Fame is associated with the names and faces of celebrities who have made it. They have a combination of looks, talent, and being cool, that our culture esteems and envies. But the kind of accolade given to people who are famous is nothing new.
History is full of stories of men and women who had that certain je ne sais quoi that attracts and makes one popular. And most often it was associated with some kind of natural ability or looks.
Jesus was famous.
But unlike the notables of society then, and unlike the celebrities of today, Jesus’ fame was happening because of the miraculous and supernatural things he was doing. The Gospel of Mark tells us,
“Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, ‘What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.’ And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.” (Mark 1:27–28)
Throughout the gospels the same thing was recorded. Jesus would go through different cities and communities, teaching and doing miracles. As a result people would tell others and soon everybody had heard about Jesus.
Could Jesus become famous today? The answer to that question is, and should be yes. But what would make Jesus famous today? I believe the same things that caused his fame to spread then, are the same things that will cause his fame to spread now. And Satan knows this better than any of us.
We can modernize methods and approaches to evangelism and ministry, but Satan has lured the church far from the miraculous and supernatural elements that were common to Jesus’ ministry, and to the first groups of believers.
This absence of miracles has been explained away by some who believe God is no longer doing miracles. Or by others who claim God is doing different kinds of miracles today (i.e. filling stadiums with young people, or reaching millions of people through internet simulcasts, etc.).
Many of the clever, attractive, entertaining things happening within the church today are truly impressive, but lots of this stuff doesn’t need God to do them. And the adulation and notoriety of people and personalities in the church are often on the same basis that culture uses.
The single most important feature that should undergird everything the people of God do is the power of God. The power that breaks demonic strongholds. The power that heals. The power that establishes God’s kingdom. The power to see the miraculous. All done in the name of Jesus. This may not make it to the cover of a magazine, but it will make Jesus famous with the people who have experienced that kind of power.
Make Jesus famous!
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