“For when one says, ‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos,’ are you not being merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each.” – 1 Corinthians 3:4-5
For 20 centuries, God has worked through countless gifted, Spirit-filled preachers, teachers, evangelists, pastors, and authors to reach millions with the gospel and mature believers in Christ. Throughout all that time, the struggle Paul writes about in these verses has continued. As people come to saving faith or grow and mature under the teaching of particular people, they can mistakenly grow more attached to those individuals than to Jesus.
There is a certain logic to it. After all, they see and hear their mentors in the faith in person. Often daily or weekly for years on end. It can be difficult to stay focused on the Lord in a world that’s naturally captivated by celebrity. Guard your loyalty! Guard your heart. Keep your focus on Jesus at all times.
It isn’t wrong to listen to, watch, or read the words of famous pastors, gifted preachers, Spirit-filled evangelists, or brilliant apologists. But make sure your appreciation of them is always building your love and loyalty to Jesus rather than to them. True and righteous teachers will always be redirecting your enthusiasm away from themselves and toward the Lord. They understand, as Paul did, that they are merely servants blessed to be used by the Lord.
Unfortunately, not all prominent “Christian” leaders and speakers do. Consider that a red flag. If a well-known teacher, preacher, or author talks about Jesus but mostly circles back to themselves, their opinions, their ministries, and their needs, run away. Don’t walk away. Run.
Jesus is Lord. Every blessing you have comes from Him. Never forget that and never grow so attached to a leader, speaker, writer, or influencer that you spend less and less time thinking about, worshiping, and obeying Jesus as Lord. #FollowJesus