What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

1 Corinthians 3:5-9

When I was a kid I remember working in my parent’s garden. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t much of a gardener, but I did get to pull weeds, pick beans and dig up potatoes.

Not many of us still have a garden, but most of us have some experience with plants and so you can relate to the analogy used by Paul above. At our home, I may plant the trees and bushes and Patrina may water them, but neither of us can make the plants grow. The same is true when it comes to our spiritual growth. While I may learn from this teacher or another, it is ultimately God who brings about transformation in my life.

The teacher who plants or waters has a role to play in the growth of others, but they are only role players and they are on the same journey as the rest of us. With that in mind, what’s the danger in leaning too hard on another person’s teaching?