Getting on the J-List

The recent wedding of the century—Amazon mogul Jeff Bezos’ marriage to Lauren Sanchez— brought out “A” List celebrities from all walks of life. The narrative swirled that the invitation list was a signal of who had “arrived” and who were at the pinnacle of their celebrity status. It was said that those who were not invited were those who no longer had social or cultural relevance.  That pronouncement is a bit of a stretch, but one thing is for sure—being an A-lister comes with public acknowledgement, respect, influence, envy or admiration from others and a life of wealth and luxury.

Make no mistake, we live in a culture that worships celebrity. Many persons have earned the right to live glamorous lives in the spotlight. Some are made famous by a great gift or talent, whether it is fim-making, acting, singing, a sport, modelling, business excellence, science, media or something else. However, there is also an unhealthy obsession with celebrity, with people trying to be famous for being famous, grabbing attention in whatever way they can. They are more intentional in orchestrating their fame, taking photos from dangerous places, getting screen time in reality shows, becoming influencers on social media or other such activities. This obsession also comes with the view that the lives of ordinary people are of little consequence. It says if you are not seen and known by the right people you do not matter and your life does not matter.

As Christians, should we care about being on the A List or the J-List?

Yes, J is for Jesus. Is it more important for man to know your name and give their fleeting seal of approval that turns on a dime or for God to know your name?

If public opinion can build you up, it can certainly tear you down. Public opinion is fickle, as we saw with Jesus. Jesus did not seek out public favour. But by virtue of the miracles He performed, people were drawn to Him. But those same people who waved palm branches and cried “Hosanna!” when he entered Jerusalem, were the same ones shouting, “Crucify Him!” shortly thereafter.

The unhealthy celebrity culture has even taken root in our churches. God elevates people and endows them with influence for His glory. When people are known; they have more authority to draw others to Christ and represent His Kingdom in a positive way. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, people did not just come to see Jesus, the restorer; the came to see Lazarus the restored. The Woman at the Well (Scripture) had one encounter with Jesus, and thereafter she went about evangelising for Him. Kings, apostles, prophets, pastors and teachers in the Bible who were anointed by God, gained fame for their mighty acts and counsel on behalf of God. However, these men knew better than to take God’s glory. Anyone attempting to defer worship to these men of God for their great exploits, were quickly corrected and directed back to the true and living God.

Yet a twisted celebrity culture in the church has seen pastors, prophets, worship leaders and others riding the wave of fame, at times sucking up God’s glory like a vacuum cleaner and directing people to themselves. This is a church culture that accords respect based on gifts and talent and discards or dismisses those who have not demonstrated any visible talents or seen to have worldly fame or connections. When we worship the gifted, we cannot hold them to account; we end up honouring these gifted men and women above the word of God, instead of seeing them as vessels being used by God.

 In extreme cases, serious character flaws are ignored in favour of extolling their achievements. This conversation has become even more relevant with the recent exposures in the church. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but repenting to God should not come twenty years after living a compromised life and only after people have outed you. I heard a reporter on Christian TV giving kudos a famous Gospel singer for owning up to his misdeeds. But he admitted that he had lived that way for over 20 years; his confession was literally 20 years late and only came after he was publicly exposed for inappropriate relationships with men. He is not beyond God’s forgiveness, but does God still trust him to represent His name?

The Bible also said that while Jesus loved everyone, he did not subject himself to them, because He knew what was in man.  As people of God, we must strive to be on the J-List rather than the A-List. Here are just fourteen differences between the A-List and the J-List: