Bad Religion -- "Epiphany"

"Epiphany" comes from Bad Religion's album, The Process of Belief
A new age of reason
Brain treason to trick the mind
What good is searching

If nothing's there to find
We arrive at this place

Of no return my brothers
Only to discover that our minds have led us away

So far from the painful truth

Of who we are


(chorus)

What's right is wrong

What's come has gone

What's clear and pure is not so sure

It came to me
All promises become a lie

All that's benign corrupts in time

The fallacy
of epiphany

Come forth bear witness
See the profit from your loss

Beg for forgiveness

Only after you tally the cost

We arrive at this place
Of no return my sisters

Only to discover that our values ran us aground
On the shoal in the sea

Of what we could be


(chorus)


***

Jesus, our rabbi, will teach us how to function in God's kingdom while we're still here on earth.

Step one: Unlearn everything. Before we can accept Christ as he is, we have to give up everything we think we know about God. Once we surrender our right to define him, he will invade our consciences and expand our limited imaginations.

Apart from Christ, we will never escape the lies we learn to accept about ourselves, the world and God. The fact that we invent religion to replace God demonstrates our natural cluelessness about unhindered spirituality.

Over time our convictions shift, many times imperceptibly. Apart from God, who remains untouched by all forms of corruption, we become distracted. Our good intentions turn into zealous dedication to "alternatives," or forms of godliness that have nothing to do with God.

This is why continuous dedication to Christ is so vital. We are either growing in Him, or we are sliding back into old habits and old lies.

As a church especially, we must keep our spiritual lines of communication open. This is why, prophetic and apostolic ministries are vital to the church's health.

For a while now, the American church has been rejecting prophetic and apostolic movement in favor of feeling safe. We might acknowledge that obedience to God is a good thing, but we would rather feel comfortable. As a church we have chosen tradition over obedience, lies over life and self-indulgence over fellowship with God.

Thus the need for unlearning. Whether we are institutionalized Christians or outspoken non-Christians, we all must unlearn the "alternative" brands of spirituality that we have grown accustomed to before we can learn how to function in God's kingdom. This is a sometimes long and painful process, but it's worth it.

"I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
--Jesus re-teaching Nicodemus (John 3:5-6)

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