One of Gibbons’ last entry on her blog www.randomnesssignedgibbons.blogspot.com made my spirit smile much. Why? Simply because I am a nerd. The topic was actually not funny but it was like walking on a road and see the sign “Dig down here you can find neat things”. I like when people throw ideas at me that make me think.
She talked about the fact that we Christians, are just like unbelievers when it comes to popularity. Here I quote her:
I've observed the power of these fads in the Christian community. Every few years or months, there will be some huge new book that everyone needs to read (e.g. The Prayer of Jabez), or some new idea that everyone is talking about (e.g. the emerging church), a movie we should all support (e.g. Narnia) or all boycott (e.g. Brokeback Mountain), or a new worship song we hafta sing (e.g. Blessed Be Your Name). What is with these mass infatuations with popular things? Should the body of Christ really "lemming" (v.) after its media, just like the world does?
I ask myself the question, “Is it a bad thing in itself?” Very often, I am prone to think that anything that originates from unbelievers is bad, we as Christians should not try to have our own “spiritual” version of, let’s say, Canadian Idol, whatever talk show on TV or the like (I really have a hard time putting my thoughts into words I am sorry). But I don’t think that this thinking of mine is good. I think that it is a big mistake to think that God works through His people only and never uses unbelievers to bring good stuff that Christians should use, God’s Spirit is at work, not only among Christians, but in all the world.
So as I reflect on Gibbons’ thoughts I wonder if using the “unbelievers’” way of celebrating great gifts to the world (such as artists and the like) is bad.
I think that our purpose must be different that the unsaved people. We don’t run after “Christian celebrities” to touch them, but to hear their wisdom or worship with them. We don’t buy the last “Christian best seller” because it’s famous, but because it will help us in our understanding of our Christian walk. We don’t participate in big conferences because we’ll see famous people, but because we want to grow and be challenged. Our purpose must be different, it must be godly.
Now what is sad is that many of us Christians, run after these big events, buy the last popular Christian thing that is out in the book store, for the same reasons unbelievers do the same with their non-Christian stuff (that is not wrong all the time). The things like, let’s say, the book “My utmost for His highest” and the movies “Left Behind” and its books, are not bad in themselves. But it’s the “why” we run after them that is important and the “how” we actually “praise” these things. We often turn the gifts that God gives us through His people (music, writing, preaching, etc.) into a worship of people when these things should bring us closer to God, deepen our faith and challenge us to live a radical life of surrender to God.
People who run after celebrities (people or things), to me, are characterized by the desire to be popular themselves, and it’s probably unconscious for most. “If I go to the conference, if I read this famous book, if I buy this popular cd, people will acknowledge me, people will think I’m spiritual, that I am bla bla bla.” We often are wanting to do certain things in order to be able to say “I’ve been to Third Day’s concert”, “I’ve seen Mac Powell with my own eyes!”, “I read this one twice”, “I went to Briercrest for four years”. Isn’t it true? Well, it is true of me. But don’t we see that this is empty? That we are actually trying to be “cool”, that by going with the flow of “Christian big things” we forget God and do it for our own reputation or just because we are so blinded by being so used to follow all that stuff, that we think it’s what it means to follow Christ nowadays?
My sole goal must be to seek Jesus Christ, glorify Him and call people to follow Him. I will follow the big names and the big books because I desire Christ, I want to learn to delight in the simple faith that I find in the prayers of new believers, I want to find joy in the little song for children, I want to delight in little events and use them as much as I can to glorify my God, I want to take the routine and the “normal” day-to-day life to persevere in the faith and grow, even against my flesh. I want to rejoice in the small as in the great.
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