From: Tom Lamb
radicalpilgrim@clear.net.nzPosted By Brother Love
I could of wrote this:)
<
))><
The true legacy of Keith Green
-------------------------------
As many of you would know not long after we were married my wife and I left Institutional Christianity behind, and took a lonely step out into the wilderness where we had to place our sole trust in the promises of God. This was back in 1978 at a time when the Charismatic Movement had reached it's peak, just prior to the launch of the even more apostate New Wave Movement and Laughing Revival of the eighties and nineties. At this time I did not know a Bible could be 100% accurate, so it was hard going, as I battled confusion, rejection, with people using us for the wrong reasons, and not having a compete effective tool in countering the opposition. During this time, however, we saw genuine conversions without the camp, and very few fall away, even to this day. Today, these maturing couples now have young adult and teenage off-spring who are also finding Jesus outside the official, ecclesiastical, mainstream.
During this testing period of our spiritual sojourning, one of the few ministries we found encouragement from was from the ministry of the late Keith Green, because at the time I found a real parallel with this man and where the Lord was leading us. Both parties (who both had a strong interest in music) were finding at the same time, that the churches were not what they were cracked up to be, where much compromise, confusion, and lukewarmness prevailed. The big difference between both parties was that one was growing in obscurity, while the other was out there in the limelight because of the talent the Lord had invested in the man Keith Green. At the time, and looking back (pass the shallowness and immaturity, and weak doctrinal issues we were both dealing with) we had only just began our journey away from conventional Christianity, and saw the biblical gospel as something far removed from what the churches were saying or practising. Plus the fact it was now trendy to join hands with Roman Catholics as our brother and sisters in Christ, with unity being based on feeling rather than scriptural backing. This is why we closely watched the ministry of this man he called Last Days Ministries. Not as a "be all and in all" of course, but as fellow pilgrims from the sideline, as we found confirmation of what the Lord was doing in us, through subscribing to their monthly updates and reading and listening to their material.
Then came the controversial "Catholic Chronicles" in sequence ... part one, part two, part three, then part four, with each monthly update from LDMs. A long with "Unity at what price" and "the selling of Jesus". All written by Keith. I was excited and praised the Lord that we were not the only ones who were "going off in a tangent". I remember the Customs Department phoning us one day, concerned and querying why we ordered so much of his material to hand out. It took some explaining that we were not importing and selling goods illegally but were receiving them free of charge, paid voluntary with collected donations, to hand out free, to those who were in need.
However, to cut a longer story short, this newly formed relationship with LDMs only lasted a season as we received the sad news of Keith's "untimely" death in a plane crash. From then on everything changed, as Last Days Ministries reinvented themselves, disowning much of Keith's material, and reinventing his ministry, promoting a "Keith Green" redefined, to keep a ministry alive, without the danger to ecumenicalism and endtime apostasy, of what the real Keith Green represented when he was residing here on planet earth. Yes, Keith was a huge danger in more ways than one simply because:
He was dangerous because he was Jewish who said, "When I die, I just want to be remembered as a Christian." Without a mention or support of any kind, in relation to the HRM or the SNM!
He was dangerous because he was not ecumenical and boldly exposed the cheap unity the churches were pushing for!
He was dangerous because he was boldly exposing the Church of Rome and her idolatry practices He was dangerous because he was not promoting the way all rock "personalities" were going ... New Age! Rock music was apparently for one reason only ... to promote licence and shallow experience.
He was dangerous for the Institutional Church as he would rather walk away from performing and being a "somebody", if it meant he could preach repentance towards God through Jesus.
He was dangerous to the large muti-million dollar corporations, who had infiltrated Christianity and were making merchandise of it, and turning it around into just another money making fade.
It was not at all PC (in this day) or the run of the mill trend for a rock artist to behave this way. Here was a rock celebrity making a nuisance of himself because he would not be manipulated for fame or fortune and refused the status quo. Here was rock star who could only see the preaching of the cross as what mattered in life. He was certainly not fitting! Something had to happen! And it did to the gospels detriment!
However, praise God, today there remains a remnant who remember Keith for who he was then, and not his invented, ecumenical, legacy today, who still hold to what his ministry stood for then ... Christ and Him crucified.
A Brother overseas has been trying to track down for sometime "The Selling Of Jesus" by Keith. Now he has finally been able to complete "the missing writings of Keith Green". May the Lord use and bless this material, and nullify anything which may be in the flesh.
Please click on the following:
http://grants9.tripod.com/filekgreen.htm The only music minister to whom the Lord will say, "Well done, thy good and faithful servant," is the one whose life proves what their lyrics are saying, and to whom music is the least important part of their life. Glorifying the only worthy One has to be a minister's most important goal! — Keith Green
May this legacy (of a crucified life for Christ) live on!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Because so many of my emails have not reached their destination or been bounced back to their source in the last few years, my IT son suggested I send my SPs out in plain text only, and to see what happens. Therefore, if you happen to receive this email for the first time in a year or two or three (please don't count the last few months of this year as I have been largely out of action) please let me know?
Also, please let me know if you would like to be removed you off my list?
Beyond Protestantism
http://www15.brinkster.com/beyondpro The Radical Pilgrim
http://home.clear.net.nz/pages/tlambWithout The Camp - Fellowship & Discussion Board
http://pub188.ezboard.com/bwithoutthecamp19095
Author