基督徒是否有耶穌的形象？
作者：盧國禮 翻譯：小米
"......你們這屬神的人，要逃避這些事，追求公義、敬虔、信心、愛心、忍耐、溫柔。"
"你[們]要為了真道打那美好的仗，持定永生......"（提摩太前書6：11-12）。
使徒保羅叫我們逃避那些事呢？就是聖經提摩太前書6：3-10節所說："貪財" 的內容。
公元一世紀時，有假教師在教會裏傳異教，不信耶穌基督的教導，與合乎敬虔的道理。他們自高自大，專好問難，爭辯言詞，因此破壞了人際關係，生出嫉妒、分爭、譭謗、妄疑。有人貪財，被引誘離經背道，他們的言行，帶來許多愁苦，把別人和自己都刺透了。
有人說基督徒是 "愛" 的形象，藉著耶穌基督的愛，"愛人如己"；可是我們所看見的，他們給別人的傷害比安慰更多。可嘆！你和我日常生活裏的經驗告訴我們，耶穌基督的慈愛、溫柔和忍耐，在基督徒的生活裏並不常見。我們向外傳福音時，不知不覺中给人留下了以下的負面印象：
1. 固執己見
2. 妄自專大
3. 好辯
4. 論斷
5. 憤怒
6. 兇惡
7. 無禮
8. 譴責
9. 高度政治敏感
10. 頑固
11. 結黨
12. 恐懼
13. 思想狹窄
老實說，我們不可用同一個尺碼來量度所有基督徒。虔敬的門徒，他們皆有信心、愛心、忍耐、溫柔，他们会為真道打那美好的仗，持定永生。
不過，人總會受到試探。在人們沒有儆醒祈禱的时候，很容易在不知不覺中就失腳。我們應每日三省吾身，查驗我們本身是否沾染了前文所說的種種問題。有者，即求神憐憫，願聖靈帥領我們走回義路。
耶穌基督責罵 "法利賽人"，說他們 "假冒為善"。事實證明，很多今天的信徒成為了現代的 "法利賽人"﹐使未信耶穌的人卻步。甚者，他們的德行還比不上非基督徒。
親愛的弟兄姊妹，當發現我們主內的弟兄姊妹失足犯錯時，我們在哪裏？我們有沒有主動去關懷他們？有没有盡心、盡意、盡力去挽回他們？又或是我們不過是冷眼旁觀、莫不關心、讓論斷、憤怒等等負面的情緒充满我們？
神的呼召
基督的門徒怎樣才能承受神的國？保羅在加拉太書說："聖靈的果子就是：仁愛、喜樂、和平、忍耐、恩慈、良善、信實、溫柔、節制"(5：22-23)。
保羅又在哥林多前書十三章4-7節說：愛是 --
1. 恆久忍耐
2. 有恩慈
3. 不嫉妒，不自誇，不張狂
4. 不作害羞的事
5. 不求自己的益處
6. 不輕易發怒
7. 不計算人的惡
8. 不喜歡不義，只喜歡真理
9. 凡事包容
10. 凡事相信[神]
11. 凡事盼望
12. 凡事忍耐
耶穌吃完最後的晚餐，對門徒說："......有了我的命令又遵守的，這人就是愛我的：愛我的，必蒙我父愛他，我也愛他......"（約翰楅音14:21）。
當走過葡萄園時，耶穌又說："我是葡萄樹，我父是栽培的人，凡屬我不結果子的枝子，祂就剪去；凡結果子的，祂就修理乾淨，使枝子結果子更多。" (約翰福音15：1-2）。
耶穌再說他是葡萄樹，門徒是枝子，常在祂裏面的，祂也常在門徒裏面，那人就多結[屬靈]的果子；因為如果門徒離開了耶穌，他們就不能作什麼......若門徒常在基督裏，祂的話也常在他的心裏，凡門徒所願意的，祈求就給他們成就......（約翰福音15：5-7）。
基督徒應該有耶穌的形象，我們既是祂的門徒，便要活出耶穌基督的生命，"活著就是基督"，不再是舊的我，是穿上新衣的我了。"不要譭謗，不要爭競，總要和平，向眾人大顯溫柔" （提多書3：2)。"只要溫溫和和的待眾人，善於教導，存心忍耐，用溫柔勸戒那抵擋的人。"（提摩太後書2：24-25）。
How does a Christian live like Christ?
Written by Francis Loo Translated by Naomi
"But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness."
"Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life..." (1 Timothy 6:11-12)
What did Paul ask us to flee from? It is what mentioned in 1 Timothy 6:3-10, which is about "the love of money".
During the 1st century, there were false teachers preaching in church. They did not believe in the teachings from Jesus. They were against godly truth. They were conceited. They had an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that broken the relationships within church and resulted in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith. Their words and actions pierced themselves with many griefs.
Someone said, Christians represent the imagery of "love". Because of the love from Christ, they love their neighbor as themselves. However, we often see more hurt than comfort caused by them. Our everyday experiences showed us that the kindness, gentleness, patience of Jesus Christ is not often found in the life of Christians. What we did is louder than what we said. Therefore, when we preached gospel, our bad behaviors left destructive impressions to the world, particularly:
1. persistent
2. proud
3. argumentative
4. judgmental
5. angry
6. vicious
7. rude
8. censure
9. highly politically sensitive
10. stubborn
11. clique
12. fear
13. narrow minded
Surely, we can not ask every Christian look exactly the same. However, godly disciples share common characters of being faithful, loving, patient, gentle, and they all fight the good fights of the faith as well as take hold of the eternal life.
Meanwhile, everybody fall into temptations from time to time. When we do not watch and pray, it is easy for us to stumble. We should exam ourselves daily to see if we also have any negative emotions that mentioned above. If so, we should ask God's mercy. May the Holy Sprit take us back to righteous path.
Jesus rebuked "the Pharisees" for being "hypocrites". In fact, many believers have followed this path and become "the Pharisees" in modern days. They made non-believers have doubt towards Christian faith. Moreover, their lives are not as moral as non-believers.
Dear brothers and sisters, when we discovered that our families in Christ had made a mistake, where were we? Did we make efforts to care about them? Did we spend all of our heart, all of our mind, all of our strength to hold them back? Did we act indifferently or hold negative emotions, such as be judgmental or angry, against them?
The call from above
How can the disciples of Jesus Christ receive the kingdom of God? Paul taught people in the book of Galatians, "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." (Galatians 5:22-23)
Paul gave his teachings of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7: Love is --
1. patient
2. kind
3. not envy, not boast, not proud.
4. does not dishonor others
5. not self-seeking
6. not easily angered
7. keeps no record of wrongs
8. does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth
9. always protects
10. always trusts
11. always hopes,
12. always perseveres.
After Jesus finished the last supper, He told His disciples, "...whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them..." (John 14:21)
When Jesus crossed a vineyard, He said，"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful."(John 15:1-2)
And then, Jesus repeated that He was the vine; disciples were the branches. If disciples remained in Him, and He in them, those disciples would bear much fruit; apart from Him disciples could do nothing. ...If disciples remained in Him and His words remained in them, they could ask whatever they wish, and it would be done for them.( John 15:5-7)
Christians should be like Christ. We are His disciples. Therefore, we should live like Christ. "to live is Christ"，we are new creations, and our old patterns should be gone. "to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone." (Titus 3:2) "must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed ..." (2 Timothy 2:24-25)