“Beloved, I do not consider that I have made [God’s righteousness] my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” –Philippians 3:13, 14 (NRSV)

In Latin, one of the first vocabulary words learned is via which means “road, street, or way” One of the earliest names used for Christianity was the Greek word, “The Way” (Acts 9:2). In Greek, as in Latin, the word “way” means not just a direction, but implies a path in life.

What does it mean, to be a member of the Body of Christ? Too often, church membership is seen as an end in itself, instead of as a part of our Christian journey. And yet, membership in the Body of Christ is much more.
In the passage we read on Sunday from Philippians 3, Paul points out that he has been given a share in God’s righteousness through Jesus Christ. However, this does not mean that he can rest on his laurels. Even though our salvation comes to us by grace and grace alone, we have a responsibility to continue to walk in the Way of Christ. “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” (Phil. 3:12)
As Methodists, we have a rich history of responsible Christian living. In fact, our name, “Methodist” was first applied to John and Charles Wesley and some of their friends because of their “methodical” lifestyle. John Wesley knew that, although righteousness is a gift of God, Christians are not relieved of the obligation of serious effort in practicing the fruits of grace. He encouraged the Methodists in his charge to persevere in three areas.
First, Wesley advised the Methodists to do no harm to anyone and to avoid every kind of evil, personal and social.
Second, “do good to everyone.” It is not enough to avoid evil; as Christians we are called to actively seek every opportunity to do good to all the people with whom we come in contact.
Finally, at every opportunity “attend upon the ordinances of God.” By this, Wesley meant public and private worship, the Lord’s Supper, family and private prayer, fasting or abstinence, and study of the Bible. We do this because it is the right thing to do, but also because it is a joyful and fulfilling way to live. And there’s an added bonus—when we cultivate the good habits of public and private commitment to a Way of life, when difficult times come, we are prepared to make good choices with confidence and trust in the God who has been using those good habits to cultivate us.
Each of these three means strengthens the other. As we feed our spirits and encourage one another in worship, Sacrament, and prayer, we are also preparing ourselves to do good. As we nurture the Spirit, which leads us to do good, we are also avoiding evil. As we avoid evil, we learn to see opportunities for good, and we are strengthened for worship and prayer.
Being a Christian is not just the way we are, it is the Way we live. As Wesley discovered, the best way to be faithful in the Christian lifestyle is when we can be together to encourage one another as we all strive for “the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” See you in church!