Online, there is a question that floats around from time to time, and it is a very good one. I heard the Gospel and responded, but what now? Well, the first thing to think is where were you saved? Was it in a church? Was it not? If not, find one, but find one that actually is submitted to Jesus and His Word. They teach the Word cover to cover. They don’t apologize for the Word. They are not ashamed of the Gospel that calls men and women to repentance. I responded very quickly with the little book of 1 John, which is a wonderful picture of what walking in fellowship with God looks like. Yet, a much longer answer is needed.
If you were to think about Kanye West, who had such an open response to the Gospel, sadly, he is a good example of the need for this discussion. Kanye made a strong profession and then produced a Gospel Album, which was enjoyable. He didn’t stop there but began to host concerts and preach the Gospel. He seemed to have such a good start, but now he has fallen away. Kanye has now said that he is the God of his life, not Jesus.
Christians have always had a problem with celebrities. We too quickly get excited about someone with name recognition naming the name of Jesus. Sadly, we think if more cool, famous people also believed, it may have a positive Gospel impact within pop culture. The rich and famous are communities decidedly difficult to penetrate. The answer to the, now what question would have benefitted Kanye as well.
The answer is, of course, to lean into God. Through a God-fearing church, a God-fearing study of the Word of God, and a God-fearing relationship with Christ. The Word of God tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The beginning of the transition from the foolishness of unbelief is the wisdom of God. Fear Him. That means not simply taking the Lord as savior but as Lord. You don’t fear a savior, but you do learn to fear, respect, and obey the Lord. The Book of Proverbs is also a great book to read after conversion.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7)
There needs to be a development of a passion for Jesus and a wrestling with his Lordship. Hopefully, a clear Gospel presentation did this, but that is not always the case–hence so much deconstruction. People deconstruct from a savior who later turns out to also be the Lord–the one who calls them to obedience. So repentance can’t simply be a one-time entry-level ticket if it was taught at all. It is the lifestyle of a changed person. That is the discussion that there is a lifestyle that ought to follow from a true conversion. That is what the Parable of the Sower is all about. (Matthew 13) Read it.
The seed of the Gospel is cast on four different grounds. The first seed is outright rejected and the final one begins producing fruit. It is the second and third ground that should get our attention. The seed either attempts to take root in rocky ground having no root, so when persecution comes those with an amazing and quick response wither away just as fast. The third seed was sown among ground riddled with weeds and thorns. While there appears to be a speedyily excited response, the seed is equally choked out by the concerns and pleasures of the world.
Kanye’s journey expressed both kinds of grounds–a wonderful and seemingly powerful conversion, but one that did not deliver him from the woes of the family. He admits in a recent interview that he prayed so hard, and God didn’t show up. He wanted to have a faith that was not just changing him, but also his family. Yet it wasn’t changing his equally famous wife Kim K. He expected the Lord to fix his family, but the Lord didn’t, at least on his timetable. Ultimately his faith was shaken and destroyed. You can quickly see how following this, Kanye went back to the cares and pleasures of the world. I truly did pray for Kanye, as he asked in his song, “Hands-on”.
The Lord does promise freedom to those who have been set free John 8:36. But freedom comes from trusting in the Lord–one that doesn’t demand from the Lord, but rests in His will, and timing. It is so important to learn God’s Word and not from other celebrity pastors like Joel Osteen, who teaches name it and claim it drivel. No, our Lord taught us to pray “Not our will but yours be done.” And he knew some of this as he sang, “Watch out for Vipers, don’t let them indoctrinate”, and “follow Jesus, listen and obey, no more living for the culture, we nobody’s slave.”
We can all hear a portion of the truth and correctly repeat it, but is that seed being watered and cultivated–how do we walk through those moments of trial? Another small book to read is James. Jesus said you will know them by their fruit. Fruit takes a season to reach harvest. Trials test what is in the ground. Therefore, slow down. Rest in Christ’s work of the Cross, and develop and learn his Word to uphold you in the faith walk.
We probably all know someone who made a profession of faith only to have it squelched by trials. I do. That is why we must be convinced our response is to the Lord who will command and lead through such times. We do not simply follow a savior we view as merely a giver of good gifts. Understanding the Gospel is key. He sang that it was “On God” but he didn’t let that play out through faithful submission to the Lord. As he also said, “the strong that starts on Sunday” must be in the strength of the Lord, not in self or circumstances. So the saints must rest and hide in Christ, as the world’s temptation floods in because they will.
Besides completely falling into the Lord, a new believer must understand that the change may cause trouble with other people. The Gospel divides families just as Jesus said it would. That is probably one of the first tests of faith–the cost. Jesus says for his disciples to count the cost, understanding that following Him was taking up their Cross. Further, do not immediately step into the limelight. We ought to never prop up any new believer. They need discipleship, not a stage. The path begins at the bottom, requiring humility, which is very difficult for a celebrity. The best thing to do would make them disappear from the public eye for a season until they have learned “What is Christlike”.
He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. (1 Timothy 3:6)
There is a time when the protection of the body should set in. The Lord gave us the body to help, correct, encourage, and teach. Any new person new to the faith must study and sit under teaching from God’s Word. Paul also says in that letter that all scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuke, reproof, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be equipped for every good work. There is no other way to last through seasons of testing and temptation without resting in Christ and His testimony.
But back to a previous point, the point of sitting under a Pastor is to have the protection of the Pastor as well. His job is to be able to speak into the lives of the new sheep. Jesus calls his followers to make disciples, this requires people willing to help make them. It requires an initial time for driving off the wolves and the prevention of the sheep falling off a cliff. By the way, this is what membership is about–so the Pastor knows those who desire this, who are seeking this, who are willing to be disciples versus those just testing the waters to see if they will even stay.
There are a lot of wolves in sheep’s clothing these days, and you wouldn’t know it without an experienced Pastor and a body of believers on the lookout. Many sanctuaries are as dangerous as Christian bookstores–you never know what you will get. The church is meant to be a community of those under the headship of Christ. We need each other, don’t go it alone. Refuse to be alone. After the Lord made Adam, the first thing that was not good was for the man to be alone. Find a God-fearing church and learn to rest in the Lord–understanding trials will come.
Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, (2 Timothy 3:12)
Rest assured that this is coming for any new profession of faith. That is when they are most prone to old ways, exposed and vulnerable to false teaching and the heartbreak coming from such a radical change. The new believers must learn what they signed up for, and it is not all blessings and fun. The road to heaven is hard–confidence comes from understanding the right thing–God’s love in the deliverance from the life of sin. It is only faith planted on the rock of Christ that will grow, and that faith will grow like a muscle. The Lord wants disciples–people who follow Him, not mere quick emotional responses.
The danger of the seed on the 2nd and 3rd ground is they look it for a season–they might be really passionate. But fruit is revealed through trials and the testing of faith. Rest assured, if the seed is planted in good ground, it will bear fruit. So don’t be so excited about your profession, see if you are truly passionate about Jesus when He corrects you. Go ahead and think about his statement: If you love me, you will keep my commands. Following Jesus is said to be carrying our own Cross, and that is not a cute metaphor. It is a picture of the past life dying and the possibility of a new one only lived through Jesus. So, if you are new here, seek Jesus, and then sit down and stay awhile.
thanks
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