Is Anybody Following You?

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 1 Corinthians 11:1 "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ."
When you sense someone is following you, it can get a little unnerving, especially in today's society.  But it might be even more intimidating to think someone is following you to see an example of Christ.  Paul has spent 10 chapters addressing the concerns of the Corinthian Christians.  They are living in a culture of sexual immorality, idolatry, and following personalities rather than Jesus.   What they need is a leader they can follow who represents Christ well in what they teach and how they live.   

 Some might think Paul is being prideful here.  Is he comparing himself to Jesus?  Is he asking people to follow him in the same way people follow Jesus?  Shouldn't we only be pointing people to Jesus not ourselves?  

 Paul said something similar to Timothy, his disciple in 1 Timothy 4:12. 

 "Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity."

 We know that none of us is a perfect example of Jesus, but are we AN example.  Does our life look anything like Jesus' life?  Are we an example of a Christian?  If someone followed you for a week would there be enough evidence to convict of you of being a follower of Christ?  Are we kind like Jesus? Are we gracious like Jesus?  Do we serve God sacrificially like Jesus?  Do we surrender our will to the Father like Jesus did? Do we live in the power of God's kingdom like Jesus?  Notice I didn't say "sinless" like Jesus.   

We can talk or pontificate about what it means to be a Christian, but are we "followable"?  Another good question would be do we have someone in our lives worthy of following.  Meaning are there other brothers and sisters in Christ who reflect this type of quality Paul is talking about here.  The one thing we can say is we need more people like Paul who follow Jesus and invite others to follow Jesus along with them.  Follow me because I am Jesus?  No.  Follow me as we follow Jesus together through our ups and downs, highs and lows, our good days and bad days relying on His grace each day.  Yes.   

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