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Jun 20, 2025 06:00am

Are We Imitating Christ?

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I’ve seen some really cute pictures recently of kids “dressing like their favorite teacher” day at school. It’s too funny what they pick up on as they decide how to imitate them. Whether it’s their glasses, style of clothes, accessories, the way they talk, walk, or act, some of these kids have it nailed down!

I guess the question is, would we be ashamed if someone decided to imitate us? What type of example are we being for them?

1 Corinthians 4:14-17 NLT
“14 I am not writing these things to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children. 15 For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. 16 So I urge you to imitate me. 17 That’s why I have sent Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of how I follow Christ Jesus, just as I teach in all the churches wherever I go.”

Paul has been addressing several issues in his letter to the church in Corinth. One issue was that the church had become divided into cliques, so to speak, based on their favorite leader. They became puffed up and believed they were better because their leader was “better.” But truthfully, their pride and conduct were being influenced by outside influencers, not the leaders of the church. They were learning, sure, but not in the way they should.

Paul urged them to remember where the church had started. He had brought the gospel to them. The truth. He encouraged them to go back to the beginning and look to the true focus and purpose of the church. He provided an example for them to follow: himself. He said, “imitate me as I imitate Christ.”

It’s good that we share the truth of the gospel. It’s great that we post scripture, say I’ll pray for you, and attend church. But do our lives reflect Christ? Are we a good living example for others to follow?

We have the incredible Word of God at our fingertips. In no other time in history have we had such access to understanding the truth like we do today. And to share it. We are influencers, all of us, but how are we influencing? And what or who are we leading them to?

Want to know more about what it means to be a truly devoted follower of Christ? Are you interested in being discipled? Go to follow.lifeword.org to begin. With just a few short videos, you’ll be introduced to who Jesus is, what it means to follow Him, and how to join Him on His mission. You’ll have an opportunity to find a local church to get connected to so you can continue being discipled. If there’s not a local church in your area, or if you want to continue learning online, we offer a way for you to learn more about Jesus. Through 10 videos, you’ll discover the basic foundations of faith and discipleship. FOLLOW will take you through interactive lessons to help you explore more about salvation, baptism, Bible study, prayer, and the importance of service in the local church. If you’re interested in taking that next step in following Christ, this is a great tool! Go to follow.lifeword.org or in Spanish at follow.lifeword.org/spanish.