HEALTHY CHURCH: Discipleship Through Imitation

         The apostle Paul focused on “living out” what you say you believe about God and what you have been taught. Paul understood what it meant to be an apprentice under someone more skilled, experienced or knowledgeable than him as a tentmaker, a Pharisee and even as a part of a missionary team (Barnabas). Paul learned from them, then immediately began discipling others through imitation. In Eph. 5:1 (HCSB), he said, “Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children.” The word here for follower or imitator is mimic and describes the one who has decided to follow Jesus in order to carry His name and reflect who He is in their life.

      An imitator copies specific characteristics of another person, and the whole of the Christian life is the reproduction of godliness as seen in the person of Jesus Christ into every follower and disciple. The imitator desires to develop Christ’s character, love, forgiveness, kindness, actions, attitude, etc., into every space, area and arena of their life. The Scriptures drive this truth home multiple times and in multiple locations. In Eph. 4:1, the admonition is to “Walk (live) worthy of the vocation of the calling you have received.” You see, a disciple of Jesus is committed to being with Jesus and becoming like Jesus.

      I Corinthians 4:16 says, “Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers (imitators) of me.” Paul adds depth and definition in I Cor. 11:1 — “Be ye followers (imitators) of me, even as I also am of Christ.” That is a pretty bold declaration, but it stresses the importance that practitioners of the principles of Christ are not supposed to be the exception but the rule. Paul was stressing that saying you believe the Scriptures and agreeing with them without proving it by living them out is biblically deficient. This same understanding of discipleship by imitation was taught to the believers and churches throughout the New Testament.

      “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you” (Phil. 4:9). James makes it clear that the expectation is not only “hearing” but also “doing.” There are two questions every follower of Christ needs to answer:

      • Am I following the example of Christ to other believers?

      • Is my example worthy of others following?

      Paul is stating very clearly, through God’s inspired Word, that the journey of discipleship is founded upon a lifestyle of imitation. The ultimate goal is imitating Christ, and there is no hint of an “anything goes” or “mass chaos” individualism.

      From the first day of your spiritual journey, you are to be discipled by others through their godly example, so you can then repeat the process through your godly example. The journey of discipleship has definite borders and guard rails to keep us out of the ditch — human effort on one side and absence of personal responsibility on the other side. You must be in the Word of God daily, seeking the Holy Spirit constantly and leaning on other believers regularly, but you are responsible to imitate Christ. You cannot have a culture of empowerment without a parallel value of accountability. Obedience is required.

      How do we learn to imitate Christ? The three elements needed are relationships, experiences and information. It is imperative that these elements be built upon your personal walk with Christ. How is your spiritual walk right now? Are you thriving spiritually or are you only surviving? How is your prayer life? Prayer is a constant attitude of the heart toward an ongoing dialogue with Him. As a follower and imitator of Christ, you must pray if you want a strong relationship with God, and you must have a healthy connection to Him if you expect your prayers to be effective. Relationship and communication cannot be separated.

      Your relationship with others is first determined by your relationship with Him. When you pray and begin praising Him, you are orienting your mind to the greatness of God. This better enables you to pray according to His will and to have the confidence that this great God can, indeed, grant your requests. The connection between the Word of God and prayer cannot be overstated. Prayer is talking to God; the Scriptures are God talking to us, and the two always go together. You pray in the right way when you pray scripturally. You study the Scriptures in the right way when you study prayerfully. That is where discipleship by imitation begins.

         Paul said to imitate him as he imitated Christ.The discipleship Paul is describing requires direct and close relationships with another disciple. Who is discipling you? It cannot be done from a distance and demands an investment of time and energy. The deepest impact on our core being comes from the investment of others into our lives. The narrative can be changed, but the truth remains that discipleship is primarily about imitation over information. It is more caught than taught. This is not an anti-intellectual approach or being against curriculum but instead stating the greater challenge of imitation is willing disciples in proximity.

      This is not a call to move away from truth or to check our brains at the door. It is a reminder of Jesus teaching the 12 through life-on-life and iron-sharpening-iron. Our systems and structures in many churches have not prioritized discipleship and especially imitation through the blood, sweat and tears of daily relational accountability. You need to discover pathways of discipleship that give you the flexibility you desire and the accountability everyone desperately needs. This occurs through relationships where you share meals, serve together in community, go on a trip or retreat together and function as a family.

      Relationships provide the context where you can have an internal context for the working out of an internal transformation. Through relationships, dialogue can occur, questions can be asked, assumptions can be challenged, sin can be confessed and specific applications can be practiced. Discipleship by imitation requires getting up close so we can learn together, journey together and make mistakes together. Discipleship is not an event; it is a lifestyle of following Jesus. It is realizing the importance of an often-overlooked space in your life of what has been called “transparent” space where you walk with Christ with three other disciples.