The Paradox Church
That's Not You
In week five of our 1 Corinthians series, Pastor Jim Essian teaches from 1 Corinthians 4:14-21 on toxic shame and spiritual fathers. Guilt says I was wrong. Shame goes a level deeper and says you are wrong — it assaults your identity. But there's a good shame too, the kind that says that's not you, and a toxic shame that insists that is exactly who you are. Shame makes you compare yourself to everyone around you. It makes you hide, the way Adam hid in the garden. And strangely, it makes you boast — because arrogance is just a fig leaf over how a person really feels about themselves. Paul's answer isn't more information. You have ten thousand guides, he tells them, and almost no fathers. What you need is someone who will walk with you, know your story and your shame, and show you the way. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 4:14-21 Preached by Jim Essian in Fort Worth, TX — We saturate Fort Worth and beyond with the glory and grace of Jesus — by praying heaven down, preaching the gospel, planting churches, and pushing back darkness.
