“We want to work together with you so you will be full of joy, for it is by your own faith that you stand firm.” 2 Corinthians 1:24
It’s so fun to see the joy on a parent’s face when their child takes their first steps. Recently, I watched my cousin’s face light up as his son took his first steps. He held his son by the hands to assist him and then let go as his little boy gleefully took his first steps on his own. Dad and mom watched and cheered with joy. It was never their intention to say, “look how great we are at assisting our son in walking”. Their goal was to see their son walk on his own. They found their joy in helping him stand on his own two feet.
The Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1:24, “We want to work together with you so you will be full of joy, for it is by your own faith that you stand firm.” Paul did not want to dominate or control the faith of another. He didn’t want a cult following nor did he need to be needed. His goal was to walk lovingly alongside others and help them stand on their own two feet in the faith. This was the selfless joy and vision of Paul’s ministry. For Paul, it wasn’t about Paul. He never wanted others to look at him and say, “Look at Paul helping all those baby Christians walk! What an amazing apostle He is!” Rather, his goal and joy was to see the day when Christians were walking out their own mature faith in Christ.
As Christians, our goal is never to attract others to ourselves, but to loving shepherd others to Jesus Christ. I’ve seen many put their faith in a person, a summer camp, a Christian school, a worship conference, etc. only to see their faith end as soon as the event. While such events can assist faith in Christ, they are not faith in Christ Himself. It is cute watching a little baby learn to walk while holding a hand of a parent. It wouldn’t be as cute if these stumbling first steps were still happening into the teenage years. As we walk with God, He will encourage us to press on toward maturity in Him.
Ultimately, we stand firm by our own faith in Jesus Christ. We each must take personal responsibility for our faith in Christ. As the saying goes, “God has children but has no grandchildren”. The saying means that God has a personal relationship with all of his followers and adopts each into His family as His own children. Jesus’ followers have their own personal faith in Christ, not the faith of a parent, grandparent, mentor, leader, etc. Of course, we should love others and help one another along in the faith, but do so selflessly like Paul did. Do so with the joy of seeing another take new steps of faith in Jesus and cheer them on when they do. Cheer them on with joy as you watch them blossom in maturity and stand on their own two feet.