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Fan Says APX "Saved My Life"
Tue., Oct. 20. 2009 5:13pm EDT
In 2001, we did a parody of Papa Roach's "Last Resort" called "Life Restored." The original advocated suicide ("cut my life into pieces -- this is my last resort -- and I'm contemplating suicide") and ours advocates eternal life ("plug my life into Jesus -- this gets my life restored -- and I'm confident I'm doing fine") and focuses on Romans 10:9, which says, "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
This week, we received the following email from a 16-year-old student in North Carolina:Just wanted to thank y'all and let you guys know: you saved my life. Let me explain myself: I grew up in church, but wasn't really a Christian, just 'playing the game', you know, and living outwardly, but not truly converted.
Needless to say, my life looked something like a complete failure. At that point in my life my favorite song was "Last Resort" by Papa Roach. Well, I had heard you guys before and loved the music, but then I started really closely listening to "Life Restored."
For many weeks I struggled with wondering whether I was really saved. then one week when I was praying really hard during Sunday morning worship, I noticed a small child in front of me wearing a shirt that had Romans 10:9 printed on the back. That Sunday, I committed my life to Christ, and I must say that God really did restore my life through you guys. Again, thanks a ton.
Jordan Gray
Garner NC We're both honored and humbled by Jordan's email and God choosing to use one of our parodies. We're well aware that God can choose to use whatever and whomever He wants, and we're immensely blessed when He chooses to use us.
That simple little Papa Roach parody has had some amazing effects (and anything good that happens with our tunes is attributed to the Holy Spirit and not to our persuasive speech) over the years. Here are two other examples:
A Jewish 20-something guy in Philadelphia became a Christian several years ago and became a huge fan of ours, and he gives the credit to God working through that song. He told us he is actually teased on the job for being such a big ApologetiX fan (they're not snobs; they just make fun of Christian music) and he recently finally confessed his faith to his very Jewish mother. We've met him at a number of concerts since then, although I haven't seen him in a while.
Another 20-something girl we met came to our concert in Nashville several years ago because her Christian Chick-Fil-A boss wanted her to. We assumed she was a Christian, and a mild-mannered one at that. Well, that night, we opened with "Life Restored," which is not the norm. And we gave the salvation message at the end, which IS the norm. We found out from her boss the next day (He called us in tears) that she had given her life to Christ and said it was the Papa Roach parody that did it for her.
She emailed us herself and told us how she was from a Christian home but had always wanted nothing to do with Christianity and had heard the sinner's prayer many times before but refused to pray it until that night. She said she used to "contemplate suicide" while listening to Papa Roach's singer saying he was "contemplating suicide." She was so excited that she went and told her other friends, and she was shocked that some of them weren't more excited for her.
Isn't it amazing how God could use the same song as He saved both a Jewish person and a Gentiles who grew up in Christian homes?
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