As Christians, our natural affinities must take a back seat to our chief affinity with Jesus Christ, our Savior and Elder Brother. We are called to have a stronger bond with Him than with any other person, activity, place, or thing. From the very beginning, as seen in Genesis 1, we are created in the image and likeness of God, sharing a form and shape similar to His, as well as mental and spiritual qualities like mind, personality, and character. This likeness indicates a deep connection, a reflection of God in us, greater than we often realize. Our goal is to grow in the image of Jesus Christ, focusing not on physical resemblance but on embodying His spiritual qualities. We are engaged in a process of change, moving from the physical to the spiritual, a journey of growth and sanctification to become holy as He is holy. God has chosen a few to conform to the image of His Son, predestining us for justification, sanctification, and glorification. Once called, an automatic affinity with Christ emerges, requiring us to build a relationship with Him to become like Him in thought, action, and speech. This transformation continues until the resurrection, when we will bear the image of Christ in a spiritual body, resembling Him so closely that our kinship will be undeniable. We are commanded to imitate Him, to be intimately entwined with Him in every aspect of our lives, as our life is enveloped with Christ in God. From the moment of baptism, Christ wraps us in His presence, sharing the same goals and work, walking with us step by step through sanctification until we reach the same glory. As firstfruits, alongside Christ, the First of the firstfruits, we undergo a process akin to His, though as humans we face our own trials and sins. We are called now, in this age, to overcome the temptations of this world and our flesh, mirroring the path He walked. This affinity with Christ carries into eternity, standing with Him as true firstfruits, identified with the Father's name, following Him wherever He goes. We are heirs with Him, sharing in His inheritance and rewards, united through faith, loyalty, endurance, and growth in our calling. Christ suffered as a man, facing temptations and persecution, to bring us to His level as brothers and sisters. We, too, must suffer, overcome, and strive as He did, following the same path with the same loyalty and endurance. Our trials are a sign of God working with us, training us to become like Christ, affirming that we will receive the same salvation and reward. The greater our affinity to Christ now, the greater our reward, as we join the cloud of witnesses who yearned for a better resurrection, driven by the promise of being like Him. God ensures we reflect on our position as firstfruits annually, putting us through the same process as Christ to produce the same character, ensuring each of us mirrors His first and best Product.

As Christians, our natural affinities for various activities must take a back seat to our chief affinity, which is to our Savior and Elder Brother, Jesus Christ. This affinity is the one we must develop and grow in, taking top priority in our lives. Pentecost serves as a reminder of how close we are to Him and how much like Him we should become. From the very beginning, as seen in Genesis 1:26-27, we are made in His image and likeness, indicating a profound connection to God. We are created not only to resemble Him physically but also to grow into His spiritual image, encompassing mind, personality, and character. This process of becoming like Him involves a transformation. As described in I Corinthians 15, we start with a physical body, subject to death, and through growth and overcoming during our lifetime, we are raised to bear the image of Jesus Christ in a spiritual body upon resurrection. Romans 8:29-30 further emphasizes that we are called to be conformed to the image of His Son, destined to look, act, think, and speak like Him through a lifetime of imitation and cooperation with God's guidance and Spirit. In Colossians 1:15 and 1:18, Jesus Christ is identified as the image of the invisible God and the firstborn, implying that we, as His brothers and sisters, follow in becoming like Him. Colossians 3 urges us to focus on godly things, to be totally wrapped up in Christ, with our lives contained within Him. This close affinity means Christ is everything to us, guiding us to put off worldly traits and put on the character traits He exemplified, such as holiness, kindness, and meekness, as outlined in Colossians 3:12-17. The symbolism of Pentecost, with the two wave loaves representing the church, underscores that we, as first fruits, follow the path opened by Jesus Christ, the first of the first fruits through the Wavesheaf Offering. James 1 and Revelation 14 highlight our shared title of first fruits with Him, showing our deep connection as we participate in the same process He underwent, facing similar challenges and overcoming as He did. Revelation 14 further illustrates this affinity with the 144,000, who are closely aligned with Christ and the Father, redeemed from a world apart from God, and forever part of His Body, following wherever He leads. Romans 8 and Galatians 3 affirm our special honor as God's children and heirs with Christ, motivated by the same Spirit and shaking off worldly elements to become more like Him. Revelation 2 and 3 reveal the rewards for overcoming as He overcame, sharing in His titles and ruling with Him. Hebrews 2 emphasizes that Christ, having experienced human life and temptations, became the perfect High Priest, understanding our struggles and advocating for us. We must tread the same path, suffering and overcoming as He did, to share in a similar reward, though differing in degree. Peter and Paul, in passages like Philippians 3 and Hebrews 11, echo this call to suffer and overcome like Christ, recognizing trials as preparation for glorification and reward. The heroes of faith endured hardships for the promise of being forever with their Savior. Pentecost reminds us annually of our position as first fruits, prompting us to reflect on how much we resemble Christ and whether we are truly qualified to be part of this group, shaped to be just like His eldest Son, Jesus Christ, as one Body with Him.

God has called us out of the world's mold, desiring us to transform into the image of Jesus Christ. This transformation, known as sanctification, is a lifelong process of becoming holy as He is holy, moving from unrighteousness to righteousness, from sinfulness to living as Christ did without sin. Our goal is to conform to His image, reflecting His character through a renewed mind that thinks as He does. The world, influenced by satanic forces and human nature, constantly pressures us to conform to its ways, pulling us away from God's likeness. This pressure is ever-present, tempting us to return to familiar habits and comforts of our past. Yet, God urges us to resist this squeeze, to be transformed by renewing our minds through experiences, study, and prayer, building His good, acceptable, and perfect character within us. Our Coach, Jesus Christ, has a different philosophy from the world's systems. He has bought us at a priceless cost, obliging us to respond with total obedience as living sacrifices. We are to live in a sacrificial posture, showing godly love, following the example of Christ who lived a life of selfless sacrifice. This is the only way to be on God's team, to live as He desires. Failure to transform results in backsliding, returning to the world's mold. We must guard against this by setting our minds on things above, recognizing that our lives are now hidden with Christ in God. Spiritually raised to heavenly places, we are no longer of this earth but of heaven, tied to God through His Spirit. We are called to put to death the old habits that drag us back and to put on a new man, renewed daily into Christ's image through discipline and effort. God wants us to be different, holy, and set apart from the world. He does not desire rebellious children who still carry the world's stench but holy children who reflect His nature. Our walk in love must mirror Christ's, rejecting the empty philosophies of the world that pull us back into sin and jeopardize our inheritance in His Kingdom. By following His system and playbook, exemplified in Christ's teachings and life, we pursue the true path to eternal life with Him and the Father.