Who Do You Follow

Introduction

In our passage today Paul questions the people about who we follow. While we all would immediately say “I follow Jesus” for a lot of Christians that is not the case.

Years ago, while our family was living in Kentucky, I had a friend who attended a rather large church. It was a church of over 1000 people. It was thriving, it was growing. They had recently bought and converted a warehouse into a worship space. For all intents and purposes this was a kingdom church. The pastor was well known and well respected. He was quickly becoming a local celebrity pastor.

Then one day it all changed. The pastor and the youth pastor came forward and admitted they were having an emotional affair. Both were married and though they were not having a physical relationship but they were in an emotional affair. They admitted that they had flirted with each other and had confided in one another in a way they should have only confided in their spouses.

The scandal rocked the church. Almost over night the church went from a thriving church of over 1000 to a struggling church. Three quarters of the congregation left, many of their ministries fell apart. Even though the pastor stepped down and left the church, it fell apart.

I haven’t talked to my friend in several years so I don’t know if the church ever rebuild, but I’m sure the church’s reputation was tarnished. The problem was not the affair, sure an affair is never good, but the problem was the people in the church were placing their trust in the wrong place. The people were placing their trust in the pastor and not Christ.

I wish I could say this is an isolated incident but it happens more than we would like to admit. We are tend to follow the pastor and not the true leader of the church, Jesus. We do this because..............

We Follow What We See

It is human nature to follow examples we can see

We have always followed leaders.

People that are great orators

People that are great leaders

Some leaders have been good

George Washington

Abraham Lincoln

FDR

Some leaders have not been so good

Adolf Hitler

Nathan Bedford Forest

Joseph Stalin

Early Christians followed leaders

Apollos

An evangelist in the early church

Acts 18:24–25 NIV

Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.

He was an eloquent speaker

Many people followed his teaching

Cephas

Peter the apostle

People followed him because he was close to Jesus

Paul

The Apostle who had planted their church

Modern Christians follow their leaders

There are celebrity pastors that people follow

People follow local pastors

People love their pastor so much when a pastors leaves a church there are people who leave

We Must Follow Christ

Christ is our head

Colossians 1:18 NIV

And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

As Christians we must go where the head goes

Christ is our leader

We are told to follow him 89 times in the NT

When he called the Disciples he told them to “Follow me” (Matt4:19)

We are told if we are a Christian we must “Walk in his ways” (1 John 2:6)

If we really are to be Christ followers we must follow only Christ (1 Corinthians 1:12

1 Corinthians 1:12 (NIV)

What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.”

We must not say “I follow David Jeremiah,” “I follow Ravi Zachrias,” “I follow pastor Rich.”

We must only say I follow Christ.

The Church is One

If we all follow Christ how can the church ever be divided?

1 Corinthians 1:13 NIV

Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?

Even if we have doctrinal differences we are all one church

Some follow the teaching of John Calvin

Some follow the teaching of the Pope

Some follow the teaching of John Wesley

But we are still all one church of Christ.

As one church it is more important that we focus on our similarities than our difference.

God loves diversity

All of the different churches serve different purposes.

God intends for that

1 Corinthians 12:12–14 NIV

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

Conclusion

As Christians it is ok if we have minor doctrinal differences, as long as we do not let that divide us. As long as we honor the central tenants of faith; that we believe in one God. That we believe in Jesus his only Son; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary; who suffered at the hands of Pontius Pilate; who was crucified, died, and was buried; that he really died; and on rose on the third day; that one day he will return to judge the world. We also have to admit that we believe in the Holy Spirit; that we believe we are all one church; that we believe in the communion of saint; that we believe through Jesus sacrifice our sins will be forgiven; we believe that one day we too will be raised from the dead; and that we will be given everlasting life.

If we can admit to all of that we will always be one church, with Jesus at our head. Let us pray.