ASHAMED OF HIS NAME (A Message for Gospel Reggae Artists)
Jun. 7, 2009 - The Lord woke me up this morning with a simple phrase; "Fix your eyes on Jesus" (Hebrews 12:2). It sounds so simple, yet is so hard to follow through with on a daily basis. Let's face it--it's easy to get distracted. So often I find myself so busy in the industry that I am not making time for ministry. Or I'm too overwhelmed with the day to day of this ministry that I don't take time to be ministered to. God doesn't need me. But I need Him. We all do.
Every time that I find myself caught up in the business of running a label, band, studio, booking agency, website, etc... I have to remind myself Whom I am doing this for; Jesus--It's like a boost of adrenaline... then I feel my second wind coming on. After all, we do GOSPEL Reggae--so the Gospel MUST come first. Christ must come first (Matt 6:33). Everything else should be a distant second.
This is why I am writing you with a heavy heart today. In a previous writing I warned you about speaking too much Christianese. I told you of the dangers of losing all cultural relevance by sounding too holy. I implored you to stick to the basics and focus on one thing, "Christ and Him crucified." Some of you have already done this, but some, I fear have already taken this concept to the other extreme.
In an effort to be culturally relevant and avoid stepping on toes, some have watered down the gospel. They've set out to reach the mainstream and set their sites on secular stardom. I don't question their intentions or doubt their zeal. Nor do I deny their calling. As Christians we are called not to judge. But there is nothing wrong with being a fruit inspector.
Papa San's mission statement is "I am a fisher of men and music is my bait." I love that! Are you a fisher of men? Whenever I go surfing I see immigrant families out by the water casting their lines into the sea. They aren't doing this for sport. They're desperately trying to put food on their table each day. If they don't catch anything today, it's just just rice and beans for dinner. What about you? Have you caught anything lately? You can't go fishing without bait, and you definitely won't catch anything without a hook.
You know exactly what I am talking about. You've seen it time and time again. An artist who considers themselves "Gospel" yet rarely (if at all) mentions names like "Jesus", "Christ", or even "Lord" or "God." Instead they replace these appellations with "He," "Him" and vague pronouns like "You." If they use a Biblical name for Him at all, they usually default to "Jah". Is it really gospel if we don't clarify whom we are speaking of? If we just call Him Jah, what's the difference between ourselves and our secular counterparts?
A customer at GospelReggae.com recently posted a review of an album that is currently sold on our site. He was appalled at the "Total absence of the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." He thoroughly sifted through this album with a fine-toothed comb literally counting the times "Christ" was mentioned. This is not what I am referring to. I don't believe that we should become "Christ" counters. But we can be fruit inspectors. By the way, after listening to this same artist's album a few more times, the critic rescinded and wrote another review titled, "I Repent."
Can you do a Christian album without using names like "Christ" and "Jesus?" Absolutely. But whom is it truly pointing to? Who will receive the glory? The book of Esther is a great example of something that can be written for God without directly mentioning His name. In fact the name of God is never mentioned even once in this book, yet it sits in the center of every Bible. But should our goal be to omit God's name?
When I write a song I try and write from the heart and the Scriptures. I set out to be a conduit; to let Christ write through me. Would Christ be ashamed of His own name? I doubt it.
Nor do think that we should cram His name into every song so that we sound "Christian enough." That's contrived and artificial. Follow your heart and try and be a man/woman after God's own heart. Keep in step with His Spirit and the path you follow should lead your listeners towards a relationship with Christ.
Another thing to watch out for is writing a song with the end goal of NEVER mentioning God's name. If it happens naturally, that's fine, but to intentionally do so is a dangerous path to trod. Please avoid this at all costs. Paul said in Romans 1:16; "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes..."
As I learned years ago in drivers training, if you wanna keep a straight path down a narrow road, you must look far down the street at where you are going. Keep your eyes on the horizon.
Where are you going?
What's your end goal?
Is it to win some souls?
If so, then how's that coming along?
If this is your desire then eventually there will be some fish in your nets. What does your five-year plan look like? If record sales are at the top of your goals, you may need to check yourself and rearrange your priorities. Remember, the Gospel must be first in GOSPEL reggae.
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Luke 12:33-35
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We put the Gospel First...
Swimming in His Grace,
Mark Mohr
Christafari
President of GospelReggae.com, Lion of Zion Entertainment, GR Designs and the Positive Music Agency
