a man that says there is no God
It's a fallacy and a fraud
Because deep down we know better
You stand in the rain with no umbrella
And honestly believe
That you won't get any wetter
Only to raise a fist
Because if God truly exists
He should've granted you sunny weather

My dude, you're a debtor
And that storm is a privilege
Because it falls on the just and the unjust
But you see it as a menace
Homey, you don't run this
Everything you've got has been a given
And if the Lord sees fit to take it away
He could snatch it from you in an instant
Health, wealth, and prosperity...
All are handed out on the basis of Charity

But you don't get it, see
That grace don't come cheap
Because we get what we don't rightfully deserve
And that seems to only feed the beast
So we feast on each other
And anything else we can get our hands on
What we don't got is exactly what we want
And everyone else always has a greener lawn

Same song, different day
But I'm strummin' it the other way
Backmasking the track on helter skelter
So you can hear
That the price has already been paid...

Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

The Banner

"Here come those backpacking, fanatical, card-carrying radicals
 Down-for-the-cause acolytes who never take a sabbatical..."

 Everyday's a Sabbath Day
 Battling for a better way
 Ready to lay it down
 On any opposition that comes our way

 So much to say
 About Yahweh and His Redeemer
 And Spirit He uses to save men
 Even though we're the chiefest of sinners
 Winners over death
 Through the conquering Christ, we're champions
 Never clamoring for the limelight
 'Cause he furnished us with a lampstand

So in our darkest hours
When the enemy seeks to devour
Any and everything all around us
We stay connected to the power
Alpha and Omega -
The power source for the ages
For tearing down any strongholds
And empty wisdom of sages

I'm a phrase turner, burning
From a Life-altering encounter
On a collision course with the World
Living to uplift the Messiah

We never tire; Engaging the culture
Dying daily to ourselves
Waging war on giants and vultures
As we're murdering our flesh
Covered in blood, armed to the teeth
With swift feet and a sharp Sword
Raising our Banner over everything
'Cause in the beginning was the Word...


(cf. Exodus 17:15; Psalm 20:5; Song 2:4; John 1:1-5; 2 Cor. 10:4; Hebrews 4:12)

Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

Zeros & Ones: Who Is Jesus?

We explore the glorious truth of our faith through the Gospel of Mark. We discover who Jesus REALLY is through the eyewitness accounts of his miracles and what the implications are for us and our belief in Him as the Christ (God's Holy Anointed King)...not just a good moral teacher or merely a prophet.

 

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Jester

Bring in the clown

Beat him down

It's time to court-martial the jester

Let's heckle the herald

Wear him down 'til he recants his confession

Teach him a lesson 

We'll show him

Who’s really playing the fool

And if he won't listen to reason

Then we'll tighten the screws and ridicule

For his ridiculous rants and rhetoric

Label him as a terrorist

Tolerate him as entertainment

And tell 'em his message

Makes him a pessimist

Limit his access to the residents

And his words become irrelevant

We can target him as a heretic

Making a mockery of his benevolence

Never address him as a martyr

Denounce the prominence of his Father

If he's a bastard with no inheritance

Then the people won't even bother

Color him reckless and a derelict 

Unfit to be a prophet

But know that if he's truly a man of God

We'll never be able to stop him...

(Matthew 5:11; John15:20; Acts 5:35-41; 1 Corinthians 1:18, 25; Ephesians 6:12; 1 Peter 4:14; Hebrews 11:26)

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Heaven Underground

"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water." - 1 Peter 3:18-20 ESV

"For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does." - 1 Peter 4:6 ESV

 

Heaven didn’t just come down… 

It went underground 

We couldn’t go and get it 

It had to come and get us 

Because we were held hostage 

In the darkness…slaves to the dust 

A bunch of guilty as charged 

Criminals at large 

Conspiring since the beginning 

To assassinate God 

And if you find that statement offensive 

It’s understandable 

But you still have no defense against it  

And you know it –  

Your fingerprints are showin’ 

And herein lies the biggest problem 

Because even if you’re Robin Hood
You’re still a thief –
Because you’re robbin’
No sob story is good enough
To regain that trust
Our red-handed antics
Have left us stone cold busted

And in case you couldn’t tell
We’re disgusted with the outcome
But too prideful and bitter to ask for help
So we put our roots down firm
And build ziggurats wherever we dwell

But how we gonna reach the Kingdom
When we don’t even speak the same language amongst ourselves?
And when our stairway to Heaven was vanquished
It all came crashing down in an epic fail…

The most frightening attribute of God’s character
Is that He is good and a Just Judge
So He will always rule in favor of righteousness
Not based on what I think I am
Or who I thought I was

Truth is…
I’m a lying, cheating
Backsliding heathen
Full of murderous intent
And I’m stealing by just breathing
With no plan to give up the lifestyle
Anytime soon
So the mercy of the Court
Will have to be way more than prevenient
Because I’m already doomed…

Therefore grace has to intrude
As the Kingdom manifests the expanse
Of its territorial boundary
To dig us up out of our whitewashed tombs
And shut down all of the foundries
‘Cause the Devil’s melting down the metal
Turning plows and pruning hooks into swords

But the Kingdom of Heaven came among us
To suffer the violence
So Death can never have the Final Word


"From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force."  - Matthew 11:12 ESV

Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Last Shot

If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.
- Jeremiah 20:9 ESV

2012 is the year of the Dragon

So it’s like fire in my bones

And I’m about to let it go

Truth so hot

That it’s got your boy spittin’ flames

And let the Word of God

Get “@you” like a Twitter name

I wasn’t tailored to snatch the mic

Swiftly like ‘Ye did

I’m bangin’ out life sentences

Like a Rikers bid

So follow me to be freed

From your life of crime

Catch it if you can

Before you’re out of time

 

He took me from sin-sick

And made me even ill-er

Went from a stone cold murderer

To a natural born killer

Gave me a clean heart

With a dangerous mind

And a Canon full of bullets

To put in every line

Pumpin’ hot 16’s into my voice stream

Hit everything within earshot – never missin’

Take your crooked lines, pull the trigger

Time to lay ‘em straight

Just like your heartbeat…

‘Cause it's death today

 

Taking aim on dead men

Like it’s the Walking Dead

But they need shots to the heart

Not holes in the head

Minds darkened;

Kick-started from the brain stem

Couldn’t find their way out with a flashlight

(Or even two of ‘em)

So I light 'em up in the chest

‘Cause their vests are defective

Self-righteous pride can’t save you

From the heat that I’m packin’

And if you pull your piece

Then peace be still and just let it happen

I’ll be at peace with my Maker

When that choppers’s clappin’

 

So let me clear my throat

And speak a little louder

‘Cause I don’t think you can hear me

Over all of that firepower

Lord, make my narrow straight

And may my shots stay true

He’s got you in the Cross…

And God is still good

For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
- 1 Corinthians 9:16 ESV

Soli Deo Gloria,
Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Kill Him or Crown Him

“Jesus, who unties such apparent extremes of character into such an integrated and balanced whole, demands an extreme response from every one of us. He forces our hand at every turn in the story. This man who throws open the gates of his kingdom to everyone, then warns the most devout insiders that their standing in the kingdom is in jeopardy without fruitfulness, is forever closing down our options. This man who can be weakened by a touch in a crowd on his way to bring a little girl back from the dead is a man you dare not tear your eyes from. (And we haven’t even yet witnessed the true depths of his restraint or the heights of his power.)

He is both the rest and the storm, both the victim and the wielder of the flaming sword, and you must accept him or reject him on the basis of both. Either you’ll have to kill him, or you’ll have to crown him. The one thing you can’t do is just say, ‘What an interesting guy.’ Those teachers of the law who began plotting to kill Jesus at the end of this episode in the temple – they may have been dead wrong about him, but their reaction makes perfect sense.

Please don’t try to keep Jesus on the periphery of your life. He cannot remain there. Give yourself to him –center your entire life on him – and let his power reproduce his character in you.”

- Tim Keller

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Behold the Man

So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Behold the man!”  - (John 19:5 ESV)

Animosity builds to an atrocity

That leads to amnesty for bandits

While exposing religious hypocrisy

A philosophy of demons

Justifying the reason

To ridicule the Creator

And falsely accuse him of treason

 

Covered in humility

Stripped now of his dignity

Unbeknownst to the world

That within him is all divinity

Public enemy No. 1

Blasphemy to blasphemers

Because he came to seek and save the lost

Not self-righteous deceivers

 

Behold the man…

 

Paraded around as a delusional fool

The very King of the world

Used as a political tool

Justifying the guilty

Through an unrighteous execution

So that the accusations of Satan

Would never bring them to ruin

 

The Lamb of God

Who though he was slain

Would resurrect the temple in three days

So it would forever remain

All those he claims

Are now without blemish or stain

So even when brought low

They too shall rise again

 

Numbered with the transgressors

So that we become confessors –

Witnesses to his craft

Escaping the cup of wrath

That he drank on our behalf

 

Behold the feet

Behold the hands

Behold the man

Who gives pardon to the damned

 

Amen.

 

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!  - (John 1:29 ESV)

 

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Still

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!

- (Psalm 37:7 ESV)

And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

- (Mark 4:39 ESV)

Still…

As the words pour from His mouth

Bring eternal life to the dead

And surety of death to the lifeless

Still…

Seated on His throne from on high

Righteous in judgment;

“King of Kings and Lord of Lords” on His thigh

Still…

Let the killers kill

Let the dealers deal

If you’re filthy, stay filthy

And if you’re righteous, be certain

Still…

Let the world be shocked and stunned

When the Kingdom comes

Put an end to sin and death

By the power of His tongue

Every knee bow at the return of the Son

The Righteousness of God –

The Holy risen One!

From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

- (Revelation 19:15-16 ESV)

And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”

“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

 - (Revelation 22:10-13 ESV)

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)

Not the Gospel

 "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."  - Romans 10:14-17 ESV

What I’m about to say may make you hostile

We may even part ways on bad terms after, but here goes…

YOU ARE NOT THE GOSPEL.

There. I said it.

And even if you get mad, I still don’t regret it.

You know why? Because…

YOU ARE NOT THE GOSPEL.

In no way, shape, form, or fashion –

Your testimony may be impressive, homie

But it doesn’t mean much when we don’t come from the same background

Because…

YOU ARE NOT THE GOSPEL.

It’s not the songs you sing or how many you can bring to church

Or even the logos on your t-shirts

And I know by now you wanna hurt me, but it’s true…

YOU ARE NOT THE GOSPEL.

I don’t know how else to say it.

Sure, you love Jesus and you’re unashamed to say so

Well if that’s the case, then you need to stop hidin’ behind YOU and let it go

Because…

YOU ARE NOT THE GOSPEL.

And while we’re on the subject, neither are your political views

It doesn’t matter that you vote “conservative” in every election

Or how you interpret the evening news

My dude...

YOU ARE NOT THE GOSPEL

So let’s review…

Not me, not you, not Sproul, Piper, Calvin, Wesley, Arminius

Or, dare I say, Luther

And just in case you’re wondering, I’m pretty sure they’d all agree with me too…

YOU ARE NOT THE GOSPEL.

Or at this point, maybe I should say “we”

Because none of us had anything to do with hangin’ from a tree

Except for the fact that we are the cause of it

It’s not what we’re about

But what we should proclaim with our mouths

With no fear…Let ‘em hear it

Good news. THE GOSPEL IS…

GOD

Seeing mankind in his fallen state

And saving him from the punishment due

By sending His own son to take their place

GOD

While we were still at odds (enemies, to be exact)

Doing the best thing that could’ve ever happened

To save us from something worse than we could ever imagine

GOD

Father, Son and Spirit in eternity past

Making within Himself a covenant

To ensure that it would come to past

GOD

Knowing that the Devil wanted us dead

He sent the Son of Man to put a boot to his head

And crush him

GOD

Allowing the Son to be bruised

So that He could raise him three days later

Now those who believe are safe in Him, never refused

You see, there’s no need for any extra

It doesn’t need anything added to it

And doesn’t need your life to make up the Et cetera, Et cetera

We are nothing more than beggars, messengers and recipients

So the only thing left for us to do is to just believe and repent.

“For while we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.”

Does this have anything to do with what you’ve done? Hardly.

Because…

 YOU ARE NOT THE GOSPEL

"The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead."  - Acts 17:22-34 ESV

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shon

Posted via email from THE CENTER (ROOM 116)