POPULAR SECULAR ARTISTES GIVE THEIR LIVES TO CHRIST
Our God is mighty to save and no one is beyond saving no matter how deep in the world they have been.
There seems to be a revival amongst celebrities recently and we are here for it. When these celebrities announced their faith in Christ, it provoked all kinds of reactions from Christians, some were sceptical while some jubilated. Christians are often sceptical because it is coming from a person we least expect but
Luke 15:10 says, Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Matthew 9:13
I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
Luke 15:7
Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.
John 8:15
Judge not, that ye be not judged.
Matthew 7:1
Let’s take a look at these popular secular artistes:
1) Kanye West
One of the most shocking conversions was that of Kanye West. His conversion was met with scepticism from the Christian and secular World. Kanye West was one of the major influences in the secular World, influencing people and upcoming artistes. In his album, he once refered himself to as God. He was a controversial secular artiste with his songs filled with explicit content such as hookups, insults, foul languages and sexual encounters, etc… but looking deeply, Kanye always had some connection to the Christian Faith. His first album, “the College Dropout” in 2003 was filled with songs filled with love for Jesus and Jesus’ love for all sinners but Kanye’s rise to fame made him someone different entirely. He became a drunk and sex addict but it seemed Kanye was battling with a lot and realized that life was much more than being a rapper. He didn’t feel fulfilled despite the fame. In 2016, he released another album, “The Life of Pablo”, where he made another attempt discussing about Christianity. One of the tracks in the album talked about God being the light. From this track, a lot of people deduced that Kanye felt some sort of connection to God but was still fighting his demons and had not totally received God.
The new album “Jesus is King” further confimed the deduction that Kanye finally gave in to God and realized that there was a deeper meaning and fulfilment he wanted out of life, which the fame and success couldn’t give him. We didn’t know what happened behind the scenes but we won’t judge. In 2019, in Kanye’s words, “I want to let you know that I am not here for your entertainment, I’m here to spread the gospel. I am a recent convert. I’m done with secular songs. It means I recently got saved within this year.” From that moment, Kanye has been proclaiming the gospel of Christ, gone on tours to tell people about Jesus and has led many people to Christ through his platform which has millions of followers. He got his whole family baptized as well.
2) Justin Bieber
To the surprise of many, Justin Bieber in recent times has been open about his Christian faith. Bieber was introduced to fame at a very young age and found it difficult to adjust to the new lifestyle. He turned to drugs, women and violence. In his words, “I started doing pretty heavy drugs at 19 and abused all my relationships,” Bieber wrote in an Instagram post. “I became resentful, disrespectful to women…hiding behind a shell of a person that I had become. I let my insecurities and frustration dictate what I put value in. I let ego and power take over and my relationships suffered. I truly desire healthy relationships. I want to walk in the plans God has for me and not try to do it on my own. I want to give up my selfish desires so I can be a good husband and father. I am grateful that I can walk with Jesus as he leads he way”. Carl Lentz, pastor of the New York City branch of the International Hillsong Megachurch was able to convince Bieber to give his life to Christ after Bieber confessed to him that his life was taking a downward spiral. Bieber realised he couldn’t continue to live the way he had been living and in that very instant, needed a fresh start and wanted to be baptized. Pastor Carl Lentz baptized him.
Despite what he went through growing up, he has now found peace with Jesus. He stated that it took him years to bounce back from all the terrible decisions, fix broken relationships, and change relationship habits. He got married to Hailey Baldwin, who also supports his Christian faith. On the 5th of August, he and his wife got baptized again. In his words, “Luckily God blessed me with extraordinary people who love me for me. The best season of my life, marriage, is teaching me patience, trust, commitment, kindness, humility, and all of the things it looks like to be a good man. I am set free from bondage and shame, I am a child of the Most High God and he loves me exactly where I am, how I am, for who I am.” Using his platforms to proclaim Christ, many have turned to God.
3) Demi Levato
The former Disney Channel star took an excursion to Israel to visit some of the places the Bible talked about. She got baptized in Israel. She stated that she felt a huge connection with God while on the trip. She said, “when I was offered an amazing opportunity to visit the places I’d read about in the Bible growing up, I said yes. There is something absolutely magical about Israel. I’ve never felt such a sense of spirituality or connection to God…something I’ve been missing for a few years now.
Spirituality is so important to me. To be baptized in the Jordan river; the same place Jesus was baptized, I’ve never felt more renewed in my life. This trip has been so important for my well-being, my heart, and my soul. I’m grateful for the memories made and the opportunity to be able to fill the God-sized hole in my heart. Thank you for having me, Israel .” From a lady that dealt with drugs constantly and lived her life recklessly to a Christian who has become sober and talks about Jesus, we couldn’t be more excited about her transformation and belief in Christ.
If you had lived in the time of Apostle Paul, a man who caused all problems for the Church and killed Christians, how would you have reacted to his sudden conversion to Christ? Would you have jubilated, judged or castigated him? Would you have rejoiced that a soul had been won or you would have asked for his head on a stake for all the things he had done in the past? It’s a sad reality that Christians are the first to judge or castigate someone who they least expect to turn to Christ. It is believed that God cannot use such person or have an encounter with such person. It is believed that that person is too much of a sinner to repent but who are we to judge when God hasn’t judged? Who are we to talk down on someone’s encounter with God? Are we meant to rejoice that a soul has been won or join the bandwagon to proclaiming it is not real. Whether it’s real or not, we won’t judge, rather we will pray for them. We should also understand that new converts need our prayers to stand strong in the faith as they could be easily swayed or distracted as they are not yet matured in the faith. Their actions might not be perfect yet just like we are not. A new believer doesn’t need our Phariseeism, but our encouragement. They need a new family, not a new group of accusers.
It’s a testimony that the lives of these artistes are being transformed and it is all to the glory of God. We pray that God’s light and love continue to flood their hearts and their faith is continually rooted in Christ.
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