DO NOT GLORY IN YOUR FAVORITE TEACHER!

DO NOT GLORY IN YOUR FAVORITE TEACHER!
Dear brothers and sisters I really want to talk to you today as to spiritual people but I cannot. I actually have to talk to you as if I am speaking to men and women who are infants in their faith or even worse - as if you belong to this world and do not have the Spirit of Christ. I have to feed you with very basic spiritual truths and not with the deeper issues of the gospel, because you are not yet ready to receive and understand the things that will make you stronger. You are still very much controlled by your flesh and show this by your strife and jealousy towards one another and the way in which you quarrel among yourselves. Doesn’t that prove that you are still very carnal and controlled by your flesh? Aren’t you living like people of the world, just as mere men who do not have the Spirit of Christ? When one of you says, "I am a follower of this church leader,” and another says, "well I follow that church leader” aren’t you acting just like people of the world? Let me ask you, who are these men who God has used so much to plant churches and minister to congregations? They are nothing more than God’s servants through whom God was able to bring to you the good news about Christ, yet you elevate them much higher than this by the way you boast about them and compare them against one another. They are nothing more than unprofitable servants who are doing their part as the Lord has gifted them. Some introduced you to the Lord while others have come along later and are now helping to build you in your walk with the Lord. But in the end it is actually God who is doing all of it and causing you to grow individually and as a body in Christ. I hope you can see that it is not important who does what and so you should not boast in these men. What is actually important is that you understand that it is God alone who is bringing about all the change and growth in your lives and in the churches as a whole. So no matter what these leaders do among you, understand that they are all working together in Gods purposes. And all will be rewarded for their own hard work for all are equally God’s workers who work among you to help build you up as Christ’s body.

So don’t pin your faith to any one teacher because this narrows the ways in which God can bless you and deliver you His wisdom. Those of you say you are of this leader or that leader...have no other ministers of God got anything they can teach you? And can you not get any good out of any other brother who has a different gifting to your favorite teacher? Take them all; they were all meant for your good. Let no man glory in individuals for these whom you admire are merely lights kindled by the Great central Light (Christ) and therefore shining. They are fragments of His wisdom, of Him that spoke; varying, but yet harmonious, and mutually complementary aspects of the one infinite Truth had been committed to them. Each was but a part of the mighty whole, a little segment of the circle ”“ but "they are but broken lights of Thee, and Thou, O Lord - art more than they.”

Finally, the commentary of Alexander MacLaren to the final verses of chapter 3 are very insightful:
- "In the measure, therefore, in which men adhere to Christ, and have taken Him for theirs; in that measure are they delivered from all undue dependence on, still more from all slavish submission to, any single individual teacher or aspect of truth. To have Christ for ours, and to be His, which are only the opposite sides of the same thing, means, in brief, to take Jesus Christ for the source of all knowledge of moral and religious truth. His Word is the Christian’s creed, His Person and the truths that lie in Him, are the fountains of all our knowledge of God and man. To be Christ’s is to take Him as the master who has absolute authority over conduct and practice. His commandment is the Christian’s duty; His pattern the Christian’s all-sufficient example; His smile the Christian’s reward. To be Christ’s is to take Him for the home of our hearts, in whose gracious and sweet love we find all sufficiency and a rest for our seeking affections. And so, if ye are His, Paul, Apollos, Peter, all men are yours; in the sense that you are delivered from all undue dependence upon them; and in the sense that they subserve your highest good.”

The above is a paraphrase of sorts of 1 Corinthians 3:1-9, 21-23. It is basically the NLT version with my little tweaks and extra thoughts inserted from gleanings of various commentarys. Writing this out in this way really helped me understand the Pauls intent in this chapter. I hope it blesses someone else.

I can understand that disappointment personally.
My wife's ladies group at our church raised over 2800 in order facilitate the purchase of 28 sewing machines to help a missionary organization purportedly to equip people to become self sufficient in Asia,
We later learned that that this organization raised over $93.5 million dollars over a 8 year period from Canada according to the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) filings and supposedly transferred the amount to India during the period of 2007-14. But no such records exist with the Indian government showing that the money from Canada came to the charity’s Indian affiliates during the same period. No accounting of this money exists to this day and no explanation as to what occurred, it just disappeared, Now this was a huge letdown for us and greatly undermined our trust in men.

Amastra wrote:

"That is, people getting all caught up with a well-known and gifted preacher, having that preacher fall into disgrace, and many of his followers become disillusioned"

If these religious leaders would bring forth the fruit of repentance it would honour the Lord. But most have not. And unfortunately the name of Jesus has been dragged through the mud because of those who use his glorious name as means to an ungodly end. Wealth and power, honour and glory from men rather then the fear of the Lord. Self-aggrandizement using human need as bait rather than genuine love for the poor, materially and spiritually. Those who have become actors rather than servants. Is this what the Lord desires for them?
Using stealth and deception in order for personal gain in not the way of the Lord. Has defaming the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ become of no concern to such as these? Have they become wells without water unable and unwilling to repent.
Do hope not.

The Lord's issue with Israel was idolatry, and it is His issue with Christendom today.

1 Corinthians 10:1-12New International Version (NIV)

Warnings From Israel’s History
10 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”[a] 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did””and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test Christ,[b] as some of them did””and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did””and were killed by the destroying angel.

11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!

It is true that Idoltary was an problem for Israel but the issue towards leaders was never idolatary as the problem but rebellion! They demanded that all believers where holy and should be leaders not just "one" over them. The Corinthians had the same problem of not submitting to their local leaders but liking the teachings of another leader but wanting all to be leaders themselves.

Numbers 16:1-7New International Version (NIV)

Korah, Dathan and Abiram
16 Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites””Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth””became insolent[a] 2 and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council. 3 They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, "You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord’s assembly?”

4 When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. 5 Then he said to Korah and all his followers: "In the morning the Lord will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will have that person come near him. The man he chooses he will cause to come near him. 6 You, Korah, and all your followers are to do this: Take censers 7 and tomorrow put burning coals and incense in them before the Lord. The man the Lord chooses will be the one who is holy. You Levites have gone too far!”

May we not find identity with Korah nor the Corinthians who were not submitting to their leaders that God had over them.

But is it possible the idolatry occurs when we elevate the leaders on a par equals to or above Jesus himself?

We certainly see this in the American church today?

Bro Blaine

Bro Blaine

Excellent point you make. Many leaders in religion are not appointed by the Lord but rather are self appointed and not in submission themselves to any one but themselves. Especially in para church organizations. They do not merit submission themselves as they do not hold any accountability to anyone. No possible way for correction to steer them back on course when headed in the wrong direction. Iron sharpens iron exempt when those around you are made out of wood. And even Moses took advise from his Father-in law

But is it possible the idolatry occurs when we elevate the leaders on a par equals to or above Jesus himself?

We certainly see this in the American church today?

Though the celebrity pastor is a problem in evangelical circles, submission to authority is an equal or worse problem. I see the American Church elevating "self" and the individual, and the celebrity pastor is just like one of us and tells us what we want to hear. Instead of being a godly leader that we submit to and leads us in the ways of the Lord. Celebrity pastors do not lead into the worship of God but elevates himself and also the people, he tickles their ears so they enjoy hearing him. Instead the role of the true godly leader that is to be submitted to is one that leads us to the very worship of God and the ways of God.

So I believe the idoltary problem is "self" for Americans as it was in the Corinthian church. Carter Conlon wrote a book and did a sermon series on this as the prevailing sin the American Modern Church problem which is, the Corinthian problem.

///And even Moses took advise from his Father-in law.///

Excellent point brother.

Bro Blaine

Matthew 23:8-12 (NASB)

8 But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 Do not be called [a]leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. 11 But the greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

Brother is above not the New Covenant model that Jesus lays out in the assembly? If we would follow the model above in submission to the Spirit. I believe we would avoid the issues being discussed here.

Again brother simply my thoughts.

Bro Blaine

When I paraphrased the scriptures in the OP I did not see Paul's message being that the Corinthians were unsubmissive to leaders. Rather it was almost the opposite.

"Let me ask you, who are these men who God has used so much to plant churches and minister to congregations? They are nothing more than God’s servants through whom God was able to bring to you the good news about Christ, yet you elevate them much higher than this by the way you boast about them and compare them against one another. They are nothing more than unprofitable servants who are doing their part as the Lord has gifted them."

The danger of sites like this one and hugely popular ministries that have so many people following them, that even the world sits up and takes notice - is that we can EASILY elevate a leader beyond what is required. They are to be submitted to as is the case for any organization. But they are not better than anyone else and they are not infallible and they are certainly not beyond reproach.

Paul calls a believer CARNAL when that believer is so enamored by one particular leader that he elevates that leader in his mind and puts him in a superior class of person who is almost untouchable. And then fights for and defends his particular favorite leader. This is what CARNAL believers do, according to Paul.

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.”
Abraham Lincoln

Amen Mike and let me tell you how many of these very gifted leaders who lack so terribly, are able to get away with many bad things. They flatter others and shower them with gifts and money and introduce them to their influential networks. In other words they buy off any who might be a voice of discipline in their lives. This EXACT scenario happened to a young minister friend of mine. He was plyed with first class trips, 5 star hotels and $10,000 cash. From that day on he never had an issue with prosperity preachers or those who take money from Gods people to enrich themselves. He had been "bought"- silenced!

"or those who take money from Gods people to enrich themselves. He had been "bought"- silenced!"

True enough but give the prosperity preachers some credit, at least they do not hide the fact that they are enriching themselves and are consistent with their warped understanding of the Gospel. Far, far worse are those who enrich themselves by fleecing the sheep while pretending to be serving the poor.

True enough but give the prosperity preachers some credit, at least they do not hide the fact that they are enriching themselves and are consistent with their warped understanding of the Gospel. Far, far worse are those who enrich themselves by fleecing the sheep while pretending to be serving the poor.

brother,

we have made a public statement in regards to this and if you want to continue on a tirade of comments SermonIndex is "not" the place to do so. You can easily find other forums where its a no-holds barred situation of being able to defame any ministry or individual. We simply want to focus on the Lord and not keep bringing up accusations and faults that are even not all fully proven at all and therefore gossip.

An Announcement in regards to Gospel For Asia / K. P. Yohannan\t
https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=58446&forum=16

So true sister savanah. That is your name right sis?