4 November 2007 
 
"Preacher-itus"
Attitudes Toward Preachers That Endanger the Soul
Brian R. Kenyon
The church at Corinthian was divided. Part of that division was over their attitude toward the preachers that influenced them. Paul wrote, "For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.  Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ" (1 Cor. 1:11-12). It must be pointed out from the start that it is not always a preacher's fault that people form cliques over their infatuation of him. Certainly, we would not blame Paul, Apollos, or Peter for the Corinthians' dividing themselves over them. Carnality, or worldliness, was the reason why the Corinthians were so immature as to divide themselves over men (1 Cor. 3:1-4).
Sometimes people today will likewise follow a particular preacher, but not for the love of the truth he preaches. There is nothing wrong with people having their favorite preachers, as long as those preachers preach the truth, but when their favor puts their soul and/or the souls of others in danger of being lost, then they have a case of "preacher-itus." How do we know whether or not we have "preacher-itus"? Consider the following questions.
Do We "Skip" Services When the Local Preacher Is Out of Town?
It is not uncommon for some church members to miss services when they know the regular preacher is out of town. For some reason, these people think that the preacher being gone means a holiday from attending services. Much like a child who delights in a snowstorm or hurricane threat because he knows school will be cancelled and he can sleep late and have fun instead of going to school, some members of the church seem to think that the local preacher being away means they can sleep late and have fun instead of "going to church."  At least two things are wrong with that attitude. First, Christians should enjoy studying the Bible and worshiping God. If one does not enjoy assembling with fellow Christians and worshiping the Lord, can he or she really love God? John, the apostle of love, said, "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous" (1 Jn. 5:2-3). If it has become a burden for us to assemble with the saints on the Lord's day, then we better seriously examine our love for God!
Second, the Lord expects us to be present when the church assembles. The Hebrews writer said, "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching" (Heb. 10:24-25). God knows that we need encouragement. The church's assembling is where we are stirred up to the kind of "love and good works" God wants. Why would we want to abandon what God knows is best for us (cf. Lk. 7:30)? As long as the one preaching is sincerely preaching the truth, should our attendance change just because the regular preacher is out of town?
Do We Attend Services Only When Our Favorite Preacher Is Preaching?
On the other hand, there are those who attend only when their favorite preacher is preaching. There may be a number of reasons for this that do not reflect "preacher-itus," or jeopardize our soul, but consider some reasons that do. First, if we attend services only when our favorite preacher preaches solely because he is eloquent, we jeopardize our souls. Eloquent entertainers are the kind of preachers worldly people seek. Paul told the Corinthians that "when I came to you, I came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom....my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom....That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God" (1 Cor. 2:1-5). There is nothing wrong with eloquent speakers (cf. Acts 18:24), but when that is our only attraction, we leave ourselves open to being led astray (Rom. 16:18).
Second, if our favorite preacher is anyone but the regular preacher, and we attend only when someone else preaches as a form of protest or boycott of the regular preacher, we jeopardize our souls. Such protest reflects malice in the heart. Malice may be defined as "hateful feelings." Among the worldly characteristics Paul says Christians must "put off" is "malice" (Col. 3:8). There is no Scriptural reason to harbor ill-will. If our ill-will toward the regular preacher is because he has wronged us or because he is not "preaching the truth in love" (Eph. 4:15), then we must Scripturally resolve those issues (cf. Mt. 18:15-17; 1 Tim. 5:19-20).
Third, if we attend services only when our favorite preacher is our good friend or family member, then we jeopardize our souls because it shows that we value the messenger more than the Gospel message, which is able to save our souls (Rom. 1:15-16). There is nothing wrong with supporting friends or family members who preach by being present to hear their sermons, but there must come a time when we embrace the message more than the messenger. When we do not attend when anyone else preaches, we show that our interest is not in the message, but in the messenger. We must not "think of men above that which is written" (1 Cor. 4:6).
Do We Love the Truth?
As long as a faithful Christian man is sincerely preaching the truth in language we can understand, should it really matter who he is as far as our attendance is concerned? Again, there is nothing wrong with liking certain personalities over others, or liking certain preaching styles over others, but when our personal likes, dislikes, or motives for attending are the result of unscriptural attitudes toward preachers, we jeopardize our souls. Let us love the message enough that we want to hear it no matter the messenger!