Preacheritis

Preacheritis is a condition that afflicts many Christians.  It is the deeply ingrained faith in a particular minister, which causes them to lose focus on the real power in the pulpit and place it on a servant called only for a season.  Preacheritis causes churches to abandon their roots and causes members to uproot from their churches.  It causes congregations to split and some to come to an early demise.  

Regardless of how good the preacher in question may be, the focus on him will lead to disappointment, detachment or destruction at some point as humans lack staying power.  Every preacher will move on due to personal ambition, leadership decision, health deterioration, family crisis, death...something, sometime.

This isn't a new thing, it's been going on as long as their have been exceptional kingdom leaders.  Whenever there has been someone worthy of leadership, followers tend to invest their trust in  them.  Who could have imagined a replacement for Moses?  Not even Joshua who filled his sandals believed it.  How could anyone compare with Elijah?  Yet Elisha, whom Elijah called from plowing fields, was chosen by God to stand in his place.

The thing is, it is not the man of God who has the power to advance the kingdom, it is the power of God in the man, a power that God invests into whomever he chooses, whenever he chooses, for the season he chooses: "God is able to do more than we can ask or imagine according to his power at work within us" (Eph 3:20).

That's the misplaced focus that comes from preacheritis, pinning our hopes on a man instead of on God.  Men of God come and go but God remains with his faithful followers and his power will rest on whomever he chooses.  It might even be you he calls to fill in the gap.  Jus' Sayn.