When trying to persuade people  to follow the Way of Jesus, we need to start at the very beginning. We need to start where people are—with little to no knowledge about Jesus.

For example, I find it depressing and discouraging that many people do not know the differences among Moses, Buddha, Confucius, Jesus, and Muhammad.

This ignorance is both a cause and an effect of the growth of the Nones. This series of blogs on “the Way of Jesus” is written with the “Nones” in mind.

As you may be aware, the Nones are fast becoming the largest “religious group” in the United States. In recent years, almost a third of the people in the United States have become Nones.

I put the term “religious group” in quotes. These people are loosely referred to as the Nones because they do not identify with any religious group or religious beliefs. (See my blog “The Way of Jesus: The Nones”.)

And so, we need to help the Nones to crawl before they can walk, and to walk before they can run.

We need to teach the Nones the basics of arithmetic (that “two plus two equals four”) before teaching them the Pythagorean Theorem (that the sum of the areas of the squares of the two legs of a right triangle equals the area of the square of the hypotenuse).

To teach these basics, I am organizing these blogs like a lawsuit.

A lawsuit begins by asking if the facts and circumstances “state a cause of action”—a cause for starting a lawsuit?

In the context of this blog, maybe this is best understood as asking ourselves: does the Way of Jesus state a cause for action? Does the Way of Jesus describe a way of life that attracts us enough to cause us to investigate fully whether Jesus truly is the Way, the Truth, and the Life?

In the context of a lawsuit, this would mean that, even before gathering and considering any evidence for or against Jesus, his teachings, and his ways, do you refuse to follow the Way of Jesus because it requires a way of living that you dislike—maybe even hate!

What kinds of things might you dislike—or even hate—about the Way of Jesus?

Would you dislike—or even hate—following the Way of the LORD revealed in the first chapter of Genesis?

The Way of living that spreads light to overcome darkness. (Genesis 1:2-3; John 1:1-5,9).

The Way of living that overcomes chaos. (Genesis 1:1-2; Genesis 2:1-3).

The Way of living that makes the physical creation good—very good. (Genesis 1:6-10).

The Way of living that makes plants and animals good—very good. (Genesis 1:11-13; Genesis 1:20-25).

The Way of living that treats all Humanity as created in the image of God—good, very good. (Genesis 1:27-31).

Would you dislike—or even hate—following the Way of the Wisdom that follows the Way of the LORD?

The Way of the Wisdom that is compassionate. (Exodus 34:6; Matthew 5:4,43-45).

The Way of the Wisdom that is gracious. (Exodus 34:6; Matthew 6:25-31).

The Way of the Wisdom that is slow to anger. (Exodus 34:6; Matthew 5:21-24).

The Way of the Wisdom that abounds in love and faithfulness. (Exodus 34:6; Matthew 5:3-10).

The Way of the Wisdom that maintains love to thousands of generations. (Exodus 34:7; Matthew 6:9-13,25-34; Matthew 12:17-21; Luke 4:16-21; Luke 15:1-32; John 10:1-18).

The Way of the Wisdom that forgives wickedness, rebellion and sin while allowing people to suffer the consequences of their bad choices as little as feasible. (Exodus 34:7; Matthew 6:9-15; Matthew 7:13-27).

Would you dislike—or even hate—following this Way of Jesus that follows the Way of the Wisdom that follows the Way of the LORD?

In my books, I describe this Way of Jesus with word pictures that “teach[] us more about who Jesus is, what God is like, and how we should live than volumes of theological speculations or hundreds of pages of my writings”. (Hoping in the LORD, at 182).

What are these word pictures from the life of Jesus?

Blessing children.

Welcoming sinners.

Weeping together.

Washing each other’s feet.

Laughing.

Being best friends.

(see citations in READ MORE below)

If you think you may want to live the Way of Jesus that follows the Way of the Wisdom that follows the Way of the LORD, then you have found a cause for action.

A cause for careful, diligent, zealous actions—even if it takes all your life. Not just all your life in terms of all the rest of the years you live. But all your life in terms of all your heart, and all your soul, and all your strength, and all your mind. (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:35-40).

A cause to carefully investigate everything from the beginning, just as it was handed down to us from the first by eyewitnesses and servants of the word. (Luke 1:1-4).

Why?

So that you may know with certainty the Way of Jesus that follows the Way of the Wisdom that follows the Way of the LORD. (Luke 1:1-4).

QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT

What do you like, dislike, or maybe even hate about the Way of Jesus that follows the Way of the Wisdom that follows the Way of the LORD?

In your life, what do you find hardest to follow in the Way of Jesus that follows the Way of the Wisdom that follows the Way of the LORD?

In the Twenty-First Century, what is Humanity finding hardest to follow in the Way of Jesus that follows the Way of the Wisdom that follows the Way of the LORD?

READ MORE

Please read my other blogs related to the Way of Jesus: “The Way of Jesus: The Nones” (and the blogs cited therein).

Please read other blogs by me that should be helpful for the Nones: “The Labyrinth of Light”,  “The Labyrinth of Darkness”, “Pandemic Wisdom: Meditating”, “Meditations: Pleasing Words and Thoughts”, and my  other blogs about meditating that are listed in the READ MORE section of that final blog in my series titled “Meditations: . . .”.

Citations for word pictures from the life of Jesus:

—(Blessing children) the chapters “Jesus Tells His Disciples To Be Like Little Children” and “Jesus Blesses the Little Children” in my book Hoping in the LORD, at pages 177-182;

—(Welcoming sinners) the chapter “Jesus Welcomes Sinners” in my book Hoping in the LORD, at pages 199-202;

—(Weeping together) the chapter “Jesus Raises Lazarus from the Dead” in my book Hoping in the LORD, especially at page 212;

—(Washing each other’s feet) the chapter “The Last Supper” in my book Hoping in the LORD, especially at pages 241-244,246;

—(Laughing) the chapter “Best Friends Worship Together in Spirit and in Truth”, in my book Lighting the World, especially at pages 181-184; and

—(Being Best Friends) “Part Five: Best Friends” of my book Lighting the World, especially at pages 167-186.