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Be imitators of Jesus Christ

Beloved in Christ, we greet you in the precious and marvelous name of our Lord and Savior Jesus-Christ,

from whom we receive, by his grace, the everyday life; and who gives us the opportunity to share about

His word and to strengthen one another.

Beloved, we constantly have a duty in our daily life, the one of evaluating ourselves in every step we

take, assessing our successes, stopping on our mistakes and meditating on them, planning a future by

taking the necessary and right decisions at the right time.

//The Christian life is not easy at all;======paragraph 3.

We have a time to grow and we have also food to feed and maintain our Christian life.

Regarding to this, we have also a duty to examine our condition of Christians.

Beloved, once upon a time there was a town. In this town of western Asia, forgotten nowadays, more or

less two millennium before our time, a name came to life. This name is CHRISTIAN; this town called

Antioch, situated in Turkey, is one of the towns visited by the apostle to fulfill their mission.

This name, as simple as it can appear to us nowadays, is not just a combination of letters but it has a

meaning, the meaning of a life, the meaning of a well-thought choice.

This name CHRISTIAN simply means follower of Jesus Christ. This name we carry with us today,

sometimes unduly, was considered at times as a pride, a risk, a disgrace but above all an identity, a way

of living and a brand of distinction.

A risk? Yes! Due to repression and persecution, it was too risky for one to carry the identity of being

CHRISTIAN. A disgrace? Yes! Because the Christian ones were opted out and rejected by their relatives.

This is what the first Christians suffer from and all this just because of the identity they believed in and

submitted themselves to. But above all, the most important thing is the identity of being Christian.

Beloved, whether we are Christians or we pretend to be so, we always think that the harm to our faith

will come from outside our respective communities; and to ensure that we remain in the true faith, we

tend to hide ourselves behind specific dogmas and denominations.

And, at the place of the name Christian, we proudly take names related to our confessions and

denominations. It is very rare to hear the name Christian nowadays; instead, we hear about Catholics,

Protestants or Pentecotists. To many of us, this name Christian might seem meaningless; let us not

deceive ourselves: the name, it is also ones identity. Who is our master? Whose disciples are we?

Are we disciples of these men and women to whom only a portion of the word of God was, by his divine

grace, announced? Or are we disciples of God Himself?

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The Bible, the written and revealed Word of God, tells today:Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly

loved children.(Eph. 5:1)

Be imitators of Christ!

Being someones imitator or being follower of a master, means submitting to the person with the all

body, soul and goods. Being imitator of Christ is considering Christ as sole model and sole source of 

inspiration.

Beloved, how many of us are capable of remaining in the true faith, the experienced faith, which, similar

to the faith of the disciples of Berea, testifies with the scriptures and teachings received? How many of 

us can see and hear with the eyes and ears of Faith and turn away of wrong precepts and wrong

teachings even when they are from our confessions, from our pastors and from our leaders?

How many of us still imitate Christ rather than their pastors?

Beloved, if we are Christians, we shall not conform ourselves to the world and its models; we have only

our Lord Jesus.

There is no mixture between the Christian Life and the world,friendship with the world is hatred

toward God(Ja.4:4).

How to follow Jesus? How to be imitator of Christ?

//As beloved children.

Beloved, one day when talking to the people Jesus said:let the little children come to me, and do not

hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.(Luke 18:16)

What God wants from us, is to behave like these children who do not question His law, but who trust

Him with all their hearts and who walk on His ways by putting their feet on His footprint.

Imitators, as beloved children; because only those who love God with all their hearts keep His

commandments. (John 14:21)

Once, in one of American comedies, there was a lady who was wearing a bracelet with the acronym

WWJD. When asked what the acronym stands for and why she was wearing this bracelet on her wrist,

she simply answered that the bracelet reminds her, in each circumstance and each time, of what Jesus

could have done for her situation. (WWJD = What Would Jesus Do)

Followers of Christ, let us wear more than a bracelet, let us keep in our heart the word of God, the

accomplishments and commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ.

May the life of Jesus appear on our faces and may our tongues be the ones of God, so that, when seeing

and hearing, one said of us as it was the case with Peter:Surely you are one of them, for your accent

gives you away.

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Sometimes, in these difficult moments of the Christian life, we do ask ourselves questions pertaining to

knowing if it is difficult to follow Jesus. But regarding to this topic, the bible tells us no:Take my yoke

upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.(Matthew 11:29-30)

Finally, being Christian is also being able to follow Jesus and live His life.

If we are Christians and want to remain Christians, and want to be rightfully called Christians, we must

accept to carry the yoke and to walk according to Jesus.

and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me, our Lord Jesus said.

(Matthew 10:38). Being Christian is being worthy of Christ.

May the Lord, the Holly of Israel, the one who calls us to follow Him, guide our ways on this very

demanding Christian life, so that we may be at his perfect stature.

Amen!

Your brother,

Tshioni Mukeba Arlon.