It has become quite fashionable, in some circles these days, to condemn the emergence in the Church of what we call the “cult of personality”, and rightly so. A growing group, consumed by the consumption of theological and biblical teaching through various means, will face the temptation to raise certain voices, take sides, defend flags and offer blind loyalty to a carefully crafted brand. We choose our cult leaders perhaps because we like their theological perspective, perhaps because we like their teaching style. defending our favorite cause. Or it can just be your charm. Like idol factories, we surround ourselves with them.
This problem, of course, is not new. The New Testament not only found its share of self-proclaimed “super apostles,” but still had perfectly humble, pious men that people put on a pedestal:?I’m from Paul, and I’m from Apollo, and I’m from Cephas?(cf. 1 Corinthians 1:12) is not a judgment on Paul, Apollo or Peter, but on those who made them idols; I suspect that the problem remains with us today because falling into it, in fact, brings a close relationship with something the Bible really calls us: following the example of those who are our spiritual superiors. Paul, after all, calls us to imitate him as he imitates Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).
- The real problem is that our standards do not meet.
- And while there is nothing wrong with having a solid theological perspective or a pleasant teaching style.
- Defending important causes or even having a little charm.
- These are not good biblical reasons to give us an example.
- The Bible gives us a list of what we should look for in the men we should admire.
- These things can be found in Paul’s first letter to Timothy (3.
- 1-7).
- Or in his letter to Tite (1.
- 5-9).
- Where he describes the qualities of a bishop (or elder).
- The patterns here aren’t so glamorous.
- An old man is the husband of a single woman.
- He doesn’t have much wine.
- He’s sober.
- Not violent; he runs his own house well.
Several years ago, the Ministry of the Highlands, like the Ligonier before, received students during long periods of study, who often stayed with me. I suspect that many young people who have signed up have thought of something like this: “I was not invited to study with my hero, RCSproul. But I can study with someone who has the same hero, who lived and studied with him: RCSproul Jr. ?. I suspect many of these young men were on the road to greatness, so I played with that.
When we first met, I asked them, “Do you want to make a difference in the kingdom?”Do you want to have a lasting impact for several generations?, were already on the edge of the chair, believing that they were about to hear the secret they had just discovered.
“All right, ” I say, “I’ll tell you how to do that. “See that woman over there? I pointed to the kitchen, where my beloved wife worked hard. “Yes, yes, I see, ” they answered. ” This is what you have to do,” I said. “Find such a pious woman, marry her, and then raise pious children. “They were even more anxious, waiting for the final round; and I reclined in my chair, having finished.
It’s a no-brainer to say that the more excited you are about something, the more you’ll have. When we congratulate men on their genius, academic achievements and skillful presentations, then we should expect to get more genius, academic achievements and skillful presentations. But what if we were excited about what excited Paul?What if we believed enough in God to believe that power is common:in husbands who love their wives as Christ loves the Church, in parents who educate their children in the discipline and warnings of the Lord?Wouldn’t we have more of that?
When I’m asked, as is often the case, ”what was it like to have RC Sproul as a father? to tell you the truth, charming. My father is all that, and there is nothing wrong with that, but the world and eternity have been transformed because he, along with my mother, raised my sister and me in the discipline and warning of the Lord. Parents first sought the kingdom of God and its righteousness in a common way, in a common home, as ordinary parents, raising common children.
We don’t need special skills or special opportunities to do extraordinary things for the kingdom; we only need to serve our extraordinary Lord in a common way, and he will bless and bless this service. We don’t need another hero We’re changing the world, one layer at a time. That’s why it’s the kingdom of God.
This book is a call to experience the joy of ordinary Christian life. Michael Horton shows that the attempt to seek great experiences in spiritual life has left many Christians disappointed and disappointed and invites us to regain a sense of satisfaction in these simple and common things of Christian life.
By: R. C Sproul Jr. © 2014 Ligonier Original Ministério: An Ordinary Christian Son.
This article is part of the August 2014 issue of Tabletalk magazine
Translation: Joel Paulo Aragono da Guia Oliveira. Critic: Yago Martins. © 2016 Faithful Ministérium. All rights reserved. Website: MinistryFiel. com. br. Original: Do you want to change the world?Create pious children!
Authorizations: You are authorized and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format, provided that the author, his ministry and translator are no longer no longer modified and not used for commercial purposes.