How can we live and minister like Christ? As John the Apostle introduces Jesus’ ministry in John 1:14-18, he indicates eight characteristics about how Jesus fulfilled his mission. If we want to live and serve like Christ, these characteristics must also characterize us.

Taking Initative

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Not “The Word made us seek him first” or “The Word waited until we cleaned our lives up.” Jesus took the initiative to come to us. In the same way, we must take initiative to reach the lost. We can’t just hold Sunday services and expect the lost to come to us. We can’t sit in our homes reading the Bible and expect the unreached in other countries to be saved. We must find out where the lost are and go to them with the good news.

Relational

As we go to the lost, we must build authentic relationships with them. Jesus “dwelt among us” (John 1:14). He ate with prostitutes and tax collectors. He gathered disciples who lived with him. Befriending the lost gives us an opportunity to show them that we truly care for them and to live out a genuine Christian life before them. Then, when we speak the gospel, our friend’s ears will be better tuned to hear the message.

Sacrificial Humility

Who was it that became flesh and dwelt among us? The Word. John 1:1-3 says that the Word is the eternal, uncreated, all-creating God. For him to take on a human nature as the man Jesus was an act of humility deeper than we can imagine. The Creator became part of his creation. The Eternal One stepped into time. The Almighty God became a man with all of humanity’s weaknesses and limitations except for sin. And, of course, the climax of his humiliation was his sacrificial death on the cross for our sins.

If we live and serve like Jesus, it will cost us. We will humble ourselves to serve people that the world says are beneath us. We will sacrifice time and money and energy and opportunities for a greater purpose. People will misunderstand and hurt us. But this is the cross-shaped love of Christ that compels us to live like he did.

Contextualized

A major aspect of Jesus’ ministry was to reveal God the Father (John 1:18). God is not a law to obey, a doctrine to believe, or a subject to study. He is a Person to know and love, and he revealed that most clearly by becoming a human person and living among us. He bridged the gap between himself and humanity by becoming part of humanity.

So when we take the gospel to others, we must communicate clearly. We must be sensitive to cultural norms so that we don’t unnecessarily alienate people. And as the gospel takes root, it will look different in different cultures. We don’t force Ugandans to dress like Americans. We don’t tell Pakistanis to use the same worship music as Germans.

Just like Christ became one of us to reveal God to us, so we become as much like our target culture and as much like Jesus as we possibly can in order to share Jesus with them. We never change our gospel message, but we do adapt our gospel methods in order to break down barriers, make our message understandable, and allow the gospel to grow in the soil of that culture.

Christ-Centered

Through his ministry, Christ revealed his glory (John 1:14). He always pointed to himself as the only Savior and the one on whom people must believe. That’s why John the Baptist testified that Jesus was greater than he was (John 1:15). Our lives and ministries must always be about Jesus, never ourselves. We proclaim Christ, not ourselves. We work for his glory, not ours. We strive to make sure people’s faith are in Christ’s work and words, not in something we’ve done or said. Jesus must increase, but we must decrease (John 3:30).

Gracious

Jesus’ glory was “full of grace and truth,” and “grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:14, 17). Jesus brought the full realization of God’s grace, the undeserved kindness we desperately need as sinners under God’s wrath. And as ones who have received grace, we should also give grace. Do people know you as a kind, compassionate, forgiving person? Do you love others, even when they don’t deserve it? Grace is at the heart of Jesus’ person and work, and it should be the same with us.

Truth-Based

At the same time, being gracious doesn’t mean compromising truth. Jesus taught that people had to believe his truth in order to receive his grace. We cannot compromise on things like man’s sinful nature, the reality of hell, the fact that Jesus is fully God and fully man, or that faith alone in Christ alone is the only way to be saved. We must graciously proclaim the truth like Jesus did.

Flowing out of a Relationship with God

But how do we live like this? It flows out of a rich relationship with God through Christ. Even Jesus’ ministry flowed out of his own relationship with God the Father (John 1:18). We aren’t naturally like Christ, and we can’t live like this in our own strength. Only a vibrant, growing relationship with Jesus can transform and empower us to live and serve like Jesus. If you struggle with one or more of these areas, run to Christ. Refresh your experience of who he is and how he works. Let that fuel your Christlike life and ministry.