KANYE WEST NEW ALBUM

Wikipedia describes Kanye Omari West as an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur, and fashion designer. His music has spanned a broad range of styles, incorporating an eclectic range of influences including hip hop, soul, baroque pop, electro, indie rock, synth-pop, industrial, and gospel.

Andrew R. Chow, analysing Kanye's new album, writes the following: “The most beautiful thoughts are always besides the darkest,” Kanye West said last year on Ye‘s opening track “I Thought About Killing You.” The line essentially sums up West’s career: he’s consistently excelled while wrestling with dualities - of faith versus temptation, high art and smut, love and heartbreak. Chow sums up, in my opinion, by saying that the gospel music influences and in this album with almost exclusively religious material, West promises reinvention and re-invigoration in the wake of a troubled few years.

Jesus Is King is his opportunity to turn the other cheek as a chastened and reformed preacher for the hip hop age.

Kanye West new album, in fact, it rocketed to number one almost immediately. We all know that Kanye West is one of the biggest rap hip hop stars in the universe, one might say. I mean, this man has amazing influence that goes beyond the music world.

I must be completely honest to say that when I heard about it, I had mixed feelings.

On one of the sides of a coin, I have to admit and agree that this is phenomenal, in fact, it is absolutely amazing and encouraging to see such a global "star", especially in the music world, to identify with the fact that Jesus is King, and that’s something that should be recognized.

In fact, it has had quite an impact across the countries, different rallies, different meetings, and, in a way, the Word of God, has gone out to the world. That is such a powerful thing. I really hope that it doesn't stop there, because of the recognition that the name and Jesus as the King.

But, here, is where the other side of the coin comes in. When we really see what the Bible has in mind, it goes beyond just the recognition of Christ as King, that there has to be more, more than just the recognition. There really has to be a changed life in a changed perspective that goes along with that recognition.

Recognizing “Jesus is King” is a great step for anyone striving to obey God.

This reminds me of the biblical passages that we find in the books of 1 John chapter 2. This section of Scripture talks about what goes beyond just the mere recognition that Jesus is King.

1 John 2:3, "We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands."

True Christian faith results in loving behaviour; the way we act can give us assurance that we recognise Jesus as King.

This change of behaviour sets up the way we now start to look at this world. In fact, a little later in verse six, it says, "Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did".

To 'walk as Jesus did' or living as Christ did doesn't mean choosing 12 disciples, performing great miracles and being crucified. Surely, we cannot merely copy Christ's life - much of what Jesus did had to do with His identity as God's Son, the fulfilment of His special role of dying for sin and the cultural context of the first century Roman world. To walk today as Christ did we must obey His teachings and follow His example of complete obedience to God and loving service to people.

To proclaim Jesus as King in our life, we have to walk as Jesus walked, and that’s a past tense statement. Looking back to the way Jesus lived his life. How did He talk? How did He walk? How did He live? How did He worship? When did He worship? You see, all of those questions come to mind.

So if we declare Jesus as King in our life, we have to recognize that and live our life and worship God in spirit and truth as we proclaim Jesus is King. So let’s be sure that’s exactly what we’re doing when we say those words.

Consulting material:

Wikipedia

Article by Andrew R. Chow, TIME, October 28, 2019

NIV Study Bible