Pastor's Corner January 30, 2023
Become like Jesus
Become like Jesus is intrinsically connected to be transformed by Jesus. This is because as we have been declared holy and are becoming holy through what is called sanctification, we are being made like Jesus. Jesus is the author and perfector of our faith, the one who is without sin and died to cover the sins of all of us. Therefore, since he is fully holy, we are being made like Him. However, it is also more than that.
We ought to pursue becoming like Jesus. We ought to live like Jesus. Sounds impossible, but I believe it comes as a byproduct of the first spiritual movement: be with Jesus. Have you ever seen people become like those who they spend time with? Like a married couple who over the years become more and more like each other and yet still very different people? They might say a lot of the same things, might wear a lot of the same colors, might like a lot of the same things, might find the same situations funny, might even finish each other's sentences. This can also happen in friendships and groups. It is easy to see it happen in churches where new members begin to behave in similar ways to others and speak the same form of Christianese. But how do we become like Jesus?
Being with Jesus, spending intentional, meaningful time with Him often makes us more like Him. We can also become like Jesus through our thoughts and actions by doing what he does and considering life and situations with the mind that we see from him in our Bibles. Let's consider becoming like Jesus as we spend time with Him. It can be directly connected to doing the things Jesus did and does. In the Gospels, we see Jesus read scripture, pray, spend time in silence and solitude, feast with community, fast, rest, worship, and more. In these activities, Jesus devotes His life and time to being with His Father. They help equip Him in His humanity for the ministry he does. We can spend time with Jesus in the same ways, by intentionally reading scripture (slowly and considerately), praying, spending time with God in silence and solitude away from the busyness of life, feasting with others and recognizing God's presence, fasting as a physical denial of nourishment for spiritual satisfaction and feeding, resting intentionally with reflection on the fact that you are merely a human who God has designed for rest with delight in Him, and worshipping as a response to who God is and what He has done/is doing. In doing these things, we are living like Jesus while also pursuing being with our God who loves us. Naturally then, we will become like the One who has made us, loved us, saved us, and more as we devote ourselves to Him.
Becoming like Jesus is the action of being His disciple. To be a disciple implies that you are an apprentice who is learning from and aiming to be like your leader. This means that we will do what He has done, we will intentionally spend time with Him to learn from Him, and invite others to be disciples with us. Thinking and living like Jesus requires us to know Scripture and to meditate on it, so that we know how Jesus deals with things like: conflict, grief, idolatry, sin, anger, nationalism, religious legalism, violence, and more. But, it starts with us emulating the characteristics that we see in Jesus. Do we choose to be compassionate to ALL people? Do we choose to look at others with empathy, care, and concern? Do we choose to be loving, especially those who are hurtful? Do we choose to tear down others with our words rather than build them up? Do we choose the easy routes in life rather than the difficult narrow path that often requires moral courage and Christlike ethics? Do we actually love our enemies? Do we look to God as our provider in all things? Do we get angry with God and blame Him for hardships and suffering in this world? Do we put others ahead of ourselves? These are just a few things to consider, but to become like Jesus, we should reflect on how we live and if it lines up with what we believe. It goes hand in hand with what Samuel Paris preached to us a couple of weeks ago. He said, "Action-filled faith leads to faith-filled testimony." I would also add that action-filled faith leads to walking with and like Jesus to show the world that we are His disciples.
I'll close with this. In Acts 4:13, it says, "Now when they [Jewish council leaders] saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus." If we go back to the Gospels, I think it is easy to see that before Jesus' death and ascension these men were not that much like Jesus. We can see progress over the time of their discipleship, but they often looked different from Him. And yet, not long after Jesus has ascended, the Jewish council recognizes that they must have been with Jesus based on what they say and do. That is how it should be for each one of us.
Become like Jesus is intrinsically connected to be transformed by Jesus. This is because as we have been declared holy and are becoming holy through what is called sanctification, we are being made like Jesus. Jesus is the author and perfector of our faith, the one who is without sin and died to cover the sins of all of us. Therefore, since he is fully holy, we are being made like Him. However, it is also more than that.
We ought to pursue becoming like Jesus. We ought to live like Jesus. Sounds impossible, but I believe it comes as a byproduct of the first spiritual movement: be with Jesus. Have you ever seen people become like those who they spend time with? Like a married couple who over the years become more and more like each other and yet still very different people? They might say a lot of the same things, might wear a lot of the same colors, might like a lot of the same things, might find the same situations funny, might even finish each other's sentences. This can also happen in friendships and groups. It is easy to see it happen in churches where new members begin to behave in similar ways to others and speak the same form of Christianese. But how do we become like Jesus?
Being with Jesus, spending intentional, meaningful time with Him often makes us more like Him. We can also become like Jesus through our thoughts and actions by doing what he does and considering life and situations with the mind that we see from him in our Bibles. Let's consider becoming like Jesus as we spend time with Him. It can be directly connected to doing the things Jesus did and does. In the Gospels, we see Jesus read scripture, pray, spend time in silence and solitude, feast with community, fast, rest, worship, and more. In these activities, Jesus devotes His life and time to being with His Father. They help equip Him in His humanity for the ministry he does. We can spend time with Jesus in the same ways, by intentionally reading scripture (slowly and considerately), praying, spending time with God in silence and solitude away from the busyness of life, feasting with others and recognizing God's presence, fasting as a physical denial of nourishment for spiritual satisfaction and feeding, resting intentionally with reflection on the fact that you are merely a human who God has designed for rest with delight in Him, and worshipping as a response to who God is and what He has done/is doing. In doing these things, we are living like Jesus while also pursuing being with our God who loves us. Naturally then, we will become like the One who has made us, loved us, saved us, and more as we devote ourselves to Him.
Becoming like Jesus is the action of being His disciple. To be a disciple implies that you are an apprentice who is learning from and aiming to be like your leader. This means that we will do what He has done, we will intentionally spend time with Him to learn from Him, and invite others to be disciples with us. Thinking and living like Jesus requires us to know Scripture and to meditate on it, so that we know how Jesus deals with things like: conflict, grief, idolatry, sin, anger, nationalism, religious legalism, violence, and more. But, it starts with us emulating the characteristics that we see in Jesus. Do we choose to be compassionate to ALL people? Do we choose to look at others with empathy, care, and concern? Do we choose to be loving, especially those who are hurtful? Do we choose to tear down others with our words rather than build them up? Do we choose the easy routes in life rather than the difficult narrow path that often requires moral courage and Christlike ethics? Do we actually love our enemies? Do we look to God as our provider in all things? Do we get angry with God and blame Him for hardships and suffering in this world? Do we put others ahead of ourselves? These are just a few things to consider, but to become like Jesus, we should reflect on how we live and if it lines up with what we believe. It goes hand in hand with what Samuel Paris preached to us a couple of weeks ago. He said, "Action-filled faith leads to faith-filled testimony." I would also add that action-filled faith leads to walking with and like Jesus to show the world that we are His disciples.
I'll close with this. In Acts 4:13, it says, "Now when they [Jewish council leaders] saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus." If we go back to the Gospels, I think it is easy to see that before Jesus' death and ascension these men were not that much like Jesus. We can see progress over the time of their discipleship, but they often looked different from Him. And yet, not long after Jesus has ascended, the Jewish council recognizes that they must have been with Jesus based on what they say and do. That is how it should be for each one of us.
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