Who Do You Look Like? Made in God's Image

Who do you look like? Becoming a disciple made in God's image

The question Pastor Kevin ANGO asks this Sunday at ICC TV Montreal is short, but it stays with you long after the service: "Who do you look like?" Not your name, not your role, not the church you belong to, the image you carry. Because in the Kingdom of God, it's not your baptismal certificate that qualifies you before the Father. It's the image of Christ formed in you.

The message starts in Genesis 1 and goes all the way to the wedding of the Lamb. It passes through Adam, Moses, Christ, Paul, and it stops at you, this morning, with a precise question: are you still a believer, or have you become a disciple?

1. From creation, God wanted His image in man

Before giving man a mission, God gave him an identity. That's the first point of the message. Genesis 1:26 says: "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness." Kevin ANGO points this out: God didn't start by assigning a task, he started by imprinting a nature.

This nature is spiritual. John 4:24 reminds us: God is spirit. So when the Bible says he created us in his image, it's talking about his character, his imprint, his nature deposited in us. It's like a maker who puts his mark on his product and defends that mark against every counterfeit. God defends his image in man.

And the plan was never for Adam to be alone. Adam means humanity. God's purpose is for his image to be reflected in every nation, in every people, like a brand that would become the leader in its category.

2. The image lost, then restored in Christ

At the fall, the image was taken away. From then on, no one fully carried the image of God anymore. Moses arrived with the commandments (Exodus 20), but the veil remained. God was waiting for the right moment to reveal himself differently.

That right moment is Christ. John 1:14 says it: the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The invisible God became visible. Colossians 1:15: "He is the image of the invisible God." Hebrews 1:3: Jesus is "the exact representation of his being."

And Romans 8:29 ties it all together: "Those he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son." That's your destiny. God isn't following you at random, he knew you, he predestined you, he knows exactly where he's leading you.

3. God's character is a package

What does this image contain? Kevin ANGO builds on apostle Ivan's teaching: the image of God begins with his character, and his character comes down to love. But this isn't a vague love. It's a package described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-5.

• Love is patient.
• Love is kind.
• Love does not envy, is not jealous.
• Love does not boast, is not puffed up with pride.
• Love is not rude, does not seek its own interest.
• Love is not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs.

That is the content of the image God wants to see reproduced in you. Not occasional exploits. A character.

4. Moving from believer to disciple: discipleship as the tool

This is where the message hits home. God expects you to move from believer to disciple. John 8:31: Jesus says to the Jews who had believed in him (so, already believers), "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples." Listening to the word is a necessary condition, not a sufficient one. Putting it into practice is what moves you to the next stage.

Discipleship is a relationship. When Jesus says "Follow me," he's not asking you to join an organization or an association. He's asking for a relationship. He wants to see you become like him. It's the calling before the mission.

And this transformation happens through the spirit. Kevin ANGO uses the powerful image of three friends standing before the assembly: spirit, soul, flesh. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 describes us as tripartite. The soul is in the middle, neutral. It follows whichever is stronger. If the flesh dominates, the soul is pulled toward the flesh. If the spirit is strong (fed by the word, by prayer, by the Holy Spirit), then the spirit takes control and the soul follows.

The solution isn't to fight the flesh head-on. Galatians 5:16: "Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh." Seek the Spirit first. The Spirit draws you away from the flesh without you wearing yourself out over it.

Zechariah 4:6 confirms it: "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit."

5. Give to God what is God's

Kevin ANGO closes on Matthew 22:15-22. The Pharisees and the Herodians come to trap Jesus over the tax owed to Caesar. Jesus asks for a coin, points to the image on it, and says: "Give back to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."

The coin bore the image of Caesar, so it belonged to Caesar. You bear the image of Christ. So you belong to Christ. Galatians 2:20: "I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." You no longer belong to yourself.

2 Corinthians 3:18 closes the loop: "And we all, with unveiled faces, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image." What you gaze upon determines who you resemble. Gaze at Michael Jordan, you'll play like him. Gaze at Christ, you'll become like him. Your transformation isn't an effort, it's the fruit of your gazing.

6. God doesn't rest until he has seen his image

The pastor returns to Genesis 1. God creates light, good, but he doesn't rest. He creates the expanse, beautiful, but he doesn't rest. The earth, the lights, the fish, the birds, good, very good, but he doesn't rest. Only when man appears, bearing his image, does he declare: "Very good," and rest.

As long as God has not seen his image, he doesn't rest. So why would you rest? There are still souls to be won, creatures who need to become children of God, images to be restored. The message closes on this exhortation: don't rest as long as God isn't resting.

Key takeaways

• Before giving a mission, God gives an identity. Your image in Christ comes before your service.
• Listening to the word is necessary; keeping it is what makes you a disciple.
• A strong spirit governs the soul and moves it away from the flesh. Praying, meditating on the word, walking by the Spirit, that's the training.
• What you gaze upon determines who you resemble. Gaze at Christ.
• You bear the image of Christ, so you belong to Christ. Surrender to him the way the coin belonged to Caesar.

Personal application

1. Today, if God ran a scan over your life, would he see his image in you or a counterfeit?
2. Are you a believer who comes to church, or a disciple who puts the word into practice? Name one specific point of the word you're not yet applying.
3. Is your spirit growing or shrinking? When was the last time you prayed alone for more than ten minutes?
4. What do you gaze at the most in a given week? An influencer, a series, a model of success, or Christ in his word?
5. Is there someone around you that you're called to bring from believer to disciple? Write down their name and commit to praying for them every day this week.

Scriptures cited in the message

• Genesis 1:26 · Let us make man in our image.
• John 4:24 · God is spirit.
• Ephesians 1:4 · God chose us before the foundation of the world.
• Jeremiah 1:5 · Before I formed you in the womb.
• Exodus 20 · The ten commandments.
• John 1:14 · The Word became flesh.
• Colossians 1:15 · He is the image of the invisible God.
• Colossians 1:13 · He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness.
• Hebrews 1:3 · The radiance of his glory.
• Romans 8:29 · Predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.
• 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 · Love is patient.
• 2 Corinthians 3:18 · We are being transformed into the same image.
• Galatians 2:20 · I no longer live.
• Galatians 4:19 · Until Christ is formed in you.
• Galatians 5:16-17 · Walk by the Spirit.
• John 8:31 · You are really my disciples.
• Matthew 22:15-22 · Give back to Caesar.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:23 · Spirit, soul, and body.
• Zechariah 4:6 · Not by might, but by my Spirit.

FAQ

What does it mean to "be made in the image of God" according to this message?
It means carrying the nature and character of God, his love as described in 1 Corinthians 13, thanks to the Holy Spirit who comes to dwell in us. It's not a physical resemblance, it's a spiritual imprint that shows up in how we live.

What's the difference between a believer and a disciple?
The believer listens to the word and believes. The disciple keeps the word and puts it into practice. John 8:31 is clear: Jesus is speaking to people who already believe in him and tells them that it's by holding to his teaching that they become truly his disciples. Discipleship begins where passive listening ends.

How can I strengthen my spirit against the flesh day to day?
The message gives a simple answer: walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). Practically, that means regular prayer, meditating on the word, fellowship with other believers, and gazing at Christ. The more you gaze at Christ, the more your spirit grows, and the more naturally it governs the soul and the flesh.