The People of the Way

The Narrow and Wide Gates

Matthew 7: 13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

The Lord has been challenging me about this scripture quite frequently of late. In my own life he has been shining the light on various idols that I have accumulated. The place of guitar in my current program, the purpose of continuing to work while dropping the ball in my spiritual life and with family commitments.

I guess the question is what is the narrow way and what does it look like for a Christian who is living their life in the way that God intends them too? I mean, even at a macro level Christian's focus on issues that can push God's real purpose for the them off into the margins.

This can also be about Christianity and the Church in general. It can relate to issues that define sects within the Church like Calvinism or Pentecostalism. As Jesus said 'The gate is narrow and broad is the road that leads to destruction.' So when we add our own human philosophy into Christian life are we still on the Way.

If our Church turns into a kind of Christian social club for worldly folks or begins to champion a world view that sees every believer elected without any real need to place their faith on Christ Jesus or to genuinely repent. Isn't the end result a shift away primary mission of the Church and a shift onto another road that diverges from the narrow way.

Isn't the real purpose of the Church to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the World and to gather and support the people of God with the material means to live the life of a faithful believer? Aren't we as Christians meant to share in the truth of the scriptures and to become the serious minded people of the way.

We need as servants of the Living God, to check ourselves personally, to look at the community of believers we interact with. We also need to make sure that what we are practicing is actually placing us on the center line of that narrow way that Christ Jesus was describing to the folk present at the Sermon on the Mount.

Luke 13: 23-30 "And someone said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be few?” And he said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’ ..." ESV

Matthew 28: 18-19 "And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” ESV

Corinthians 6: 19-20 "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. ESV