The death of Prince in 2016 was a shocker.
I froze in my car. It was one of those moments where – you will always remember where you were and what you were doing when you heard the news.
And no, the experience of Michael Jackson’s and Whitney Houston’s death didn’t make it any less painful. For both Michael and Whitney, I expressed my sorrow through music; wrote a song for both of them – seemed like the best way to celebrate their lives and honor their contributions to the soundtrack of my life.
For Prince? The consummate genius musician? Sigh. Not sure if I could muster up a tune or lyrics to adequately express my feelings. With more celebrities added to the “{enter year} deaths list”, what do most of Team Jesus think about when we hear about a celeb’s death?
Eternity.
The Hope for Eternity with God
“I hope they knew Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.”
“Lord, I hope they got a chance to repent and confess you as Lord.”
It’s game over. Eternity has been decided. What do most Christians ponder – “Did they make it, Jesus?”
Be honest, Team. Did your mind wander to the last moments of your favorite celeb’s death? Did you envision (or hope) that perhaps Prince “knew” he was living his final days and made “for sure” his soul was right with God?
Yep, I did.
And while we may never know, on this side, the answers to any of these questions, we still care. An understanding of the seriousness and finality of eternity invokes our hopeful response. We are aligned with God’s intent and want no one to die without accepting Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:9).
Celebrity Status Is No Death Repellent
What becomes clearer with each celebrity death is – fame and fortune will never be death repellents.
Society often holds celebrities in an immortal light, where they’re entitled to live forever. They’re living legends. They’re the GOATs (greatest of all time). Death of celebs becomes mind-boggling, almost unfair for “him” or “her” to leave this world “so soon”.
The realization of a celebrity’s death is also a wake-up call – “If {insert name} can die, what about me?”
Team, we can’t allow the money, fame, and talent, nor the fear of dying to blind us from the immutable truth that we all have an appointment with death (Hebrews 9:27-28). You, me, those we hold in high esteem, those we believe are so beautiful, talented, rich, famous, genius, legendary, OR just everyday family and friends – all of us will one day take our last breath, and stand before God to give an account of the life we’ve lived (Romans 14:11-12).
Be Ready to Die, Even if You’re Not Ready to Die
What is the ultimate response to a celebrity’s death for us all?
Self-examination.
Listen, I’m not ready to die, there’s A LOT more I want to do in life, as you do too! But am I ready, even if I’m not ready?
It doesn’t matter if the death is close to us, or the death of a celeb – death is a disruption – a disruption to mediocre or fast living, a disruption to the false sense of security that we have all the time in the world to ________. Death is that deafening alarm signaling it’s time for reflection and introspection as we take inventory of our lives, and how well we’ve prepared for Eternity – or not.
As the world mourns the loss of celebrities today, take a moment for self-examination:
“If I died today, where would I spend eternity?”
If you’re not 1000% sure that you’d spend eternity with God versus eternity in hell, we aren’t too proud to beg! Please, please, please accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior!
Here are a helpful resource and guidance video. You can do it right now. It’s as simple as this prayer of faith:
“Lord Jesus, I ask You to forgive my sins and save me from eternal separation from God. By faith, I accept Your work and death on the cross as sufficient payment for my sins, I believe that God raised You from the dead, and I confess you Jesus as Lord. Thank You for providing the way for me to know You and to have a relationship with my heavenly Father. Through faith in You, I have eternal life. Thank You also for hearing my prayers and loving me unconditionally. Please give me the strength, wisdom, and determination to live this new life according to Your will. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
If you have accepted Jesus Christ, please drop us a line so we can rejoice with you and welcome you to the Team! We encourage you to find a fellowship of Bible-believing brothers and sisters in Christ to nurture and grow in your relationship with God.
THIS is the real #1 response to death for Team Jesus – leading others to eternal life in Jesus Christ!
We love you. God loves you even more!
I loved your article. It was precise and to the point. You couldn’t have made it any clearer for everyone to understand. Thanks for the read Sister. It blessed my day.