Jesus taught us that we must only call our Father in Heaven Father, as seen in Matthew 23:9-10. If we regard a human being as our spiritual father or call him father; then we are disobeying Jesus. There is only one Master and that is Jesus Christ.
The Bible tells us many times not to put our trust in man, and so when we depend on human beings to teach us, rather than God, we are putting that person on a pedestal and surrendering our life to that person, and at the same time that blocks our personal intimate relationship with God. Human beings can make mistakes and so we can be led astray. See Psalm 118:8.
See John 16:13 How the Holy Spirit will teach us the truth in all things.
We have to respect anyone who is in a high spiritual position and we can ask their advice; but we must obey what God tells us first, otherwise you are turning that person into an idol by putting him or her before God. God wants to be put in first place before anyone or anything.
We are all equal to each other in God’s eyes, and what matters is the heart of people and not their rank in life. Only God knows us more than we know ourselves, and He is the only one who can read hearts. We shouldn’t obey anyone who tells us to follow the way he or she follows God because we are not a copy of another person, but we have different spiritualties, gifts and talents, and we are all unique and made in God’s image, and not the image of another person. Jesus clearly told us to follow him in John 10:27 and we are to be taught by God alone as seen in John 6:45.
Look how many different denominations there are, and it proves how there are different spiritualties. Yet they all think that they are right, and that the other denominations are wrong, instead of sticking by their beliefs. After all, we are not accountable for another person’s spirituality, but only for how we are in tune with our own spirituality, and we should respect the spirituality of others that are different.
See how it is the Holy Spirit who will teach us as seen in John 14. See also Psalm 32:8 and Jeremiah 7:23.
Besides if there is a false prophet we won’t be led astray by him if we are led by the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit gives us discernment and wisdom.
Learn about Jesus by reading the Gospels every day and getting to know Him and have a personal, intimate friendship with Him, so that you know how He would react in situations, and only follow Him. If anyone contradicts what Jesus says, then you must only follow what Jesus said in the Gospels because He is the Master, and He said that a servant isn’t greater than the Master, but a fully trained Disciple will be like His Master, and the Bible tells us not to put our trust in man.
We have to put Jesus in first place before a priest or pastor or anyone in an important spiritual position and listen to God first because when we have given our lives to Jesus, we belong to Him, and owe Him loyalty and complete obedience.
Written by D. and M.H. Bradshaw