Living the Jesus Way
Colossians 3:17
Introduction
We are continuing our series on what it means to be a mission edge church. While there is a definition for this term, in some ways it is easier for us to describe. What does a mission edge church look like. Six markers of mission edge churches have been identified and we are starting today with the first one: Lives the Jesus Way. What in the world do we mean by the Jesus Way? Does that mean being a Christian? Yes, it does. But the problem with just saying that we should be Christians is that for many people, being a Christian refers only to belonging to the religion called Christianity. That’s a fine starting point but what is really trying to be communicated is that we are to live like Jesus. But why refer to it as the Jesus “Way”? Two interesting points. In John 14:6, Jesus describes himself as the “Way.” In context, Jesus is claiming that he is the way to the Father, the only way. How does Jesus get us to the Father? It is more than just believing that Jesus died on a cross. It is an embracing of Jesus, the accepting of him as the centre of our life that we come to the Father. It should not surprise us that our faith, before it was called Christianity was called “the Way.” (Acts 9:2) Some years ago, influential Christian author Eugene Peterson wrote a book called “The Jesus Way.” This is probably where the people who developed the concept of mission edge churches got it.
Before we look at what that looks like, we should acknowledge that this marker is specified as “Both when gathered and scattered.” This means, that we are supposed to live like Jesus on Sunday mornings when we gather with other Christians as the church. But it also means that we live like Jesus the rest of our time, when we are at home, school, work, or among friends. There are no part-time Christians and when we attempt to live the Jesus Way, it is meant to be our full-time occupation.
This brings us to this statement by Paul: “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.” What does that mean? Does it mean that we tag on the phrase “in Jesus’ name” to everything we do? That’s sort of what we do in response to the teaching that we pray in Jesus’ name. I usually do that when I pray, not because that is what the Bible means by that but as reminder to myself that everything is done in the name of Jesus. To do something in the name of Jesus is much more than saying those words. If someone showed up this morning wearing some very fancy clothes and stated to us that they came in the name of King Charles III, how would we interpret those words? We would understand that person to be a representative of the King in some way, not just an employee, but someone so closely tied that what they do is as if the King was doing it. Maintaining such a position would depend on their actions being consistent with the values and intentions of King Charles III. It is the same basic principle for us to have our words and deeds to be in the name of the Lord Jesus. Let’s dig a little more into this.
Our Words
What does it mean for our words to be consistent with the Jesus Way? This is extremely important, far more important now than ever. Imagine the potential reach of a person’s words back in the first century compared to the reach of our words today in the age of internet and social media. Anyone can have a platform to express their views and opinions and Christians are not afraid to share what they think or feel. But even if you never use the internet, our words are powerful even among our immediate circle of friends and family. What kind of words belong to the Jesus Way? When we go through the Gospels and the reflections on Jesus from other New Testament writers, it seems clear that the guiding value for Jesus in his words was that of love. You might push back and say that you can think of times that Jesus spoke some very strong words. That is correct and that is why I do not see Jesus’ guiding value as niceness.
Some modern Christians go to the harshest examples of Jesus’ words and take that for their model without and reflection on motivation. The Jesus of the Gospels does not go looking for battles, does not argue with everyone who disagrees with him, does not ridicule people to score some rhetorical points, and does not use his words to build up his own ego. Because Jesus is guided by love, he does speak out against injustice, he defends the marginalized, he points people toward uncomfortable truth, and he speaks in a way that builds up people and glorified his Father.
Our question should be: do our words do the same thing? Of course we are never going to reach the standards of Jesus. But can other people at least see us on the same continuum as Jesus? Can they recognize that love is our guiding value even if we misspeak and say unhelpful or event hurtful things? Can people at least see that we are striving to live out the Jesus Way with our words.
Our Deeds
One of the most controversial statements is: “Preach the gospel always and if necessary, use words.” Some people love that statement some people hate it. Those who hate it fear that people will use it as an excuse to not tell people about Jesus. I can appreciate that but I think the purpose of the statement is that how we live is key to pointing people toward Jesus. There have been an unbelievable number of prominent church leaders in the past decade that have had very public falls. These are people who have preached extremely compelling sermons but their lives have been proven to be extremely inconsistent with their words. No rhetorical tricks will make their testimonies appealing once it is demonstrated that their deeds are not according to the Jesus Way.
Jesus was a master communicator, and even people who disagree with his message will grudgingly admit that he was extremely good at communicating it. But Jesus did more than preach the kingdom of God, he lived out the kingdom of God. Jesus surrounded himself with large groups and apart from a few rare moments of retreat, Jesus did not have had a private life. There was no secret life hidden from his followers. Jesus lived a life of love all the time. If he ever strayed from that, his followers would know.
Can any of us live such a life? Not perfectly. Even the most loving among us is going to stumble at some point. And yet we are still called to live the Jesus Way. This is not an attempt to earn our salvation or God’s love. Rather it is an acknowledgment that the Way of Jesus is the measure of a good life and we need to seek to be more like him in every way. Jesus put love into action in all of his relationships and that is what we need to do as well.
Conclusion
All of that may have sounded as the model for living an individual life. But what if a congregation, a local church, was committed to speaking and acting in Jesus’ name? What if as a faith community we sought to live the Jesus Way—on Sundays and every other day as well? This is the first step to being a mission edge church.
Many Christians look at the Bible and don’t know where to begin. Let’s begin where Jesus began, let’s begin with love. What does it look like for us to love in word and deed? What kind of impact could we have on the community around us? We should not live in fear of failing but we should live in fear of not trying.
