Be Immitators

We often hear the passage where Paul tells the Corinthians to imitate him as he imitates Christ, but often we forget the context. In 1 Corinthians 4 Paul gives this list of the way he responds to things:

To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, ¹²and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; ¹³when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.

While reading this I felt bad about some of these that I struggle with, but he then goes on to say:

¹⁴I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.

He doesn't write it to condemn the Corinthians, but rather to exemplify Christ-like living.

Who do you know living like this that you could learn to imitate?

Are you living in a way that those who would imitate you would be imitating Christ?

The -ism's That Plague the American Church

Each of these has significant impact on the way church is done in America.

narcissism
nihilism
materialism
capitalism?
consumerism
hedonism
activism

Think about how these affect your view of church and the way in which you approach church ministry. How should the church respond to these views that are ingrained within our society?

Can you think of any others?