Enter by the narrow
gate: for wide is
the gate and broad is
the way that leads
to destruction, and
there are many who
go in by it. Because
narrow is the gate
and difficult is the
way which leads to life,
and there are few who
find it.
Beware of false prophets,
who come to you
in sheep’s clothing,
but inwardly they are
ravenous wolves. You
will know them by
Their fruits,
Matthew 7:13-16a
How easy it
is to talk about “resting in the Lord” and “waiting on Him patiently” and many
have fallen prey to this form of theology that makes being a Christian “easy.”
It is not! In our Christian religion we had to the doctrine of putting God
first, yet in our practical life we think it impertinence to put Him first in
our practical life. Somehow we think that we must first become in some
spiritual mood, or as some have written and taught ( I know for this was one
teacher view at Simpson University where I attended) that we are to bring
heaven down to earth. All this before we can come near to God. This is not
true: we must come as we are. When changes need to be made because we find that
our practices are out of harmony with the word of God, that is, what God
Himself has revealed, we are to do it. It is easy to continue in the manner we
now live, it is easy, the gate is wide for this type of person. But for those
who desire to have their lives be in conformity to God the gate is narrow,
hard, and few will go through, yet, is not this the way to life? What sets a
Christian apart from non–Christians, or those who say they are Christian (Like
President Obama who says he is a Christian they agrees with homosexuality,
same–sex marriage, and abortion) maybe this describes you; I hope not! This
difference in our lives that separates us from the world is that we follow the
Bible at all costs. Kill us! OK! We just go to heaven. Right? Do you really
believe that or just hope it is true? Are you living temporarily in this world
for our home is heaven? Are you an ambassador for Christ? If so, then this
world is not our home, we are just passing through. Some think that it is
“Christian” to wear a cross, to count beads, to have some image that aids them
in their worship (What happened to faith?). Some in the name of Christianity
run around trying to pray for anyone, to bless anyone, to give healing to
anyone, to do, to do, to do; yet the gospel is not taught or brought up in the
conversation (I know for this has happened to me by students from the School of
the Supernatural by Bethel Church here in Redding). Where is this in the Bible?
Are we not to take the gospel to the world, and what is the gospel? Jesus
Christ is God, come to earth, to teach, to live as man, and die as man, and by
doing so pays the debt of sin, and now makes intercession for God’s children
for an eternity. How long? Eternal! God came, God died on a cross (that is the
Son of God), and we are set from the that which condemns us, a condemnation to
be thrown into Gehenna, the eternal fire, with Satan and his hordes. All this
and we won’t live according to Scripture? We find other means to give us some
emotional tie to our worship of God? When the Bible teaches us not to make
images of cattle, stone, or wood, or any likeness of that which is above or
below, God is not saying not to paint pictures, to make pottery, to put flowers
pictures on plates, etc., no, He is saying that you are not to put anything in
place of pure worship to Him. No other object is to be used. Yes we are to be
baptized. Yes, we are to keep the Lord’s supper, but in either case they are
not to objects of worship, they are the object of our faith, a sacrament we
keep on the orders of Jesus Christ. We have no other orders! The problem with
such images is that we begin to give them an authority, even for some a way to
salvation, which is the prerogative of God alone, He chooses whom He will save,
Him alone. These images become objects of worship and are served rather than
the Creator.
Why do you
humiliate yourselves and bow down to false images? Why do you bend you body
like a captive before foolish likeness and earthly structures? God did not
instruct us to do this, in fact, He warns us not to do this. Lift your eyes to
heaven, walk through the narrow gate, avoid foolish false teachers, and seek
God in the heights and by doing so you will avoid those things which are below.
We are to
stop! We are to stop adding to the worship of God, anything that takes the
place of pure truthful worship. We do not want to be counted unworthy, rather
we should desire to preserve the imminence which is yours by faith, and
continue to be what you were make to be by God.
Be as the
disciples of Jesus: “Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying,’Lord,
save us! We are perishing!’ But he said to them, ‘Why are you fearful, O
you of little faith?”…….(Matthew 8:25–26a). O man and woman, children of
God, why are you so fearful? Why are you not willing to do what God commands?
We have Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit in our lives what is there to fear: “So
the men marveled, saying, ‘Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea
obey Him?’”(Matthew 8:27).
“But that you may know that
The Son of
Man has
Power on earth to forgive sins”
Then He
said to the paralytic,
‘Arise, take up your bed, and go to
your house.’
Matthew 9:6
Walk through the narrow gate
Richard L. Crumb
No comments:
Post a Comment