1 Corinthians 11

This chapter contains some of the source code for modern church discrimination against women (which I obviously think is cultural to the early church and a description of the customs they kept, not some kind of mandate from God that women are to be kept secondary in general to men). It also contains instruction about keeping the "Lord's Supper" holy instead of using it as food or to get drunk (which obviously isn't an issue much today due to the insanely tiny cups we use and bread like the bottom of a flat ice cream cone, plus we as a society aren't exactly hurting for sustenance). So that knocks out all of this chapter except the first verse. And that's the one that I can't get off my mind.

First of all, I think that verse belongs better at the end of chapter 10 rather than here at the beginning of chapter 11. It's all a warning against idolatry. It uses a list of stories from the Old Testament about the awful things that happened when people turned their hearts toward idols. And it has an interesting phrase in verse 11. It says that those things were given as examples to us of how not to live. Then Paul wraps everything up describing how we should live and offers himself as an example at the beginning of the chapter 11. Examples. That's what I think God has called us to live as. But recently, in my circles, I've seen a different goal emerge.

Leadership. Leadership, leadership, leadership. It seems like it's all anyone ever talks about. And it's certainly the holy grail of personal traits in my world at work. I was told recently that I was not a leader because no one was following me. And that's when it hit me. I don't even want to be a leader in that sense. I don't think it's what I, or maybe most of us, are really called to.

The Great Commission calls us to go and make disciples of all nations. Our mission statement at out church mirrors that with the terminology. "Leading people to become fully devoted followers of Christ." I don't have any beef with that statement. I am passionately for it. But I think that our version poses a semantics problem for some people. The words leader and followers kind of cloud things when American culture is superimposed on it.

Everyone wants to be out in front. Trailblazers. That pioneer spirit that somehow flows in American blood at different levels. So, when we look at the two words leader and follower, we pick leader. But the fact is, we are all followers. We are sheep. His sheep. Jesus is the leader. The only one. And our mission to to get other people to follow Him, not follow us. As a matter of fact, if I had to boil down either the Great Commission or our church mission into one word, it wouldn't be leadership it would be discipleship.

Now I'm not negating that certain people were called leaders in the Bible. There were generals, judges, patriarchs, priests, kings, governors, apostles, elders, deacons, etc. But to a great degree, those people were in political, justice, religious observance, civil, and managerial kinds of areas. Spiritually, the one guy aside from Jesus that we would be most likely to follow is Paul. And here, he is offering to be our example in following Christ, not our leader that we should follow him.

It's such a fine line. But based on it's proximity to chapter 10's idolatry rant, I have to be leery of our tendency to make leaders into idols. Think of the cheers of the people for Saul and David. Or God's heartbreak at even giving his people a king at all. Or Paul's scolding at people following him or Apollo's rather than straight-up Christ.

So there, I've said it. I wonder what other's reactions will be. I've talked briefly to two friends and my husband about it. But I wonder if others are feeling the same way. Maybe it's not an issue at all in your circles. Maybe it's just my tiny sphere. But I'm done. I don't want to be about leadership. I want to be about discipleship. I want to be an example of one following Christ. And I want people who notice to be inspired to follow Him with me, not follow me.