By Lea Lockhart
When I was a young girl, I had a teacher named Mrs. Harris. She was so pretty with her long eyelashes and perfect make-up. She dressed very nice every day. Her nails were long and painted pink. I remember her shoes, they made a really cool sound when she walked across the hard terrazzo floor, almost like tap shoes. She wore a different necklace every day. As a little girl, I wanted to be just like her. When I played school with my friends, I was always Mrs. Harris. In my eyes, Mrs. Harris was perfect and I wanted to be just like her until one day I saw her in the grocery store. To my dismay, she didn’t have any makeup on and she
was wearing sweat pants and a sloppy t-shirt. Why was she not at the school, why was she out in public, and why was she buying food? That was the day that I learned that Mrs. Harris actually lived in a real house and ate real food. That was the day that I learned that Mrs. Harris was “human”. Welcome to my first experience of making a person my hero.
Fast forward several years, when there was a prominent pastor that many in my circle followed. He was well educated and appeared to be a godly man who loved the Lord. However, at some point, he drifted from teaching God’s word and set himself up on a pedestal and began teaching his own agenda. Many began following him and believing a false doctrine. People took his word as gospel and they no longer followed God. He had become their god. They quoted him, not God’s word. Then, suddenly, this man died. His death shook many to the core. Many that followed him turned away from their confession of faith completely. Their hero, their god had disappointed them and let them down. Some that followed him are still quoting him today.
Recently, Tim Merwin, our pastor, gave an exhortation in our church, Trinity Community Church, warning us about making men and women our heroes. He said, “People have wandered and shipwrecked their faith for a long time. It’s sad when a friend or someone you know walks away from the Lord. It’s confusing when a friend wanders and distances themselves from Christ. But one thing it’s not, it’s not new.”
My expectations of my teacher failed me. Those that followed that former pastor/teacher were not “holding fast to the word of life” as we’re told in Phil 2:16, but were holding on to a man’s word.
Tim exhorted us from 1 Timothy where it says,
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits… Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe… Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by doing so you will save both yourself and your hearers.”
“Don’t make people your heroes.” Furthermore, as Tim put it, “don’t make men your heroes, not popular men, famous men, men and women who sell a lot of books and have massive twitter followers, men who from a distance seem to be knowledgeable and eloquent, or what have you.
He continued on to say, “don’t make men or women your heroes, not even the ones in the Bible. They will fail you.” For example, Abraham was a liar and he struggled to obey the Lord. David was immoral; he was a murderer who lied trying to hide his failures. Peter denied the very Christ he sought to live and die for. Job followed God even in the dark storms of his life, who later lost his patience with God and was then rebuked by God Himself. Furthermore, Martin Luther ended his life with his own admission that he was cursing and drinking too much and he became an anti-Semite. John Wesley and AW Tozer had terrible marriages. It is said that they were both incredibly selfish men.
Furthermore, Tim stated, “Don’t set your eyes on me! Don’t set your eyes on the elders of Trinity. Yes, it is our desire to set an example for you in following Christ, but we are not Christ. Follow Christ, not men. People WILL fail you; I can promise you that. I have lived long enough to have had men and women that I deeply respected let me down. “But,” Tim encouraged, “Christ will never fail you; I can promise you that. He might not give you what you want, as he is too committed to you to do so, but even then, He will NEVER fail you.
His love for you is steadfast
His commitment to you is unbreakable
His faithfulness towards you is unchanging, in spite of you
Christ, not men or women, not popular faces or incredibly gifted speakers who wow the crowds… Christ is where we are to set our gaze.” Hebrews 2 says “we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.”
Lastly, Tim said, “So, I exhort you once again from 1 Timothy 6: 11-12. “But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
