I Corinthians 4:16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me.
Some years ago, the high school band director approached me with an idea that he thought would help both our bands. He would select students from his group and they would come to my school once a week and give private lessons to my junior high kids. It was a good plan. The older kids and the younger ones benefited from the arrangement.
Paul wrote this letter to a church in the Greek city of Corinth. It was a church with a lot of issues, but also a lot of potential. They had begun a relationship with the Lord, but needed to work on a number of things. Paul had an idea: “Just imitate me. Do it the way I do.”
We live in a culture that seems to want to be ‘post-authority’ or ‘post-expert’. Many bristle at the idea that someone else would dare to try to help them with anything. So when we read Paul’s comment, we might feel a little funny about it. But he wasn’t so worried about that. They needed help and he was in a position to help them. If they would learn from his example, they would be much better off.
Whenever we read the Scripture, we should try to understand what it means. But after we have determined what it means, we can also apply it to our lives - we can see what it might mean to us. What if you knew someone who was a new Christian or just struggling in some way. Would you feel comfortable suggesting that they imitate your Christian walk? I think many of us immediately recoil a bit at the thought. But should we? (If something jumps to the front of our mind at the thought of someone imitating our walk with the Lord - something we have a concern about - let’s work on that.)
Having a mentor is a good thing. But being a mentor is a good thing also. In the church we talk of disciples - learners. I heard a General Superintendent in our denomination once ask the question, “Who are you discipling? Who is discipling you?” It’s a good question. If I am actively discipling someone, I’m likely to also be taking more care to make sure I am walking closely to the Lord. It’s a win-win!
Just bumbling along in a slipshod way was never Paul’s intent, let alone Jesus’! It’s not a Christian or Biblical idea that ‘any old way of doing things is fine.’ “You do you” makes for a catchy meme, but it’s not in the Bible. We really do need each other! Who are you discipling? Who is discipling you? Everyone will benefit from this sort of arrangement.
Blessings,
Pastor Russ
