14 Nov Be an Example
I was once a guest preacher in a church in the United States with a foreign-born pastor. I noticed that amazing growth had taken place in this pastor’s church—over five thousand people had joined the congregation in two years. This was very uncommon. I asked the pastor what the secret was to this rapid growth.
He stated simply, “I am not of an American culture.”
“Is that all?” I responded.
“Yes.”
He was from another country, but there are many foreign-born pastors in America whose churches have not seen such growth. I asked him to please explain himself.
He said he does not talk like an American. He is not shouldered with all the cultural weight of proper conversation, so he speaks his mind freely to all and trains his people to be like himself, which they are.
This pastor portrayed two powerful examples to his people: equal love for all and a passion to reach everybody with the Gospel.
This sounds like Jesus! He did not care whether He fit into the cultural restrictions of His day. He spoke the truth freely, and the truth set people free, so they followed Him gladly. The Apostle Paul exhorts us, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1 NIV).