September 2011 Update: The Social Injustice of Troy Davis
What occurred in Butts County, GA on September 21, 2011 at 11:08PM was more than a criminal execution; it was a wake up call. Unfortunately, I am guilty of being a bandwagon supporter of Mr. Davis because I was not an avid or engaged follower throughout the entire duration of his case. But Troy Davis taught me something, especially as a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Not merely was this an incident to mirror Christ Himself with an innocent man being put to death, which could be how most believers are viewing this situation, and rightly so, but Troy Davis is an example of how our redemption should bring about the contesting of social injustice. Social action is NOT the Gospel but it should be a work that springs forth from it (Heb. 13:21). Sadly, Christians are more Darwinian in their thinking than they are aware. Darwin believed and taught a theory of functionalism that said mental states such as beliefs, desires, pain, etc. are established solely by their functional role. This is why a sacred and secular divide still exists, why we mistakenly view the vocation of pastor more highly than the vocation of janitor, and why evangelism is often idolized but the visiting of orphans and widows are tossed to the wayside. Has our doctrine of the sovereignty of God minimized the value and “functional role” of social action? If we view the unfortunate and historic event that occured last night as a mere picture of the Gospel but fail to see the implications of it as a call to action in our own lives, then we have missed the point.
Dr. Scott Rae, Professor of Biblical Studies-Christian Ethics at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University in La Mirada, CA said two great things in his book Moral Choices: An Introduction To Ethics. First he said “Just because the New Testament church did not focus on institutional social change does not imply that it is an inappropriate action for the church today.” And lastly, he stated “For the church’s focus on social change, just because society may be moving in the morally wrong direction has little to do with whether there is a mandate for social change. In addition, the Bible calls God’s people to be faithful to its mandates and leave the impact up to the work of God in the world.”
If the rapid moral decline of our culture hinders our fulfillment of the Great Commission or makes us seclude ourselves from the world or if a devastating natural disaster causes us to only utter the true but cliché statement “Well, God is sovereign,” you might have to refine your comprehension of the Gospel. The Gospel not only gives life to spiritually dead individuals, but also provides a new heart to understand God’s justice, the only infallible justice system that ever has or ever will exist. What a perfect opportunity to not only be a voice for the millions of Troy Davis’ worldwide, but to also contend social injustice with the heart and knowledge of the justice of Christ.
A renowned and highly regarded pastor once said “I stand with Christ. I can’t get caught up in political issues, military issues, and social issues. I agree that there is unrighteousness that prevails in institutions in the world, but in the end, my concern is the purification of the church.” What a deplorable statement to make. If we really stand with Christ, we will be his Body and meet social needs. It’s obvious that the justice system is broken beyond resolve and that it won’t be made right until the consummation of the Kingdom, but until then, let’s be on our Matthew 5:16 and let our lights shine before men so that they may see our good works and give glory to our Father in Heaven.
May 2011 Update
I know….I know….I’ve been slipping on the newsletters and I apologize (The last one came out in February). I guess being busy with work, school, and ministry got the best of me and the newsletters kind of fell to the back burner. But lo and behold it’s here by the grace of God. I’ll keep this short for the sake of not wanting to bombard you with just random information and for the sake of your attention spans as well lol.
By God’s grace, the ministry events have picked up over the past few months and opportunities to proclaim the Gospel through the medium that He has given me have been coming at a constant rate. This excites me and frightens me at the same time. Sort of like a good horror movie….wait, can good and horror even be used in the same sentence? lol. I’m definitely a lot more cautious about what movies I see but back in the day (I sound old right?), I would anticipate watching a horror movie but not anticipate being scared during the actual movie or even being scared to go to sleep that same night. The torture we put ourselves through sometimes right? Well with the proclamation of the Gospel, I’m excited that the Lord has chosen a sinner like myself to speak on His behalf. But I am also frightened in the sense of the weightiness of it all.
1 Thessalonians 2:12 encourages believers to walk in a manner worthy of God. Though this passage was in the context of living right according to the second coming of Christ, I still feel that this verse could be applied to us in the present day. We don’t know exactly when Jesus will return to this earth but whenever He does, have we lived our lives in a worthy manner? And I’m not speaking about behavior modification or managing certain sins in your life. I’m talking about walking in a manner that can only come by and through the power of the Holy Spirit.
If I have said it once, I definitely don’t mind saying it again. Being in ministry, making music, or doing things for the sake of doing them because that’s what Christians are supposed to do is not and has never been a means to an end. Knowing God and glorifying Him is the chief end of man, so everything else pales in comparison. I enjoy hearing stories about how certain songs I have made has challenged and encouraged people. I enjoy road trips to desolate places I have never even heard of, getting lost, and putting tons of miles on little Toyota in the process. I enjoy post event fellowship sessions at the local Denny’s, IHOP, or mom and pop diners. But if that is where I found my joy and not in truly developing a deeper and more intimate relationship with God, then He can have it all because I don’t need this. I need Him and Him alone! Have a good week and God bless you….
February 2011 Update
Good morning everybody and happy Friday! It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for haven’t we? Not necessarily for this newsletter, but for the weekend. I don’t blame you either because I’ve been waiting for it as well lol. But on the real, God has definitely been gracious to me this past week and every other week that I get to enjoy and experience. Each moment in my life that passes, I truly realize how undeserving I am of it all.
To be in the loop about what events I have going on, you can log onto www.commissarymusic.com/events. I have recently updated that particular page with a very helpful app called Gig Finder so the process of adding shows has become a lot easier than before. Tonight a good friend of mine, Watchman (www.watchmanhiphop.com), who was just honored and selected as Rapzilla’s 2010 new artist of the year, and I have an event at Liberty Christian Center. The show begins at 7:30PM and the admission is free. The address of the church is 2990 Red Bug Lake Road Casselberry, FL 32707. Come out if you didn’t have any prior plans and glorify the Lord with us. I hope to see some of you out there. And before I forget, Watchman along with a few other artists will be opening for former Cross Movement Records recording artist Flame on February 26th at 7:00PM at the H2O Church in downtown Orlando. Tickets are $10.00 at the door. For more info about that, please visit www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=140038382723891.
If you are an avid fan of Christian Hip Hop, Christian Rap, Gospel Rap, whatever you’d like to call it or even if you aren’t necessarily a diehard fan but you follow the genre, 2009 was a very hard year for the genre as a whole. Arguably, two of the most prominent artists/ministers this genre has ever seen fell into sin which left a lot of people hurt, confused, and bitter. Well recently, not even a month ago, another minister indirectly involved with the genre fell into a similar sin. It’s not really important who it is but what is important is the point that I am trying to make. Guys like myself or Watchman or Flame or any other minister of the Gospel that you admire or support have not yet arrived to a perfect standard of living. People might perceive us to be a certain way, which in a sense is correct because if you are called to the ministry, there are some qualifications you must meet, but at the end of the day, we all have to remember that Jesus Christ, our sinless Lord and Savior, is the standard and not us. I am called to walk upright and to put to death the deeds of the body, but while doing that, which is only possible by the Holy Spirit, I must point you to Christ and not myself. Paul urged the church at Corinth to imitate him because he viewed them as his spiritual children and I would like to communicate a similar message to all of my friends and supporters of my ministry, but as you imitate me, please realize that I am not sinless and that I am prone to fall as well.
In no way am I excusing the sin of my fellow brothers, but like every other genuine child of God, we’re being sanctified or made holy to look like Jesus Christ each and every day. Each day we must take up our cross and each day we must deny ourselves because you and myself are capable of the same sin. This has been impressed on my heart and I just wanted to share it with all of you. Let’s pray for one another as we continue to strive to be Christlike and as we relentlessly pursue the expanse of the Kingdom. I hope everyone has a great weekend. Be safe and God bless!
January 2011 Update (Happy New Year)!
Good morning everybody, how have all of you been? I know I’m four days late, but Happy New Year! Better late than never right? God has definitely graced and sustained me through another year and has made me to look more like His Son, Jesus Christ. I’m excited to see what the Lord has in store for 2011. I know that everything that I experience may not be “good” in terms of my own fallen standard or view of that word, but Romans 8:28 promises that I’ll be okay in the long run.
I’m most certainly excited about the possibilities with the music as well. Last spring I told myself that around the beginning of 2011, I would be dropping the mic to see what else the Lord had in store for me. And this wouldn’t have been me dropping the mic for good, but to lay aside the traveling, recording, and some of the other at times exhaustive things that come along with running a ministry. I would’ve still utilized the gift at my local church of course, but in my mind I was “done.” I wasn’t stuck on the opportunities that I’d be missing out on or the what ifs, I just really wanted to be obedient to the Lord and if He had wanted me to serve the Body and unbelievers in another capacity, I was willing. But shortly after I had concluded this, last summer I got inspiration for “Everyday Emancipation” and at this present moment, I’m feeling more inspired than ever. This had nothing to do with me so all glory goes to God. Keep me in your prayers as the Lord continues to do His thing with me this new year and for however long He chooses.
In less than two weeks, I’ll be a quarter of a century old. Yes, for those who didn’t know, my birthday is January 17th. I normally don’t make a big deal about this but for some reason they decided to close the banks and make it some sort of holiday or something like that lol! Wow, I’m buggin’. But seriously, I can’t believe that I’ll be twenty-five. I don’t consider myself a wise man, but I have witnessed a lot. I have witnessed the first black President, September 11th, the War on Terrorism, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Y2K scare, the decline of the colossal music industry as we know it and the rise of the digital age, etc. Seems like I’ll be the old guy on the block one day sharing these stories with young people. But all of those remarkable events pale in comparison to the Lord snatching me up and saving me. Like it or not, this quarter century of my life is going to be gone forever. I can’t get my Marty McFly on and go back in time. I’ve done a lot of foolish things and have a few regrets, but I can trust in the Lord’s continuance of allowing me to persevere.
Philippians 3:13-15 says “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.” Therefore, I don’t have to live in regret or dwell on the past. I press towards the goal and that goal is my Savior. The goal is not suppressing bad memories or even recollecting the good memories that make me feel tingly. My desire is to use each moment that I have for the sole glory of God. I might not be around for another twenty-five years, but you better believe that I’m going to go hard for the Lord in all that I do. My prayer is that you do the same. God bless.
