Chance, the disciple - by 410 alum Peter Manfre

​Growing up, in or out of the church, you hear about Jesus a lot. You hear about who He is and what He has in store for us, and yet we still do not believe it in ourselves. We hear in scriptures Jesus ask us who He is, in Luke 19 he asks the question, “Who am I?”. We spend so much of our time in bible study and in our daily life trying to learn more and more about Christ and sometimes we forget who we are in Christ.
 
Who are we in Christ? Who are we in society? That is the struggle we face as we mature through high school and college. Growing pains are a real deal in those years. For me personally, I was a scrawny, quirky, rap enthusiastic kid who normally shied away from social spotlights. As I grew in my faith I learned that not only did God create each and every one of us as one in eternity, but He did so with specific attributes and traits that He equipped us with to not only succeed in life, but as disciples as well.
 
Unfortunately, society says otherwise, as it glorifies false idols of all industries. Industries such as the entertainment industry with its movies and music that often times does no justice to our faith. Personally, and I assume the majority feel the same when I say this, I let societal norms trump my faith norms. I read the bible and saw that disciples came from vast backgrounds. Backgrounds that today would most likely not fit with today’s norms. That however, is the point.
 
I do not watch the Grammy’s, in fact I never have. Just never felt compelled or anything, despite my infatuation for music. 2017 was no different, but I did end up saving a clip from it. Like previously mentioned, I am a rap enthusiast. I appreciate a good rhyme and beat and it just speaks to me. A rapper recently won multiple Grammy awards while giving all of his music away for free. No charge, as was his purpose, he wanted to share his life and his message. Chance the Rapper performed “How Great”, a song that begins with a church choir declaring “How Great is Our God”.
 
It is a rap song with bible references, societal injustices, and praises scattered all throughout. Let me say that again, it is a RAP song. In a time and age where rap has most been defined by disgracing women, name calling, and brute bigotry, Chance has won multiple Grammy awards without these attributes, in fact he did so while rebuking those attributes. He is the most popular and influential rapper and he went completely against what has popularized rap in society. He praised God on that stage and glorified him in front of hundreds of millions viewing. Chance captivated the audience with his inspiring passion and story, as majority of musicians do not make music for free either. He used his God given gifts to his best and got on the biggest stage entertainment has to offer and declared that God is present, God is above all, and God is great.
 
Funny thing is, a tweet I saw inspired me to write this. The Tweet read:
 
            “Matthew, the tax collector.
            Peter, the fisherman
            John, the baptist
            Luke, the physician
            Chance, the rapper”
 
Some may say this tweet is a disgraceful tweet glorifying a rapper and disrespecting the disciples, I disagree. In contrary, I think this is a great way to hammer in the point that Jesus calls us all to be disciples. In everything that we do. As a brother, sister, father, mother, student, teacher, athlete, rapper, lawyer, doctor, accountant, priest, nun, or any other trait we may find ourselves falling under it is not without God that we have these titles.
 
Matthew 28:19 reads “ Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” It does NOT say, “Your talents are deficient of God’s glory, use them to make society pleased.” It is not a request either, but a demand. So, with whatever trait you possess, realize that it is a trait God planned for you, a trait Christ died for you to use. Most of all, whatever trait you have, Matthew says you should baptize people with it Baptize, meaning “to give a name to.”
 
            Society will tell you fame is important, money is your water, and society is your life. This is a blatant misconception we struggle with today. If Chance can be a rapper, give all of his music out for free, and glorify God while doing so then what exactly is stopping you from doing the same with your gifts?
 

---