We gathered around TVs, eyes glued there, thumbs on tablets and cells, watching and tweeting our way through. We couldn’t believe what our eyes did see: Whitney Houston was gone. We knew it to be true, though. The casket was there. The choir was there and so were “more stars than the Grammys,” said the pastor of Newark’s New Hope Baptist Church. This was Houston’s hometown church, the place where mother Cissy wanted to celebrate Houston’s life now in her death, a place familiar to Whitney, a comfortable place, fitting to send her to her ultimate home.
We gathered around TVs, tweeting the incredible, sounding off the unusual, after voice after voice talked about the Lord. Some actually said His name, Jesus, and we couldn’t believe that He was sent forth. Across the airwaves, throughout the nations folks heard about His goodness; they heard about His grace. I imagine they were hungry, on the edge of their seats wanting to know how to get this Jesus: Do I read the Bible? Do I go to church? Do I just say I love Him? Their eyes were glued, probably they knew that someone would tell them how to get them Jesus and be with Him even in death. But this they do not know, at least not from the Houston screen, the worldwide platform where the famous and familiar didn’t have to pay to say what I expected them to say: Jesus Christ, who is God, who Whitney claimed to be her God, died on the cross for the sins of mankind, but rose again after three days, defeating death and the grave. If those who say they sin and believe they need a perfect savior to help them sin less call on Jesus, that perfect Savior, to take away their sins, because they believe in their hearts that Jesus made that sacrifice, that He paid the price for their redemption, then they too will defeat death. They will have the power to live for Jesus in life and be with Him in heaven after death.
But they didn’t say this. They said the familiar, the comfortable, the unpeculiar. They blended in, went for the shout, never clarifying the doubt that surely thousands had. What God is love? How can I prioritize God? This made me sad. This made me mad that the Savior I know (and off the Houston screen the one they say they know) couldn’t hear them say that Jesus is Lord and that He said “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” But their denial reminded me of what I must do on my arrivals: Wherever I go, whomever I meet I must speak the name of Jesus whenever the opportunity comes. I am thankful for a heart check, seeing if my blood freely flows Jesus and not just human red. There is power in the name of Jesus. In Him we live and move and have our being. Without Him we are nothing. Without Him, we get nothing.
But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven (Matthew 10:33).
Don’t be denied.
My One Thousand Gifts List
#451-460
Getting two complimentary CDs
Connecting with an old classmate
Intimate talk with a new friend
Watching a movie with Flynn
Getting ready for church and not being stressed without having help with the boys
Being able to hear the main parts of the sermon even with the noise of the cry room
Flynn having me pick up carryout so I wouldn’t have to cook dinner
The incredible sound of thunder and the beautiful brightness of lightening
Enjoying episode two of Wives and Daughters
A shower BEFORE the boys woke up
You are right on – there is power in His Name. – Speak His name.
Blessings
Jan
Thanks girl. So true – I DO NOT want to be denied. My heart is screaming JESUS today. Love – an intimate talk with a new friend. Precious moments! Blessings – love your gifts.
Alene,
I am loud right with you. There is no denial going on over here! I so appreciate you stopping by, giving kind words. Thank you so much.
Thank you, Jan. Blessings to you too.
Because of the failure to give the plan of salvation on this
global platform I vowed to the Lord that anytime I am called to speak even if
it is just remarks I will find a way to fit it in. On that day so many had the opportunity
to offer Christ but they did not they depended on the next person to do it and
it never happened.
That was a good promise to make, Carla. We cannot deny Christ. We are a great part of the plan to make sure Jesus Christ is preached to every nation. Having a global platform is a perfect way to make that happen. We have to make sure to do what WE need to do and not count on others in this case, unless we know for sure the preacher of the hour will offer Christ.
Rhonda, I know we’re a lot alike. We probably felt the same way as we watched the funeral, and had the same expectations. In my mind, it was totally God for CNN to be broadcasting a funeral worldwide in which the name of Jesus was being lifted up through song and remarks. I was waiting for the messages to “bring it on home,” to tell people how they could find salvation through Christ…so they could be changed for eternity. I was disappointed when I didn’t hear that. And as I shared in the other blog post, I’m challenged to be sure that I use the opportunities God gives me to speak those words of life.
Yes, ma’am, Kim. I could hear you through Twitter. You are right that we have to be sure to use the opportunities God gives us to minister the salvation of Christ. Doing so before we ever reach a grand stage like CNN gives us a chance to get in the habit of offering Christ so we naturally do so when we get there.
Here is the great issue of our day-oversimiplication. Because we don’t want to do the hard work of analysis, we go for synthesis. The book Lies My Teacher Told Me discusses this phenomena. History, beliefs, live itself is complex but many will oversimplify the lessons or even the message so that people can put their heads around it. It is a form of anti-intellectualism- the seeking of the lowest common denominator. I say all that to say what TD Jakes stated was markedly different than Marvin Winans. I am no TD Jakes fan, I have many concerns and I am certainly no Marvin Winans fan. But to juxtapose the two messages they gave in this particular context is flawed. Context and setting are important. I intentionally focus on the juxtaposition of the two messages and not the two men for many reason. One the men share much in common and by focusing on them and not the ideas they espoused in this context, it makes us susceptible to oversimplification. While neither stated Jesus’s name. One was clear in who he was referencing, 2000 years ago, conquering death. To use descriptors of someone or something is to affirm it’s very existence. The other not only did not say Jesus’s name, he used no descriptors and he distorted Jesus’s message. This was a complete of both the man and his message. Let’s parse out our critiques more carefully and resist oversimplification. Finally, who are we to deny someone else faith when we don’t know them intimately or in this case at all – “Whitney claimed to be her God”
As always, Marla, I appreciate your perspective. Though, as you may have guessed, I don’t believe my analysis was oversimplified, I can see how you would point out the difference in the content of TD Jakes’ message and Marvin Winans’ messages. Yes, Jakes did reference 2000 years ago; Christians I’m sure knew he was talking about Jesus, but what about those non-Christians? If people had only heard of God, as Jakes described Jesus when at the end he said “God is love” as opposed to “Jesus is love,” then this will lead people to believe that they only have to call on God and not Jesus, which the Bible clearly states, in order to be saved (Romans 10:9-15 and Philippians 3:5-11). Yes, life is complex, but the gospel of Jesus isn’t. Christian preachers are sent to tell people about Jesus, not using the generic god, but stating specifically which god they are referring to. So Winans didn’t mention Jesus at all and gave no descriptors of Him and Jakes gave descriptors of Jesus but didn’t state His name, which is still incomplete and doesn’t lead anyone to Jesus. My phrase “Whitney claimed to be her God” is not to deny Whitney’s claim of salvation. In fact, I believe she was a Christian. I stated it that way because I don’t know for sure if ANYONE is saved; I can only believe them to be because of their works; only God knows.
I agree that Jakes should have said Jesus’s name to make all things clear but I also believe that non-believers living in this country knew exactly who the person Jakes referenced when he said 2000 years ago. This is my very point, when we oversimplify issues, we actually chase people away. You can actually be dismissed as fanatical. When one is perceived as fanatical, you limit your audience. Think of all the historical fanatics, now contrast them to the great thinkers, theologians included. People are drawn to the complex and they reject the feeling of being dummied down. I believe a stronger argument would have been to challenge Jakes to have greater clarity and to challenge the multitude of issues that the Winans message present but not to zero sum them in contrast to each other and the ideal.
“This is my very point, when we oversimplify issues, we actually chase people away. You can actually be dismissed as fanatical. When one is perceived as fanatical, you limit your audience.”<< Maybe you are too deep for me, Marla, because I don't understand this statement. Seriously, maybe you can simplify what I said that could make me be perceived as fanatical. Also, there is a lot if room for different analysis so thanks again for offering yours.