A little less than a year ago I reflected on the “Evolution” of Christian Hip Hop saying the “content is rich, God Glorifying, Christ Honoring, Scripture-Saturated, Theologically Driven, and Gospel-Centered… there seems to be a movement (in Evangelicalism) that encompasses these major criteria: obsession for the glory of God in all things, gospel-centeredness, Local Church Primacy, and Missional living.” This is exactly how I would describe Matt Papa’s new album This Changes Everything, though he sings this message through a different genre (Although Shai Linne is featured on the album). A friend of mine (I am no music expert nor do I have any musical gifting) describes Papa’s music as “as a blend of contemporary, rock, and folk, seasoned with hymnody.”
Matt is obviously a talented musician. But there is a lot of Christian music that is enjoyable to listen to, and yet some tends be shallow and lacking theological depth. In contrast, Matt’s lyrics engage the deep truths about God and His gospel. A lot of Christian worship focuses on God, but it does so in an abstract way such that a Jew or Muslim could sing the songs in good conscience. Matt’s music, however, is distinctively Christian in that it is Gospel-Focused and Christ exalting.
Matt’s album will draw you to worship. In this album you will be able to meditate on the Gospel. He will not shy away from man’s fallen condition, but he will point to the grace of the Gospel, pointing out that our “Lord is a Warrior” (Track 10 – The Lord is a Warrior feat. Shai Linne) who overcomes and “the ancient foe is laid to rest” (Track 11 – O Fount of Love). This victory now allows us “who were once slaves by birth” (O Fount of Love) to be “Sons and Daughters.”
Matt does not just leave the hearer with these great truths, but seeks to move us from hearers to doers. One major distinctive about Matt’s music in this album and previous ones is his commitment to the Nations. Several tracks on this album focus on the Great Commission. Matt appeals to us to be Great Commission Christians through the Scriptures and the Gospel, even addressing the idea of “calling.” Matt writes, “He says Go, take the news to every nation, we say no, you know I just don’t feel called… What are we waiting for a message in the sky, a miracle, a sign from up above, is not His word enough…if He is Lord then what are we waiting for” (Track 6 – What are We Waiting for). With the title track, he seeks to draw us away from practical atheism to a heart for the Nations, “Do I really live, like “Jesus is alive”? If this is true, this changes everything, if this is real, I’ve got to tell the world”
And he reminds us that we do this with confidence, because “It is Finished” (Track 3) –
It is finished
It is done
To the world Salvation comes
Hallelujah, We’re alive
Hell was silenced when You cried
It is Finished
It is done
Now completed, the work of Love
Hallelujah, He’s alive
Join the song of the ransomed Bride
It is Finished.
ORDERING INFO – with Special Pre-order packages
Matt Papa’s Explanation of the Album Title:
“My prayer for you is that as these songs bring you into collision with the greatest, most central reality in the universe, namely the Gospel, that a Copernican revolution would be unleashed in your life. All of us come into this world bent on believing that we are at the center. But we’re not. There is, however, a Reality holding steady at the center of it all, beckoning us to open our eyes and see what we were made for. His name is Jesus. And He is the center. He will not be a part of your life, one of the many orbiting obligations around you. He will be your life; the star you revolve around or nothing at all. The tomb is empty and He is Lord. This changes everything.”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka12L9Lujvw[/youtube]