PART 4 – FORMATION "Learning the Way of Jesus"

Come and Learn

Matthew 11:28–30 (KJV)
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Formation begins with an invitation from Jesus: come close and learn from Me. Before spiritual growth becomes visible in our habits, choices, and character, it must first begin in relationship with Him. We come to Jesus tired, burdened, and often aware of our own failure. We have tried in our own strength and discovered that it is not enough. Now we come to trust Him.

Jesus does not simply remove us from the process of growth; He teaches us how to walk with Him in it. He does not do the work instead of us, but He does transform us as we yield to Him. As we walk with Him, the Holy Spirit brings our souls into rest, bringing our mind, will, and emotions under His influence and control. His yoke is easy and His burden is light because He supplies the strength we do not have on our own.

So many people are carrying invisible weight—pressure, fear, disappointment, regret, responsibility, and spiritual fatigue. Yet Jesus speaks directly to the weary and says, “Come unto me.” This is the heart of discipleship. Formation is not about finding the right religious formula to fix ourselves. It is about making room for Jesus through practices that allow Him to change us from the inside out.

Jesus said in John 15:4–5, “Abide in me, and I in you... for without me ye can do nothing.” Real transformation does not come through human effort alone. It comes through abiding in Christ. He teaches us personally through His Spirit and His Word, and He also teaches us through the people He has placed in our lives. Healthy formation requires both a personal relationship with the Lord and meaningful relationships within the body of Christ. We are discipled in communion with Jesus and in community with believers.

Jesus also says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me.” In biblical times, a yoke joined two animals together for shared movement and labor. Jesus uses this picture to show that the formed life is a shared life. We are not called to walk alone or carry life alone. We are joined to Christ, learning His rhythm, His posture, and His pace.

Luke 6:40 says, “The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.” The call of formation is not simply to admire Jesus, but to become like Him. And that process is not meant to happen in isolation. We are formed as part of His body, not apart from it. We must ask ourselves: who has God connected me to for my growth? We are members of one body, and each member supplies grace to the other. To the degree that we are truly connected to the body is often the degree to which we will grow. Pride and insecurity must give way so that we can receive from those God has placed around us to help shape Christlikeness in us.

Jesus describes Himself as “meek and lowly in heart.” What a powerful revelation. The One with all authority is also gentle. The One who rules heaven is still approachable. He is not harsh with the weary; He is tender toward them. Formation begins to deepen when we stop resisting His leadership and start trusting His heart.

Philippians 2:5 says, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” To learn from Jesus is to take on His mindset—His humility, His obedience, and His surrender to the Father. And just as we receive this care and patience from Him, we are called to extend that same care to those we disciple. Scripture reminds us that we comfort others with the same comfort we ourselves have received.

To learn the way of Jesus means more than gaining information about Him. It means embracing His way of life—how He thought, prayed, loved, forgave, and obeyed the Father. Romans 12:2 says, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Formation is the ongoing work of God renewing us from the inside out so that our lives reflect Christ rather than the patterns of this world.

This transformation does not happen all at once. It happens as we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. Second Corinthians 3:18 tells us that as we behold the glory of the Lord, we “are changed into the same image from glory to glory.” The more we remain near Him, the more we begin to resemble Him. Spiritual formation is not instant, but it is intentional, steady, and powerful.

His yoke is easy and His burden is light not because life becomes effortless, but because He carries what we cannot. He teaches us how to live from the inside out. In Him we find rest for our souls. This echoes Jeremiah 6:16, where the Lord says, “ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.” The way of Jesus is still the good way. It is still the path of peace. It is still the place where weary hearts find rest.

Reflection

What burden are you carrying today that Jesus is asking you to release?
What area of your life is Jesus inviting you to bring under His teaching and His yoke?

Closing Charge

Let us not merely ask Jesus to remove our burdens; let us ask Him to teach us His ways. Let us make room daily to come near, listen carefully, and follow faithfully. May His words shape our thinking, may His heart soften our spirit, and may His yoke reorder our lives. Let us never settle for inspiration without transformation. We are called to come to Jesus, learn from Jesus, and allow Him to form us into His likeness.