In the Dooley household, the big news is that Shell is now an aunt. I'm not sure if that makes me his uncle in law, his uncle, or just the guy his aunt married, but whatever the title, what it really makes me is happy for Shell. She's been looking forward to this for a long time. Congrats Shell. You're going to be the best aunt ever.
That being said, I've used the time while shell is out fawning over the new addition to the family to catch up on some sleep (hahahaha), reading and housework. My reading list has been rather erratic for the last month or so. I've read books on leadership, people skills, religion, finance, humor and marriage. It's been a challenge keeping it all straight, but I've come to the conclusion that it really doesn't matter how you put it in there. As long as you get it in there, you'll figure it out somehow.
----
Today I was reading the one year bible. To be completely transparent, my heart was really only half in it. I had my day all planned out and I was itching to get started. I could hear errands and housework and todo lists calling my name. My mind was already half way to the book store when I got to 2 Corinthians 2.
Why I keep looking to new random authors to answer my questions, I have no idea. Every time I look to some hot new author to give me a 200 page explanation to my question, I have a day like today where it's all summed up in 2 pages. Everything I know about love and leadership I learned from Paul.
Let's set the stage. Paul has been running around the Middle East, preaching the word, getting arrested, planting churches, taking beatings, developing leaders, escaping execution, and at all times keeping a PMA. He's doing God's will, carrying the torch that Jesus passed to him. He's not perfect, but he's doing his best.
One day he hears about this new young church in Corinth. Emphasis on the words new and young. Corinth was kind of like an ancient New Orleans. Millions come to worship. Hundreds seek the cross. Never the less, he hears that this small group of people is trying to spread the word. They're trying to learn about this thing called Christianity. They're hungry to know about this man called Christ.
Lesson 1: Paul sees an opportunity to serve, so he goes. He doesn't ask for anything in return. Paul wants to be a blessing, so he takes what money and food he does have and goes to the people to serve them in whatever way he can.
When he gets there, he finds that the young church is having some growing pains. They are off the mark on quite a few areas: divisions in dogma, impropriety, gender confusion, marriage confusion, disorderly worship, borderline idolatry. It must have been quite a site for Paul. He comes expecting a vibrant young body of believers and he finds a gang of pagan converts shooting at nothing and hitting it every time.
Lesson 2: Paul sandwiches correction with praise and keeps the attention on Christ. Paul sees how far off the mark the church is, yet he still finds ways to praise the good before suggesting areas God would like to see them improve. Jesus does the same thing in Revelations when he's addressing the 7 churches. This is a very fine point. Paul isn't acting as a judge, he's positioning himself as a messenger; a servant; simply someone who accepts them either way, but whose obedience to God compells him to tell them these things.
Lesson 3: Paul offers God's solution for every area he criticizes. Rather than just correct them, Paul lays out God's will for their lives and lets them know the benefit of living God's way.
I've been praying for days for an answer to this very question and bam! There it is. It's a little leadership, but mostly it's just Paul loving on the church of Corinth. 2 Corinthians is where Paul shows some amazing leadership. Keep in mind, Paul has had a tough time since Jesus died. He's trying his best to keep all these churches afloat and in line with Jesus' teachings. He's poor, hungry, and constantly on the move. Every city he visits is on foot. Dr. Scholls and Berkenstocks weren't around just yet.
Now, it's time for Paul to return to Corinth and he gets word that nothing has changed. All that work. All that time. Speaking into their lives. Praying for them. Showing them the right way. All that work and they're no better off today that when he left them. What does Paul do?
Lesson 5: Paul knows his limits. He knows what his hot buttons are and rather than put himself in a situation where he could hurt the people he cares about, he shelves the visit for a few months and gives them time to digest his last visit.
Lesson 6: Paul gives the Corinthians room to grow. Paul gives them time to work through their own problems and succeed without him there to lean on.
Lesson 6: Paul is more concerned with developing leaders than developing a following. The easy thing to do would have been to go in there and lay down the hammer. Paul could have micromanaged the church. He could have come in and taken over and whipped everyone into shape himself, but that would not make the church any stronger. As soon as he left, the church would regress and all his work would be lost.
Rather than rushing in to fix things, Paul allows the church to struggle through it's problems without him. In doing so, he's forcing the leaders of the church to stand up and in doing so, become better able to overcome adversity in the future.
Lesson 7: Paul removes confusion. When Paul finally does arrive in Corinth, he removes any doubt or wonder as to why he didn't show up when he said he would be there originally. In doing so, he allows everyone to see his motives and know that it's not his will being done, but that of his Father in Heaven.
It's unbelievable what you can learn if you just read the right thing. I was going to dig through shelf after shelf of books trying to find answers to my question. "How do I help someone who's waay off the mark get back on target and still let them know I love them?" I was willing to spend a day or two to find a whole slew of answers. In one short chapter, Paul answers all my questions and more. I guess that's why they call it the Good Book.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment