WILL YOU FOLLOW JESUS

The disciples of Jesus had three years to learn all they could from their Master. Then Jesus died and they were on their own, to bring the Gospel message to the world. To make disciples of all men. So, here we are now, some 2000 plus years later and we are still struggling to grow ourselves and take what we do know to the lost and to the saved. Sometimes i feel like i can study my whole life and not even scratch the surface of all the Holy Spirit insight and power the disciples had. Then at times, all at once, the Lord God reveals his Son to me and it is like a glimpse into eternity, into the mind of Christ. Explain it? Nah, those who know Jesus, know what i am talking about.

i am learning that each day we must accept right where we are now. Each day is to be lived in loving obedience to our Lord God, wherever that is. If we believe that our steps have been ordered by God (Psalm 37:23), then we are in His perfect will right where we are. Each circumstance, each word, each action, must be a reflection of our loving, holy and righteous God, because His grace, His divine influence in our hearts demands its reflection in our lives. Because God loved us first (1 John 4;19), Jesus was obedient first unto death on the cross (Philippians 2:8), leading the way for us to die and to love him and our neighbor and to be obedient in our lives. This means that we must know him intimately through prayer, fasting and reading his word. Without this intimate fellowship with God, we cannot hear the heart of each person He has us go to. We cannot give them God's word if we do not know God intimately enough to hear what he would have us tell them for him. God must be first and our self must be dead.

Jesus says, will you follow me? Will you die to your self, deny your self, pick up your cross and follow me? DAILY? (Luke 9:23) The road is hard and marked with trials and persecutions, others will not understand the narrowness of our view and our life, but Jesus says, will you follow me? He says, it's OK because they hated me first and did not understand me either. It's OK, i know all you will endure for me. I will be with you, i will protect you, forever. If it cost us everything, will we go and tell others about him and his ways before he comes back? Do we believe what Jesus says to us?

Matthew 7:13-14 says there is a narrow way and a broad way. A straight gate and a wide gate. Eternity is a truth, inevitable, and it will come and is here. We are living it right now, for God or Satan. The choice is ours, every day, every moment. One leads to life eternal and one leads to destruction and death. Jesus is the only way to life eternal...Satan the way to death and destruction. Jesus is telling us:

"Enter ye in the strait gate for wide is the gate and broad the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life and few there be that find it." KJV

Anyone can go through Satan's gate, the wide gate. Anyone can travel on the broad way where there are hoards of people pushing and shoving, knocking each other off the road, rushing headlong into hell all the time. There are the lost on the broad road. There are the self-professed Christians on the broad road, they look just like the world, just like the lost, they are in the world and part of the world, living life no differently than those of the world where Satan reigns. Their words, their dress (or lack of it), their actions, all reflect Satan's world of evil. They entertain thoughts that work in the world for evil. Sure, they justify it all, but God said they would. They blend right in, can't tell them apart at all. They are misled and deceived as God said they would be (2 Timothy 3:1-7, Matthew 7:15-16). They love the world more than God, they love everything more than God (John 3:19).

Then there is the straight gate (strait=narrow=stenos in the Greek), the narrow gate. Jesus-the way the truth and the life(John 14:6). The way of hope for eternity for all who believe on Him. When we enter here there is groaning in our spirit (stenagmos in the Greek), there is godly sorrow leading to repentance. It is the way of reconciliation to God through Jesus the Christ. It is truly narrow and strait. Why did Jesus come? To bring us back to a relationship with God. And that is why we go. Why we are ambassadors for Christ, why we are called ministers of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-20).

"Now i rejoice not that ye were made sorry but that ye sorrowed to repentance, for ye were made sorry after a godly manner.......For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of but the sorrow of the world worketh death." 2 Corinthians 7:9-10

Once through the strait gate and on the narrow way, there is distress, hardship, difficulty (stenochoria in the Greek), we will go through trials and sufferings. We are restricted from being part of the world. Who wants that? Amen and praise God, i do. Because when we are going through these things God is with us and will never leave us, of that we are sure. We will have peace that passeth all understanding, and joy unspeakable. He will lead us to all truth and teach us all we need to know. How do i know? Because i know God. i know his word and his promises to those who enter in the strait gate, those who diligently seek him, those who know him. Those few there be that find it. Amen, so be it.

Will you follow Jesus?