Living a Life Worth Following: The Call to Authentic Christianity

In a world filled with countless voices vying for our attention, the question of who we choose to follow has never been more critical. The apostle Paul's letter to the church in Philippi offers timeless wisdom that cuts through the noise of our modern age with surgical precision: "Be careful who you follow."

This isn't merely good advice. It's a matter of eternal consequence.

The Power of Imitation

We are all imitators, whether we realize it or not. From childhood, we learn by watching others, copying their speech patterns, adopting their mannerisms, mimicking their behaviors. This instinct doesn't disappear in adulthood; it simply becomes more sophisticated. We still become like those we spend time with, absorb the values of those we admire, and drift toward the priorities of those in our inner circle.

The real question isn't whether we're following someone. The question is whether we're following the right someone.

Paul understood this dynamic deeply when he wrote to the Philippian church with a bold declaration: "Join in following my example." These weren't the words of an arrogant man but of someone who knew his heart's deepest desire was to please God above all else. Paul could confidently say, "Follow me," because he was wholeheartedly following Christ.

Can we say the same?

The Tragedy of Pretenders

What breaks through Paul's words in Philippians 3 is not anger but grief. He writes "even weeping" about those who claim to follow Christ but live as "enemies of the cross." These tears reveal something profound about authentic faith; it should move us to compassion for those who bear Christ's name without bearing His likeness.

Paul identifies three characteristics of these pretenders that remain disturbingly relevant today:

1. Their god is their belly. They serve their own appetites and desires rather than the King of kings. Comfort trumps conviction. Pleasure takes precedence over obedience.
2. Their glory is in their shame. They celebrate and entertain themselves with the very sins that nailed Jesus to the cross. What should produce remorse instead produces revelry.
3. They set their minds on earthly things. Nothing spiritual excites them anymore. Missing church dozens of times means nothing. The things of God have been replaced by the trinkets of this temporary world.

The tragedy is that these individuals often look the part. They show up on Sunday mornings in nice clothes, sit in church pews, and speak the right religious language. But their lives tell a different story Monday through Saturday.

The Radical Call of the Cross

Jesus never promised His followers an easy path. His invitation was stark and uncompromising: "Come and die." Die to yourself. Die to your old way of living. Die to your selfish ambitions. Pick up your cross and follow Me.

In John 6, we see this radical call in action. Jesus was at the height of His popularity, with thousands following Him to witness miracles and receive blessings. Then He raised the bar. He began talking about sacrifice, about forsaking everything, about having no place to lay His head. The response was immediate and devastating: "From that time many of his disciples went back and walked with Him no more."

They wanted the benefits of following Jesus without the cost. They desired heaven but not holiness. They sought comfort but rejected conviction.

The cross is not a decoration to wear around our necks. It is a declaration; it's a statement that sin is serious and salvation is costly. If your version of Christianity costs you nothing, it's not the same one Jesus preached.

Building on the Right Foundation

Jesus told a parable about two builders. One built his house on rock; the other on sand. When the storms came—and they came to both houses—only one remained standing.
The difference wasn't the quality of the construction or the severity of the storm. The difference was the foundation.

Those who hear God's Word and obey it are building on solid rock. When trials come, when the enemy attacks, when life gets hard, they stand firm. But those who hear God's Word and ignore it are building sandcastles. They may look impressive for a season, but when the inevitable storms arrive, their fall is great.

The question for each of us is simple: What are we building our lives upon? Are we constructing elaborate sandcastles that will wash away, or are we laying foundations on the eternal rock of God's Word?

Citizens of a Better Kingdom

Here's the liberating truth that should transform how we live: this world is not our home.
Paul reminds the Philippians—and us—that "our citizenship is in heaven." We're living as colonists in a foreign land, representing a better kingdom. When people encounter us, they should sense we're not from around here. Our values should seem foreign. Our priorities should appear upside-down. Our joy should seem inexplicable.

We're giving the world around us a glimpse of what's coming. Every act of love, every moment of service, every display of unity shows them what our King is like and what His kingdom is like.

This perspective changes everything. It means the hardships we face here are temporary. The injustices we witness won't have the last word. The brokenness surrounding us is not the end of the story.

Every day we live is one day closer to going home.

The Glorious Transformation Awaiting

Paul concludes this section with a breathtaking promise: Christ "will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body."

Christian maturity is about becoming more like Jesus every single day. But the culmination of this process won't happen until Christ appears. On that day, our sanctification will give way to glorification. We'll receive brand new bodies, perfectly suited for the glory that awaits us.

We'll finally be able to lay down the crosses we've carried throughout our earthly journey and exchange them for crowns, crowns we'll immediately cast at the feet of our Savior in worship.

A Life Worth Imitating

The challenge before us is clear: Are we living lives worthy of imitation? Could we honestly look someone in the eye and say, "Follow my example as I follow Christ"?

Our children are watching. Our grandchildren are observing. Our coworkers are taking notes. Our neighbors are drawing conclusions. What are they learning from us?

The world is filled with bad examples to follow. Let's determine to be the exception, consistent in faith, unwavering in devotion, authentic in our walk with Christ. Let's finish this race well, pressing toward the finish line with everything we have, so that one day we'll hear those words we long for: "Well done, good and faithful servant."

The question isn't whether people are watching. They are. The question is: What are they seeing?

All for Him,

Pastor Dustin