“I DON’T FOLLOW ANY PREACHER!”

We have all heard religious people make that statement, and others like it. Perhaps we have even used it ourselves. If by that statement a person means, “No man is perfect and infallible; therefore I must search the scriptures for myself to see what is true,” then the statement is both wise and good. I want every person who hears me preach, or reads what I write, to search and see if what I am saying is according to the Word of God. It is your responsibility to do so.

But if by that statement a person means, “The preacher is just another man, and his opinion is worth no more than anyone else’s; therefore I will not be obedient to any preacher,” I am afraid that it reveals both a rebellious and a foolish heart.

It is true, the best and most faithful preacher in the world is, after all, just a man – a sinful man. But he is a man with a commission from God. He is a man dedicated to Christ, his gospel, and his people. He is a man sent from God, with a message to deliver for the glory of Christ. Such men, Paul says, are to be esteemed “very highly for their work’s sake.” (I Thess. 5:13). Do not make the preacher more than he is. But do not be so foolish as to treat him or his message lightly. He is not a lord over God’s heritage. But he is an ambassador of God Almighty! It would be wise to treat him as such.

I speak not of every preacher. But I do say these things about every preacher who is faithful to Christ, faithful to the gospel of God’s grace and glory, and faithful in the diligent exercise of the ministry. If God so highly favors a church with such a pastor, the men and women of that church will be very wise to submit to that man’s ministry. How? God himself tells us. “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief; for that is unprofitable for you. (Heb. 13:17). Believing people are not self-willed rebels. They submit to authority.