Imitation: A Missing Essential
by John Kimball, CCCC Director of Church Development
Have you ever made a recipe, perhaps for your favorite cookies, and accidentally left out one ingredient? How’d that go? Truth is, forgetting one simple ingredient can turn a whole delicious recipe into a tasteless hockey puck. It’s the same with things in your spiritual life. The Master Chef has designed things to come together in a specific way for a deliciously fruitful walk with Christ. If any key ingredient is missing, then things assuredly will not turn out as hoped.
When it comes to the essential process of making disciples, I have found that there is nearly always one “ingredient” that is consistently missing: imitation. Evangelical churches are pretty good at providing biblically sound information for those they are discipling and equipping. Here in the United States, we have oodles (that’s an important theological term) of wonderful materials and resources for teaching people about Christ and the Christian life. However, it is hard to find Christians who are willing to sacrifice the time needed to actually take a disciple by the hand, imitating those truths in a way that makes application and bears fruit.
In his classic study, Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby does an excellent job of showing how Jesus consistently imitated his Father. “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does” (John 5:19). This was a vital key to Jesus’ life of obedience and power. As Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, showing them the full extent of his love, he taught them the lesson on imitation as well (John 13:1-17). “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (vv. 13-15). In fact, Jesus spent the lion’s share of his time exemplifying a life of faithful obedience in all things for his own disciples to emulate. Finally, Paul continues the theme throughout his life and ministry, teaching his students “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1; see also 1 Corinthians 4:16-17; Ephesians 5:1; Philippians 3:17; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; 2 Thessalonians 3:7,9).
If we are not consistently inviting people into a relationship where they can grow not only in knowledge, but in literally imitating our faithful walk with the Savior for their own relationship with and fruit for Christ, we are only teaching not discipling. Imitation in this context is not a “good idea,” but a mandatory ingredient in Jesus’ recipe to make disciples. How are you doing? Who is in your life by special invitation to learn from your example? What are they imitating? Jesus is watching.
