“People are not always who they appear to be,” Lecrae warned the crowd. “That goes for Christians too.”
Friday evening, July 19, Lecrae shared his testimony at Momentum held at Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, Ind. Lecrae is a Grammy winning hip-hop artist. He also co-founded the recording label Reach Records.
At a young age, Lecrae was abused by a close family member. As he grew up, he didn’t want to be associated with the violence in his neighborhood, so he worked hard to become someone different. Until recently, he continued to strive for that identity of success. “I wasn’t hearing who God said I was,” he admitted.
He was losing faith in faith.
“If you live for acceptance, you will die for rejection,” Lecrae said.
He realized he had a high priest who could sympathize, so he decided to embrace the trauma. Despite his past, he discovered he had eternal worth. Slowly, he changed. He lost followers during the transition.
“If you never know trial, you will never know triumph,” he said. Jesus decided to face the shame of being mocked, beaten, stripped naked, and crucified because he knew there was joy on the other side. The sacrifice Jesus made gives people the ability to face trials with joy.
He told the students not to say, “but I am only fourteen.” Mary was about fourteen when she was visited by the angel. The disciples were likely teenagers. “You might lose friends,” he told them. Young people have the capability to make a difference–to be different.
“There is a power within you to change the world,” he encouraged the students. “That is the power of the holy spirit.”