Articles
Placing His Word First
Do you have a favorite preacher or teacher of God’s Word? As a child I was raised in the Catholic church and back then I had my favorite homily (sermon) giver. He was a short older man with glasses and a balding hairline and used family stories as analogies and segways into his lessons. Being young I understandably struggled with sitting still for the hour-long church service and this priest was my favorite because he was the only one who could hold my attention. When other priests came up to lead worship, I would groan, stare off into space, and do anything else but listen to them. Over time I began noticing that this sentiment would carry outside of the church because I would find myself being positive when talking about my favorite person, but talking the others down. Have you ever noticed others or yourself doing this?
In Philippians 1:15-17, the apostle Paul wrote, “Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.” During Paul’s time in Rome’s prison, those who were jealous of his reputation and influence were doing their best to ruin it to raise their own. However, this is not how the Bible explains Christians should act, especially toward other brethren. 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 reads, “...aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.” Whether you are the one publicly speaking or part of the audience listening, no matter what, we should be able to guide others to the truth without putting anyone down.
In Philippians 1:18, Paul also wrote, “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.” Paul did not care who the men speaking against him were or what they had been saying about him because he did not focus on the man, but only if they were teaching God correctly. If that person wasn’t, then he would correct them as appropriate to the situation (Col. 4:5-6). 1 Corinthians 3:5-7 tells us, “What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.” The most important thing is Christ and his teachings, not the man who’s talking. If you start to find yourself not liking a person’s way of public speaking about Christ, do your best to focus on His words. As long as his words match His Word, then nothing else matters.
