Chris Welch on Facebook :"Jesus He knows me and knows I'm right"...both Genesis frontman Phil Collins and Dire Straits Mark Knopfler both did songs about tele evangelists in the early 90s. For secular people it's obvious...God doesn't exist anyway and they are on a hiding to nothing. Brits do believe in God , but not in a God who blesses, so perhaps for the wrong reasons, they hate tele evangelists. I personally regard American Christianity as "one step out". Brits may laugh, but they've not even begun the faith walk. It's very easy to sit in a boat and laugh at someone sinking as they start to walk on water. Jews are always quite a good litmus test. When Jews start to convert in large numbers will be the time when our gospel starts to get accurate. At the moment American Christianity is very like the disciples before the Cross. Sleazebuckets with anointing!! "Don't bring the kids here!" "Jesus can I send fire down on that little village!" " Jesus you love me and know I'm right...put me in first position in heaven!" Roll on thirdlevel Christianity!!
Dire Straits Ticket to Heaven track 9 of On Every Street 1991
Ticket to heaven
I can see what you're looking to find
in the smile on my face
in my peace of mind
in my state of grace
I send what I can
to the man from the ministry
he's a part of heaven's plan
and he talks to me
now I send what I can to the man
with the diamond ring
he's a part of heaven's plan
and he sure can sing
now it's all I can afford
but the lord has sent me eternity
it's to save the little children
in a poor country
I got my
and everlasting life
I got a ride all the way to paradise
I got my
and everlasting life
all the way to paradise
now there's nothing left for luxuries
nothing left to pay my heating bill
but the good lord will provide
I know he will
so send what you can
to the man with the diamond ring
they're tuning in across the land
to hear him sing
I got my
and everlasting life
I got a ride all the way to paradise
I got my
and everlasting life
all the way to paradise
Meaning
rajakolluruon :My Interpretation:This song gels beautifully with the rest of the album. Same kind of soft, gentle rock with MK's voice pleasantly blending into it.
This song IMO conveys obvious disdain to the whole concept of "selling God" as is practised in the religious TV channels with their penchant for doling out sentimentality to the multitude. It starts with a claim from a man "under the influence" who considers himself lucky for having been chosen to partake in the process of charity instituted by a man "from the ministry". He is so happy that he has a "smile on his face" and is in a "state of grace". He thinks that the man from the ministry personally talks to him and admonishes him to part with money that he can ill afford to lose in the name of charity. You would think that MK believes in all this were it not for the palpable sarcasm in describing the man from the ministry who has now morphed into the "man with the diamond ring" thereby revealing the affect of the garnered wealth on the man.
The mild disdain on the man becomes more pronounced when it was told that "he sure can sing". The rest of the song about people believing in the "ticket to heaven" and the "ride all the way to paradise" add further fuel and ironic humor to this song which begins to resemble a critical poem now. How this whole God epidemic, with its emphasis on creating institutions as opposed to promoting spirituality, has become increasingly prevalent is further indicated with words such as "tuning across the land to hear him sing" - as if to suggest that just the song (and not the message) is able to sway the crowd to support the man with the diamond ring making him even more wealthy.
Overall a lovely song with great vocals.
Flag rajakolluruon November 02, 2010 Link
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Gale Stradwick on : Religion Is Cruel Like Its father
I am not like a lot of grace people in that I fully acknowledge the power and work of the devil. He is real. He hates you and me. And he is out to bring us down. Does that mean I walk around every day, aware of him, and looking for demons? NO!!! Of course not! Jesus is my focus. But I see him, and sometimes I feel his effect on me.
These days, he mainly comes in the form of religion. I believe the main manifestation of religion is cruelty. Our enemy is cruel. He is the author of religion. And he will often show himself in the cruelty of other Christians towards you. We become like the thing that controls us. When religion controls you, your god will be cruel, and so will you. I see the cruelty of religion every day, bringing accusation, condemnation, slander, lies etc against God's people. Religion is the father of injustice. Religion undermines. Religion whispers lies and insinuation. Religion isolates. Religion points the finger. Religion introduces self doubt. Religion says you should, you must. It's a long list.
Religion is cruel, like it's father.
What has this got to do with the grace message you ask? Everything! The Bible tells us to resist the enemy. That's in the New Testament! For grace people, the main way the enemy will manifest is through the power of the cruelty of religion, through other people. Sometimes it will roar in your face. Sometimes you will need to confront it and do some active resisting. But mostly, it will be quiet and subtle. It will accuse and undermine, and at those times, you resist it by stating and believing in the goodness of your God - in his unwavering love for you - in his total provision for every aspect of your life throught the finished work of the cross. When you spell those things out in clear terms to the enemy of religion by a concerted decision to walk in them, he will flee. He has no comeback. You have blown his cover with the truth. And the lies and accusations will dissipate in the face of truth. That is New Covenant spiritual warfare!Like · · Unfollow post · Promote
- Diona DeHaven Mower and Rachael Wallin like this.
Chris Welch: In the last 2 years I made the discovery that God's glory cannot be revealed until you have paralysed religious spirits. They are not neutral. They BIND THE ALMIGHTY GOD who holds the Universe togther from operating. How can that be. I dunno. Seems incredible doesn't it. But in Nazareth the God of the universe in human form couldn't do a single thing because of their unbelief.
6 minutes ago · Like · 1
Rachael Wallin: Oh....so right on from my own experience with religion. It binds !!! Thank you for posting. I wish you had a share.button. So many have been hurt by religious spirits. Alot of wounded people out there....Thanks.
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