Pastor Judah Smith: ‘I Have Learned More About Jesus and More About God From Justin Bieber Than I’ve Ever Taught Him’

Despite being a megachurch pastor connected to high-profile celebrities such as Justin Bieber, Judah Smith does not see himself as having a particular calling to minister to celebrities, and he even questions whether the Bible supports that concept. Smith shared his views on a recent conversation on the “Deep End With Lecrae” podcast, where he explained how he met Bieber and how Smith sees ministry. “You know better than I know. You don’t get into those rooms because you tried,” Smith told Lecrae, who agreed with him, after Lecrae brought up the pastor’s connections with celebrities. “You get into those rooms because you’re invited,” said Smith. “And I just have been invited and it’s been a thrill. And I want to say this: I have learned more about Jesus and more about God from Justin Bieber than I’ve ever taught him. And the reason for that is because platform has an acute pressure and pain.” “If you’re going to breathe at that altitude,” Smith said, “the willingness you have [to have] to own your brokenness and face your stuff every day is so compounded and accentuated, I don’t think we can fathom.” Judah Smith to Lecrae: ‘I Respect…and Love’ Justin Bieber Judah Smith and his wife, Chelsea, are lead communicator and lead theologian, respectively, of Churchome in Kirkland, Washington. Smith joined Grammy Award-winning Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae for a conversation that aired June 25. During the interview, Smith and Lecrae discussed Smith’s background, how Smith deals with criticism, how he approaches being a pastor, and how difficult it has been for the two of them to find spiritual fathers. They also touched on their experiences with disgraced Pastor Mark Driscoll. About halfway through the discussion, Lecrae asked Smith about Smith’s experience as a “celebrity pastor.” “Let’s talk a little bit about the celebrity pastor type of thing…from my vantage point, it was like you were on the Mount Rushmore of current celebrity pastors, you know?” said Lecrae. He also described Smith as being in the “One Direction of pastors.” “That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in a while,” Smith said. “The assumption is like, y’all are lost in the sauce,” said Lecrae. “And it can’t be that you genuinely like art and fashion. It can’t be that you actually see these people as human beings and you want to be a light in their lives,” he continued. “It can’t be that you’re dynamic at what you do and you just like excellence and it just so happens that this event is excellent. It can’t be.” Despite being connected to high-profile celebrities such as Justin Bieber, Pastor Judah Smith does not see himself as having a particular calling to minister to celebrities, and he even questions whether the Bible supports that concept.Click to Post