Choosing the Narrow Path

This is not going to be the typical type of piece that I share. It’s a little longer (please be patient and humor me, and read all the way through) and maybe a little more “preachy” (again, please be patient…)  I was inspired to write this toward the very end of our church service this morning. It has taken me a while to sort out what exactly is supposed to be conveyed in and by these words – I pray that I get it right.

It is no surprise to anyone that our world is in a strange kind of place these days. I can honestly say that they are unlike any of my previous fifty-plus years on this earth. For most of the last four months, this has been deeply concerning to me. But recently (and even more-so in the moments as I type this), I have started to have a little bit of a different take…

Maybe, just maybe, all that we have been experiencing is not really about “them” taking away “our” freedoms, or “those people” not doing what “they” should have done years ago or “us” finally getting “our” say or how “you people” are ruining it for “the rest of us.” All these statements, (while intentionally left a little vague), probably sound rather familiar. As well, all of these statements are incredibly divisive. Now, who do we, at least as Christians, “credit” with being the most divisive being in the universe? Satan, of course. The great divider and enemy of truth. In Jesus’s words, the enemy’s purpose is to “steal, kill and destroy.” (John 10:10) There certainly has been a lot of that going around these days!

Instead, maybe this is all about God wanting us to take our faith and reliance on Him to a new level? Maybe we have become a little too stale and stagnant. I don’t know about you, but it always causes me to pause when I read in Revelation as Jesus told John to write to the church of Laodicea, “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!” (Revelation 3:15-16 NLT) The further you read in that passage it becomes even more convicting.

I feel we’re at a crossroads. Like we’re at a place where God is telling us, basically to, “put up or shut up!” That the days – and I’m speaking in generalities here – of us as Christians just “coasting in our faith” have come to an end. It’s time to be serious. Do we really believe what we proclaim to believe?

A passage in Galatians sums all of this up pretty well. Paul calls out this early church for their preaching of a false gospel and following false teaching. The second half of this can be quoted by many Christians, but how many start reciting it with the word, “but”, as it is written, and how many of us remember the first half, or even retain the context?

“When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” (Galatians 5:19-23, emphasis added.)

We have a choice – live by the flesh, which I would say as a society in general we’ve pretty much mastered, or live by the Spirit, which produces all the things I think we would all love to have about now!

Back to where we started… the things that have been concerning me. What do many people, especially Christians, feel has been trampled on, if not outright taken away over the last few months? Yes, you got it: Freedom. And what do we know about freedom?

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17 NIV)

Now, I’ve taken enough logic, math and philosophy courses over the years to know a non-sequitur when I see one so, while the Spirit’s presence implies freedom, a lack of His Spirit does not necessarily imply a lack of freedom. That said, it certainly seems like we are not making the most of the freedoms that we have. Again, quoting Paul in his letter to the Galatians, just a few verses before what we looked at a minute ago, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” (Galatians 5:13 NIV) Hmmm… I’ll just let that percolate a bit.

One other concern of mine of late – and this has been going on for a lot longer than the last few months… There seems to be a war on truth. Just writing that seems strange. How can that be? How can there not be universal acceptance of what is true and what is false? I can maybe understand an argument around what is “right” and what is “wrong”. But truth? How can this be something up for debate? Well, again, as a society we seemed to have nailed this one, too. And apparently, the idea of truth has always been a bit slippery in some circles. Otherwise, Jesus would not have had to say the following:

Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-31 NLT)

“But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24 NLT)

So, why do I not feel the heavy weight of concern (or at least as heavy) as I have felt it recently? Let’s go back to that idea of being at a crossroads. I do not believe God is bringing us to a dead-end. He loves us far too much. Rather, I think we are at a fork, and as Robert Frost modeled for us, we should take the “road less travelled by”. As Christians, we are always called to be a bit non-conforming and not like the rest. “In the world but not of it”, as is often said. As Jesus himself said, “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14 NLT).

What then, are we called to do while we take that narrow path? Well, this is where He led me:

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17-22 NIV)

For the record, this is not a “put your head in the sand” approach. Far from it. Let’s take a look at what we are called to do in this passage – line by line. This is not passivity, this is action!

Rejoice always – You think it’s easy carrying joy with you everywhere? Is God with you? Then you have that joy. Keep it front and center!

Pray continually – Does this mean being on your knees 24/7? No, but it probably means being on them a lot more than you are now. And it means being cognizant of and keeping an ongoing conversation with Him throughout the day.

Give thanks in all circumstances – As some very smart people have said to me over the years, “all means ALL!” If this becomes a problem, see “rejoice always”.

Do not quench the Spirit – There’s a lot to this one, but let’s just go with, don’t ignore Him! If you hear His voice, act on it. After all, that’s what living unfiltered for God is all about.

Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all – Don’t dismiss every prophetic word you hear. Test it, pray it through, make sure it lines up with God’s Word and it is in and of His nature, yes, but don’t just dismiss it right away. (As a bonus, this isn’t a bad way to discern the “what is truth” question, either.)

Hold on to what is good – Especially right now, hold on to good with everything you have. If it’s from God (one definition of being good), then never let it go. And He won’t ask you to release it, unless and until, He has something even better for you.

Reject every kind of evil – Some translations say, “avoid” or “stay away” from evil, but I like “reject” better. It sounds more active. Which is what we’re being called to do.

Now, if we treat these times taking the approach laid out above, and if the church as a whole does the same, I believe God is going to present us with something even better than what we’ve known in the past. I’ll sum all of this up with two more passages, I look at it as kind of an “if – then” kind of arrangement…

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14 NIV)

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." (Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV)

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for that “new thing!” And because we know it comes from Him, we know it is going to be amazing!

Will you agree with me in prayer for this? Will you commit to spending less time in fear – and more time in faith? Less time dividing – and more time discerning? Less time rejecting – and more time rejoicing? Less time grumbling – and more time giving thanks? Less time playing politics – and more time praying? More time rejecting evil? More time seeking good?

I pray that this has spoken to your spirit and that, if you have been struggling, that it brings you hope. God has so much in store for us still. He’s not done with us. In fact, the best still lies ahead!