For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake – 2 Corinthians 4:5 (NKJV)

I can’t help but recoil when I think about people “preaching themselves”. Sometimes it’s as subtle as preaching one step removed from the Bible: “This is what the Bible says, this is what I did, therefore do as I did.” Other times it’s more obvious as people use their “ministry” to promote themselves–their name up in lights and their face printed on merchandise. Continue reading →