1 Corinthians 1:12
“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.”
One of the greatest weaknesses of Christianity is the battle to keep a proper focus. We are commanded to live by faith, and faith is putting your trust and weight in that which is unseen. Our flesh oftentimes desires something that we can see, something that is flesh and blood. Because the flesh desires to put its trust in something it can see, then it is easy for someone to take their eyes off Christ and place them upon man.
The first step towards demise for a church or a Christian is when they take their eyes off God and place them upon man. The church of Corinth had many problems with which Paul had to deal. The very first thing he dealt with was that they were squabbling over who they followed. He reminded them that all of the men over whom they were fighting were of Christ. He reminded them that the reason they were having problems in their church was because they took their eyes off God and placed them upon man. You will find that there are four areas of your life that placing your eyes on man will affect.
First, it affects Christ’s influence on your life. Verse 17 says, “…lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.” When a person or a church takes their eyes off Christ, then He can no longer influence them the way He would like because they are not looking at Him. Friend, if you want Christ to influence every part of your life, then you are going to have to keep your eyes upon him. If you don’t, then you will find you will struggle with Christ influencing you and all that you do for Him.
Second, it affects your ability to bear fruit. 1 Corinthians 3:7 says, “So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.” Why do Christians struggle with bearing fruit? Because they have taken their eyes off the One Who is responsible for fruit. When you are fighting over man, then you are not doing the works that bear fruit. If you want to live a fruitful Christian life, then you need to keep your eyes on Christ.
Third, it affects your testimony. In 1 Corinthians 4:9, we are reminded that we are a “spectacle unto the world.” When you have your eyes on man, then the world will only see the man’s influence on your life and not Christ’s. Your testimony will always suffer when you place your eyes on man.
Fourth, it affects your ability to fight sin. 1 Corinthians 5 talks about the fornication in the church and their inability to fight it. Why could they not fight the sin? Because their eyes were on man. They didn’t want to hurt man. If their eyes were on Christ, then they would have realized the importance of proclaiming truth. You will always struggle with your fight over sin as long as you place your eyes upon man. If you want victory over sin, then you are going to have to keep your eyes on Christ.
Every church that I have seen struggle is a church that has placed their eyes upon man and not God. Every Christian who struggles can always find that the root of their struggle comes from not having their eyes upon God. If you don’t want to see demise in your church or Christian life, then you must keep your eyes upon Christ.