The word “celebrity” does not exist in God’s kingdom. And shouldn’t exist in his church.
If the kingdom is the place where God dwells in eternal purity and power, the church is the community of imperfect people he gathers together on earth for a purpose. That purpose is to give him glory. Included in that purpose comes lots of other things, including evangelism, healing, discipling, teaching, community and so on. But everything God does has the ultimate goal of bringing himself glory.
That is why the Bible is so unbending on the subject of idolatry. Idolatry takes the glory belonging to God alone and gives it to someone or something else.
And this takes us back to the issue of celebrities. Celebrity status is built on the cultivation of image. Without an image, you cannot be a celebrity. Image is a carefully-concocted message about a person that he or she is something special, something others should want to be. Image elevates some people above others. It makes them celebrities.
Lately we’ve been hearing about people falling away from the Lord. Most of these folk are being described as “celebrity Christians.” If an oxymoron is a joining together of two totally contradictory terms, this phrase has got to take the cake.
The Bible teaches pretty clearly that Christians are people who take on the image of Christ. His image smashes all others. Idolatry is all about images. So whenever we put a professing Christian on a pedestal, whenever we wish we were like them because of the image they project, whenever we buy into that type of culture, we are bringing idolatry into the church. God will tolerate many things in the process of sanctifying us, but he will not share his glory with another.
Celebrity preachers inevitably fall. Celebrity worship leaders follow close behind. Such people fall because of pride. They have deluded themselves into believing that their gift, which had nothing to do with themselves in the first place, made them something special.
I grieve whenever a brother or sister falls. Such occasions are not the time to take pot shots at the church or movement they were part of. All of us are guilty. But let’s make these sad occasions into learning opportunities.
Don’t be part of a Christian culture that features or honours celebrities. Get out while the going is good. I have known a number of spiritual fathers who have exercised enormous authority and influence around the world, but who have never sought to project or develop an image other than being a follower of Jesus. They don’t fly private jets, they don’t own expensive clothes, they don’t live in mansions, they are available to talk to ordinary people, and they don’t always sit in the front row.
Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones was arguably the best known preacher and pastor in England. Yet even in his latter days he was giving his time to teenagers eager to learn from his lifetime of wisdom. I know that, because I knew a couple of them who used to go up to London and visit him at his home. My guess is that if you ever sat down with Billy Graham, you would have felt that above all he was just another brother in Christ.
I am sick of celebrity culture in the church. It will only lead to more and more trouble and a terrible witness to the Lord.
Let’s throw celebrity culture out of the church. Let’s fight to bring in kingdom culture instead.
There is only one celebrity in the kingdom of God.
His name is Jesus.
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Foundation of Faith Project is strengthening generations in faith and bringing beautiful changes to the communities around them. Through teaching, mentoring and coaching, many are finding out who they are and who they are destined to be. They are bringing more to their world. David Campbell is the key leader in this initiative and you can support him financially directly through Awakening Ministries.
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