Blessings,
Our generation of Christians has unprecedented access to voices of Christian leaders from across denominational lines. In many ways, this has been a gift bringing sound teaching, encouragement, and a broader understanding of the body of Christ. Yet there is something these platforms cannot provide and that is access to a life.
You may hear a Christian leader’s voice via their social media platform, but you cannot fully examine the life behind it. This is not to suggest that these leaders are not living godly lives, many are. But it does mean we cannot truly discern whether what is preached is consistently lived. And as we have seen in painful moments, when leaders fall, the impact can reach thousands.
So what is the point?
God, in His wisdom, has placed people in your life, and in mine, who have not only spoken the truth but have lived it before us. These are men and women whose faith has been observable, tested, and proven over time.
Because true faith produces character.
Charisma may inspire for a moment, but character sustains for a lifetime. Charisma can stir emotions, but character is formed through obedience. Walking with God in the good, the bad, the struggles, the trials, and even in the blessings. A man or woman of God who has walked consistently with Christ carries a weight that charisma alone can never replicate.
Those who possess charisma without character often come and go. And while they may attract attention, they frequently appeal to a shallow form of Christianity. But God has not called us to something shallow. He has called us to a faith that shapes us, refines us, and chisels Christlike character into our lives.
Hebrews 13:7 reminds us, “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their way of life, imitate their faith.”
Notice the instruction, consider their way of life. Not just their words, but their walk.
God brings leaders into our lives much like He brought Philip to the Ethiopian eunuch. These men and women who not only explain the Scriptures but demonstrate what it looks like to live them out. Their lives become a visible testimony of faith in action.
I can personally testify to this. When I first came to the Lord, I had no understanding of what it meant to be a man of God. But the Lord, in His grace, placed faithful men in my life. Men who spent time with me, spoke truth in love, and modeled through their actions what it means to follow Christ.
Because of them, I learned not just by instruction, but by imitation.
As one lexicon source puts it:
“Imitation safeguards both right belief and right practice: teaching is evaluated by life, and life is reproduced by teaching.”
In other words, as you imitate those who faithfully lead you, their teaching becomes lived out in your daily actions. And through your life, that same truth is passed on to others as the Gospel continues to bear fruit.
So while I do not dismiss voices with large platforms, I am cautious not to overvalue them based solely on their charisma. I have come to value character over charisma, because character is forged through trial, refined through obedience, and sustained by a genuine walk with Christ.
Charisma may be a gift, but character is the evidence of a life truly transformed and chiseled by the power of the Holy Spirit.
May you continue walking faithfully,
Pastor Lu