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Details of the Way The Way we can know God’s ways: By paying attention to God. As we discussed earlier, Jesus is the Way to God through His bodily death-penalty-punishment on the cross that He took for each of our deep and vast amounts of sins against the holy God. However, Jesus did more than just die for us while He was here on earth. Jesus lived with us, participating with us and for us here on earth.
During Jesus' Life on earth - Jesus was born, lived and made His dwelling among us. God didn’t have to do send His Son, but He deemed it was necessary for two major reasons – 1) God loves us and wants to be near us. In this way God showed and proved to us that He is approachable by us, compassionate, and desires an intimate relationship with every kind of person. 2) God wanted to teach people His Ways so that we would know them, know we could do them, and do what He wanted us to do. By doing them, we would maintain the closeness of relationship that Jesus Christ started with us when He was here on earth.
After Jesus' Life on earth - When Jesus finished all that He came to do, Jesus rose up to heaven and is now “seated at the right hand of the mighty God." Luke 22:69, (Ephesians 1:20, Colossians 3:1, Hebrews 1:3, Hebrews 10:12, 1 Peter 3:22 - Mark 16:19-20; Luke 24:44-53; Acts 1:7-11) Jesus Christ is still alive and taking care of every one who trusts in Him for their salvation. Jesus is the way to God and teaches us God’s ways through God’s Holy Spirit.
Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them. Hebrews 7:25 being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6
God always wants to be intimate with us. God desires to be involved in every aspect of our thoughts, actions, feelings and lives. God is a relational and personal God Who wants a deep relationship with you and me. Because of this, before Jesus died, Jesus said He would send the Holy Spirit of God to indwell, or live inside, every person who believes (hold truth study. John 8:30 study) and loves (obey vs, ) Jesus Christ with their lives ) (Revelation 12:11. (trinity, char of God) Jesus said, “But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” John 16:7 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. John 14:16-18 Ways God teaches us His ways – Jesus (fully God/man) wants to be with each of us right now. So the Lord Jesus sent His Holy Spirit to live in us to keep on teaching, comforting and counseling us. God also gave us His Word, the Bible (Jesus, alive) to teach us, wash us clean, and change us more into the image of His Son. Vs washing word, Ephesians 5:26, 1 Corinthians 2:16, Romans 12:1-2 It is very important to God that we maintain a close intimacy with Him. The only way we can do this is by being, doing, saying, acting, thinking, feeling, etc within His Ways. (John 15 abide, friendship, etc. hy ) "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9 Jesus said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to My Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples. "As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love. If you obey My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have obeyed My Father's commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:5-11 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in Me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. John 14:12 The new “religion” – The Way.
After the Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and the followers of Jesus remained here on earth, the Holy Spirit came upon them and filled them with God’s power and wisdom. When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:1-4 (hy Acts 2) As the Lord Jesus Christ’s followers lived under the power of the Holy Spirit and the teachings of the apostles (New Testament) and the Old Testament, many people considered them as living a “new religion”. This religion was called “The Way”. It has since been called Christianity because of Christ, the Messiah. (lovingkindness) Paul replied: “I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way,” Acts 24:14-16, Acts 9:2; Acts 18:25-26; Acts 19:9; Acts 19:23; Acts 24:22 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:24 The way of the LORD is a refuge for the righteous, but it is the ruin of those who do evil. Proverbs 10:29 Psalm 32:8; Psalm 119:30; Psalm 143:8; Proverbs 4:11; Proverbs 6:23; Proverbs 8:20; Proverbs 12:28 Jesus Christ is God’s course of life, action, or experience. In other words, living God's Word by His Holy Spirit.
The Way for followers of Christ, otherwise known as true Christians, is to live “In Christ”. That is, in all the ways the three definitions say.
1- Christians are ever mindful and heartful that the Lord Jesus Christ is their personal and specific means for entering heaven and eternal life here on earth with God. Jesus is the only option that opens up a beneficial (friendship) relationship with the Lord God Almighty. Atonement. 2- Christians trust with their whole being and life that Jesus Christ is their only path to go from eternal hell and condemnation to eternal peace, joy, heaven and life with the Lord God Almighty. John 3:3-21, Joel 2:32, Acts 2:21, Romans 10:13, Romans 2:11 3- Christians live in gratitude and desire (Psalm 37:4) to serve and please the Lord Jesus Christ (Colossians 3:23-24). True Christians seek out what God wants from them in His Word (Acts 17:11) and choose to do God’s course of life, in thoughts, feelings and action. Christians experience living God's Word by His Holy Spirit. Christians seek to live the way of holiness (def: set apart for God’s purpose) and righteousness for the Lord God Almighty. (Psalm 16:11; Isaiah 35:8; Isaiah 35:9; Jeremiah 6:16; Hosea 14:9) NOTE – this can be very confusing or overwhelming. There are three things to do when it is:
1) Be certain you are born again and filled with the Holy Spirit. The Word of God says, “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2:14 (sinner’s prayer, my room, Psalm 21) 2) Take it slow. Take one concept at a time and read it and re-read it until you understand it with your heart. Practice the concepts daily. Let your thoughts of them govern your actions and heart motives. This allows you to see God work in your life as He says He will if you do what He says. 3) Ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom in understanding God’s Biblical truths. Wait upon Him and listen to Him in your thoughts. He will teach you if you are a new creature in Christ Jesus. To live In Christ Jesus is exemplified in the Bible. Here is a link to enable you to learn all of the many benefits and blessings of being In Christ Jesus. -
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21
What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. Philippians 3:8
I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13
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Definition # 1 - the Way - A specific method, plan, or means for attaining a goal. What is the goal of life? To be sure you have a good life after you die. To have a good afterlife you can depend on, which is certain, permanent, and Guaranteed. What good is a pleasure-centered life if you suffer forever and ever after you die? What good is a life spent trying to achieve heaven when God says your best days are never good enough to meet God’s standards and you can never achieve heaven on your own? (Romans 3:10-26 - Your Religion? - My Religion? - More Religions?)
Spiritually, Biblically, and in practical life: the Goal of Life is to attain eternal life and avoid eternal damnation. The goal is for your soul to go to heaven or paradise, and not go to hell after your body dies. (Matthew 16:26, Luke 12:5) To attain the goal of eternal life, you need a method or plan, which is the Way. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Only Way to attain peace with God. Jesus Christ boldly tells us this. Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.” John 3:5-21
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