Out there somewhere is a person who thinks they know everything that you need to know. They can teach you, train you, disciple you, pray for you, invest in you, put the Word in you, develop you, nurture you, and save you from a lot of trouble… if you will only follow them.
If that person is anyone other than Jesus Christ you are setting that person up to become your idol. Eventually you will get burned. The people you idolize, you will eventually demonize because even the best of people fail us at some point.
Some people are lured into over-dependence in a single person. These spiritual leaders almost become a functional savior, a mythical figure, who is always there and available. The idea that one person can teach you everything you need to know (and is all things to you) is a naïve one, and downright dangerous.
In evangelical circles we do the same thing that Catholics do. We find a person that is living for God and we venerate them as saints. These spiritual leaders take on an ‘other worldly mystique’ and we go to them for everything, for every need, in every crisis, for every question, and in every situation. Practically speaking, these mentors become a functional savior, usurping Jesus Christ in the believers life. Before long, you’ve got everything riding on one guy and it’s only a matter of time before it all comes crashing down.
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