144. Rock Goes The Gospel - Bob Dylan "Gotta Serve Somebody"

Bob Dylan came to faith in Jesus in the late 1970's and released two albums of Christian gospel music. Slow Train Coming (1979) featured the guitar accompaniment of Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits "The album won a Grammy Award as "Best Male Vocalist" for the song "Gotta Serve Somebody". The second evangelical album, Saved (1980), received mixed reviews. "Gotta Serve Somebody" has the heartfelt words "It might be the devil or it might be the Lord but you've gotta serve somebody"

You may be an ambassador to England or France
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls.

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
It may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

Might be a rock'n' roll adict prancing on the stage
Might have money and drugs at your commands, women in a cage
You may be a business man or some high degree thief
They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief.

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You may be a state trooper, you might be an young turk
You may be the head of some big TV network
You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame
You may be living in another country under another name.

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You may be a construction worker working on a home
You may be living in a mansion or you might live in a dome
You might own guns and you might even own tanks
You might be somebody's landlord you might even own banks.

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride
You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side
You may be working in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair
You may be somebody's mistress, may be somebody's heir.

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

Might like to wear cotton, might like to wear silk
Might like to drink whiskey, might like to drink milk
You might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread
You may be sleeping on the floor, sleeping in a king-sized bed.

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
It may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

You may call me Terry, you may call me Jimmy
You may call me Bobby, you may call me Zimmy
You may call me R.J., you may call me Ray
You may call me anything but no matter what you say.

You're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

The world defines greatness in terms of power, possessions, prestige, and position and winning. If you can demand service from others, you’ve arrived. In our self-serving culture with its individualistic mentality, acting like a servant is not a popular concept.

Paul, however, measured greatness in terms of service, not status. God determines your greatness by how many people you serve, not how many people serve you. Paul shares his thoughts on service in Romans 12:9-13. Paul's thoughts are about humble self abasing servant-hood. For Paul as well as for Jesus this is true greatness.

This is so contrary to the world’s idea of greatness that we have a hard time understanding it, much less practicing it. The disciples argued about who deserved the most prominent position, and 2,000 years later, Christian leaders still jockey for position and prominence in churches, denominations, and parachurch ministries.

Countless 1,000's of books have been written on leadership, but few very few on on the action of servanthood. Everyone wants to lead; no one wants to be a servant. We would rather be generals than privates. Even Christians want to be “servant-leaders,” not just plain servants. But to be like Jesus is to be a servant.

That’s what he called himself. God shapes each one of us for service, not for self-centeredness. Without a servant’s heart, you will be tempted to misuse your shape for personal gain. You will also be tempted to use it as an excuse to exempt yourself from meeting some needs.

God often tests our hearts by asking us to serve in ways we’re not shaped. If you see a man fall into a ditch, God expects you to help him out, not say, “I don’t have the gift of mercy or service.” While you may not be gifted a particular task, you may be called to do it if no one who is gifted at it is around. Your primary ministry should be in the area of your shape, but your secondary service is wherever you’re needed at the moment.

Paul the great apostle encourages us to work out Romans 12:9-13 in our lives day by day. To serve is the mark of someone who is living close to the heart of Christ.

143. Rock Goes The Gospel - Queen "The Show Must Go On"

The Queen song "The Show must go on" featured as the twelfth and final track on their 1991 album Innuendo. It is credited to Queen, but written mainly by Brian May. The song chronicles the effort of Freddie Mercury continuing to perform despite approaching the end of his life; he was dying from complications due to AIDS, although his illness had not yet been made public in spite of ongoing media speculation claiming that he was seriously ill. Mercury was so ill, and could barely walk, when the band recorded the song in 1990, that May had concerns as to whether he was physically capable of singing it. Recalling Mercury's performance, May states; "he went in and killed it, completely lacerated that vocal". The song is about the commitment and determination to pursue something worth pursuing. The song was released as a single in the United Kingdom on 14 October 1991 in promotion for the Greatest Hits II album, just six weeks before Mercury died. Following Mercury's death on 24 November 1991, the song re-entered the British charts and spent as many weeks in the top 75 (five) as it did upon its original release, initially reaching a peak of 16.

Empty spaces - what are we living for
Abandoned places - I guess we know the score
On and on, does anybody know what we are looking for...
Another hero, another mindless crime
Behind the curtain, in the pantomime
Hold the line, does anybody want to take it anymore

The show must go on,
The show must go on
Inside my heart is breaking
My make-up may be flaking
But my smile still stays on.

Whatever happens, I'll leave it all to chance
Another heartache, another failed romance
On and on, does anybody know what we are living for?
I guess I'm learning, I must be warmer now
I'll soon be turning, round the corner now
Outside the dawn is breaking
But inside in the dark I'm aching to be free

The show must go on
The show must go on
Inside my heart is breaking
My make-up may be flaking
But my smile still stays on

My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies
Fairytales of yesterday will grow but never die
I can fly - my friends

The show must go on
The show must go on
I'll face it with a grin
I'm never giving in

On - with the show -
I'll top the bill, I'll overkill
I have to find the will to carry on
On with the -
On with the show -
The show must go on...

The Queen song "The Show must go on" is about advancing. Going forward in despite the hurdles in live. Mercury cries out in this song On and on, does anybody know what we are living for? For the follwer of Jesus we live as citizens of the kingdom of God. It's to this theme that we turn in this devotion this morning.

The kingdom of God is marching forward in a world that is and will always be opposed to the plans and purposes of God. This not a new thing or a unique situation. We have been here before in other generations and in other time spans. Jesus knew this in his own era. "The violent take it by force" This verse refers to the exact time period when John the baptist was announcing that the messiah was coming and when Jesus was upon the earth.

We know from bible reading in the gospels that the religious institution were dedicated to resisting the message and gospel of Jesus. Not only that but they were violently opposed to this new teaching that they called blasphemy So opposed were they to anything that would come against the the "Status Quo" in the institution they would not hesitate to imprison or execute.

Despite this the kingdom of God grew and speed far and wide. Despite the violent opposition and the war that was raging in the heavens the kingdom of God advanced because in a very subversive way the kingdom of cannot be taken away, it cannot be out or up rooted, cannot be destroyed even by violence.

We can say of our own generation that "the kingdom suffers violence, the violent take it by force" But that the power of the cross is effective in any generation and the kingdom of God will not halt but will always advance. It's His kingdom not ours, even though other ideologies may try to stop the gospel and the kingdom they will have no success for the kingdom is the realm of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and he stops for nothing.

142. Rock Goes The Gospel - Queen "One Vision"

"One Vision" was written by Roger Taylor and first released as a single in November 1985 and then included on their 1986 album A Kind of Magic. Taylor's inspiration for the song came from Martin Luther King's "I had a dream" speech. It is also said that Queen was inspired to write this by their Live Aid appearance in 1985 - millions of people sharing one vision of a better world. this is exactly what Martin Luther King believed in.

One man, one goal,
One mission.
One heart, one soul,
Just one solution.
One flash of light, yeah,
One god, one vision.

One flesh, one bone,
One true religion.
One voice, one hope,
One real decision.
Wowowowo, gimme one vision, yeah.

No wrong, no right.
I'm gonna tell you there's no black and no white.
No blood, no stain.
All we need is one worldwide vision.

One flesh, one bone,
One true religion.
One voice, one hope,
One real decision.
Wowowowowo, oh, yeah, oh, yeah, oh, yeah!

I had a dream when I was young,
A dream of sweet illusion,
A glimpse of hope and unity,
And visions of one sweet union.

But a cold wind blows,
And a dark rain falls,
And in my heart it shows.
Look what they've done to my dream, yeah.

One vision!

So give me your hands,
Give me your hearts.
I'm ready.
There's only one direction.
One world, one nation,
Yeah, one vision.

No hate, no fight,
Just excitation,
All through the night,
It's a celebration, wowowowo, yeah.

One [echo]

(One vision)

One flesh, one bone,
One true religion.
One voice, one hope,
One real decision.

Gimme one night, yeah.
Gimme one hope, hey.
Just gimme, ah.
One man, one man,
One bar, one night,
One day, hey, hey.
Just gimme gimme, gimme, gimme
Fried chicken.
Vision [fading]

In the Bruce Willis movie The Sixth Sense. There is a startling ending that forces you to go back and re-interpret everything you have seen before. (The shock is that Bruce Willis, the therapist, is really dead - a ghost - and does not know it. Sorry to give it away)

The second time you watch the movie you cannot help but interpret every statement and every encounter in terms of the ending. You can't Not think of the ending any more when you watch the beginning or the middle of the movie. the ending sheds light on everything that went before. the same is true of the scriptures. Once you know that all the lines of every story, that all the climaxes of all the Old Testament and New Testament themes converge on Christ, you simply cannot fail to see that every text is ultimately about Jesus. This is what Jesus is doing in Luke 24:36-49.

There is three part outline in Luke 24:36-49 that will help us as we read it. 1. The God of all Scripture. (Vs 44-45) 2. The Focus of all Scripture. (Vs 44) 3. The Promise of all Scripture.(Vs 46-47)

Luke reveals to us such an important fact: that knowing God's plan and gift of salvation is deeply rooted in knowing the entire story. The good news does not just reside in part two of the Bible - The New Testament. The entire story from one end to the other is about one person, one plan, one goal.

One Vision. That person is Jesus, that plan is redemption, the goal is the glory of God, the vision is restoration of all that God has created. It's a pretty simple storyline. But the truth of it transforms lives.

You can know a little of the bible and not know the story. You can know your doctrines and tick them off on the list and not know the story. You can cherry pick bible passages and miss the story completely. Jesus in Luke 24 tells the disciples "The Story of God" and it's the story of God that is important.  We get the story of God by doing what Jesus did with his disciples. To know the bible that well that we peice together the story by being familiar with what is written. A bit like a jigsaw of the whole story of God.

No use saying we believe in the bible and not reading it, not reflecting on it, not giving time to it. In my experience there is no better way to know the story of God than to read and re read the scriptures until they become a daily companion to you, They reveal Jesus. This is not wishful or fancy thinking but exactly how Jesus handles the scriptures in Luke 24. "He opens their minds so they could understand the scriptures". The scriptures that speak about him. This is the Story of God. This is the "One Vision" The big story of all time, the big story of God's redemption in Jesus.

141. Rock Goes The Gospel - Rush "Closer To the Heart"

"Closer to the Heart" is a single by Rush, released in 1977, from the album A Farewell to Kings. It was the first Rush song to have an external co-writer, namely Peter Talbot, a friend of drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. It was issued as a single for Christmas 1977, and after two near misses with "Fly By Night" and "Bastille Day" in 1975, it finally gave Rush their first hit single in the United Kingdom, reaching No. 36 in the UK Singles Chart in February 1978. "Closer To The Heart" was one of five Rush songs inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame on March 28, 2010. It is one of Rush's most popular recordings, receiving a fair amount of radio airplay still to this day. The song has also been part of the set list on nearly every tour since 1977. The band decided to drop "Closer To The Heart" for the bulk of their 2002 Vapor Trails Tour and the entire R30: 30th Anniversary Tour in 2004 because, according to Peart, "we got sick of it." The song was also not played during the 2007 and 2008 legs of theSnakes & Arrows Tour. The song was brought back for the 2010 and 2011 legs of the Time Machine Tour, but it was dropped again for the 2012-2013 Clockwork Angels Tour.

This is about people who run governments, and how they should be responsible for initiating harmony among themselves, just as blue collar workers do: "And men who hold high places must be the ones to start to mold a new reality, Closer to the Heart, Closer to the heart." The next part talks about a blacksmith and an artist and how they forge their creativity in their art. Then we hear about the role of philosophers and ploughmen in sowing a new mentality - a new way for people to view life. Finally, "You can be the captain, I will draw the chart, sailing into destiny, closer to the heart" - achieving your goal is like sailing; someone needs to guide you or be your role model, but you have to draw the charts to navigate toward your destiny. The goal is to be "Closer to the Heart." We can apply this too as getting closer to God's heart.

God’s people, the kingdom of Judah, had disowned Him. They had actually sacrificed their own children in the fire to another god, which seems like the most abhorrent sin you could ever imagine. So, It was right on track with God’s plans to clear the promised land of these people who called themselves by HIS name, but lived like pagans. In context this is painful true.

They were immoral, they were unjust, they disobeyed God’s direct commands, they killed His prophets, they thought they could get away with their sinful lifestyles without consequences. And finally, after years of putting up with this atrocious behaviour, God is ready to bring down the hammer.

So, “His” people were attacked, carried off to Babylon (and various other countries), the temple and palace were burned to the ground and Jerusalem was left desolate. God said it was about time that the land took it’s Sabbath rest."

But, God never ends the story with discipline. He didn’t give up on His people even though they had forsaken Him. He stilled loved them with an everlasting love and He still planned to woo them back into His embrace, he still lamented there condition, he still sent the prophets, he still continues with them despite there rejection of him, despite their pride.

Sometimes when you read a verse in the context of the rest of story, the meaning changes a little bit. But this time, the meaning today is amplified. When things seem to be at the very worst they could EVER be, that’s the exact moment when God says He has a plan. Yes, His people are undergoing great discipline, but His plan is never for their harm, but restoration.

Ultimately, God’s plan for our lives isn’t about prosperity and everything being just wonderful. No, His plan is that we would seek Him. And so, God really does have a plan for all our lives and that alone should give us great hope. But when the plan seems difficult, we are reminded that His plan for us always revolves around our relationship with Him.

Whatever is going on in our lives, His ultimate plan is that I would come to Him, seek Him and live in communion with Him. This is our Hope. Getting closer to his heart.

140. Rock Goes The Gospel - The Hollies "The Air That I Breathe"

"The Air That I Breathe" is a ballad written by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood, initially recorded by Albert Hammond on his 1972 album It Never Rains in Southern California. the song is essentially about the kind of inspiration that comes through a relationship with someone.In a 1992 interview on BBC radio, Hammond said: "When you listen to the song, you'd think this is a show stopper, and lyrically, you'd think I wrote it probably for the most beautiful woman that ever existed in the world. And in fact, The air that I breathe was written for quite an ugly person actually, I mean ugly outside, physically outside. She wasn't a great looking girl, but she was a terrific person inside. She was warm and kind and...

People never change,
They seem to stay the same.
They wear different clothes,
But play the same games.

Many different ways
To say the same thing.
Searchin for the right words,
The ones that would make you stay.

Exchanging the way things were
For the way that they should be,
Yeah.
And choosing these words
Is saying to her,
The things that she never heard
But always deserved.

I figured out what it is all about.
It's you that I could never live without.
Your everything,
The air that I breathe.
Stupid not to know it all along,
And everything I ever did was wrong.
Sadly it's too late for sorry.

Oh I'm not even really sure
Who made this mess,
And who threw what punch,
But I could not care less.
All I know is that I'm here
And you are not, Ohhh.
Once I put this wasted pride aside,
Nothin's all I got, Ohhh.

Exchanging the way things were
For the way that they should be,
Yeah.
And choosing these words
Is saying to her,
The things that she never heard
But always deserved.

I figured out what it is all about.
It's you that I could never live without.
Your everything,
The air that I breathe.
Stupid not to know it all along,
And everything I ever did was wrong.
Sadly it's too late for sorry.

Ohh,
Somebody make it stop.
Yeahh.
And pick me up,
And just dust me off, Ohh.
The rainy day flood,
Will drowned all this love.
Trapped at the bottom now,
Please dig me up.

I figured out what it is all about.
It's you that I could never live without.
Your everything,
The air that I breathe.
Stupid not to know it all along,
And everything I ever did was wrong.
Sadly it's too late for sorry.

I figured out what it is all about.
It's you that I could never live without.
Your everything,
The air that I breathe.
Stupid not to know it all along,
And everything I ever did was wrong.
Sadly it's too late for sorry.

This person was the person who gave me shelter in Los Angeles, when I didn't have any place to stay. I had no money, I had no Green Card, I couldn't work, I could have been a homeless. I sat down with Mike Hazlewood, and I said "Mike, this is what's happened to me, and this is the person." And I think Mike came up with [the line] "the air that I breathe." More than my story, it was because we lived in LA, and for the first time in our lives, we were introduced by smog. And every time we woke up, we'd look at the Hollywood Hills, and there was like a yellow monster up there. And I think that was his reason for coming up with [the line] "the air that I breathe". My reason was a love story, his was ecology or whatever you want to call it, you know. But it worked."

Essentially this song is about inspiration. So is the passage in 2 Timothy. That which is inspired is breathed out by God into being. It's God breath that is the true meaning of being inspired and the content of this mornings devotion.

When you woke up this morning, I would be willing to bet that it never occurred to you to thank God for the breath in your body. Truthfully, we take for granted the fact that our body is still functioning and jump ahead to begin worrying about the busyness of the day entertaining our problems and stressing before our feet hit the floor. Some will pull the covers over the head and hit the snooze button two, three or four more times to avoid the inevitable moment when our feet hit the floor for another day of running out of time, money and energy.

Dry bones will rattle as we try to serve God and fail miserably in human weakness. Bored with the monotony of life and bound by the false concepts of religion we live as Children of God void of the Power of God.

Where is the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised? Did He remain in the New Testament never moving into the reality of today? Or have we as believers become so puffed up with self-worth and self-importance guided by self-control that there is no dwelling place for God’s Living Spirit within the mind, soul and body of mankind? If God causes EVERYTHING to work together for the good of His People and according to His Purpose – then what’s my problem? If He knew me in advance, then why am I not living as a firstborn child? It is simple.

You are forgetting to breathe but rather holding your breath waiting for God to move. It doesn’t work that way. God’s Breath is the beginning of all natural life. It renews the blood cells that flow through your body with every intake demonstrating the restorative power of God possible in His People. It is the beginning of God’s Glorious work in your body. It represents God’s plan and purpose for your life or quite frankly you would be dead. There is more to life than your current existence but until you know and recognise the power and potential in your natural life – you will never experience the supernatural life God has promised.

God delights in you. He takes pleasure in you. God’s breath is powerful. In the greatness of your majesty, you overthrow those who rise against you. You unleash your blazing fury; it consumes them like straw. At the blast of your breath, the waters piled up! The surging waters stood straight like a wall; in the heart of the sea the deep waters became hard. (Exodus 15:7-8) Just because we cannot “see” God in everyday life does not exempt His Presence in this world and authority over the earth. His breath blows through life creating opportunities to express His Majesty so we can identify His person and live in His power. Without God – there is no life. (Job 34:14-15)

The first step to knowing the Lord and utilising His Power is to become aware of His Inhabitation of our life if even from a distance evidenced in every breath we take. Your life is not over but only beginning if you woke up this morning breathing in and out. This is what is meant by inspiration - Breathing. God breathes on his word and it comes alive. this principle is not just true for scripture but true for the whole of God's creation. Because he breaths he brings life. In the same way God invites us to inspire things. What things will you breath life on today?