“EMERGENCY BY RED“
In this article, I’d really like to tackle the song titled, “Emergency,” by the band Red on their most recent album released back in September, “Rated R”. And by tackle, what I mean is I want to share some thoughts on why I feel this song is so important.
If you haven’t already listened to this song, even if you do not tend to lean towards harder rock music, I highly recommend you at least give this song a chance if not just for the lyrics themselves.
What this song does is it embodies the very urgent sense of needing God that every Christian needs to have at the center of their faith life.
STRONG SENSE OF LONGING FOR GOD
“I’m in my head again, without you I have nothing left.” Their lyrics are raw, honest, and truly commensurate with the longing the Christ-follower has with acknowledging their need for intimacy with their Creator.
How often do we feel longing for God in our lives? How often do we search our heart for the thanksgiving over another breath in our lungs, the taste of food in our mouth, our family and friends, or even just the gift of being able to pray? How often do we find in ourselves the feeling of urgency that God’s presence would be even closer to us?
REMINDER THAT WE’RE OKAY BECAUSE OF JESUS
“Rescue me, I want to feel and breathe again. All I want is to live and love again, love again! I need you!”
How often do we turn inside of ourselves and realize the only voice that’s really screaming is ours needing God to remind us that we’re okay? And we are okay… because He already overcame the world (John 16:33). Without God we do not have life, hope, or love.
“I’m in a nightmare, the fear is haunting deep inside. I’m a ghost, I’m erased—can you see me? Can you see me?! Stay with me!” The crying out for God’s nearness and acknowledgment that we’re even still alive can sometimes feel terrifying for many of us who feel stuck in adversity, a challenge, a spiritual attack, or even just a moment of doubt when life feels hopelessly without light.
THE REMINDER WE ALL NEED
What I love about this song are the lyrics calling out our need for God, and the musical crescendo and climax thickened with heavy bass and the ever-quickening drumroll finalizing with the word, “Emergency!” We’re being reminded, as though the song itself is a screaming, blazing fire, of just how much we need God to lead us through the dark; to take us out of our strife, our worries, and out of ourselves.
We need the Holy Spirit’s constantly reminder that it’s because we have salvation in Christ that we have nothing to worry about—to fear not, and continue through life in faith; being a witness to others, loving God first, and loving our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:30-31). Life, with all the peace and joy that comes with faith in Jesus Christ, is an emergency.
BELIEF THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING
We are here like a vapor, soon to pass on to eternity (James 4:14). The way we live here (based on what we believe in our heart) determines which eternity we land in. It cannot be overstated just how important it is that we understand our beliefs more firmly than anything else about us. Our beliefs change who we are, but faith in Jesus Christ changes not only our heart, but our eternity.
THERE ARE MANY LOST SOULS
It’s critical that we don’t shrug off eternity and God’s grace through the work of the Holy Spirit, that we talk about it and refuse to push it into the dark noise of the world. The world will feed us more attractions to lust over and choke on—it will never feed us the bread of life, who is Jesus (John 6:35). This song is a perfect reminder, in an extremely relevant fashion (intense, dramatic and heavy), that as Christians, we cannot let go the fact that there are so many lost souls. 2 Timothy 4:2 reminds us to be prepared in every season:
(NIV Version)
“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.”
ALL THAT REALLY MATTERS
It’s not an option! It’s a command in the name of Jesus’s mission to all His followers to evangelize, and to be prepared to do. Not everyone needs the same type of evangelism, let the Holy Spirit guide each of us accordingly. But the point is that it’s an emergency that our faith take such deep root that nothing else matters as much as what each person believes about Jesus Christ.
ONE AND ONLY ONE PATH TO TAKE TO GOD
Many people believe everyone’s subjective belief leads to the same God. But Jesus said He is the only way, truth, and life, and that no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). It’s impossible to misinterpret that verse because it’s that explicit. There isn’t another way through Buddha, Allah, or Pantheism. Being a so-called “good person” isn’t a way to God, either. Being generous with finances isn’t a way to the Lord. Being kind to people isn’t a way. There aren’t many paths to take, just one: Jesus Christ as Lord over our lives. Don’t be fooled!
HOW WE SEE JESUS WILL CHANGE WHICH LOCATION IN ETERNITY WE’RE IN
The devil is at work in every single person’s life who wants to believe there is any other way to God except through Jesus Christ. There is literally no other way to get to God in heaven. There is no chance any of us will see the pearly gates of heaven, meet the saints who have already passed, see God or Christ or any other thing written in the Bible without faith in Jesus—and not just as a rabbi, not as a nice guy, not just as a prophet—but as Savior and Messiah. When He rose from the dead He took our wages of sin away; His sacrifice either paid for our sins, or we still have to. We’re all free to either live a life of love, gratitude and peace through faith in Jesus, or experience the wages of sin for all eternity without faith. God has granted us a way out of the latter, but if we don’t receive it, we aren’t saved from hell.
WE’RE HERE FOR GOD, BECAUSE OF GOD
Red’s song is such a powerful reminder. We need to keep it close to heart that God doesn’t take lightly those who just live their lives spiritually blind. The reason we’re on this earth isn’t to please ourselves and pursue happiness in worldly things. We’re here to accept that we’re sinners in need of salvation, receive Jesus as Lord through faith, seek God’s kingdom above all else, and live for Him and through Him as we enter eternity. Hell awaits everyone else. It’s as simple as that. God is a God of love, but He’s also a God of righteousness. Do we understand how pivotal it is to realize God is not just love, but that He is just?
GOD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
For every single person who’s ever wronged us with sin of their own, the same part of us that wants them to pay for their crime is the same part of God that makes Him a God of righteousness. He will ultimately carry out vengeance on every sin not repented of in Jesus’s name for all eternity in the afterlife. However, we would be better of praying for every person who’s wronged us to repent and turn to Jesus, rather than that they go to hell. Is this not important as a Christian to grasp, spiritually?
LEARN TO PRAY FOR OUR ENEMY’S SALVATION
If we understood the gravity of just how terrible hell really is, we wouldn’t want it for anyone. Instead, as we receive a heart of flesh and grow into our love of Christ, what we learn to want is for those people to live different lives and never be the same again. It’s something of a spiritual emergency that we learn to think and pray this way, because extending the unrighteous judgment by which we judge others, we will be judged (Matthew 7:1-3) righteously.
We’re better off turning to the Bible and praying for God to soften our hearts to help us heal and forgive every wrongdoer in our life, asking Him that they repent and turn to Him also—so that we don’t live in judgment and bitterness, and so that our trespasser doesn’t go to hell!
We all need to receive salvation in Christ, just like we all need to stop trying to play God and start asking God to help those who don’t have Jesus to receive Him. How many more lives could be saved by someone turning to Christ and being a brother-in-Christ instead of our enemy?
START LETTING GO OF THE WORLD SO YOU CAN GRAB ONTO JESUS
This manner of thinking is more urgent than some of us are comprehending. Christianity isn’t an easy religion, it’s a fulfilling lifestyle. It’s an uncompromising faith that requires us to stop trying to do life our way and presses us to start letting go. We have to let go of this world, all our emotional attachments to the things that will die here anyway, so we can hang onto Jesus and all the desires God has for us and our lives. We have to surrender our desires so we can put on Christ and live a new life.
EMERGENCY!
There is no other way to God but through Jesus, and we can’t have Him and have the world. We have to make a choice, and it’s the most critical, important choice we could ever make in our entire existence. And we need to make it now because time is running out. Jesus could come back at any moment. It’s time to put the things we’ve held onto up to now aside, and let Jesus lead the way.
It’s an emergency.
PRAYER FOR US ALL
Lord God, hallowed be Your name. We want Your ways to move us in our lives, and not our ways. Forgive us for our flawed way of thinking, and for the sins we’ve carried all this time. We repent of those sins to You now, and ask that You place peace in our hearts. We ask that You help us find the forgiveness for those who have wronged us, and the courage to ask You to also soften their hearts to seek repentance in the name of Your Son, Jesus.
We want to give the rest of our lives to You. Let us not be blinded by the enemy, or thrown off by the temptation to live the way the world lives. Put boldness in our hearts as we pursue You and as we leave behind our old lives. Thank You for always being true and good, and for leading us through our darkest valleys into the brightest of lights, Your Son. We ask this in the perfect and almighty name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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Photo by camilo jimenez on Unsplash
