A few months ago I was scrolling through my YouTube feed and kept coming across these “Sunday Service” videos. I was reluctant to watch them because like most people I had wrote Kanye West off after one of his downward spirals (…isn’t that sometimes what we tend to do when people get messy and need help… wash our hands of them and go hold post in our judgment seat? Lord, please forgive me.). I was interested though so I decided to consult with my expert on all things culture – my teenage son who is away at college. I asked him what Kanye was up to now. His response, “Oh yeah, Sunday Service. Yeah, Mom. I have been watching them. Kanye is doing good.” Immediately I knew I had to check this Sunday Service thing out – not because of my son’s recommendation but I was concerned about what he might be getting caught up in…what he considered good.

A few minutes into my first Sunday Service Experience (in my car of course), I found myself in the middle of this beautiful praise and worship experience ready to cancel my plans for the day just to worship my King. Not only was I moved by the music – a blend of contemporary gospel hits and 90’s R&B hits transformed with gospel lyrics – but Kanye’s testimony. A broken man who humbled himself to confess he was in need of a Savior openly saying only Jesus could set him free. To hear this man who has been infamous for pointing all men to him instead pointing them to Christ literally moved me to tears. To hear him give glory to God for delivering him, acknowledging his mind had been healed, had me rejoicing with him. Confessing he had been caught up worshipping idols and was now free, had me release a hallelujah. To me, this was a genuine confession of faith in Jesus Christ and it excited me. A man using his talent and treasure to glorify God using his platform to tell the world that Jesus is King was pretty awesome.

Since my first Sunday Service experience, I have been intrigued, inspired and excited about Kanye’s conversion. At the same time disappointed at the “friendly fire” from the Christians and even Kanye’s most die hard fans. Why is it impossible to believe that God can transform and use a man like Kanye? We are after all talking about the same God who changed Saul to Paul and used him mightily to teach and spread the gospel.

Perhaps if the service was called Kanye’s Gospel Explosion or Kanye’s Gospel & R&B people would be less offended and more open to what he is doing. Kanye and his Sunday Service Experience are becoming the Super Praise & Worship team of the millennial church. He is reaching groups of people (including prisoners….woo wee….just let that sit there for a moment) most believers are too holy or too afraid to get near. He is lifting up the name of Jesus higher than most churches and saints that have been walking with Him for a lifetime. For probably the first time ever in my life, I feel bad for Kanye. While he has this amazing platform to spread the name of Jesus Christ, it’s a very public platform that will scrutinize every step of his journey with Christ, forgetting that we too have our own walk to tend to, holding him to a higher standard than we hold ourselves.

Do you remember who you were before you welcomed Christ into your heart? Do you remember when Jesus came into your life and you wanted to tell the whole world what Jesus did for you? Remember when the fire burned so hot you wanted to serve the Lord 24/7 or as they say now 25/8? Remember when you wanted everyone to know about your King? How about when the fire cooled…when you realized this wasn’t just an experience it was a walk? A walk that you would sometimes trip and fall, a walk you sometimes veered from, a walk that would never be perfect but because the King took up His cross and walked a walk we could never walk – we were made perfect. Jesus didn’t die for just you and me…He died that all might come to know Him as Lord and Savior, even Kanye West.

What if we changed our perspective? What if we commit to praying for Brother Kanye? Why don’t we pray that we might fan our own flame and reignite the fire we had when we came to Christ, that we would work out our own salvation with fear and trembling? What if we spent the same amount of time we take to scroll social media pages and entertainment news to see how Kanye fell today, to sharpen ourselves in the Word so that we we can walk along side our younger brothers and sisters that they might grow beyond an experience to mature believers of Jesus Christ?

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven. [ For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. ]” – Matthew‬ ‭18:10-11‬ ‭NASB‬‬‬‬

I must admit Kanye has encouraged me to check my own walk and fan my own flame to get to the business at hand – spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. While I may not agree with some of the things Kanye has said in the past, his politics and political affiliations, or who the greatest artist in the world is, there is one thing we both agree on…JESUS IS KING!