Walk the walk and talk the talk… FOR JESUS!

2 Corinthians 9:1-5

We all know that parents brag about their kids. This is a very well known practice in the Asian community. Our mothers and fathers just love to talk about how good their kids are in sports, academics, and their musical skill. “Oh by the way, did you hear that my son/daughter got into this prestigious college/university?” It is always something along those lines. So if you ever wonder why your parents push you to become better, then 90% of the time is because so they can brag about you. I’m just kidding. But after all that talk, you’re the one that has to back up all that they say.
So Paul brags about the Corinthian church in these few verses. The only real worry is that the Corinthian church does not live up to their expectation. Paul said that he told the Macedonians that the Corinthians had a passion for God. It’s also mentioned that they are going to be visiting the Corinthian church. Now I don’t know if this has happened to you before, but it has happened to me… multiple times. It always happens when I get really excited for something. Whether it is an event, a person, or anything like that. People say, “It’s going to be REALLY AMAZING!” or, “You’ll have the best time of your life! “ All this talk about how good it is going to be. But when the time comes and you go to this event or meet that person, you find out that it wasn’t how you expected it to be. It was all just empty talk. You are disappointed. Not only are you disappointed in the people that told you that it was going to be good, you are disappointed in yourself for believing them, and you are also disappointed in the event or person for not living up to their expectations.
I really believe that this is a challenge for the youth group and the entire Church. The challenge is for us to live out our faith, to love each other, and to have a passion for God. When people come to worship with us, they would not be disappointed in what they see. But rather, they would be blessed and encouraged in what they see. Also, let us do this not for the sake of doing it and looking good. Let’s do it FOR JESUS!

Let this be our calling, to “be the good news and the shalom of the city.”