Superstar
I think it is true that in our day there is a growing number of pastors, authors, & other ministries that either unwantingly receive "fan worship" or those who shoot for it & enjoy it well. I am not of the masses who clamor for Joel Osteen but I can find myself being more inspired or pumped up by some of my favorite pastors & authors than I am the Word or Christ Himself at times. Perhaps it is an unguarded infiltration of American Hollywood celebrity that sneaks into our own lives at times.
I'm even guilty of it in having this blog. I found myself at some point along the way writing in hopes for comments that would in turn boost my ego that people were reading or listening to me, even sometimes folks I didn't know, for the sake of the feeling that gave me. I didn't pray or really even consider what I was writing, if it was already said better somewhere else, or if I was even honoring Christ in the words written & the heart behind the keyboard. That caused me to step back, stop writing for a while, & to begin to just link articles or things that built up the body or glorified Christ that others had written already. That way, even if 100 people talked about that post, it meant nothing to me because it was someone elses & if those who come across this site can come across things that teach, admonish, encourage, or open someones eyes, I can justify the few minutes it takes to point others towards something edifying. And when I feel the freedom to write something myself once every 6 months or so, I can now discern more clearly my motivation for doing so. I am glad I can enjoy many, many fruitful insights from others, so please don't hear me saying blogs are bad or wrong.
Everyone wants to be liked, to be important, to feel like part of something bigger than themselves, to connect, & I think that has led to those who both follow a cult of personality & to those who crave & seek it out fame &/or fortune, all in the name of Jesus. Danny Akin preached a strong message about this very thing in January. I'd encourage you to read his manuscript or listen to the sermon itself. The outline is below is an attempt to lure you to listen or read it to help you combat your desire for or celebration of "Celebrity Christianity": listen / read
When God Does His Most Perfect Work
2 Corinthians 12:1-10
I. Spiritual maturity teaches us the wisdom of consistency. 12:1-6
1) Boasting about a personal experience from God is foolish. 12:1-5
2) Setting a public example for God is wise. 12:6
II. Personal difficulty guides us to the wisdom of dependency. 12:7-9
1) See God’s purpose. 12:7
2) Seek God in prayer. 12:8
3) Submit to God’s plan. 12:9
4) Speak of God’s power. 12:9
III. Supernatural sufficiency drives us to the wisdom of humility. 12:10
1) Serve for Christ’s sake.
2) Serve in Christ’s strength.
