Real Hope: Paul the ApostleSmakprov

Nurturing Growth in the Early Church

That’s a bit odd isn’t it? A devotional on Paul’s nurturing of the early church matched to a verse likely penned by Solomon in the Old Testament. Aside from Paul regularly quoting authors from the only scriptures available to the church at that time, Paul’s messages to the fledgling Christian church featured a powerful mix of encouragement, exhortation and, when necessary, correction. The ‘correction’ conversation can be hard though. Paul’s corrections were always fixed on maintaining the purity of the Gospel message. In his letter to the Galatians (1:11,12) Paul warns the fledgling church that the Gospel is not based on human reasoning, but is a direct revelation of Christ. In other words, don’t make it up. Look up. Paul bluntly declares that he doesn’t care what people think of him, so long as they have a clear understanding of the power of the Gospel.

It’s a mistake, however, to confuse Paul’s conviction with arrogance. In Romans 7:15, Paul declares that, while his faith in God is unassailable, he is constantly failing at life. In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul reminds us that he doesn’t view his life as not requiring correction or sacrifice for the Gospel.

Finally, Paul passionately reminds the church that any correction should build our interdependence on each other for the betterment of God’s work. In his letter to the Corinthian church, Paul implores the community to be unified in Christ, building one another up in order to do God’s work in their world (1 Corinthians 1:10–13). So, when a tough conversation comes your way, bring truth with courage and humility, and fix your gaze on advancing God’s work in your world.

Written by DWAYNE JEFFRIES