Clout Chasing?
A few years back, I attended a massive gathering of people in a football stadium. It was a three-night church gathering. The first night had around sixty thousand people, the second night around seventy thousand, and the last evening around eighty thousand. I was only able to attend the first evening.
It was supernatural and very powerful. I saw sick people getting healed, people puking while being delivered from demons, people walking out of wheelchairs, and people saying a big yes to God. Now, this is not a normal experience. It was a large, massive gathering with a demonstration of God’s power and love for all those who were present.
I personally believe these events should never stop. Everyone should unite and rely on the timing and leading of God to go for it. At the same time, we are not peacocking because of the massive events. That’s so normal in the age and time we live in, since we all love peacocking or boasting about something.
Now, celebrating life is absolutely cool. We must. We should. We need to. At the same time, not peacocking with pride can save us from personal shipwreck.
Coming back to the stadium gathering that I attended, I still remember, after so many years, what the preacher preached. He didn’t come with fancy accolades, titles, networks applauding him, different promotions, or different products to talk about. Neither did he use the platform to give leverage to himself or someone else. Now, we are talking here and limiting ourselves within the pulpit context with a massive audience. Therefore, the purpose should remain focused. The preacher was faithful in keeping it that way.
He preached from the book of Corinthians about knowing nothing else but Christ crucified for the sins of the whole world. That’s very powerful. This is the most important truth that we all need to encounter and live our lives guilt-free and shame-free with redemptive hope, now and forever.
” For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”
1 Corinthians 2:2 ESV
We all need to embrace the same confidence, not in our own peacocking, but in the power of the cross. Most importantly, every gospel minister should. Just like Paul, our peacocking is not in material things but in the power of the cross. Yes, God does want to bless us with every good thing so we can enjoy life.
However, our confidence must be in the love and power of Christ, the Son of the living God.