“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” – 1 Corinthians 16:13-14
What incredible final advice as Paul concludes his letter to the troubled, yet promising churches of Corinth! Yes, they had serious problems caused by bringing the culture of the day into their churches rather than maturing believers to live like Jesus. Yes, they had struggles, squabbles, and injustices based on social divisions and spiritual gifts that demonstrated they still hadn’t fully realized all the wondrous aspects of the Gospel. Nonetheless, they still had the Gospel and the Holy Spirit living within them, so they had everything they needed to reform their churches – and so do we!
There was no problem in the church then (or today) that couldn’t be handled by this advice:
– Be watchful. Be alert to the error of bringing the assumptions and values of the prevailing non-Christian culture into Christ’s bride. Don’t let it happen! Be on guard against compromising the Word of God to suit the social mores.
– Stand firm in the faith. Following Jesus is hard and unpopular. It was then, it is today. Don’t bend the faith to minimize opposition. Stand firm in the faith. Proclaim Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and the only way to be reconciled with God in Heaven!
– Act like men. Grow up! Grow to Christ-like maturity. Don’t whine, complain, or fuss like a bunch of babies. Don’t act like children comparing whose spiritual gifts or talents are better. Don’t choose teams within the faith based on Christian celebrities. Act like Jesus!
– Be strong. Taking up your cross daily, denying yourself, and following Jesus requires strength that only Christ can provide. So nurture your spiritual life to tap into the strength God has given you in Him. Then take up your cross daily, deny yourself, and follow Jesus!
– Do everything in love. Seriously. Do everything in love. If you’re doing all the other stuff but it isn’t done in love, you aren’t actually following Jesus. In fact, you’re almost certainly undermining the Kingdom of God. Love!