Verily I say unto thee, if thou dost rippeth me off ...

I read Perry's post this morning at perrynoble.com and it got me to thinking.

What if you opened your Bible, turned to a certain verse of scripture, and it read something like this:

"It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice."
-Phillipians 1:15-18

Followed by this:

"First edition copyright 74 AD by Paul of Taursus Enterprises Inc., d/b/a The Apostle Paul, Paul the Tentmaker, et. al. Some excerpts previously published by Saul the Persecutor in Pharisee Monthly. All Rights Reserved. No part of this Gospel may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying (including scroll, parchment or hieroglyphs), recording, transcribing or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of Paul of Taursus Enterprises Inc.

Foreign editions, translations and creeds protected by the Jersusalem International Copyright Association Alliance, and others, through treaty and agreement.

The FBI and INTERPOL investigate allegations of illegal copyright infringement. Unauthorized duplication of copyrighted material, including reproduction for personal use and/or without monetary gain or compensation, is a Federal Offense. Violation may result in severe penalties, both civil and criminal, upon conviction."

Hmmm. I thought sharing and communicating the gospel was what the whole thing was about ... not seeking popular acknowledgment for our keen insights and wit.

I must be dense because I thought that as believers, everything we've got (including our skills and talents) only come from what God's chosen to give us. Aren't we servants after all ... so why should anyone boast, and claim their thoughts and ideas about the gospel are unique and their own?

Where do they think their words are coming from?

Don't selfish egos, Jealousies and Vanities (including urges for fame, acclaim and popularity) all come from paying attention to that other guy ... the one Christ was referring to when he ordered Peter to "get behind me"?