This Size of the Flock

Luke 13:23-30
(23) And someone said to him, "Lord, will those who are saved be few?" And he said to them,
(24) "Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
(25) When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, open to us,' then he will answer you, 'I do not know where you come from.'
(26) Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.'
(27) But he will say, 'I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!'
(28) In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out.
(29) And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God.
(30) And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last."

I hope that this passage gives you pause. I know that I do not want to be one of those rejected at the door. I don't think that I will be, but this passage does make me want to look at how I'm living. When I see the blackness of my heart filled with so much selfishness, anger, and indifference to the world I wonder just how regenerated it is. I know that nobody has a perfect heart, but sometimes I wish that mine had more evidence of saving grace.

This passage also gives me some thoughts for evangelism. I think most people think that the door is much wider than it really is. I'm not about to say just how narrow it is, but I think it is a lot more narrow than someone like Oprah says. It's also more narrow than I think the average professing Christian wants to think it is.

After all, a narrow door is pretty sad. That means that old friends may not go through it. It means that some family members may not make it through. It means that sincere people of other faiths are not going to go through.

As we look into the face of this truth I hope that our response as people committed to the authority of Scripture would be to evangelize as much as possible. The good news is that our job is merely to present the truth. It's the Holy Spirit's job to convert people.