TOPIC: INFALLIBLE OR INDISPENSABLE?
Memorise: Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 1 Corinthians 10:12
Read: 1 Corinthians 3:4–11
4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Message
Grace is crucial to our growth in Christ. As Christians, we need the grace of God to overcome all the perils on our way to Heaven. Two of such perils are the feelings of infallibility and indispensability. Nobody, no matter how spirit-filled, is incapable of making mistakes. A spiritual leader must be willing to concede the possibility of mistakes and should be able to yield to the advice and criticism of other brethren. The mindset of being infallible is a problem which many sound Christians fall victim to.
A leader who knows God, and probably knows Him better than his colleagues, is in danger of falling unconsciously into this subtle peril. Do you have the impression that you are infallible? Do you think you are incapable of making mistakes? Beware! This feeling possibly emanates from the fact that you are talented, spiritual and your sense of judgment has been proved to be more accurate than that of others, or from the fact that you are capable of praying, thinking and wrestling with problems more earnestly and successfully than your colleagues and peers. This kind of feeling is dangerous. If care is not taken, pride will set in, and a time may come when you will be unwilling to yield to the advice of others. Nobody is infallible.
Also, nobody is indispensable. No one is too important to be without. Nobody is irreplaceable. God always has substitutes. When King Saul became obstinate and disobedient to God, he was replaced by David. The knowledge that God has substitutes should make you humble and keep you on your toes. This same knowledge should encourage you to delegate responsibilities properly and mentor younger ones. Many leaders cling to authority long after it should have been passed on to younger men because of the thought that they are irreplaceable. They believe that in the best interest of the work, they should not relinquish office.
Are you a Christian leader? Are you a minister or a worker in God’s vineyard? Be informed that you are neither indispensable nor irreplaceable. Are you a missionary? No missionary is indispensable. Any missionary who has made himself indispensable to the church he planted has done a great disservice to the church. From the earliest days of planting a church, a missionary should set it up in such a way that he will remain in the background. He should cultivate in the members a real dependence on the Lord and train spiritual men who as soon as practicable, would assume full responsibility over the work. Practical solutions to the peril of feeling indispensable are humility and mentoring. Go ahead and replicate yourself in others through mentoring.
Action Point: Be actively involved in follow-up, discipleship and mentoring of younger Christians.
Bible in one year: 1 Samuel 29-31; Proverbs 9: 1-12
SOURCE: OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL, 2014
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