It seems like each time I get online, I see some article about a well-known celebrity talking about their faith in Jesus Christ. Influential musicians, athletes, actors, etc. are coming to know Jesus Christ and are becoming vocal about it. To me, this is one more piece of evidence that we are now in the third Great Awakening in our country and around the world. Yes, there is great divisiveness in our nation, but when the times are dark, the bright light of the gospel is clear for all to see. Its illumination is a stark contrast to the darkness and misery of the world.

“In the Last Days,” God says, “I will pour out my Spirit on every kind of people: Your sons will prophesy, also your daughters; Your young men will see visions, your old men dream dreams. Acts 2:17 (The Message, MSG) emphasis mine

There is one important thing that I need to mention. As Christians, we need to heed a warning. As people such as Kanye West, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez and others profess a belief in Jesus Christ, the traditional organized church must be careful not to be overly critical of their newfound faith. Especially when someone is a new believer, there are a lot of old behaviors still at play. If we, as the body of Christ, will welcome them into the fold with open arms, love them, and help them grow in their faith, we will see those old actions and patterns fade away. Just like we did (and still do), they need to sit under the Word and allow the Holy Spirit to transform them into the image of Christ.

History has shown that the church doesn’t have a good track record when it comes to accepting new movements of the Holy Spirit or revelation that challenges the way we have always “done church.“ Many church splits and new denominations came about as a result of something new being rejected by the established members of the church. We must not repeat our mistakes. True, it is important to watch new believers, regardless of their level of fame, for fruit that shows their walk is real. However, we cannot toss the famous (or infamous) aside because they don’t fit the traditonal Christian mold. Let’s give them time to grow.

We are entering the final harvest of souls- that awesome end time awakening that we have been praying for. Let’s not miss out on it because we won’t receive the individuals who become “awakened’ to God. Let’s look past the surface of people and help every person who is open to Jesus to grow and become all He wants them to be.