Just like our Nigerian pastors, Nigerian gospel songs cannot
lead you to Christ. You can hate me all you want for saying this. After all,
the early Christians were hated by the world for speaking the truth. Jesus
himself warned us of this in John 15:19, “If ye were of the world, the world
would love his own, but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you
out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
The truth is that Nigerian gospel songs are not spiritually
uplifting. They are mostly about the things of the flesh’ about riches and
fame. The simple use of religious terms and phrases here and there is not
enough to lead anyone to Christ. I dare you to go to any Nigerian gospel
musician’s website and see if you will find a simple plan of salvation. You
won’t.
Most of the songs being sold to the public as “Christian songs” are
religious rubbish. You must have heard some gospel artistes claiming that
people are coming to God through their music, but are they coming to Christ to
be born again? There is a huge difference in singing in the name of God and
singing for people to be born again in the incorruptible word of God. The Bible
said in 1 Peter 1:23 that, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of
incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”
Satan loves all the religious songs that don’t mention the
truth of God’s word. So, beware brethren, all this wishy-washy, ear-tickling
and worldly gospel songs won’t take you anywhere near Christ.
Most of them are songs without the truth, Churchianity and
not Christianity. Because most of the Nigerian gospel musicians are themselves
not Christ-like. They carry as many babes as the worldly hip hop stars.
Fornicate on Saturday night and minister to you in church on Sunday morning,
tasking you to wave your handkerchief in the name of the lord. Do not be
deceived my brothers and sisters, God is no author of confusion.
Most of the
people who sing and produce these gospel songs are not living in Christ. In
Ephesians 5:11, God commands us to expose the works of darkness, not repackage
them to make lots of money. Today in Nigeria, we hear of pastors and gospel
artistes involved in sex scandals and visiting native doctors. While in
America, some gospel artistes have been rumoured to be members of known
fraternities; selling their souls to the devil at the church of satan.
You may
argue that we should focus on the music and not the singer, forgetting that
music generally is a very powerful force that has a way of breaking down
barriers. And the same powerful force can be tainted with negative lyrics and ungodly
lifestyle that can pierce through the hearts of the listeners and reshape their
values.
As a gospel musician, it is very important to bear in mind the fact
that God’s word is the sole criterion for evaluating your music. It is very
wrong to assume that the musical instrumentation itself apart from the lyrics
is morally neutral. Tunes and melodies communicate messages regardless of
lyrics. There is always a message implicit in the music itself. Bad music that
contains “good” lyrics still conveys a bad message. Matthew 9:16 says, “Neither
do men put new wine into old bottles, else the bottles break, and the wine
runneth out and the bottles perish.” Let me clarify something. I am not saying
that most gospel artistes are not of good intentions. Some even sincerely think
that what they are doing is right. But let us also note that good intentions
and sincerity do not translate to being right.
So it would be a very foolish thing indeed if we blindly
assume that gospel artistes are mature spiritually or that gospel music can
lead us to Christ. The Bible says in Philippians 4:8, “Finally brethren,
whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just,
whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of
good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy,
meditate or think on them.
This verse also applies to music because music is something
that we meditate on and allow our minds to dwell upon. This means that a gospel
song must be true, honest, morally excellent and worthy of praise if it is to
be acceptable to God. It also means that the music must be of good report. In
other words, the music and the singer must be of good reputation and be wholly
dissociated with things that are wrong and contrary to God’s word. If a good
thing is connected to a bad thing, then the good thing becomes contaminated.
The book Mathew 9:16 says, “No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old
garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and
the rent is made worse.” Most of these gospel songs are written in a fashion
that is strange to the principles of Christianity. Gospel singers and pastors
are now covering themselves in glory. Dining with politicians who evidently
display everything the Bible condemns.
The Bible says in James 1:27 or 2 Peter
2:20, that the world taints and makes impure. So as a gospel artiste, God
commands that you cannot live in sin like men of the world. You cannot live
like the worldly musicians. If your music sounds worldly, seems worldly, and
promoted like a worldly music, then it is not gospel. When you glorify anything
other than God in your music, it is called idolatry. And you are giving satan a
great satisfaction. The message is the most integral part of the gospel. The
gospel is good news, but it can also be bad news to sinners.
All sinners will
go to hell. That is part of the gospel too, and if that is taken out, then it
ceases to be gospel. God wants us to be speakers of the truth at all cost. And
a gospel artiste who does not sing or speak of it shows that he or she does not
believe it. Now the industry is celebrity driven. The focus is now on man and
not God. Have we forgotten that, ‘that which is highly esteemed among men is
abomination in the sight of God? Luke 16:15 says – “And he said unto them, Ye
are they which justify yourselves before men, but knoweth your hearts, for that
which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.” At this
juncture, my brothers and sisters in the lord, I rest my case. Just like
Apostle Paul says in Galatians 4:16: “I am therefore become your enemy, because
I tell you the truth. So before you condemn me with you comments, remember the
Bible says in 1st Chronicles 16:22, “Touch not my anointed, and do my prophets
no harm.” Amen
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