The amazing thing about Jesus is that though He is the Express Image of God who is the Holy Spirit Father, He expects us to be like Him.   
But we cannot be like Him except by Him.   

We are not to imitate Him as that is impossible.   Even thinking that it is possible to to do a respectable imitation of Him is an affront to Him.   He is God.   

So what are we to do if not imitate Him?   

We are to BE Him.   Not in His consciousness but in His Word and Holy Spirit.   

Each of us is a unique consciousness, a living Soul.   

But that soul is mind, will and emotions
   ➛ Our mind is to be renewed, transformed to the Mind Of Christ.   
   ➛ Our will is to be submitted to the will of Christ.   
   ➛ Our emotions are to express our worship of Him, our joy in our new life and His love to others.   

So, how do we manifest Christ Jesus if not by imitation?
We become One with Him.   

Our Oneness with Christ is the miracle of the New Birth in which we are Born Again of His Word and His Holy Spirit.   

But just as a fetus is a new human, so is the New Creature a new Son Of God.   The fetus has everything necessary to be a full human - in time.   

The New Creature is immediately a Son Of God in the spirit but it must deal with a soul needing transformation.   

To the extent that the New Creature is allowed to transform the soul is the extent to which the Son Of God manifests as such.   

Soul Salvation must follow the Spirit Salvation of the New Birth in order for the New Creature to mature and manifest.   

This maturity occurs as the will completely submits itself to the Will Of God which leads to the mind being transformed to the Mind Of Christ and life being lived and enjoyed by the Word and Holy Spirit manifesting supernaturally in and through the surrendered life.   

Listen to the expectations of Christ Jesus to answer the question as to whether imitation or manifestation is His will for us:

Truly, truly, I say unto you, He that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. Joh 14:12 In order to do the works that Jesus did one must Believe On Jesus.     To Believe On Jesus is to believe exactly and only what Jesus just told His disciples in Joh 14:6-11.      This is one of the most ignored things that Jesus said.     Why?     Due to the doctrine of the trinity believers have relegated Jesus to just being Saviour.     So, they believe on Jesus for salvation but defer to 'God' as the real deity.      Disciples follow their master in His footsteps learning from Him and imitating Him.      Jesus is telling us that we are to spread the Gospel, heal the sick, set captives free and make disciples of all men.     Doing so is doing Good Works, Mighty Works.      We can only do this by the power of the Holy Spirit Of Christ Jesus operating in a vessel with the Mind Of Christ Jesus.      What did Jesus mean by 'I go unto my Father'?     Jesus returned to the Spirit Realm ( Heaven) when He ascended where the Holy Spirit Father is most readily experienced.     It is the seat from where The Majesty emanates throughout the universe.

And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to you.     Holy Spirit Father, keep through your power those whom you have given me, that they may be one, as we are. Joh 17:11 In Spirit Baptism we are One with Him.      Those who reject the infilling Holy Spirit are rejecting Christ Jesus who is His express image.      To love Jesus and despise His Holy Spirit is like loving a woman for her body and caring nothing for her spirit and soul.     Unlike a woman, our Lord cannot be so deceived.     Neither is He interested in such a relationship.

And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; Mar 16:17 Jesus tells us that we will operate in His power to do signs and wonders, to exorcise demons and to speak in new tongues ( Prayer Language and messages in tongues).

Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely you have received, freely give. Mat 10:8 What have we received?      All things for life and godliness 2Pe 1:3.      What are we to give?      All things for life and godliness.      Who are we to give to?      Whosoever will come to Christ Jesus in faith Rev 21:6.      Jesus wants us to administer His kingdom to those who will enter into it by faith in Him.      If you are a believer and receiver of Christ Jesus, you have all things for life and godliness in you.     You are to give out those gifts to others freely.

Now listen to the Words of Christ by His apostles:

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of the Holy Spirit, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Gal 2:20 Water Baptism is symbolic of what actually happens in the Spirit Realm.      Paul explains that the old Sin Nature, that we were, is dead and buried with Christ so that we, by Grace Through Faith, are raised with Him as New Spirit beings with the opportunity and power to operate in the newness of Abundant Life John 10:10.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Phi 1:21 The statement of a man that knew why he was here and where he was going.      The Testimony Of Jesus Christ was his very life.      How can dying be gain?         ➛ Jesus died and rose again    ➛ Jesus ascended to heaven    ➛ heaven is better than earth    ➛ resurrected life is better than earthly life When we truly believe in the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ we have no fear of death and are able live in peace and expectation of greater and greater things.

And if children, then heirs; heirs of the Lord, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. Rom 8:17 Joint Heirs means that we share in all things - the glory and the persecution.

Beloved, now are we the sons of the Holy Spirit, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 1Jn 3:2 We know that the Creator ( Jesus Christ Joh 1:3) made all living things to produce after its kind Gen 1:11.      So, when we think about being a Son Of The Holy Spirit we aught to see ourselves as like our Heavenly Father who manifests Himself in Spirit Soul And Body - the Lord Jesus Christ.      When we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and confess Him as our risen Saviour we are born of the Word and the Holy Spirit as New Spirit beings.      Accordingly, we are now Sons Of The Holy Spirit, even in these mortal bodies.     What glory we will experience in the translation at His appearing!      The `appearing` of Christ has a two-fold meaning.         ➛ Jesus will return with every eye seeing Him and with us being translated from corruptible to incorruptible.     We will be gloriously changed into perfection    ➛ The spiritual revelation of our identity in Christ is also an appearing of Christ in our psyche.      When we begin to see ourselves as New Spirit beings empowered by the Holy Spirit we become like Christ Jesus.     The Mind Of Christ becomes our mind with the associated manifestation of His power and His authority.     - Phi 2:5 Phi 3:15 With respect to trinitarianism, is this verse saying that we will be three persons in one as we will be like Him?      Of course not.     We are already like Him in form - Spirit Soul And Body - and we shall be like Him in quality when the corruptible puts on incorruption at His appearing and our translation 1Co 15:52,53 .

For it is the Holy Spirit which works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Phi 2:13 Your will is a part of your soul.     It is that part of you which opens and closes doors.      When you open your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ, you enable Him to recreate you in the New Birth.      As you submit your will to His Holy Spirit you enable His will to manifest in you.      To the extent that you work out your Soul Salvation through the submission of your will to His, you will see the Holy Spirit perform holy acts through your life.      It is the New Spirit being that you are, which you allow to manifest, which is in sync with the Holy Spirit, which directs your will and actions.

It is easier to TRY to imitate Him than it is to BE the Lord Jesus Christ.   But settling for less than the fullness of the gift of Grace represents a loss to ourselves and those to whom we could otherwise be ministering.   

Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Jam 1:18 We are saved because the Holy Spirit loves us.     He desired us, created us, redeemed us, filled us and has made us Accepted In The Beloved.      Note that we are born of the Word and the Holy Spirit.         ➛ the Word is what Jesus said and who He is    ➛ the Holy Spirit is the inspiration and essence of Jesus.         ➛ we are begotten of the Holy Spirit as New Spirit beings on the authority of what Jesus has accomplished for us.