And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.” Acts 26:29.

The apostle Paul followed Jesus example, and wanted all to be saved and follow Christ to the best of their ability.  He wanted better for ALL the people that heard him, and that was why he spread the gospel so clearly and loudly.  We should all follow teachers that are clear that they want everyone to be closer to Jesus.  Pastor Duke had a great example yesterday of someone who reamed him out when he was a new believer, claiming he was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.  Janice gave me a similar example over the weekend of a converted town drunk that was not allowed to join a church due to no one believing him.  Yes in both cases God used these instances to grow the people who were denied access by the leaders who misused their authority.  However, this does not mean that we should follow and repeat the error of those who hoard and lord spiritual knowledge, controlling who has access to the deeper meat of the word.  True believers will praise the Lord for all who follow him, even if they grow faster or beyond their teachers.  As disciples ourselves, seek out selfless teachers who want the best for their students.  As teachers, we need to be very clear that this is our goal and desire, that we should be abundantly close and growing closer to Christ, and that we should desire all should be as we are (except for our specific suffering circumstances).