Wide or Narrow Gate

Which Path?

I am constantly turning on almost any Christian channel and listening to someone somewhere preaching the “name it and claim it” gospel. With just about one exception, a youth rally televised on God TV, I have not heard the Gospel of Jesus preached in probably four years. What I do hear is preacher after preacher expounding the prosperity gospel in terms that makes many people jump for their bank book. Quotes such as this one – “There are 1189 chapters in the Bible and I believe that if 1189 people will sow $1000 into this good ground today then the Lord has promised to repay their sowing with a 100-fold harvest.” That’s pretty much what was said. Of course, the speaker did qualify his claims with some comments about giving with the right attitude – “Don’t give just to get the harvest. But if you give with the right attitude then God guarantees a 100-fold harvest.”

Let’s start off with a brief caveat before I go any further. God DOES provide and takes care of His own. Perhaps not a $5M dollar house or a Rolls Royce, but he meets our daily needs. I see nothing wrong, as our preacher said the other day, with calling God a provision God – indeed He sometimes lays a banquet for us in the wilderness or before our enemies. I just don't need all the bling that goes with the preaching of the prosperity gospel.

I believe that it’s attitudes like this, and teaching like this that Jesus was talking about in Matthew 24:10-13 “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

Then Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”

Jesus warned all about this in Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

I firmly believe that so many pastors and leaders have turned aside from the Gospel of Jesus Christ today and headed for the wide road that leads to destruction. So many are teaching and preaching what the itching ears in their flock are wanting to hear. So many are reducing the Gospel to a nice easy cosy way of life – sadly a way of life surrendered to the enemy rather than to Jesus.

It is because the ”Prince of Darkness” has dominion in this world, and because he, Satan – the enemy – hates at we as Christians will always be in a constant battle against him and his influences over our families, our friends, our churches, and everything we hold dear in life. Jesus did not promise us an easy time, neither did any New Testament writer. We are told in Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.” And again later in that passage in Verse 13 “Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” Jesus told us that the enemy only seeks to steal, kill, and destroy. Our job is to stand fast and run the race, as Paul puts it, so that we might eventually win the victors crown.

All this because we reject the false teaching, we reject the false prophets, and false ‘messiahs’ who come proclaiming themselves or their ‘new improved gospel’. Yet by their fruit shall you know them and be able to reject them. So I urge you, dear brothers and sisters, chose now – or stay with – the narrow gate and the narrow way that leads to life – life eternal with the Lord. It’s not going to be easy yet Jesus says “take my yoke for my yoke is easy and my burden is light”. Put on your armour daily and stand against whatever the enemy throws at you. Cover yourself with the shed Blood of Jesus that no weapon forged against you shall prosper.

Fight the good fight – run the race to the very end – stay within God’s will for you.