By Joshua Stevens, Faith Contributor, Valley Ag Voice
1 Corinthians 1:10–17 (ESV)
“10I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
11For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers.
12What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.”
13Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
14I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,
15so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name.
16(I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)
17For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.”
I was born in 1994, and I was fortunate enough to, from a young age, be allowed to ask questions and develop my faith on my own. I was allowed to attend different churches and watch services of differing faiths. I was not forced to believe anything, but from an early age fiercely believed and defended the gospel of Christ. I heard the same gospel preached from both Catholic and Protestant pulpits and from Baptist to Assemblies of God. I listened and learned about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. I was taught the Roman Road from death in our sins to salvation and new life in Christ.
Looking back, I was fortunate that I did not stay in one church. Instead, I listened to people who loved the Lord teach on the same fundamental principles and saw where they stood on secondary or even tertiary issues. Questions like, what role does the Holy Spirit play in communion? To what extent is baptism intertwined with the life of a Christian? Questions of the timing of creation, cessationism, and much more were opened up for exploration of a young Christian. These early experiences helped define my faith, how I teach others, and how I defend the faith we share.
What I am most thankful for in being able to learn from different congregations at an early age is that I grew up never having the issue of idolizing a leader. Make no mistake, I was taught by wonderful people whom I look up to, and I value those lessons from pastors, elders, and professors greatly. But I was always able to maintain a clear understanding that pastor X over on Madeup Lane was not the leader of the church and elder Y over on Fantasyland Blvd was not the leader of the church. Rather, it is Christ who leads the church.
I remember when the Ravi Zacharias news first started circulating. I remember calling friends who worked in ministry, talking about it in shock, and praying about it. I remember former students and people I had worked with calling me to speak and pray. It was the first time in my life that I realized the power of this verse in Corinthians. I knew, from a particular level, the danger of creating a figurehead for the church. Placing your faith in anything other than Christ would leave us in despair. This news struck me beyond the shocking nature of the discovery, but because I did not realize how easy it was for us to prop up our leaders on this pedestal unwittingly. I spent weeks and even months with a few close individuals as they struggled with their faith, untangling the lies, deception, and pain from the truth of the Gospel of Christ.
As Christians, we must keep a constant reminder to ourselves that our leaders are not the leaders of the church. All of us who attend are desperate sinners in dire need of our Savior. In constant need of the continuing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives to sanctify us.
We must, as leaders, constantly remind our congregants that it is not I, the pastor, or I, the elder, that leads this church but Christ and Christ alone. We are not alone in our endeavor to spread the gospel and make disciples of all nations. Though we do not break bread with every congregation in this city or county, we have brothers and sisters running the same race we are. We should pray for them, uplift them, and encourage them whenever we can. Moreover, we should continually remind our flock that we ourselves are desperate sinners in dire need of our Savior–in constant need of the continuing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives to sanctify us. We should not be placed on a pedestal because we have taken time to learn and teach the scripture, but we should constantly strive to keep the living Son of God at the center of our pursuits.
Let us close with a prayer,
Father, thank you for your guidance and persistence in transforming each believer into a new creation. Thank you for continuing a good work in us. As we set about our daily lives and in our regular congregations, I ask that we remember the entirety of the church that is pursuing with us Your will and that we guard against all idols in our lives and do not prop up those who seem godly but instead keep at the center of our pursuit Christ who died for us and Your glory. Let our hearts yearn for a reward not tangible in this life but to hear those hallowed words upon entering your kingdom, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
¹ Crossway Bibles. (2001). The Holy Bible English Standard Version. Wheaton: Good News Publishers.
