Kanye, MJ, Oprah, and You
Like the rest of the world, I have been a keen observer in Kanye West’s latest proclamation of faith, particularly as he released his first Christian Album, Jesus is King. His music has never been my cup of tea, but with newfound faith, he has my attention. Many are singing his praises, while others are taking the “wait and see” approach. I know we serve a great God who can save Kanye as much as he can save any of us. With that approach I pray for fruit from Kanye’s latest album, and pray for his growth and sanctification as he now has a platform that very few in the world could proclaim. God can certainly do big things through this. No matter where Kanye ends up, God’s Word never returns void, and regardless of where it all stands a year, or ten years from now, God is working. The Gospel is always working.
When I heard the news and previewed the album, I again thought to myself, “Man, what God could do through the celebrity of someone like Kanye West.” Many others shared the same thoughts. Often times I’ve mused, “Just imagine if Michael Jordan was a sold out Christian. Or, what if Oprah completely used her platform to point people to Jesus?” My intentions aren’t even to speculate on the status of their faith as I simply do not know their standing. I can only guess. Yet, we all think that. The same goes with Kanye. What might God do through him? What if? It would be easy, in the case of Kanye, to be skeptical. I’m choosing to be prayerful.
While God can surely do amazing things through celebrities who turn their lives over to God, all of the “ifs” we pose kind of bother me. First of all, we must all recognize that God doesn’t need Kanye. But what about Oprah? And Micheal Jordan. Or any celebrity. Not to say that God can’t and won’t use them. We can think of many Christian celebrities and athletes that God has used, and is using. It’s not a question of can God. The question is, does God need them? God doesn’t need anyone. He’s God! I’m thankful in our need for Him, that He wants us. He desires to use us. Do you realize that God can change the world just as much through you, as he can through the next A-lister who comes to faith?
In our obsession with celebrity, and our misunderstanding of our own call from lostness, we easily miss the bigger picture. God can save Kanye as much as he can save you. We were all as lost as lost can be! In God’s sovereignty, we pray for Him to miraculously awake sinners, like you, me, and Kanye, from a depraved state.
However, we still easily get too focused on which big name might God transform into the next Bono Billy Graham. What about you? What has God called you to do? Remember those first twelve disciples? None of them were particularly popular, nor celebrities, yet the world was turned upside down by their faithfulness to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). The power of a disciple, sharing with another, then multiplying themselves in that person, is actually God’s plan to build His kingdom. I praise God for the masses being reached through evangelists and Christian celebrities, but that should never suffice for God’s instructions to us as individual believers. Paul instructed Timothy, who would teach reliable men, who would teach others (2 Timothy 2:2). When we think, only “if,” we put limits on God.
In the 90’s there was a great song by Kathy Troccoli, written by Chris Rice, entitled “Go Light Your World.” In the song, you and I are commissioned to “carry our candle into the dark.” You. Not Kanye. Not MJ. Not Oprah. God wants to take the light of the Gospel into the darkness, through YOU (Matthew 5:13-16)! He wants to make disciples of all nations, through YOU! He wants you to love your neighbor as yourself. God desires to transform the world through Christ followers whom he lives in, who take His commission to heart. And God is not limited to how big their bank account is, how many followers they have, or how many albums they have sold.
I get really excited when a celebrity comes to know Jesus. Wow, can God use those miraculous transformations! I pray for it to happen, and love it when it does. Do you know what I get even more excited about? When a believer grasps Jesus’ commission to make disciples! That, my friend, will change the world. It did. It will. It does. No ifs, ands, or buts about it!
