One is us following our Lord and His example. The other is a slippery slope, whereby we follow another and begin to associate them as an extension of Jesus. Sometimes this extension can become a substitution.
Now, I’m not saying, by any means, that people who admire Donald Miller, Mark Driscoll (how’s that for pitting two different types against one another?), Joyce Meyers, or Eugene Cho are somehow dabbling in idolatry.
But what I am saying is that we ought to be careful to the extent with which we associate or identify ourselves with people other than Jesus Christ. Again, the apostle Paul warned us against this in 1 Corinthians, when it was made known to him that the church of Corinth was arguing over who they belonged to–or rather, who they identified with–in the faith.
Paul told them sternly, “What I mean is that each one of you says, ‘I follow Paul,’ or ‘I follow Apollos,’ or ‘I follow Cephas,’ or ‘I follow Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”
And a little while later, just to be sure that the people of Corinth understood, Paul wrote, “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”
We Americans think that being an imitator or copycat is unoriginal, lame, and undesirable, but that’s exactly what God wants–a church full of copycats. Us, copying His Son. God loves copycats.
I admire, respect, and am even a “fan” of many Christian leaders, writers, thinkers, bloggers, and so on. Yet, I am ever careful of identifying my faith with any one of them or being their copycat. I may relate to their teachings perhaps, their lessons and wisdom, yes. I even have people in my life, who I attempt to imitate and copy because their lives are genuine reflections of Christ.
But my identity remains in Christ, not in any other person. It must. I want to know Him and Him crucified. The rest is just details.
