What is the Way of Jesus?

WHAT IS THE WAY OF JESUS?

(No one will see eternal life without faith in the Lord Jesus.)

What are the requirements and the directions concerning the faith that is called Christianity? Most of us have got the basic doctrinal ideas down, however is there any more to it than that? Once we have acknowledged a certain list of doctrines are we now considered full fledged believers? And what about being followers? Is it possible to believe the tenants of the faith as outlined by the local church but not be a true follower? Is it possible to be a believer but not a follower? These are very important questions because they bring into question what it means to be born again as well as strike at the very heart of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.

Is being a follower of Jesus Christ such a different path that it necessitates an incredible diversion from the norm, or is it just a little tweaking of the cultural norm? Are we supposed to be a little better and a little more moral than the unbelievers, or are we supposed to be so distinctive and so radiant that we demand an explanation or at least some curiosity? The Amish are so dissimilar that millions of people come from around the world just to catch a glimpse of them.

Now they draw attention primarily because of their appearance and their refusal to use modern conveniences, but at least they are different. But God has not called us to retreat to walled-up communities where we become little more than oddities. We have been called to remain in the culture but to be so different that we are not of the culture. This is not a slight of words, but it is an incredible challenge which can only be achieved by the power of the Spirit.

But even attempting to take the Word of God, distill them into principles, and then apply them without compromise is a difficult task. In fact, it is so difficult that the strong temptation is to dilute the application while pretending to believe the teaching. And one of the diversions is to place so much weight and attention to certain doctrines of the faith, especially those doctrines which are not what we would call “practical”, and use those as the overwhelming sign of a true follower of Jesus. If a person gives lip service to the Trinity, the virgin birth, the inspiration of Scripture, the existence of heaven and hell, and salvation by grace through faith, well he is considered a Christian and in a colloquial sense a follower of Jesus.

But this “orthodox” believer does not have to exhibit his credentials concerning love or grace or mercy or humility or meekness or patience or caring for the poor and widows and a host of other important commands and descriptions of what followers of Jesus should do and look like. We have so compartmentalized and constricted the definition and the living expressions of true followers that we have become people of the culture with some religious undertones. In fact, millions of believers revel in the games within the culture and believe that the enemy is the culture.

And when a professing believer enters the cultural fray, they inevitably employ the same tactics which the culture makes available. Forget about love and mercy, forget about humility and self denial, the believer now does battle with the carnal weapons being used by the kingdom of darkness. In fact, that believer no longer sees things through the prism of eternity, he now is engaged in earthly battles which in no way reveal the way of Jesus But still he claims to be a follower of that same Jesus. It is a very sad spectacle but a great deception.

It would take much space to present all the New Testament admonitions concerning the attitude and spirit of our life and words. We are not commanded to believe certain doctrines and then are given license to think like the world, speak like the world, live like the world, and attack like the world. But because western Christianity has been so fractured and so acclimated to the culture, the world has a completely false idea as to what is a Christian. Abortion, traditional marriage, economic freedom, democracy, and even a strong military to defend “God’s” country are what the unsaved believe about us. When I meet people and they know I am a believer they assume I must be a Republican. Sad.

But it goes deeper than the political. Our compromise has gained an astonishing amount of ground just in our accepted lifestyle. The late David Wilkerson said, “In no time in history has the church made so many inroads into the culture with so little power.” What is he saying? The church has radio and television, buildings and activities, education and political power, and many other cultural and technological accoutrements but where are the obvious results of those things? Samson had God given strength, but through compromise he lost what God intended him to have. And like us he did not even know he had lost it. We have become enamored with our numbers and organization, but we are blind to our reality in the Spirit.

“Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:”

Does that not describe the western church? We have all those things but we cannot even save our marriages. We are losing our children. We are losing our holy walk. We are losing our humility. We are being imprisoned by money and the allurement of this hedonistic culture. We have lost our salt and our light. But instead of crying out to God in repentance, we comfort each other and continue this tepid expression of what is loosely called “church”.

But what is the way of Jesus? In order to fully comprehend that path we must see everything, and I mean everything, in the light of eternity. And therein lies the crux of the matter. The western church has lost all sense of the eternal and wallows in the carnal quagmire of the temporal. And in the face of all kinds of earthly signs around the world, the church still lives without an unquenchable passion that believes that Jesus is coming back, and perhaps very soon. Let me illustrate something very revealing and painful.

When the Pope says he is coming to New York much excitement ensues and many prepare for his arrival. When a rock band gives out its schedule many become excited and mark the date. When the President says he is coming to a town near yours people get excited and preparations are made. When my daughter tells my grandsons that “Pa” is coming they get excited. So how can we say that the Creator of the Universe and the Redeemer of our souls is coming, but yet remain so calm, so mundane, and so placid and seemingly uninterested? And is that the way of Jesus? We who claim to have eternal life, a perfect life which shall have no end, still get involved in things which not only have no light of eternity, but which misrepresent what we say we believe?

Before we can repent we must come out from our ambivalent denial. Let us be painfully honest. The church collectively has abandoned the faith except for a few doctrinal relics. On paper we are “orthodox” but on earth we live lives congruent with lives lived by unbelievers. The way of Jesus is not even on the radar. The “What would Jesus do” fad sold many bracelets but has it penetrated the religious stagnation of evangelicalism? I have found it exceedingly difficult to have my eyes opened, but even more difficult to have my thoughts, heart, and life revolutionized by what I now see. In full disclosure, all of us who speak about these things have much ground to traverse in order to emulate what we speak. We also are stuck in the mud of this culture, and our minds and hearts have many strongholds which need to be cast out.

Matt.11: 28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

It is obvious. We have been traveling another path of man’s religious incarnations and not the way of Jesus. Even many who proudly wear the moniker “orthodox” and who pride themselves on their exegetical prowess recoil at the phrase “the way of Jesus”. It seems much too emergent or much too close to "Jesus people" verbiage. To them it seems like Christian Woodstock. You see, the evil one has successfully deceived us all and has prevented us from receiving truths from the Spirit if we believe they stray from the library of our own doctrinal camp. We have pledged allegiance to our own camp and when something seems foreign to our camp, and if our leaders reject it, that is all we need. Good night nurse.

People suffer all over the world. Children die without food or water. Villages are bombed and innocents die. Millions of refugees run from their homes. Children go to bed with the lullabies of bombs and bullets. And much of the world endures suffering as if it was their daily assignment. And the church here in the west? We are praying for the economy to turn around so we can add to our material portfolio.

The way of Jesus has been swallowed up in technology and politics and organization and pleasures and nationalism and prosperity and war and orthodoxy and material things and morality and a host of clandestine issues which seem innocuous but in reality are detriments to His life and teachings. I am not what I could be; I am not what I should be; I am not fully surrendered to Him; I have not arrived; but thank His Holy Name I am not what I used to be.

I will never be the same again,
I can never return, I've closed the door.
I will walk apart, I'll run the race
And I will never be the same again.

Since March of 1975, thank you, Jesus. Show me Your way more clearly.