Pastor John Hohe, who pastors a church in Ohio, is quick to point out that during Jesus Christ’s ministry on earth, he covered some uncomfortable topics in his parables. Jesus was also known to hang out with people who were considered the dregs of Israelite society. By doing so, many of them got saved and changed their wicked ways.
In keeping with that spirit, Hohe has asked a former porn actress to speak at his church in Powell, Ohio on Sunday night. Children under 12 won’t be allowed. The pastor says he is not afraid to cover tough topics like pornography because covering such topics is in line with what the gospel is all about. It gives people hope that no matter how far they are from God, there is forgiveness, mercy, grace, and love through Jesus Christ.
Crissy Moran was in the porn industry for six years, collecting a paycheck of $15,000 a month. However, all that money and the things that went with the industry did not bring her the satisfaction in life she thought it would. She gave her life to Christ and walked away from the industry in 2006 and now travels the country to share how the Lord changed her life and her way of thinking.
Given the problems churches have with large numbers of churchgoers into pornography, I think it’s great that a pastor is willing to tackle the topic with his congregation. And he’s doing it with the blessings of his wife and congregation. After all, even the apostles followed in Christ’s footsteps by reaching people involved in sins of every kind (having, of course, been forgiven of sin themselves), noting in their writings how God brought the saved out of sinful lifestyles:
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6 [emphasis mine]
I thank God for pastors & other believers like him who can discuss tough real life situations genuinely seasoned with the wisdom of God’s Holy Spirit.
For a while now, I’ve avoided listening to secular top 40, R & B, & hip hop music because of its ungodliness. It’s bad enough that there’s cursing, but I can definitely see how these people are just blatantly worshiping Satan.
This is nothing new. It really took off with the rebellion of the late 50s and 60s with Woodstock being one of Satan’s biggest accomplishments. Now decades after the whole Satanic backmasking craze started, the new generation of stars is bending the minds of the young to encourage them to serve the god of this world instead of the God of the universe. Here are some interesting lyrics I found topping the charts and what they mean.
Nicki Minaj–Starships
After the musical intro, Nicki Minaj begins her song with an opening statement, “Red One.” Who is that? The One who is always depicted in red–Satan.
(chorus) Starships were meant to fly,Hands up, and touch the sky, Let’s do this one last time,Hands up
In the secular music industry, wherever you see a reference to starships (e.g. ’80s rock group Jefferson Starship), this refers to Satan and/or his fallen angels. As John says in Revelation 12, “And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth.” Daniel 8:9-11 tells us that Satan (in a prophecy about the Antichrist) exalts himself to the host of heaven and casts those stars (angels) to the ground.
By telling us starships were meant to fly, hands up, and touch the sky, it is the desire for Satan and his fallen comrades to be exalted but also speaks of their flying capabilities.
Wiz Khalifa w/ Snoop Dogg featuring Bruno Mars–Young Wild and Free
(chorus) So what we get drunk? So what we smoke weed? We’re just having fun We don’t care who sees So what we go out? That’s how it’s supposed to be Living young and wild and free
The rest of the lyrics are explicit so I won’t put them here, but you get the picture. As I’ve said in previous posts on drugs, the abuse of alcohol and hallucinogens go hand-in-hand with witchcraft, satanism, and other pagan religions. 1 Corinthians 6 and Revelation 21 tells us drunkards and sorcerers aren’t allowed in heaven. Then there’s the fact that getting drunk and abusing drugs are harmful to one’s physical health also and they can cause a person to hurt others (e.g. if they decide to drive a vehicle).
fun. featuring Janelle Monae–We Are Young
Give me a second I, I need to get my story straight My friends are in the bathroom getting higher than the empire state…
(chorus) Tonight We are young So let’s set the world on fire We can burn brighter than the sun
In this song we see drugs mentioned again as the singer’s friends get high in the bathroom. Then there are the phrases “set the world on fire” and “we can burn brighter than the sun.” If you do a web search, you will find several satanic metal groups using “set the world on fire,” such as KISS, Megadeth, and Black Veil Brides. It refers to pagan mythology where Phoebus, the son of Helios, who is also called the “son of light” (i.e. Lucifer, the light bearer), is given permission to drive the chariot of the sun and he has the intent to use it to set the world on fire, but is struck down with lightning from Jupiter. Jesus said in Luke 10 that he saw Satan fall down like lightning from heaven. So Satan desires to set the world on fire, but has been hindered by God from complete control.
“Burn brighter than the sun” refers to Satan’s wanting to be like God in the sense of replacing him. In Acts 26:13, Paul says when he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus, Jesus shined “above the brightness of the sun.” So anyone wanting to burn brighter than the sun is saying they want to replace God and this mentality is inspired by the first person to ever want this–Satan.
Linkin Park– Burn It Down
The cycle repeated, As explosions broke in the sky, All that I needed, Was the one thing I couldn’t find, And you were there at the turn, Waiting to let me know,
(chorus) We’re building it up, To break it back down, We’re building it up, To burn it down, We can’t wait, To burn it to the ground.
The colors conflicted, As the flames climbed into the clouds. I wanted to fix this, But couldn’t stop from tearing it down.
And you were there at the turn, Caught in the burning glow. And I was there at the turn, Waiting to let you go.
(chorus)
You told me yes, You held me high, And I believed, When you told that lie.
I played soldier, You played king, Struck me down, When I kissed that ring.
You lost that right, To hold that crown, I built you up, But you let me down.
So when you fall, I’ll take my turn, And fan the flames, As your blazes burn. …
These are just a few of the lyrics. Notice how they are completely shadowy in how they can be interpreted, to cause confusion. It gives plausible deniability for the writers and singers if anyone says its satanic. The desire to burn and tear down speaks of an appetite for destruction and the Bible calls Satan the destroyer. There are some witchcraft symbols in this song and it could be taken as a member of a coven being upset with the leader of the coven. In a coven, there can be a designated “witch king” while the other regular members are called “soldiers.” The soldiers in coven rituals have to kiss the ring of their king. But however the interpretation of the song goes, it’s clearly full of anti-God wickedness.
Is it any wonder why the younger generation rebels against the truth after listening to this stuff? But in Christ we can be free from these mindbenders because Jesus said, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you,” Luke 10:19.
For more information, watch this YouTube video [warning: it contains some vulgar language]:
The TV and movie writers’ strike just started and may not drag on for long. Popular prime-time shows won’t be affected until January, but just in case it does continue until then and they start showing reruns of episodes you’ve already seen of your favorite shows, here are some ideas you can use to occupy your time instead of watching TV:
Read a book. We Americans are reading less because we have so many other things to do like watch TV. Reading helps us expand our mind as opposed to the mind-numbing garbage that takes up most of the prime time lineup. Spending time at your local library, Barnes & Noble, or Borders bookstore can open up a whole new world to you.
Take a night class or workshop. Community colleges, local associations, and other organizations may offer something of interest to you in an ongoing class or one-night workshop that can help you become more knowledgeable or skillful at something you’ve always wanted to do but have kept putting off.
Crosswords, sudoku, or other games and puzzles. Like reading, these help expand our minds and problem-solving skills.
Blog. Chances are you have something to say that others somewhere in the world with internet access need to hear.
Socialize with family and friends. When was the last time you just spent some quality time with someone you care about? If it gets to the point where nothing but reruns are on, this will be the perfect time for you to get to know someone better and actually take a genuine interest in communicating with them.
Although most of us hope the writer’s strike is short-lived, if we’re honest with ourselves we can admit that most of what they’ve been writing lately is really not all that great or fresh. If the strike lasts awhile, this is the perfect opportunity for the writers to come up with fresh ideas and us, the consumers, to reboot our minds and do something more constructive with our time instead of sitting on the couch all night.
One of my favorite singers, Donnie McClurkin, will be honored Wednesday, Sept. 26 in New York City by the Recording Academy for his positive influences that have graced the music industry. Having received a variety of awards already, including two Grammys, several Stellar Awards, two Dove Awards, and an NAACP Image Award (just to name a few), this honor will be like icing on a huge cake for McClurkin. His works include the ever-popular single “We Fall Down” which was a cross-over hit on secular R & B radio and his albums entitled “Again”, “Live from London and More”, and “Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs.”
Joining him as recipients of this honor will be Alicia Keys, the writers of “West Side Story”, and Bon Jovi. May God continue to bless the ministry of Donnie McClurkin.
This fall’s television lineup on the CW includes a new show, Reaper, that will make light of Satan and what he does. The premise of the show is that two parents in suburbia sell the soul of their son to the devil. When the devil comes calling to collect on what he is owed, he puts the young man to work rounding up evil souls that have escaped from hell, using special weapons and powers that are given to him from Satan.
And so the vast wasteland of television continues its downward spiral. From the previews I’ve seen, the concept is rather unoriginal and seems to take some of its ideas from comics such as Ghost Rider or Hellboy. It’s too bad that Hollywood continues to lack originality and it’s even worse that Satanism is made to look so inviting and hip. According to the Bible, Satan is a spiritual robber who comes to steal, kill, and destroy anything that remotely resembles God, especially humans–all of whom are created in God’s image. He is also called the father of lies, a deceiver, the one who seeks people to devour, the accuser of the brethren, and worse titles. In short, he is a spiritual being that should be avoided and not one who is to be welcomed or that we should associate with.
But you wouldn’t know that from the previews of Reaper. It does nothing but promote misconceptions about Satan, death, and hell. For instance, no one can escape from hell according to Jesus’ parable about the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). No one in hell has any supernatural powers to fight anyone who is against them either, as portrayed in the show. This show, just like so many movies and shows before it, is nothing more than a slick tool to recruit young or naive minds into the service of Satan. As the coming of Antichrist approaches, Satan is inspiring those involved in the media to lay a foundation in the minds of the people that will open them up to receive and worship him and his protegé, the Antichrist. He continues to deceive people into thinking that his works like witchcraft, ESP, psychic powers, drug and alcohol abuse, and other evils are where true power can be found. But ultimately he and his followers will find out how powerless they truly are when they have to face the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only one with all power.
