“When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, ‘Stand up; I too am a man.'” – Acts 10:25-26
Our culture loves celebrities! It seems to many that everything sounds better and wiser coming from a famous leader, expert, or scholar. This is certainly true in contemporary American Christian culture. Vast empires have been built on the teaching and preaching of celebrity Christians. While many of these leaders humbly and faithfully serve God, others have badly missed the mark. At all times, both leaders and followers must remember that like Peter, they are only human and unworthy of worship.
When leaders or followers lose sight of the fact that every human is flawed, weak, prone to temptation, and made strongly only through Christ working in them, disaster awaits! Accountability gets lost, humility disappears, and dependence on Christ is forgotten. When appreciation turns toward idolatry, people get pointed away from Christ and toward a human who will inevitably fail them.
Only Jesus is worthy of worship! It is good to appreciate hard-working Christian leaders and teachers, but Jesus must always be our one and only Lord and King. Every Christian leader and teacher – regardless of the size of their flock or following must consistently point people to Jesus as the solution and satisfaction for their deepest hungers and hurts. If that isn’t happening, it’s time to return to the simple word of Peter, “Stand up; I too am a man.”