ADMONISH

Imitation

Paul encouraged the Corinthians to imitate him as he imitated Christ

1 Corinthians 11:1 LSB

Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.

Jesus is the one who we as Christian)s should desire to imitate. This is because He is the radiance of the Father’s glory and the exact representation of the Father’s nature (Heb 1:3)

Admonishment

At the commencement of his ministry Jesus came into Galilee preaching the Gospel and saying

Mark 1:15 (LSB)

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

In doing so Jesus was demonstrating how to engage in a important ministry that of admonishing others. The Greek word for admonish is transliterated noutheteō to put in mind. As John Macarthur explains “It presupposes that something is wrong and its intention is to correct, to make right. Its purpose is to bring about a change—in belief, attitude, habit, life-style, or in whatever way is needed. In fact, it is a warning to change or incur judgment.” (John F. MacArthur Jr., 1 Corinthians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1984), 114.) Jesus knew that the time had arrived for Him to commence His ministry, He knew why He had come to usher in the Kingdom of God and he put into the Galileans the thought that they needed to repent, that is change not only their minds but their attitudes, beliefs and way of life and start believing the Gospel that the promised Messiah had come, in doing so Jesus was challenging not only their worldview but their very sense of identity.

In fact this was not the only instance where Jesus challenged people’s sense of identity. worldview and way of living to the core, In John 3:3 Jesus says to Nicodemus,

John 3:3 (LSB)

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

To the women at the well Jesus said

John 4:23 LSB

“But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.

In each instance Jesus was calling those who he was addressing to a radical adjustment in their thinking and subsequent way of living.

Paul’s Example

In his farewell address to the Ephesian Elders at Miletus Paul reminded them

Acts 20:31 LSB

“Therefore be watchful, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.

Earlier on the same occasion Paul had pointed out that his habit amongst them had been to

Acts 20:20–21 (LSB)

not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house,

solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

In writing to the Colossians Paul described the motive for his ministry in these terms

Colossians 1:28 LSB

Him we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.

Paul Instructed The Followers of Christ to Admonish One Another

To the Romans Paul said

Romans 15:14 LSB

But I myself am also convinced about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, having been filled with all knowledge and being able also to admonish one another.

Paul was confident that those who made up the church in Rome were full of goodness as well as knowledge so that they were able to admonish one another.

What would Paul say to those who form the assembly at Saint Davids Community Church?

Paul would encourage us to learn to admonish one another as together we preach the gospel as we seek to teach one another to apply the truths of scripture in our lives together, remembering that such ministry is to carried out in a gentle, loving manner with the intent of building one another up so that we might become ever more Christ like as we learn to imitate the one who gave Himself in love.

Paul’s final instruction to his protege Timothy summed up how we are to admonish one another when he urged Timothy to

2 Timothy 4:2 LSB

preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and teaching.