James 4:16-17 (KJV)
But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
My father-in-law used to talk about “big fish in a small pond.” In some ways, all of Christendom might be considered a small pond. (I understand Christianity as a whole to comprise no more than two percent of the world’s population.) So even the most famous men in Christian history were just big fish in a small pond:
- Charles Spurgeon.
- Martin Lloyd-Jones.
- (Plug in any names you please here)
- Dare I say, even the Catholic pope.
All are just big fish in a small pond.
But I disavow kinship with the bulk of Christendom, believing much of it to be apostate. I limit myself to Baptists, and among them, only independents, and among them, a select group. The pond to which I affiliate is indeed a small pond in this world, and I am convinced it is Jesus and His Word that guide me to such a small pond.
Here is the thing: even in my small pond, we have those who appear to be big fish.
Worse, some of them see themselves as the big fish in the pond.
We hold conferences featuring our big fish. The big fish get to pick which fish are big enough to speak at those conferences. Those big fish assemble the smaller fish (for it would be useless to be identified as a big fish if the little fish did not recognize them) so they can teach the little fish how to become big fish like they are.
The truth is, they do not really want the little fish to become big fish. They think the little fish are little because they are lesser fish, not merely smaller.
The big fish in the small pond are, in effect, rejoicing in their boasting of themselves and the other big fish.
“All such rejoicing is evil.”
We know it is. We will admit it is and even preach on the evils of glorifying the big fish.
- But it does not stop the boasting.
- It does not humble the big fish.
- It does not slow the assembly of the little fish to hear them.
And that is sin.
“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”
#BoastingIsSin #JamesFourSixteen #HumbleThyself #BigFishSmallPond #DoRightDoIt
“Big Fish in a Small Pond”: The Sin of Celebrity Preachers
Do you think modern Christianity has created “big fish” culture inside the church? Have we become too focused on personalities instead of humility and obedience to Christ?
Leave a comment below and join the conversation. I’d genuinely like to hear your thoughts.
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