10.16.07
13 LETTERS?
I want to introduce you to a unique journey through the 13 letters (epistles) written by Paul which are in the New Testament of the Bible. The form of journey is musical. The purpose of this music is for edification of believers. The musicians explain it this way…”The lyrics in this album are an attempt to bring God’s Word to life. This is a resource to help you learn, not to replace your study of God’s perfect word (2 Timothy 3:16). Each artist has carefully crafted their song based on intense and thorough Bible study and believe that Scripture is the absolute truth. They encourage each of you to faithfully study the Word with humility in a community of believers, relying on the Holy Spirit to bring change to your heart.”
Oh yeah, as per the previous post, the genre of this album is hip-hop. If that offends you, continue surfing…if you don’t stumble over it, read on or listen to the album and be blessed by God.
Since Paul’s letters start with Romans, and I am currently preaching through Romans on Sunday mornings, it was awesome to see how they treated it on the album. They did a great job (as with all the tracks) of walking you through the teaching and application of the letter. If you learn the lyrics to the song, you now know the theme of the book, it’s major characters, and all the relevant themes of the book. It’s like having a concordance or commentary in your head.
Showing that their heart is for the church, for Christ’s followers and their growth, there is a continual reminder throughout the album that God’s Word is our source of life, our source of God’s wisdom and guidance through life along with the Holy Spirit’s leading. At the end of the Romans track, the artist encourages us to get some good Bible commentaries to help us in our understanding of the scriptures. And then he recommends commentaries by John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, and James Montgomery Boyce. How awesome to think that a rapper off the street reads and enjoys the men that have mentored so many of us in our study of the word, and encourages all of us to follow suit.
The only other track that I will comment on is the one for First Corinthians. The artist did it in a very creative and impactful way. He tells us the story of a guy named Corey, who acted like he was still in a gang. He tells us about all the hangups and distractions in Corey’s life, and then goes on to tell us that Corey is not a guy, but a body of believers in Corinth. Very impactful and compelling.
Well, I have to mention just one more…the remix for Galatians…”Get Loose”…reminding us to pursue the Spirit and live out our liberty in Christ…Awesome!
p.s. I just noticed in their lyrics on the album cover, they give credit for the first verse of ‘Colossians’ to D.A.Carson! Woo-hoo! He’s my man. I hope you can check out some of his writings…’The gagging of God’, ‘Exegetical Fallacies’, and ‘From Sabbath to Lord’s Day’, along with all of his N.T. commentaries. Too cool that the rappers are checking his stuff out! God bless!
Oh yeah, the music is not the only focus of this album. If you read the lyrics on the CD sleeve, they list the chapter and verse for each line of the song, to let you connect it with the scriptures that inspired it. They have also put together a Bible study course available on their website, designed to get you into the Word and to profit spiritually from it. Awesome!
The album is produced by Reach records, and the website for the corresponding Bible studies is www.reachrecords.com. The curriculum is currently under development and should be available soon.
Channon said,
October 27, 2008 at 11:49 pm
Well said.