The Bully! Pulpit, a pop culture news blog, reports that rumors that Michael Jackson accepted Christ may have been false. Jackson, who died of cardiac arrest last week at the age of 50, was rumored by some to have become a Christian just weeks before his death.
Mark Moring reported that what really happened was a visit from Gospel singer Andrae Crouch and his twin sister, singer and minister, Sandra. The two apparently had visited Jackson recently at Michael Jackson’s request, and they did pray together but there is confusion about what they prayed. The gospel duo Mary- Mary blogged on their Facebook page that Jackson “prayed with Sandra and Andre and accepted Christ into his heart. Now he’s singing in the heavenly choir! Our hearts rejoice!” But the Bully! Pulpit reported that that wasn’t the full story, or even fully accurate.
A spokesman for Andrae Crouch attempted to further clarify the story: “Andrae and Sandra did in fact visit with Michael Jackson two times, once at the recording studio, and once at his home in the last two months, as recently as three weeks ago, asking for prayer concerning the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and how he could make his music more ‘spiritual,'” noted Crouch’s Facebook administrator. “So Andrae and Sandra explained to him about the anointing and about Jesus. He wanted to know what makes your hands go up, and makes you ‘come out of yourself,’ and what gives a ‘spirituality’ to the music? He then requested to hear his favorite song that he loves and wanted them to sing to him, so they…joined hands and sang together, and he said, ‘it was beautiful.’ He first heard it in New York, and loved it and wanted it on tape. He had the engineer tape the song sang to him by Andrae and Sandra. He definitely had an encounter with them.”
“He usually doesn’t touch anybody, but he touched them, and held their hands in a circle as they sang and prayed,” continued Andrae Crouch’s spokesman. “There was NO actual ‘sinners prayer’ however, but they did talk and pray about Jesus and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. They also told him, ‘Michael, we consider you as our son,’ and he said, “yes, yes, yes” and gave him his latest music on a CD, and he told him, ‘Andrae I trust you with this,’ and gave him CD’s of 2 songs……unpublished, beautiful music.”
Crouch’s spokesman relayed one peculiarity about Jackson’s rented home: forbidden as a child from celebrating Christmas because of his Jehovah’s Witness faith which precludes such celebration, Jackson was still celebrating Christmas: “He still had his Christmas decorations up at home,” noted the spokesman.
Whatever your thoughts were about Michael Jackson’s music, lifestyle, and bizarre behavior, his life was a tragedy. Here is a man who made millions, traveled the world, built a theme park at his home, was idolized all over the world yet never found peace. He was living in bondage, enslaved to his troubled childhood, and according to close friends possibly addicted to prescription drugs. It seemed he could not break free.
I am writing this blog on Independence day, July 4 as we celebrate our country’s freedom. Even though we live in a free democracy there are millions who live in the United States who are enslaved. Our mission as disciples of Jesus is to share with them that there is another freedom experience that will set them free forever. Jesus said in John 8:32, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” God’s truth leads to freedom. Freedom to become what God wants us to be. Freedom to follow Christ and find joy and purpose for life each day.
I would rather live in a communist country without personal freedom and have freedom in Christ rather than live in a free country and not have freedom in Christ. How blessed we are to have both!
I hope that someone shared the Gospel with Michael Jackson and explained how he could experience real freedom in Christ. As Christ’s disciples we have opportunities every day to share about the One who can set people free.
That is our mission. We are freedom fighters for Jesus!
Only God knows if someone is a Christian!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for this post. With so many celebrity deaths in the last couple of weeks, I’ve been particularly mindful of the fact that no matter what we achieve in life in terms of fame or fortune, we are all united in the fact that life so very short and that we are all equal in death. It should give particular impetus to all of us who are Christians to make sure we are sharing the Good News of our Lord so that none might perish.
Just read your article. Yesterday was obedient to have M.J. on TV to hear bits and pieces of needs and view the mass gathering and pray as God lead arond 2:15pm
and again in Jesus Name we pray for those and red, yellow, black and white they are precious in his sight….Pray over Prince M, Paris, and Blanket…..Love Hugs and Prayers and 3 D Recovery.