The Celebrity Servant

“And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.”

Luke 17:7-10

Reflecting on this scripture, I was puzzled by Jesus’ words for days. They didn’t sound nice or align with my theology. I kept searching for a different interpretation—one that was nicer and more palatable. But in the end, I realised there was no other angle. The passage means exactly what Jesus said!

Transactional Faith And Validation

In the church today, there’s a growing trend that ties faith to material wealth. This isn’t new; it goes back to the days when people thought they could buy forgiveness with money, as seen in the Roman Church’s doctrine of indulgences. Today, this idea has evolved into the so-called “prosperity gospel,” where some believe that Jesus died to make us materially rich, and that our service to God should result in wealth and influence here on earth. This mindset has given rise to the celebrity culture in the church—leaders and followers alike are caught up in a competition to showcase who God has “blessed” more, with reckless accumulation of worldly goods. Those with less feel left out, desperately praying for a breakthrough, hoping that God will ‘open the windows of heaven’ to pour out blessings so they too can prove their faith. We even shame the poor among us, suggesting they’re not serving, tithing, or sowing sacrificial seeds enough.

Earthly Riches Vs Eternal Life

We’ve convinced ourselves that we deserve some special material reward from God because we pray, preach, serve, tithe, or financially support His work. We think that material success validates a person’s service to God. We often rank ministers by the size of their congregations, or how many private jets, luxury cars, or homes they own. Meanwhile, we neglect the missionaries working in inner cities and remote areas of the world—those who endure hunger, lack of shelter, sickness, and even death, just to see one person come to Christ. We rarely think about them, much less aspire to live as they do. After all, we tell ourselves, the world is ours—why choose hardship?

If God’s blessing was mostly about earthly riches, Jesus wouldn’t have needed to die—people were already wealthy long before He came. And today, you don’t need to believe in Jesus to be the richest person in the world. But there is something the world can never offer, and that riches cannot buy: eternal life, the life that makes us God’s children and the associated peace, righteousness and Joy. These are the true riches.

Celebrity Christianity

Many Christians desire to preach, not to serve, but to become popular, rich, and influential—to flaunt material wealth as proof of God’s blessing and earn the title “God’s General.” We want to be celebrity Christians – Celebrity Servants. But many will be shocked on the day of judgment. My prayer is that we will be spared this shock.

A Call to Humble Service

This scripture shattered that theology for me. Jesus was teaching us a profound lesson in humility. God doesn’t owe us anything. We exist for Him, not the other way around. Everything we have, everything we do, is because of Him. There’s nothing we can do to make Him any more or less God. Jesus also taught that what is highly esteemed by people is often detestable to God. If we seek to elevate ourselves, we will be brought down. But if we humble ourselves, God will lift us in His own time.

According to this passage, when we complete whatever task or service God has called us to, we shouldn’t return with a sense of entitlement, to a reward. Nor should we feel it’s time to relax and take a break from our daily devotion and routine of worship and private ministration to God. Instead, we should come back to God with humility, continuing in prayer and worship, considering ourselves unworthy to serve on our own merit, and thanking Him for the opportunity to be used to bless others. We should be ready to do even more for His Kingdom, without the motivation of material gains or recognition. We should trust God to provide for our needs and limit our desires to what He gives us. As Paul says in Philippians 4:12, we must learn to be content both in abundance and in need.

Embrace The Right Attitude

This is not to say that God’s people shouldn’t have material possessions or influence. Absolutely not. God’s blessing can make one rich and influential, but we should not seek these nor misconstrue them as evidence of our salvation. Wealth does not validate our faith or signify God’s approval. The ultimate blessing is that we have eternal life in Christ and are called His children.

Let us serve the Lord with the right attitude, free from the struggle for earthly rewards. God is faithful, and He will not forget our labour of love in His Kingdom. Our true desire should be to hear Him say, “Well done, you good and faithful servant.” and all other things will be added to us. Amen.