Using Holy Hip Hop To Reach the Children, Youth and Adults:
A Practical Guide Grounded in Scripture From the Holy Hip Hop Music Alliance
Author: The Seventh Knight Edited By: Da Preachin Puerto Rican
Man created Hip Hop, true. But, just like paper was
invented by man to put the Word of God on it and made "Holy" to be used for His
Purpose, Hip Hop can also be Holy" and be used for God's Purpose also (1 Cor
10:31). The Ark of The Covenant, though made by man, was just an ark until God
made it "Holy". It was so "Holy" that anyone who touched it without permission
was struck dead by God; please see 1 Chronicles 13:5-13. Verse 7 within that
text throws out "the beat of a drum is evil" theory.
In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus Christ gives His disciples The Great Commission to Go
therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all
things that I have commanded you. As disciples of Christ, we are to share the
gospel and make disciples of men. God has also given us guidance that we are to
share the gospel message regardless of race, culture, or gender, according to
Romans 3:29, Rom 1:16. The Apostle Paul gives us the prime example of how he
became all things to all men that by all means he might win some, according to 1
Corinthians 9:19-23. In Acts 17:16-34, Paul shows how he used the existing
culture of the people to preach to them Christ.
If it's for God's Purpose then God makes it "Holy". Starting in the late 70�s,
in the Bronx New York, some of Hip Hop�s pioneers include DJ Cool Herc,
Grandmaster Flash, Cold Crush brothers, Sugar Hill Gang, Funky Four Plus One,
and many more. Even these pioneers, were influenced by the likes of Gil
Scott-Heron, Marvin Gaye, and more. Hip Hop came about as a means of revolting
against what was popular music at the time. Even Cab Calloway was doing
"hip-hop" back in the 1930's in the form of Jazz and BeBop! It was intended to
voice our feelings whether spiritual or otherwise in a way that was, shall we
say, was "unconventional" at the time. Certain traditionalists believed that it
would never last because it lacked substance and marketability.
Rap music from its inception has always had lyrics that were encoded to reach
those who were in the streets of urban America. Even the slave songs, which by
the way had God (Holy) and "rap" in them), expressed spiritual and physical
themes. No different than those who were in slavery cried out to GOD from their
hearts in a musical form that was relative to their culture, so too does the Hip
Hop Culture cry out. Psalm 19:14 says, �Let the words of my mouth and the
meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my
Redeemer.� Ephesians 4:29 says, Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth,
but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the
hearers.�
Let�s look at a passage of scripture from 1 Corinthians 8:1-13. Now concerning
things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up,
but love edifies. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing
yet as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.
Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol
is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. For us there is
one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus
Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. However, there is
not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until
now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is
defiled. But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the
better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse. But beware lest somehow this
liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. For if anyone
sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will not the conscience
of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? And
because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for who Christ died?
But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you
sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never
again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. What does this mean? It means
that the "food itself" is not considered unholy. It's only unholy, when the idol
worshippers who specifically prepare the food to worship their false gods
influence you! The same goes for music.
Again, we ask you. Can GOD take something that was unholy and make it holy? This
time, let's use a "someone" instead of a "something�: Saul witnessed and
approved of the stoning of "Stephen" a man full of the Holy Spirit (Acts
7:54-60). That same "Saul" became "Paul" and wrote two thirds of the New
Testament. How could this be possible, if the power of God to transform is not
supreme? God can be worshipped in many ways to include using "Hip Hop" to do so
(1 Cor 10:31, Col 3:17), just as God used Paul to preach and spread the Gospel
of Jesus Christ.
You know the verse "the love of money is the root of all evil" (1 Tim 6:10) well
nothing is wrong with the money itself, is it? Money in itself is not evil but
it can be used for evil purposes. Just look at how some people operate with it.
Money can also be used for "holy" purposes like building the church, giving to
those that need it from the "benevolence fund" amongst other things. The same
can be said for "Hip Hop." It can be used for evil or it can be used for
righteousness. Jesus said that himself earlier in Matthew 12:34-37: For the
mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good person brings good things out of
a treasure of good things; a bad person brings bad things out of a treasure of
bad things. "You can be sure that on the Judgment Day you will have to give
account of every useless word you have ever spoken. Your words will be used to
judge you-to declare you either innocent or guilty."
Then later in Matthew 15:10-20 Then Jesus called the crowd to him and said to
them, "Listen and understand! It is not what goes into your mouth that makes you
ritually unclean; rather, what comes out of it makes you unclean." Then the
disciples came to him and said, "Do you know that the Pharisees had their
feelings hurt by what you said?" "Every plant which my Father in heaven did not
plant will be pulled up," answered Jesus. "Don't worry about them! They are
blind leaders of the blind; and when one blind man leads another, both fall into
a ditch." Peter spoke up, "Explain this saying to us." Jesus said to them, "You
are still no more intelligent than the others. Don't you understand? Anything
that goes into your mouth goes into your stomach and then on out of your body.
But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these are the
things that make you ritually unclean. For from your heart come the evil ideas
which lead you to kill, commit adultery, and do other immoral things; to rob,
lie, and slander others. These are the things that make you unclean. But to eat
without washing your hands as they say you should-this doesn't make you
unclean."
In Genesis 3:14-19 So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done
this, "Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will
crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will
put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he
will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." To the woman he said, "I
will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth
to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."
To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about
which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because
of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It
will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the
field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the
ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will
return."
In Exodus 3:1-10 One day while Moses was taking care of the sheep and goats of
his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, he led the flock across the
desert and came to Sinai, the holy mountain. There the angel of the Lord
appeared to him as a flame coming from the middle of a bush. Moses saw that the
bush was on fire but that it was not burning up. "This is strange," he thought.
"Why isn't the bush burning up? I will go closer and see." When the Lord saw
that Moses was coming closer, he called to him from the middle of the bush and
said, "Moses! Moses!" He answered, "Yes, here I am." God said, "Do not come any
closer. Take off your sandals, because you are standing on "holy ground." I am
the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." So Moses
covered his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
Then the Lord said, "I have seen how cruelly my people
are being treated in Egypt; I have heard them cry out to be rescued from their
slave drivers. I know all about their sufferings, and so I have come down to
rescue them from the Egyptians and to bring them out of Egypt to a spacious
land, one which is rich and fertile and in which the Canaanites, the Hittites,
the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites now live. I have
indeed heard the cry of my people, and I see how the Egyptians are oppressing
them. Now I am sending you to the king of Egypt so that you can lead my people
out of his country."
What can we conclude from this? THE EARTH WAS CURSED BY GOD AS RESULT OF SATAN'S
ACTION AND ADAM'S SIN, AND YET GOD MADE A PART OF THE EARTH "HOLY" TO CALL
MOSES!! He told Moses to "take the sandals off your feet for the place in which
you stand is HOLY GROUND!" (Exodus 3:5) If God can make a "part" of the "Cursed
Earth" "Holy," then are we, as Christians, doubting what our "Father" can do?"
Would we dare to say that God can speak through a donkey, but not through Hip
Hop? Of Course Not! Just like with any information, we have to be careful of how
we interpret it (2 Tim 2:15). Remember, Satan can make what seems "right" wrong
and what seems "wrong" hidden.
Hip Hop can be Holy to serve Our Master, Jesus Christ. Music is neither good nor
bad in itself but it depends on what the purpose of it is for by the individual.
How it's used determines its value; whether it's used for God or whether it's
used for Satan. The word "Holy" in the Bible means to "separate or set apart for
God's use or for special use." Hip Hop is a music genre. It has no "intrinsic"
qualities of good or bad. You and I both know that the words to songs carry the
major part of their value. I say major because the music also make a
contribution to the message of the song. The basic formula for music is Lyrics +
Melody = A Song.
The Bible says in John 6:63, The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for
nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. The spirit
that is influencing a person when he/she creates the lyrics or music is the key
to being holy. Then, the spirit that is influencing the person doing the song
determines the power that is released in the selection. So the music genre is
not as much the issue as the spirit that influences the creation of the
material.
What is most important is that one seek The Father and find out what HIS will is
according to scripture (Acts 17:11). Find a quiet place with no distractions and
read the word, and meditate on it until you get understanding, and seek
spiritual counsel from mature believers who are knowledgeable in GOD�s word
(Proverbs 4:7, 11:14). This synopsis is presented with scripture as the guidance
and the Holy Spirit as the counsel (Heb 4:12, John 16:13). Just because it's not
the �traditional method� doesn't mean that Ministers of the Gospel can't use
this method to spread the Word of God (Mat 28:18-20).
It's not the music that's the enemy. It's the presentation of the fruit. If the
masses are continually fed "sour lemons" then the demand for lemons will
continue because it's what they are "used" to and have become dependent on. If
you turn those same sour lemons into "lemonade� (pressed and sweetened by the
Word of GOD), then the masses will gain a new taste and this is what the enemy
fears.
GOD has made Hip Hop Holy! Now use it to establish His Kingdom in the Earth and
win them back one at a time � James 5:20 � Amen.
WHAT IS HOLY HIP
HOP?
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God Reigns Supreme...BIBLE BASICS 101
The idea that Satan can create a culture or music (e.g. hip-hop, rock, rap,
pop, etc.) is the same ludicrous argument that the Ku Klux Klan and White
supremacists used to hang, enslave and lynch Blacks for decades; and a
similar argument that Nazis used to murder over 6 million Jews during World
War II. They compared Black culture and Jews to barbarians created and
controlled by the devil and then used those teachings to kill and
disenfranchise millions. It wasn't until Pastors, of all persuasions, came
together and made it very clear to all of their people that God created us
all and creates everything.
Here it is in a nutshell: "Satan can make
nothing. Satan has never made anything and Satan never can make anything.
All he can do is destroy what God has made." Satan can't make his own form
of music (e.g. hip-hop, rock, rap, classical, pop, etc.). It's just not
possible, atleast not if you are reading the Bible or following the true
Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This basic understanding of Scripture is
something that one should really ask for prayer and spiritual guidance to
truly understand. The ludicrous statement that 'Satan created hip-hop'
is a dangerous lie that is resulting in the Church, being continually
disconnected with its youth - by not being able to speak the language of the
people, as noted in Street Gospel 101 above. Each month, more and
more Churches go bankrupt and into foreclosure, as their members grow old
and gray, and youth are continually locked out, which plays right into the
hands of the enemy.
Why?: Because Satan has never made
anything because: God is the sole creator of the universe and no other. So,
if you are a Pastor reading this, and some heretic has told you what God can
not do, don't you believe it or fall prey to this trap, no matter what video
they show you or record that they play backwards for you or web-site that
they direct you to. Stick to the Word of God and not baseless rhetoric, as
the sands of time are running out and if you do not connect with your young
people (the Hip-Hop Generation), the future, then you will have nobody to
blame but yourself. Holy Hip Hop is a tool that can help you bridge the gap
and re-connect with the youth, the community and the time is right and the
time is now. James 5:20. Amen.
Satan is not self-existent.
Satan was created by God . It can even
been said that God created and uses Satan to his own ends (2 Corinthians
12:7).
Satan�s real nature
Satan is a Creature
The Scripture teaches us that there is
only one eternal and self-existent God who is the Creator of all things. If
Satan were not a created being then he must be eternal or self-existent, a
dualism which is incompatible with what the Bible teaches about God and the
world in which we live. The Bible emphatically declares all things were
created by God through Christ, and there is nothing that was not made by him
- John 1:3; Col. 1:16-17 with Psa. 148:1-5; Col. 1:16; Ezek. 28:13.
Satan is a Spirit Being
Hebrews 1:14 describes angels as spirits
and demons are called unclean spirits - Matt. 8:16; 12:45; Luke 7:21; 8:2;
11:26; Acts 19:12; Rev. 16:14. Further, the fact we are told that �we do not
wrestle with flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the
powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the
spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places� - Eph. 6:12 also suggest
that Satan and his demons are spirit beings. Finally, the fact that Paul
describes them as invisible also shows they are spirit beings - Col. 1:16.
Here it is clearly taught that the Devil
and the other demons are spiritual or angelic creatures created by God in a
state of innocence, and that they became evil by their own act. It is added
that man sinned by the suggestion of the Devil, and that in the next world
the wicked shall suffer perpetual punishment with the Devil.
Powers
Satan the destroyer
Satan's delight is to smash, to mangle, to
twist, to mutilate, to disfigure, to darken and blast in every way he can.
It does not make any difference whether it is bodies or souls, flesh or
ideas, matter or spirit, the aim of the devil is exactly the same in every
case: It is to distort, to blast, to twist, to destroy. That is why the
devil can never offer anything positive to human life. He can make nothing.
He has never made anything and he never can make anything. All he can do is
destroy what God has made. His power is totally negative, completely
destructive in every way. He deceives by lying, by distorting, by
counterfeiting, by play-acting and masquerading, by illusion and fantasy.
This is what Paul calls "the wiles of the devil." In the Bible there are
many references of the work of the devil : the snares, the traps of the
devil, the illusions, the stratagems, the wiles.
Satan is not omniscient
Satan is an angel and angels don�t know
everything (1 Peter 1:11-12). There is no indication in Scripture that Satan
can really read our thoughts despite it is a common belief. Because he�s an
expert on human nature, he�s pretty good at predicting our behavior and can
easily tempt and corrupt weak humans.
Satan is not omnipotent
Because of this limitation, many
references to Satan or the devil include his whole kingdom. The person of
Satan does not personally tempt each of us for he simply cannot do that.
Satan must rely on the following agents to
carry out his temptation: (1) his network of demons, (2) the world system
which lies under his control (1 John 5:19), (3) carnal or ignorant
Christians he is able to use as he did Peter (Matt. 16:22-23), (4)
unbelievers
under his influence or domination (Luke 22:1-6; Eph.2:2; Rev. 13).
Therefore, he can be resisted and made to flee (Jam. 4:7), but only by the
strength of God made available to believers in Christ (Eph. 6:10-18).
Satan is not omnipresent Demons cannot be
everywhere at once and this is true of Satan. However, as the chief of his
demons forces or as the �prince of the power of the air� (Eph 2:2), he is
chief of a vast host of demons who are so numerous as to make Satan�s power
and presence seem to be practically ubiquitous or everywhere at once (cf.
Mark 5:9).
Satan is not sovereign
Satan has been exiled to the earth and the
domain around it (Ephesians 2:2). Satan�s chain stretches just so far and
God allows him to go that far and no farther. He operates completely within
the sphere of God�s allowance (e.g. Job 1:12; 2:6).
It is written in the first chapter of Job
that when the Satan presented himself before God, He asked him, "Whence
commest thou?" Lucifer answers "From going to and fro in the earth, and from
walking up and down in it."
God begins to boast to Lucifer about his
servant Job, saying that there is no man like him, that he is a perfect and
upright man. Lucifer cuts God off and asserts that Job is only a holy man
because he enjoys God's blessings. He says he can make Job curse God to his
face if God removes his protection. God takes the Devil up on this
gentleman's wager, saying to Lucifer "Behold, all that he hath is in thy
power; only upon himself put not forth thy hand." The events in the Book of
Job are the result.
We may gather from this fable that Lucifer
is not bound to hell exclusively, but is only bound not to injure those
humans who are afforded the protection of God. A human being is protected by
God for so long as he or she remains obedient. When a person defies the will
and commandments of God, then he or she becomes prey for Lucifer.
Satan can be beaten by Jesus and Christian faith The truth is that "his
infernal majesty" is bound and is powerless before the Son of God (Mark
3:27). Christ defeated Satan and all spiritual forces of evil at the cross
(John 12:31; Colossians 2:14-15).
Under ordinary circumstances Lucifer
cannot directly hurt persons under God's protection, which is why he needed
a special dispensation from God to injure Job's property and family.
However, we are able to gather from other hints in the Bible and in
Christian and Jewish folklore that Satan is free to suggest to human beings
that they voluntarily defy God. Once a person does so, he or she forfeits
the protection of God. Then Lucifer is permitted to commit injuries upon the
person. What is true of Lucifer himself applies to his agents, the demons.
Demons are tempters of men because they
are forbidden to injure human beings who obey God. But if through the
temptation of a demon a person can be induced to disobey God, that person is
demon fodder. Effectively, they join Lucifer's army of apostate fallen
angels, although at a very subordinate rank.
From a Fundamentalist Christian point of
view, all those who fail to worship Christ are disobedient to God, and
therefore prey for the demons who walk and swim and fly upon the earth. Much
the same belief concerning those of other religions is held by
Fundamentalist Islamics and Jews. We have the promise that God will not
allow us to be tempted beyond our capacity (1 Corinthians 10:13). Those who
are in Christ can overcome Satan (Revelation 12:11; Romans 16:20; 1 John
2:13-14). Christ keeps us safe and Satan cannot lay hold of the believer to
harm him (1 John 5:18). Demonic powers cannot separate us from God�s love in
Christ (Romans 8:37-39). If we use the armor of God, we have God�s promise
that we can take our stand against the devil�s schemes (Ephesians 6:11,13).
Satan is a former angel
Mention is made of the Devil in many
passages of the Old and New Testaments, but The authoritative teaching of
the Church on this topic is set forth in the decrees of the
Fourth Lateran Council (cap. i, "Firmiter
credimus"), wherein, after saying that God in the beginning had created
together two creatures, the spiritual and the corporeal, that is to say the
angelic and the earthly, and lastly man, who was made of both spirit and
body, the council continues:
"Diabolus enim et alii d�mones a Deo
quidem natur� creati sunt boni, sed ipsi per se facti sunt mali." ("the
Devil and the other demons were created by God good in their nature but they
by themselves have made themselves evil.")
As may be gathered from the language of
the Lateran definition, the Devil and the other demons are but a part of the
angelic creation and their natural powers do not differ from those of the
angels who remained faithful. Like the other angels, they are pure spiritual
beings without any body, and in their original state they are endowed with
grace and placed in a condition of probation. It was only by their fall that
they became devils.Conclusion:
So the next time someone asks you whether Hip-Hop can be Holy, just look at
them, smile and remind them that: God Reigns Supreme. If they don't
understand that, then bow your head and pray for them, as that is all you
can do for their souls. Amen. Psalms 146:10.
FELLOWSHIP OF HOLY
HIP HOP
DOCTRINAL STATEMENT
THE BIBLE - We believe the Bible to be the Holy Scriptures of GOD. It is the
infallible, unadulterated Word of GOD. Though it was written by men, those
men were inspired by the Holy Spirit to author the perfect will of GOD (2
Timothy 3:16). We believe the original writings to be without error. We
believe that the Old and New Testaments of GOD point toward a central theme,
which is the redemption of the human race to right relationship with the one
true living GOD, through the finished work of the Lord JESUS CHRIST(Luke
24:27, 44, John 5:39). We believe the Bible to be the guide for living the
Christian life here on Earth (Romans 15:4).
THE TRINITY � We believe in one GOD, who is eternal, unchangeable and
eternally exists in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
THE HUMAN RACE � We believe that mankind was created solely by and in the
image of GOD. He created both male and female (Genesis 1:27). Although they
were created in the image of GOD, they were given free will, and by their
own will, they fell into sin and are eternally separated from GOD and
condemned if they are not born again by the Holy Spirit of GOD (Romans
5:16).
SALVATION � We believe that salvation is a gift of GOD�s grace (John
3:16,Ephesians 2:8,9, 2 Peter 3:9). It is not obtained by good works, but is
obtained solely by one putting their faith in the finished work of the Lord
JESUS CHRIST on the cross at Calvary. We believe that the Lord JESUS CHRIST
died for our sins according to the Scriptures; that He was buried and
resurrected in bodily form (1 Corinthians 15:3). He died in our place, and
if we believe in Him, His shed blood washes away our sins. He fills us with
His Holy Spirit, and we are made new in Him, old things passed away and all
is made new (2 Corinthians 5:17, John 3:1-7).
SATAN - We believe that Satan and his demons are fallen angels who rebelled
against GOD, and were expelled from Heaven (Luke 10:18, Isaiah 14:12). We
believe that he is the author of sin. He will face the judgment of GOD and
will be eternally condemned to the lake of fire (Matthew 4:1-3, Acts 5:3, 2
Corinthians 4:4, Revelation 20:10).
LIVING AS CHRISTIANS � We believe that once we accept the finish work of the
Lord JESUS CHRIST, that we are called to live a life led by the Holy Spirit
and not the flesh (Galatians 5:16-23, Hebrews 12:1, Romans 8:4). We believe
that the desires of the flesh will never be fully done away within this
life, but with the help of the Holy Spirit and the desire to hide GOD�s word
in our heart (Joshua 1:8, 2 Corinthians 3:3), He has given us the provision
to no longer be slaves to sin, but to walk free in CHRIST (Romans 6:11-13).
We believe that when we do sin against GOD through thought, word, or deed,
we can confess our sins to Him and to each other and not walk in
condemnation (1 John 1:9, James 5:16, Romans 8:1,2).
EVANGELISM � We believe that the Lord JESUS CHRIST gave us the Great
commission, that we would minister His life changing gospel to a dying
world. We are willing vessels used by the Lord JESUS CHRIST, to allow His
Holy Spirit to minister salvation and reconciliation to the world (Matthew
28:18-20, 25:31-46).
WHAT IS HOLY HIP
HOP?
Fellowship of Holy Hip Hop, Inc.
P.O. BOX 1023
Pine Lake, GA 30072
Phone: 404.893.5752
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