People worship. Let's be honest this is a popular thing in the church right now. As leaders emerge and begin to have large ministries; they gain a following, if you will. We all have them. Individuals who just seem to know how to reach us. A pastor, worship leader, author, evangelist. They just seem to get it. They have this way of ministering the word of God that seems to reach straight into your soul and shake you at a level that only God can touch. So we follow them. We read their books. Buy their albums. Go to their conferences. Podcast, YouTube, tv- we watch and listen with attentive ears. We defend them, fight for them, they are the best at what they do. We, dare I say it, worship them.
Paul has run into the same thing here in this chapter and it would behoove us to attend to his words of guidance. Paul, Apollos, Cephas - the church has been divided. They have begun to pick sides and draw lines. Don't get me wrong. It is great to have leaders that you trust, and let those leaders influence your life. What you can't do is let that leader become the only influence in your life. Truth: no matter how great a man/woman may seem; at the end of the day they are made from the same dirt you and I are. I don't mean this in a derogatory way. Respect the gift that God has placed in your leaders. Respect the anointing. Show them the honor they are do. But do not let them take the place of the one King. He is God and He is the giver of all gifts. At the end of the day we are all vessels he is using.
The church in Corinth was struggling. The church today is struggling. There is too much competition. Too much bickering about who is better and what my ministry is doing. It's not your ministry- it's Jesus' ministry. While the church argues the enemy roams. While we compete, the world is going to Hell. You have been called to a specific ministry to be used, to assist, to support the vision of God. Run after that. Do your part. Heed Paul's words from 1 Corinthians 11:1 -follow me: as I follow Christ. Never loose sight of who you are really following. Don't buy into the competition. Guard your heart. Fulfill your call. Assist your leaders. Run toward Jesus.
Only a man - Dennis.
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Paul calls the church of Corinth worldly because of their jealousy and quarreling. He wants to speak to them about the deeper things of God (the solid food), but because of their actions, they're only still ready for the basics (the milk). We must grow as believers because as God's co-workers, we have things to get accomplished. We have seeds to plant and water to pour out on these seeds so that God can grow them. Furthermore, we are God's temple; His Spirit is in us. If that Spirit is not fed the solid food, then it's going to die in our lives and we are going to be useless. Our prayer should be that in everything we do that we either plant or water a seed so that God can grow it. What are you doing daily to plant or water seeds?
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