WWJD—The Real Deal
Ephesians 4:17-5:2
Dr. Roger W. Thomas, Preaching Minister
First Christian Church, Vandalia, MO
Introduction: It is only four letters, but most of us know what the abbreviation stands for. Several years ago, it was all the rage. Wristbands, bracelets, necklaces, key chains—jewelry of all sorts sported the WWJD logo. I am sure there was even a fair share of WWJD tattoos. But I would wager that some of you have some WWJD memorabilia on you this morning. Anyone here have anything WWJD on them? Please, nobody needs to show your WWJD tattoo!
We probably all know what the letters stand for—WWJD—what would Jesus do? But do you know when that slogan first became so popular? In fact, the current WWJD popularity started almost exactly one hundred years after the first. Let me tell you the rest of the story.
When Charles Sheldon became the preacher of Central Congregational Church of Topeka, Kansas in the 1890’s, the church board told him he had to preach two sermons a week. Sheldon preferred that they cancel the Sunday evening service. It was supposed to be primarily a youth service, but hardly anyone came. The board didn’t change their mind so Sheldon adopted Plan B.
Instead of preaching a typical sermon, Sheldon decided to tell a story. Each Sunday evening he would tell an episode in an on-going fictional drama. He would end each episode with a cliffhanger designed to draw the young people back to find out what happened next. Eventually a growing throng of young adults crowded the Central Church sanctuary to listen to Sheldon’s tale.
By the time he brought the story to a close, the preacher had spun thirty-one episodes. In 1896, the story was picked up and ran as a weekly series in a popular religious newspaper of the time. When In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do came out in book form, it swept the world like wildfire. It has sold over thirty million copies making it the most widely published religious fiction book of all time. (See Topeka Capital-Journal, [CJ-online] March 12, 2000 for a background series on Sheldon.)
The story tells what happened after a church service was interrupted by what we would call today a homeless man. The dirty, raggedly dressed man challenged the neatly dressed congregation. This is how he ends his statement. “I heard some people singing at a church prayer meeting the other night “All for Jesus,”… I kept wondering as I sat on the steps outside just what they meant by it. It seems to me there’s an awful lot of trouble in the world that somehow wouldn’t exist if all the people who sing such songs went and lived them out. I suppose I don’t understand. But what would Jesus do? Is that what you mean by following His steps?”
The book recounts the stories of the people who decided to take that question seriously. A newspaper editor, an actress, a musicians, businessmen, parents, students, laborers—all wrestle with the challenge of putting their faith in Christ into practice by asking themselves what Jesus would do before they made any decision. Some succeeded. Some didn’t. All were changed.
WWJD-that’s an important question! It also brings us to our third purpose in life. We are at the beginning of the fourth week of our 40 Days of Purpose. We are using the wording in Rick Warren’s best selling book The Purpose Driven Life to explore the question “What on earth am I here for?” Warren’s book provides the roadmap for our journey into the Bible. As Warren puts it, God created each of us for five purposes. 1) We are planned for God’s pleasure. The biblical word for that is worship. 2) We are formed for God’s family. That’s fellowship. 3) We are also created for Christ-likeness. That’s what the Bible calls discipleship, our theme for today. 4) We are shaped for God’s service. That’s ministry to others. 5) And we are made for God’s mission. That’s the task of pointing others to God’s message of grace found in Jesus Christ.
The title for Sheldon’s book and the idea behind the WWJD slogan come from 1 Peter 2:21, “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” Elsewhere the New Testament makes the same appeal, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers (Rom. 8:29). 1 John says, “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did” (1 John 2:6). Paul says, “our attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5). Living a Christ-like life is also the heart of our text from Ephesians 4.
Is WWJD just a slogan or the honest plea of a soul that wants to please God? Is it just a “bumper sticker” that marks the back of our cars or the genuine desire of our lives? What would it mean for us to truly walk “in his steps,” to do “what Jesus would do?” Our text helps answer that. Our passage divides in three sections. Each tells something important about Christ-likeness. Vss 17-19 explains the difference. Vss 20-24 provides the definition for that life. Vs 25 and following contain the description of the Christ-like life.
First, look at the Christ-like difference (17-19). Paul describes in graphic detail the alternative to living like Jesus. Note closely verses 17-19. Being different is not an option. “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do.” Gentiles literally meant “the nations.” In this context, it meant unbelievers or those without any knowledge of the living God. We would say, “Don’t live like the world.” We might tell our young, “You don’t have to do something just because you think “everybody else” is doing it. If everybody else jumped off a cliff, would you?” You get the picture.
The text’s provides a striking picture of what life is like without God. First, it’s foolish. Remember in the Bible a fool is one who tries to live life without making God part of his equation. A person can be intelligent and educated yet utterly foolish. The text refers to the “the futility of their thinking.” Did you ever notice how self-destructive people can be? Alcoholic’s Anonymous define insanity as repeating the same behavior over and over, each time thinking the next time will be different. “They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.” Sin is also addictive. We are not just talking about drinking and drugs. Life can harden the heart, callous the conscience, and desensitize the soul. Sin is also unsatisfying. “Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.” Many people spend their lives trying to fill an emptiness in their souls that only God can satisfy.
If WWJD is to be more than a fad, if it is to be the real-deal, our lives must be different. But that’s not enough. Being different can mean that you’re simply out of step with society. You might dress differently simply because you’re cheap. You wear those old ties and out-of-date shoes because you can’t stand to spend money on new ones. Or being different might simply mean you’re a rebel at heart. Some teens get a kick out of people staring at their wild hair and strange clothes. You do know that this is the only explanation for spiked purple hair, pants that are too low and blouses that are too short. I’ll bet teen styles would change in a heartbeat if their parents showed up at the mall dressed the same way. No, different is not enough.
This difference has a definition. That’s what the second part of our text reminds us. “You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.” This is important. Too often the motto WWJD degenerates into an exercise of the imagination. A person can create a make-believe Jesus to fit their own druthers and then use that as an excuse for what they want to do. That will never do when WWJD becomes the real deal. Jesus really lived. He walked and talked on this earth. Scripture contains the record of that life. We are not left to imagine what Jesus would do. We know what Jesus did. We know what Jesus taught. It’s not guesswork. That’s why it is an absolute imperative that a serious disciple read, study, discuss, and think about the teachings of God’s Word.
Living like Jesus is the standard. That means following his example and his teachings as recorded in the gospels. But WWJD is easier said than done. What does such a life look like? What does it mean to follow in Jesus’ steps in every decision? What would happen if WWJD became the real deal for us? That’s where the final part of our text takes us. That’s also why a lot of us get a bit uncomfortable with this. We prefer our moral expectations left in vague generalities. We like to think that life can be lived in the big gray in betweens. Or that only the big decisions really matter. When WWJD gets up close and personal and is painted high definition black and white, that’s tough. Our text describes that kind of Christ-likeness.
Living like Jesus affects every life. It affects our tongue. “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26“In your anger do not sin” “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold.” It affects our behavior. “He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.”
Did I mention that it affects our tongue? “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Lying isn’t the only sin of the tongue. It affects our attitudes and relationships. “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Here comes the punch line. “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
Conclusion: WWJD might be a fad. You could let it remain just a bumper sticker on your car or trinket on your keychain. Or you could make it the passion of your life. That’s the way it should be. That’s a part of “what on earth you are here for.” We’ve seen the difference this could make. We’ve noted the definition of Christ-likeness. We’ve seen it described in graphic detail. But maybe one last thing needs to be said. A disclaimer is in order. A word of caution.
This won’t happen overnight. Christ-likeness is a process. The Bible calls this “sanctification,” or the process of being made holy or set apart for God. Christ-likeness is a lifetime assignment. We will remain in Jesus’ school of discipleship as long as we remain on this earth. Christ-likeness comes one step at a time, one decision, one word, and one temptation at a time.
It is also a process that we will never get completely right. Christ alone was perfect. We will never be. We can get better, but not perfect. We can always be forgiven but we will not always be right. That’s why WWJD requires grace from beginning to end. Grace for ourselves and grace for others.
Nor will it always be pleasant. WWJD doesn’t mean that we will always be popular. We won’t suddenly become healthy, wealthy and wise simply because we are determined to walk in Jesus’ footsteps. Remember how Jesus was treated. He warned his disciples to expect the same. Sometimes our determination to live like Jesus makes those around us feel uncomfortable. Some resent anyone who marches to a different drummer. Some may even try to drag us back to where we came from. That’s not always pleasant.
Living WWJD style doesn’t mean life will always turn out according to plan. Sometimes it is exactly those unexpected, even unwanted, experiences that create the real growing moments for our faith. But just because things don’t happen according to our plans doesn’t mean God’s plan isn’t working out. Remember, “in all things God works for the good of those whom he loves, those who are called according to his purposes” (Rom 8:28).
But this promise I can make—WWJD, when it’s the real deal, always leads to the best life. You will never walk alone. You will have hope and a purpose. You will be living your destiny. You were created for Christ-likeness! That’s the real deal!
***Dr. Roger W. Thomas is the preaching minister at First Christian Church, 205 W. Park St., Vandalia, MO 63382 and an adjunct professor of Bible and Preaching at Central Christian College of the Bible, 911 E. Urbandale, Moberly, MO. He is a graduate of Lincoln Christian College (BA) and Lincoln Christian Seminary (MA, MDiv), and Northern Baptist Theological Seminary (DMin).
