FOLLOW THE WAY

WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL

NOVEMBER 21, 2022

TOPIC: FOLLOW THE WAY

BY T. O. BANSO

“If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor” (John 12:26 New King James Version).

One of the ways Jesus referred to Himself was that He is the way. He said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (New King James Version). Therefore, to follow the way means to follow Jesus. There is no other way to the Father except through Jesus. Whoever does not want to end in hellfire must follow Jesus. He is the way. There are other ways but He remains the only way.

He said in Matthew 7:13, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it” (New King James Version). Follow the way. Jesus also said in Luke 13:24, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (New King James Version).

In the early church, people used to refer to Christianity as the Way. Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary says, “In the Book of Acts, the phrase the Way was a scornful label for the early Christian movement used by the enemies of the church. Like the word Christian, this term of derision was borne with pride by the followers of Jesus.” Those who followed the way were Christians. In the context of this devotional, to follow the way also means to continue in the Christian faith.

Acts 19:9 says that in Ephesus, when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, Paul departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. Don’t behave as these people did. Don’t speak evil of the Way. Follow the way.

Later in Ephesus, the Bible says in Acts 19:23 that there arose a great commotion about the Way. That refers to Christianity. Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no small profit to the craftsmen and caused a riot in Ephesus against Paul because the message he preached was a threat to his profit. Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen opposed the way. Follow the way; don’t oppose the way.

Paul used to oppose the Way before his conversion. Acts 9:1-2 says that Paul (formerly Saul) still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked for letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. But he preached about the Way passionately after his conversion. As Acts 17:30 says, the times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent. Paul began to defend the Way that he formerly opposed.

Appearing before Felix the governor, Paul also referred to the Way. He said in Acts 24:14, “But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets” (New King James Version). Note that he referred to Christianity as the Way.

Verse 22 says, “But when Felix heard these things, having more accurate knowledge of the Way, he adjourned the proceedings and said, ‘When Lysias the commander comes down, I will make a decision on your case’” (New King James Version).

In 2 Peter 2:2, Peter also refers to Christianity as the way of truth. He said, “And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed” (New King James Version).

In Acts 18:25, the Bible also refers to a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures as a man who had been instructed in the way of the Lord. To be instructed in the way of the Lord refers to knowing about the Lord’s Way or being taught about the Lord or the Christian faith.

Verse 26 says of Apollos, “So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately” (New King James Version). Aquila and Priscilla explained more about the Christian faith to Apollos because they had more knowledge of the way than he did.

Follow the way. Follow Jesus. The gospel of Christ is the way of salvation. Nobody who responds to the gospel will miss eternity with God. In Acts 16:17, the slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination and who followed Paul and those with him, cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation” (New King James Version). 

If you’ve accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, follow the way. Follow the instructions you have received; follow what you have been taught. Don’t depart from it. If you haven’t yet started following the Way, do so today. Give your life to Jesus. Don’t delay further. Now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). 

Follow the way; don’t oppose it; don’t speak evil of the way. It is the way of the Lord; it is the way of salvation. It is the way of truth. Don’t depart from the way. “For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: ‘A dog returns to his own vomit,’ and, ‘a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire’” (2 Peter 2:20-22 New King James Version).

Follow the way.

TAKE ACTION!

If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.

Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.

I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.

PRAYER POINTS: Father, uphold me; let me not depart from the way. Holy Spirit, help me to follow the way to the end. I pray that those who oppose the way or speak evil of the way will repent and, like Saul, will follow the way and show many others the way of truth.

(For over 800 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).

T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org