Carrie Dedrick – ChristianHeadlines.com
An up-and-coming TV star said in a recent interview that his Christian faith makes some of his Hollywood peers uncomfortable. Trai Byers, who is known for his roles on FOX’s “Empire,” and the Academy Award-nominated “Selma,” says that he has been given a platform to share his faith and he plans to use it.
“I know a part of my journey now, the reason I’m an actor now, the platform that I have now,” Byers told the Christian Post. “I’m supposed to share the Lord with people. All of us are disciples on some level. You don’t have to be behind the podium to tell a story, connect with people and share the Gospel.”
The Lyon family on Fox’s TV show “Empire”
The actor said he grew up attending Sunday school, but developed a real relationship with God after an incident where a gun was pointed to his head at the age of 15.
Byers said, “That night I wasn’t able to sleep, I felt something very heavy on me. Like, ‘You’re not supposed to be here, Trai. I saved you Trai.’ I reconciled with my life some of the things I was interested in as a teenager that I shouldn’t have been interested in. God turned me around just like that — with the snap of a finger, and I’ve been a hardcore Christian advocate for God ever since.”
On the hit movie Selma
Byers says he knows life is about glorifying God.
“It’s working out for the purpose of His glory. If I weren’t doing my job and saying ‘thank the Lord, God is good’ everywhere I go, I think I would be doing a disservice to Him. Who knows how long this life would last. Wherever I am, whether I’m an actor, whether I’m a teacher or whatever… I’m going to shout to the heavens until it’s over because it’s not about us, it’s about Him.”
Not surprisingly, some of Byers’ Hollywood peers have expressed discomfort at his outspoken Christianity. Still, Byers will not let others’ criticism stop him from spreading the gospel.
Byers with fellow Empire cast member Kaitlin Doubleday
“I had people come to me and say I’m talking about God and pull me to the side and say, ‘Put that Bible down.’ And I’d start talking even more because that’s the purpose I’m here for. I can’t drop my God to fit in, and I won’t. God is building an army all over the place, in Hollywood as well. So it feels good to be a part of it,” he said.
Empire Star Trai Byers Passionate About His Faith