I watched his interview yesterday with amazement. Most of his life stood for everything that Christianity is not. As he chronicled his journey to Jesus I reflected on my own. All of our journey's resemble each other in some way or another. There have been several bad boy celebrities that have recently proclaimed their faith in Christ. Just what there impact on the world is to be seen. We all have an impact. It's just a fact. That impact will, as Alice stated, "be marked with sin as we aren't perfect and there is God's grace." The impact radiates out from us to those who are close to us first and then on down the line. When I accepted Jesus and gave him my life, I was delivered from drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and quite a foul mouth. The first impact of my salvation was with my friends who found out quickly that I had changed. Since we didn't have much in common anymore we parted ways. Being raised in a non-Christian home meant that I needed to share the Gospel with my family. I wrote letters and talked on the phone as well as in person to no avail. When I went to my mentor and told him of my burden I was told that there was an easy solution. Prayer. The Bible says that wherever two or more Christians are gathered that Christ is in the middle of them. It goes on to affirm that if we agree in prayer and it's God's will that our prayers will be answered. So, my mentor and I claimed salvation for all of my family members. I'm sure that Alice's parents, in laws and others were praying as well. His dad was a pastor, his grandfather was a pastor and his wife's dad was a pastor. He really had no choice but to come to Christ sooner or later. Alice ended his interview telling the interviewer that he hopes his story helps others to come to Jesus "before it's to late."
Billy Graham, Alice Cooper and Steve Hawley all stand on level ground brothers in Christ. None above the other. Yet we know that Billy Graham has impacted millions with his preaching. We know that Alice has sent millions in the other direction. We know that Steve has been on both sides seeing people come to Christ and also sinning with others instead of being a Christian to them. Billy talks of his failures, Alice talks of his failures and Steve does as well. Barry McGuire and Brandon Heath are two more professionals who have given their lives to the Lord. Both have shared their faith through music for some time now. They too stand on level ground with the rest of us. There have been some who professed faith but their lives didn't show that faith. I've done that as I'm sure you have as well. Tim Tebow and other professional sports figures make an impact on the sports world. Racing enthusiasts know who believes and who doesn't. Given their profession believing in God is a good thing! The Bible says that ALL will hear the Gospel. Sometimes I wonder about that and then I think about great Biblical movies. Even though many of the actors and actresses aren't believers (by their own admission) they are proclaiming the Gospel message to a huge audience. And some do love Jesus.
No one in the body of Christ who has professed Christ as their Savior is excused from proclaiming that faith. Giving the love of God to others comes in many forms. All those forms should leave people asking about the Son of God. However, it's the personal testimonies and personal touches that compel that question. Am I living my life in such a way that people want what I have? Are you living a life in such a way that people want what you have? Let's be very clear here. None of us will accomplish this 100% of the time. We will fail. We will succeed. Others will be impacted by the faith we live...or don't live. There are many ways we can be open vessels for Jesus. The first is to pray. The second is to live the witness. The third is to share the Word. There are others as well. All of them Jesus centered. It's still hard to believe I heard Alice Cooper proclaim Jesus as his Savior!
No comments:
Post a Comment