And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

1 Corinthians 4:6-7

The Pull Toward Pedestals

We naturally find ourselves drawn to people’s talents and gifts. Watch Messi or Ronaldo handle a football (soccer ball for Americans). They weave through crowded defenders, pass with amazing accuracy, and drill the ball into the net. It’s amazing to see. Millions of young people wish they could be the next star player with these talents.

The same comparison culture happens in churches all over the world. A gifted orator, organizer, administrator, marketing genius leads a congregation towards massive growth thus attracting admiration and following. In one of my churches, I asked a young man what he wanted to do in ministry. He answered, “I want to be the next John MacArthur.” If John MacArthur were alive today, I don’t think he would have wanted this to be the aim for any aspiring pastor. Yet this young man had an unspiritual focus on the talents and gifts of someone who had led a ministry.

When Imitation Becomes Contempt

Following Paul’s example, we should not “think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.” Once we emulate and copy others’ gifts and talents for the sake of those abilities, we next use those abilities to look with contempt on others who lack them. It starts innocently enough. You see someone with a profound gift—maybe they preach with captivating eloquence, lead worship with raw authenticity and musical talent, or manage church administration with flawless precision. You admire it. Then, you try to clone it.

But when we copy a spiritual gift for the sake of the ability itself, rather than the edification of the body, we plant a seed of toxic comparison. What begins as imitation almost inevitably sours into contempt.

When you successfully replicate someone else’s gift, you naturally want a return on your investment. You expect your new ability to grant you influence, platform, or praise within the church. Because your identity is now tied to performing that gift, your ego becomes incredibly fragile. To protect this manufactured identity, you need a metric for success. And the easiest metric for human pride is looking down on someone else.

Because you associated the gift with spiritual worth, you now view a lack of that specific gift as a lack of spiritual maturity, discipline, or value. Contempt is pride’s favorite weapon; it allows us to look at a foot or an ear in the Body of Christ and say, “I have no need of you.”

Three Ways to Foster Authentic Assignment

To keep a local church from fracturing into cliques of mutual contempt, the community must aggressively foster a culture of authentic assignment.

• Everyone Has Value: The church must value the person in the pew as much as the preacher on the stage.
• Root Identity in Sonship, Not Stewardship: We must remind ourselves that God loves us because we are His children, not because we are His high-performing employees.
• Repent of Comparison: The moment we use our strengths to highlight another’s weakness, we have weaponized the very grace God provided to us.

When we stop trying to clone each other’s callings, we free ourselves to love each other’s differences.

How have you seen this dynamic play out practically in church ministries—perhaps in worship teams, leadership boards, or small groups?

Renewed Thought: You have no ability, talent or natural gift that was generated on your own. Everything comes from God.