Hello beautiful people, Adela here! With the release of Kanye West’s new album, I felt led to write about a certain trend that I’m seeing in the Christian community. I noticed that when someone who was once secular or worldly to the public tries to change, turn their life around or even give their life to Jesus Christ, there’s this pushback from so-called believers. These self-professing Christians shoot down new believers’ walk to salvation. They just condemn them without giving them the chance to try to understand Jesus or be in Jesus’ presence.
When Kanye began his new walk in faith, I saw lots of Christians on social media just saying he’s faking it or he’s just doing it for clout or attention. Regardless of the intention of why Kanye is following Christ, a Christian’s duty is to strengthen their brethren and encourage them in their walk of newfound faith. Christians shouldn’t be putting each other down, especially new baby Christians like Kanye West. We all fall short and Jesus tells us to make disciples and love one another.
Nobody is perfect, we weren’t all born saved. That’s why we need to be born again. We’ve all had our own struggles before truly finding Christ. I grew up in the church and I wasn’t even saved until 2016! Christianity is not a bonding group or some kind of exclusive club. It’s about establishing a relationship with Jesus Christ, our Lord, and savior who gave His life for all! Not just a select few.
The song by the Christian rock band Casting Crowns named If We Are The Body talks about how if Christians are the body of Christ, why aren’t they sharing the love of God, the gospel? The song condemns the judgemental Christians and promotes Christians bringing in the broken and the insecure to the church so that they too can be saved and hear the good news! My favorite lyric from the song is, “Jesus paid much to high a price, for us to pick and choose who should come.” Heaven is there for all of us, we shouldn’t pick and choose who we’d like to evangelize to. Jesus died for all of our sins. The believers, nonbelievers, everyone! We are told to tell everyone about Jesus Christ, not just those close to us.
I’m not saying to not correct the actions of others, we are told to judge righteously in the Bible, but why are Christians being hypocrites? Why are we discouraging someone from following Christ? Just because he wasn’t always saved? Kanye has told his testimony and is attempting to allow God to change him. We don’t know how or what his walk with Christ is like. We have no right to judge his intentions, God sees the heart, we only see what’s on the surface. If Kanye is fooling the masses then that’s between God and him.
We shouldn’t try to tell others how to live for God. God works with everyone differently. We all have different testimonies that led us to Christ. We are all sinners and we’re trying to be perfect for Christ, but we aren’t perfect and that’s why Jesus is needed for us to be molded to be Christ-like. That’s how the word Christian came to be; to describe followers of Jesus Christ. Spread the gospel, don’t discourage it!