IT’S ABOUT THE ROCK, NOT THE ROCK STAR

1 Corinthians 1:14-17

¹⁴ I am thankful to God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, ¹⁵ so that no one might brag about having been baptized in my name. ¹⁶ (Oh yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas, but I don’t remember baptizing anyone else.) ¹⁷ Because Christ did not send me to baptize, but to evangelize, not with a skillfully prepared message, so that the cross of Christ should not be emptied of its significance.

getting out of the way

Paul is addressing the issue of rivalries and schisms in the church at Corinth. As he reflects on what has happened there, he is thankful that God had given him the good sense not to try to be the saviour at Corinth. He did not insist on being the bride at every wedding and the corpse at every funeral. He let others lead when he could – letting them baptize those he led to Christ. Apparently, after Paul left Corinth, other leaders emerged within the church fellowships who had to be rock stars, taking all the credit for the growth that was happening. Then people started defining their Christianity after the rock star they supported.

The problem with rock star Christianity is that the gospel is not about us. It is the good news of what Christ did for us on the cross. We who are blessed to be leaders in the church need to have the good sense to get out of the way, so that the message of the cross can be heard.

LORD, show us how to share you without pushing ourselves to the forefront.