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“Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from goodwill; the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking that they are causing me distress in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice.” Philippians 1:15-18

If you’re a hardcore sports fan (of any sport), you likely have a team or teams that you support through thick and thin—the winning seasons and the losing ones. In fact, one of your biggest pet peeves are people in your town who are fair-weathered fans. When times are good, these bandwagon devotees are all onboard, sporting team colors and bragging about “their” favorite players.

Not sure if you’ve noticed recently, but there seems to be lot of cultural icons today (musicians, actors, influencers) who are “speaking” Christianese and claiming to be Christ-followers. For example, I think about Easter Sunday’s “Night of Praise” special per American Idol. A little over half of the performances touted Christian praise songs…and although I only watched a few of the performances via YouTube, it was enough for me to see some cultural headliners (and much of the audience) raising their hands in worship. I also think of the rapper Eminem and his newest album lifting up the name of Jesus (after lifting up the darkness for so long). Of course we can’t ignore Russell Brand, who can’t go too long talking about any subject (no matter which podcast he’s a guest on) without speaking of the transformative power of the Lord in his life—and on anyone who’d accept Jesus.

Friend, we could have long discussions about the “validity” of what’s happening in the culture—is it revival? Or is it a marketing ploy because there is money to be made? Are those raised hands a joyful surrender to the Lord or a powerful pose for the camera? Although I can be quite skeptical, I cannot judge the heart, mind, and soul of anyone else (or can you)—that’s God’s job (Isaiah 33:22; Psalm 50:6; John 5:22-23; Romans 2:1-16).

But I’ll tell you what I will do: Rejoice! You may be thinking, “Say what?” Well, I’m simply responding in alignment with the Apostle Paul, as he wrote to the church in Philippi. See, there was some heated talk around the local church about some people preaching Christ with nefarious motives. They were promoting the gospel out of “envy and strife” (Philippians 1:17), be it for money, fame, ambition—possibly even to emotionally/psychologically kick Paul while he was down and in prison. But his perspective was, “Bring it on!” “In every way,” Paul says, “whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice” (1:18).

So as this or that famous (or slightly famous or used-to-be famous) person “comes out” as a Christian, performing in a seemingly Christian film or dropping a “God” song, I’ll try not to roll my eyes or shake my head.* Nope, I’ll follow Paul’s lead…and simply rejoice.

“Jesus, You are Lord and Savior! In Your Sovereignty, may the truth of the Good News be heard, received, and transformational. However, You see fit to do so.”

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life

*It must be noted that these proclamations in song, script, or interview must be vetted for Gospel truth and not heretical twists (2 Peter 2:1; Acts 17:11).