Do you know the way?

If you ask small child, barely able to talk, “where is God?”, they may point upwards. But if you were to ask them, how do you get there? That is not such an easy question. You can’t reach heaven by climbing a tree, or scaling a tall mountain, or by airplane or even space shuttle. These are physical means of travel and Heaven is a spiritual destination. So do you know the way and how to get there? Again we hear the voice of Jesus say, “I am the way”.

While on earth Jesus was showing us the way. That is how he could tell his disciples, that they knew the way. They had learned at the feet of Jesus, spent intimate association with him, and shared in his work. They accepted him as Lord and Savior.

Do you accept Jesus as your Lord?

In this modern-day we might be accustomed to strictly think of “Lord” as a mere title for Jesus. But, to say, “Jesus is Lord”, implies something. In old times to say somebody was your Lord was to submit yourself to them. If we consider Jesus to be our Lord we obligate ourselves to follow his leadership and direction. If you were going to follow someone you must first trust that they will not lead you into danger. Jesus cites the danger of following blind guides saying, “if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” (Matthew 15:14) If we set out to follow Jesus we must have full confidence that he will not bring us into harm.

Will you trust Jesus to lead you?

Sometimes this is relatively easy, such as when the path is clear; however, in times of trouble, on the bumpy road, it may be difficult to manifest such trust. Jesus’ yoke, his teachings, are kindly and light and truly the easiest road through life. However, this spiritual path often clashes against the ingrained nature of the flesh. At times our own limited vision may make us doubt the path our Master is bringing us. For instance, when someone has seriously hurt you, do you find it easy to forgive and love them as Jesus asks? In times of hardship, are you able to let go of anxiety over situation and trust in the Father?

Will you accept Jesus’ Way?

Inherent in the idea of Jesus as the way, is that he is the best way of life and worthy of patterning ourselves after. In the Old Testament era, the people of God were identified by the way they groomed their hair and by the clothes they wore. Even, today some Christians seek to identify themselves through religious paraphernalia such as crosses or t-shirts with slogans on them. But, when Jesus was on earth what identified him? He was made known by his power, his speech, and remarkable personality. In Paul’s letters to the Philippians he repeatedly urges followers of Jesus to manifest oneness and unity. This was done not by physical identification but rather through manifesting the qualities of Jesus - having the mind of Christ. At Romans 13:14, Paul tells us to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” Today as the body of Christ, we show who we are by actually doing what Jesus did; by living his cross and not by wearing it .

Will you disown yourself for him?

The scriptures clearly show that Jesus existed in God’s form (Phil 2:6) and yet he didn’t wish to hold that equality but willfully took the form of a man and humbled himself unto death. And while as a man, Jesus didn’t exercise self-will, like our forefather Adam, but continually defaulted to the will of His Father. In word, Jesus never spoke from himself, from his own originality, but he spoke what he heard from the Father. And in action, Jesus didn’t do a single thing of his own initiative but only what his Father wished. (John 5:19)

In this way he was the first perfect son of God and he created a model for us to follow. We need to continually disown ourselves if we are to enter into such a relationship with God, as our own Father. Jesus instructs, “If anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow me continually.” We die to our old life and enter into a new life. In our old life we did what we wanted to do, following the desires of the flesh, but the new life is one submission to the will of our Father.

Will you die to your old life?

Before we can follow Jesus’ way, we must make a decision to turn away from our old way - this is called repentance. This turning around is outwardly demonstrated through water baptism. Going under the water symbolizes dying to our old life of sin and being brought up out of the water pictures our being raised up brand new in Christ. Along with this we pray to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, where receive a new spirit as a son or daughter of God. All of this is accepted and demonstrated through faith in Jesus. This is instructed by Jesus’ apostle Peter who says, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38) This is not optional, as Jesus tells us, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”

Are you ready to live the Kingdom of God?

The Kingdom of God is not something we enter into after death; but, rather it is an existence that we experience as followers of Christ today unto the future. Paul wrote about this, “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,” (Col 1:13) As followers of the Way our prime allegiance is to this heavenly government where Jesus is our King. Jesus’ kingdom is no part of this world and we are called out the world; hence, we to do not concern ourselves with the pursuits, aims, objectives, politics, and wars of the worldly society and governments. (John 17:16; Col 2:20)

Will you follow the Way?

Accepting the Way, opens up a rich, new life of continual communion with Jesus. It involves wonderful blessings in this life and a secure hope for the future. As we progress in this new life, it is beneficial to continue to learn more about the Way. This includes reading the Bible, which is a revelation of Jesus. Along with this, it is also good to meet with others who are part of the Way for mutual encouragement. In our daily life we strive to adopt the mental attitude of Jesus and share his blessings with others.  This includes following his instruction to make disciples, teaching others about the Way.  It also involves imitating his example in performing good works for others.  Each day that passes in this new life, along this new path, brings us closer to our Heavenly Father, who we can now reach; because we know the Way.

Jesus is the Way!