12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.
14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God...
We are just a step away from a more dynamic walk with Jesus. He wants us to grow in Him on a consistent basis. Hebrews 9 states:
13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh,
14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
Help me remember here - why is Russell Brand famous? And, why do people listen to him? He's an actor, right? OK - he was in the remake of Arthur and has done voices from some animated films. He was once married to a pop music star. And, he, for whatever reason, has received attention for his observations about well, culture. And religion.
A CBN.com article reported:
Russell Brand, the controversial English comedian and actor, is opening up more about his spiritual journey of discovery and new realizations about his faith and relationship with God. The revelations come as he is also facing some very serious allegations of sexual misconduct that are being investigated by police.
In a short 90-second video posted to the social media platform X on Sunday, Brand shared why he wears a cross on a necklace.
"The reason I wear a cross is because Christianity and in particular, the figure of Christ are it seems to me inevitably becoming more important as I become more familiar with suffering, purpose, self, and not self," he said.
He does say he's reading his Bible more.
He relates:
"When I grew up, Christianity seemed like it was either really irrelevant and old-fashioned and sort of dusty and sort of incense and sort of 'Anno Domini'," he chanted. "Or they tried to modernize it," the comedian continued as he pretended to hold up a guitar, switching his voice to another accent. "And it seems just like, 'Right. Ok, we're gonna talk about Jesus.'"
"And like both of those routes seemed like ooh I don't know if there's anything for me," Brand said. "And I suppose it takes a certain amount of adulthood and it might be different for all of us. But for me, it seems that it's taken quite a lot to recognize that you need, I need, a personal relationship with God."
"It occurred to me that if instead of always talking to myself inwardly, I could replace one of those voices with an indwelling God," he said. "It says in Galatians, it is our job to die so that as Christ died on the cross he might be reborn in us."
He asked for feedback, and he received some - from a well-known Christian evangelist and Faith Radio programmer. The article notes:
...Greg Laurie, senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, saw Brand's video and reached out to him, replying directly.
"Hi Russell- I love what you have to say in this video! We have never met, but I wanted to introduce myself. My name is Greg Laurie and my life was radically changed by Jesus Christ. I like you was put off by Christians at first, but then I heard the Gospel message," Laurie wrote.
"The word 'Gospel' means 'Good news.' We are all sinners and we have broken God's commandments and fallen short of His standards. But the good news is that God loved us so much He sent His only son to die on the cross for our sins and then rise from the dead. Jesus is alive and ready to come into your life, Russell!" he continued.
"He is just a prayer away. You might pray something like this," Laurie suggested. "Lord Jesus, I want to have a personal relationship with you. I know I am a sinner and I believe you died on the cross from my sins. I turn from those sins and put my faith in you right now to be my Lord and savior, my God and friend. Thanks for hearing this prayer. In Jesus name, I pray, amen."
Greg Laurie's salvation story is depicted in the movie, Jesus Revolution, based on his book of the same name. Laurie pointed Brand in the direction of the movie on Netflix.
Would you consider Russell Brand a seeker? Or an opportunist? Or both - certainly in the face of serious sexual allegations, Brand is a man in trouble. And, he seems to have dabbled at the edges of Christianity, at times talking a good game. But, has it stuck? Hard to know what's in the man's mind, but as Greg Laurie says, Jesus is "just a prayer away."
CBN.com reported on Brand's interview with Tucker Carlson last year, stating:
“As much as I might enjoy the feeling of privilege and luxury… I remember what reality is,” Brand told Fox News’ Tucker Carlson. “I remember that my wellness is contingent upon spiritual connection, upon certain values and principles, and they … involve sacrifice and self-scrutiny about my own conduct and behavior, which often falls short, and I’m working on improving myself.”
“The Rock of Ages” star also discussed his need for God as he navigates the ups and downs of the world around him.
“Like many desperate people, I need spirituality,” Brand said. “I need God, or I cannot cope in this world. I need to believe in the best in people.”
My River Region Christians January column and an earlier Front Room commentary dealt with the differences between the three words, spiritual, religious, and Christian. Brand seems firmly stuck in the "spirituality" camp, but is investigating Christianity - how seriously, who knows. But, we can recognize that no one is beyond the love of Christ, and perhaps Russell Brand is on the verge of a radical transformation into a born-again Christian. Or, it may have already happened - nevertheless, we can admit that it could happen.
We can live each day with expectancy of what God wants to do inside of us. We can move, as Hebrews 9 states, from dead works to serve the living God more wholeheartedly; we can remove what holds us back and move forward in the Lord. He is near to each of us - we can remember that and call out to Him as He walks with us.
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