Thursday, August 8

THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 2019

"I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children.  Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.  Therefore I urge you to imitate me.  For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church."  (1 Corinthians 4:14-17)

The two letters to the Corinthians contain some "tough-love" passages from Paul.  Corinth had earned a reputation as a morally loose city that threaten to corrupt its visitors.  Would the fledgling Corinthian church be corrupted from within, becoming destroyed at its very foundation?

In this spirit of concern and love, Paul urges the Corinthians to follow his example—"to imitate me."  While the Scriptures instruct us, and we have treasures of books on Christian theology and godly living, the first-century Church relied more on eyewitness testimony of God's redeeming work in Christ.  Paul recognized that the testimony of a changed life, however, would provide indisputable evidence for the power of the Gospel.  The Gospel message could become translated into Gospel living—and become even more powerful.

Paul therefore sends Timothy to solidify his teaching, as Timothy lived the Gospel message.  Paul's confidence in Timothy commended him to the Corinthians and prepared him for effective teaching.  As Paul reiterated in 2 Timothy 2:2, this teaching would be practical and life-on-life:  "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others."  Making disciples can them become a matter of multiplication.

As we head into the fall, whose lives will you seek to impact with your Gospel living?  Whose lives would you like to imitate?  How could you grow in the depth and strength of your Gospel living, to God's glory?

Lord God, thank You for sending Your Son as our example and teacher.  We also rejoice in having many friends whose lives that we would like to imitate, having seen the power of the Gospel lived out in them.  Help us to become more effective in our own testimony; transform our hearts and minds to conform more fully to Your will and character.  We love You and honor You today.  In Jesus's mighty Name, amen.