Make Jesus Your Ultimate Example

The apostle Paul was proactive, intentional, and deliberate in leading by example.

Paul did not take the easy route by communicating, “Do as I say, not as I do.” With reliance upon the Holy Spirit, Paul modeled godliness and spirituality as an essential part of his life and ministry.

Have you ever stopped to think about the dynamics of why people follow certain leaders? What is it that attracts people to different ones? This may be fairly simplistic, but here are three factors that go into the equation of why a person might be drawn to place himself under another’s leadership. They are:

 • He believes in that leader’s character (He admires who the leader is).

• He believes in that leader’s communication (He appreciates what the leader says).

 • He believes in that leader’s conquests (He respects what the leader accomplishes).

 We have all probably heard stories about individuals who were eloquent speakers or accomplished great things, but their character— their personal life—was tragically out of order. In such cases, we can appreciate what a particular leader says and respect what they accomplish, but we probably don’t want to be like them.

If God has graced you to be an eloquent or powerful speaker, that is great. If you have had great achievements and accomplishments in your life, I am happy for you. Those elements can cause people to notice you, but those elements by themselves don’t guarantee that you will have the kind of lasting impact in the lives of others that you might desire; much of that comes from your character—from the quality of person that you are. The epitome of godly character is reflected in what has been referred to as Paul’s Love Chapter.

 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NLT).

That sets a towering standard. It seems like it is pretty easy to “be nothing” and “gain nothing” if we do not have the right character—if we do not walk in the love of God.

We should never think that we are the ultimate Christian or the perfect exemplary minister; we always have room for improvement (and so does everyone we admire). However, it is absolutely vital that we understand the importance of our example and how often it carries more influence than our words. In all likelihood, Paul had been deeply impressed by his mentor, Gamaliel, who was “respected by all the people” (Acts 5:34 NLT). When the apostle was giving his personal testimony in Jerusalem, he made it a point to stress that he had been brought up “at the feet of Gamaliel” (Acts 22:3 NKJV). Paul knew how highly respected his mentor was.

 Just as the revered rabbi had modeled the principles of Judaism to his students, Paul sought to demonstrate the substance and reality of Christ’s life to Timothy and the churches he established; he was fully intentional in his quest to live an exemplary life. After referring to his sinful past, Paul told Timothy that “God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners” (1 Timothy 1:16 NLT). That phraseology is significant. What had happened in Paul’s life was not meant to impress people with himself or with how wonderful he was, but rather, to dynamically impact them with how merciful and compassionate God had been.

If we take some creative liberty and consolidate various statements Paul made into a topical paragraph, it becomes clear how important exemplary living was to the great apostle:

Timothy, imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1 NKJV)

Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity (1 Timothy 4:12 NLT).

 You must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:14-15 NLT).

You have closely followed my example and the truth that I’ve imparted to you. You have modeled your life after the love and endurance I’ve demonstrated in my ministry by not giving up. The faith I have, you now have. What I have hungered for in life has now become your longing as well. The patience I have with others, you now demonstrate. And the same persecutions and difficulties I have endured, you have also endured (2 Timothy 3:10-11 TPT).

 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you (Philippians 4:9 NLT).

 These verses not only demonstrate the transformational power of Paul’s godly example, but also of those who had taught Timothy from childhood—this would have included his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5).

One of Paul’s statements—you know you can trust those who taught you—reminds me of something I experienced very early in my ministry. Our church was having our regular dinner before the Wednesday evening service, and I was mingling with and greeting the people. At one of the tables was a group of senior citizens, and a very dear lady asked me a question. She told me that she had heard two preachers contradict each other earlier in the day on the radio, and it troubled her. She told me their two positions on that particular topic and asked me what I believed to be true.

The teacher in me wanted to take her through various Scripture to show her how to think through the matter biblically, but she kindly shut me down. She said something like, “Brother Cooke, I know how you live, and I know that you love Jesus and are close to God. I don’t really want to know all the technical information. I just want you to tell me what you believe about that, and whatever you believe will be good for me, too.” I appreciated her kind remarks, and I shared my perspective with her, but I would have preferred her to be like the Bereans who “searched the Scriptures daily” (Acts 17:11 NKJV).

That experience made me realize the importance of my example, that my lifestyle can either lend credibility toward or detract from what I teach. I understand that the Bible is true whether I embody or express its principles through my own life or not, but people tend to judge spiritual matters based on how proponents of a belief conduct themselves. This is why D. L. Moody said, “Out of 100 men, one will read the Bible, the other 99 will read the Christian.” Objective truth is vital, but truth often impacts people most effectively when it is embodied and expressed through believers.

There is danger of course, if we look to someone to always interpret and personify God’s truth perfectly; humans will (predictably) fail. No one has ever manifested God’s nature and character perfectly except the Lord Jesus Christ. This is why Howard Hendricks wisely said, “When you see me stop following Christ, stop following me.” This doesn’t mean you need to disassociate from every imperfect person, but it does mean that you shouldn’t emulate people’s flaws. Rather, make Jesus your ultimate example. This is also why Paul never gave an unqualified and absolute directive for people to follow him. Rather, he instructed, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1 KJV). Though Paul realized he was less than perfect and was still growing, he did strive to follow Christ consistently, which is why he also never said, “Do as I say, not as I do.”

 Paul was also mindful of his responsibility as a role model when he admonished the Philippian church to “pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example” (Philippians 3:17 NLT). Clearly, Paul believed in teaching the word, but he also put significant emphasis on modeling the word and the power of that influence.

Paul’s mindset regarding being an example did not just apply to ethereal, abstract concepts, but also to the very practical elements of life, such as our work ethic. To one church, Paul writes:

For you know that you ought to imitate us. We were not idle when we were with you. We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked hard day and night so we would not be a burden to any of you. We certainly had the right to ask you to feed us, but we wanted to give you an example to follow. Even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “Those unwilling to work will not get to eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:7-10 NLT).

 It seems from the preponderance of biblical principles that the best way to teach something is to do it. Our words should simply illuminate and reinforce what we are living.