Do Not Fight!

Matt. 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:

Recently, a post appeared on one of the forums I minister the Word of God at that just says it all. From the text style, aggressive, I made him to be part of the Y Generation and told him that if the attitude was not lost that all he could expect from me was one reply. He lost the attitude and I´ll answer him some more in the future, but, another poster informed him that ¨if was any consolation, everybody he knew disagreed with me.¨

Many do and will disagree with me and that is not a bad sign. It might not always be a good sign but in this case I find it comforting. Many will disagree, even with applying the 7:13 text the way I am about to but here I go. From the text we see that the wide gate is broad, implying the narrow gate is difficult to get through. From this it is easy to see that the Follower of Jesus is not at all like the majority of the people, making us a Peculiar People.

In the mid-eighties the Barna Group did a double blind survey that demonstrated better than 98% of the people that are in regular attendance do not believe the Basic Tenants taught in the Word of God making those that do just a fraction of a percent of the world population. Now Jesus was hated by almost all of the faithful of His day and before going to the cross He warned us that if the world hated Him, they would hate us also.

Now, in the same chapter, seven, the first verse as been latched onto by the World and the context of the passage done away with in a vain attempt to silence the followers of God. The truth of the matter is that when one reads verses one through twenty-seven the context tells us to judge righteously. It says nothing about shutting up and watching the rest of the world go to Hell in their own hand-basket.

With all of this in mind, I teach the book of the Revelation of Jesus, the Christ. I have angered many because I refuse to be dogmatic and to stake out, with firm definition, my position. One has even become angry with me and walked out of my class because I refuse all dogmatic positions, equally. It is my position that the Church is Raptured out or, as the Bible puts it, caught away, before the Great Tribulation. For those mid and post tribulation people, if I´m wrong and I live that much longer, I´l go when they do because this is not a salvation issue and is foolish... no, it is stupid to fight over such a thing. (Of course my secret position is that just after we are Raptured, just before the Evil One is revealed, I´m going to look at the dismayed ones and shout SURPRISE and ain´t God good!)

As Christians we must never fall prey to Satan and dig in for a heated fight over secondary issues, it makes a fool out of all of us and the World just rolls with delight!

 

And I say Amen!