Last week I was driving near my home on some back roads in Tennessee and I had to stop to take a quick snapshot of the vibrant beauty of the leaves that mark the season. A few days later I was blessed with a dramatic rainbow, bursting with colors. It occurred to me that the same artist painted them both.
But as I drove away from the scene of this photo, my mind went to a religious sect that was initially called “the Way.” Clearly, the road I was on that morning was leading somewhere. In fact, it was the way I had chosen to arrive at my destination.
Two thousand years ago, the founders of “the Way” had carefully evaluated the spiritual roads before them. Having done so, they chose to entrust their eternal future to the One who had taught them that He was:
”...the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to (God) the Father, except through me.” John 14:6
So Peter, John, Paul, and their converts, became known as followers of the Way. They were disciples of Jesus, who had earlier affirmed He was “the Way.” Jesus asserted His own exclusivity, as the only Way to God. There was no other road to approach the Creator of all we see, including the colors I was blessed with that morning driving through southeast Tennessee. Jesus asserted that through Him we could have a personal relationship with the God of all. He also warned that without Him, no one could know the Father.
Today, we no longer refer to followers of Jesus as people of “the Way,” preferring to call them “Christians.” But regardless of the description one uses, the underlying Truths behind our beliefs is rooted in this reality:
“Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” John 14:6
Jesus has not changed one bit in over 2,000 years, nor have His claims. So as you consider what Way you are traveling to find eternal life and peace for your soul, I challenge you to consider the words of Jesus, who asserted that He offers, in a sense, the GPS coordinates to God. Only through Him can we in fact enjoy the eternal life our souls were created to enjoy.
“I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets,” ??Acts? ?24:14?
Live Free... and join the Way!
Mark West