15.03 | Four Chapters
1 Corinthians 4
‘This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.’
1 Corinthians 4:1
Around five years ago I sat up late with a very dear friend, having a conversation that lasted well into the night. We were talking about faith. My friend had been through a painful and complex journey, which had taken him from being among the most gifted worship leaders I’ve ever met, to a total deconstruction of his faith.
This is what we spent the night talking about.
And what struck me, as I listened to him, was that every single thing he had deconstructed came down to two things.
That human leaders are flawed.
And that the church model he had been in had given him a narrative that prioritised ministry success over individual wellbeing.
And at the core of it, we found ourselves in a strange place of agreement. Because not a single thing that he’d deconstructed or rejected can be found in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Yes, in religion. Yes, in wounded human leaders. And yes, in a church culture that had focused too much on the stage and not enough on the radical devotion of the heart. But not one thing that he had or has rejected can be found in Jesus Himself.
Today’s reading is the fourth straight chapter on Paul’s first topic of conversation with the Corinthians. It comes down to the very point of their division.
Stop your obsession with human leaders.
Why four chapters?
Maybe because it is that important.
Because it is so easy, when we explore or come into a discipling journey with Jesus, to take our eyes gradually and incrementally from Him who we do not see, and to build our faith upon the visible structures and leaders and forms of church that we do see.
We end up following this charismatic leader or that denominational movement, or that particular move of God through history.
We end up following Paul or Apollos.
It is such a subtle deviation. Externally it may look very similar. And yet it is slow poison to our spirituality.
Why?
Because, my dear friends, it is an abdication of the birthright that we have: to enter the courts of the Father Himself, and to build our spirituality out from the presence and friendship of the Father. Everything else is peripheral. Everything else, when working correctly, are just signs pointing towards Him. Christianity can and only ever will be about Jesus, our Lord and Messiah. All other things are secondary and all other things will always be imperfect.
The shift happens subtly. It often happens when we experience something that tastes or feels or looks a bit like Him. A worship style that engages our soul in passion and longing. A leader whose gifting and charisma give us confidence and direction. A church narrative that mobilises again in a vision for purposeful and creative living.
Four chapters. Because this is the essential and only place of flourishing that you will ever need or need to pursue:
Jesus.
Our Lord and Leader. Our King and Friend and Saviour.
One day, I pray so much, my dear friend may come out of this journey on the other side. He may see that the very things he deconstructed in an imperfect church with imperfect leaders were some of the very things that Jesus deconstructed in the religious Judaism of His day. One day he may see that the very honour and love and freedom and healing that he didn’t experience but so deeply needed can only be found in one place:
Jesus.
Where our spirituality begins. And where it ends.
And the precise focus of our every today.
Reflect:
Spend some time thinking about this tendency. Is there any church movement, organisation, or individual leader who has taken my gaze more fully than the Lord Jesus?
If so, it’s time to realign. Honour those people and movements as they do. But look past them, to the only Lord who can and will ever lead your life to its intended wholeness.
Pray:
Lord Jesus,
When I see strong leaders,
I’m impressed. I feel safe. I feel inspired.
When I connect with church cultures or organisations that energise me,
It feels good.
When I read and listen and learn of ways of being or doing
That engage my soul,
I want to follow.
But Lord,
Today,
I ask you for the simplification of my heart.
To will one thing;
To guard my first love;
And, before all things,
To be a disciple of the Rabbi;
A child of the Father;
A friend of the King.
You have my gaze again, my dear Lord,
Now, and into all ages to come.
Only and ever and always in Your Name,
Amen
Old Testament:
For those also reading the Old Testament this year, your additional readings are here:
Numbers 34-36 | Proverbs 10:12-22