What an intense person Keith was. His passion for searching for the truth was intense. He kept plowing through all of the mystical, religious garbage of the world, never satisfied, always searching for the truth...until he found it in Jesus. He doesn't find Jesus in chapter four, that happens in the next chapter, but the intensity of his search has just about reached it's peak in this chapter.
Where others would settle, Keith would continue to dig. Where others would be satisfied, Keith would be uncomfortable. Where others would be complacent, Keith would be fired up. When others would look at themselves, satisfied with what they saw, Keith always wanted more.
This intensity spilled over into his life as a believer also. He had searched for so long to find the truth that he was overjoyed when he found it. His first album relfects that newfound joy....and even that in a more intense way than it is for many of us.
By the time the second album came around, he had witnessed many who claimed the name of Christ, but did not walk the way of Christ. For someone who had seached high and low, under every spiritual rock he came in contact with, this was something that was baffling to Keith. How could people treat the truth, the one who gave His life for them in such a casual, flippant way. The songs on his second album relfected his boldness in calling Christians to live like Christians.
The album was called "No Compromise"
The album was a wake up call to the church, starting with the cover and straight on thru to the lyrics. It's hard to imagine any of these songs being played on christian "feel-good" raido these days.
Here's a sample of some of the lyrics from that album:
"ASLEEP IN THE LIGHT"
"Do you see? Do you see?
All the people sinking down?
Don't you care? Don't you care?
Are you gonna let them drown?
How can you be so numb?!
Not to care if they come
You close your eyes,
and pretend the job is done
"Oh, bless me, Lord! Bless me, Lord!"
You know, it's all I ever hear!
No one aches, no one hurts,
no one even sheds one tear
But, He cries, He weeps, He bleeds,
and He cares for your needs
And you just lay back,
and keep soaking it in
Oh, can't you see such sin?!
'Cause He brings people to your door,
and you turn them away
as you smile and say:
"God bless you! Be at peace!"
And all Heaven just weep,
'cause Jesus came to your door,
you left Him out on the streets
Open up! Open up!
And give yourself away
You see the need,
you hear the cries,
so how can you delay?!
God is calling,
and you are the one
But like Jonah, you run
He told you to speak,
but you keep holding it in
Oh, can't you see such sin?!
The world is sleeping in the dark,
that the church just can't fight,
'cause it's asleep in the light!
How can you be so dead?!
When you've been so well famed
Jesus rose from the grave,
And you!
You can't even get out of bed!
Oh, Jesus rose from the dead!
Come on, get out of your bed!
How can you be so numb?!
Not to care if they come
You close your eyes,
And pretend the job is done!
You close your eyes,
and pretend the job is done!
Don't close your eyes,
don't pretend the job is done
Come away! Come away!
Come away with Me, mMy love!
Come away from this mess,
Come away with Me, My love!
Come away from this mess!
Come away with Me, My love!
Come away,
Come away with Me My love!"
"MAKE MY LIFE A PRAYER TO YOU"
"Make my life a prayer to You, I wanna do what you want me to
No empty words and no white lies, No token prayers no compromise
I wanna shine the light You gave, Thru Your Son You sent to save us
From ourselves and our despair, It comforts me to know You're really there
Chorus
Well I wann thank you know For being patient with me
Oh it's so hard to see When my eyes are on me
I guess I'll have to trust And just believe what You say
Oh you're coming again Coming to take me away
I wanna die and let You give, Your life to me so I might live
And share the hope You gave me, The love that set me free
I wanna tell the world out there, You're not some fable or fairy tale
That I've made up inside my head, You're God the Son and You've risen from the dead
Chorus
I wanna die and let You give,Your life to me so I might live
And share the hope You gave me, The love that set me free"
"MY EYES ARE DRY"
"My eyes are dry
My faith is old
My heart is hard
My prayers are cold
And I know how I ought to be
Alive to You and dead to me
But what can be done
For an old heart like mine
Soften it up
With oil and wine
The oil is You, Your Spirit of love
Please wash me anew
With the wine of Your Blood"
"TO OBEY IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE"
"To obey is better than sacrifice
I don't need your money
I want your life
And I hear you say that I'm coming back soon
But you act like I'll never return
Well you speak of grace and my love so sweet
How you thrive on milk, but reject My meat
And I can't help weeping of how it will be
If you keep on ignoring My words
Well you pray to prosper and succeed
But your flesh is something I just can't feed
To obey is better than sacrifice
I want more than Sunday and Wednesday nights
Cause if you can't come to Me every day
Then don't bother coming at all
La,la,la etc.
To obey is better than sacrifice
I want hearts of fire
Not your prayers of ice
And I'm coming quickly
To give back to you
According to what you have done
According to what you have done
According to what you have done"
Can you feel the intensity in the lyrics there?
I heard someone call Keith a "whack-job nut" because of the lyric in the song "To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice" where Keith sings (speaking for God), "Cause if you can't come to me every day, then don't bother coming at all." I realize this is a very bold statement and it makes people squirm. Would God really say something like this? I don't know, but I feel Keith was trying to make a point, just as Jesus was trying to make a point when he told us to cut off our hands or pluck our eyes out if they cause us to sin. Jesus was trying to tell us to deal with sin in a radical way in our life...not to literally maim ourselves. In the same way I feel that Keith was trying to shake us out of our complacency into a radical commitment to follow Jesus.
Let's be honest with ourselves. How many people do we come into contact with, day in and day out, who are on their way to hell, and we say NOTHING! I know I am guilty of this very thing.
How many hours do we spend watching tv, listening to the radio, reading books, blogging, etc, compared to how much time we spend with the Almighty, Jehovah, Elohim, El Shaddai, God!
I pray for the intensity that Keith had in my own walk with the Lord. I pray that I will no longer be lethargic, anemic, complacent and satisfied with where I am in my relationship with Jesus. While I know that the work of my salvation was completed on calvary, and sealed at the resurrection, I also know that work that my Savior has called me to do will not be completed until that day when He calls me home.
Let us be satisfied with our salvation, but intense in our relationship with the Lord. May we one day read about what Keith did and find it "no big deal", because it has become the norm for those who claim to follow Christ.
Ok, now I'm off to read chapter five. Tomorrow, I'll post some about the third album that Keith made.
Pastor Dave
No comments:
Post a Comment