The Pursuit of Celebrity
Published: March 18, 2009
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First let me thank many of you for the love and support you’ve shown me as the host of “Lift Every Voice”. It has been a good ride and I’ve gotten to know a lot of people. My position is unique because it bridges the musical and visual worlds. It creates a tremendous platform for God’s glory to permeate the airwaves.
Because God has given me this platform, I feel a growing burden to address a couple of issues that I believe grieves the heart of God. One issue is the pursuit of celebrity in the Gospel Music Industry. Now this is tricky because the bible clearly states that your gifts will make room for you (Prov. 18:16). It is evident that there are individuals who have national and international levels of giftedness that outshines the majority. So you can’t hate on celebrities for being who they are based on their God-given gifts. Nor can you deny that Jesus is the greatest celebrity that ever walked the earth. Jesus had masses following him. He had to find solitude when most people were asleep because of the demand for His gifts. He has the most popular book written about Him in the world. It’s a best seller! Even when you mention His name today, the room becomes silent. So the truth is, there is no greater example of celebrity than Jesus Christ. Yet Philippians 2 gives a stark contrast to what many in our (The Gospel/Christian Music) industry are demonstrating. Essentially, Philippians calls us to a spirit of humility and servanthood.
If I can be quite frank, many of us have had the pursuit of fame and fortune more engraved on our foreheads than what Jesus told us was the greatest commandment…“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). This commandment naturally flows into how we relate to others. All of us have to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:13). The internal battle of unclean motives, desires, ambitions, etc. are real. I’m not suggesting that we stop in our tracks and don’t use our gifts for the Glory of God…. What I am saying is that we need to engraft Matthew 22:37 in the very fibers of our souls. We can’t apply the greatest commandment in our lives and consistently embrace a life-style of pride, self-promotion, lust, greed, etc. All these pursuits create a major gap between us and the ONE we claim to love.
What I find most concerning is that the one’s who seemingly are caught up the most are not the “big name artists” that you know… (which is probably why they have the platform they do)... but those who are trying to attain a certain level that speaks of success in their own minds. Success in God’s eyes could be you being a faithful example in your choir… and that’s it! The truth is as we show ourselves faithful in one area… God progressively increases us because we have demonstrated a realm of trustworthiness.
Concerning some of the “big names” in the industry who may be caught up…. it’s not for me to say… What I do know is that it clear who is consistently spending time with the “God of the work” vs. being consumed with “...the work of God”. Do you know one of the scariest things for believers is to labor your entire life in the name of the Lord and on the day when your works will be tested (1 Corinthians 3:9-15) to hear him say, “...I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:23)
YIKES!
We have to KNOW him people…. that means get intimately involved with Him. Our music, lyrics, poems, or whatever God has gifted us with should be the fruit of intimacy with Him. In “knowing Him”, the resources, wisdom, business savvy, etc. will be revealed in our day-to-day dealings. In actuality, He wants to reveal Himself in every detail of our lives. There’s a new sound God is releasing from heaven to those who long to KNOW Him. Jesus wants us to be preoccupied with knowing Him, not just the business of entertainment. People look for entertainment to escape their troubles but we have the opportunity to create an environment where they don’t just escape but become transformed. Fame and fortune can be by-products of our gifts but it cannot be the driving force.
I believe that God is doing a purging in the industry right now. Mark my words, there are new voices emerging on the scene that get it. And the existing voices are either making adjustments as yielded vessels to the Holy Spirit (which is how are to constantly be) or they are being silenced. Spiritual warfare has heightened because the Devil’s days are numbered. Because music impacts climates—-atmospheres—-the enemy will try to get God’s soldiers in that section of His army out of line. We, who have direct assignments to the airwaves, must be in sync with the LORD OF HOSTS (Armies) and obey his commands. As we do so, we empower the rest of the body to execute the kingdom of God in the earth as it is in heaven.
The New Living Translation states in Phillippians 2:13, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” I love this verse because when you reflect on it, there’s no pressure in trying to perform. The emphasis is on yielding to the DESIRE and POWER to do what pleases God. Again, in our persistent pursuit of knowing Him, the Lord imparts to us these desires and abilities.
I say this because we do have a responsibility to be good stewards with our gifts. If you are creating a product, it would be in your best interest to “count the costs” that will help market that product and make it successful. There must be a plan or strategy for success. Some of you are possibly called to be celebrities at one level or another. Some of you already are in the context of how our society defines celebrity.
I urge you to be excellent! Produce the best product you can! And most importantly, love God and love the people God sends your way or sends you to.
Copyright © 2012 you129 & Gerard Henry. All rights reserved.
