From the beginning, everything God created has the capacity and power to reproduce after their kind. This is the order to which the world has been fashioned to function. For a sheep to give birth to a sheep, there must be a coming together of a male and female sheep. Anything outside this order would result to an offspring that is strange.

A mango tree for example does not produce fruits that looks like a coconut, the fruit is exactly like mango. But what about the taste? The result of the fruit is not only by what we see it is also by experience. So we know that a mango does not just look like mango it also taste like mango. So when a mango has a resemblance of a mango but has the taste of banana then there is a problem.

Every fruits uniqueness by the way it resembles and taste like the parent stock. So when a leader or a believer only wears the form of godliness and deny the power of the gospel, He will fail to demonstrate authority, capacity and power to command and produce result.

So what am I saying in essence? Resemblance is holistic, it is not just in physical appearance but also in attitude, behavior, character and competence. It covers both inward and outward. See what Apostle Paul said in the book of Hebrews 8:5, it says; “For when Moses was about to erect the tabernacle, he was warned by God, saying, See to it that you make it all [exactly] according to the copy (the model) which was shown to you on the mountain.”

We are all aware of how powerful the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant was, we will see all through the Bible, the power it showed, how it killed Uzzah, how Dagon the gods of the philistines fell several times before it and it eventually broke in pieces, how it brought prosperity to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite, and so on and so forth. I am sure you would agree with me that what made it that powerful and effective was because: Firstly, it was a replica of the throne of God in heaven, exactly what Isaiah saw in the book of Isaiah 6:2. Secondly, the instructions given by God concerning its construction was followed diligently even to the latter.

For those who are familiar with the  Nigerian market, we would realize that counterfeits or goods with less quality carry a similar name with goods that are original so much so that if you are not careful, you would be deceived. And this method has worked for them over the years, people continue to patronize them as each day goes by. I have probed into why they do this and one thing I have realized is that they have recognized the principle of replica or imitation. Even if the material looks inferior provided it  looks or wears the same look like the original, people would fall for it.

The same principle was emphasized by apostle Paul in His epistle to the Romans in chapter 12:2 “He said And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Every believer should copy or imitate Christ and be almost like him in every way, the way we can do this is by daily transforming our minds, so that our minds can be like that of Christ. Jesus is the model with which we must copy and we must try to resemble Him in every way.

In the book of Genesis 1:26 God made a statement by saying; “Let us make man in Our image according to Our likeness.” This is talking about resemblance, and imitation. Man was created by default to be like God, and to look like Him in every way. Man eventually lost the privilege due to disobedience, but the good news is that Christ has come to reconcile us back to God and has given us His Spirit to help us look perfectly like God.

When everything about you is not  a replica of heaven, then there is a problem. You must be a replica of Christ before you can exercise authority with the name of Christ. Your Spirit and the Spirit of the Father must bear witness that they are one. This is the secret to becoming powerful and successful as a leader.

One major characteristics I have identified with Identical twins is perfect resemblance, leading to mistaken identity. We naturally find ourselves in a position where we begin to substitute one for the other. We get confused because there is no difference, no fault, everything about them looks exactly alike. And that is what Spiritual leadership is all about. So when people look at you, do they see Christ in you or there is no resemblance at all.

Any leader that can successfully translate his vision and leadership to his followers so much so that they look  like identical twins or the exact replica of their leader is on the right path to trans-generational impact. So do you want to be effective, have authority and a capacity to create an attention that cannot be disregarded? Then look like Christ in every way.

The secret to building a powerful nation, an effective ministry, an extraordinary followers who will do greater works than you when you are gone, is hidden in this principle. When you understand it, it would be easy for you to follow God and build the desired character you would like to see among your followers. What makes a leader trans-generational is determined by how much lives he was able to impact during his leadership endeavor.

And how can a leader do this? It is simply by making his followers become like him. The Bible says in Acts 4:13 “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.” It was because of what the people of Antioch saw in the early disciples that they were called Christians. If you can look like Christ, then you will possess the power of Christ. What will people see in your followers that depict the exact character of their leader? Dagon, the philistine god fell flat before the ark that was just a mere replica of what is in heaven, how much more when you look like Christ? Everything else will bow in like manner.

Another thing we must consider is that you must be sure you are called and separated by God to lead. Deuteronomy 10:8  says; “At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister to Him and to bless in His name, to this day.” Don’t begin a work the Lord has not commanded you for, you must be sure you are called and sent or else you won’t get the backing you require. Make sure you are separated otherwise it attracts a lot of consequences.

Looking at the book of Mark 11:28, see the question they asked Him: “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?

Now He replied their question with a question but it was clear that the answer was already in it. He said in verse 30 “The baptism of John–was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me.” Obviously it was from heaven, meaning that the source of any genuine authority is given from above, so do not seek authority or power from anywhere else, find it in God and before you can be able to do this you must look like Christ in every way.

Don’t be deceived to begin ministry by using strange powers. A house divided against itself will not stand. You cannot cast out demons by Beelzebub, total and complete liberation is from God. Authority can ONLY be exercised by the Spirit of God.

In conclusion Christ said in Matthew 28:18 “all authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”Would you rather not obey and look like Him in every way in order to have that same authority? He also commanded us to “Go and make disciples of all nations.” Our authority in Christ is rooted in this word “GO” and until we go out, this authority cannot be exercised. All we have to do is believe Him in faith and every sign shall follow (see Mark 16:15-18).

God Bless You.

[Centre for New Dimension Leadership]