Are You a Good Role Model?

“In Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me.” – 1 Corinthians 4:15-16

 

In the book of 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul spends a lot of time rebuking the Corinthian Christians for their pride and divisiveness. As Paul confronts them with the Word of God, the sinful thoughts and attitudes of their hearts are being exposed, which is uncomfortable—even painful. That’s why Paul says what he says in 1 Corinthians 4:14: “I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you.”

 

In the first three chapters of his letter, Paul has called his Corinthian readers “brothers” three times. But here in chapter 4, he basically says: “I don’t just think of you as my ‘brothers.’ I also consider you to be my own dear children whom I love.” Isn’t that something? Regardless of how messed up the Corinthian Christians were, Paul didn’t reject them. Instead, he tenderly reminded them that they were his spiritual kids. Paul didn’t hate them. He actually loved them.

 

Part of what Paul is saying is that he encourages and mentors those he pastors in much the same way that a father would encourage and mentor his own son. But it’s more than that. As Pastor John MacArthur puts it: “A father, by definition, is a man who has children…. Every believer should be a spiritual father, God’s instrument for bringing new lives into His kingdom.”

 

In verse 16, Paul takes the next logical step: “Therefore I urge you to imitate me.” Think for a moment about how many dads across America tell their kids, “Do as I say, not at I do.” For Paul it was never, “Do as I say, not as I do.” It was, “Do as Jesus says, and I’ll show you by MY life how to do it. By God’s grace, I’m walking the walk. So, follow in the footsteps of your spiritual father. I urge you to imitate me.”

 

Whether or not you realize it, you have followed in someone else’s spiritual footsteps, and somebody else is following in yours. Every one of us needs to have a spiritual father in our lives, and each of us needs to be a spiritual father to at least one other Christian. 

 

Now, we can’t just step it up at church. John MacArthur reminds us: “Our children … know firsthand if we are living up to what we are trying to teach them…. Discipling is more than teaching right principles; it is also living those principles before the ones being discipled” (cf. 1 Tim. 4:12). Christian parents MUST set a godly example for our kids and grandkids of how to live out our faith. If we teach with our words, but not with our lives, we should not be surprised if our kids and grandkids end up walking away from the church.

 

As Christians, every one of us needs to, in the words of theologian Preben Vang, “be in both camps at the same time.” You and I need to FIND good Christian role models to follow while BEING good Christian models for others to follow. One of the greatest joys in ministry is to see your spiritual children following Jesus every bit as well as you follow Him.

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church, meeting Sundays at 8:45 a.m. at 17746 George Blvd in Victorville. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

Are You Arrogant or Humble?

“What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?” – 1 Corinthians 4:7

Are you an arrogant Christian?

 

Of course, our kneejerk response is to say, “I’m not an arrogant Christian! I’m a humble Christian!” But not so fast. Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to reveal any trace of pride or arrogance that we’re still harboring in our hearts.

 

In 1 Corinthians 4:6, Paul writes: “Dear brothers and sisters, I have used Apollos and myself to illustrate what I’ve been saying. If you pay attention to what I have quoted from the Scriptures, you won’t be proud of one of your leaders at the expense of another.”

 

Pastor John MacArthur writes: “God’s faithful servants are to receive proper honor and respect…. But they are to be honored only within such bounds of Scripture. Godly respect turns into ungodly exaltation when we exceed what is written…. As is often the case, the leaders were exalted [by the Corinthians] for the followers’ own sakes, not for the leaders’ sakes.”

You see, when we boast and brag about how amazing our pastor is or how much better our church is than another Christian’s church, we aren’t just lifting our pastor or our church on a pedestal; we’re really lifting OURSELVES on a pedestal. At the root of church disunity and division is selfish pride and arrogance.

 

To find out which type of Christian you are, Paul asks three tough questions in verse 7:

 

Question #1: “For who regards you as superior or what sets you apart as special?” (Amplified Bible translation) Paul’s implied answer is, “No one! If you think you’re superior to other Christians, or if you think your pastor and your church are superior to every other Christian pastor and church, it’s just your pride-filled imagination.”

 

Question #2: “What do you have that you did not receive?” And Paul’s implied answer is … “Nothing! Everything you have, you have received. Everything you have is a gift from God.”

 

Question #3: “If you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” Everyone and everything in the Corinthians’ church was a gift from God. They didn’t EARN their church leaders. They didn’t DESERVE their salvation. It was all GOD’S doing, not their own. So, what was there for the Corinthian Christians to brag about? Nothing! 

 

So, what kind of Christian are you? If you have a tendency to lift up your pastor and/or church higher than God ever intended, you likely have more pride in your heart than you imagined. May each of us check our egos at the door and strive to be a humble servant whose only concern is to serve the Lord Jesus Christ faithfully.

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church, meeting Sundays at 8:45 a.m. at 17746 George Blvd in Victorville. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

Who’s Judging You?

“Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes.”
– 1 Corinthians 4:5

In the first three chapters of 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul addresses one of the biggest problems in the Corinthian Church: They were cliquey and judgy. Some of their pastors and leaders, they treated like royalty. Others, they pushed aside like last week's garbage. 

 

So, in 1 Corinthians 4, Paul tells the Corinthian Christians – and you and me today – the proper way for us to view our church leaders: “as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (v. 1).  In other words, church leaders are the lowest slaves … while at the same time being the most trusted stewards.

 

As a pastor – Jesus’ servant and a steward of God’s Word – Christ hasn’t called me to be popular. He hasn’t even called me to be successful. He’s simply called me to be FAITHFUL. And the same is true of God’s calling on YOUR life. On Judgment Day Jesus won’t say to us, “Well done, popular and successful servant.” If we are faithful to our calling, He will say, “Well done, good and FAITHFUL servant.”

 

In verses 4 and 5, Paul describes three different judgments that he was subjected to:

 

#1: The judgment of OTHERS. Paul makes it clear in verse 3 that it bothers him “very little” when he is judged by others. As one translation puts it, “I couldn’t care less if I’m judged by you or by any human court.” Paul wasn’t living for the praise of man. He was living for the praise of God. And he understood better than most that man’s evaluations of his life and ministry were flawed. So, when Paul was in the center of God’s will, and he KNEW he was in the center of God’s will, he ignored the judgments of others.

 

#2: The judgment of HIMSELF. Paul didn’t stop there. He even ignored his own judgment of himself for the same reason. He understood that his own evaluation of his life and ministry could be just as tainted and flawed as others’ evaluations. As a pastor I’ll admit that at times, I’m my own worst critic. But even I won’t get to chime in and criticize myself when I stand before God on Judgment Day. What a relief!

 

#3: The judgment of GOD. On Judgment Day, others’ opinions of your life and ministry will be irrelevant. Even your OWN opinions will be irrelevant. The only evaluation that will matter is the evaluation of Jesus. That’s why we must faithfully carry out our assigned duties as servants of Jesus. That way, when you’re criticized by others, you can stand with Paul and say with faith and joy: “It is the Lord who judges me.”

 

Like Paul, I have decided to leave the judging up to the Lord. He is my perfect Judge. And He’s your perfect Judge too.

 

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church, meeting Sundays at 8:45 a.m. at 17746 George Blvd in Victorville. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.