Two years ago, Eric Church was asked to sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl. Initially, Church declined stating that he was not a singer, he was a vocal stylist. As a musician, I have to respect someone who knows their limitations enough to say no to the National Anthem. It is not a song just any singer should tackle. But I did find it interesting that a man who has made a fortune using his singing voice won’t call himself a singer, but rather a vocal stylist. Maybe that means there is only one style of music his voice is suited for.
At any rate, Church changed his tune after he heard he would be singing with Jazmine Sullivan. Sullivan makes no bones about it…she is a singer. Eric Church changed his mind and decided that he would share the stage with Sullivan and perform the National Anthem. She gave him confidence and made him look better than he would have alone.
I think sometimes we underestimate our abilities in the faith. Maybe instead of claiming that we are a victorious Christian who is capable of changing the world around us, we settle for casual Christian who has little or no influence for good upon others. But like the Eric Church story, we get to share the stage with someone who is a game changer. Someone who will give us confidence in our abilities and help us look way better than we could on our own. Our God inspires us to do more than we thought we could and propels us into the spotlight by compelling us to use the voice He has given us.
There is no such thing as a “vocal stylist Christian”. Using our voice when it suits a particular audience is not effective. When we only talk about our walk with Christ in church or with our Christian friends, but don’t share it with any other audience, then we are being a vocal stylist Christian. The Great Commission says “go and make disciples of ALL nations…”. The audience we should be sharing our gospel voice with is the world.
That seems like a daunting mission but remember the next part of the Great Commission says, …”in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. We have the ultimate voice singing and speaking through us on the world stage. If we are a Christian, then using our voice for the Lord is not optional; using our voice for the Kingdom of heaven should be a daily practice. So, whether we are called to speak to people in our community, on our job, in the homeless shelter or even at the Super Bowl, we must not turn down the invitation.
You are enabled by the Spirit of the Living God to speak on His behalf. That is your spiritual authority! You may know plenty of people who will speak more eloquently, but they cannot be effective in the same place God has placed you to be effective. He has uniquely gifted you to share your song of salvation to those you have influence over. And just like a wonderful friend, he doesn’t push you out on stage alone. He is with you, speaking through you in a powerful way to reach people for Christ.
