At Gateway Church in Austin, we started a new series called The Way.
Following Jesus is less prescriptive and more descriptive. We are given a general framework by the early disciples of how to live out the teachings of Jesus and follow his way. They are simple, but not easy, they are repeatable but grow more difficult, they allow anyone who believes to choose to follow, and all who remain faithful will grow stronger over time. We are like a tree planted by His waters, we grow strong in Him, and we become an immovable force in God’s kingdom.
Digging Deeper:
Work through the following questions and Bible study with your roommates, family, or small group:
Message Video from Gateway South Austin:
Message Audio from Gateway South Austin:
Message Notes by Carlos Ortiz, Jr.:
The Great Reset That Became a Great Setback
A few years ago, many of us were told that the COVID shutdown would be the Great Reset.
A pause.
A recalibration.
An opportunity to rebuild something better.
But if we are honest—pastorally honest, spiritually honest—for many, it did not become a great reset. It became a great setback.
Instead of gathering, we isolated.
Instead of growing, we shrank back.
Instead of giving, we protected what was ours.
Instead of going, we stayed inside increasingly small, carefully curated bubbles.
Now, some of that was necessary. Much of it was done out of love and caution. But something subtle happened beneath the surface of our lives. What began as a temporary disruption quietly reshaped our habits, our expectations, and even our understanding of what it means to follow Jesus.
The Christian life, which is inherently communal, embodied, and outward-facing, became increasingly individualized, virtual, and inward.
And here’s the danger: what begins as a season can become a system.
That is why in 2026 we are wanting to disrupt that system, and so we are calling our church to a realignment.
A return.
A replanting.
A re-centering on the ancient, resilient, life-giving practices of the people of God.
We are called to be people of The Way!
Psalm 1 gives us one of Scripture’s most enduring images of spiritual formation:
“That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.”
Notice what Scripture does not compare us to.
Not a machine.
Not a startup.
Not a productivity system.
But we are compared to A TREE!.
Trees grow slowly.
They grow quietly.
They grow invisibly before they grow visibly.
And their strength is not measured by speed, but by rings—each one marking endurance through drought, storm, cold, and heat.
You cannot rush a tree.
You cannot fake its growth.
And you cannot see its deepest strength on the surface.
Following Jesus works the same way.
Now we all fall into one of 3 categories:
First, we are either following Jesus with our whole hearts which means we are a disciple of Jesus which means we are wanting to live and love like Him.
Or second, we are exploring God and considering the claims of Jesus and considering a life surrendered to Jesus.
Now there is a third category that is the result of living in a culture where Christianity has been the dominant worldview and that is someone who would describe himself or herself as someone who believes in Jesus but isn’t really following Him right now.
If that’s you, I want to encourage you to reconsider as this is not truly an option.
Today is your opportunity to recommit your heart and life to following Jesus or be honest that you are open-minded spiritually and open to hearing what it means to truly follow Jesus so you can decide.
This series can help all of us move closer to God and who He’s created us to be no matter which category best describes us as we came here today.
Now one of the great misunderstandings of growing in Jesus, and being a disciple, is that Christianity gives us a rigid, hyper-detailed checklist for spiritual success.
But when you read the New Testament carefully, especially the Gospels and the early church, you find something different.
Jesus does not give His disciples a spreadsheet.
He gives them a way of life. He literally says, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” (John 14:6)
It is less prescriptive—do these exact things in this exact order—and more descriptive—this is what life looks like when Jesus is at the center of your life or as the early followers of Jesus would say, this is what life looks like when Jesus is Lord.
What does the word “Lord” mean?
We usually only hear it when watching Star Wars and they refer to Lord Vader.
Well, the Jewish people held such reverence and respect for God that when reading the Hebrew Scriptures, every time they would see the word “Yahweh” – which is the name of God and means “I Am” – they would say the word “Adonai” which means “the Lord” – “the One who has all authority and power and dominion.”
So then when the Hebrew Scriptures (our Old Testament) was translated into Greek, every time the name of God appeared, they translated “Yahweh” as “Kurios” which means “Lord.”
Just as the Romans would say: “Caesar is Lord,” the early followers of Jesus would say “Jesus is Lord.” In other words, they were saying: “Jesus is Yahweh.” They were saying: “Jesus is God and has supreme authority over all things including my life.”
That’s why we are spending this season walking together through Matthew 28 and Acts 2, the same framework we have walked our staff and leaders through over this past year.
Each week, we will read these passages in full.
And let me please give you the “why” behind us doing this every week.
Formation happens not through novelty, but through repetition.
The Framework
“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.
Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’” – Matthew 28:16–20
Notice: worship and doubt. Authority before activity. Presence after commission.
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer…
All the believers were together…
Every day they continued to meet together…
And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” – Acts 2:42–47
This is not a program. It is a pattern.
Simple—but not easy.
Repeatable—but increasingly costly.
Accessible—but deeply formative.
So the key idea today is this: We are called by God to create intentional environments for meaningful connection with Him and with each other.
When we choose to follow Jesus, our life is not sedentary. It is not passive. It is not something we consume.
It is a movement in our hearts and lives -—a transformational movement in the way of Christ.
And every movement begins with gathering.
In Hebrews 10, the author tells us:
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess…
not giving up meeting together… but encouraging one another.”
Notice the language: hold, spur, encourage. These are active verbs.
Gathering is not a religious obligation.
Gathering is a countercultural act of resistance.
In a fragmented world, gathering says we belong to one another.
In a distracted world, gathering says we will pay attention together.
In a fearful world, gathering says Jesus is still Lord.
This is why the early church gathered daily.
Not because they were super-Christians, but because they were spiritually realistic.
They knew formation happens through proximity, presence, and practice.
Psalm 1 begins not with what we do, but with what we walk toward and sit among.
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked… but whose delight is in the law of the Lord.”
Formation happens by proximity.
You are shaped by what you regularly place yourself near.
You grow toward what you consistently gather around.
The psalmist doesn’t say the blessed person is brilliant or busy—but planted.
So how do we know when we are gathering for the right purpose?
Three Marks of Gathering in the Way of Jesus:
1. Center the Presence of God
Gathering is not first about us connecting with each other—it is about all of us orienting ourselves around God.
In Acts 2, the church devoted themselves to teaching, prayer, and worship.
Awe filled the room.
We gather not to manufacture emotion, but to rehearse reality:
- Jesus reigns.
- Grace is real.
- The Spirit is present.
The presence of God is not an accessory—it is the center.
Do you know the story of the beginning of bells ringing to Center people back to worship?
Bishop Paulinus of Nola, Italy (400 AD) is credited with creating this practice of using handbells for monks, and it later spread during the middle ages to churches in town squares using church bells. People would hear the bells and it created this effect of knowing that was the moment to reconnect with God and make him the primary focus. A time to pray, remember, worship, gather.
What is calling out to us today? What is our constant reminder that centers Christ again?
Like streams of water nourishing a tree, His presence sustains growth we cannot force.
2. Connect Meaningfully With Others
“All the believers were together.”
This is more than attendance.
This is a shared life.
They ate together.
They shared resources.
They opened homes.
Our faith does not grow in rows alone—it grows in circles.
Isolation weakens faith. Community strengthens it.
This is why gathering is not optional for discipleship. You cannot grow deep roots alone.
When you come on Sundays, and it’s important to make coming on Sundays a priority, come praying this prayer: “God, what do you have for me today? And what do you want from me?”
Come anticipating God to move in your heart – through the message, through the music, through the time of prayer in your seat, through conversations in the lobby, or through His still, small voice.
Come anticipating God to move through you – whether it’s while you are serving the children or the middle schoolers or serving with hospitality or as a greeter or meeting someone sitting near you or an encouraging conversation in the lobby or courtyard, or praying for someone who has shared their heart with you.
The first followers of Jesus met on the first day of the week, on Sunday, to remember the miracle of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. They also met in homes.
Coming on Sundays is a great first step, but the next step for your real growth means gathering in a group.
It could be a serving team on Sunday or a small group during the week where you are digging deeper into the message from Sunday and the Scriptures or participating in a class like Alpha where you share a meal and discuss life’s biggest questions.
What is your group in this next season?
Who knows you and who do you know?
Who is helping you grow and who are you helping grow?
Let me ask you this: when is the last time you’ve shared a meal at someone else’s house? Or perhaps even more convicting, when is the last time you’ve hosted a meal at your house?
We need community.
We need to start new habits in 2026 or restart habits we’ve lost and experience life with others.
3. Proclaim Jesus and the Kingdom of God
Every true gathering is outward-facing.
Acts 2 ends with this striking line:
“And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
When the church is centered on God’s presence and connected in love, witness becomes inevitable.
We proclaim the message and life of Jesus not merely with words, but with a visible alternative way of life.
Yes, when we are all planted together, we are like an orchard. You may be one tree, but when you are planted together with other trees, you can create an ecosystem and a strength you could never have on your own. I looked up the benefits of an orchard ecosystem…here they are:
- Reduced Inputs: Natural pest control and fertility from beneficial organisms decrease the need for sprays and fertilizers.
- Increased Resilience: Greater plant and genetic diversity makes the system more robust against pests and diseases.
- Enhanced Biodiversity: Supports rare and endangered species by providing essential habitats.
- Improved Soil Health: Healthy soil biology retains moisture and provides nutrients.
Look again at Psalm 1: “Blessed is the one… whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.”
If you were like a tree, let me ask you: How is your tree looking? In order for this orchard, this church to thrive, we all have to be planted and growing like a tree, but trees grow one ring at a time, one year at a time. Each ring tells a story:
– seasons of abundance
– seasons of scarcity
– storms survived
– drought endured
As someone who follows Jesus, our lives are not about avoiding hardship, but being formed through hardship.
When we gather consistently – through joy and sorrow, certainty and doubt – we grow rings. And over time, we become resilient, grounded, immovable.
So what about this year of Realignment?
This is not about guilt.
This is about grace-driven clarity.
We are not trying to recreate 2019.
We are responding faithfully to the Scriptures in 2026.
This is a year of realignment—returning to the simple, powerful practices that shaped the early church and sustained the people of God for centuries.
Gathering is not the finish line.
It is the soil.
And if we are planted by His waters—together—we will grow.
Slowly.
Steadily.
Faithfully.
And in time, we will become an immovable force for the kingdom of God.
“For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous…”
May we be found planted, gathering together.