When Johnny Chang’s Message Shifted My Faith
Johnny Chang is the kind of preacher who commands attention. What pulled me in was how real Johnny felt. He’s got that raw honesty you don’t find in most churches. He can quote Scripture like it’s second nature, and honestly, it impressed me. The dude’s got grit, a tough background, and a presence that made me believe—this man knows Jesus.
And I still think he does.
His sermons felt like they were coming from a place of pain and passion. It wasn’t polished; it was powerful. That kind of confidence? Especially from a man with his past? It hit me hard. It made me want to walk stronger in my faith, and for a while, I thought I was.
“For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
— 1 Samuel 16:7
Why Johnny Chang’s Gospel Started to Confuse Me
But then something changed.
I started noticing I was feeling off. My mood, how I handled sin, how I talked to God—it all started slipping.
See, Johnny preaches hard that “your debt is paid.” And he’s not wrong. But he spends so much time repeating it that I think the weight of why that matters got lost.
For people who are still learning—new believers or folks like me who overthink but don’t always study deep enough—that message can start sounding like a free pass instead of a call to transformation.
“Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”
— Romans 6:1-2
Over time, I stopped relying on God and started acting like I was supposed to be Him.
I thought I had to go save people like Johnny did. I even remember him saying in a video, “If you don’t know what to say, say it like Johnny.”
Man… that line should’ve been my red flag. I don’t need to say it like Johnny. I need to say it like Jesus.
“Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.”
— 1 Corinthians 11:1
I’m not trashing him. He’s still a powerful teacher. But the truth is, I started to neglect my own walk trying to mimic someone else’s fire.
How I Realized I Was Drifting From Jesus
Look, I’m not a Bible scholar. I’m not about to sit here and pretend I know every detail about how the Bible was translated or which manuscripts are oldest.
I do know this though—language evolves, and God knew that. He knew what book we’d have in our hands today, and I believe He’s big enough to work through it.
“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”
— Isaiah 40:8
Johnny pushes the KJV hard. And again, I’m not mad at that. But there’s a pride in how he says, “Your Bible’s wrong. Mine’s right,” that didn’t sit right with me.
Sure, he makes strong points about the Alexandrian text, manuscript differences, and so on—but it started feeling like a flex more than a teaching moment.
Here’s how I see it:
God gave us access to His Word—ESV, NLT, NIV, whatever. My ESV Study Bible even shows the footnotes of verses not found in older manuscripts and explains why. That’s transparency. That helps me grow.
When a pastor uses his platform to say your Bible is trash and his is the only real one—it just feels off.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”
— 2 Timothy 3:16
Especially when I’m trying to get closer to God, not win a translation war.
Lessons I Learned After Following Johnny Chang
Let me be clear: I still think Johnny’s a brilliant man of God. I’m not saying he’s leading people astray.
I’m saying he wasn’t the voice I needed in the season I was in.
Funny enough, one of the most important things he ever said was:
“If you doubt Johnny, prove Johnny wrong.”
That stuck with me. And no—I wasn’t trying to disprove him, but that challenge pushed me deeper into the Word.
It forced me to stop relying on sermons and soundbites and start chasing God for myself.
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
— John 10:27
For too long, I was focused on just getting it “right” and forgot to let my Father actually father me.
But in the silence—without Johnny’s voice in my ear—I started hearing God again.
And ironically, Johnny did teach me how to do that… not by his intention, but by how his voice faded and God’s voice took center stage.
I learned that inspiration can turn into idolization real quick.
Johnny wasn’t Jesus—but for a minute, I treated him like He was. And God corrected that, fast.
“You shall have no other gods before me.”
— Exodus 20:3
Final Thoughts on Johnny Chang, Faith, and Jesus
So no, this post isn’t about tearing down Johnny Chang.
It’s about realizing that even the best teachers aren’t meant to replace the Teacher.
Be careful who you follow, even when their message is good. It’s not always the message that leads you off track—it’s how you absorb it.
“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character… for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”
— Acts 17:11
Don’t let someone else’s fire become your idol.
Don’t trade intimacy with God for inspiration from a man.
Talk to God yourself.
Open your Bible.
And remember: sometimes the person you’re following isn’t your spiritual north star—they’re just a guy holding a flashlight.