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Someone Famous at Church
I am reminded today of a question that the Lord asked Pastor John several years ago… “If I (God) brought someone famous to your church, would they be able to worship without being swarmed for autographs and pictures?”
What a great question and something to ponder for sure. What would you do if Tim Tebow walked into the congregation at JFC? I understand that he is an awesome example of someone walking in relationship with Jesus while being a famous football player, but would he feel comfortable to worship God at JFC? I hope anyone, no matter what their status, would be able to come to church and worship God without becoming the one “worshipped!” Just a random thought…. or is it? – Pastor Dan
I have gone to some mega huge churches, Some had very very famous pastors and christian musicians going there. The artists usually arrived late with a body guard and left early. Unfortunately the need of security was very real. The pastor was a single gentleman and we had all sorts of misguided folks show up of both genders to “give him a word that he was to marry them” It was a mess. 90% of the time there was no big deal. You knew the artist was there and that was it. Im sure there were some autograph hounds that followed, but if they were not there for Jesus they left. A different church I belonged to also had all sorts of folks come through from football players to goth people in full dress and satanists. All were welcome, but we were there to worship Jesus. The pastor made an announcement every week of if you have a view different from what Im teaching, see me after and we will discuss. We are here for Jesus and Him only. We all just went about our worship experience.
All that to say that for me I dont care who comes to my church. I know God can reach even the hardest of hearts. He can lift up those who feel they are the lowest of lows. I mean come on JESUS shows up, and who is more important than He?????
Im also thankful we have an awesome security team to keep things running smoothly so if someone came in, I doubt they would be harassed much at all. Just my musings.
(A good thing to remember is that, in God’s eyes, as His children, we are ALL famous! I’m learning that we are heaven’s celebrities, and very much celebrated in His Kingdom. My learning about who I AM to HIM, keeps my mesmerization of others to a minimum. At the same time, as His child, I am a star, and called to shine. To be distracted or self-inhibited in a public/corporate worship setting keeps me from shining.)
Think of how self conscience you are or were as a new Christian to sing out loud or raise your hands for fear of anyone looking at your. How much more so these “famous” people must feel if they step out to go to church and KNOW that they are being watched. I have compassion for them cause it is human nature, but that doesn’t make it right. They would deserve the chance to fellowship and praise God in a corporate setting without all the eyes on them. I would hope that JFC would let them get the opportunity to have a PERSONAL relationship with Jesus so that they could continue to be an inspiration to the masses when they are in the spotlight of fame.
I kinda have a different take on it. I will admit that when I first went to JFC, I wasn’t there because I was seeking to worship Jesus. As soon as I heard the music, I wanted to go back. I was there pretty much solely for the music at first. So you could say that although I wasn’t there for Jesus, Jesus is big enough to use whatever it took to get me there, keep me coming back, and work on my heart only like He could. So if someone like Tebow was there, and I was able to get my neighbor to come to church simply because Tebow was there – that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I don’t know much, but I think whatever it takes to get someone in front of the presence of Jesus’ love and peace might not be a bad thing…if that makes sense. Just my two cents.
I would pray that everyone who comes is there to meet Jesus and not just a famous person. Jack is right that the general public is enamored by the famous and it is naive to think there won’t be many who are starstruck and will lose their focus on God, but God is the most famous of all and we should revere Him above all. I would hate to have people name drop to make a famous person more important than Jesus or even more important than a non-famous person, and to have people come just to JFC just to see that person. We are all God’s favorite.
Personally, I’m not a sports fan so I wouldn’t even know who he was if he walked up and shook my hand. Then I had to ask myself, “Ok, what if it was Lincoln Brewer or David Crowded?” I’m not really predispositioned to be star-struck. So, I think personally, yes, they would be able to worship freely. However, I think a majority of the public – churched or not – are enamored by those who are famous. I also think public figures are somewhat used to and expect this reaction to some degree. Could they worship at JFC? Yes. I think it’s naive to expect any other reaction from the general public. I understand the motive behind Pastor John’s question. Where is our focus when we are worshipping at church? And, where should our focus be?
I think if someone like Time Tebow came to our church. We should welcome him. I would love to hear his story. It is stories of famous people that inspire us, or motivate us. God moves in amazing ways, and through people.
If a famous person did attend regularily, would you be inclined to tell others about it and possibly try to get them to come. Who would we be coming to church to see? I hope it is Jesus, because I know He shows up every week.
I don’t think that someone’s status in society should affect how they are allowed to conduct their business in the church or in life either. In the end they are still just a person, no matter how famous they are, and as a church we should respect that they are there to worship God just like we are and they aren’t there to do an autograph signing or fan visit. We should make them feel welcome, just like anyone else visiting or attending, but we shouldn’t make them feel overwhelmed.
Who’s tim tebow? I would probably go out of my way to try to make him feel welcome. I already tried to invite him.
I get excited to worship God and be focused on Him when I attend church. Group worship is essential to my relationship with God. When we gather together in song and praise to the Almighty, He reinforces me to make it through the week and keep my eyes on Him.
Who is Tim Tebow?