Until you can stand up in front of a group of people and honestly say, “Imitate me,” you have no business being a pastor or a church planter. This is the advice that has filtered down to me through a couple prominent pastors in North Texas.

The character of a church’s leaders will determine the character of the church as a whole.  How many times have you seen a church torn apart because its leaders were out of step with Christ?  What we do as leaders in the church, whether it’s in the local church or the denomination as a whole, determines the direction of the people aligned within that body.

I remember telling my dad once that I had trouble following my pastor’s leadership.  In fact, until I moved to New Orleans I don’t think I had ever had a pastor I felt I could follow within biblical guidelines.  I’ve seen the destructive ability of a pastor whose character is broken.  I’ll repeat the statement from above: until I can stand before a group of people and humbly and honestly say, “Imitate me,” I have no business leading a church.  I’m not there yet, but I work toward it every day.  What I will not tolerate of myself is to become the very kind of leader I have so openly held in contempt.

One of the first papers I was assigned in seminary was on character.  Not surprisingly, it was assigned by my church planting professor who knew that above all, the church’s leadership must reflect the character of Christ if it is to exalt God.  I’m grateful that God ordained it so I could take that class in my first semester; it laid the foundation for everything I learned afterward.

It was in that same class that I first heard the phrase “You get what you reward.”  At NorthWood Church in Keller, Texas, they say “Celebrate your heroes.”  To me, those mean the same thing.  At a recent conference at NorthWood, the team brought out a panel of church members who have stepped out into society to be the change they wish to see in the world.  Our heroes aren’t necessarily the guys writing the largest checks.  They’re the ones choosing to sacrifice themselves in an effort to expand the Kingdom of God.  They’re disciples who make disciples of Christ.  NorthWood celebrates their heroes, and as a result, the people within the church are willing to become heroes themselves.  You get what you reward: if you want big check writers, then celebrate the check writers.  Expect to name a lot of buildings after people.  If you want your church to actively make disciples, then you celebrate the disciple-makers in your church.

My first and only real priority in ministry is to make disciples.  It’s not to be a pastor or to plant a church.  God hasn’t called me to plant a church; He’s called me to make disciples. If a church grows out of that work as a result, then great!  But it’s not a priority.  When the time comes that I can stand in front of those disciples and tell them, “Imitate me,” we’ll see where that takes us.  I encourage you to examine yourself in the meantime.

Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. [Hebrews 13:7, ESV]

NT Wright summarizes the end goal of knowing one’s biblical self-concept.

And if you fail, God’s love does not. That love can be grieved; that love can never go away. It is that love, ultimately, that is our chief weapon against temptation. To know that I am loved, love deeply, through and through, gives me the security to reject the ways of pride and fear; to reject the false alternatives of Peter Pan and Eeyore; to choose the way of self-denial which is also the way of self-affirmation, and to reject the way of self-hatred which leads not to holiness but to despair. To know this love, and to act out of answering love, is one of the central features of following Jesus.

Because it was created in the image of God, humanity was given a special role in the whole of Creation. By understanding that they are new creations through Christ Jesus, believers can put behind themselves their troubled and sinful past. By knowing that they are sheep, believers can seek out biblical leadership and turn to Jesus as the teacher and master. In doing so they become his disciples. As disciples of Christ they are adopted by God into His family, which is the Body of Christ, the universal Church. Bearing one another’s burdens and loving one another, the Church is separated and unique in the world. Understanding that they are soldiers fighting a spiritual battle against an invisible Enemy whose goal is to confuse and destroy gives the Christian a fighting chance and the privilege of rescuing unbelievers from the clutches of death. May the promise of God secure all followers of Christ in their faith.

–Bibliography–

Holy Bible, English Standard Version.  New York: American Bible Society, 2004.

Holy Bible, New International Version.  New York: International Bible Society, 1984.

Millwood, Randy.  Class lecture.  New Orleans, La. February 2007.

Mosley, Harold.  Class lecture.  New Orleans, La. October 2006.

Richards, James B.  Breaking the Cycle: The Ultimate Solution to Destructive Patterns.  Denver: Legacy Publishers International, 2003.

_____.  How to Stop the Pain.  New York: Whitaker House, 2001.

Wright, N. T.  Following Jesus: Biblical Reflections on Discipleship.  New York: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997.

_____.  For All God’s Worth: True Worship and the Calling of the Church.  New York: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997.

_____.  Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church.  New York: HarperOne, 2008.

I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete (2 Corinthians 10:2-6).

Why is it so important to understand the warfare aspect of being a believer? Paul explains to Timothy. “This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith” (1 Timothy 1:18-19). As soldiers in the war against evil, Christians are on the front lines and can expect to be attacked by Satan and his demons. Often this attack is on a person’s identity in Christ itself. Thus it is of the utmost importance for the Christian to understand his or her Christian self-concept.

Likewise, Christians are priests of God, identified under the High Priest, who is Christ Jesus. The Apostle John writes in his Revelation, “To [Jesus] who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever” (Revelation 1:5b-6a). Another Apostle, the disciple named Peter, explains that the collection of Christians from all time “like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). He continues, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).

Paul tells the Corinthians “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27, NIV) and the church in Rome “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (Romans 12:4-5, NIV). In 1 Corinthians, Paul elaborates on the “body of Christ” analogy, and in Ephesians 4, he relates his desires to see the Church love one another.

Jesus instituted the Church when he spoke the words found in Matthew. The Church is not a building where everybody meets. It is the people. In his book For All God’s Worth, NT Wright offers an illustration regarding Lichfield Cathedral in England. He explains that the cathedral was built to reflect the grandeur of God, all the while taking the brunt of war and time.

The reason why Chad came to Lichfield, and the reason why an ancient scribe lavished such craftsmanship on those priceless pages, is quite simply that the message in those Gospels is even more priceless: the message, that is, that the true God takes our brokenness and in Christ makes us new; that he picks up the pieces of our life, yes, even of our muddled attempts to follow him, and sticks them together again in a new way; that he heals those who are broken in heart, and gives the medicine to heal their sickness; that he promises new life, resurrection life, beyond all our sickness and death. To celebrate precisely hear is to celebrate not the wonderful achievements of the church but the healing power of God to build his church with battered and broken building-blocks; including people like you and me. Celebration and healing; it is all God’s work.

And what if the seams are still visible? What if the stitching still shows? What if we carry about with us the pains of being half pt back together and half still in pieces? What if we have identity crises, if we live with ambiguities and face problems we can’t fix overnight? Is that not what being a Christian is all about? As Paul continues, we are taken for impostors, and yet are genuine; dying, and behold we live; in pain, yet always full of joy; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, yet possessing everything. Paul is not describing an occasional unfortunate lapse from the norm. This is the normal Christian experience.

Wright draws a connection between the battle-worn cathedral and the Church, reminding Christ’s followers that they are to bear one another’s burdens and love one another. What a beautiful reminder that is sure to comfort believers. A believer’s identity as part of the Church should be intensely comforting.

The relationship between God and His people is seen clearly in the story of the Hebrews found in the Old Testament. When God called Abraham out of Ur and into the land we call Palestine, He was laying the foundation for a people He could call His own. By the time God raised up Moses to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt into the land once again, the people were called His. God says, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt” (Exodus 3:7) before sending Moses back into Egypt to become His voice to Pharaoh. For centuries the Hebrews, as God’s chosen people, inhabited the land (albeit with several abrupt exiles because of their disobedience to God). In those days God’s people were bound by a Law, which we call Torah. Torah is better translated “Instructions” or “The Way” and it was the foundation of Hebrew and Jewish life. When a non-Jew, that is someone who was not born Jewish, wanted to follow the God of the Israel, he would be circumcised according to the Law and begin adhering to it.

When Jesus came, he changed the face of the Law. He said he came to fulfill it, not to abolish it. It was Jesus who began a spiritual revolution. Through Jesus, believers have found the grace of God, and are now free from sin. They no longer have to offer sacrifices through priests because Jesus was the eternal sacrifice. Just as this sacrifice has made us clean to be adopted as children of God, so this sacrifice has opened up God’s nation to those who are not bound by the Law. Jesus said “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me” (John 14:6). The way of Jesus fulfills the way of Torah, and in doing so changes everything. He allows all who are willing to hear his gospel to find salvation in him.

Look at the story of Abraham again. God made a covenant with Abraham (at the time he still went by the name Abram). He promised that He would give Abraham the land that I mentioned earlier- the land we now call Israel or Palestine. As was the custom for making a covenant in the Ancient Near East, a cow, goat, ram, and several birds were brought forth. Abram cut all of them in half, except for the birds, and set them apart from each other (with a path down the middle). Usually, both parties would walk between the animals as an oath, essentially saying, “May this blood be on my head if I do not fulfill my part of the covenant.” In this case, only God passes between the animals. This is a covenant God made with Abraham, without any strings attached.

When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.

Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure (Hebrews 6:13-19a, NIV).

As seen recorded in the Old Testament, God was faithful in His covenant. He did give the land to His people. He did watch after His people. He is a good Father to His people, and makes good on His promise to His people. It is this relationship with God that is available to all who believe and choose to follow Christ.

Since human families are often dysfunctional, the model for a family relationship is seen in the relationship between Christ the Son and God the Father. Consider the implications. If the ancient Greeks thought of the gods as powerful beings who fooled around with people for their own entertainment, the Christian understanding of a Father God is one who adopts his followers as children and comforts them. This Father loves his children deeply and cares for their every need. He watches after them.

No good Father allows harm come to His children unless it is for their good. Paul comforts the church in Ephesus by reminding them what the Father has done for them. “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:13-14, NIV).

Jesus refers to his followers as sheep, reflecting their nature as vulnerable and emphasizing their need for leadership. In several particular instances in the New Testament, the people of God are alluded to as sheep.  John 10:1-5 and Acts 20:28-29 are two examples.  The sheep-shepherd theme is alluded to more than a few times throughout scripture probably because shepherding was common in the ancient Near East, and everybody at the time would have understood the illustration.

As Peter said, “we all like sheep have been led astray!” often Christians are led astray by the idols of the world: money, fame, power, sex, family, and the pursuit of happiness.  However, Peter is clear to remind us: “but you returned to your Overseer, your Shepherd, your Savior.”  Consider the words of Jesus in John 10:1-18.  Repeatedly he explains that he is the “good shepherd.”  Jesus explains that his followers know his voice, and that the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep (an allusion to the forthcoming sacrifice on the cross).

So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.  All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.  I am the door.  If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.  I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.  He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.  I am the good shepherd.  I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep (John 10:7-15).

As sheep, Christians have an identity as vulnerable and in need of strong, sacrificial leadership.

Within biblical theology it remains the case that the one living God created a world that is other than himself, not contained within himself.  Creation was from the beginning an act of love, of affirming the goodness of the other.  God saw all that he had made, and it was very good; but it was not itself divine.  At its height, which according to Genesis 1 is the creation of humans, it was designed to reflect God, both to reflect God back to God in worship and to reflect God into the rest of creation in stewardship.

A Biblical self-concept begins with the imago Dei, the idea that humanity is created in the image of God to reflect his glory back to him.  If humanity’s role in creation is to reflect the glory of God, then something has gone terribly wrong.  The Bible speaks to the sin nature innate in humanity.  Wright continues,

In [Romans 8] Paul again uses the imagery of the Exodus from Egypt but this time not in relation to Jesus, nor even to ourselves, but to creation as a whole.  Creation, he says (verse 21) is in slavery at the moment, like the children of Israel.  God’s design was to rule creation in life-giving wisdom through his image-bearing human creatures.  But this was always a promise for the future, a promise that one day the true human being, the image of God himself, God’s incarnate son, would come to lead the human race into their true identity.  Meanwhile, the creation was subjected to futility, to transience and decay, until the time when God’s children are glorified, when what happened to Jesus at Easter happens to all Jesus’s people.  This is where Romans 8 dovetails with 1 Corinthians 15.  The whole creation, as he says in verse 19, is on tiptoe with expectation, longing for the day when God’s children are revealed, when their resurrection will herald its own new life.

While it is certainly important to look forward to the new creation that comes at Jesus’ return to Earth, the Bible speaks to the new creation that comes through Christ into the new believer.

The Apostle Paul writes, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).   One of the most foundational concepts of a Christian life is that upon conversion, a believer loses his or her old sinful nature and is covered in the righteousness of God through Jesus.  Paul continues, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).  Understanding that Jesus has conquered the sin nature that once dominated humanity is among the most significant beliefs a Christian can have.  By becoming a new creation, the old self-concept dies and the new identity in Christ begins.