Be Imitators of me just as I also am of Christ

this is a repost of a note that I wrote on Facebook almost a year ago but it fits in with the theme of Being the Change.....

I often wonder and pray that God will help me to better show Christ to others through the way I live and I know on many occasions I have messed up both in word and in deed but when the apostle Paul told the church of Corinth in 1 Corinthians 11:1 to "imitate me just as I also am of Christ" Paul is not saying "hey, you need to be me more like me because I am perfect." No, he is saying you need to be like Christ and live your life in such a way that others see the Gospel of Christ in you. When others look at you do they see an arrogant, unforgiving, angry, judgmental religious person who just happens to go to church and call themselves a Christian or do they see someone who is a reflection of the humility, grace, and love that is the person of Jesus Christ. I want people who see my ministry, who see my marriage, who see my parenting, and even those who just happen to have an encounter with me around town know that I am a Christian and are never turned off to God or the church because of something I say or do. Too often Christians are the very reason that lost people want nothing to do with God or the church because of the way we call out groups of people who are unlike us or because we act like God loves us more because we happen to be obedient to Him SOME OF THE TIME.

Steven Furtick, one of my favorite preachers to listen, made a good point the other day about judgment and grace in the church. I think we have it backwards because we tend to judge people outside the church and condemn them for their sin but we turn around and offer grace to Christians who should know better when they sin. Furtick used the example that homosexuals are one of the favorite targets of the church to condemn but we give grace to the "Christians" at church who are sleeping with each other and in reality we should call both sin and call for repentance but offer grace to the lost homosexuals and judge the Christian who is claiming to be a follower of Christ but acting contrary to what he says he believes. We should offer grace to the lost instead of judgment since they are just acting like what they are...LOST but instead we let the "Christian" guy slip by because he comes to church and claims the name of Christ and continue ranting and raving about how all homosexuals are going to hell. Show the love of Christ to a lost and dying world or tell of how God offers mercy and grace because of what Christ has done. Live your life today in such a way that you lead others to the foot of the cross and do not claim the name of Christ if you are not going to be like Him.

Remember one thing, all of us have messed up sometime in the past and will probably mess up in the future but God's love covers a multitude of sins and never let a past failure hinder your relationship with God because Christ died for all sins past, present, and future. The goal of life on Earth is to become the most like Christ that we possibly can. I pray that God keeps me close to Him and keeps me clean from anything that can harm my life or ministry and I pray that at the end of me life I can repeat the words of the apostle Paul, "be imitators of me just as I also am of Christ.