Imitators of God
As children of God we are called to live according to the highest possible standard of behavior. Jesus put it like this, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). This perfection can only be reached by those who are truly born from above. If God is our Father, then we will seek to be like Him!
KEY TEXT: “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1,2 NIV).
It is a very natural thing for children to want to imitate their father. Jesus used this principle to teach the difference between the children of God and those of the Devil (John 8:38-44). We become children of God when we are “born again” (John 3:7,8). What is the natural manifestation inherent in all those who are born of God ( I John 3:7-10)?
As dearly-loved children of God, our lives should be patterned according to the example Jesus set for us. As the Son of God, Jesus lived His life to please His Father (John 8:28,29; Matthew 3:16,17). Consider the way our lives as Christians are to imitate the life of Christ as you read Romans 6:3-6. Why is it necessary to crucify the “old man” in order to “walk in newness of life” (Romans 8:8,9)?
There are certain attributes about God that cannot be imitated by man such as His omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience (Jeremiah 10:6,7). However, we are to emulate the attributes of His character such as holiness, justice, love, mercy, forgiveness, faithfulness, longsuffering, and honesty (I Peter 1:14-16; Luke 6:36; Ephesians 4:32; 5:8-10).
Consider the way in which our lives will affect the people of this world when we imitate God (Matthew 5:16).
The only way to come into the likeness of our Heavenly Father is to commune
with Him. As we are led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14) and obey His Word (II
Timothy 3:16,17), we are changed into His likeness (II Corinthians 3:18).
What will be the end result of our faithfulness to the Lord (I John 3:2)?
Welcome to The Church of God in Clarion!
We wish to thank you for visiting our website and our hope is that you will find something that blesses you spiritually and also causes you to investigate more thoroughly the workings and worship of The Church of God.
We invite you out for our Wednesday Services!
The Church of God in Clarion invites you out for one of our special services
on Wednesday evenings.
On the first Wednesday of the month we have a Praise and Worship/Hymn Sing
Service. During this service we invite anyone who would like to participate
out to bring a song to praise the Lord. The second Wednesday of the month
we teach from our manual. This service allows us to stay current on our
doctrine and learn from it. The third Wednesday of the month is evanglistic/candlestick.
The fourth Wednesday is our open Bible study. This service is a bible study
open to any topic. The fifth Wednesday is our fellowship service. The idea
is to fellowship with each other and worship the Lord together.
We encourage you to come and join us for these exciting services in the Lord!
Upcoming Events
• Saturday June 13th: Arise, Shine Day! also Sons of Abraham Prayer Breakfast in Youngstown at 8am.
• Sunday June 21st: Father's Day.
• Saturday July 4th: Independence Day Parade in Latrobe.
• July 5-July 11: Family Camp to be held at The Church of God Campground in Sigel, PA.
Scripture Center
• Show me Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths, guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day. - Psalm 25:4-5
• "At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.”. - Matthew 18:1-5 NKJV