This one fired me up. Skillet frontman John Cooper sat down with ChurchLeaders on the band’s “Comatose 20 Years, Still Screaming Tour” in Detroit and said God is doing something real in mainstream rock music right now.
What he said
- “I just found out another iconic musician became a Christian yesterday.” He wouldn’t name him, but he said he was “lit up” about it.
- He told the story of a famous rocker who came to Christ after years of substance abuse, adultery and wreckage. Since then his marriage has been restored, family members have come to faith, and he’s been pointing other musicians to Jesus.
- That guy still cusses. Cooper’s answer: “I don’t think that Christ would hear that conversation and say, ‘My takeaway is the f-word.'”
- “God is doing all sorts of incredible things in this market. It doesn’t always look like the traditional Christianity.”
My take
I love this. The Holy Spirit doesn’t wait for people to clean up before He moves in. He moves in and then He does the cleaning. Look at the fruit Cooper described: a restored marriage, a family saved, other musicians hearing about Jesus. That’s the Spirit at work, and the sanctification part comes as He keeps working on the heart.
Our job isn’t to grade new believers on their vocabulary. It’s to pray for them, love them and disciple them. Paul said it plainly: if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Some of these guys have bigger platforms than most churches. Pray that the fire stays lit and spreads backstage, on the bus and out into the crowd.
Have a blessed day! And Happy Hacking!
