I’ve recently been challenged with Paul’s bold and dangerous statement in 1 Corinthians 11:1“And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ” - if we backup just a bit into chapter 10:33 , “I too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved”.
Sounds a lot like Mark 10:45, where Jesus states “The Son of Man did not come to be serve, but to serve”. I am additionally challenged by Heb 1:3 that remind us that Christ is the perfect reflection of the Father. The very nature of God is to serve and do what is best for others.
Firstly, I’m not sure that I feel as bold as Paul to be able to say to others “you should imitate me…” Yet, that’s not what Paul is saying, he IS saying only imitate me as I imitate Christ. The focus is not Paul, but Christ.
Many may not consciously state “do as I say, not as I do…” however; we tend to behave in that manner. We hold or expect something different than what he in fact hold ourselves too. The problem is I think that really I expect people to behave better than I am will to do myself.
Paul says “I try to please everyone in everything I do; I don’t just do what is best for me”. But we need to dig a little deeper into his motivation – “I do what is best for others, so that they may be saved.”
What I need to understand is that the Kingdom of God isn’t ‘over there’ or ‘just for Sunday’ – the Kingdom of God overarches our entire being – the physical, spiritual, emotionally, the mental. When we come to work – we don’t leave the Kingdom of God behind, it’s here – we’re in it. We’ve talked about this before, and we know this. For the Christian, they are in and are representatives of the Kingdom of God where ever they may be. The only thing that makes Christian Horizons different than any other work place is that we have the rare opportunity to be working alongside Kingdom minded people.
Living in this Kingdom mind set ticks me off sometimes. My wife does a much better job – I was reminded of this recently while at a restaurant. I have an expectation that when I go to a restaurant, I will be treated and served well – and I tip accordingly. If the service is lousy, it definitely affects the tip I leave. It affects the tip my wife leaves as well, but in the opposite direction. This drives me crazy. I know that when we have received lousy service, its’ going to cost me – because, she will tip more rather than less. Her belief is, in spite of bad service, her witness of goodness and grace to another is more important and vital than ever.
I however have pointed out the incongruently of her argument, because when I do less around the house, I don’t get reward more.
All that aside, I am deeply challenge by how I bring the imitation of Christ into existence in all aspects of my life that doesn’t’ depend on the actions or expected reward of another, but solely on the desire to be a living witness of gospel. I certainly believe that is essential when living before people that don’t know Christ. But, we are to do so no less for those that do know him.
Back to my restaurant rant, I don’t know if this is true or not, but I have heard people from the service industry say, that Christians groups can be some of the worst groups to serve because of their attitudes and expectations, and they can the worst tippers.
My point is not to advocate for better tipping – What I am convicted by is the experience others have me and whether they could conclude “I am seeking to imitate Christ” and whether I make things easier – or more difficult for them.
I certainly don’t think Paul’s promoting a spineless, wish washy approach. In fact we can point else in Paul’s writings where he is anything but a dish rag. What he is saying how we interact with one another matters – how we honour, respect – how we follow authority. Every action I undertake either represents the kingdom well – or it does so poorly. I hear in this passage, that I have to take responsibility for my actions, opinion and attitudes – for how I respond – and the frustrating thing for me is, that how I am to respond in my imitation of Christ, has little if nothing to do with the actions, behaviours and decisions of another.
Psalm 1 comes to mind.
The psalmist identifies three specific actions here, walking, standing, sitting. I think it is a conscious progression, one that I have seen in myself too often. I can easily get caught up in the ‘walking of grumbling and complaining – I react, I pull another in, we walk along together initially in the problem, if I don’t get a handle on it, it isn’t just a chance meeting of other walkers, I’m standing, I’m looking to draw people, to drag them into my compliant – by standing I’m becoming an obstacle that others might bump into an now I’m trying to get others to stand with me. If I don’t stop standing, I sit. Not only am I obstacle, now I become a stumbling block for others to trip over. I become entrenched and get others to entrench – to dig in with me.
When this happens I’m a long way from Paul’s call to imitate, to do what is best for others so that they might be saved – or having them experience the Kingdom of God through me.
I would contend that Paul’s idea of ‘saved’ is broader than simply ‘converted’ – certainly that is part of Paul’s hope and agenda, but I believe he has the idea of ‘redeemed’ more in mind – redeemed to be Kingdom livers.
I think Paul would be urging us to wrestle with how can Live, work, be with one another that brings God’s Kingdom into reality – that when we encounter each other, we’re bringing the Kingdom into a fuller existence in this place, in one another’s lives.
As a group of Kingdom people gathering in this place, we return to our Psalm passage, it is necessary and appropriate for us together to mediate on His law – day and night. But that mediation translates into a changed life – one that more fully reflects Christ and the Kingdom of God.
It is the delight of God I think to see us as his people imitate his Son with one so that we become a tree firmly planted by streams of water – his sustaining and life giving power. A gathering which yields nourishing fruit to one another here, and outward to those whom we will be in contact with.
I guess this can sound kinda corny – and ‘feel goody’ or pietistic but I think it really depends on how we understand the Kingdom to God. Is it something we move in and out of – or is it the very existence of our collective beings.
Anyway, I was just thinking,
Neil
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