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Jesus said; I am the way
The Way to the Father
is the example of life Jesus Christ lived whilst in the flesh, and set us an
example that we should follow His steps. This Way is the new and living way
which He consecrated for us in His flesh. This Way is His body, the Church. In
several passages in scriptures, the church is referred to as the Way.
For example; Saul
before he became the apostle Paul, 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
(Acts 9:2).
When Saul became converted and became known as the Apostle Paul,
he confessed saying; “I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death,
arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison” (Acts.22:4).
On one occasion,
“Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing
persuasively about the kingdom of God, but some of them became obstinate: they
refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way.’ Also, “About that time,
there arose a great disturbance about the Way (Acts 19:9, 23).
This Way is what all
believers are called to witness about. The objective of this Way is to; “Open
the eyes of men [Jews as well as Gentiles], and turned them from darkness to
light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness
of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ”
(Acts 26:18).
This Way identifies
the church, the body of Christ, and distinguishes it from all others. This Way
is called, “The fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the ages
has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the
intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to
the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal
purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have
boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him” (Ephesians 3:9-12).
This Way is the wisdom of God in a
mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,
which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not
have crucified the Lord of Glory”(1 Corinthians 2:7-8).
This is the hidden
mystery of the ages which the Lord revealed to the apostle Paul, and he
unveiled it to the church at Corinth when he said to them; “For I received from
the Lord what I also pass on to you. The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed,
took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My
body, which is for you: do this in remembrance of Me. In the same way, after
supper He took the cup, saying: ‘this cup is the new covenant in My blood: do
this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me. For whenever you eat this
bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes”
(1Corinthians 11:23-23-26).
This proclamation is
the responsibility of the church (the body of Christ) to demonstrate to the
principalities and powers of the heavenly places, the manifold wisdom of God.
The apostle Paul wrote; “Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which
we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread
that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one
bread: we, who are many, are one body, for, we all partake of the one bread” (1
Corinthians 10:16-17).
Therefore, following the example of the
life of Jesus Christ, and partaking of His flesh (Unleavened Bread), is the new
and living way to the Father.
To be continued
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With brotherly love
Lucius Joseph
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