We are coming to the end of the series titled What Is Christian Faith? Before we approach the final posting I feel compelled to insert a teaching that, I believe, will speak to the heart of every true, honest and determined seeker of God and His Truth. In the past I earnestly sought holiness, righteousness and godliness, but to no avail. No matter how hard I tried to get sin out of my life, I failed. And as the Lord revealed ever more sins that I had not known were sins, the problem grew ever worse. Over the years I have learned that I was not alone. I once read about a young preacher who committed suicide because he could not stop sinning. I am intimately familiar with that mind-set. In my case it took a last-minute miracle from God to keep me from taking my life. The problem? Lack of understanding of the process of achieving holiness, righteousness and godliness. I am forever grateful for two men who, being much wiser than I and having many more years of experience in things spiritual, showed me the way. God put them in my life because He knew I was desperate for the oneness with Him that can be obtained only by walking the walk of Jesus Christ (1 Jn. 2:6), being pure as He is pure (1 Jn. 3:3) and overcoming Satan as He overcame him (Rev. 3:21). I knew that only those who do so would spend eternity with Him. The question concerned how to reach that state of oneness with the Almighty. The secret is the exact opposite of what the church’s false prophets proclaim.

It is at the point that one determines with finality that nothing will stand between him and God that a heart check is conducted and one makes the choice that decides his eternity. Due to lack of ignorance of God’s Word and Way, multitudes of seekers do not realize that it is at this point that Satan’s Bait And Switch (see the posting) technique propels them through his wide gate and along his broad way that leads to death (Mat. 7:13,14). This is the point at which religious goats are separated from spiritual sheep. Just as a carnival barker promises his mark that a treat will be found just inside the door of the tent, Satan assures the “many” that heaven lies just beyond the door of the Institutional Church where a life of spiritual ease and religious and social acceptance is the order of the day, where in order to remain in good standing with God one need only show up, ‘fess up, pay up and prepare to go up–the fix, he assures them, is in. Their goal–a future mansion in heaven–awaits.

In the meantime God is quietly beaconing to those who are not seeking a future paradise, but rather a present day relationship with the Lord in which he absorbs and manifests the Lord’s righteousness. These are the “few” who “find” His well-hidden, strait (difficult) gate beyond which persecution and rejection from both the churched and the unchurched is the order of the day.

The question as to why so few choose God’s gate and way (Mat. 7:13,14) is obvious. Whereas God’s gate and way are difficult and the reward (salvation) lies in the future for those who make the cut, Satan’s gate and way are easy and the reward is instantaneous for anyone who performs the prescribed ritual. As the following posting(s) will reveal, salvation is not the “come and get it” undertaking the church’s religion barkers put forward continually. As the Lord said, to spend eternity with Him we must walk through the valley of death (Ps. 23:4). Only those who do so to the end of their lives with their righteousness intact will join Him in His kingdom (Mat. 10:22). Here Jesus is speaking directly to His disciples, whose disciples we are IF we choose to obey Him (Jn. 8:31;13:35;15:8). Note that His chosen disciples would be with Him in the kingdom IF, and only if they obeyed Him. He warned that those who become His brethren will be treated as He was (Lk. 23:31). Numerous Scriptures assure us that all true seekers of righteousness will “drink of My cup.” See Persecution.

Who is willing to learn the Truth about the walk of Christ and emulate it? The following posting(s) will show that drinking of His cup of suffering is required if one is to spend eternity with Him. To be continued. L.J.