MSDA - Make SELF Dead Again

For almost all of Church history, mass media was simply not a means by which the Gospel spread nor the way ministries grew. It didn't exist. 

But in the past 125 years, modern technological advances in media have revolutionized the way the Gospel message has been able to spread. This was all made possible with the invention of radio (1st public broadcast in 1906), the invention of television (1920’s) and most recently, of course, the internet (which was made available to the public in the 1990s). 

First, radio and television enabled MILLIONS to hear and even watch the Gospel being preached and the Bible taught. But then, the internet enabled BILLIONS to hear Christian truth in hundreds of languages. The incredible good that has come from these advances for the sake of Christ and His Kingdom is undisputed. 

However, at the same time, these same mass media developments have led to unparalleled crises within the Church. The access to deception, false teaching and perversion is unlike any time in human history. Nobody can deny that these dangers have destroyed the faith and lives of countless Christians. The access to pornography alone in the past 50 years, illustrates the darkness and destruction that has been unleashed.

Another negative aspect of modern media, is the fruit it has produced in the lives of the Christian influencers that it helped to create. This is sadly NOT something that is being considered nor discussed. It is almost uncritically accepted that a bigger platform is always a positive, even claiming it is a “God thing!” And in this hour of so much exposure of fallen ministers and ministries, and endless commentary on WHY so many seem to be falling or have become corrupted, I have not heard anybody considering the topic we are considering here. 

For the majority of church history, for someone to be influenced by another, it was either in person or through some written source. The invention of the printing press (1400s) was of course a watershed moment in Church History when a new means became available for the purpose of influencing others for Christ’s Kingdom. The printing press meant that an influential Christian leader’s writing could now be spread far more easily. I am sure this led to more fame for such authors, however, many of the famous works of Christians didn’t spread broadly until after their deaths. I am thinking of Brother Lawrence’s The Practice of the Presence of God which was only compiled and published AFTER his death in 1691. The English version wasn't even published until 1895, nearly 200 years later!

There have always been men and women whose influence far exceeded their time and place. The first “megachurches” did not appear in the 1980s as some would have us believe. Rather, the first megachurches emerged in the 4th century in large urban centers which ultimately led to the cathedrals we know of from subsequent centuries. The leaders of these cathedrals were for all intents and purposes the “celebrity pastors” of their generations. For example, in the late 4th century, John Chrysostom, the Archbishop of Constantinople, was known for his powerful public speaking and writing. He drew big crowds in his generation. But largely his influence was localized. Of course, his writings have continued to influence Christians for hundreds and hundreds of years. 

What about traveling ministers? Chrysostom did not travel much to do itinerant ministry, but even those that did travel to influence in other places, they were limited by the slow means of transportation which only included horses and sailing ships.

In the past 125 years, a whole new 'animal' was created with the explosion of mass media and the technological advances which of course included rapid means of transportation. The ability for someone in a single location to have influence all over the world became possible. People can now hop on a plane and in less that 24 hours, they can be anywhere on earth. A Christian influencer with a YouTube channel can develop of worldwide influence sometimes overnight (in the case of one of their videos going viral) and such a person could find themselves being invited onto the largest Christian stages/platforms within months if not a matter of weeks. Do they possess the character to handle such rapid promotion? I think we are seeing the answer to that question unfold before our eyes today. 

When the Apostle Paul was converted in the 1st Century, the Church WITH WISDOM had him go away for years before he began his Apostolic ministry. He wasn’t promoted overnight. In modern terms, they didn’t have him headlining the next big conference or appearing on Christian television. What do we do today? A celebrity gives their life to Christ, and the Christian media platforms them the following week, the conference invitations start pouring in and the brand-new believer gets literally no chance to learn the ways of Christ before they are stepping into a public ministry. A perfect example of this becoming a total disaster is the case of Kanye West. You would think the church would have learned by not, but instead we repeat this error over and over again! 

The mass media revolution and all of the technological advancements that have enabled the Christian message to explode tragically have NOT coincided with a stronger emphasis on humility and death to self. This was/is a massive oversight and I am convinced is a major factor in WHY so many Christian leaders have and are falling. Shouldn't we have reasoned that if a person’s influence (a pastor, an author, a revivalist) is going to be exponentially greater than it would have ever been 200 years ago, that we should have been and should be far more strongly emphasizing the virtue of humility?

For most of Church History, the virtues of humility and dying to oneself have been deeply valued and extolled. They were arguably the most cherished of all Christian virtues. Churches were named after saints, but not until they were long since departed (meaning no risk of pride there!)

And ministries also were NOT named after their founders until they were dead. For example, the monastic order we know as the Franciscans was originally named “The Order of Lesser Brothers” by St. Francis to identify with the poor and to emphasize the virtue of humility. Only later and in popular usage AFTER Francis’ death, were they called “Franciscans”. 

Fast forward to the "ME, MYSELF AND I" Christian celebrity culture of 2026 and we find many ministries that are named (and being named) after their LIVING founders/leaders. (Minimally, we could have waited until they were dead as was the case throughout Church History)

I applaud the ministries whose larger than life founders, like Bill Bright the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ and Loren Cunningham the founder of Youth with a Mission (YWAM), admirably and RIGHTFULLY chose NOT to name the ministries they founded after themselves. 

And yet today, in addition to the numerous Christian ministries literally named after their living founders themselves, we even have Study Bibles with the names of the pastor/teacher on the covers of these Bibles whose notes are contained within. Putting one’s name while still living on a ministry is bad enough, but putting one’s name on Bible I believe is far, far worse! 

On a positive note, at least living Christian leaders aren’t naming churches after themselves…at least not YET!

This is all quite disgusting. I believe it is an affront to God and His Kingdom. Yes, I am aware that in some cases, it almost certainly wasn’t the idea of the founder him/herself to use their own name. For example, it was not Billy Graham’s idea to name his ministry “The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association” but rather one his associates. He obviously, albeit reluctantly, agreed to the name. So, there is that.

However, and this is a BIG however, would the Lord Jesus Christ want His followers to have ministries, that are supposedly about the Lord Himself and His Kingdom, being named after men or women who are His followers? The ones who are His servants? The ones who claim to believe and agree with Christ’s own words,  that “apart from me, you can do NOTHING” (John 15:5)?

The answer to this question should be crystal clear. The Lord absolutely DOES NOT WANT MINISTRIES NAMED AFTER THEIR FOUNDERS! Companies, schools, hospitals, etc. are something else. But Christian ministries should definitely not be named after people!

And I know that some are already getting defensive or offended because they are thinking about their pastor, or some well-known minister/ministry that they follow who has done exactly this - their ministry, their website, their teachings, and all their books have their name on them! Surely, you’ve seen something like the following - John Smith Ministries or www.johnsmithministries.com (generic so as to not name current names)!

For years we lived and ministered in the Middle East, and for security purposes, I blogged and podcasted anonymously. When we returned to the United States several years ago, I thought I could finally start putting my real name on my blog and my podcast. And then the Lord asked me a question, “Why would you want to start putting your name on your blog or podcast?”. It has been said that when the omniscient God, meaning All-Knowing,  asks His creatures a question, He is not looking for information. That question was for my sake. It was to convict me. It was His way of saying, DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME on something that is all about Me and My Glory.

Quite recently, I wrote an article that an established author wanted to get published in a couple of journals. I used my pseudonym for my article when I sent it to him. When it was published a well-known journal, the name of my author friend appeared on my article, not even my pseudonym appeared. He contacted me to let me know that a mistake had been made and that he’d push for a retraction and clarification in an upcoming issue. The Lord made it clear to me that I was to do absolutely nothing. I let my friend know that nothing needed to be done. He was credited for my article. 

If and when I ever publish anything in the future, the rules for the assignment(s) will remain the same. I am not to put my name on anything that is written for the sake of Christ and His Kingdom. You may be thinking of the Apostle Paul and how he would write personal letters to churches and would sign such letters. As an Apostle with the apostolic authority to literally pen Scripture, it was imperative that people knew whose authority was endorsing the letter. This doesn’t apply to ANYONE today seeking to influence others for the Kingdom of God.

So, I come now to the title of this blog post - "MSDA - Make Self Dead Again”. The church emphasized for much of its history that SELF was one of, if not the greatest enemy we face in the Christian life. And rightfully, humility and death to self were valued and promoted as what Christian maturity looked like and what all Christians should be striving towards. Godliness and humility went hand in hand. Not so today. Many Christian leaders would not be described as humble by the people who know them. I have known a few (a few HUNDRED that is!). I have hosted some very well-known leaders. I have traveled with some. Humble would not be the way I would describe far too many of them! 

There were exceptions and those were the ones I was/am the most impressed with. Not their other gifts, which in some cases were remarkable. The ones characterized by humility are the ones who left the greatest impression. Those who were willing to associate with the lowly. Those that didn't demand VIP treatment and who didn’t expect special “Green Rooms”. Those who would minister regardless of whether an honorarium was given or not. The ones who offered to clean up at the end of a meeting. 

Jesus and His Apostles did not have required speaking fees! They didn’t have any set of demands, unlike some modern ministers who require exorbitant speaking fees, 5-Star Hotels and First-Class tickets. This isn't exaggeration. 

We have gotten so far off course. Modern ministry hardly resembles the pattern found in the New Testament.

We have all seen shipwreck after shipwreck - men and women who could not handle the fame, the power, the influence, the money. Marriages blown apart. The pressure to perform, to stay on the biggest platforms, had resulted in fake "data-mined" prophecies and lying about people being healed. Many have enriched themselves by misusing ministry funds. Sexual sin and perversion has become all too common

These platforms are clearly toxic for countless shepherds. And they are bad for the sheep as well. Hero worship, the idolization of Christian leaders, is epidemic in today's church. Few seem to make the connection that it is the platforms themselves that are leading to such dysfunction.

These platforms end up creating the antithesis of the virtues of death to self and humility. They produce obsession with self, idolatry in followers and lead to the defilement of the Gospel.

Yes, it is true that God is disciplining His Church in this hour. He is judging the house of God (1 Peter 4:17).

But will the Church going forward realize that He is also judging the model itself? These actual platforms themselves? The amount of power/influence people have? He intends to dismantle much of it, if not most of it. This is nowhere to be found in the Book of Acts. You literally can’t find it in the first few centuries of Church History. And even if we want to make the argument that God can/does at times raise up people with the character to handle these levels of influence, and to not be defiled by the platform, the majority who get on these platforms of influence are negatively affected.

I love it when someone who isn’t promoting themself, and isn’t obsessed with getting followers and likes, literally gets platformed when they aren’t seeking it. Maybe these are the ones that God is lifting up. Remember that well-known Scripture, "Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, AND HE WILL LIFT YOU UP?” (James 4:10). Could it be that this verse is actually true?! Based on the way so much modern ministry is being done, I would say very few actually believe that verse!

I believe the Remnant in this hour will get this memo and seek to build differently. Humility and dying to self will once again be emphasized in the Churches that have "ears to hear". 

I believe Jesus is coming back for a Bride that will look like Him and who will be doing ministry for HIS GLORY and not their own.