1 Corinthians 3:1-15:The Cult of Personality

Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames. - 1 Corinthians 3:1-15

There are people that I like to listen to. If they would just speak more words, I would attend every seminar. If they would just write more books, I would read them.  If they could write more songs I would listen to every album. There is something about how some people communicate that I am drawn to and I don't think I am the only one. 

This is the cult of personality-where the person becomes more interesting than the topic. In fact, they could be writing, speaking or singing about almost anything and I would probably listen. This is what Paul is talking about: we are so worried about the person and their style that we forget the content of their message. Worse, in the church, the content of our message-Jesus Christ-gets lost.

There is a discipline for this. It isn't as grand or prominent in the history of Christianity as Bible reading or prayer or meditation. It is the discipline of listening to the message of speakers, authors or singers that you don't like. Perhaps they have something to teach us, even humility. Perhaps we will find that they have found that "you are of Christ and Christ is of God." (vs. 23)