The many or the few, where do you fit? Be honest now! If you were to have an interview with Jesus tonight, as Nicodemus did, would Jesus say you were part of the many or part of the few?
Many find religion, many find a system of belief, many find a denominated belonging, many find religious duties and involvement but FEW find the secret place. FEW have the Vine and branch experience.
I did an experiment. In my mind I stood at the back of the church. Not a specific church, but the hundreds of churches I have been in over the years and I asked myself what do I really see. What I Saw for the MOST PART was indifference, sadness, unhappiness, discontentedness, troubled ones, moroseness, no vibrant living faith, broken down ones just hanging on, pretenders, people not safe to talk to, individuals content with their intellectual knowledge for their comfort, angry people, control freaks, false piety, troubled hotheads, pity party individuals, the social gospel click, jealousy, backbiting and the hurting ones.
Then I said, but Lord isn't there 7,000 who have not bowed their knee to Baal? Then I looked again, this time I was not standing in back of the church but in the pulpit. As I looked into their faces, though the numbers were FEW, I saw those who loved God. I saw those who truly came to worship and praise. I saw those who have found freedom, happiness and vibrancy. I saw those whose religion was attractive and drawing. I saw those who had inward peace and rest.
So which category are you going to belong to, the FEW or the MANY?
The challenge for the MANY is to enter in at the strait gate; the strait gate is Jesus Christ. Are you IN Jesus Christ? Seriously now, are you abiding IN Jesus? If you are truly abiding IN the vine, then there will be no animosity in your heart toward your brother or sister, there will be no jealousy or backbiting going on in your relationships, there will be no self-promotion or striving for 1st place, there will be no crucifying of those who do not see it your way, there will be no giving way to unbelief and discontentedness. Why is this? It is because you are no longer the one IN CHARGE. You have truly surrendered ALL to Jesus Christ and depend completely In Him! This is the missing ingredient and FEW there be that find it!
There is a PRICE to finding it. Jesus in His parable of the pearl of great price and the hidden treasure indicated that it was NOT enough to just find the Pearl or the Treasure, we must sell ALL and buy It. Matthew 13:44-46. The Pearl and the treasure represent Jesus. He gave ALL that He might win us and we are to give ALL that we might possess Him.
Honestly now, how many people do you know that truly possess Him? How many people do you know that you can genuinely say are God governed? How many people do you know that you can conscientiously say walk with God? Probably not many, but only a FEW, this then is why the church experience is so flawed, so empty and why so many people leave.
Let's not leave our churches, let us not discard our blessed truths, let us not stop reaching out, but let us truly, practically and daily," Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ," Romans 13:14, and allow Him to be the ONE in our lives, authorize Him to be the ONE in our marriages, permit Him to be the ONE in our families, and in our churches and in our associations with those who see things differently than we do.
When we do, we will not only have entered, "The Narrow Way," but we will have found the real path of life.
This message is provided by Empowered living Ministry |
