"Copy Cats"

Jan. 15

Read: 1 Thess. 1:1-10

“Copy Cats”

“And you became imitators of us and of the Lord…” (v.6)

It has been said that, “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”. So who do we flatter? Who do we mimic? Do we have any motivation or drive to imitate Christ? Does it matter whether or not we live our lives as examples for others?

Paul seems unafraid to rise to this challenge. I do not think that he is claiming to be perfect, in fact he is pretty open about NOT being perfected yet. (cf. 1 Tim. 1:15,16, 1 Cor. 9:24-27 etc.) But Paul is not afraid to write to his brothers and sisters in Christ and say, “You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.” (v.5) Paul and those ministering alongside him understood that they were called to live lives that were worthy of serving as an example. That can be a scary responsibility. What would people say to you if you told them, “you know what kind of person I have proved to be when I am with you”?

Our goal should be to be able to say this without shame OR arrogance. As God’s children we are called to live our lives and seek to be worthy of imitation. As the children of God, imitating us ought to equate to imitating the Lord because that is what we have been chosen for. You are “chosen ones” who have been made new in Christ and entrusted with the mind of Christ and the Spirit of God to be imitators of Christ!

This holds true for the “good times” as well as the “tough times”. Check this out: “You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit…” (v.5,6) For the people of Thessalonica, they were in the midst of “much affliction” when they “received the word” and became “imitators”. They entered into this life in the midst of difficulty and trials. What came through for them despite this suffering? “The joy of the Holy Spirit”. They were not left with only suffering, but were met with joy. When we receive the message of Christ and his word, and then become imitators of Christ - even using as an example the way we see it modeled in the lives of "in process” Christian leaders - we will receive the “joy of the Holy Spirit”. In short, there is great JOY in living life as an example. The people of God need others who are willing to be vulnerable, open up their lives, and live as examples for others… willing to say “imitate me as I seek to imitate Christ”. This is mentoring and discipleship. This is one of the ways God designed the gospel to go out with power.

We see the played out in the church in Thessalonica: “you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything.” (v.7) This “trickle down” effect is real and life changing. This is why our faith must not be lived out “in secret”. This is why the greatest impact will always come from “normal” Christians living out their faith in the “real world” in plain view of those around them. This also implies that to live in plain view as an imitator of Christ who is worthy of being imitated MUST look in some ways different than the world and culture around us otherwise it is INDISCERNIBLE.

What will we be examples of for the world around us? What or who does our life mimic? Are there any marks of being a Christ follower that would make us able to be identified “in the wild”? Do we realize all of the people who are watching? Our kids? Our grandkids? Our employees or bosses? Our neighbors? Our friends? Do we live “double lives” or are we unified and made whole in Christ? May we seek to live our lives as worthy examples. I am thankful for the ways that MANY of you are worthy examples for me. I am so grateful that my children have many men and women that I can point to and say, “do you want to know what it looks like to seek Christ? Follow that person around for a week and watch them!” May our own fears of failure never stop us from opening our lives and walking alongside one another… being examples for each other. It is a worthy goal to live in such a way that you could write back and say, “just remember the way we lived when we were with you.” Love you guys! - JDP