On “the Way”
Several times in Acts, Luke (traditionally identified as the author of Luke/Acts) describes the new Christian movement as “the way.” For example, in Acts 9:2, Saul “went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.” And Acts 19:9 refers to certain synagogue leaders in Ephesus, “But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciple with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.”
Obviously, there were other names for the Christian movement, from the earliest times. In the verse just quoted Luke speaks of “disciples.” In Acts 11:25-26, Luke explains that the disciples were first called “Christians” in Antioch, presumably because the church there consisted mostly of Gentiles. And—of course—many parts of the New Testament refer to the “Church” and to Christians as “saints.” Paul says the Church is “the body of Christ” in 1 Corinthians and other places. We have no shortage of New Testament labels/names for Christians and the Christian movement.
Taking cues from NT usage, Christian churches today use a variety of names: the Friends Church (or Society of Friends—both names refer a saying of Jesus), the Church of God, Disciples of Christ, the Christian Church, the Believers Church, Orthodox Church (“orthodox” means “right teaching,” so there are multiple Orthodox churches), Church of God in Christ, and so on and on. Unsurprisingly, there are churches that identify as “the Way”: the Way Church, the Way Christian Fellowship, Followers of the Way Church, and probably lots of others.
I think this is all quite natural. It’s right and proper for Christian groups today to use NT labels as names; doing so, we acknowledge that our movement is 2000 years old and that our beliefs rest on the doctrines of the first Christians. “The Way” has the advantage of being one of the very earliest names for the movement. (Notice “the Christian movement” is not a NT phrase.)
In addition to drawing on first century Christian vocabulary, “the Way” confers another advantage. It reminds us that Christians are called to pursue something they haven’t yet attained. Paul admitted in Philippians 3:12 that he had not yet been made perfect. For the apostle, and for all of us, following Christ means we are “on the way.” We describe the Christian life with metaphors of change: we are learning, we are maturing, we are growing, and so forth.
Living “on the way” is a dynamic thing, which makes for difficulties. Sometimes we are tempted to cheap grace. In cheap grace we presume on God’s favor and we neglect hard tasks of discipleship. Other times we go to the opposite extreme. Knowing that God calls us to a holy life, we might assert that we have achieved holiness. Or we can make a list of righteous and unrighteous behaviors with which we judge ourselves and others; in other words, we become legalists.
The difficulties are real. Life “on the way” is dynamic. We need to be wary and we need to ask the Spirit to guide us away from laxity on one side and legalism on the other. We must simultaneously rejoice in God’s overwhelming grace and yield to Christ as he takes us deeper into the life of the Spirit. And the dynamism of “the way” applies to fellow believers as well as to me. It is difficult indeed to preach costly discipleship and grace to other Christians. But we must try.
That brings me to a third meaning of “the way.” Here I want to speak of “getting in the way.” Caveat: I am no longer interpreting the New Testament, so do not take what I say as gospel. When I speak of “getting in the way,” I am talking about the Christian minister when he or she stands to teach or preach. As I say, I am speaking from experience, not from scriptural authority.
Based on my experience, I urge Christian ministers—and this includes undergraduate students engaged in ministries of many sorts, from counseling at summer camps to teaching Bible studies to preaching to congregations—to put yourself “in the way.” When you are “in the way” you stand between God on one side and human beings on the other, human beings whom God loves more than we can imagine. God wants to channel the grace and truth of Jesus through you to this congregation, this study group, this cabin of campers.
The whole notion is scary because we don’t want to foul it up. Nevertheless, I urge you to put yourself “in the way.”
Since the time of Paul, God has used the “foolishness of preaching” to draw people to himself. Comforting thought, that. Of course, you should prepare for your teaching and preaching assignment diligently. Preparing for public ministry is work, and you need to do the work. But you should never believe that success depends on you. It is God’s grace and the interior work of the Spirit that brings faith and hope and love into human lives.
Based on my experience, you will find great satisfaction—to use an Aristotelian word, you will find eudaimonia—when you put yourself “in the way.” So: get in the way. Position yourself between God who wants to bless and the people he wants to bless. It may be scary, but it will be full of wonder.
