Hey y’all, and welcome to Monday Manna!
Last week we challenged Christian influencers to look and sound like they belong to Christ, and the comment section answered with a name: C.S. Lewis.
Then, a few days later, a very different headline hit our feeds about a very different Christian hero…
We have been thinking about what those two stories have in common all week...
Follow Jesus. Not Famous Christians.
When we posted about Christian leaders living like the world, we expected pushback. We didn’t expect so many people to defend their drinking and smoking with one name.
“Lewis drank beer.”
“Lewis smoked a pipe.”
“Lewis and Tolkien talked about Christianity in a pub.”
As if that settles it.
We love C.S. Lewis. Read Mere Christianity. Read Narnia to your kids. But C.S. Lewis is not Jesus, and his own writing doesn’t give anyone the loophole they’re looking for. (We unpacked that in full right here.)
Then the Tim Tebow news broke.
If you missed it, an investigation reported by Mother Jones and Pablo Torre exposed the marketing plan behind Life Surge, a Christian organization that hosts faith-and-finance events, using inexpensive events headlined by big names to move attendees into higher-priced classes, and then into training packages that can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
The reporting describes attendees who took on credit card debt and loans to pay for them.
Tebow was Life Surge’s headline speaker. He has since called the allegations “extremely serious” and says he is pausing the relationship while his team looks into the facts.
First off, we’re not casting any stones… these are allegations, not confirmed court findings.
And for Tim Tebow… we’re not here to pile on a brother in Christ who says he was caught off guard, and we’re praying he walks through this with integrity.
But here’s what breaks our hearts: Christians walked into those rooms because they trusted the name on the stage.
Two very different stories. Same root.
In one, a beloved author’s pipe becomes permission.
In the other, a beloved athlete’s name becomes a green light.
In both, the question “What does the Bible say?” gets swapped out for “Well, he’s a Christian, and he does it.”
That’s not discernment. That’s borrowed conviction.
And it’s nothing new. Paul saw the exact same thing in Corinth:
“What I mean is that each one of you says, ‘I follow Paul,’ or ‘I follow Apollos,’ or ‘I follow Cephas,’ or ‘I follow Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you?” — 1 Corinthians 1:12-13
Every generation has its Pauls and Apolloses. Today they have blue checkmarks, book deals and stadium tours.
And it’s not just celebrities. Some Christians treat the “church fathers,” the great theologians of history and even their own pastor as if their word settles what Scripture has already settled (or unsettles it).
Now, there’s a balance here. Scripture tells us to honor our leaders, and we do. Learn from them. Read the great theologians. Sit under good teaching. But notice what the writer of Hebrews actually says:
“Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” — Hebrews 13:7
Imitate their faith. Not their habits. Not their business deals. And never their word over God’s Word.
Even Paul put a filter on his own example:
“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” — 1 Corinthians 11:1
“As I am of Christ” is the filter. The moment a leader stops following Christ, you stop following that leader.
And yes, that includes us. Don’t take our word for it. Take God’s.
Before you follow anyone (an influencer, an athlete, a pastor, a podcaster or a theologian who died centuries ago), ask:
Does what they teach line up with Scripture, or does it just sound Christian?
Does their life bear the fruit of the Spirit, in public and in private?
Are they pointing you to Jesus, or to themselves, their product or their next event?
Would you still say yes if their name weren’t attached to it?
Because this is the warning God gave through Jeremiah:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD.” — Jeremiah 17:5
Admire people. Honor good teachers. But follow Jesus.
He never asked us to follow a personality. He said, “Follow Me.”
YOUR DAILY MANNA
“Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” — Acts 17:11
Here’s what makes this verse so remarkable: the Bereans weren’t fact-checking a stranger. They were fact-checking the apostle Paul.
And Luke doesn’t call them suspicious, cynical or divisive. He calls them noble.
Notice they did two things at once. They received the word “with all eagerness.” And they examined the Scriptures “daily.” Eager hearts and open Bibles, side by side.
That’s the balance so many of us have lost. Some Christians are all eagerness and no examining, so they’ll follow anyone with a microphone. Others are all examining and no eagerness, so they never receive anything.
The Bereans show us a better way. Listen gladly. Then check it against the Word.
And the result? “Many of them therefore believed” (Acts 17:12). Discernment didn’t weaken their faith. It anchored it.
So here is your one thing this week.
Pick one thing you’ve accepted because someone you admire said it. A health claim. A financial promise. A line about what Christians are “free” to do. Then open your Bible and examine it yourself.
Paul said it plainly: “test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
Admire people. Test everything. Follow Jesus.
What We Are Loving This Week
GLP-1s are everywhere so we want to be practical for a minute… You can’t pray your way through poor eating habits to reach your weight loss goals, right?
Our trick is to find things we enjoy eating that actually help boost metabolic function and cacao is one of those things…
Special Deal: Up to 50% Off Cacao Bliss, the Viral “Chocolate Water” Everyone’s Talking About
University Study Shows: Consuming Cacao-Rich Dark Chocolate Supports Your Innate GLP-1 & Insulin Response (Naturally) and this video explains why.
Featured Posts
Everything we’ve published since Manna #21, all four pieces, right here.
![[LIVE] Week 1 Nervous System Reset — The Anxious Mind](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Lbb0!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-video.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fvideo_upload%2Fpost%2F217112603%2F067cbc5b-d662-4db3-9c41-721815ecc5ae%2Ftranscoded-00001.png)
If you only have time for one, start with the C.S. Lewis piece. It’s the backstory to this whole Manna.
Inner Circle
Inner Circle members, we kicked off our 41-Day Nervous System Reset with Week 1 - The Anxious Mind.
Tap below for find your weekly workbook, Bible Health Blueprint Course Manual and this week’s affirmation & prayer card:
From Natural Living Family
Bible Health is where we teach the why. Over on Natural Living Family this week we taught the how. Here are three favorites worth your five minutes…
Ylang Ylang Oil + Zinc Deficiency + Companion Planting + Scalloped Potatoes
Turmeric Essential Oil + Aromatic Garden Plan + EMF Exposure + Chicken and Rice
Healing Thyme Oil + Microplastics and PFAS + Staking Tomatoes + Vegan Caprese Salad
Want more from our Natural Living Family Substack?
Every generation will have its heroes. Some will stay faithful and some will stumble. The One who never will is Jesus.
If you are just joining us, start here. It is the prayer this whole conversation needs…
Upgrade and learn what God’s Word says about every area of life
and how to live it. That’s what Bible Health is all about.
Walk each 6-week live group study the day it opens.
Get the Blueprint and every weekly Swap.
Follow Jesus, not trends, in every area.
As always, our hope and prayer is that you experience the abundant life.
~ Dr. Z & Mama Z