Celebrity

The ministry is filled with celebrity preachers, pastors, authors, and singers. These people are gifted and many have household names. Their faces are familiar, their ministries are fruitful, and there future is bright.

On the other hand, there are those who labor in obscurity in small places and in hard spiritual soil but they remain faithful. Many never get paid much. Some have to hold down a full time job in order to serve in "part-time" ministry. There is no such thing as part-time ministry. Ministry is full time. There might only be part-time pay.

There are faithful pastors in persecuted countries who never achieve celebrity status because they are so often imprisoned or martyred. They stay the course though the world never learns their names.

I had an interesting week. I preached a revival where God moved the past few days. I love revivals. Churches should consider holding them again. They have become out of date for these modern times and as a result the valley of dry bones continues.

Wednesday I preached before one of the largest crowds I have ever preached to. I sat humbled before that vast crowd in that large church that God chose me to preach to them.

Thursday it was back to reality. I spent the whole day mowing yards. I no longer wore slacks and a dress shirt. I wore jeans, boots and a t-shirt. I got sweaty and dirty. You know, blue collar kind of work. For this season in life that is what my life as a pastor calls for. No celebrity status. Just a common man working and serving along common people.

I do not begrudge celebrity ministers. God uses them mightily. What I do begrudge is when a prophet serves only for profit. I do begrudge when the celebrity pastor has no time for the sheep. I do begrudge when the famous singer performs rather than worships. I do begrudge when the author writes with one eye toward book sales and marketing while closing ears to the voice of God wanting to be heard.

I am thankful for the backwood preachers, the small church pastors, the gifted choir members, and obscure authors who offer their service and gifts to the Lord. I am thankful for those men and women who labor faithfully but never get put on a conference platform or get called to the bigger and better churches. I am thankful for those ministers who preach boldly and stand courageously despite persecution from those hostile to the gospel.

I am also thankful for those God chooses to use on a grander scale. Billy Graham. Chuck Swindoll. Beth Moore. John Piper. Louie Giglio. Chris Tomlin. Kay Arthur. All faithful ministers. All celebrities who are humbled in the presence of Jesus.

Whatever our ministry may we all say with John the Baptist, "He must increase and I must decrease." [Jn 3:30] Jesus alone deserves celebrity status.