Two Ways to Live

Mt 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

 

We are told that there are two ways or two paths that we can travel.

 

One leads to life and the other leads to destruction. What the church world has told us that this is the path to heaven or hell.

 

In the teachings and messages of Jesus we find that HE came preaching, teaching and demonstrating the “Kingdom of God”.

 

Mt 9:35 ¶ And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

 

He spoke of heaven and hell but heaven and hell was not His message.

 

Heaven and hell are real places but this is not the message Jesus brought; the message is “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you”.

 

Let’s look at this and discover what He was really speaking of.

 

When Jesus called His disciples He did not talk to them about heaven or hell.

 

Mt 4:18 ¶ And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

 19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

 20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

 

He told them that if they would follow Him He would make them to become something. He would make them to be more than they were.

 

What were they? They were fishermen and they were sons of the covenant or we could say sons of Abraham.

 

Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave He power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

 

They could become sons of God and also fishers of men.

 

Becoming a son of God is predicated on receiving Him and believing on Him or better said “into Him”.

 

Becoming a “fisher of men” was predicated on the invitation to “follow me”

 

I believe the invitation to “follow Him” was the invitation to discipleship not to heaven.

 

Mt 16:24 ¶ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

 

Here in the above verse the LORD is not talking about denying yourself so as to get to go to heaven but to become a disciple and how to become a “fisher of men”.

 

If He was speaking of heaven then the following verses are not for us today.

 

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

 

The reason being that “denying yourself” is works and it is not by works that we are saved.

 

If for a moment we look back at the first two verses we can find the understanding of the “Two Ways to Live”.

 

Mt 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

 

I believe that the “strait gate” or “narrow gate” is the “way of discipleship”; this leads to the “life of God” being made manifest in our daily lives. This puts us on the pathway for the purpose of God to be demonstrated in us and through us here in this time.

 

The “broad way that leads to destruction” is simply not submitting to being discipled. This does not mean that you are not saved but that the purpose, desire and plan of God for our lives here is first hindered and finally destroyed if there are not steps made to be discipled.

 

The religious system or church culture that we live in does not really promote discipleship.

 

The following verse shows this; Mt 9:37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

 

There is a harvest that is even now plentiful but it is still as Jesus said “the laborers are few”

 

The Greek word that is translated few does not just mean few in number but also few in degree or extent or “puny”, of little value or of little duration.

 

I believe that the reason the laborers are puny is because we lead a man to the LORD and then try to make a laborer out of him. I believe that the church has skipped the step of making disciples.

 

It does not mean that this person is not saved but that he has never been discipled. Being discipled is what qualifies and equips this person.

 

The church has not heard and obeyed what Jesus said; Mt 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

 19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

 20 “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

 

To be discipled is a process and is not a quick thing; we have been in a hurry to “win the world for Jesus”. We have put mass evangelism before discipleship and have led people down the “broad way that leads to destruction”.

 

Unless and until we will follow Jesus clear command to preach, teach and demonstrate the kingdom of God and make disciples we will continue in the same insanity that the church has been in for the last fifteen hundred years.