The Prophetic Telegraph - No.26
Discipleship
The "Strait
Gate and the
Our Lord's words are found
in Matthew 7:13-14, and Luke 13:23-30. By comparing these two passages, it will
be seen that our Master used the analogy on two separate occasions.
There are three words which
need our attention.
STRAIT: NARROW: STRUGGLE
STRAIT: the Greek word is STENOS, meaning
cramped, confined, narrow, restricted. We speak of the "Straits of
Gibraltar", where the expanse of the
NARROW: At first sight, this word might
seem to be just a repeat of the last word, but in the Greek it is quite
different. The verb is THLIBO, and it speaks of affliction, compression, and
distress. Whereas the word STRAIT referred to the GEOMETRY of
a narrow passage, this word speaks of EXTERNAL PRESSURES being
applied. The word STRAIT refers to the BEGINNING of a process,
whereas NARROW refers to the CONTINUATION of that process. If
one should find it difficult to squeeze through the gate, then afterwards he
will find that he is persecuted for so doing. The pathway leading from the
narrow gate is hemmed in by pressures, afflictions, persecutions, and
TRIBULATIONS. This word "tribulation" is the usual way in which the
noun is translated. The noun is THLIPSIS, and derives from the verb THLIBO.
STRUGGLE: The Greek verb is AGONIZOMAI, and
it comes from a word that was always associated with the Olympic Games. These
games had been played in
Having examined these three
words, we are now in a better position to see the force of our Master' s words.
Clearly He was using pictorial language. Our job must be to relate His words to
actual situations of life. Furthermore, He was not speaking to the world, but
rather to the Jews, in other words the people of God in those days.
It may not have occurred to
you before. Do you see the point of this? Jesus said that there were two ways
for the people of God. Those who took the
Objections will be raised
here. Someone will point out that the broad road "leads to
destruction", and this can never be the destiny of the
"saved"..
But the word 'destruction'
does not refer to the people themselves, but to their hopes. In Luke 13 we see
these people banging at a door asking to be let in. They are not destroyed. We
see them weeping, wailing, and gnashing their teeth, because, thinking they
were eligible for entry, they were excluded. The world that knows not God could
not be found in such a state. But these people say, "We have
eaten and drunk in your presence, and you have taught in our streets."
It is clear that they looked upon themselves as God's people, and were
expecting a reward. But they were shut outside. Not destroyed. Shut out of
something. Excluded from something. From what?
Christianity today has so
muddled the clear plan of the Gospels that it sees only life and death, eternal
life and eternal damnation. But Jesus brought the truth of the
But the "strait
gate and the narrow way" was spoken in the context of the
coming kingdom. The "struggle" (equivalent to an Olympic training
programme) to get through a very restricted entrance, and then to walk a
pathway that attracts continual barrage of opposition, is quite another matter.
These words bespeak training for government AFTER receiving forgiveness of
sins.
The narrow way is WITHIN
the broad way. This may seem contradictory, but is certainly true. The
pressures applied to those on the narrow way come from those
on the broad way. Quite the majority of the persecution that
arose against the Christians in the first century A.D. came from the Jews, who
were still regarded as God's people. The same is true today, and finds its
expression in many books. Those who tread the narrow way find most of their
problems with the rest of the church. Misunderstandings may lie at the base of
this, but soon it grows into dissention, opposition, and outright hostility.
Why? Because the presence of the 'few' on the narrow way cause the consciences
of those on the broad way to be stirred up. The "many" do not want to
have their consciences stirred by the "few". They are content with
their easy way.
What then does the STRAIT
GATE mean? In terms of the picture the Lord gave, we might say that
fat men cannot squeeze through narrow openings. What does it mean to be too
fat? It means that we have too much flesh. This is the crux of
the matter. Our flesh prevents us from getting through the gate. The ways of
our flesh are manifold. Those with great appetites for food and beer might
literally become fat. And so literally their problem would be to cut down
drastically until eating and drinking were for the correct purposes of healthy
living.
But the flesh is more
subtle than that. Anything that stands between us and the Lord may be called
'flesh'. The Bible uses the word flesh to describe the fallen mind and passions
of mankind. The unregenerate mind is at enmity with God. The renewed mind is
capable of higher ways, but as Paul said in Romans 12, it needs spiritual cultivation
to prove what is good and acceptable in the sight of God.
Such things do not come naturally in the Christian life. They need cultivation.
"Put off the old man with his ways, and put on the new."
Here is something for us to do, something to attend to, something that needs
thought and contemplation, and prayer.
Reports abound today in
Christian magazines of vast numbers of people from all over the world accepting
Christ. Some groups speak of this as the "advance of the kingdom."
Some even hold out hopes for global conversion before our Lord returns. But
what are the facts? Certainly there are many who are finding forgiveness of
sins, and for this we are more than happy. But when it is called the 'advance
of the kingdom' we would decline, and say that it has nothing to do with God's
kingdom. His kingdom has not yet appeared on earth. And as for the subject of
world conversion, where is the Scriptural evidence of this? Some see it as
quite the opposite when reading Daniel and the book of Revelation.
The truth of the matter is
simply and profoundly stated by our Lord in these two passages under
examination. Of all the millions who accept Christ for the forgiveness of their
sins, only a very few enter a strait gate, and see the way ahead clearly in
terms of Kingdom government. The real trouble is that all the rest have been
led to believe that they will be chosen for the kingdom as well! Regardless of
lack of training, lack of understanding, lack of true spiritual ability, they
honestly believe that God is going to whisk them away into a heavenly
dimension, there to reign with Christ. But even from a human point of view,
this could not be sustained. What employer is there who does not insist on
training for his employees? Even the most menial of tasks requires some
expertise. But those which require executive ability are limited to the few who
possess the necessary qualifications. What therefore is your spiritual
'curriculum vitae'? Have you allowed to Lord to carve off all those pounds of
(figurative) flesh? Have you ever made a pact with the Lord to seek Him in such
a manner? Or do you reserve the right to continue in life with all mod cons and
allowable comforts?
Jesus spoke of the parallel
with Olympic athletes. Even today such men and women know that they have to
deny themselves many of the ordinary comforts of life if ever they are going to
reach an 'Olympic standard' of excellence. The parallel is not a difficult one
to understand. But the practical application is difficult to grasp because of
the subtleties of the human fleshly mind.
What guide lines can be
given? What are the areas of subtlety that make us 'too fat' for entry? Is it
possible to make a list, so as to help all those who might desire to train for
government in God's kingdom?
A few examples come to
mind, and these we shall give, but no complete catalogue may ever be found,
because we all have such individual cravings in the flesh, such deceptive
vanities of thought, that lists would be cumbersome and lengthy.
Let us think first of all
about business. One cannot exist without money. There is nothing wrong in
earning money so as to live. But Peter warns that 'the love of money
is the root of all evil.' Those who have their own businesses, and
find that God prospers them (for we speak only of those who know God through
Jesus Christ) may easily fall into the trap of pursuing their business BEYOND
what is necessary, and so to the 'pulling down of barns' and building up great
empires, and starving the mind of simple and spiritual things. Proverbs
But it goes beyond that.
Our earthly 'empire' may consist of a huge property or a small shack, a
managerial position in a big company or a cobbler's bench in the shed, each is
as dangerous as the other depending on how we treat it. The subtlety is too
great to treat with inadequate language. Test yourself out. Ask yourself what
your 'empire' means to you. Are you ready to relinquish it at a moment's notice
if the Lord should walk by and say "Follow me"? Do you hold all these
earthly things on a very loose rein, so that they mean little in themselves?
One may own a Rolls Royce, another an old banger. Each may worship his means of
transport. Each should learn to see it for what it is, just a car, something to
get from A to B. All will ultimately rust away and be scrapped. They cannot be
'taken to heaven' What we are trying to say is that the Bible shows no actual
directive to dispose of all one's wealth. It is how one's possessions are
viewed that matters. Abraham and Job were two of the world's wealthiest men in
their day, but the Lord knew that neither of them worshipped their possessions.
Abraham's problem lay with his family, not his cows. But the 'rich young man'
certainly worshipped his riches, for he found that he couldn't relinquish them.
That is the acid test. Are we able to relinquish our possessions with ease, or
do we find ourselves inwardly hankering after them? And so each one of us must
come before the Lord and assess the true nature of our own heart about
possessions. Sometimes, we shall not be able to make a true assessment, for the
heart of man is deceitful above all things. But God knows it, and He will
reveal to every honest enquirer the idolatry of his heart. If we want to go in
for kingdom-training we must ask. The untrained and the untrainable
have no place in God's kingdom.
Now let us think about
family. Abraham has already been mentioned. God saw that his family meant a
great deal to him. God said leave them all and come away. He was only partly
obedient. He took his father and his nephew
What is our family life
like? Do we have problems similar to those of Abraham? How subtle we are
sometimes, imagining that our affections are pleasing to God., whereas in
reality they would act as barriers if ever He asked us to relinquish them. "Blood
is thicker than water" says the old proverb. And it is true, but
it should not be so for the children of God. Our love for God, if we have a
single eye, should be such as to keep all human family affections on a short
rein. Jesus said "Whoever does not hate his mother or his
father, his wife, his children etc. " And the context is
clear. He is not advocating that we should actively 'hate' anybody. He is
asking us whether we have 'detached' ourselves from the sticky glue that is
commonly regarded as 'family affection.' Once again, we have a most difficult
job before us, because often we are not able to assess just how much of our
love is acceptable in God's sight, and how much is 'inordinate
affection', elsewhere called idolatry. God will reveal it to those who
ask.
Finally in this brief
study, we must ask about our faith. Now it might be considered reasonable to
ask about our business, or even our family, but why our faith? Because here is
a subtlety that extends beyond the scope of the previous two Those who know the
Lord, and have accepted forgiveness of their sins, are mainly walking on the
broad road. This is not our assessment, but of the Lord Himself. He said that 'many'
walk on the broad road, and only 'few' find the narrow road.
Therefore there must be something about the walk of a Christian that makes him
self-satisfied, and unaware that he is treading a path of lesser worth. What is
it? Sometimes it is simply a case of self-satisfaction, a state where the mind
is not enlightened about one's own condition before God. Sometimes it is an
over-benevolent view of one's position, whereby we unconsciously think, "I
thank, God I am not like THEM!" Sometimes it is because we
imagine we have all the answers, and have reached the stage of being teachers
of others, having little if anything left to learn ourselves. But you say,
surely these are extreme cases. Don't we all feel the need for more? Ask
yourself with greater honesty about this, and you may surprise yourself. After
all, the Master did say that the majority miss the true way. None of us has any
grounds for complacency. I write as one who feels very keenly the message I'm
writing about, and my own short-comings.
May God use these words to
alert some to their true position, and thereby find treasure hidden in a field.
Though it cost them everything they possess, they will not stop until they have
that surety concerning the strait gate and the narrow way. And without doubt
God will train them for the Kingdom.