Keeping the Man of God in Right Perspective
Acts 10:26
"But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man."
The story from the verse above is about a man named Cornelius who waited a long time for Peter to come and preach the Gospel to the Gentile world. The Scriptures say that Cornelius gathered a group of people to whom Peter could preach. When Peter walked into the house of Cornelius, he fell down at Peter's feet to worship him. However, Peter immediately told him to stand up and reminded him that he was just a man.
I was recently talking to a preacher, and our conversation was about different men of God who were used in a great way. Our discussion was how people were so attracted to the great works of these men that they would nearly worship them. This preacher made a statement to me that every Christian needs to grasp. He said that there were no great men, but that there were men whom God has used in a great way. If every person would grasp that mentality about men of God, it would keep them from ever becoming disillusioned with men of God and from following them into error.
Men of God are sinners like everyone else. One of the mistakes we make is that we forget that preachers are men as well. If you are not careful, you will place a preacher higher in your estimation than you should. No preacher should be worshipped. Only one person should be worshipped and that is God. God is the only One Who deserves the worship of man. Therefore, be careful about lifting a man up to deity level. Remember that all men are fallible.
On the other hand, the man of God deserves respect and honor, not because of who he is, but because of the position that he holds. The position of a man of God is a lofty position. It is lofty because of Whom they represent. Therefore, you should be very careful with your treatment and respect of the man of God. The Scriptures teach that the position of the man of God deserves honor and respect. Yes, you should love your preacher, but you should also respect and honor him because of his position.
Finally, because all men are sinners and fallible, remember that everything they teach and preach should be based upon the Word of God. The danger of lifting a man of God higher than you should is that you will take everything he says as gospel. There is no preacher who deserves a blank check to do or teach whatever he wants. He represents Christ, therefore he should only teach and do what the Scriptures command him to do.
If you will keep your preacher in proper perspective, then you will keep yourself from being disillusioned and from being taken into false doctrine. Be sure to respect and honor your pastor, but remember that he is a man and he will make mistakes at times. Don't crucify him when he makes a mistake, but remember he is still a man. However, be sure that you treat him with the respect that his position deserves.