The matter of imitating Christ or imitating those who follow Christ has been much spoiled throughout history, so much that many people don’t even recommend that anyone imitates a man – just follow Christ!
But Paul gave himself as a pattern to the believers – he was a pattern of living Christ for His magnification by the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ for the Body of Christ (see 1 Tim. 1:16; Phil. 1:19-21).
He charged us to be imitators of him as he was an imitator of Christ (1 Cor. 11:1). Peter also said that Christ left Himself as a model so that we may follow in His steps to become His reproduction (1 Pet. 2:21).
Imitators of Paul and of the Lord
On the one hand, in the Christian life nothing should be outward – we shouldn’t outwardly copy and imitate what other more spiritual saints do and speak. On the other hand, we should learn to follow the pattern of Paul and the saints who live and magnify Christ for the Body of Christ.
Paul presented his own living of Christ and his own pattern to the Thessalonian believers in 1 Thes. 2, and in 3:9 he said, “…. in order that we might give ourselves to you as a pattern that you imitate us.” In 1 Thes. 1:6 Paul also said, “You became imitators of us and of the Lord.” Paul lived Christ and magnified Christ, and his living among the saints became a pattern.
In the human life we grow by imitating – we imitate our parents in their language, their way of speaking, their way of living, their gestures, their attitude, and even their character. We learn the accent of the language our parents speak – by imitating. In many ways, we grow by imitating and – to some extent – we become what our parents are.
In the spiritual life is the same – Paul said that we should be imitators of him as he was an imitator of Christ (1 Cor. 11:1; 4:16; 2 Thes. 3:9; Phil. 3:17). We grow by observing the patterns of the more spiritual and advanced saints and then imitating them in the Lord. It shouldn’t be an outward imitation but an inward experience with the Lord.
Nourishing others with a proper pattern
The best way to take care of the new ones and the young ones is not only by giving them the best teachings but by also showing them a proper pattern and giving them examples of proper patterns.
I can testify from my experience when I was a young Christian my parents gave me to read the life of the martyrs – the early believers, the overcoming ones throughout the ages. I was very inspired and it became clear to me that living for the Lord, being persecuted for the faith in Jesus, and even dying for Him is something noble, high, and even desirable. I was fostered, inspired, and helped to grow in life by reading the life of the overcoming believers who went before us.
In the same way, when we take care of new ones or of some young people we need to not only teach them but also show them a pattern. If our own living and experience is lacking, we can point them to the good patterns in the Bible like Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Daniel, Samuel, Isaiah, etc – in the Old Testament, and the Lord Jesus, Peter, Paul, John, Timothy, etc. in the New Testament.
These stories are not only inspiring but they feed you – your inward being is being fed with others living and experience of Christ. Our growth in life is being fostered by reading the lives of these Bible characters who lived with God and even lived Christ.
Feeding others with our living of Christ
On the one hand you can say that “Paul was preaching himself” in 1 and 2 Thessalonians, but what he actually did was to feed his spiritual children with his own living and experience of Christ. He simply reminded them what manner of persons the apostles were among them – their pattern was the living of Christ among the Thessalonian believers.
Parents know that to take proper care of your children you shouldn’t give them teaching – you need to feed them and care for them. To feed the young believers, and even for us to be fed and encouraged to go on with the Lord, we need to read, see, and follow the patterns of many saints throughout the ages who overcame.
In the history of the church, the Lord has placed many believers who are a pattern to us, fostering us by their living of Christ. Brother Watchman Nee and brother Witness Lee were a great pattern to us, and so was M. E. Barber, John Nelson Darby, Martin Luther, Mary McDonough, Andrew Murray, Hudson Taylor, etc.
We are surrounded by a great crowd of witnesses. By following their pattern we don’t mean do everything that they did regardless – no, we need to read their biography, pray over their writings and life, and the Lord will shine on us to inspire us, shepherd us, care for us, and even impart into us something of their experience of Christ. Much prayer is needed even in this…
Being a pattern to the believers
First, Paul presented himself as a pattern, and then he charged Timothy – his young co-worker – to be a pattern to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity (1 Tim. 4:12). Yes, on the one hand, we need to be imitators of God as beloved children (Eph. 5:1; Matt. 5:48), but on the other hand, we need to be a pattern to the other believers in all our living.
The Thessalonians became a pattern to the other believers and became imitators of the churches of God (see 1 Thes. 1:7, 2:14). We as saints imitate the proper patterns, and even we as the local churches should imitate and follow other churches in the Lord.
The Christian life is not an individual life – “we follow Christ and that’s it”. We do follow and imitate Christ, but we also follow and imitate in life those who are living Christ and experiencing Christ for His magnification. Christ’s pattern is being reproduced in the saints, and the saints’ pattern of living Christ is being continually reproduced.
We don’t “imitate blindly” and we definitely do not imitate the negative things. In learning to follow the pattern of other believers and other churches we need to “follow the vision, not the man” – compare everything to the Bible and if it is according to God’s economy, we follow.
Thank You Lord for all the patterns in the church history and even in the church life. Cause us to be open to You, Lord, as we are following Christ in His footsteps and as we are following the pattern of those who live Christ. Save us from blindly following others, and keep us from being negatively influenced in this matter. Lord, in Your divine life and by Your divine life we want to follow You and those whom You set as patterns in the church history and in the church life!
References and Further Reading
- Sharing inspired from the life-study of 1 Thessalonians (msg. 12-13), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Taking the Lead as Elders and Responsible Ones, week 1.
- Recommended reading:
# visit the AgeTurners.com website – they have a series of podcasts on the patterns in faith in the church history;
# Recommended biographies online: Watchman Nee, Witness Lee, Margaret Barber, John Nelson Darby, Martin Luther; - Hymns on this topic:
# “Consider Him,” let Christ thy pattern be, / And know that He hath apprehended thee
# Let us contemplate the grape vine, / From its life now let us learn (hymn by Watchman Nee)
# God’s intention is to have us / All conformed to His dear Son (Hymn by Witness Lee)
# If the path I travel / Lead me to the cross (hymn by M. E. Barber)
# O Lord, breathe Thy Spirit on me, / Teach me how to breathe Thee in (hymn by A. B. Simpson) - Picture source: Follow Paul as he followed Christ.
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