Learning the Jesus Way of LifeSample

The Jesus Way of Life

Have you ever felt like you were made for more? More than what you’ve experienced so far? More than a regular everyday routine? More than the ongoing drama of work, school, and trying to figure out relationships?

If you have, you’re not alone and it’s certainly not wrong to feel that way—because you are made for more. So much so that Jesus thought you were worth dying for.

The question you have to answer now is: Do you believe He’s worth living for?

Jesus didn’t die on the cross so you could sit comfortably on your couch. He died for us so we could live with Him. Because, according to Jesus, that’s what eternal life truly is.

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3 NIV

Eternal life isn’t something that starts after we die. It’s something that starts the moment we commit our lives to Jesus. Because eternal life is life with Jesus.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10 NIV

You were made for more. You were made for eternal life—life with Jesus.

What is the Jesus way of life?

1. Following Jesus is an all-of-life way of life.

We’ve already touched on this one, but it’s worth repeating because so much of the disappointment and disillusionment people experience with their faith comes from settling for a version of it that is nothing more than agreeing with a few pieces of doctrine. Following Jesus is about committing our whole self to a person. It’s not about adding a few more items to the list of things we believe in. It’s about devoting all of ourselves to Jesus and letting Him do a complete renovation in our lives.

2. Following Jesus will make you more like Jesus.

When you say yes to following Jesus, you’re letting someone new in the driver's seat. And with Jesus at the wheel, He’s going to show you things you’ve never seen, take you places you’ve never been, and ask you to do things you’ve never done. Day by day, decision by decision, one step after the next, you will become less of who you used to be and more of who you’re meant to be.

3. Following Jesus means being with Jesus.

This is a really big one. Christianity is unique because it is a religion centered around a relationship. Our entire faith can be summed up in the sentence: God became one of us so we could become one with Him. If we miss this, we miss the whole thing. God wants a relationship with you. If He didn’t, He would’ve made robots or stuck with rocks. But that’s not what happened. He created people. He gave us the freedom to choose; how we live, what we do, and who we love. And His greatest desire is that we would freely choose life with Him.

4. Following Jesus is not something you’re meant to do alone.

If you start taking your faith seriously, it won’t be long before Jesus brings you into community with other people. People who need you. And people who you need. Our Heavenly Father is building a family. A family of forgiven and redeemed people who invite others to receive forgiveness and find redemption. That’s what the Church is. A group of people following Jesus together.

What is the Jesus way of life?

It’s not some disconnected and impractical “spiritual” existence. It’s about getting our hands dirty in the business of being human. It’s an invitation to walk with Jesus and work with Jesus in every part of our lives. This kind of life is the more you are made for.

Over the next 40 days of this Plan, we’ll walk with you on a guided tour of Matthew’s Gospel to see what life with Jesus is all about—going where He goes, doing what He does, trusting what He says, and loving how He loves.

Our goal is to help you take seriously the last words Jesus spoke before He returned to heaven to be with the Father:

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 NIV

Application: Invite some friends to join you in this reading Plan! Read the selected passages from Matthew’s Gospel and make note of anything that seems strange, exciting, or even unsettling. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see what God might want to show you through those Scriptures.