This is Felicia Ferguson with Christian Mix 106, helping you build faith for the journey.
Heroes. Most people have them. As kids, they’re often the Marvel or DC comic superheroes. Sometimes they’re men and women in service roles like firefighters or police officers or healthcare professionals. But we can have heroes in the faith too.
Powerful preachers like A.W. Tozer, Smith Wigglesworth, Tony Evans, John Piper, T.D. Jakes. Insightful teachers like Jack Hayford, David Jeremiah, Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer, Joyce Meyer. Incredible worship leaders like Jenn Johnson, Brandon Lake, Michael W. Smith, Phil Wickham.
But as gifted as these men and women are, the apostle Paul would caution our hero worship of them just us as he cautioned the Corinthian church. He would tell us to follow Jesus first, rather than a person. Hero worship bubbled up in the Corinthian church as some members claimed they followed Paul, while others another great teacher named Apollus. This hero worship and devotion created division within the church. And Paul wanted nothing to do with it. In fact, he wrote to them asking in 1 Corinthians 3, “Who is Apollus? Who is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed and each has a role that the Lord has given.”
So as we follow our own heroes of the faith—these men and women who have devoted their lives to the calling to preach, teach, and worship—let’s not lose sight of the one who they preach, teach, and worship, Jesus. Like Paul, I believe they too would be the first to turn our eyes back to him, the author and finisher of our faith.
This is Felicia Ferguson. Thanks for listening to Christian Mix 106.