Thought Quotient

The band Skillet was recently interviewed by the folks over at www.battlecry.com. Here’s the text of that article…

If you think that bands write music simply to make money, “make it big”, and have fun, then you’ve got another thing coming when you meet Skillet’s John Cooper, Korey Cooper, Ben Kasica, and Lori Peters. Now I’m not saying they don’t like to have fun; they are some of the most laid-back people I’ve met, and there was definitely a lot of laughter even amidst our interview. But the heart of their music goes much deeper than fun and volume, deeper even than their amazing lyrics and unique sound. It’s the band’s desperate desire to reach this generation that sets Skillet apart from others in their genre. They don’t just sing what “feels” right; they listen to what God is speaking into their lives and weave His heart into the very core of their music.

During my interview with them, their heart for youth was so potent that even Korey, who usually lets John take the wheel when it comes to interviews, couldn’t help but burst in on the subject, “It’s easier just to say that Jesus is the answer without any practical application for their lives. And then the kids are like, ‘I don’t have any idea what that means. It’s not applying to my life.’ They don’t understand.”

Devotion echoed in her voice as she continued.

“And it is true, big picture. But you’ve gotta make it to where they can relate it to their lives, otherwise it’s just this nebulous thing. And then you’ve got so many kids that are in the church, they’re not Christians, they know ‘Jesus is the answer’ they know that’s what you’re going to say to them. They don’t know what that means. And they could care less. And there are so many people out there that are like that. They’re jaded by the church. And I’m not even talking about the ones that were judged, or that saw hypocrites. I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about the ones that it just didn’t work for them because they didn’t know how to apply it. And there’s tons of kids out there like that.”

(more…)

“We are in danger of getting into a bargaining spirit with God when we come to Him — we want the witness of the Spirit before we have done what God tells us to do. Why doesn’t God reveal Himself to you? He cannot. It is not that He will not, but He cannot, because you are in the way as long as you won’t abandon yourself to Him in total surrender. Yet once you do, immediately God witnesses to Himself — He cannot witness to you, but He instantly witnesses to His own nature in you. If you received the witness of the Spirit before the reality and truth that comes from obedience, it would simply result in sentimental emotion. But when you act on the basis of redemption, and stop the disrespectfulness of debating with God, He immediately gives His witness. As soon as you abandon your own reasoning and arguing, God witnesses to what He has done, and you are amazed at your total disrespect in having kept Him waiting. If you are debating as to whether or not God can deliver from sin, then either let Him do it or tell Him that He cannot. Do not quote this or that person to Him. Simply obey Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden…” Come, if you are weary, and ask, if you know you are evil (see Luke 11:9-13). The Spirit of God witnesses to the redemption of our Lord, and to nothing else. He cannot witness to our reason. We are inclined to mistake the simplicity that comes from our natural commonsense decisions for the witness of the Spirit, but the Spirit witnesses only to His own nature, and to the work of redemption, never to our reason. If we are trying to make Him witness to our reason, it is no wonder that we are in darkness and uncertainty. Throw it all overboard, trust in Him, and He will give you the witness of the Spirit.” - Oswald Chambers

Romans 8:16

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God