We have lots of choices in front of us, lots of ways we can follow, tempting ways even, where the paths we walk are on the stage of self importance, prestige, money, sex and greed. Even so you may choose not to live in the high life, but live quiet hard-working lives, hoping through arduous work to get more wealth and/or social recognition. Almost all of us follow complex ways to establish ourselves in our respective social communities and all too often healthy faith life suffers as a result.
Indeed following The Way of Christ in the 21th Century is not an easy feat. For not only does employment, training, entertainment, social media and sports take much of our time and attention, we also have to come to grips with philosophy and science and their godlike ruler ship over our factual minds. The spiritual is rejected by science as undemonstrative and holds no water whatsoever in scientific research, while faith is not deemed philosophically sound or reliable. Regrettably many (young) people are heavily influenced by these practical views and let go of the Christian faith or water down God's almighty Godhead to suit their own insights and ideas on how things ought to be.
It is really no wonder that the Bible demands from us that we leave the world and its ways behind and travel onwards into eternal life. For we must be totally clear about this The Way has no room for ungodly thinking as this takes us from the right direction and often plunges us into the immensely busy and preoccupied existence of our often sinful worldly ways
So what does it mean when we say that we walk on The Way? Jesus teaches us that He is
“The Way, the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6.)
It is not difficult to deduct from this where The Way leads – it leads to God the Father and does so in truth and (newness of) life. Can you see the Kingdom of God taking shape even within yourself? The apostle Luke wrote down what Jesus said about it;
“The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'here it is,' or ' There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you.”
As you could have guessed, Jesus' Way is very different than the directions this modern world is providing us with. Also did you notice how Jesus is The Way, is the Truth and is the Life? We don't find Him, the Truth and the Life at the end of the road, so to speak, but rather we find that The Way and Jesus means one and the same thing – to be a follower of The Way - means that you, through faith in Jesus, are on the road of Truth and Life – leaving the world and its pleasures behind, you are on The Way to God the Father!
Already in the O.T. The Lord teaches us this fact about the way, take Ezekiel 36:24-27, for example.
“For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”
This is the great secret of The Way, only individuals who have received the holy anointing of Christ's Spirit can walk on it – in other words only in Truth and in Love can one travel this spiritual road. For the paths of this world lead to spiritual death but The Way of Christ leads to everlasting life. (Romans 8:5-8)
So we have determined that The Way is - The Way and The Truth and The Life of Jesus – Him showing us The Way to the Father. We have also seen that God's kingdom is within us and among us. Clearly The Way is a two way street, for God the Father sends us His Spirit down and His associated gifts, while the Spirit in turn directs us upstairs – isn't that wonderful? Jesus build us a highway into Heaven! Just as the prophet Isaiah prophesied in chapter 35:8-10
“And a highway will be there; it will be called the way of holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”
This is what all the saints in the old testament had been looking forward to - a Way to God and His eternal goodness. So please don't let yourself be dragged away by the around the clock demands of a worldly life style, leading to spiritual emptiness, anguish and death.
This I want to stress and that is that God is Spiritual and He wants to meet up with us spiritually. (John 14:23) God the Father in us, God the Son in us and God the Holy Spirit in us – that Way spells true eternal life. Oh fellow travellers of The Way how wonderful that we may know the road to Zion.
Indeed following The Way of Christ in the 21th Century is not an easy feat. For not only does employment, training, entertainment, social media and sports take much of our time and attention, we also have to come to grips with philosophy and science and their godlike ruler ship over our factual minds. The spiritual is rejected by science as undemonstrative and holds no water whatsoever in scientific research, while faith is not deemed philosophically sound or reliable. Regrettably many (young) people are heavily influenced by these practical views and let go of the Christian faith or water down God's almighty Godhead to suit their own insights and ideas on how things ought to be.
It is really no wonder that the Bible demands from us that we leave the world and its ways behind and travel onwards into eternal life. For we must be totally clear about this The Way has no room for ungodly thinking as this takes us from the right direction and often plunges us into the immensely busy and preoccupied existence of our often sinful worldly ways
So what does it mean when we say that we walk on The Way? Jesus teaches us that He is
“The Way, the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6.)
It is not difficult to deduct from this where The Way leads – it leads to God the Father and does so in truth and (newness of) life. Can you see the Kingdom of God taking shape even within yourself? The apostle Luke wrote down what Jesus said about it;
“The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'here it is,' or ' There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you.”
As you could have guessed, Jesus' Way is very different than the directions this modern world is providing us with. Also did you notice how Jesus is The Way, is the Truth and is the Life? We don't find Him, the Truth and the Life at the end of the road, so to speak, but rather we find that The Way and Jesus means one and the same thing – to be a follower of The Way - means that you, through faith in Jesus, are on the road of Truth and Life – leaving the world and its pleasures behind, you are on The Way to God the Father!
Already in the O.T. The Lord teaches us this fact about the way, take Ezekiel 36:24-27, for example.
“For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”
This is the great secret of The Way, only individuals who have received the holy anointing of Christ's Spirit can walk on it – in other words only in Truth and in Love can one travel this spiritual road. For the paths of this world lead to spiritual death but The Way of Christ leads to everlasting life. (Romans 8:5-8)
So we have determined that The Way is - The Way and The Truth and The Life of Jesus – Him showing us The Way to the Father. We have also seen that God's kingdom is within us and among us. Clearly The Way is a two way street, for God the Father sends us His Spirit down and His associated gifts, while the Spirit in turn directs us upstairs – isn't that wonderful? Jesus build us a highway into Heaven! Just as the prophet Isaiah prophesied in chapter 35:8-10
“And a highway will be there; it will be called the way of holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”
This is what all the saints in the old testament had been looking forward to - a Way to God and His eternal goodness. So please don't let yourself be dragged away by the around the clock demands of a worldly life style, leading to spiritual emptiness, anguish and death.
This I want to stress and that is that God is Spiritual and He wants to meet up with us spiritually. (John 14:23) God the Father in us, God the Son in us and God the Holy Spirit in us – that Way spells true eternal life. Oh fellow travellers of The Way how wonderful that we may know the road to Zion.
