Streetlights

In The Beginning

moralone — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:30:20 +0000

written by Paul Barger

There is a lot that can be said about the first chapter of Genesis. This first chapter of the Bible is so packed with great stuff that if I tried to cover every point, I would be writing blog posts for days! So instead of trying to say everything that can be said, I’m going to touch on just a few obvious things. If you work slowly through this first chapter of Genesis, you will notice that it has a lot to say about God. It has something to say about the way he created this world. And it has something to say to you and me about who we are.

What does the first chapter of Genesis say about God? Well, it begins by saying that he is the creator of everything. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Gen. 1:1) It also says he created it by the power of his word. He spoke, and his words were so power that amazing things started to happen. “Then God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” (Gen 1:3) Water, sky, land, seas, plants, trees, sun, moon, stars, and all kinds of creatures, God created them by his powerful word. And if it wasn’t enough to say that God created them with his words, we also notice that he created them out of nothing. Have you ever tried to create something out of nothing? It’s incredibly hard to do! When there was nothing, God spoke light in the midst of darkness, land in the midst of sea, air in the midst of water. Genesis 1 is all about our God who can take an empty place, an unproductive and uninhabitable earth, and shaped this uninhabitable world into a beautiful home, filled with good things. This first chapter of Genesis gives us a picture of a powerful creator, who can take anything or nothing, and create something good out of it. It gives us a picture of the one who is responsible for all that is. It is his creation. He is the author and the owner of it all.

This first chapter also tells us something about how God creates things. In the first 25 verses, we are told six times that God looks at his creative work and reviews it. He concludes that his work is “good”. After creating mankind, God looks over everything that he created and calls it all “very good”. We should see a picture in this first chapter of our God who creates, and when he creates, he creates everything very good. In this chapter, this word, “good”, tells us that it was perfect. God was pleased with it. It was just as he wanted it to be.

This chapter finally tells us something about ourselves. It shows us that we are created things. We are not God. We are his creation. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Gen. 1:27) He made us. The fact that he creates us means he has creator rights over all of us, and everything that exists!

If you’ve stuck with me this far, then you’re probably asking yourself: “Paul, thank you for pointing out the obvious to me! I didn’t need your blog post to point all this out to me. Are you at least going to tell me why this matters?” Let me simply give you a few questions to reflect on that revolve around these three pictures.

First, if God created you and this world, who gets to say how you live and how you treat other created things? Who are you? Are you living like you’re the creator or the creation? Or think about this question: What do you think will happen if you continue

to live like you are the creator? What would you expect if you decide to name yourself the creator and live in opposition to your God who creates good things, who brings life? Read Genesis 2 & 3! You’ll see it doesn’t turn out good! Those are just a few things to think about.

Finally, let me try to address something else that might be floating around in the back of your mind. If you’ve ever stepped out your front door, it won’t take you very long to figure out that the world described in these verses doesn’t quite match current state of the world. It’s far from perfect. Most of us would look at our neighborhoods and wouldn’t conclude that it is good. If we were honest, we would probably even say that we feel far from perfect. So what happened to this world? And how do we get back to this good place? What follows after the first chapter of Genesis is the rebellion and fall of mankind. Sin appears on the scene of this story and begins to wreck havoc on God’s creation. And it has been doing so ever since that day.

But thankfully we read of the one who can bring goodness back. In the first chapter of John’s gospel story, we read of the light that breaks into darkness again. We read of the person who created everything and brings life. We read about the Word of God, who put on human flesh and moved into our jacked up world. He came to die so that others might live again. He came to restore people back to God, to destroy sin and death. And one day he will come again to finally and ultimately bring goodness back, to bring those who believe in him back to perfection, to bring them back to a garden where they will live with him forever. When that happens, it will be very good again. Genesis 1 stands as a reminder to us that God is God and we are not. It is there to remind us that life lived in opposition to our creator is a life that will bring death and not goodness. It is there to make us ask ourselves what happened to that world and how do we get back to this place of goodness and perfection.

The only answer we have to all those questions is the one who the Apostle John calls “the Word”. The one who “came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him.” (Jn. 1:10) The one who is the light that “shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” (Jn. 1:5) The one who “came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” (Jn. 1:1-12)

Read (and listen to!) Genesis 1 & John 1.
You’ll hear more about him there!

Divine DNA on iTunes

moralone — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 20:28:20 +0000

There is now another way to support Streetlights.
Divine DNA is now available for purchase from iTunes for $19.99
All purchases go right back into funding the completion of the Video & Curriculum portions of Divine DNA and the beginning of Volume 2.

We are overwhelmed with the response and support for Divine DNA thus far,
click here to purchase Divine DNA on iTunes.

“Was up with all these names?”

boogalu — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 04:43:17 +0000

“Esteban, was up with all them names in Matthew and Genesis 5? Honestly, they be getting me mad sometimes (as he laughs). What are they in there for?” – Nico

Ahhhh yes, them good ole’ lineage passages – Seemingly meaningless, but be patient. They are BANGERS!

“Man bro, actually there is some major teaching of truth in those. Let’s highlight some of the teaching found in Genesis 5 that are crazy relevant to our lives and today’s culture” – Me

Gen. 5:1 “When God created human beings, he made them to be like himself. ”

POINT 1 – God made us, not anyone else or anything else. This has huge implications (won’t get into all of them right now). AND, he made us like himself – SNAP! – Divinely made. Divinely created. Divinely purposed. Think about what this says about your value in comparison to the lies of evolution/murder/abortion/etc. God gave humans life.

Gen. 5: 2 – He created them male and female, and he blessed them and called them “human.”

POINT 2 – God made two genders for a purpose! Remember, he is the designer. He must have reasons for this. Nico, “Like how marriage works, two people equally important but with different roles – not about one being better than the other (male & female) but having different roles to help one another…” Me, “Exactly.”

Gen. 5:3 - “When Adam was 130 years old, he became the father of a son who was just like him—in his very image. He named his son Seth.”

POINT 3 – Fathers are important – very much so! Adam passed down his God given image, his likeness, his ability to relate with God, his identity as human, not animal. This verse highlights the importance of a fathers’ role in a child.

Gen. 5: 21 When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters.23 Enoch lived 365 years, 24 walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.

POINT 4 - When reading the Bible it’s important to note the “break” in patterns. Here, Enoch is highlighted and the point of his close fellowship with God emphasized through repetition. Man can live closely, intimately with a living God – even hundreds of years after initial creation. Whoa. This also is a foreshadow of what Christ would do for a sinful world – establish a bridge through his divinely given blood for the divinely made, yet fallen creations. Us.

Nico’s response – “Ahhhh, SNAP.”

We went on to listen to Genesis 6, which continued to “treat our lives”. And we briefly just skimmed the surface fam. God is good. Thank him for the lineage passages. Don’t skip ‘em!

- Boogalu

AVAILABLE NOW: Streetlights Volume 1: Divine DNA

moralone — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:13:21 +0000

On Today, this Valentines Day, we give you Divine DNA.
Genesis 1-6
The entire Gospel of John
27 Chapters
2 Hours and 10 minutes
75 Tracks
Featuring 30 different voices from all across the country,
including Propaganda, Odd Thomas and Boogalu of ALERT.
And its scored by some of the finest hip hop producers of today:
Courtland Urbano, Theory Hazit, Odd Thomas, and moral ONE & Boogalu of ALERT.

Although packed with talent from the Humble Beast roster, Streetlights features over 25+ unsung & unheard vocal talent from Chicago, IL. We salute y’all.

Keeping with our Freely Give way of living, Divine DNA is available for free.
Click the link below and download Divine DNA, the first volume in the Streetlights series.

DOWNLOAD DIVINE DNA.

VIDEO: Divine DNA- Available on 2/14/2012

moralone — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:56:30 +0000

yes, you read correctly.
Divine DNA, the first volume in the Streetlights series will be available for FREE download on Tuesday, February 14, 2012 here at StreetlightsBible.com

check back here later in the week where we’ll reveal the producers and artists involved in this volume.

COMING SOON: Streetlights Vol. 1: Divine DNA

moralone — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:00:55 +0000

After months of recording, producing, emailing, editing, mixing, mastering, skype-ing, re-reading and more re-reading; the first Volume in the Streetlights series is ready to be heard!

Volume One: Divine DNA is Genesis 1-6 and the entire Gospel of John.

Due to the massive amount of content and the production involved in creating an Audio Bible- Streetlights will be released in thematic volumes. Divine DNA is our first thematic volume covering the Creation and Fall of man in Genesis 1-6; then Salvation and Redemption in the Gospel of John.

While we’re crazy excited to finally release Divine DNA, we don’t want to give away all the details quite yet. We will say that we did have some talented friends and musicians graciously give their time and talent to this project.

In the next week or so we’ll reveal the projected release date and all who are involved in Divine DNA. So make sure to keep you eyes peel’d here.

Welcome to Streetlightsbible.com

moralone — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 08:20:00 +0000

The Process: Photos

moralone — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 07:42:57 +0000

Here are a handfull of photos taken during the recording process of this first Streetlights project.
It was amazing to see so many different people from all different parts of the country, all different church and denominational families get behind one common purpose: the Word of God.
Again, here is just a small batch of pics from our recording sessions for our first Streetlights project.

Video: The Process – People

admin — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:56:45 +0000

All different faces, voices and people have recorded for Streetlights. As a matter of fact, one of the freshest things about Streetlights is, yes, the people. Being generous in their giving of time and talent, people from all over the country have lent their voices and production skills to push forward God’s Word in this dynamic form. We had the privilege of catching them in real time – reciting the very words that have impacted them deeply in their own lives. Check out the people in process. To Him be the glory.

A New Birth

admin — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:51:09 +0000

written by Jason Pancheau

What does it mean to be born again? After all, Jesus very explicitly states in John 3 that if one is not born again, they cannot see the kingdom of God. Therefore, if one wants to be a part of the kingdom of God, one thing is for sure in this passage, one must be born again. However, this makes us cycle back to the original question, what does it mean to be born again, and how does is happen?

John 3 starts out with Nicodemus approaching Jesus, and interestingly, Nicodemus doesn’t actually ask a question, but there very well could be one implied in his statement, and Jesus picks up on this. Knowing what Nicodemus needs to hear, Jesus responds with a statement, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God.”(John 3:3) The response of Jesus confuses Nicodemus, and his reply is telling of that confusion.

However, Jesus responds again using the language of birth, except this time, he connects it with something else. He says there is a very specific means by which one must be born again. You must be born of water and spirit. What does it mean to be born of water and spirit? This is referring to a spiritual birth, one that cleanses from the sin that stains human hearts. This is a spiritual birth that transforms, renews, and restores the heart. This, of course, is no new idea. In fact Ezekiel 36:25-27 speaks of something strikingly similar, “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.”

Jesus even goes on to explain himself even more in the next verse. He tells Nicodemus that this new birth of water and spirit is not in the grasp of human production. A human giving birth to a human is flesh giving birth to flesh, and sin giving birth to sin. It is the Holy Spirit, not us, that gives new birth, and not only that, but we are incapable of bringing the new spiritual birth to ourselves.

Now you might be wondering how is it the Spirit decides to come and affect people. The clear answer in this text is that a knowledge of such information is simply not your prerogative to know, but it is the Spirits. Just like the wind blows as it wishes, so does the Spirit. The Spirit blows where it wants to blow and we do not know where it comes from or where it is going.

So, what does this mean for us? Well, to be sure, the act of the Spirit filling people and affecting new birth is not an act we have a hand in. We don’t save people, we don’t restore people, and we don’t clean the sinner’s filthy heart… God does. However, we do have a hand in speaking the truth of God’s word and sharing and declaring the gospel so that people know the truth of the gospel. It is God who gives the new heart, God who gives the new birth, God who cleanses from sin, and God who will redeem his church. And by his grace, He has commanded us to be messengers, declaring the death, burial, and resurrection of his Son so that the truth is ready to affect people’s lives if the Spirit decides to blow in their direction.