A Life Worth Following
1 Cor 11:1 NIV Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ
MEV Follow me as I follow Christ.
Three key issues here:
First, the quality of Paul’s life, the worthiness to be followed.
Second, there is an invitation. “Follow me”
Third, it is Christ we are following and inviting others to follow. Jesus first
The first one, Follow Me: Your life must be worth following, Paul’s life certainly was.
• 1 Thes 2:6-12 He was not looking for praise of glory, there was a humility.
o It says He treated them as gentle as a mother and encouraging life a Father
• 2 Cor 11:23 Here we see all the hardships Paul had faced.
o Any one of these hardships and most people are done.
• He did not become focused on his own struggles and hardship.
• Eph 6:19-20 He is in prison, bound by chains, and yet his prayer requests is that he will still fearlessly preach the Gospel. What got him in prison? Preaching the Gospel!!
• It would have been easy enough to become more concerned with his own situation and need for freedom.
• 2 Cor 12:7-10 He delights in in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties
o Paul delights in them because in them he sees the power of Christ.
Second, there is an invitation
• Now the “imitate me” or “follow me” in the English sounds like a verb.
o But in the Greek, it’s a noun. “an imitation.” “Become an imitation of me”
o The verb “to become” is a command.
• Today we have such an eversion to this kind of thinking. Seems selfish or self-centered.
Third, it is Christ we are following and inviting others to follow.
• In order to have a life worth following, we must first be following Christ.
o In fact, don’t follow any one if they are not following Christ.
• This is also the antidote to the notion that this is self-serving.
So what do we need to do? Reverse the order
First, follow Christ with everything we have. It must start here. This is contagious.
• Jesus first, and not religious stuff. But real first love stuff.
Second, life a life with following
• No one is going to hand you followers. You must earn the privilege to be followed.
Third, invite someone to follow you.
• Be deliberate about this.
• Be selective with you follow. Keep expectations real and open.
