Musicians' Double Duty

Gospel Musicians have a Responsibility to demonstrate Godliness in all aspects of their lives. It is not enough to make music about God and hope that people will be touched and changed. A musician must also show the power of the message he preaches in the life he lives. Music originated in heaven. The Devil doesn’t have an original product. He just takes what God made and abuses it. Music has always been the most effective medium for communicating an idea. Even without words music is a language the speaksn  to the inmost parts of human beings. Capable of inciting any emotion within us. Music can create and sustain an idea within you.

 

Those who make music are bestowed with a powerful gift. For those who create Gospel music, the music you create is inherently good. It is a medium for “good news”, the best news in fact. The news to the world about a powerful loving God who wants to have a personal relationship with the humans He created. With the power to create a medium that carries such a message and sustain that message in people, gospel musicians are more than music makers. They are messengers. But they are also more than messengers. They are keepers of secrets: through the rhythm, the melody, and lyrics they put together are able to constantly remind the hearer of the Gospel message—God’s message.

 

It is for that reason that gospel musicians have two great responsibilities. First, they must ensure that the message they encapsulate in the songs they write, is an accurate reflection of the nature and will of the God they are proclaiming. In practical terms this means writing songs that are faithful, true and consistent to the Word of God. Many gospel songs today, when considered carefully, are not theologically sound. When measured against the truth found in the Word, they fail to measure up. Songwriters are tempted to write their own opinions and thoughts into the lyrics. This is all well and good. But our thoughts and ideas have to be in line with God’s will for people’s lives. And God’s will isn’t limited to only the few aspects of our lives. He doesn’t separate our professional lives while ignoring our private thoughts and emotions. He is a God of all and of the whole being. Our thoughts and deeds and relationships should reflect His will, which is by default the best and the greatest. Higher than ours. The Bible says for us to “lean not on our own understanding” (Pr 3:5), so when a songwriter starts with a thought, an understanding, his next step would be to revert to what Scripture and the Holy Spirit say about such a matter. And where his thought is inconsistent with the latter two, then the latter two must prevail over his understanding.

 

I have long lamented, and have publicly stated before that writers of gospel songs must write with depth and truth. We have enough songs that speak to the feet to dance and the hands to clap and the hips to sway, but we needs songs that will speak to the heart, supplying the joy, and to the mind, supplying the reason for the dancing. Songs that tell the facts. That proclaim the unchanging nature and will of God. Songs about facts that transcend our emotions and changing desires. On some days we can sing this is my desire to live for you alone, but such a declaration by us isn’t sustainable. For on most days we live for ourselves. Yet the fact that God remains that God is faithful, God is Good, Sovereign and God is everlasting. And when we proclaim the facts that remind us of that, it makes our hearts truly rejoice, and naturally invokes in us a desire to live for him alone.

 

So musicians, write with depth and truth. Don’t just give us the music and shallow babblings. Give us the Word.

 

The second responsibility of the Gospel musician, is probably tougher. It is the responsibility to live life faithful to the Christ he proclaims. It is neither satisfying to fellow Christians,  nor is it appealing to seekers, to see a Gospel musician who lives like he has not been redeemed by the Gospel. Christendom suffers enough from the duplicity of its members. Musicians who sing about holiness, about purity and the redemption found in God and His word, should at the very least live like that power has worked already in them. If that power has not yet worked in them then they should not be in the business of singing about it.

 

Personally, I find it quite disappointing when I see gospel musicians in my country lead duplicitous lives. The world most likely looks on and wonders whether the God we proclaim really has the power to change lives. Because they see an unchanged life in the musical preachers of the Word.

 

The PNG gospel music scene has had far too many disappointments. Apart from a few other groups whose members have lived consistently the Christian life, most have fallen by the wayside. Many have lost the trust of the audience that once appreciated them. And when trust is lost, hearers are lost.

 

My prayer is that as the Gospel music industry picks up in our country, we will enjoy more songs that are true to the Word of God, and we will be able to witness musicians who are faithful ambassadors of the gospel that they sing.

National Goals: National Vision, Personal Strategy. (Part 4 of the "Dreams of a Nation" series)

In this next video in my Dreams of a Nation series, I look into the National Goals and Directive Principles, and try to make a practical connection between those national goals and our personal individual lives.

After the observations on the importance of the National Goals, I look into National Goal #1: Integral Human Development.

FULL PROTECTION OF THE LAW—RIGHT OR PRIVILEGE?

"37(1) Every person has the right to the full protection of the law..." 

Section 37 of the Constitution affords "EVERY PERSON” the “FULL PROTECTION of the law". 

In the practical sense this means every little loophole in the law, no matter how insignificant, can be exhausted in order to avoid or delay an arrest, a questioning, a trial and even a conviction. Every single "i" is dotted and every "t" is crossed. Even if there are 10, 000 "i"s and 10, 000 "t"s to dot and cross. Such is the meaning of FULL PROTECTION of the law. It doesn’t promise just 99% protection, but FULL PROTECTION. 

Realistically though, Section 37 is not available to "every person" because only 1% (maybe less) of the population (i.e. only the rich and powerful) can afford expensive lawyers to identify and fight for every single loophole to be exhausted. FULL PROTECTION of the law under s. 37 is in effect not a RIGHT. It is a PRIVILEGE. It is only afforded to you IF you have the resources to access and utilise it. FULL PROTECTION of the LAW is EXPENSIVE. 

Meanwhile, the ordinary people cannot even exercise their most basic constitutional right to expression, assembly, and to dissent, and must be intimidated into submission. Because these rights are CHEAP. They don’t have the FULL PROTECTION of the LAW. They can’t afford that PRIVILEGE. And therefore must settle for what those in power choose to allow them to enjoy….the BARE MINIMUM protection. And sometimes not even. 

So even though the law also affords the right to expression, assembly and dissent, the LAW is POWERLESS as long as you are exercising those rights in direct opposition to those who can afford FULL PROTECTION. 

The PRIVILEGE of FULL PROTECTION is being used by the authorities to stifle the exercise of the cheaper freedoms. Because that’s the way the world operates. 

Contrary to popular belief, RIGHTS are subservient to PRIVILEGES. 

Such is the nature of the law. It is only as powerful as the Authority allows it to be.  

So YES. Consider it more than cliché. There ARE in fact, TWO sets of Laws in a Country. The Law that Affords FULL PROTECTION to those who can afford it. And then there’s the law for everyone else. 

You can only exercise cheap rights at the mercy of those who can afford the expensive rights. 

GDW

No Use bashing Christians over Corruption in PNG

It's coming up again. People bashing Christians for promoting reforms in Parliament and bringing an old bible into the country, and yet here we are facing these current events. 

Get one thing straight: Those events (Parliament reforms and the receipt of the bible) did nothing to change the presence or absence of God in the country, nor the measure of His mercy and grace on PNG. Besides, any proclamation of faith about coming change did not have specific details and timelines. 

Of course current events are disheartening. But that doesn't mean God is not working. Do you know His mind and the way He works?  What makes you so sure that He is absent or uninterested or powerless...just because things seem out of our human control? 

Would you rather corruption not be exposed? And if it was did you think it would go down without a fight? Did you think darkness doesn't look for the slightest opportunity to return to where light has come? Did you think evil schemers would stop scheming, and desperately try to cover their tracks once justice came knocking on their door? Did you expect change to be immediate? If so you have more faith than the faithful! 

Christ Himself brought salvation through the harshest of ways. And His mockers did exactly what you're doing. "He saved others, why can't he save himself?" They said. "If He's so powerful why can't he take himself off the cross!". They mocked because they didn't know what how salvation was supposed to come. What it was supposed to look like. 

Change isn't always packaged the way you'd like it to be. God doesn't always give you what you want, and wrap it in the wrapping you'd like. But he usually gives us what we need at the time we need it the most. Maybe we need a good fight? To test our resolve for change. 

Can't we pursue justice and change in different ways? The Intercessors can pray. The Anjos can march. The Namorongs can write. The Juffas can speak in the House. The Waides can report. And good cops can do their best to deliver justice. 

The side of justice is not served by mocking the efforts of others on the same side. In fact, the mocking only serves corruption and injustice. 

What nation has undergone great change without great pains? PNG is no exception. 

The Faithful believe that God is working. They're praying and hoping. They've seen Him working before so they know He can work again. It's their way of fighting. You may not believe in that higher power they call on. But you need them on your side. Even if you think what they're doing is pointless. I can assure you that they will not return the discourtesy of mocking  your efforts as vain. So afford them the courtesy of allowing them to pray and to advocate for reforms that are aimed at bringing good, not harm, to our nation. 

The enemy is corruption. 

Stay focused. Fight as One. 

How to Thrive after Graduating, even when You’re Unemployed

Congratulations to all who graduated from university recently. 

For some of you, welcome to the employed world. For most of you, welcome to the Unemployment Sector. Sorry to burst your bubbles, but there aren’t enough paying jobs out there for all of you. That’s the reality. But what are you going to do about it? Just pout about it, and plonk yourself in your parents’ or relative’s couch, or get out there and make it happen for you?

Here's a few tips to making it happen:

Keep searching

I want to encourage you all who are still looking for work to not give up. If you’ve applied to 10 places that’s not enough. Apply for 20, 50, 100! If you’ve attended interviews and been rejected 9 times, attend the 10th, the 11th, the 20th, the 100th. Don’t stop going to interviews. You never know if the next one is the one unless you TURN UP.

Work/Serve for Free

Also, go work. Just because companies can’t pay you doesn’t mean they don’t need you. Offer your services for free if you have to. Reading Rich Dad Poor Dad recently, I’ve learnt that the best way to get ahead is to learn to not work for money but to have money work for you. The best way to learn this is to work for nothing! As Robert Kiyosaki himself had to do when he was young and being taught by Rich Dad. You don’t have to be employed to work. But maybe you have to work to be employable.

If you have acquired a special expertise or trade from your studies, offer it for free while you’re looking for employment opportunities. There’s a saying in business: “Give others what they want, and they will give you what you want”. Biblically it’s said simply “Give, and it will come back to you.” 

Are you afraid of surviving? But you’re surviving anyway without a job. You might as well do something and have no income, than do nothing and have no income. If you’re working without being paid you’ll be learning and growing, and you’ll be exposed. You’ll start building a network, which any successful businessman or professional will tell you is invaluable to being successful.

Invest Your Time and Money in Yourself

If you want people to eventually invest in you, you have to be willing to invest in yourself. Whatever money you have, use it to improve yourself. Buy and read books. Attend workshops and seminars on personal growth, leadership, or whatever field you’re interested in. Get a coach. Get a mentor. Hook up with good friends and acquaintances from who you can learn how to grow as a person, as a professional, as an entrepreneur. While you’re unemployed you have all the time in the world to learn. To study and grow. To meet people who may change your life. 

Generate Income Yourself

Being employed isn’t the only way to generate income. The age-old thinking of working for money is out-dated. Maybe it was never true, but we took it as the only reality regarding generating income. Most times we don’t want to try to make money ourselves by doing little things because we’re too proud. Too proud to sell hot-dogs. Too proud to take menial jobs. Other times it’s just lack of creativity. But if you spend time thinking about possible ways to make money, I’m sure you’ll find a dozen ways to make some money. Here's a hint: spend an hour every day brainstorming ideas to generate income. The more ideas you come up with, the more plausible it is that you'll land on a life-changing idea. 

Having just graduated, you might be thinking that getting a job is the mandatory next step you have to take in life. Who said so? This ancient mentality is obviously flawed. Many successful people didn’t even complete college and went straight into serving an idea to the world.

So don’t wait for life to happen to you, get out there and make life happen. 

We the People--A snippet from Dreams of a Nation

We The People

Our Constitution opens up with the words "We, the People..." This tells us five important things:

1. EXPRESSION of the People—the Constitution is the voice of the people. It speaks the People's will. When we amend the Constitution and any other law under it, we are changing the will of the people. The will of the people must therefore be understood before it (the law) is changed.

2. UNITY of the People—the People speak as ONE. Unity is assumed. Together We the People spoke into the world, declaring ourselves to be one nation.

3. ESSENCE of State—the existence of the nation rests primarily on the People. Not the law, the boundaries, the physical landscape, the geography etc.

4. SOVEREIGNTY—the People are the ultimate source of Power. They are superior to the Government, Parliament and the laws. They are even superior to the Constitution, but only collectively.

5. RESPONSIBILITY for the Nation—the People, if sovereign, are responsible for both the progress and the problems of the nation. No one else. We cannot claim to be masters of our own destiny whilst blaming external factors for our problems.

See Video 2 here. 

Dreams of a Nation Part 3: National Values