ChatGPT, a short sermon, and the authenticity of the Asbury revival
Photoshopped images.
Deep fakes.
And now, ChatGPT.
Artificial intelligence – AI for those who want to save some syllables – is actually pretty brilliant, in a “this isn’t real, and it’s also kind of creepy” way. Need proof? I asked ChatGPT to write a short sermon about how Jesus is the only way to heaven. Here’s what I got:
Dear friends,
Today, we gather to talk about one of the most important topics in our faith: salvation. The Bible teaches us that all of us are sinners and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). This means that without salvation, we cannot enter into heaven and have eternal life with God.
However, the good news is that there is a way for us to be saved and have eternal life with God. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). This means that Jesus is the only way to heaven. He died on the cross for our sins and rose again, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
Some may argue that there are many paths to heaven, but the Bible is clear that there is only one way. Jesus is the only one who can forgive our sins and reconcile us with God. He is the only one who can provide us with the gift of salvation and eternal life.
So, what must we do to have salvation in Jesus? We must repent of our sins, confess our faith in Jesus, and receive Him as our Lord and Savior. This means turning away from our sins and putting our faith in Him alone for our salvation.
Dear friends, today is the day of salvation. If you have never received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to do so today. Trust in Him and His sacrifice on the cross for your sins, and you will have eternal life with Him.
May God bless you and keep you, now and forevermore. Amen.
Billy Graham would be so proud. But automatically generated words aren’t the same as authentically spoken words, and if we’ve learned anything from the two-week revival that broke out on the campus of Asbury University, it has to be this:
People crave what’s real.
Some estimate that over 50,000 people have travelled to the town of 6,000 to experience an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that followed a sermon given by a man who texted his wife after he preached and said that he “whiffed it.” The worship team left the chapel after the service to eat lunch. Nothing about that day indicated anything unusual was getting ready to happen, except for the fact that some students simply refused to leave.
They stayed and used their voices – their raw, off-key, untrained voices – to worship, repent, and proclaim the truth about who God is, and how much He loves us.
It was that authentic response that brought 20,000 people on one night to the campus.
People crave what’s real.
Authenticity matters.
Reflection is better than perfection, and presence is better than production.
What will you do today that is authentically you before God and others? How can you use your voice – not the voice of a preacher, or podcaster, or some AI on an app – to tell the world what Jesus has done for you?
Be real, and then be ready. People will find you, and ask you about Him, because people crave what’s real.
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