Nougat 2

Some of us thrive in consumer cultures. As consumers, we are on a quest for the best. This approach encourages constant comparison between brands. Then, whatever is no longer the best (in popular/our opinion), gets discarded or traded for a better or newer model. And – if we’re not careful – soon, everything becomes a commodity. Even people. That’s when life gets sticky. For while most of us don’t trade and traffic people, our consumer approach to leaders might foster no so friendly comparison or competition. This type of rivalry isn’t new, it presented a challenge for the church at Corinth. Consider Today’s Holy Nougat

1 Corinthians 4:6 CEVDCI

[6] Friends, I have used Apollos and myself as examples to teach you the meaning of the saying, “Follow the rules.” I want you to stop saying one of us is better than the other.

Unhealthy Comparisons

Most of us are familiar with Paul. He was a devout Jew, known initially as Saul, whose personal mission was to eliminate all radical Y’shua followers. Y’shua had died, Pentecost passed, and Y’shua’s former disciples were filled with a fire that consumed them with the desire to share the Gospel (of Christ) to everyone throughout their world ( see Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). Saul got permission to find and destroy them.

But

Saul didn’t anticipate the God Factor. He didn’t realise that even his (Saul’s) life was paid for with Y’shua’s death. He didn’t realise that his zeal would result in his transformation. God took that misguided zeal that embraced a death culture, and turned his life around. So much so, that Saul was also consumed with the passion to share the Gospel throughout his world. He became known as Paul.

Whereas we know Saul-Paul as the firebrand founder of many churches, including the church in Corinth, most of us know less about Apollos. He was Jewish, from Alexandria, Egypt, whose ministry stations included Corinth and Ephesus. Acts 18:24-28 present him as “an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures …”. His knowledge of Christ was limited then, but strengthened by Priscilla and Aquilla a wife and husband discipleship team, who were Paul’s contemporaries.

When Paul met them in Corinth, they were tent makers, who later accompanied Paul to Ephesus and ministered alongside him. Some say Paul trained them in theology. Others say Aquilla was among Y’shua’s Seventy-Two. Whichever it was, what is definite is that their ministry was influenced by, and influenced both men.

Self-Check

Based on our reflections thus far, a) have we been comparing the lives of Paul, Apollos, and Priscilla and Aquilla; or b) were we comparing our ministry and its impact with theirs?

Digging Deeper

Whatever our take is on these saints, it is clear – they were consistent in their propagation of the Gospel. With his itinerancy, Paul wasn’t always in Corinth or Ephesus. Moreover, his preaching style may have differed from Apollos’. People began to compare them. In one sense, nothing is wrong with that.

But, the enemy of our souls literally got in the details. Soon, it became political and there were two camps. The spread of the Gospel was threatened by the comparisons, as some saw themselves as disciples of, rather than being discipled by. It was a matter of human allegiance, rather than spiritual service.

We might find ourselves guilty of the same. If we allow unwholesome comparisons to get the better of us, we understand our spirituality in terms of allegiance to a particular spiritual leader (disciple of that person); rather than recognising their role in strengthening our spiritual growth (discipled by that individual). When the enemy of our souls, the devil, gets in that mix, the chances for splits – i.e., schisms – increases. If it succeeds, the body of Christ pays the penalty, as many get turned off by such actions and some leave the faith.

It is true. Christ is far more powerful than that. Christ can restore or draw others to the faith in spite of us. But our own witness can be diminished with such pettiness. Paul urges us to bypass this trap of the enemy by avoiding unhealthy comparisons. Our task is not to tear apart; rather, it is to build up the body of Christ (see Ephesians 4:11-16). We can allow ourselves to be consumed with that fire.

Point to Ponder

How engaged are we in building up the body of Christ? Let’s be agents of reconciliation and healing in these times.

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May all we seek be found in Christ