THE TOP 10 PREACHERS IN THE USA

By James Baker

​I remember observing a magazine with an article entitled “America top 
ten preachers.”

I have been reading the Bible for years and have never come across any 
system which would produce a list of these critters; so I must 
consider this listing as simply another wade into the doctrine of men. 
  Mark 7.7
1 Cor 1.11-12

First thing is; how would they be selected?  Now, I could understand 
if God did the
selection and rankings.  But man is in no position to pass judgment 
upon fellow brethren as to where they rate in service to God. Who 
would make the decision that “Steve” is number seven and Troy is 
number nine?    Then Kenneth is told he didn’t make the cut to be 
included in the top ten. etc.  And by the way, God doesn’t view things 
the way man does.   The Judges think that Dylan is the top preacher in 
America and God thinks Dylan is
a lazy phony.  1Samuel 16.7.  Luke 16.15

For man to make a list and place other men on the list is to make the 
list creators judges.  The bible teaches, there is only one Law giver 
and Judge, and who are we to judge one another?  James 4.12 . Romans 
14.10.

  As to God selecting and rating man; He can.  He is the Creator and 
knows man worth and things man doesn’t know himself. Matthew 10.30. 
John 2.25. John 6.61-64.
1 Corinthians 10.5. Numbers 14.24.  God rated Noah as the best man on 
earth as He made plans to send a flood to wipe men off the face of the 
earth.  Genesis 6.8-18
Genesis 7.1. Later on God did the same rating on Job, by saying that 
he was the
number one man on earth. Job 1.8.  God also did so with the nation of 
Israel, many He didn’t think very highly of. 1 Cor 10.5.  But that is 
God, it isn’t man; God can do that.

When God rated men, He did so based on their character, not on the size of the
membership at the church where they preached or how many other 
brethren knew them. etc. 1 Sam 16.7.   Yet, there are many who appear 
to want to be the top brother in the area. They make sure that every 
church with 100 miles knows who they are and even stick their noses in 
other locations business. Why?  Why do all that; when the local 
preacher could be spending time working around the neighborhood of the 
meeting house getting to know the neighbors of the church and maybe 
interesting them in the gospel?

Preachers need to be quietly working at their local congregation, 
trying to edify and build the group up. That is something God would be 
very pleased with, and not trying to be the top guy in the area.