Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14.6) 

Jesus said he is the way to God – specifically, faith in Jesus is the way (see John 14.7-12). Having a relationship with God through faith in Jesus is like walking a roadway.

But what does it mean to walk this road of faith in Jesus? To make this clear, he gave us two significant activities (referred to as ordinances, rites or sacraments) to carry out. The first of these acts is baptism by which we dedicate ourselves to following Jesus in faith. The second of these acts is Communion (or the Lord’s Supper) which highlights our fellowship with others who follow in faith.

As a church we are committed to faith in Christ as expressed in following Christ and fellowship in Christ.

1. Faith in Christ 

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1.15) 

“Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” (Luke 24.46-48) 

The gospel (or good news) of Jesus Christ is our entrance to the way of Christ. The gospel calls us to repentance and faith. To repent means to change our mind and agree with God about our sin. The Bible says all have sinned – we have gone our own way instead of the way of God, our creator. God cannot tolerate or overlook sin. As a result we are all under God’s sentence of death, and in our sin we are eternally separated from him. 

Furthermore, we cannot erase our sin or make up for it. We cannot attain a right relationship with God for ourselves in which we have eternal life. Only God can provide this for us. But to do so meant coming in the person of Jesus Christ to die for our sins and to rise again. In this way God created new life from death. We receive this life through faith. The gospel calls us to repent, or confess our sin, and put our faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. Jesus spoke of repentance and faith as the narrow gate through which we must enter. 

As a church we are committed to proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to holding our relationship with God by faith in Christ alone. 

Acts 20.21; Romans 3.23; 4.1-8; 5.18-19; 10.8-17; John 3.16; Mark 10.45; 1 Timothy 2.5-6; Ephesians2.1-9; Matthew 7.13-14; Galatians 3.1-2

2. Following Christ 

“Follow me…” (Matthew 4.19) 

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28.19-20) 

Faith leads to following. Once we are through the gate, we find ourselves on the way of Christ. He then calls us to start walking – he calls us to follow him. This we do by obeying his teachings. Through faith we have received eternal life, which consists of a relationship with God. Now we must begin to live this life by learning the word of God and acting on it. This is real faith. Without good works, faith is dead. 

The activity that directs us to follow Jesus is baptism. In baptism we both acknowledge something that Jesus’ death has done for us, and we act on it. We acknowledge that Jesus’ death for sin has brought about a spiritual death to sin within us. Our former self, which was a captive to sin, has died. We have been made new in order to walk in the newness of life. We then act on this truth by committing to be followers, or disciples. In so doing we make our faith visible – we outwardly identify ourselves as Christians. Our Christian life will involve an ongoing struggle with sin, but we continue to confess our sins and claim God’s forgiveness, and the Holy Spirit within gives us a new desire and power to follow Jesus. 

As a church we are committed to teaching the whole word of God and to calling believers to be followers, signaling that decision by baptism. 

Ephesians 2.10; James 2.26; 1 Peter 2.24; Romans 6.1-14; Colossians 2.6-15; Galatians 3.27; 5.16-25; 1 John 1.8-9; Acts 20.26-27

3. Fellowship in Christ 

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” (Luke 22.29-20) 

Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. (1 Corinthians 10.17) 

Jesus does not call us to follow him alone. Rather through the indwelling Spirit he makes us part of his one body, or church. As we outwardly identify ourselves as Christians through the baptismal commitment to follow Christ, we also identify ourselves as members of his church. This gives us a common identity with other members and opens the door to church fellowship. 

To highlight this aspect of his way, Jesus established a group activity for the church to carry out. This is Communion (or the Lord’s Supper or Breaking of Bread,). As with baptism, Communion involves both acknowledging something about his death for us and acting on it. We acknowledge that through his death we have a relationship with him not merely as an individual, but as a member of his church. And we act on this truth by committing to church fellowship – to being followers together. 

Ongoing fellowship is crucial to our walk as followers of Jesus. The church provides the accountability and the support we need to stay in the way of Christ. We learn and grow through what we receive from one another and through serving one another in turn. As we do so, the body of Christ is built up in love and we take our place in it. 

As a church we are committed to being followers of Christ in church fellowship, dedicating ourselves to this through the ongoing celebration of Communion. 

1 Corinthians 12.13; 11.17-34; Acts 2.41-42; Ephesians 2.19-22; 4.1-16; 1 Corinthians 12-13; Hebrews 10.23- 25; 1 John 1.3-4; 2.19-20; Matthew 18.15-20; 1 Corinthians 5.6-13