Derek Vreeland - By the Way: Getting Serious about Following Jesus with own Free Will

Robust, accessible, rich, and contextual, Derek Vreelands By the Way paints a vision for the Christian life, the Jesus way. This is a book every pastor should want their congregation to read.

Tara Beth Leach , author of Emboldened and senior pastor of PazNaz

Like a splash of water to the face, By the Way awakens us to the realities of discipleship offered via the way of the cross, the kingdom, the resurrection, and of course the life and reign of Jesus. After reading it, we walk away not with a new to-do list but with a new way of life in his presence. Winsome, story-filled, theologically sound. In writing this book, Vreeland is pastoring us to a deeper Christian life.

David E. Fitch, author of The Church of Us vs. Them and Faithful Presence

For too long, approaches to discipleship have been focused on a set of affirmations or a body of information rather than a pattern of living. Derek Vreeland sets out here to change that. With clarity and accessibility, Vreeland lays out a map of the many contours of the Jesus way, complete with practices and reflections. This book will help us become better followers of Jesus and better at inviting others to do the same.

Glenn Packiam , associate senior pastor of New Life Church and author of Blessed Broken Given

For far too long, many in the church have equated faith as a one-time decision we make rather than an ongoing way we take. This fundamental misreading of Jesus invitation to salvation has resulted in stunted growth, anemic witness, and a profound lack of Gods life flowing through our lives. This is why we need to listen to Derek Vreeland. By the Way offers us a fresh vision of what it means to say yes to Jesus way, which immerses us in truth and invigorates us with life.

Rich Villodas , lead pastor of New Life Fellowship Church

I know this book will grip your heart. You are going to fall deeper in love with Jesus, his church, and people who have yet to taste and see that the Lord is so good.... Through the pages of this book, Derek Vreeland is going to help you reimagine what it means to follow Jesus.

Derwin L. Gray , lead pastor of Transformation Church and author of Limitless Life , from foreword

This book is a breath of fresh air! Following Jesus is indeed a loving way of life. We do not follow Jesus in our minds alone or by having right doctrine alone. That is modern-day gnosticism. It would behoove those of us serious about living out the gospel to pay attention and to learnor perhaps relearnfrom Derek Vreeland.

Marlena Graves , author of A Beautiful Disaster

I love Derek Vreeland and I love books on discipleship, so reading a book by Derek Vreeland about discipleship is a dream come true! Thank you, Derek, for capturing the beauty of the way of Jesus in this practical and compelling guidebook. By the Way shows us how a life of radical allegiance to Jesus is not only possible, but the only way to really live.

Bruxy Cavey , author of Reunion and senior pastor of The Meeting House

Salvation sold cheap, as a ticket to heaven, bears little resemblance to what Jesus and the apostles proclaimed as a robust way of life. By the Way is an important and timely book: a book written by an experienced pastor seeking to close the embarrassing gap between what is glibly called salvation and the way of discipleship to which Jesus actually calls us. By the Way will help many people discover the way that leads to life.

Brian Zahnd , lead pastor of Word of Life Church and author of Postcards from Babylon

Herald Press

PO Box 866, Harrisonburg, Virginia 22803

www.HeraldPress.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Vreeland, Derek, author.

Title: By the way : getting serious about following Jesus / Derek Vreeland.

Description: Harrisonburg : Herald Press, 2019.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018060613| ISBN 9781513805863 (pbk. : alk. paper) | ISBN

9781513805870 (hardcover : alk. paper)

Subjects: LCSH: Spiritual formation.

Classification: LCC BV4511 .V74 2019 | DDC 248.4--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018060613

BY THE WAY

2019 by Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia 22803. 800-245-7894.

All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018060613

International Standard Book Number: 978-1-5138-0586-3 (paperback);

978-1-5138-0587-0 (hardcover); 978-1-5138-0588-7 (ebook)

Printed in United States of America

Cover and interior design by Reuben Graham

All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form, by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission of the copyright owners.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible ( The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ), 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from The Message . 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

23 22 21 20 19 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To Jenni
who, by the way, has been with me every step of the way

I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. My soul followeth hard after thee.

Psalm 63:6-8 KJV

Contents

Foreword

J esus saves us so that through us he can save the world. My friend Derek Vreeland writes these beautiful words in chapter 1. These words are beautiful because they are true. My heart was gripped when I first laid eyes on them, just as I know this book will grip your heart too. You are going to fall deeper in love with Jesus, his church, his mission for his church, and people who have yet to taste and see that the Lord is so good.

How amazing is it that Jesus shares his eternal-kind-of-life, ministry, and mission with his disciples? Its mind-blowing to contemplate that Jesus right now is seated at the right hand of his Father, in a realm that the New Testament calls heaven, yet Jesus expresses himself on earth through his disciples, called the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27). Jesus loves, forgives, and transforms, and brings glimpses of heaven to earth through his people. Through the pages of this book, Derek will help you reimagine what it means to follow Jesus.

Like a skilled guide, he will reveal to you how consumerism and Western individualism have negatively shaped your faith. Consumerism tells a story that Jesus and his church are a product that exists to meet your needs. Its as if Jesus is a wonderfully trained Chick-fil-A employee whose pleasure it is to make sure your order is to your liking.

In Western individualism, instead of placing Jesus and his church as the focus of your faith, you, the individual, become the focus. Often, the church in North America has transformed the gospel from a corporate, communal understanding to an individualistic, private faith. The gospel becomes a story of how Jesus came to save me from the wrath of God and to help me reach heaven when I die, instead of a story of God in Christ rescuing, reconciling, and redeeming a people who exist for the glory and mission of God, displaying a foretaste of Gods kingdom on earth as conduits of love (1 Peter 2:9).

Let this marinate for a moment: The New Testament authors use the word disciple over 260 times and the word Christian only 3 times to describe Jesus followers. The term Christian describes how Jews and Gentiles became a new, multiethnic family. In the early church, Jews began to worship Jesus of Nazareth as YHWH (or Yahweh) and Gentiles stopped worshiping idols and starting worshiping Jesus. Its as though they became a new ethnicity on earth comprised of all ethnicities united in and by the blood of Jesus in fulfillment of Gods covenant with Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3; Ephesians 2:8-16). The Scripture says, The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch (Acts 11:26 CSB). Unfortunately, the term Christian has lost its meaning.