Who Do You Imitate?

Hey everyone,
so it's 12:21 AM and i have church in a couple of hours, so i'm gonna keep this short. But i was just reading my devotions and i found something interesting i thought i'd like to share.
Okay, so you know all those books about like "100 keys to success" and "how to spend your money" and just blah blah blah about handling your money, and how to become successful and what not? Well, that makes sense right? Nobody wants to be in debt. Everyone wants to be rich, or at least in good standing or what not. And at bare minimum you want to be respected...even if you are poor. I mean...as a Christian we need to be respected by the world, right? Otherwise they won't wanna be Christians?
Well, please turn your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 4:8-16. But just in case you don't have a Bible nearby here's what it says....

^"8 You are already full! You are already rich! You have reigned as kings without us—and indeed I could wish you did reign, that we also might reign with you! ⁹ For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. ¹⁰ We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! Weare weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! ¹¹ To the present hour we both hunger and thirst, and we are poorly clothed, and beaten, and homeless. ¹² And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; ¹³ being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.¹⁴ I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you. ¹⁵ For though you might have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. ¹⁶ Therefore I urge you, imitate me."


 Wait a second!!! Paul has just gone on rambling about how the people of Corinth are rich (like kings), strong, and distinguished, and how he himself is dishonored, weak, poor, persecuted, defamed, and FILTHY! And Paul has the nerve to tell the people of Corinth to follow HIM?
Let me ask you a question? If you are witnessing to someone? Do you usually begin like this...?
"Hey, can I tell you about being a Christian? You will be poor, defamed, weak, and persecuted! So what do you say? Wanna pray and get started?"


I laugh when I think about the people who say Christianity is a crutch. If Christianity is a crutch, it's a crutch that keeps hitting you in the head until you are bleeding to death. No friends. Christianity was not meant to "help you" in this world. It's gonna hurt. You are going to lose friends. You are going to cry. You are going to hurt. Feel weak. Become disowned. Defamed. Is this for everyone? I used to think no, but I'm not so sure anymore. In the last verse Paul "urges" the people of Corinth to "imitate" him. 


I'm not really saying anything here. Not saying being rich, popular, or powerful is wrong. Pretty much just thinking out loud here. But who are you imitating?