1 Corinthians 4:6
Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other.
Paul returns to the theme of unity in the mission that he wrote about in the previous chapter. There is a natural human tendency to boast in one’s favorite. We see this all the time with sports teams and more recently with politicians or political candidates. This type of competition can cause havoc in a church when one pastor is compared to a previous pastor, or one staff member is compared to the other. There will always be a winner and loser when this is done. The Corinthians were choosing sides in a battle that did not need to be fought. There were more important things at stake than fighting over whose spiritual hero was the greater leader. There were people lost in sin; there was a world needing the message of the gospel of transformation. If we too keep in mind the big mission of God, how can we get caught up in comparisons and competitions? When we see what really matters, we will order our lives accordingly. These trivial disputes will soon disappear as we seek to put God’s will and purposes first.
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