"Not with words of human wisdom"

For Christ sent me not to baptize but to proclaim good news, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of power. (Paul, to the Corinthians, I Cor 1:17)

I think there is a risk in blogging or teaching that is much like the risk of preaching: a temptation, really, to try to gain a reputation for ourselves. Paul saw the risk plainly: if he were to seek a reputation for himself, it would come at the expense of the reputation of Christ. As soon as he had a following for himself, it would be a division among those who followed Christ. If he took any admiration for himself, it would come at the expense of whether his own followers were keeping their eyes on Jesus. It was bad enough that some followed Paul, and some followed Peter, and some followed Apollos; it would have been far worse if those leaders of the early church had actually wanted their own followers, and their own reputations. It was a great help that the early church leaders were united in their conviction that it was Jesus, and not themselves, who should be taught and studied and followed. They wanted his reputation to be proclaimed so that his goodness could be a hope to people.

We have a lot, in our age, that we could learn from the early church. This is not the least of them.