Making God Famous

On this day thirty-nine years ago, musician John Lennon was shot to death outside his apartment in New York City. Years before as a member of the Beatles, John made the infamous remark, “We are more popular than Jesus.”

To some people, the Beatles are still more popular with them because they don’t know the real Jesus. That’s why God needs His people to go into the world and share the full gospel with others. Unbelievers need to hear about a Jesus that will heal their broken hearts, cure their diseases, and of course, forgive all their sins.

There was a time when John Lennon had a genuine interest in Jesus. According to Steve Turner’s book The Gospel According to the Beatles, John became a regular viewer of that era’s most influential TV preachers. In 1972 he sent a letter to Oral Roberts that the evangelist later shared publicly. Here are some of the comments Lennon wrote…

“The point is this, I want happiness. I don't want to keep on with drugs. Paul [McCartney] told me once, ‘You made fun of me for taking drugs, but you will regret it in the end.’ Explain to me what Christianity can do for me. Is it phony? Can He love me? I want out of hell.”

Five years later, Lennon told friends he had become a born-again Christian and went so far as to write several Christian songs. Unfortunately, that disturbed his wife Yoko Ono who eventually influenced John to abandon his newfound faith and embrace New Age practices.

I heard one minister say his goal in life was to make God famous. Let that be your daily mission as well. Open your mouth. Tell others about what the Lord has done in your life and that He loves them as well. Then Jesus will become more popular with them.

“How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” - Romans 10:14

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