Followers of the Way
Notes
Transcript
Scripture
Scripture
2 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.
Introduction
Introduction
Now I want to continue along the lines where Pastor Mario left off last week Sunday.
Now just to recap a little where we were last week - Pastor Mario was talking a little bit about how Christian people today are conforming to the World.
He mentioned a little about how we can dress like the world. We can behave like the World.
You can even go to Christian events and be confused as to where you are.
Some people instead of wearing underwear under your clothing they wearing it as their outfit now.
It seems today you can’t tell the difference between someone who calls themselves a Christian from someone who doesn’t.
However in the book of Acts we see here that people could tell a difference and the early church were called followers of the Way.
They lived such distinct lives that Saul who was opposed to such followers wanted then dead.
They didn't try to fit in with culture but they lived differently.
The Acts of the Apostles (King James Version) D. The Confrontation between Saul and the Lord: A Life-Changing Conversion, 9:1–9
the believers of the early church were known as followers of “the Way” Note the teachings of the Lord were not pictured as a religion or a set of principles, or as rules and regulations, but as …
• a way of life
• a course of life
• a means of life
• a condition of life
• a kind of life
• an experience of life
14 However, 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,
They called them a sect because they were radical and seen as dangerous
You see as followers of the way - they were considered different than the rest of society.
And As Christians we ought to be different. So many are trying to fit in with the world that you can’t tell the difference.
As Pastor Mario say - christians are conforming not to the Way BUT THE world’s way
We can have different faces for different places.
He was mentioning we can dress so modest on a Sunday morning but half naked in a wedding.
So why is it that we see all this conforming taking place in the church ?
Why is it that we have a hard time distinguishing a Christian from someone who is not?
I believe that one of the main reasons we have this issue today in the church is because a lot of Christians they know Jesus as redeemer but they don’t know him as Rabbi.
I’m going to repeat this statement because I think it deserves repeating
A lot of Christians today - they let Jesus save them but they don’t let Jesus train them.
Being saved determines if you get to heaven but being trained determines what your life on this earth looks like.
The question to ask yourself is not that if Jesus is your redeemer but is he your rabbi?
In 2025, be trained!!
What is a Rabbi
What is a Rabbi
Now I must admit that when reading the Bible you will always come across people calling Jesus Rabbi and you would know that meant Teacher and you will just brush that aside as no big deal.
I mean those Jews had such weird language. In our world when we hear the Word Teacher we think of a Maths Teacher or English Teacher or Sunday School Teacher.
WE don’t pay much attention to that word teacher.
But I decided to do a little Jewish research on this Word Rabbi and when you really get into the mind of a Jew you will realize that this term Rabbi was actually big thing back in those days
It wasn’t no ordinary Title that you could get easily - you had to come real good for people to refer to you as Rabbi
It’s not like in our society today when it comes to the title Pastor
These days it seems everyone is a Pastor
People just have a little ability in speaking about God and then they give themselves the title Pastor
One man get vex with people in a church - he just have to leave that church and maybe open his own church under his house or rent a little space
and now all of a sudden he is Pastor now…..
Anyone could get that title now ……and don’t talk about this next title we heAR NOWADAYS
APOSTLE
It have real people referring to themselves as Apostle now
Now I am not saying it have no genuine Pastors and Apostles etc but a lot of people fighting for titles nowadays and a lot of people have titles that man gave them and not God
Now back to the topic at hand
Rabbi - was a big title and Jesus was referred to as Rabbi
You see Rabbi was more than just a Teacher.
“The title rabbi literally means “master.” Rabbis were the spiritual masters of Israel. Not only were they expert teachers of the Torah (the Scriptures of their day); they were also magnetic examples of life with God—those special few who shine above others.
“Every rabbi had his “yoke”—a Hebrew idiom for his set of teachings, his way of reading Scripture, his take on how to thrive as a human being in God’s good world. How you, too, could taste a little of what they’d tasted…
Rabbis came from a broad cross section of society. They could have been farmers or blacksmiths or even carpenters.[4] Most trained under another rabbi for many years, then began to teach and call their own disciples around the age of thirty. But there was no formal certification like in our modern educational system. Authority worked differently. Your life and teaching were your credentials.”
While there were other people who were considered Rabbis, there was something about Jesus that set him apart from everyone else.
“Over and over again in the four Gospels, Jesus is addressed as “rabbi.”[6]
But he was no ordinary rabbi.[7]
Everywhere he went, the crowds were “astonished” and “overwhelmed with wonder.”[8] The biographer Luke wrote, “All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips.”[9] Mark said, “The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.”
“sadly, very few people—including many Christians—take Jesus seriously as a spiritual teacher.”
This is why we see this big mess among Christians today. They may have a teacher. They may have rabbis but it aint Jesus.
Now Rabbis had people who followed them known as Apprentice or Disciples.
Most Rabbis had strict conditions for people to be their apprentices and to follow them.
only the best of the best of the best got to apprentice under a rabbi? Like an elite university today, rabbis were highly selective about whom they accepted as students because the quality of the students reflected on the quality of the teacher. As a rule, a rabbi would never risk rejection; he would do the rejecting.”
Not Rabbi Jesus.
he gave the invitation to
Whoever.
34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
And whoever meant whoever—fisherman, Zealot, tax collector, even betrayer. Torah devotee or sex worker. Religious bigot or woman caught in the act of adultery. Intellectual elite or blind beggar on the side of the road. Jesus invited all to apprentice under him into life in the kingdom of God.”
He invites us all to follow him which is why those Disciples when he asked them to leave their jobs as fishermen and come follow him - they did it at once because this Great Rabbi extended an invitation to follow him.
Now if Jesus is your Rabbi there are 3 things that should happen in the life of you as a Christian and it is these 3 things that I want to speak to you about today.
Be With Jesus
Be With Jesus
Firstly we need to be with Jesus.
That was the first invitation he gave to his disciples. Come and be with me.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
True discipleship begins with intimacy. Just as the disciples followed Jesus closely, we are called to abide in His presence daily.
The question isn't so much are we abiding?
It’s what are we abiding in?
Here’s what is scary. Everybody has rabbis. Most people don’t know who they are.
All of us are being taught.
Whoever is the dominant influence in the way you live your life is your rabbi.
All of us have a source that we are rooted in.
Some people always abiding in work,
It can be technology.
It can be tv.
Most Christians theology comes from music. They know way more songs than they know Scripture.
For many of us we have been taught to like Christ but not what Christ is like.
WE abiding in something
The 12 Disciples they were always around Jesus.
An apprentice learns from a Rabbi by being around them. Observing them moment by moment.
That was how it was in Jewish Culture. They learnt from being in close Proximity to their rabbi.
Rabbis were more than just Educators, they were examples which is why you needed to be with them too learn from them.
PETER YOU CAN’T KEEP FISHING AND LEARN FROM ME CUZ THERE ARE SOME STUFF OU’RE ONLY GOING TO LEARN BY WALKING WITH ME
If we call ourselves Disciples of Jesus and that he is our Rabbi - we cannot learn from him if we not around him.
When you around certain people it does something in your spirit.
Some people you try to avoid because when you around them your spirit can be dampened.
Some people when you around them your Spirit can be lifted because they carry the Presence of God with them.
The people we are in close proximity to usually plays a part in the type of person we are
We need to be in close proximity to Jesus.
Now how can we apply this principle to our modern lives.
It’s true we don’t have the advantage that the Disciples had where they met with the Physical Jesus and observed his movements all the time.
How can we do this in the 21st Century.
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—
“the way Jesus’ apprentices are to “be with him” is via the Holy Spirit.”
Neisha taught us this concept years ago and it was called having a QT. Who can guess what QT stands for?
It’s a quiet time.
It’s a time where we get away from all the hustle and bustle of life and spend time with God.
Now this is something that if we do it continuously will make a big difference in our lives.
The rabbi expects his apprectices to be with him, To spend time with him.
Everyday amidst the hustle and bustle of life - if we can take time to slow down.
Sister Maria was one person who everyone looked up to in this community
One secret that she had which was not a secret is while everyone sleeping she is getting up early to spend time with Jesus
It was no wonder she looked so much like Jesus.
She was always in his presence
Simple things we can do
Spend time in prayer and worship.
Praying without ceasing. As you go about the day talk to God.
Immerse yourself in Scripture, treating it as a conversation with Jesus. The Bible is how Jesus talks to you.
Practice silence and solitude to listen to His voice.
so let us learn to Be with Jesus
My challenge for you is Are you making space in your life to be with Jesus, or are distractions crowding Him out?
Be Like Jesus
Be Like Jesus
29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
Who are we trying to become?
Be like Mike?
Who are we trying to be like?
A rabbi expects you to not only follow him and be with him but to be like him.
“The apprentice is not above the rabbi, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their rabbi.[6]
For Jesus, the point of apprenticeship was to be with him for the purpose of becoming like him, which happens through an in-depth process of training”
Jesus spent around just 3 years training the Disciples to be like him.
It is so important that we as Christians become like Jesus.
Being like Jesus is what theologians call Spiritual Formation
the question isn’t, Are you being formed? It’s, Who or what are you being formed into?”
“Formation into the image of Jesus is a long, slow process, not a one-time event. There’s no lightning bolt from heaven. Spiritual growth is similar to bodily growth—very gradual”
How many of us have traits or sins that God has been working on us for years upon years and it still not fixed yet.
Becoming like Jesus will take a while.
To know if we are becoming like Jesus - check the fruit in our lives.
The fruit of the Spirit will be manifested especially the first fruit Love.
Now hear is the thing. It is possible to be with Jesus and not become like Jesus
Judas was 1 one of the 12 Disciples and even though he was with Jesus he did not become like Jesus
He was described as a thief and even a betrayer.
Not every friend you have is your friend.
People might be with you but they may have ulterior motives
Judas loved money.
If Jesus is your rabbi he expects you to become like him.
It have plenty people in the church today who appear to spend a lot of time with Jesus - they can quote every scripture and they may look good on the outside but deep down they are not like Jesus
It have people who don’t have Jesus as their rabbi but they have religion as their rabbi.
A religious person may know a lot of scriptures but they don’t do much of it.
How many of you know people like that?
How many of you are sitting next to a person like that?
Just because someone can quote a lot scriptures that doesn’t mean that they are a good Christian. It just means they got a good memory.
The whole purpose of being with Jesus is for his traits to rub of on us.
People will see him when they see us.
It have some Christians today really need the Holy Spirit to deal with the attitude that they have.
Instead of attracting people to Jesus they run people from Jesus.
So what stops Christians from being like Jesus.
The truth is one flaw that a lot of Christians have is that they are not teachable.
Some people come up to you and ask for advice and then they do the total opposite
You can say Jesus is Lord but you not willing to learn from him.
WE need to pray that we will have a Teachable Spirit
Teach me to be teachable
Seek accountability in your spiritual growth through community.
As we begin to surrender more and more of our lives to Jesus the Holy Spirit will help us to become more like Jesus
WE cannot do this on our own strength
Challenge: In what areas of your life is God asking you to become more like Jesus?
Do what he did
Do what he did
6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
Now we come to final part of what is expected if Jesus is your rabbi.
You will begin to do the things that he did.
Now some of you might be thinking what you mean do as he did? Wasn’t he God?
Should I go to a wedding and tell people let me show you how to turn water into wine?
Should I go in the beach and try to walk on the water.
Should I go monkey Town cemetery and try to raise the dead?
Is that what is expected of me?
12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
Jesus did his work through the power of the Holy Spirit
“If Jesus did his work in the power of the Spirit, how much more do we need the Spirit to carry on that same work?”
Remember a rabbi’s goal wasn’t just to teach, but also to raise up disciples after himself to carry on his teaching and his way of life. To this day, upon their ordination rabbis are commissioned to ‘raise up many disciple
Now if you are an apprentice of someone you are expected to do what they did e.g if I am an apprentice of a plumber. The whole purpose of me learning about plumbing is not so that I could define what plumbing is in an exam.
The whole point is not to Ace a plumbing exam.
The point of learning from my teacher is that so I can fix my pump at home when it gives trouble because WASA always cutting off our water in Barrackpore
So I am trying to do like my master taught me in Plumbing.
That is what is expected of an apprentice.
4 stages of apprenticeship
1. I do; you watch. 2. I do; you help 3. You do; I help 4. You do; I watch.
You can map this exact process onto Jesus’ training of his apprentices. At first they just followed him around and watched; over time they began to help Jesus; then they began to do Jesus’ work, a little at a time, receiving a lot of feedback as they took their first faltering steps; and by the end, they were sent out in Jesus’ name and power to continue what he started.
If you are an apprentice of Jesus, your goal is to grow and mature into the kind of person who can say and do all the things Jesus said and did.
I am not saying that you necessarily need to raise the dead but you can pray for someone who is sick and see them get healed.
That’s why we pray for each other every single Sunday.
We are putting our faith into action by praying that God will move on our behalf in the same way he did when Jesus spent time talking to him
17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
If you are a Disciple of Jesus - do people ever call you at times to pray about things?
They should be calling you because you are an apprentice of Jesus.
Jesus’s whole life was serving others. If we want to follow in Jesus footsteps we need to serve people the way he served others.
His life was a life of service. He was more interested in towels than titles.
He modeled service to the Disciples when he washed the Disciples feet.
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Last week Pastor Mario was talking about this scripture
This was Jesus’ last instructions to his Disciples
They were to carry on his Mission that he started right here on earth
Jesus was always pointing people to the way to heaven.
He expects us to do what he did.
Reach out to those who are hurting.
Those who need help.
Jesus was a very hospitable person.
He was always around people whether they were his friends or his enemies.
Jesus also ate a lot when you read the Gospels.
In Luke 5 Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners at the home of Levi
in Luke 7 Jesus is anointed at the home of Simon the Pharisee during a meal.
In Luke 9 Jesus feeds the five thousand.
In Luke 10 Jesus eats in the home of Martha and Mary
In Luke 11 Jesus condemns the Pharisees and teachers of the law at a meal.
Robert Karris, A New Testament Scholar said it like this - he said Jesus was always on his way to a meal, at a meal or coming from a meal.
In my language - he was always geeing them.
But more than just eating - he was around people at the table and he was teaching them about the Kingdom of God.
In Jewish Culture They called it “table fellowship”; to eat with someone was a sign of welcome, not just into one’s home, but also into good standing with the community and even with God himself.”
He turned Meals into Missions. It was a strategy he had to reach people.
“This practice of eating and drinking with people far from God is what the New Testament writers call “hospitality.”
When Jesus ate meals with people it said a whole lot about the type of person he was.
The Scribes and Pharisees wondered why he was eating with sinners.
Jesus showed them it was sinners he came to save and bring them into his Kingdom.
Jesus welcomed all into his Kingdom
As Pastor Mario was saying last week don’t just give food to people but give them Jesus.
Jesus didn’t just give people Bread at the table. He gave them the Bread of life.
Don’t just give them a goodie. Give them the Gospel.
Jesus also gave people the Gospel - the Good News of the Kingdom
Jesus didn't just preach the Gospel but he demonstrated it to people.
Are we living what we are preaching to people?
God has equipped the church to be his body to the World.
A certain theologian said it like this - he said Christ has no body but ours. Go out and be Christ body to the World.
May we all by the Help of the Holy Spirit begin to do the things that Jesus did.
Conclusion
Conclusion
As I close. I just want to say. There are too many in the church who are just playing church.
There are too many Carnal Christians in the Church Today
Carnal Christianity is a version of the faith that accepts Jesus as Lord cognitively but not practically.
It’s the version of faith that wants Jesus, his blood but wants nothing else.
It’s the type that says I want you to forgive me on the back end but don’t tell me what to do on the front end.
I want you to be by Savior but don’t be my shepherd!!
I want you as Redeemer but not as Rabbi.
Most people in the church today are just settling for Salvation but I am here to encourage you to just not settle for Salvation but also have a desire for transformation.
You can live your life the world’s way. The Church or religion’s way or the Rabbi’s way.
The Rabbi’s way is living life here how God intended.
You know the Redeemer but have you known the Rabbi?
You need Jesus the Redeemer to get saved but you need Jesus the Rabbi after you have been saved.
You see the Christian faith is a way of life. It is not just God changing something in my life but it is God changing the way I live my life.
You see the Redeemer reveals the person of Jesus.
The Rabbi reveals the Principles of Jesus
The Redeemer purchased my salvation
The Rabbi leads me into Transformation
So as we continue this time of prayer and fasting may we talk to God and tell him that
In 2025 and for the rest of our lives we make it our goal to be with Jesus, to be like Jesus and to do the things he Did.
We know him as Redeemer - may we also know him as Rabbi.