I AM REDEEMED

A challenge for the amateur lyricists

I used to ride the bus to school.  Occasionally on our bus route, someone would break the tedium by singing some catchy little ditty that repeated endlessly as the miles went by.  Later on in a college fellowship, we sang some simple, repetitive choruses that stuck in my mind.  One that I recall fondly was "I am Redeemed."  Even today as I drive along I sing it to myself and add new verses to make it last longer.  Finally,  It has become quite a tale.  So, I reproduce it here and challenge the reader to submit new verses.

I think it could make a fun game.  In a carload of people, they would take turns adding verses.  The criteria is that it has to roughly follow the same meter and approximate rhythm. The subject must always be something to do with faith or salvation. The theme should be consistent and the intensity of the subject should gradually escalate. Each participant would be allowed to use the chorus once if they can't think of anything immediately.  If they failed to come up with a new verse, repeated a previous verse or sang something that didn't rhyme well, they were out.  The last lyricist in the game wins!

Here's what I have so far:

I Am Redeemed

Opening verse and chorus

I am redeemed,
by the blood of the Lamb.
I am redeemed,
Oh! yes I am.
I am redeem by the blood of the Lamb,
filled with the Holy host I am.
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Regular verses

Oh you can't get to heaven
by lying in bed.
No you can't get to heaven
by lying in bed.
You can't get to heaven by lying in bed
You must lift that lazy head!
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Oh you can't get to heaven
by crawling around.
No you can't get to heaven
by crawling around.
You can't get to heaven by crawling around
Heaven's built on higher ground.
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Oh you can't get to heaven
by taking a walk.
No you can't get to heaven
by taking a walk.
You can't get to heaven by taking a walk
That's just some silly talk.
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Oh you can't get to heaven
on a pogo stick.
No you can't get to heaven
on a pogo stick.
You can't get to heaven on a pogo stick
A pogo stick won't do the trick.
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Oh you can't get to heaven
on a roller skate.
No you can't get to heaven
on a roller skate.
You can't get to heaven on a roller skate.
You'll arrive there much to late.
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Oh you can't get to heaven
by riding a bike.
No you can't get to heaven
by riding a bike.
You can't get to heaven by riding a bike.
Any more than taking a hike.
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Oh you can't get to heaven
by riding a horse.
No you can't get to heaven
by riding a horse.
You can't get to heaven by riding a horse.
A horse don't know the way of course.
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Oh you can't get to heaven
in a fast go cart.
No you can't get to heaven
in a fast go cart.
You can't get to heaven in a fast go cart.
You must have Christ within your heart.
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Oh you can't get to heaven
in a city bus.
No you can't get to heaven
in a city bus.
You can't get to heaven in a city bus.
It's in God alone we trus'
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Oh you can't get to heaven
in a taxi cab.
No you can't get to heaven
in a taxi cab..
You can't get to heaven in a taxi cab.
Only Christ can pay your tab.
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Oh you can't get to heaven
in a fancy car.
No you can't get to heaven
in a fancy car.
You can't get to heaven in a fancy car.
A fancy car won't go that far.
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Oh you can't get to heaven
in a motor boat.
No you can't get to heaven
in a motor boat.
You can't get to heaven in a moor boat.
That's way to far to float.
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Oh you can't get to heaven
in a submarine.
No you can't get to heaven
in a submarine.
You can't get to heaven in a submarine..
That's one thing'll never be seen.
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!


Oh you can't get to heaven
in a motor boat.
No you can't get to heaven
in a motor boat.
You can't get to heaven in in a moor boat.
That's way to far to float.
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Oh you can't get to heaven
in an aeroplane..
No you can't get to heaven
in a aeroplane..
You can't get to heaven in an aeroplane..
To try is just insane!
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Oh you can't get to heaven
in a rocket ship..
No you can't get to heaven
in a rocket ship..
You can't get to heaven in a rocket ship.
A rocket ship won't make that trip,
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Traditionally there's a couple more verses, but I don't know where this one would fit:

Oh you can't get to heaven
in powder and paint.
No you can't get to heaven
in powder and paint.
You can't get to heaven in in powder and paint.
God won't take you as you ain't. (and I cringe at bad grammar)
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

Then there's just plain silly:

Oh you can't get to heaven
in dirty blue jeans.
No you can't get to heaven
in dirty blue jeans.
You can't get to heaven in dirty blue jeans.
Heaven has no washing machines!
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

There's my favorite too:

Oh the Lord and I,
we both agree.
Oh the Lord and I,
we both agree.Oh the Lord and I,we both agree.
I love Him and He loves me!
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

There's one like it about hating the devil, but I don't want to give that scoundrel any significant attention.

Finally, it concludes with:

And that's not all,
there's more besides.
And that's not all,
there's more besides.
And that's not all, there's more besides.

I've been to the river and baptized!
All my sins are washed away I am redeemed!

If the reader isn't exhausted by this already, I challenge them to submit more (appropriate) verses to this collection.

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Copyright 2015

TATTOOING, PIERCING & SCARIFICATION

The rest of the story…..

Tattoos and body piercing are fast becoming a leading industry in America today. Tattooing is the sixth fastest growing industry in the United States. It is profitable, popular and technically legal.  Why would there be objections to this form of artistic expression?

The history of tattoos goes very far back. Tattooed mummies from Europe, Asia and Africa dating back over 5,000 years have been discovered and documented. Today, in America anyone over 18 can receive a tattoo or piercing in a licensed establishment under hygienic conditions. Once a serious danger, the risk of infection from tattooing or piercing has been nearly eliminated by the introduction of sterile implements and media.

In fact, there are also now a variety of treatments available for removing once permanent tattoos.

Many of those who wear tattoos do so to honor family, loved ones, fallen comrades, make expression of faith and other positive sentiments. What’s wrong with that?

If you value your life, your eternal destiny, read on. There’s far more to it than art and sentiment. God, who made mankind and all creation, also gave us profound wisdom in the Bible. He loves us dearly and wants only the best for us. Therefore, we should pay attention to this ancient and pertinent warning from the Holy Scriptures:

“You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19:28 ESV

God never does anything without a plan or a purpose, and tattoos and piercings are not part of such plans and purposes.

What could He be warning us about? If tattooing is medically safe and not such a great social stigma as it used to be, so where’s the harm?

There’s a spiritual side to this subject!

The ancient mummies were tattooed with marks meant to invoke the spirit world for blessings of health, protection, fertility and the like. Historic writings tell us that some ancient societies also used tattoos to mark slaves, convicts and outcasts.

Among pre-Christian pagans such as Polynesians, the tattooist was not merely an artist, but a shaman, a cultic priest. Tattoos were used not only as decorations or marks of status, but as spiritual entry points to the body. That is, the tattoo facilitated the entry of the spirits they worshiped to enter their bodies, and also to ward off those that they regarded as hostile. The Maori tribe of New Zealand considered tattoos living entities, the same demons they worshiped.

Piercing the skin with other objects besides the tattoo needle is also used for the same purpose. Primitive people used wood, bone and stone. In modern times plastic, metal and other materials are also used. Ritual scars serve the same purpose. In such cases, the skin is incised or burned to create permanent patterns or images of animals, people, deities or others things. An extreme practice is to pierce the ear lobes or lips, and greatly enlarge the hole by inserting progressively larger plugs. Piercing or bloodletting is closely associated with witchcraft. Witchcraft is basically using the very real forces of the spiritual world to control others and the material world around us. It is also wisely forbidden by God (Deut. 18:10).

A comprehensive study (Roberts, 2002) by Timothy Roberts, MD, a pediatrician at the University of Rochester concluded that tattooed youth were four times more likely to be sexually active and twice as likely abuse alcohol, illicit drugs, drop out of high school and engage in violent behavior. Another report (Raspa, 1990) by Robert Raspa, MD correlates tattooing with psychiatric conditions such as impulsiveness, low self-esteem, homosexual orientation, sadomasochism, bondage, fetishism, bisexuality, lesbianism, antisocial personality, personality disorders, schizophrenia, mania and bipolar disorder. Christian deliverance ministers report that tattoos are associated with demonization.

Apostasy (unbelief) and demonization is associated with tattoos because tattooing, piercing and ritual scarification are marks of authorship and ownership. 

“And God created the man in His own image; in the image of God He created him. He created them male and female.” Genesis 1:27 LITV

In our natural state, we are identified as belonging to God because we are made in His image. Altering our form or appearance changes that identity and the default is ownership by God’s nemesis, the devil. For example, pagan priests were identifiable by their ritual scars (Zechariah 13:6). Married women are identifiable by pierced ears and nose (Ezekiel 16:16).

A man or unmarried woman who pierces their ears enter into a perverse marriage covenant with demonic entities. They become that entities’ bond slave for life (Deuteronomy 15:17)!

Moreover, in the book "I Looked and I Saw The Lord" by Annie Schisler, she gives repeated accounts of vision where she saw many redeemed saints in heaven who lacked their limbs.  While no explanation was given for their missing limbs, there is an obvious explanation. By tattooing those limbs, they dedicated them to a false god and forfeited them for eternity.  So, this infers that even Christians pay a grave price for this sin. How much worse the fate of the unsaved!

Regrets? Laser removal of tattoos is one of the fastest growing areas of dermatology. But removal is not enough and laser removal can increase the risk of skin cancer. The body of a person with tattoos, piercings or ritual scars is very likely defiled, which means demons have entered where the Spirit of God rightfully belongs. The demons seek your death and destruction in hell through sin and to desensitize you to the things of God. All the questionable benefits of these marks are not worth an eternity of torment in hell, for that is the real penalty of all sin.

To be free of defilement, it is helpful to pray  the Prayer Of Repentance And Cleansing:

“Heavenly father, I have sinned against You by defiling my body, the temple of Your Holy Spirit with tattoos, piercings or scars. I repent of this sin and forgive my ancestors for doing the same. Please remove this stain from my soul through the cleansing blood of Christ whom I believe died for my sins. Put out of me every demon that entered me through these errors. Specifically I permanently order out of me demons of witchcraft, perversion, familiar spirits, bondage, rebellion, insanity, whoredom and death. Open my spiritual senses to perceive all that these have hidden from me. Send your angels to take them away forever and fill me with Your Holy Spirit all my days. Amen.”

Remove all piercings and implants. Have two or more Spirit-filled Christians pray with you and anoint the tattoo/piercing hole/scar with oil as a symbol of cleansing and sanctification. Have the mark removed or at least cover it in public. Resolve not to do it again and warn other about this.  For more information, read, What’s Behind the Ink? by William Sudduth.

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THE EIGHT (Perhaps nine) THINGS NECESSARY FOR SALVATION

By Karl Falken

In a significant fraction of the churches I have visited and according to the personal beliefs of numerous persons I am acquainted with, there's a dangerous error commonly held that eternal salvation is as easy as reciting a creed or saying what's often termed the "sinner's prayer." I can say from personal experience, this is simply not true.  For in 1995 I had a near death experience where, though by church standards I was an above average Christian, I found myself as lost as any unbeliever. In short, any sin that is not dealt with thoroughly in this life is sufficient to condemn even "good" people to separation from God and eternal torment of an indescribable nature.

There are actually eight necessary points any individual must meet to be "saved" or go to heaven when one dies or is translated like Enoch or Elijah were.  These are:

1. Belief in God (I Kings 8:33, Habakkuk 2:4, Luke 7:50)

 The whole reason we are here is to learn to love God with all our hearts.  That presupposes we beleive in God. There are no athiests or agnostics in heaven. But while this is necessary, it is not sufficient.  For even the demons believe in God, but they can never be saved. (James 2:9)

 The next requirement is that we must admit we are sinners.  This is not just mental assent, but a vocal confession to an audience that does not just include God.

2.     Confession of sin (Leviticus 5:5, 26:40, James 5:16, 1 John 1:19,)



Once we have admitted our guilt to ourselves, to God and to those we have sinned against, we must stop sinning.


3.     Repentance of sin (Exodus 23:21, Acts 2:38, James 2:17, 2:22, 2:26)




Sin hurts others.  We must do all we can to repair the damage.  If it's more than we are capable of to set everything right, then we must do so to the fullest limit of our capacity to do so.  Even to all our material possessions.

4.     Restitution for wrongs (Number 5:7, Matthew 5:22,23)

The golden rule applies well in nearly every situation.  If we want to be forgiven, we must forgive.  God will not forgive us unless we forgive others.  However, forgiveness is part of a process whereby the other parties must also ask for it.  It does not have to be extended where there is no repentance or restitution, though it can be granted unconditionally and this is the best and safest form of forgiveness. Forgiveness may also be retracted in the case of those who backslide or do not fulfill a promise of restitution. But if this is practiced, it must be done with great care.

5.     Forgiving others (Mark 11:25, Matthew 6:14,15, 18:35, Luke 6:37, 11:4, 2 Corinthians 2:10, Colossians 3:13

There must also be a public identification with Christ's atonement, that is by baptism by immersion in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is sovereign and might make exceptions for special cases where circumstances preclude this as an option (such as a deathbed confession or a conversion while incarcerated). However, it's best to do this properly at the first opportunity.  Taking a chance with such an important matters is extremely unwise.

6.     Baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, 22:16, Romans 6:4, Colossians 2:12, 1 Peter 3:21,22)

Christ plainly states that "breaking bread" or taking communion was a prerequistie for being resurrected to everlasting life. In theory a person might exist in heaven as a disembodied spirit.  However, why risk falling short?  It's certainly unwise to give up the option to have an immortal body when it's part of God's master plan.

7.     Taking communion (John 6:53-58)


Lastly, all of this counts for nothing if at some point a person recants or returns to a life of disobedience to God.

8.     Enduring to the end (Matthew 24:13)

In a final note: inviting Christ into one’s heart may not be strictly required for salvation, but it is the means by which we are empowered to do the miraculous works of God.  It is also reported in the book Heaven is for Real, that no one will be given a resurrected body witout meeting this condition.  So obviously it is improtant to God, so it follows that it should be important to us too.


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