Matthew 7:13-14 reads: "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
Studying this passage for the past week as well as spending much time meditating on it has caused me to recognize with a deeper burden some tragic things happening in our churches today. American churches especially. Not to say the same thing isn't or can't be happening in other churches across the world but this does seem to be an issue that is at least more prevalent and noticeable in American churches. Now I am a patriot, Bible carrying, flag waving, gun toting American who bleeds red, white and blue... so believe me when I began to discover the depth of these things it hurt my pride as an American. But I had to recognize the truth that I learned.
One of the things that has catastrophically plagued our churches is this idea that if you pray a prayer, and you really believe, and I mean you really believe in your heart of hearts the gospel, then you will be saved. Further on in this passage in Matthew 7 we read the tragic words:
"21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
Wow.
What is the one thing that is being left out of our salvation messages? REPENTANCE! Salvation is through faith! For by grace are you saved, through FAITH. It's God's gift of grace that we accept through faith that changes our live. Faith can only be a result of a changed life, a change life can only happen through repentance. Mark 1:15 says that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, therefore we need to repent and believe. I could list dozens of verses in scripture that talks about repentance. Jesus Himself taught repentance. Matthew 4:17: "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Jesus did not ask the people to repeat after Him some scripted prayer. He didn't ask them to bow their heads and raise their hands if they wanted to be saved from hell. No, Jesus preached repentance. He preached a changed life, he preached obedience to the will of God.
These verses in Matthew 7 say that strait is the gate, and narrow is the way that leads to life. Jesus also added, I imagine very solemnly, "few there be that find it."
Christians want to enter the strait gate and walk the broad path. But Jesus said the broad path leads to destruction. The wide path, the wide gate leads to hell! The wide path is living a life full of sin and bondage. The wide path is what the world is on. The narrow path leads to life! But the wide, easy path leads to destruction. Jesus never preached a salvation from hell. He said repent from your sins. He wanted you to have a changed life AND a home in heaven with Him.
So many pastors, evangelist, youth workers, bus captains they preach a salvation from hell. But so often a salvation from sin is forgotten. So often is repentance left out of the equation. How can it be? Jesus paid the price for our sins so that we don't have to bear them. But so often we've try to lure people into accepting Jesus so we can pad our own stats and look good to the people we're trying to impress and send out our newsletters saying our pews are full and the busses are overflowing and dozens of people a week are being saved but the church looks just like the world. The church is full of divorces, the church is full of people listening to the garbage music of the world, the church is full of people watching the rotten trash produced by Hollywood, the people singing in the choir were the ones in the worldly places on Saturday night....but yet we beg God for revival and wonder why it never happens. Because we look just like the world. Our hearts look just like the world. As the world gets more evil the church is just a few paces behind it, just far enough back to feel good enough to be not as evil as the world. And the devil has deceived us into believing this lie that if we just pray this prayer and TRUELY believe...then we will be saved. Thou doest well, says James. Even the devils believe, and tremble.
How many are walking the wide path headed straight to destruction thinking they're on the path to heaven? Because some preacher told them this lie. It's so very sad. If you are truly saved then there will be a change in your life. You can't have an encounter with God and not be changed. You can't have a salvation experience and not have a life that is different before the world. Sure, we're going to sin. We're going to wander off the narrow path, but God's going to correct us and get us back on it.
If you read that entire passage in Matthew it tells that a fig tree isn't capable to bear thorns. And a thorn tree can't bear good fruit. You shall know them by their fruit. Therefore a Christian is going to be like Jesus and bear good fruit. But an unsaved person is going to look just like the world, and be comfortable looking that way.
Examine your thoughts, your hearts to see if they are in line with the word of God. 2 Corinthians 10:5
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