The Way of Jesus: Growing as Apprentices
Well, good morning, everybody. It is good to be with you. My name is Carlos, and I’m our senior pastor. If you’re here at our North Campus, welcome. And to everybody watching online or at our other campuses—we’re glad you’re here too. I know it’s cold for some of you. And for those wearing shorts, you’re either original Austin weirdos or you’re not from around here.
Either way, we’re glad you’re here.
I was talking earlier about the Creative Commons, and when we first sat down to plan this series, an image popped into my head from when I was a kid in the late ’70s and early ’80s. I remember seeing people carrying these particular Bibles. And the people who carried them all had something in common—at least in the churches I grew up in.
I grew up in a pretty conservative church. My dad is outlandish and crazy, but the denomination itself was conservative. And the people who read that Bible? They were weird. At least to me as a kid. They had long hair. They had tattoos—50 years ago, before that was cool. They were probably hippies or former hippies. They weren’t from the Deep South. They were more likely from California or New York.
Looking back now as a 49-year-old, I realize something: they weren’t weird at all. They were genuinely pursuing the way of Christ—and it was disrupting what we thought following Christ was supposed to look like.
These people were saying, I want to know what Jesus actually said, and I’m going to align my life with that—not with culture, not with a denomination, not with tradition, but with the words of Jesus.
And honestly, I find that incredibly refreshing.
Let me give you a modern example of how this kind of commitment creates upheaval. Gen Z is causing disruption right now. They’re young enough to still be in high school, but old enough to be past college and fully in the workforce. And whether people like it or not, Gen Z is causing some real challenges—for the economy, for families, for cultural norms.
Why? Because they’re the first generation in American history to upend an entire segment of our economy.
They’re not engaging in alcohol like previous generations.
Call it like it is.
To the tune of over $800 billion in lost revenue, Gen Z is saying, We want to be healthy.
Now, not everyone is happy about that. Some restaurant owners are probably thinking, Man, I wish they’d drink a little more.
But what’s happening is this: they’re following a way—a pattern of living that reflects what they believe matters. And when people follow a new way, it creates a new norm. And people don’t always like new norms.
That’s exactly what happened with the people of the Way in Scripture—the earliest followers of Jesus. They were upending culture.
In the Roman Empire, there were many gods. One of them was Caesar. People would say, “Caesar is Lord.” But the people of the Way were saying, “Jesus is Lord.” That was deeply countercultural.
There was an entire economy built around idol worship—statues, incense, candles. And the people of the Way weren’t buying those things anymore. They weren’t participating. They were saying, Jesus is Lord, and that’s enough.
In Acts 19, a businessman becomes furious because followers of the Way are ruining his business. Acts 19:23 says, “About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way.”
Why the disturbance? Because it was impacting people’s pocketbooks.
And honestly, that still happens today. In politics, decisions are often made not for the good of the people, but for the benefit of a few. And yes—that includes your party. That wasn’t even in my notes. That’s just inspiration.
Here’s the thing: the way of Jesus isn’t prescriptive—it’s not just a list of rules. It’s descriptive. The people of the Way lived with Jesus. They learned how to live by being with Him.
Their way was simple—but not easy. It was repeatable—but every time you went around again, it cost you something more. It was open to everyone, but those who remained faithful grew over time.
They were like a tree planted by streams of water.
But even 2,000 years ago, people misunderstood this movement. Jesus warned that people would come—teachers, prophets, platform-holders—who would take His words and twist them just enough to create a different way.
We see this even with foundational Scripture like John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
That is good news. But in the wrong hands, it gets twisted into: What kind of God would kill His Son for undeserving people?
And suddenly, Christians are labeled as judgmental, hypocritical, homophobic, or racist. And tragically, some who claim to follow Jesus have lived in ways that reinforce those perceptions.
But that’s not how Jesus lived.
Jesus broke down barriers. He interacted with women in a culture that treated women as property. He engaged people from different sects of Judaism. He protected those caught in public sin instead of condemning them.
That is the way of Jesus.
As a church, what we’ve been wrestling with over the past year is this: What does it really mean to follow Jesus—not just tradition, but Jesus Himself?
So last week we anchored ourselves in Scripture, starting with Matthew 28. After Jesus’ resurrection, He spent 40 days with His disciples and gave them this commission:
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations… and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
That’s why the Church exists.
And what did the early believers do next? Acts chapter 2 tells us:
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. They shared what they had. They met daily. They lived with glad and sincere hearts. And the Lord added to their number daily.
That kind of life is inspiring.
I experienced something like this when I first came to Christ at 19 years old. My life before Jesus revolved around clubs, bars, and living however I wanted. When I said yes to Jesus, I realized I couldn’t do it alone. I needed community.
I got invited to a party at a Christian friend’s house—on a Thursday night, no less. In Dallas, Thursday was ladies’ night. That was sacred territory.
I show up at 11 p.m., knock on the door, and the host says, “You’re late—you’re the last one.”
They had dinner at six. Played games. Prayed together.
I thought, This is lame.
But I stayed connected—and that community changed my life.
Now I can’t imagine leaving my house after 11 p.m.
That’s the power of the Way.
This year, we’re naming four rhythms that shape our life together: Gather, Grow, Give, and Go.
Today, we’re talking about Grow.
We are called to grow from belief in Jesus to a life of intentional apprenticeship—learning to live like Him.
An apprentice learns by following a master.
One of the hardest programs to get into in Texas isn’t a university or medical school—it’s HVAC and plumbing apprenticeships. Why? Because apprentices learn by doing. They’re under houses. They’re fixing systems. They’re learning in real life.
That’s how we grow in Christ. We come under Jesus as our Master. It’s messy—not because of Him, but because of us.
Yet we’re all invited into this apprenticeship—not to shame us, but to heal us. To make us whole. To become more like Christ so we can help others do the same.
To grow means aligning our lives with what we say we believe.
Jesus Christ—Christ meaning Messiah, the Anointed One—came not so we could work our way up to God, but so God could come to us.
Emmanuel. God with us.
As we follow the Way, the Spirit guides us, corrects us, and convicts us—not from condemnation, but from love.
In Acts 11, believers were first called “Christians”—little Christs. It was meant as an insult. But they wore it anyway.
Why? Because their way of life was disrupting culture. Men and women, rich and poor, slave and free, Jew and Gentile—everyone belonged.
That discomfort still matters today.
So how do we grow as disciples?
Three ways:
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We live in relationship with Jesus.
He’s already with us. The question is whether we align our lives to be with Him.
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We learn how to be like Jesus.
It doesn’t come naturally. We die to what’s killing us so we can live in Him.
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We obey what Jesus said.
Not as a checklist, but as a way of being.
And so today, I want to leave you with three questions:
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How would you describe your relationship with Jesus?
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How is Jesus inviting you to become more like Him?
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How is Jesus inviting you to obey Him in this season?
Let’s pray.
