“Celebrity Evangelist” Takes Jesus to Hollywood

Dylan Novak is on a mission to reach an often-forgotten mission field: Hollywood celebrities. From movie stars to singers of hit songs to TV talk show hosts, Dylan has been sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the famous for over a decade.

Listen as Dylan shares stories of faith encounters and what it means to boldly evangelize in unexpected places on this episode of GPS: God. People. Stories. 

Connect with us through email at gps@billygraham.org or on Facebook at Billy Graham Radio.

If you'd like to know more about beginning a relationship with Jesus Christ, or deepening the faith you already have, visit FindPeacewithGod.net. 

If you'd like to pray with someone, call our Billy Graham 24/7 Prayer Line at 855-255-7729. 

Transcript

Dylan Novak:  
[00:00:00] We presented her the Bible. Started sharing the gospel with her. She became very emotional. She said what would you have done if I’d rejected this? It’s got my name on there. You can’t remove that. What would you have done? I said it would go on my shelf at the office. So, you were willing to risk wasting money for me. Because if I had rejected this, this would have gone to waste. And I said it’s a picture of Christianity. It’s a picture of the gospel. Salvation is 100% free. It’s just for you. But if you don’t accept it, if you reject it, it just sits there. And it goes to waste. It’s there for you whenever you change your mind. But if you don’t want it, it’s just going to sit there. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:00:41] For over a decade, Dylan Novak has been sharing the gospel with people we call celebrities. Actors and actresses in Hollywood, award-winning music performers, and TV stars of every genre. With a bold heart for the often forgotten mission field of fame and fortune, Dylan shares stories of reaching these celebrities with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We’ll hear his story on this episode of GPS: God. People. Stories. An outreach of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. I’m Jim Kirkland. The name of Dylan’s ministry is Celebrity Evangelist. But what does the word “evangelist” mean? What counts as evangelism? Billy Graham gave this definition.  

Billy Graham: 
[00:01:25] It basically means to proclaim the good news of the gospel, the life, the teaching, the death, the burial, the resurrection, and the coming again of Jesus Christ. It carries with it the idea that people are to respond to this proclamation by repentance and faith. And if they don’t respond, they’re lost. They’re going to be judged, and they’re going to go to hell.  

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:01:48] You’ll hear more about evangelism and its importance a little later on in this episode. Billy Graham used the word “lost”. If that term caught your attention for yourself, if you haven’t responded to Jesus Christ by confessing your need for Jesus, turning your life over to Him, and turning from your sins, we can help. Visit our website.   FindPeacewithGod.net. And when you’re there, click where it says begin a relationship with Jesus. That’s FindPeacewithGod.net. And the fastest way to get there is through the link in our show notes.  

Audio and Music Tag:
[00:02:26]

Jim Kirkland
[00:02:32] When Dylan Novak was barely a teenager, he went to a convention in Knoxville, Tennessee that featured comic books, celebrities, and all things pop culture. These are commonly known as Comic Conventions. It was a trip that would change his life. 

Dylan Novak: 
[00:02:49] I remember asking my parents. Please, let me go. I want to go. And thankfully, they let me go. And there were several celebrities there. No huge names like you see at conventions nowadays, but Margo Kidder, who plays Lois Lane in the Superman movies, and Lou Ruffalo from the Hulk. Just people like that. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:03:06] But Dylan didn’t just go to see celebrities. When he was eight, he had given his life to Christ. Because of his relationship with Christ and what Christ had done in his life, he had something on his heart to share with celebrities. 

Dylan Novak: 
[00:03:21] I watched an interview with Margo Kidder where she said that she was an atheist. And that absolutely broke my heart. Because that was the eye-opening revelation, a gut punch that these people are souls just like you and just like me who are on their way to heaven or hell. And I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Margo was on her way to hell because she didn’t know Jesus Christ as her personal Lord and Savior. And so, I prayed. God, please, send somebody to tell her about your Son before it’s eternally too late. And God really convicted my heart. What about you? You’re going to be right there in front of her. Why not you?

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:03:55] Dylan’s first reaction was to run away from what had been laid upon his heart. He was full of nerves at the idea of sharing the gospel with someone he’d looked up to, like Margo Kidder. After all, he was just 13. 

Dylan Novak: 
[00:04:10] But I felt very convicted. And I got some gospel tracts from my church. Took them to the event. And I gave them to everybody there. And everybody was receptive and appreciative of them, including Margo.  

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:04:22] For the next seven years, Dylan would go to different celebrity conventions once or twice a year and hand out gospel tracts. To prepare ahead of time, he’d loosely research some of the celebrities to know where they stood on the subject of faith and Jesus Christ. 

Dylan Novak: 
[00:04:40] There were some good conversations in those early days. But at the same time, essentially as a kid, I was scared to really push these conversations more. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:04:51] But while talking to other friends who attended these conventions, Dylan noticed something. 

Dylan Novak: 
[00:04:56] I would start talking about the spiritual state of these people. How they need Jesus. And nobody else seemed to care. Not that people were like, oh, we don’t care about them. But it’s just like, okay, and? I’m like, somebody should do something about that. We’re going, well, why doesn’t God have somebody step up and do this? It’s like, um, have you looked in the mirror this morning? So, that’s kind of how it all began. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:05:17] By 2015, Dylan had been sharing the gospel with celebrities for about five years. It was then that an opportunity arose to meet the singer/songwriter James Taylor. But he almost didn’t take it. 

Dylan Novak: 
[00:05:30]  The reason was I knew it was going to take a lot of work to get in front of James. This was not an autograph signing. This was not a meet and greet. This is literally going and waiting hours at backstage doors, and things like that. Just hoping to have a moment to have an interaction. I was like it’s not worth it. I’m not a big enough fan to go through all that, which is a very selfish mindset. But that’s just the reality of what it was. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:05:54] A man from Dylan’s church encouraged him not to give up on the opportunity. He told Dylan that he should at least find out what James believes before writing off the thought completely. 

Dylan Novak: 
[00:06:05] I’m like, okay. Okay. And so, came across an interview with James in 1991 where he was asked about why he mentions Jesus so much in his lyrics. And he said, it’s funny. I’m agnostic. Both of my parents were atheists. But I would be open to listen if someone were to take the time to show me something. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:06:24] Dylan was amazed that James had conveyed such an open invitation to the gospel message. 

Dylan Novak: 
[00:06:30] And I remember just going, oh, my goodness. What an open door. If that was somebody next door to us, I hope that we would be like the Christian SWAT team coming in. You want to hear about Jesus? You’re open? Let’s go. But I was like, well, who’s reaching James? I don’t know. I guess it could be me. And so, I felt very convicted to go try to meet him. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:06:52] Once he set out to meet James Taylor, it took Dylan three days to catch up with him. He had missed connecting with him in two cities. But finally, in Greensboro, North Carolina, Dylan caught up with James Taylor as he was coming out of a tour bus. 

Dylan Novak: 
[00:07:07] There were quite a few fans that day. And so, I waited to be last because I could tell he wasn’t going to run off. This would be more the appropriate time to try to have what conversation I could with him. Well, I ended up getting to talk to him about 15 minutes. And it ended with him giving me a hug, saying I remember that interview. That’s been almost 25 years. You’re the first one to intentionally come to me and say something. I was like, oh, my goodness. So, I drove home from Greensboro that day with one of the greatest joy in my heart because I’d done exactly what God had called me to do. God had asked me to do. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:07:45] Dylan felt a joy and peace after this experience. But he also felt something else. He felt a burden. These celebrities that are so very well-known were so forgotten when it came to anyone asking them where they stood with the gospel of Jesus Christ. As he drove back home from Greensboro, he found himself on a stretch of mountain highway where there was no traffic, no cell service, no distractions at all. It was July 31st, 2015. 

Dylan Novak: 
[00:08:15] I just remember having a real heart-to-heart conversation with God. Saying, all right, God, if this is what you want me to do, I’ll do it. I just pray that, one, you will open the doors. Two, show me I’m not wasting my time. From the very moment I started doing this, again, I get it. It’s just the human mind that’s cynical. I thought is anybody even going to listen. Am I just wasting time? Am I just wasting money, so to speak? 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:08:41] As Dylan shared his concerns with God, he surrendered to God’s will. And that’s how Dylan truly began his calling as a celebrity evangelist. 

Dylan Novak: 
[00:08:51] It wasn’t until 2017 we started. Got the website. Started pushing Celebrity Evangelist Ministries. And that was the year I first started going to churches. Started preaching, sharing my ministry. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:09:03] One day, while preaching in Florida, Dylan met the woman who would become his wife during a visit at a coffee shop. Her name is Morgan. After long-distance dating between her home in the Sunshine State and his in Virginia, the couple married. It was very important to Dylan that Morgan shared his passion for people to come to know Christ. In fact, it was her idea to start giving the celebrities they met a personalized Bible of their own whenever that was possible. 

Dylan Novak: 
[00:09:35] Morgan was the one who was really pushing that because she said that is such a great conversation starter. It shows the intentionality behind this interaction. And it also … who doesn’t want a Bible with their name on it? It’s just a very, very personal, beautiful gift. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:09:53] One of the celebrities that Dylan gave a personalized Bible to was a woman named Jenilee, who had been in the cast of the TV drama Dallas.

Dylan Novak: 
[00:10:03] We started sharing the gospel with her. She became very emotional. She said what would you have done if I’d rejected this? It’s got my name on there. You can’t remove that. What would you have done? I said it would go on my shelf at the office. So, you were willing to risk wasting money for me. Because if I had rejected this, this would have gone to waste. And I said it’s a picture of Christianity. It’s a picture of the gospel. Salvation is 100% free. It’s just for you. But if you don’t accept it, if you reject it, it just sits there. And it goes to waste. It’s there for you whenever you change your mind. But if you don’t want it, it’s just going to sit there.

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:10:42] Dylan’s conversation with Jenilee became one of his favorites. He’ll also never forget Ozzy Osbourne’s reaction to receiving a Bible with his name embossed on it. Before he met Ozzy, Dylan did his research as always. 

Dylan Novak: 
[00:10:58] In I believe it was 2015 or 2014, in an interview with The Guardian, he was asked about his faith. And he said I identify as a Christian more than anything else. When he was asked if he read the Bible, he said I don’t because it’s written in a language I can’t understand. And a lot of people have said what do you think he meant by that. Ozzy was dyslexic. So, already he had that issue with reading. And he’s talking about Old English. Something that is very difficult for a lot of people to understand. The King James version Bible is written on a 12th-grade reading level. Some portions are college grade. And we are living in a society where the average reading level for Americans is fifth grade, if not worse. 

Jim Kirkland:
[00:11:43] When Dylan went to meet Ozzy to give him his personalized Bible, it happened to be the first time Ozzy had ever done a convention-style public autograph signing. So, suffice to say, there were a lot of fans there. Dylan prepared himself that a super quick conversation was about all he could expect. That isn’t what he got, though. 

Dylan Novak: 
[00:12:04] He took his time with everybody. And I got to give him the gift. Showed him what it was. I started to refresh his memory.  I said, yeah, I read your interview where you said this, and this, and this. And he looked at it. He loved that his name was on the cover. He said, but I still won’t be able to understand it. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:12:21] Dylan opened up the New Believer’s Bible in the New Living Translation, showing Ozzy its pages.   

Dylan Novak: 
[00:12:27] Here’s what it means. It’s the same message. It’s the same words. It’s just in modern English. And he started flipping through it.  And he immediately turned to where the gospels were: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And he took a moment. He was reading it. And he looked up at me and said I can understand that. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:12:43] After their conversation, Dylan was able to quickly able to meet a few other members of Ozzy’s family, including his son Jack. Just two weeks later, Dylan and Jack would cross paths again at another celebrity event. 

Dylan Novak: 
[00:12:56] And he said you’re the one who gave Dad the Bible, aren’t you? I said, yeah. And he said do you have any idea how much that meant to dad?

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:13:04] Jack told him that Ozzy had told people at a big horror convention that he wouldn’t head up to his room without his Bible. Those he told this to were stunned. But Ozzy was serious. So much so, he and Jack went to get the Bible. The next day at lunch, Ozzy told everyone there that he’d been reading his Bible. This was in 2023. Two years before Ozzy’s death. 

Dylan Novak: 
[00:13:33] Ken Ham, he had posted when Ozzy passed away some photos and videos. And he had said that Ozzy was one of the most open people to talk about God and inquisitive of it of anybody he’d met. And so, that was just so encouraging. Those final days, God was really, really on Ozzy’s heart. It was very clear.  

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:13:54] Since then, people have asked Dylan if he thinks Ozzy is in heaven. 

Dylan Novak: 
[00:13:59] I don’t know. I can’t say that. What I can say is, one, I feel better and more peaceful about him than I do about a lot of other people. But more than that, I can’t tell you how many rock-n-roll, heavy metal people you would never expect to darken the doors of the church reached out to our ministry page asking questions about being saved. Asking questions. Can I get some of the same material you gave to Ozzy? If Ozzy was open to listen to this, I’m open to listen to this. And even though Ozzy was not somebody throughout his life people would look at and go that man is serving the Lord, God still used him in his death to bring Him glory. Because there were quite a few people that were saying I want to get saved. How do I get saved? I’m like, call me. Here’s my office number. And that was really a turning point in the ministry. Started to realize how much the fans of these people we’re reaching with the gospel. They’re looking and listening even in the shadows, and how we can reach them as well. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:15:02] Dylan has seen the impact in a celebrity’s life when they start a relationship with God. For example, the early rock-n-roll artist Jerry Lee Lewis. Dylan first met him before he became a Christian.  

Dylan Novak: 
[00:15:15] He was raised in church. He went to Bible college. Has a lot of family members that are in ministry. But that doesn’t mean you’re a Christian. You can sit in a parking lot your entire life. It doesn’t make you a car because there’s been no inner transformation. And he had said things similar to this throughout his career. But in 2015, with The Guardian, he was giving an interview. And out of left field, he brings up hell. And he said I wake up every night worried I’m going to wake up in hell. And his wife interrupted him. And she said you’re going to heaven. Don’t worry about that. And he said, no, I don’t know that. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:15:48] From that point forward, Dylan became focused on meeting Jerry Lee Lewis. In 2019, after Lewis’s final concert, a friend of Dylan’s gave Dylan a tip. Jerry was going to be flying out of a particular airport in South Carolina at this time on this day. So, Dylan went to that airport. 

Dylan Novak: 
[00:16:10] And so, I’m just sitting there by myself. And I was like this is terrifyingly awkward. Um, he came in with his wife. And I brought up immediately that interview with him. I immediately wanted to get the ball rolling there because I didn’t know how long I’d have with him. He didn’t – he didn’t seem to be in the most talkative mood. And he saw on top of the material I gave him a tract that said how to make sure that you’re going to heaven. And he got very excited. And he-he said he knew exactly what I needed showing his wife. And she said you’re going to heaven. Don’t worry about that. And he said, no, I don’t know that. And so, that just opened the door for the perfect gospel conversation about how you can know without a shadow of a doubt where your soul is going. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:16:57] Jerry told Dylan that he wanted to keep talking, but he was afraid he was going to miss his flight. Dylan gave him his contact information and told him not to hesitate to reach out. 

Dylan Novak: 
[00:17:09] Well, a week later, I got a letter in the mail. And it was dated two days after I had met him. It was a simple note. He said do not worry. Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:17:19] That same week, Jerry posted on Facebook that he had some great news to share with his fans. He was going to start recording a gospel record. 

Dylan Novak:
[00:17:29] Which I was like, man, he is doing exactly what we’re all supposed to do. As soon as we get saved, we should want to tell everybody what Christ has done for us. Well, later that same week, he also had a stroke. And he was put into assisted living in Memphis, where he stayed until he passed away a few years ago. He did get a few songs done. Nothing on the scale that he wanted to, but just seeing that transformation immediate was just so beautiful. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:17:57] Since starting his ministry, Dylan has gone to airports, the backstages of concert venues, and hotels to meet celebrities and tell them about Jesus. He’s even been to after parties for the Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles. All with one purpose in mind and in heart, to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Dylan Novak:
[00:18:17] I’ve never been to an event of that stature. I’ve never been to anything like that. It seemed very overwhelming, but I prayed. And I was like, you know what, the worst thing that’s going to happen is I’m going to drive around and find nothing. So, why not give it a try? 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:18:32] In his ministry, Dylan has developed a sense for an area where celebrities may be or may show up. One of those is a street that is closed off and surrounded by plain SUVs and security. When Dylan sees those, he parks his vehicle. On one occasion, Dylan had with him a booklet from author Lee Strobel. It was a booklet that addresses some of the biggest objections to Christianity. And the historic and scientific evidence that addresses those objections. 

Dylan Novak:
[00:19:16] There were a lot of fans. There was paparazzi. And I got a really good spot on this little fence. I was like, okay, good. I have no idea who I’m going to see at this after-party. The amount of people that showed up were unbelievable. But one person that showed up that I was very excited to try to get their attention was Bill Maher. Many people listening to this probably know how Bill Maher has been – I don’t even want to call him an atheist. Because when you listen to this man talk, it’s very clear he’s agnostic. He is open to the possibility that there’s something. This man has a lot of questions and brings up faith. He brings up religion. He brings up God, the Bible, and Jesus.

Jim Kirkland:
[00:19:48] Dylan had always wanted the opportunity to talk to him. So when he saw Bill Maher at a Golden Globe after-party, Dylan got his attention by getting really animated and calling out Bill Maher’s name repeatedly. 

Dylan Novak:
[00:20:00] Bill! Bill! And if you know Bill’s personality, he goes, yep, that’s me. And we’re just … I mean, we’re probably 10 ft away from each other where he got dropped off. I said I need you to come here. You need me to come there. Yes, it’s a need, not a want. Do you understand what the difference is? I was like, yes. Again, I love his sense of humor. And he goes, okay. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:20:21] When Bill walked over, Dylan told him he needed to give him something. He handed Bill the booklet by Lee Strobel. 

Dylan Novak:
[00:20:28] He basically said Jesus is following me everywhere. And I was like, man, that is a good statement right there. That is so encouraging. He’s acknowledging. I said it’s not a coincidence that I’m here, and I got to give you this. And he goes, of course, it’s a coincidence. I talk about God. And I attract the radicals. And here you are. It’s not coincidence. I said so, it’s a coincidence that I found this random after-party? I have no idea who’s on the guest list. I have no idea who I’m going to see. And I have this material that is perfect for you and some of the questions you have. And I just happen to be here. And you came over. And you think that’s all coincidence? And he kind of shrugged. He’s like, maybe. And he put it in his suit jacket pocket and thanked me. 

Jim Kirkland:  
[00:21:14] Since then, Dylan has been praying that God would continue to stir in his heart. He even has come across a podcast clip of a comedian bringing up another book by Lee Strobel to Bill Maher. Dylan, it’s proof that their interaction definitely was not a coincidence. As Dylan has seen, God is working in entertainment circles to change celebrities’ hearts and lives. And it begins with people like you and me and like Dylan telling people about Jesus Christ. 

Dylan Novak:
[00:21:46] We’ve overcomplicated sharing the gospel. We should be focused on just starting a conversation with somebody. The conversation started doesn’t even need to be spiritual. It doesn’t even need to be gospel. What the conversation starter should be is just how are you doing? So, tell me something about you. Just somehow drop that you go to church. Drop something about Jesus or anything of that nature. And see if they take a bite. Some people will take a bite; some people won’t. If they take a bite, you have the perfect in.  

Music tag:
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Jim Kirkland: 
[00:22:26] Just start a conversation. What a simple path to something that could change someone’s eternity. If you’ve been listening to this podcast and these encounters with celebrities and would like to have a relationship with God, just like Dylan has encouraged scores of celebrities to begin, you can start your faith journey with Jesus Christ right now. Visit our website. FindPeacewithGod.net. When you’re there, click on begin a relationship with Jesus. That’s at FindPeacewithGod.net. And if you couldn’t jot that down, no worry.  You can also find the link in our show notes. In just a minute, you’ll hear a final word from Dylan about an unexpected challenge he experiences in the area of celebrity evangelism. 

Audio tag:
[00:23:15] 

Billy Graham: 
[00:23:24] You may be surprised that the word evangelist occurs only three times in the New Testament. 

Announcer:
[00:2:32] Billy Graham … 

Billy Graham: 
[00:23:33] However, the verb form of the word evangelism appears 52 times in the New Testament. It basically means to proclaim the good news of the gospel, the life, the teaching, the death, the burial, the resurrection, and the coming again of Jesus Christ. It carries with it the idea that people are to respond to this proclamation by repentance and faith. And if they don’t respond, they’re lost. They’re going to be judged, and they’re going to go to hell. But the authority to evangelize comes from the Lord, Jesus Christ, himself. He said all authority has been given to Me in heaven and in earth. Go and make disciples of all men, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded. And lo, I am with you always. He said He is with us when we’re evangelizing. When we’re doing missionary work, He’s there. We are not alone. Jesus said that we would be known by our fruits. And the greatest fruit is love. Do we really love this world for whom Christ died? Are we acting upon that love? His commission is inescapable. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. We cannot escape these Great Commission texts. They’re based upon God’s great missionary enterprise. God is quietly preparing His heroes. And when they are needed, they will appear. And the world will wonder where they came from. Are you willing to stand tonight and say I want to accept the challenge of this bold mission. Let’s get out and do it! That’s our job. That’s our command. That’s our calling. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:25:25] As followers of Jesus Christ, we are all called to share the gospel to a world in desperate need of the love, hope, and new life that one can only find in Jesus Christ. That’s the key mission of this very podcast. So, if you’ve never trusted Jesus Christ with your life and you’d like to know more about who He is and the sacrifice He made for you, we have resources ready and available for you right now at our website. FindPeacewithGod.net. It’s a place where you can learn what it means to begin a relationship with Jesus. It’s a place you can go to learn how to grow deeper in your faith in Jesus. The website again is FindPeacewithGod.net. And you can also find the link to the page in our show notes. Our guest on this episode of GPS is Dylan Novak, who shares the gospel with celebrities through his ministry, Celebrity Evangelist. He’s witnessed firsthand how the entertainment industry, despite its influence on our culture, remains largely ignored by the church. Before we wrap up, Dylan has a call to action for all of us.  

Dylan Novak: 
[00:26:38] Pray for these people in the entertainment world who you invite into your homes.  Even if you don’t invite them into your homes, when you think about them or hear them say something about faith, pray for them. I had somebody tell me at a church last week that they had never prayed for a celebrity. And that one time when they requested prayer for a celebrity in Sunday School, the Sunday School teacher said we don’t pray for those people. And I’m like, wow, they’re just people. They need to be reached with the gospel the same way as anybody else. So, pray for these people. Don’t feel silly asking for prayer for these people. Don’t feel silly praying for these people. They need it. And they affect our culture more than anybody could ever imagine. And the more Christian influence we have in the entertainment industry, the better our world will be. 

Jim Kirkland: 
[00:27:30] We’re grateful Dylan has joined us on this episode. He is the founder of Celebrity Evangelist. He’s also a youth pastor, a husband, and a father of two. If you enjoyed this story, we have many, many more. Hear them by subscribing to GPS on your favorite podcast app or on YouTube. In the middle of life, GPS is here in the middle of the week every other Wednesday. I’m Jim Kirkland. And this is GPS: God. People. Stories. It’s an outreach of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Always good news. 

Music tag:
[00:28:06] 

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