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Hold the Line

Image: “The Ride of the Rohirrim” in Peter Jackson’s Return of the King (2003)

Everywhere we look, truth is relative, and clarity is absent. The culture seems to celebrate any worldview that is not aligned with Christ and His Word. At every turn, there is a new offering of happiness and satisfaction that yields an empty return because it ultimately aims to fill what only Christ can fill. This is the world in which we live. Christianity is no longer generally received as a positive quality or value. In fact, clear, biblical, God-honoring truth is often viewed as hate speech and bigotry. How can and should the Church respond to this?

Philippians offers great encouragement:

[Many] walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction; their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it, we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself” (Phil. 3:18-21).

Many will oppose Christ and the gospel message. Not only will they oppose, but they will also celebrate and promote that opposition. As Christians, we must remember to whom we belong. We are citizens of heaven, where Christ reigns as King. We do not belong to ourselves, nor do we belong to this land; we belong to Christ. We are ambassadors of Christ, His possession, purchased with His blood. In a culture of lies, we must hold fast to this reality and combat the falsehoods of our culture with the truth of the gospel. We must hold the line!

This conviction influenced Erik Reed, pastor of The Journey Church in Lebanon, TN, to write a book called Hold the Line. It also inspired a group of songwriters from the church to create the song “Hold the Line.”

In 2020, I noticed a concerning shift in worship music—one that mirrored the cultural drift away from truth and clarity, where content seemed to be sacrificed at the altar of creativity. Songs that were resourcing the church were creative but often more ambiguous than clear. Many songs were either inadequate or inaccurate, failing to convey truthful messages. Once we recognized this, it became both a conviction and a challenge to be part of the solution. My team and I began to write, produce, and lead new songs that were musically creative yet lyrically robust—both biblical and beautiful. This marked the beginning of Journey Worship Co., a collective of worship leaders, songwriters, and musicians serving at The Journey Church in Lebanon, TN. Our aim is to advocate for truth on behalf of our congregation through the creation of songs that are both truthful and clear.

The kingdom of darkness does not take a day off in its attempt to catechize the people of God in half-truths. As believers who are also creatives, we should engage in the arts and contribute to music. God is the Creator of the universe, literally the Creator of creativity. His Spirit is within you. Create to the glory of God. Use your art and gifts to combat the cultural agenda and point the people of God back to the only hope of the world: Jesus.

Create to the glory of God. Use your art and gifts to combat cultural lies and point the people of God back to Jesus, the only hope of the world.

Let’s create resources that encourage the people of God to keep the faith in the face of opposition. Let’s sing songs in our congregations that are biblically accurate and intellectually robust. Let’s feed our sheep with nourishing offerings that will lead them to taste and see that the Lord is good and greatly to be praised.

In a culture of lies, hold the line!

INSTITUTE ARCHIVE

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