Imitate the ways of Jesus Christ

Article for March 16, 2025

Philippians 3:17 17Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.

Paul is speaking here.  Paul is giving himself as a believer to follow and imitate.  We might remember that Paul is writing this letter while he is in prison.  Paul, in prison, for believing in Jesus Christ, asks us to imitate him.  Not that we should want to go to prison, but that we would go to prison for our Lord Jesus Christ.  Our imitation would be having an abundance of faith in Jesus Christ especially when we are put to the test or on trial for having faith in our Lord.

The day is coming, though we seemed to have dodged the bullet at least for a little while.  Woke has not died, and it will try to take hold again, and when it does, Christians will suffer more than others.  I say we will suffer more as Christians, because the man-made religions feed on wokeness to bolster their religion and destroy Christianity.  We are still seeing this as foreigners are trying to take advantage of our rights.

We as Christians have Jesus and His twelve Apostles as examples to follow.  Thirteen as you subtract Judas and add Matthias and Paul.  We might even have the many prophets of the Old Testament that God sent out to spread His precepts to follow.  Their faith was great and their strength to keep their faith was greater.  Many have fallen asleep for our Lord and savior guided by their God given faith.  Should it be that we too, are brave enough to fall asleep for our Lord Jesus Christ.

Mind you that I said these men of faith fell asleep for Jesus.  They died but did not see the death of the unbeliever, rather what they experienced is the life eternal of the believers.  Their faith in God and from God lets them know, as Jesus was raised from the dead, so shall they be, and so shall all believers.  Yes, so shall we be resurrected like our Lord and Savior.

Philippians 3:18–19 18For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.

Their god is their belly, or their god is their flesh, or their god is their sinful desires, as all of these point away from the true God’s desires for us.  Paul shows his concern and love for those who do not follow God as God has concerns and love for them too.  Know it is always God’s hope that all will believe and follow Him and even love Him.  God’s desire is for us to have eternal life and not to be condemned to eternal death.

Jesus died for all even those who have turned their back on God in hopes they will believe.  God wants and keeps His arms out to receive everyone who will turn and believe.  This is good news as this is the sure hope of salvation for all who believe and will believe.  If the unbeliever would just listen to God’s word… They would truly know of His love for them.

There are too many Christians that become too overzealous for the Lord.  The overzealous tend to turn the gospel into law and therefore scare away the unbeliever or the weak in faith.  I have seen it too many times.  Too many preach works and law righteousness.

Our salvation is not dependent on our doings, but depends on the forgiveness Jesus Christ died for on the cross to give us our salvation.  Maybe if they knew this, they might not hate the cross but pick it up and carry it for the love of the one who died upon it.  Our love for Christ should be that we recognize His love for us through His actions and especially His actions on the cross, in the grave, and in His resurrection.

Philippians 3:20–21 20But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

The unbeliever is a citizen of the world and the worldly ways.  You might say the unbeliever is a citizen of death.  But the unbeliever can move their citizenship through believing.  The believer is a citizen of heaven and destined to live in heaven.  Though we are not living in heaven yet, our citizenship in heaven was bought and given to us when Jesus died on the cross and resurrected from the dead.  This too, happens automatically for all who become believers.

Do you see this?  Jesus will transform our lowly bodies into the likeness of His.  As man was created in the image of God and the fall of Adam and Eve destroyed that likeness, Jesus is going to correct what was taken from us.  We will have a new body, and it again will be in the likeness of Jesus Christ himself!

In our eternal life with Jesus, we will be more subjected to Jesus in that our ways will imitate the ways of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.  As we might imitate Paul, Paul imitates Jesus.  Jesus won the good fight that we cannot win ourselves.  And in winning the good fight for us, Jesus is giving each of us the crown of everlasting life and a relationship with Him.

Philippians 4:1 1Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

      We too can imitate Paul, the Apostles, and the Prophets and stand firm in our faith.  Jesus is giving us the sure hope of our salvation that where He is we will be also.  Jesus guides us to be better Christians, and Jesus makes up for our many falls, As Jesus picks us up to heaven forever and ever.  Amen.

Written by Pastor Curtis A. May