Let’s decelebritize Christianity! Modern Christianity has celebritized people and minimized Jesus. On church bulletins and signs and on conference brochures and schedules, the names and pictures of preachers and Christian conference speakers crowd out the name of Jesus. Try this: Go to a church, conference, or ministry web page and count the total number of times a preachers’, speakers’, founders’, and staff members’ name is mentioned. Then count the number of times the name of Jesus is mentioned.

When Christians talk about church services or conferences that they’ve attended they frequently refer to preachers’ and speakers’ names, but almost never mention the name of Jesus. Look at Christians’ social media. They tend to promote preachers, speakers, and Christian writers much more than they promote and proclaim the risen Jesus.

If we really believe that the name of Jesus is above every other name, shouldn’t His name be mentioned and celebrated far more than any preacher’s, writer’s, or speaker’s name? Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus! If Christianity is about Jesus, we need to let His name crowd the name of every celebritized Christian out of our hearts, our churches, and our conferences. In the name of Jesus . . .

Here’s an example of humble Christian Leadership: Paul and Barnabas were Christian leaders who knew their place as humble servants of Jesus and refused to be exalted and celebritized by people’s praise and idolatry. When they encountered a group of people trying to worship and make idols of them, they abandoned their dignity by tearing their clothes and shouting. Then they rushed into the crowd of pagans, called them friends, and asked them, “Why are you doing this?” They identified with the people using the Greek word “homoiopatheis,” which means “of the same nature or passions as you,” and they proclaimed the good news that humans can turn away from worthless things to the living God, the Creator of the heavens and earth.

Paul and Barnabus tried to focus people’s attention on God, not on themselves, by telling them that any food they have and any joy they experience are gifts from God. Even then, the crowd still wanted to worship and idolize Paul and Barnabas who continued to resist the people’s praise, adoration, and exaltation.