In recent years, as the cultural status of so called “Christian Institutions” have begun to wane, Christianity has been relegated to the status of subculture. This has led to a series of fascinating, or disturbing, developments.
Clever entrepreneur’s created Christian knock-offs of everything from pop music to breath mints.
Then there came the rise of celebrity writers, preachers and (numerically successful) church planters.
Within that, developed the multisite model, where camera-friendly preachers led revivals on TV screens across cities and often states.
It’s easy to criticize celebrity Christians. All it takes is a cursory reading of, say, the Beatitudes to realize that Jesus followers shouldn’t aim for fame.
Moreover, as any former child star will tell you, celebrity opens you up to some confusing and dangerous opportunities.
But I try not to criticize celebrity Christians. Because I used to work with one.
This guy knew his Bible and loved Jesus. I could see that he modeled his public persona on Paul’s description of Christ as he took “the very nature of a servant … [and] humbled himself.”
While I definitely have my misgivings with the “industry” that this person participates in, I still hope that I can be like him. While I have no grand notions of achieving his level of fame, I hope to handle any success with as much humility and class as he does.
I watched him well and learned the following eight lessons.
1. Start with prayer.
Every time I interacted with this man publicly or heard him speak, he began with prayer. This was often a short, unpretentious, memorized verse or two from scripture.
It became clear with time that this was how he approached life, asking God to shine through despite whatever status he held in the eyes of others.
2. Focus on grace.
The reason this man became famous was by talking about grace. In fact, he seemed a bit obsessed with it. Not in a Martin Luther had OCD kind of way, but as a true “product evangelist” who believes that one thing he has to offer can really make others’ lives better.
Grace, by its nature, is undeserved. It comes from God, but in some strange way it is mitigated by men. He seemed determined to make sure that since people wanted to listen to him, they would know that God loves them and forgives them.
3. Be available.
Despite this man’s celebrity, he stood in the foyer and shook hands for hours every Sunday.
He could have been whisked away by Secret Service agents, but chose to look people in the eye, not just from the stage.
