Thursday, July 23, 2026

1 Corinthians 4:14-20 

Paul’s Appeal and Warning 

14 I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children. 15 Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me. 17 For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church. 

18 Some of you have become arrogant, as if I were not coming to you. 19 But I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. 20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.  

My younger son, Forest, loves to play baseball, basketball, and any other ball-related sport. As each new season comes around the families of the interested kids do a familiar routine of “not it” when it comes to coaching.  

It is hard to find coaches!  

In a similar way, in the first century it was hard to find spiritual fathers to lead new Christian communities. The Apostle Paul was criss-crossing the region doing his best to start communities and train up fathers, but the task was truly immense.  

Timothy was one of those people Paul entrusted with this work of supporting the church in Corinth. Unfortunately, like a lot of parents who don’t get the coach they want for their kids’ team, the people in Corinthians also rebelled against the leadership of Timothy, prompting the warning from Paul in this passage.  

Leaving the gigantic pastoral shortage aside, there is an even greater shortage of spiritual fathers and mothers in our communities that we must contend with today. Part of the freedom of a Christian is that we don’t have to worry about saving ourselves, we can focus on our neighbors. Those neighbors include actual neighbors, but also our children, spouses, extended families, co-workers, and more.  

The same Spirit that empowered Paul is the Spirit that lives in us today, so we have all that we need. As you think about your relationships, where do you feel called to step into spiritual leadership?  

– Pr. Jason 

God, thank you for filling me with your Holy Spirit which empowers me to do more than I can even imagine. Amen.