1 Corinthians 4:14<\/p>\n
I do not write these things\u00a0to make you ashamed, but to admonish you\u00a0as my beloved children.<\/em><\/p>\n There is a lot behind this short verse. For one, it shows Paul affection for this church. Even though he was having a difficult time with them and some of them were criticizing him, he approaches this whole situation with love. He could have shamed them for their behavior, which is essentially what he does in the earlier paragraph, but he wants them to recognize their spiritual needs and make the necessary changes themselves. It is always better to speak in love when admonishing and correcting someone. There may come a point, as ch. 5 will show, where we may have to get tougher in our corrections. But we must never forget that our motive must be correction in love. Paul had a special bond with this church. He had invested a year and a half of his life evangelizing and discipling new believers. He carried the load of concern for this church. This church had the potential to change all of Greece and spread its influence throughout the Mediterranean region because of its strategic location. But this influence for God’s kingdom would be hampered if the church would not change its direction and grow more in the mind of Christ. If people\u00a0where to look at our lives and be able to look deep into our hearts, would we be ashamed of what they see? Or, would they only see the shadows of the cross?<\/p>\n