Leaders of the Bible: Paul
Paul’s life is well documented in the Bible. Some of our copies of scripture have maps of his missionary journeys, we catch deep glimpses of his heart for others throughout the epistles, and we even have the book of Acts to tell of the majority of His life from before he is following Jesus up until his eventual martyrdom. His contribution to Christianity is felt, at the very least, every Sunday when we preach from the two-thirds of the New Testament he wrote. He has not gained the status he amasses today in the same way we would see others do, though. Paul was a boots-on-ground, get-in-the-trenches kind of guy. We know this from the example he set, especially observing how he calls the Corinthian church to life in Christ. Consequently, this is where we start to understand leadership and personal discipleship with a Biblically rich perspective.
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks, or the church of God - even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.
Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” - 1 Corinthians 10:31 - 11:1
Thus concludes a lengthy deep dive into the topic of what food to eat as a Christian, and a transition into more church functionality disputes. In all of these deeply relevant, generationally challenging, and glorifying truths Paul communicates, we can not say he is some far-off detached writer, posing a critique as one heralding from the outside. No, instead Paul has his own example amongst them to draw from, or relational capital welled up from the times he spent with them. One of the most easily overlooked yet critically important aspects of the way Jesus lived His life was how He did it with others. He knew His disciples of course, but they also knew Him…
When difficult topics come up, we, as the leaders and deacons of the church, are responsible for going forth and initiating said conversations with the younger believers. My question to you: is there a relationship to draw on, so our brothers and sisters might think “I know more of this person than just the hard truths they are telling me right now”? For some of us, we might sparsely think of our people as more than just ‘my disciple I’m grow grouping’ or someone we only ever see at Huddle and church on Sunday. There may be a variety of personal reasons we put people in a box like this requiring deep sanctification. Generally speaking though, this is an incredibly vulnerable and intimate practice to live into for most. Throughout the book of Acts, visible mourning marks the moments when the disciples say goodbye to one another and part ways for the sake of Christ. Tim Mackey of the Bible Project fascinatingly points out how Paul references one of his letters to the church in Corinth as ‘the letter of tears’. More specifically Paul says, “For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you” (2 Corinthians 2:4). And this is Paul’s problem-child church, right?
So I ask you leaders, disciple-makers, and those seeking to take responsibility for the spiritual growth of others, are we embracing the call to life on life and deeply transparent relationships with our disciples? So much so that when the brutally hard conversations surface, we approach it with truth at hand and not a mind of ‘a project to work on’, but a heart of sincere love and affection. Or is Grow Group just a thing we do on Thursdays?
Mediate on the goodness of Christ’s nearness. That Jesus is our example to look to because He came to spend time with us here in His own creation. Jesus is our friend and savior. The king of kings and the one we have been undeservedly favored to spend intimate time with. This is good news!
Father, let our example as leaders be that of sincere love for you. Would we lean into this sanctification process, the authorship of your hand, Jesus. So much so that as our disciples see our lives closer and closer, they would see your gracious and loving nature towards people in desperate need of you. Thank you Lord, Amen.
