All we need now is to leave these people in this untrained state, grow them up to adult size, and let them start having babies. Do that and you have yourself a Corinthian type church. Have you ever attended one of these? You, like me, have probably pastored one of these. I see them everywhere. Wouldn’t it be great (just kidding) if one of these Corinthian type churches became a church planting church? They could put together some of their best “disciples” and get two or three hundred new Corinthian type churches started. Ask Paul if this sounds like a good idea. He found just having one of these churches to be pretty time consuming.

Jesus presents a better answer to the problem of infant churches being run by infants. Rather than spending all our time going around putting out fires in these “worldly” churches, He started them with solid foundations in the leadership.

Jesus insisted that their salvation “pure hearts” move into sanctification “pure lives.” What would have happened to the Corinthian church if they hadn’t had Paul as a part of their leadership? He had a pure life that went along with the pure heart of salvation. The sanctification process had moved him into a pure heart that manifested itself in real life. The pure heart that Paul had was transported into his life and allowed him to “see God” now.

1 Cor 11:1 (NIV) FOLLOW my example, as I follow the example of Christ.  Phil 3:17 (NIV) Join with others in FOLLOWING my example, brothers, and take note of those who LIVE according to the pattern we gave you.

A pure life then makes it possible for you to minister in reality and truth into the lives of others. Without us living this example, we become false ministers.