The Petra Zone

So, I am doing some research, for my own benefit, as to what the Bible says music ought to be. Obviously, it doesn't say much. There is alot left to interpretation and culture.

While researching, I found some ignorant bafoons online with some anti-CCM blogs. They were smart in that they disabled their comments options. One of the guys misused scripture saying that people cannot get saved at a CCM concert, because of four reasons. One of them was that there was no preacher present at the show. They said people only get saved by hearing a preacher. What a dumbmule!

I read a statistic. It said that atleast 85% of the decisions made by people about God, are made privately, not in a public church forum. I don't know about the survey, but I am going to get it.

They did make a point that I agree with, that many of these young bands have no more bible or witnessing skills than a babe, so it can lead to dangerous, if not misleading practices. I see this with TV preachers as well, asking people to repeat a "sinner's prayer" (show me that in scripture) that includes all kinds of "I believe in this, that and the other" which the pastor has not informed them of, they have not read about in scripture during that program, so it makes them start off with stating a lie about what they say they beileve. It isn't really believing and trusting through faith at that point. They don't KNOW about the resurrection at that point. All they know is that they have a big hole in their soul that the world won't fit in.

So, who here accepted Christ as a result of a CCM concert, in private, or in a public venue?

I was very young...I was 13, and there was so much I didn't know, but I was baptized at church. Petra and other bands have been a source of encouragement to me over the years though, and that's probably part of the reason I didn't end up deciding Christianity was a bunch of nonsense. I didn't get a lot of encouragement from the church I grew up in...They believed you had to go to their church to be saved, put too much emphasis on parking your rear in church on Sunday and not enough on what it was to be a Christian the rest of the time, and they had a real lack of love for anyone not in their "social club." Needless to say I got out of that atmosphere as soon as I was old enough.

I could make this a long story, but to make it short:

I grew up going to church, and knew all about Jesus, but didn't know him. I fell away when I went to college.

I finally let Jesus into my heart at the altar call at a Petra concert in fall 1997!

It wasn't necessarily the music, as I had actually been to a few other Petra concerts before then just because I liked their music... It was something John said when he was speaking that finally reached me. (I don't remember what it was, sorry!)

Now you all know one of the reasons why Petra is so special to me.

Jen

I was saved through the Awana program at my church in the year This Means War.

I credit Christian Music, and Petra in particular, with convicting me. Being raised Catholic, I wasn't aware that I needed "saving", that something was missing from my life until I started listening to Petra. However, the ultimate moment of decision came in private, alone at home.

I was in ICU after taking a bottle of pills and my heart stoping 3 times. There was an old man across from me fighting with what little strngth he had to live.
There I was 20 and trying with what little I had to die. It didnt make sence to me. I said " Jesus if you love like some say make me want to live." Then with no bells or singing I just felt kinda warm inside and very stupid as well. So I asked Jesus to live in my heart and teach me to be a follower of Him.
I was not raised in chuech my any streach, I had never been were I had herd what I was to say or ask. Just said what was on my heart and that was good enough fo The Lord so it is good enough for me too.
He knows what is in our hearts better than we do. Sometimes He uses people sometimes not. I am very learry of thoese who say it has to be this way or that way. God meets us were we are at, not were people say He has to meet us.