Forget about the big dogs

In a response to a comment on his site, Tim Bayly urges readers to forget about the big dogs. I think he's got a great point, as one of the biggest tragedies I've seen in life in Christ is the love of being "big" in church.

Why so? For starters, when one pastor preaches before thousands, how does he got to know them intimately and help them grow in Christ? Even if he rightly gets other elders to help, hasn't he just deprived them of the opportunity to learn by both counseling (which they get to do) and teaching (which they largely don't)?

It can get worse. Some pastors of huge churches don't delegate, and hence counseling never happens--again, the pastor can't know 10,000 people well. Worse yet, the pastor gets the idea that he is a big deal, and spends his time being a celebrity, not a servant of the Word. And finally, if we find ourselves again in "Rome" under "Nero," it's a lot easier to shut down a few big churches with popular pastors than it is to shut down hundreds of thousands of smaller, more intimate churches.

So I plead; let the big dogs lie. God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, the humble things of the world to shame the rich. We should take note, and abstain from being impressed by the wealth, glamor, and fame that the world worships. Instead, let us celebrate sweet fellowship in the Word like our Lord intended.