Enrapture (song)

A thunderous sermon and exhortation has been given. The strains of Larry Norman's "I Wish We'd All Been Ready" can be heard pulsating in your ears. Hearts are racing, hairs are standing on end and goosebumps run up and down arms. And certainly The Holy Spirit is moving and drawing people to Himself.
    I fear though that someone may have a blondie moment and get caught up in rapture of emotions and have a response much like the seed that fell on rocky soil that sprang up quickly but died quickly because they didn't have a root! This song is addressing this very scenario and is intended to lightly lambaste (even though that's an oxymoron ;-)) the Southern Baptist stereotype of "Turn or Burn" style evangelism and seriously lambaste an evangelism built more on emotion and manipulation solely rather than on evoking the Scriptures and invoking the Spirit to work. (To be clear, I do believe an emotional experience can be part of the Spirit's moving but it's important to remember that God can work with or without it, as a train can run with or without a caboose. The engine of faith keeps things moving. (Thanks to Campus Crusade for Christ and Bill Bright's "The Four Spiritual Laws" for that analogy!)) As Rev. Tim Keller has said, "Truth without grace is not really truth and grace without truth is not really grace."

"Enrapture"
(Parody of "Rapture" by Blondie; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 8/11/2019)
(1 John 4 (especially verse 18), 2 Peter 1:5-11, Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, Luke 8:4-15, Romans 11:29, 1 Corinthians 1:4-9, Jude 1:24-25, Philippians 1:6, John 6:35-40)

No one knows
Advancing very close
The unbelieving-
Those folks won't (a-)go
Trumpet call
Thief comes snatch in night
And lost are left behind then
Hang heads and cry- Oh! Snap!-ture
Baptist tack
Scare 'em out of wits
Spine-tingling music
And a riled up pack
Embrace Grace
Sadly some lack roots
Pulls heartstrings, hand-wringing
Emotion manipulating- Oh, Crap!-ture
Rapture ready party- everybody's high
Forsake sinning- get saved by Christ!
Circumstance- Flash- Which's true?
Rejoice- grow fast- But got no root
In Luke 8, (it's) taught by God
Go out to the garden plot
When you get out on the farm, then you find soils "thar" (there)
And you find 4 types defined by Jesus Christ
And seeds come right down and land on the ground
On (the) path come avian seed eaters
Plants are fried by (the) sun on the rocky ground
And the shoots are dead from the seeds that fed
Among thorns- their choking stunts growers
The soil that's just right's seeds are growers
The seeds mate and grow- hundredfold
Some sixty and thirtyfold
Matthew 13- you read also 4 Mark
Then what was sown in hearts
Devil on path dines on seeds and bars what lost people need
What of faith sprang great with speed?
Come undone by persecution
Plants no root, yo...
No room to grow 'cause the plant in thorns' seduced by cars and hedonism
Yeah, all in all, only growers are on good soil
Which one is fear's altar call?
Rapture obscures
Fake from pure, true faith made sure
Retrain your brain- faith's a train
Move the feelings to end of train
Engine won't stop if that's dropped
Well, now faith in facts is running it
Enraptured by our God's beauty
He emancipates hearts from fear that starts when good theology's gone
In 4 1st. John- cast out by Love
And God won't have His call cancelled- 11 Romans states
God don't flip flop; His love won't stop
Just grab on- sure shot!
Election made sure- 2nd. Peter 1:10-
Deeds prove you're
God's now- He always keeps what He starts- just trust!

It's The End of the World As We Know It (Do You Know Christ?) (song)

We all wish for world peace and hope that we might really see the world come together, especially at times like Christmas. Then we turn on the news and that quickly dashes those hopes as we see the cruelty and wickedness of man's heart on full display. Jesus said that we would hear of wars and rumours of wars but the end is not yet. He said to not be alarmed because these things must come before the time of the end. We shouldn't lose REM sleep over it because the God who never sleeps is always watching over all of us. And no matter what happens in world events, He still holds the world in His hands and everything is still running according to His timetable alone. As Ecclesiastes 3 says, there is a time and season for everything under the sun, certainly including the return of the Son. For those of us in Christ, we look forward to that day when He will put a final end to evil and make everything sad come untrue. Until that day, we look to Him in faith and seek to fulfill the Great Commission He gave us, making the salvation from sin and Hell only available through faith in Jesus' death and Resurrection known to all who will hear. It's good to know that God is in control through it all and because of this, we can endure it all, as the book of Revelation commands us so many times. As I've said before when people ask, yes- we are in the end times. We've been in the end times since Jesus ascended to Heaven. With that in mind, we should continue to be about our Father's business and rest easy in Him no matter what happens- and then we can truthfully say, "It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine."

"It's The End of the World As We Know It (Do You Know Christ?)"
(parody of "It's The End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" by REM; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 7/18/2019)
(the book of Revelation, Romans 10:9-13, 2 Corinthians 6:2, 2 Peter 3:8-9)

Revelation starts when God dictates
Words to say to houses of faith
And Johnny dude is much afraid
"I have the keys of Hades, seven stars and lampstands"
Lord Jesus (is) on scene
"Don't desert first love, please
Fear thou not of what you'll suffer- strength!
Balaam's yeast in batter
Nicolaitians strike down- Hike!
Wire Thyatira - and present to all 7 churches
That The Saviour searches all hearts and minds- pays back deeds
Jezebel woman- sins in adultery
Whip up your few believing and repent
Team Philly- keep enduring- fast hold faith- got your crown
Lukewarm that Laodicea
Uh, oh- hot or cold- those I love them I reprove
Let Me just save yourselves- turn yourselves
Rev. verse 3:20- listen to Christ's knock please"
Johnny is enraptured there in Heaven and he writes sights
Four living creatures prostrate falling glorify all time
Him seated enthroned on high

It's written in The Word- they cry "Holy"
Ever is, was, will be- they cry "Holy"
We exist for The Lord- they cry "Holy"- all glory's Thine!

Scroll is locked- Weeping louder- No distraught- The Lion's power
Has opened seals 'cause God's Son is Worthy Lamb
Conquering white horse comes- bright red bloodletting
Black horse holding some scales and pale horse- a fourth exterminate
Five- an altar, cry of martyrs- Sixth- stuff thrown down
All tribes are sealed- 144,000 (one four four oh, oh, oh)
Crowd seen- some here from all spheres- Jesus saves! Here's seventh seal
Opens trumpets of judgments- in turn seven let fly
All these bring destruction- angel, scroll and two witnesses- a mighty sign

A dragon chases this girl's Babe to kill Him [Background vocal: Dragon wanted Christ to be gone]
The dragon's tail did hurl third of angels [Background vocal: They chose their side- demons]
There's a ten horned beast from the ocean- the antiChrist [Background vocal: Time for endurance- be bold!]
Blasphemes Christ! [Background vocal: Gives healing sign]
A dragon-tongued beast rises from earth [Background vocal: Signs done- antiChrist enthrones]
666 (six sixty six)- all the world must take his number [Background vocal: Christ's own will resist it though]
God judges sin of the world- angels tell it- with harps praise God [Background vocal: Time for seven wrath-filled bowls]

Another sign- God's wrath-filled bowls- all torrential plagues inside
Woman sits on a beast- Babylon burns- feast!
Lamb's own marriage dinner- guests are blessed- Thanks!
Riding party- Lord of Lords, King of Kings rules!
He beats beast, et. al. - Takes devil- locks him- 1000 years reign with Christ

The dragon leads the world against Jesus [BGV: Time that ancient snake was gone!]
Armageddon- the war's won by Jesus [BGV: Devil's beat- to fire he goes]
It's the end in sulfur always ongoing in lake of fire [BGV: Line Rev. 20:10 shows]
At the end of the world there is judgment
How we lived in this world is exposed there
And if anyone's name's not in Life book- (they) go to lake of fire [BGV: How'll you stand at great white throne?]
Then beginning new world and new Heaven [BGV: Time to abscond things of old]
It's the end of death, pain and all tears flowing [BGV: Christ makes all things new- Behold!]
Hell burning for the world and they chose it- they denied Christ [BGV: Time we have will soon be gone]
It's Heaven through The Lord for those who know Him [BGV: Christ be praised for all time alone!]
The Spirit and the Bride still are calling [BGV: Sins paid- have faith- Christ died and rose]
At the end of the world, Jesus is coming- please come soon, Christ! [BGV: Christ be praised for all time alone!]
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