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Musings on Faith #51 Steadfast in the Spirit | |
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Paul, in writing to the Church at Corinth, said "And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God (1st Corinthians 2:1-5, KJV)." There have been many messages preached from these Scriptures, and many lessons drawn. But the one I wish for you to consider this week is the warning contained within these words not to follow any man, but God alone, through Jesus Christ. Throughout the history of Christianity, congregations and even larger groups of Christian men and women have been enticed away from a worship of God into a worship of some pastor or evangelist who himself had gotten caught up in himself, unable to resist the temptation inherent in the position of power and influence he held. A good pastor, when sensing that worship is turning from God to himself, will move on to another Church and community. Weaker men, in the same position, taking their eyes off the cross, can fall into the venomous traps of pride and/or power. But it is not just for the pastor or evangelist to avoid these pitfalls: It rests upon us, as members of a Church or |
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followers of a particular evangelistic ministry, to keep our own spiritual eyes wide open. And one of the best ways to do this is to remain steadfast in the Word. In other words, to avoid the trap of pastor worship, we need to keep ourselves involved in the study of God's Word, for it is there, along with reverential prayer, that we will gain the knowledge which will allow us to see and heed the warning signs.
Paul goes on to say, in verses 11-13 of that same Chapter, "For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words (NIV)." If your Christian experience revolves around any man, then your faith is misplaced. Stay in the Word, listen to the Holy Spirit within you, and maintain an attitude of prayer, that you may not be deceived into misplaced worship. And if your spiritual leader allows himself to fall into this Devil's trap of power and influence, and will not repent of it, depart from him and find yourself a new place to worship God. Yours in Christ, Tom Woodard |
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