Put the Camera Down

Philippians 2:1–11

There are trends on social media that I have mixed emotions about.

Recording acts of kindness.
Recording yourself praying for someone.
Recording yourself blessing a stranger.
Celebrating the number of followers we’ve accumulated.

On one hand, I understand it.

Those videos can bring joy, and goodness is refreshing to see—especially when bad news seems to flood our social media feeds, television broadcasts, and news apps.

Sometimes those videos inspire other people to give. Sometimes the exposure generates followers, support, sponsorships, or resources that allow someone to continue helping others.

I get it.

But on the other hand, sometimes I wonder:

Are we more concerned about the act—or the reaction to the act?

Did I help because someone needed help?

Or did I help because I knew people would see me helping?

Would I still pray for that person if nobody were recording?
Would I still give if there were no likes?
Would I still serve if nobody ever knew my name?

Those are uncomfortable questions.

But maybe we need to ask them.

Because somewhere along the way, being seen has become extremely important to us.

We want followers.

We want engagement.

We want people to recognize our names.

And even if we don't necessarily want fame for ourselves, many of us are fascinated by people who have it. We follow their lives, their routines, their relationships, their purchases, their opinions, and sometimes even what they ate for breakfast.

Following people isn't inherently wrong.

But we have to be careful that in a culture obsessed with following people, we don't forget the One we were actually called to follow.

Jesus.

Philippians 2 gives us a picture of Jesus that looks very different from our culture's pursuit of recognition.

Jesus had every reason to exalt Himself.

Yet Scripture tells us that He:

“emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant…”—Philippians 2:7

Jesus didn't need to convince anybody that He was important.

He knew who He was.

And because He knew who He was, He didn't have to spend His life trying to make sure everybody else knew.

Think about that.

Jesus performed miracles publicly. Crowds followed Him. News about Him spread throughout entire regions.

Mark 1:28 tells us that His fame spread throughout Galilee.

Luke 4:37 says reports about Him went out into the surrounding country.

People were talking about Jesus.

Yet Jesus was never controlled by people's attention.

In John 6, after Jesus fed the five thousand, the people were ready to take Him by force and make Him king.

Talk about an opportunity for a platform.

Thousands of people.

Momentum.

Influence.

Recognition.

But Jesus withdrew.

Why?

Because popularity was never His assignment.

Obedience was.

Jesus said:

“My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.”
—John 4:34

And again:

“I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”
—John 8:29

That's the difference.

Jesus wasn't living for applause.

He was living to please the Father.

And maybe that's the heart check we need.

There is nothing inherently wrong with having followers.
There is nothing inherently wrong with recording content.
There is nothing inherently wrong with sharing something good that God has allowed you to do.

Sometimes sharing it may encourage somebody else to do good too.

But every now and then, we may need to put the camera down.

Do something kind that nobody knows about.

Pray for somebody without posting it.

Bless somebody without announcing it.

Serve without documenting it.

Give without getting credit.

Because everything God calls us to do does not need an audience.

Jesus understood something that our culture often forgets:

Being known is not the same thing as being significant.

You can have thousands of followers and still miss what God is asking you to do.

You can have very few followers and live an extraordinarily fruitful life before God.

Philippians 2 tells us that Jesus humbled Himself and became obedient—even to the point of death on a cross.

And then Scripture says:

“Therefore God has highly exalted him…”—Philippians 2:9

Notice the order.

Jesus humbled Himself.

God exalted Him.

Jesus wasn't scrambling for a platform.

He wasn't chasing recognition.

He wasn't trying to manufacture fame.

He was obedient.

His concern was the Father's will.

And God's purpose unfolded exactly as it was supposed to.

Maybe some of us need to stop asking:

How can I get more people to follow me?

And start asking:

How well am I following Jesus?

Maybe the better question isn't:

Do they know my name?

Maybe it's:

Does my life make His name known?

Because ultimately, Jesus already told us what would draw people to Him:

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
—John 12:32

John explains in the following verse that Jesus was speaking about the kind of death He would die.

The cross—not celebrity—would become the centerpiece.

Sacrifice.
Humility.
Obedience.
Love.

So yes, post the encouraging video.

Share the testimony.

Use your platform.

Let people see kindness in a world that desperately needs more of it.

But sometimes…

put the camera down.

Let an act of obedience exist between you, the person you served, and God.

Let Jesus be enough of an audience.

And before you worry about how many people are following you, make sure you're still following Him.

Because the goal was never to make ourselves famous.

The goal has always been to make Jesus known.