Twenty years ago I was driving with a friend when he asked me a Bible trivia question that shook my theological paradigms: “What does Paul explicitly say that he teaches ‘everywhere in every church’?” I didn’t know the answer. I knew that “first importance” topics certainly would have been taught by Paul “everywhere in every church”: Jesus’ death for sinners according to the Scriptures, his resurrection from the dead, and his status as Davidic king (1 Cor. 15:3–4; 2 Tim. 2:8; Rom. 1:3–4). On the basis of 1 Corinthians 2:2, I thought that “the cross of Christ” might be the answer.
But none of these answers were correct.
“IMITATE ME AS I IMITATE CHRIST”
Instead, we find the answer in 1 Corinthians 4:8–17. In that passage Paul reminds the Corinthians that he teaches his “ways in Christ . . . everywhere in every church.” This passage carries enormous import for our preaching, teaching, and pastoring. It reflects Paul’s consistent pattern of holding out his own dramatic résumé as a model for others (2 Cor. 4:7–10; 11:21–12:10). “Imitate me as I imitate Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1) is the mic-drop moment in the lengthy idol meat discussion (1 Cor. 8:1–11:1). This call
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