by Bro. Philip Largas
Reading of the Day: Philippians 4:8-9
“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery…” Oscar Wilde
“Imitate me as I imitate Christ” – Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:1
“Don’t just admire us: Imitate us!” Apostle Jonathan S. Ferriol
Let’s admit it. We were all consumed by admiration for someone. When we were younger, we wanted to dress up like them, talk like them, live like them and in whatever we do, we want to be associated with our hero.This is true with our fictional heroes from Marvel or DC films, from our favourite basketball players, favourite movie stars, musicians or just any other influential person.
As we advance in age, we still have admiration for those who display charisma, effective leadership, talent, a winsome character or any noteworthy trait.
Thanks to the advent of social media, those we admire can sometimes be inescapable in our lives if we choose to consume their content through hours of doom-scrolling. To take it a step further we would pour out so much money on the products they endorse in order to somehow have a semblance of association with the one we admire.
But the deepest level of admiration is more than consuming their content or buying their products. The ultimate form of admiration is imitation. One who has the deepest admiration is the one who bases their identity, their habits and even their entire reality to be like the one whom they admire.
As believers, we are called not simply to be believers but imitators of Jesus Christ.
While Scripture and films portray the greatness of Jesus Christ, His Holy Spirit also testifies of Him through God’s chosen messengers, His apostles, who proclaim and model Christ (Colossians 1:28, 1 Corinthians 11:1).
Along with our deep admiration for our Lord Jesus Christ we also hold other godly individuals in a high regard as our role models.
In the fifty years of the PMCC 4th Watch, we can see a great array of heroes of faith, but the one that stands out the most is none other than the Goodman of the House, the Late Apostle Arsenio Tan Ferriol. Though he may no longer be with us, his successor Apostle Jonathan S. Ferriol has given his life for several decades in imitating him. It is no wonder that God chose him to be the man God called to now lead His church.
But how can we truly emulate our spiritual role models?
To be just like our spiritual role models, God gave us a template in the church: its apostolic culture.
The tenets that make us admire him are being taught to us. We can be like our heroes after all because we are being encouraged to do so.
The beauty of our Apostolic culture is more than words spoken behind a pulpit but it’s a lifestyle guided by biblical and Christlike values. We can imitate our heroes in the faith. In fact, we should! We should invest in their work and be a part of it.
Having explored the 4th watch culture in previous SPA articles, the central message remains: we are called to imitate Christ by following the example of our apostles in this end-time, thus continuing the legacy of the late Apostle Arsenio Tan Ferriol and our present apostle, His divinely enabled successor, Apostle Jonathan S. Ferriol.
Apostle Arsenio Tan Ferriol doing what he’s done best: Preaching, Teaching and Exemplifying Godliness
Apostle Jonathan continues the work that was started by his father as he continues to be at the forefront of building the work of God.
Therefore, whether we strive to uphold apostolic authority, are driven by unity with our leaders and local pastors, cultivate a passion for growth, or remain focused on Jesus in all our actions, remember that these are the very ways we can become like our heroes in the faith.
Many cannot live up to those whom they admire, yet for us, God gave us the apostolic template in which we could imitate to be just like them.
Reflection: Think about our apostolic culture and ask: what do we do each day to try to imitate our spiritual models?
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