Towards the close of 2 Corinthians Paul, talking about his upcoming visit to the church, confesses that he is afraid: afraid that he will not find the church as he wants to find it, afraid that they will have been led astray from a sincere devotion to Christ, afraid that if he is forced to confront such issues that there would be quarrelling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.
And yet he was going anyway, because his love for the church was greater than his fear of the church. How do you cultivate such a love for the church? We can observe some of the components in this final chapter, to cultivate a truly Christ-like love for the church we must, like Paul,
- Appreciate that good leadership challenges sin
- Realise that the best way to avoid being judged is to examine yourself
- Admit that unrepentant sin must eventually be judged
- Remember that the sins of the few should humiliate the many