Proverbs 13:20: “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”
The ecumenical and anti-Christian nature of much of what goes on in ‘Contemporary Christian Music’ (CCM) circles was laid bare for all to see last week as one of the most popular of these bands performed during the Pope’s visit to the Republic of Ireland last week.
Rend Collective, who originate from Bangor Elim Church, were invited performers at the World Meeting of Families in Phoenix Park where Pope Francis performed the Mass for the crowd in attendance. The photograph above shows them smiling at Phoenix Park after having played for the Pope.
Not only were they invited performers, but they actually led the worship at the biggest Roman Catholic festival in Ireland for decades.
How much more compromised can you be?
So pleased were they to have consorted with Popery they bragged about it on their facebook page (pictured, below) afterwards.
They said: “What a crazy week leading worship in Dublin at the #worldmeetingoffamilies! We feel so humbled and honoured to get [to] sing about Jesus with so many (600,000 to be exact!). This is definitely a week we won’t be quickly forgetting!”
Laying aside the inaccuracy of the numbers performed to, as it is estimated less than 200,000 turned up, there is so much wrong with this public repudiation of God’s Word perpetrated by these professing Christians.
You can be sure that if Rome was concerned by the songs Rend Collective might sing that they wouldn’t have been invited, and this is all part of Rome’s tricks to lure foolish Protestants into thinking that, because the band they admire was performing in Dublin, the Roman Catholic Church isn’t so bad.
While it may not be considered especially kind by the modern “God is love” Christians who neither know nor want to know anything of His justice and judgment, Rend Collective are at best useful idiots for Romanism and, at worst, deliberately complicit in luring Protestants down the path of ecumenism. It is also possible the exposure to a largely new market of potential Papist purchasers of their music was appealing to them as well.
Many younger (and some older) Christians, and very sadly this includes a lot of those who attend the much more traditional churches, are far too fond of CCM and treat their favourite artists with the same sort of admiration as the unsaved person treats their favourite pop star.
This is utterly wrong.
We previously posted about one of the leading figures in Hillsong, Joel Timothy Houston, and his blasphemous expression of support for the Big Bang Theory and linked to an article on the ‘Protestant Standard’ website highlighting the ‘Heresy of Hillsong’, which you can read by clicking here.
That website also features faithful warnings to Christians regarding another leading CCM artist, Matt Redman, which you can read by clicking here.
This gives a flavour of the ecumenical spirit abroad within CCM, which has now reached real depths by this very brazen consorting with Popery by Rend Collective.
No doubt many young Christians will follow Rend Collective on facebook, where they bragged about their compromise, and this has the potential effect of softening their view of the lies and deceits of the Roman Catholic Church.
Rend Collective, who, as we have already mentioned originated from Bangor Elim Church, clearly have taken no stand against the Church of Rome, otherwise they would not have been invited, nor would they have accepted an invite.
This flies directly in the face of God’s Word, which says that we ought to “earnestly contend for the faith” (Jude v3).
Ephesians 5:11 says: “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”
However, there was Rend Collective on stage last week leading the fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness.
What a dreadful betrayal of Biblical Protestantism, which is true Christianity.
The words and sentiment of Psalm 119:115 should have been the response of Rend Collective when they received that invitation.
It says: “Depart from me, ye evildoers: for I will keep the commandments of my God.”
This was the response of Nehemiah when the spoilers of the work to build the walls of Jerusalem came to try to engage in ecumenical dialogue with him.
Nehemiah 6:1-4: “Now it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had builded the wall, and that there was no breach left therein; (though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates;) That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief. And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you? Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort; and I answered them after the same manner.”
Despite persistent efforts to draw him away, Nehemiah knew that such ecumenical dialogue would hinder the work of God and as such he would have no part of it.
It is just such a shame that Rend Collective failed so spectacularly to follow this example.
Dear reader, please take care to ensure you are not caught up in this compromise. We must be ever vigilant as the devil is ever trying to sneak in and do damage to the cause of Christ.
1 Peter 5:8: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”