Patternism in the Church

I’m reading a book by John Mark Hicks, Professor of Theology at Lipscomb University, called “Searching for the Pattern- -My Journey in Interpreting the Bible.”  In the book, Hicks compares the “blueprint hermeneutic,” (command, example, and necessary inference…some would add expediency to that) that traditionally has been the pattern for churches of Christ with the “theological hermeneutic” that is, he says, the life of Jesus.  Here is what he says about that more fully.

Jesus is the pattern.  Jesus is the Word of God—our pattern, the speech of God.  And the incarnate Word of God embodies who God is and what God desires.

Disciples of Jesus follow Jesus.  The follow him into the water and are baptized.  The follow him into the wilderness and thus seek solitude with God in the midst of their trials as they discern and confess their identity as children of God.  They follow him into intimacy with other disciples, and thus week honest relationships with other believers.  They follow him to the table and thus experience relationship with others and commune with God.  They follow him into the world as missional people and thus are heralds and practitioners of the good news.  They follow him as leaders and serve rather than lord it over others.  They follow him into the assemblies of God’s people to praise God and thus gather as a community to celebrate the good news of the kingdom.  They follow him in disciple-making.  They follow him in pursuing mercy and justice and thus seek to embody a righteousness that declares that the kingdom of God has arrived.  Disciples of Jesus do not follow the church; they follow Jesus and thus become the church—an outpost of the kingdom of God in this broken world.