EXPOSING THE HIP HOP RELIGION... PLEASE READ!!

I AM POSTING THIS ON MY BLOG TO EXPOSE THE RELIGION OF HIP HOP.
THIS ARTICLE THAT AZCENTRAL POSTED TODAY ON THEIR WEBSITE, JUST MADE ME REALIZE HOW MUCH MORE THIS RELIGION NEEDS TO BE EXPOSED. PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT I GREW UP LISTENING TO HIP HOP, JUST THINKING THAT IT WAS MUSIC WITH GOODS BEATS, NEVER IN MY WILDEST DREAMS EVER THINK THAT IT IS A RELIGION. MUSIC IS THE ONLY THING THAT CAN ENTER YOUR BRAIN WITHOUT YOUR PERMISSION.
READ AZCENTRAL ARTICLE BELOW:
Time in cells good for rap sales

AFTER READING THIS ARTICLE, PLEASE ORDER THESE VIDEOS FROM EXMINISTRIES , THEY ARE WORTH THE MONEY. YOU WILL NOT ONLY SEE, BUT HEAR WHAT THEIR AGENDA IS. PURCHASE THE VIDEOS ONLINE FROM EXMINISTRIES.COM (G. CRAIG LEWIS)

PLEASE COMMENT ONCE YOU'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO VIEW THEM.

GOD BLESS

Count the Cost

*This message is from Greg Laurie w/ Harvest Ministries

God's Pop Quizzes

"And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it? . . ."

— Luke 14:27-28


Evangelist John Wesley said, "Give me a hundred men who love God with all of their hearts and fear nothing but sin, and I will move the world." I think that is still true today. God is looking for men and women who will love Him more than anyone or anything else.

God will bring tests into our lives to find out if we are really His disciples, if we are really going to stand tough. It's easy to mouth the concepts we find in Scripture. It's easy to say we believe those things. But what about when we really need to walk by faith and not by sight or by feeling? What about when we need to really trust the Lord? God will bring pop quizzes into our lives.

I remember when I was in school and my heart would always sink when the teacher would stand up and say, "We are going to have a pop quiz today. I didn't tell you it was coming, but get out a piece of paper, because I am going to test you."

God tests us too. So if you are looking for a life of ease with no conflict or sacrifice, then the life of a disciple is not for you. But let me also add that if you don't want to be a disciple, then you don't want to be a true follower of Jesus Christ. Because, as I have often pointed out, this is normal Christian living. And anything short of this is abnormal.

Cost of Discipleship

*This message is from Greg Laurie w/ Harvest Ministries

Paying the Price

Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.

— Romans 12:2


So what is the cost of discipleship? What price must we pay to be true disciples?

First, we must pay the price of the sins that we now cherish. We must give them up, every single one. We cannot, as disciples of Jesus, cling to a single sin and pretend that we are still following Him. Instead, we are to walk in friendship and fellowship with God. There is no room for a double life here.

Second, we must pay the price of this world's friendship. James tells us, "Don't you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy this world, you can't be a friend of God" (4:4). We must not allow worldly and secular philosophy to color our thinking and living. If we are going to be disciples of Jesus, then we must pay the price of this world's friendship. Yet in place of the world's friendship, we will have God's.

Third, we must pay the price of the plans for our own lives. We may have ideas of what we want to do, and there is nothing wrong or evil about that. But we must be willing to give up our plans if asked to do so by the Lord, because as Jesus said, "Those who love their life in this world will lose it" (John 12:25).

Are we really going to be disciples? Are we really going to live the Christian life as it was meant to be lived? If we will live as true disciples, then we will impact our world.

Count the Cost....

*This message is from Greg Laurie w/ Harvest Ministries

Mean It

"But don't begin until you count the cost. . . ."

— Luke 14:28


Have you ever made an impulse purchase? Have you ever bought something you didn't need? I have. My wife has sent me to the grocery store to get some eggs, and I have come home with several bags full of stuff. Why? Because I was hungry when I went to the store and, as a result, bought some things on impulse.

A lot of us have acted impulsively in life. However, Jesus doesn't want us to follow Him on impulse. He wants us to count the cost. He wants us to mean it.

We find this illustrated in Luke 9, when someone approached Jesus and said, "I will follow you no matter where you go" (v. 57).

We would think that in response to such a statement, Jesus would have turned to the disciples and said, "Did you guys hear that? This is the kind of attitude I am looking for." But Jesus didn't say that. Jesus didn't even say, "Come on! The more the merrier!" Instead, Jesus responded, "Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but I, the Son of Man, have no home of my own, not even a place to lay my head" (v. 58).

What was Jesus saying? In essence, it was, "I appreciate the sentiment, but I want you to think about this. You want to follow Me wherever I go, but do you know where I'm going? Right now, I am going to Jerusalem. I am going to die on a cross. Are you ready to follow Me? Are you ready to count the cost? Think about it."

Jesus wants people who have counted the cost and are His true followers. Can that be said of you today?

Self Denial & What it means to Christians...

*This message is from Greg Laurie w/ Harvest Ministries

What Self-Denial Means

Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."

— Luke 9:23


What did Jesus mean when He said, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself . . . "? The phrase "deny" used in Luke 9:23 could be translated, "repudiate," "disown," "forfeit," or "totally disregard."

As C. S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity, "The real test of being in the presence of God is, that you either forget about yourself altogether or see yourself as a small, dirty object. It is better to forget about yourself altogether."

Understand, the Bible is not teaching self-hate. It is not teaching that we should be miserable, self-loathing people. Rather, it is saying to see ourselves as we are. You already love yourself. So instead of loving yourself, deny yourself and love God more than you love your own life. If you will take your life and give it to Him, then He will give you His life in its place. If you lose your life, then you will find it.

So when we hear people say they are trying to find themselves, what they really need to do is lose themselves. We need to say, "Lord, here is my life." That is not a miserable thing to do; it is the greatest thing you could possibly do. What God will give you in the place of what you give Him is infinitely better. If I have learned nothing else about God in my years as a Christian, I have learned that God's plans are better than my plans. So don't be afraid to commit an unknown future to a known God.

Everyone is asking WHY God?

*This message is from Greg Laurie w/ Harvest Ministries

"Why?"

"It was not because of his sins or his parents' sins . . . He was born blind so the power of God could be seen in him."

— John 9:3


The hurricane that devastated America's Gulf Coast communities was one of the most horrific natural disasters in our nation's history. In times like these, the question often asked is, "Why?" More specifically, "Why did God let this happen?"

The disciples asked Jesus a similar question in John 9. After seeing a man who had been blind from birth, the disciples asked one of the big questions in life, "Why?" They asked, " 'Why was this man born blind? Was it a result of his own sins or those of his parents?' " (v. 2).

But Jesus dismissed the idea out of hand, saying, " 'It was not because of his sins or his parents' sins . . . He was born blind so the power of God could be seen in him' " (v. 3).

So why was this man in the condition that he was in? For that matter, why is there suffering and natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina, which has taken the lives of countless Americans? Even more so, why do we have war, and terrorism, and tragedy?

First of all, this man's blindness was not a result of personal sin. His blindness was the result of sin in general. For that matter, natural disasters, disease, and suffering are the result of sin in general. God told our first parents, Adam and Eve, that if they eat of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden they would surely die (see Genesis 2:17). Despite God's warnings, they ate of it. Since that moment, death has spread through the human race like wildfire. But God has offered a solution to death through His Son Jesus Christ. God loves us so much that He reached out to us by sending His own son, Jesus Christ, to to die for our sins.

We are living in the last days........

*This message is from Greg Laurie w/ Harvest Ministries

"The Signs of the Times"

"Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."

— Luke 21:28


Hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, and global terrorism! This epic outbreak of natural disasters in the past several years can't help but cause us to wonder, What on earth is happening?

Certainly, there has always been tragedy and cataclysmic events in our world. But these days it seems that a new crisis explodes just as another abates. Now we face the ripple effects of this tragic hurricane called Katrina, which may end up claiming thousands of lives in America's own backyard.

As we prepare to meet the needs of the victims of Hurricane Katrina, we may wonder, Could it be that all these things happening in our world are actually signs of the times—signs reminding us that the return of Jesus Christ is near?

When Jesus was asked what the signs of His return would look like, He replied, " 'And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven' " (Luke 21:11 NKJV). Jesus indicates that natural disasters will begin to increase in frequency and intensity in concert with each other shortly before His return. And it is as these birth pains begin to take place that Christians are to know that their deliverance is near (see Luke 21:28).

So, what are we to do? Certainly, we want to do everything possible for the victims of this latest tragedy along America's Gulf Coast communities. Another thing we must consider as we see these signs of the times is that we need to be ready spiritually.

The Bible teaches that there is a generation of people who will not see death, but rather will meet the Lord in what is often referred to as the rapture of the church. Could we be that generation? Time will tell. But if I were you, I would pay careful attention to all that is happening. You will be glad that you did.

Who have you taken under your wing?

*This message is from Greg Laurie w/ Harvest Ministries

Our Duty to Disciple

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations. . . . "

— Matthew 28:18-19


After I became a Christian, I wasn't really sure of what to do next. I was 17 years old and in high school. No one told me that I needed to read the Bible. No one told me that I should pray. No one told me that I should go to church. No one gave me any materials to read, much less a Bible.

So for a few days, I was in sort of a spiritual no-man's-land. I didn't really feel comfortable with my old friends that I had been hanging around with, but I didn't feel comfortable with the Christians either. One reason was that I could hardly understand what they were talking about as they spoke to each other in their cryptic, Christianese type of language.

Thankfully, a young man named Mark took me under his wing. He invited me to come to church with him and began to help me grow spiritually. He taught me how to read the Bible, and he prayed with me. He was the first actual Christian I knew who modeled for me what it meant to be a follower of Jesus. He wasn't a Bible scholar, but he was a real believer. He made an impact on my life and put me on the path of spiritual growth. In short, what Mark did was disciple me.

What he did for me is what we need to do for others—to not only seek to win men and women to Jesus Christ, but also to disciple them. Anything less than this is falling short of the Great Commission.

Are you ashamed of the gospel of Christ?

*This message is from Greg Laurie w/ Harvest Ministries

Unashamed
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

— 1 Corinthians 1:18


Are you ashamed of the gospel of Christ? I love the words of the apostle Paul: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes . . . " (Romans 1:16).

There are people today who will stand up for the most perverse causes, even risking their lives for some cause they believe in. Are you willing to risk your life for the gospel? Are you even willing to risk embarrassment for the gospel? It's the power of God unto salvation. There is simple, explosive power in the message of the gospel.

People ask me, "Greg, what are you going to preach this year at the Harvest Crusade?" It is the same thing I preached the year before, I tell them. I will preach the gospel. The text and illustrations may be different. But it will be the same message. I will preach the gospel. The gospel is the same for every person, regardless of age or background. We may relate to people in different ways. But the basics, the essentials, never change: Christ died for our sins.

Take the time to explain the gospel properly and carefully. And if that turns someone off, then there is nothing we can do about that. We will try to present the gospel in the most loving way that we can. But we must be honest. We must be clear. We must be faithful to the message and let God do what He will. But we must not be ashamed of it.