The Way

So what is all this talk about “The Way”? Well, this phrase is used of the early Christians in the Book of Acts six times (9.2; 19.9; 19.23; 24.14). Now, while there is much to be said, there are just three things that we wish to pull out of this that summarize not only what The Way is, but how we all should live along it. Thus, the Way is about a Story, a People, and a Posture.

Story:

First and foremost, the Way is a story or a drama of sorts that has been unfolding from the beginning of time. We see this in Acts 24.14 where Paul says before Felix, “…I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, and I have the same hope in God as these men…” Here, Paul sees the Way as something that is much bigger than himself. It is something that extends way back before his time, even though many are calling it a sect that is off the beaten path of his contemporary Jews. He sees The Way as something that is in complete accordance with the Law (Genesis-Deuteronomy) and the Prophets from the Old Testament. So Paul is not contriving something new, but he is merely finding his part in the drama, as God unfolds his saving purposes through Paul so that the Gospel may extend itself to the whole world. For behind this is the very real promise that God made to Abraham in Genesis 12.1-3, “…all the people’s on the earth will be blessed through you.” It was intended for Israel to carry this blessing to the nations, but they failed, and in Jesus, now the Way (Isa.40.3) has been paved for all nations to come to Christ. Thus, Paul situates himself on the Way now at a unique moment as he is carrying the Gospel of Christ to all nations.

So you may ask, why all this talk about the story of God? It is absolutely central, because as we seek to minister in Cote d’Ivoire it is this story that we find ourselves apart of as the new people of God. As the Dodson’s, we see ourselves fitting into something way bigger than ourselves as we walk “Along The Way”, and we are inviting you and everyone else in the church on to this path that we have chosen. We are asking for you to not merely be a passive bystander as we walk along the Way, but for you also to walk along the Way, and see yourself fitting into this larger story that God is laying out before us. We are not the whole story, but if we find our role in it, then the Way will be advanced and it will lead to God’s glory among the nations!

People:

Second, there is the reality that along the Way there is a group of people also on it. Acts 22.4 and 24.14 taken together suggest that the phrase in Acts refers not only to a story much bigger than themselves, but also to those who exhibit it, for we hear of the Christian “sect” known as the Way. The Way identifies the disciples as constituting a socially cohesive movement, a movement arising out of and grounded in their shared faith in Jesus. What is interesting about Luke’s use of this terminology is that we find it chiefly in connection with the church in Jerusalem in 9.2 and 22.4 and in connections with the church in Ephesus in 19.9, 23. This emphasizes that the movement is heading west, is translocal, and can incarnate itself both at the heart of Jewish culture and at the heart of the somewhat Romanized Hellenistic culture. But it is a group of people whose lives are marked out by faith in the risen Lord.

Thus, this calls for two things. 1) A Response. If The Way is a group of people who live by faith in Jesus, then we have to respond to be on The Way. We have to surrender our lives to the Sovereign Savior and live under his reign and rule. We have to get on the Way and stay on it as we live in faith. And 2) it calls for Partnership. If it is true in Paul’s day that The Way began in Jerusalem and extended to pagan Rome, then surely those in Africa, Asia, and South America are on The Way as well. Thus, central to what our vision is, is a deep desire to partner with the Church in Cote d’Ivoire. We don’t come in as if we know it all, but we sit under and stand alongside those who are on The Way with us and we learn from them, we minister with them, and we lead with them. The people of The Way are a people who respond and people who partner. Thus, it is our desire to be a people who live in faith as we move forward along the way and partner with others who can help us continue to carry out God’s mission in the World. The Question is: Are you on the Way and Who is with you? We can’t go it alone, so we need you to respond and to partner with us as we seek to move forward along the Way that God has set before us.

Posture:

Lastly, The Way is a posture. It is a posture that is the same of Christ and all followers of Him who have gone on before us. We already have seen that the Way is marked by people before us, as Paul saw himself in a long line of Fathers who have gone on before him. But what has marked their way is a posture of service and sacrifice. At each point where the Way is mentioned, it is continually in connection with some sort of suffering. Those who live along the Way in Acts are always a people being persecuted, carrying heavy burdens, being tried before Romans officials because of slanderous things said about them, and often a people whose suffering has come upon them in service to their king, Jesus.

So then, we find it compelling to follow along the same Way that Abraham, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Jesus, Paul, and Peter did, one that is marked by a posture of service and sacrifice to our Lord. It is one that will require an extreme sacrifice, a sacrifice in how we live, what we have, who we seek to minister to, where we seek to take up residence, and the manner in which we meet the needs of those around us. But it is a sacrifice that sees itself as carrying the Story forward with the People along the Way, so as to continue God’s work in the world of blessing all Nations for His great name. So we call upon you to serve where you are, serve by serving us as we come along side of the Church to get it in on what God is up to. Fight the desire to sit back and stand over others, get engaged in what God is up to and do so in humility, so that God is seen great, your prayers heard, and nations of the world exposed to the Way that is set before them.