Choose Wisely
Written by: C. Gray Adams
March 21st, 2023
Throughout the Bible, warnings abound about how people are to live. In the New Testament, Jesus, Paul, Peter, and John provide the most information about this. Studying their words makes it clear that two distinct paths are available. One path leads to eternal life in heaven. The other path leads to eternal damnation in hell. Here we will examine what distinguishes these two paths and, in so doing, provide ample information for all to ‘choose wisely’ the appropriate path. Most importantly, today is the day of salvation (2 Cor 6:2). Therefore, choose to enter the strait gate and walk the narrow path while following Jesus with your cross. [1]
Jesus spoke of two ways, the broad way and the narrow way:
Matthew 7:13-14
“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: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” [2]
Clearly, the wide gate that leads to the broad way also leads to destruction, and Jesus, being God in the flesh, said that many would enter this gate and follow this path and thereby be destroyed. Conversely, Jesus said that few will enter the strait gate and follow the path that is narrow. This is because the time to choose which path to walk is right now. It is not tomorrow or the next day. Instead, we must strive to enter through the strait gate and follow the narrow path right now, before it is too late. Once Jesus comes for the bride, those who only knew about the strait gate and narrow path will be excluded from fellowship with Christ and the bride during the Tribulation period. Luke provides greater detail about the two paths:
Luke 13:22-27
“And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive [contend, as with an adversary] to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able [after the master comes, it is too late]. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity” (emphasis mine) [author’s comments]
Clearly, these knew who Jesus was and that He was the way to follow, yet they refused to deny themselves and enter the narrow gate, which can only be opened via the cross. Instead, they desired the pleasures of the iniquities they were partaking in. This cost them dearly, for once the master comes, those who are not called up will have to choose between the mark of the beast or the chopping block. Granted, choosing the latter will afford those who come to faith in the Tribulation a way to obtain eternal life. However, the better choice is to deny oneself here and now and immediately enter into the presence of the Lord at the moment of the rapture rather than to have to overcome throughout the seven-year Tribulation period, which will be the worst time to ever live through (Matt 24:21).
Let Us Strive
To further explain the fact that we are to strive to enter in as though we are contending with an adversary, consider this example: It is announced that someone very popular is coming to town, and there is limited time to purchase a ticket to see them. If this person is more important to you than what you are currently doing, you will halt your activities and make way to purchase your ticket. Additionally, if you and everyone else you know have waited a very long time to see this person, you will make haste for fear that the tickets may sell out, leaving you outside of the venue you long to enter.
While writing the last line, it came to me that oftentimes people are able to find and purchase tickets at elevated prices from scalpers, even after an event is sold out. Sadly, this will not be the case after the master comes, as illustrated by the words of Jesus in Luke 13:25-27, which was covered above. No, once that door is shut, there will be no entry by any means. Indeed, only those who are in Christ, whether dead or alive, when He comes for the bride, make the trip heavenward when Jesus calls His faithful ones home with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and the trump of God (1 Thess 4:16-17).
Therefore, once again, I implore you to hear the words of this warning and ‘choose wisely’ to strive, right now, to enter the strait gate and walk the narrow path while following Jesus. However, another warning must be issued to those who decide to strive to enter the strait gate. Beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing that would attempt to beguile you into following them onto the broad path of destruction. [3]
Savage Wolves
The children’s story, ‘Little Red Riding Hood,’ comes to mind here. Little Red Riding Hood simply wanted to go to her grandmother’s house, a place of blessing, to provide sustenance to the ailing grandmother. However, she was met along the way by a crafty wolf who, after hearing of her trip to her grandmothers, decided to devour them both. The wolf went to great lengths to disguise himself in order to fulfill his desires, just like those who would lead the sheep of God astray.
We are warned that these savage wolves will come as ministers of righteousness, and they will distort the truth in order to deceive and draw men unto them. Most importantly, it is crucial to realize that these false ministers of righteousness are on the broad path, and their end, along with those who follow them, will be destruction (Acts 20:29-30; 2 Cor 11:13-15).
Paul made sure to warn that even those who are professing faith in Christ will rise up from amongst the saints to draw disciples unto them. Therefore, it is important to realize that those who wish to sidetrack the faithful can come from without and within the church. In this regard, it is important to examine one of the major happenings in the church world at the moment – the so-called revival that is seemingly making its way all across the United States of America. Many fear to tread on this subject; however, as watchmen, we must weigh in, in an effort to protect the sheep from the savage wolves.
Revival Rage
Rage can be defined as a fad pursued with intense enthusiasm.[4] In a recent article, we took a look at how following trends and fashions have caused many to attempt to live a hyphenated life.[5] The position taken here is that following trends is the root of the revival we are witnessing. This is because the desire to be part of the latest trend is overwhelming, and the advent of social media has provided a mechanism to spur others into like actions. If this is the case, one could come to the conclusion that people are actually seeking revival rather than God. As a result, much of what is manifesting comes from man’s flesh rather than the Spirit of God.
Revival these days seems to be the gathering of groups of people together to sing and dance for hours on end without any clear preaching of the gospel. Therefore, coming together to sing and dance exuberantly has become the latest fashionable thing to do.
While it is wonderful that those attending these revivals are not in nightclubs or other venues where sin is rampant, gathering and participating in endless praise and worship does not validate that this is a revival. Instead, it actually refutes it. Why? Because, in many instances, the flesh of man is responsible for the gatherings that are happening. How can we be so sure? By knowing why the Holy Spirit is present in the world today and how He manifests. We can know this by a scriptural examination of the purpose and demeanor of the Holy Spirit.
The Purpose of the Holy Spirit
Spoiler alert: nowhere in Scripture do we see that the Holy Spirit comes to do much of what the modern church wants us to think He is here for, such as causing people to be drunk in the spirit, to laugh uncontrollably, to bark like dogs, and to writhe upon the ground as though demon-possessed. Nor does the Holy Spirit ever lead people onto the broad path. Instead, He comes to comfort us and lead us into all truths for the purpose of edifying Jesus Christ while empowering us to preach the gospel to the lost in hopes that they hear and turn to Christ and thereby enter the narrow gate which opens to the narrow path. Here are the passages that validate these last statements:
John 14:26
“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” (emphasis mine)
John 15:26
“But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.” (emphasis mine)
John 16:13-14
“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” (emphasis mine)
Matthew 28:18-20
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Acts 1:6-8
“And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
“When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” [Notice this power is for the purpose of witnessing about Christ… nothing else.] (emphasis mine) [author’s comments]
Notice that in these passages, we clearly see the purpose of the Holy Spirit is to comfort the believer and empower them with boldness to preach the gospel to the utter ends of the earth. This should be enough to prove what the purpose of the Holy Spirit is, but what about His presence or demeanor? What does that look like?
The Demeanor of the Holy Spirit
The demeanor of the Holy Spirit is clearly laid out for us in Scripture. In fact, Paul uses the demeanor of the Holy Spirit in his famous teaching on walking in the Spirit rather than the flesh in Galatians chapter five:
Galatians 5:16-26
“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.” (emphasis mine)
In his message to the Galatians, Paul provides the answer to our question, what is the demeanor of the Holy Spirit? In this passage, Paul contrasts the demeanor of the Holy Spirit, otherwise known as ‘the fruit of the Spirit,’ with the works of the flesh, and the thing that jumps out at us is the fact that nothing about the Holy Spirit’s demeanor can be obtained by or worked from the flesh of man. Therefore, we must strive to walk in the Spirit so we do not fulfil the lust of the flesh (Gal 5:16). This striving can be said to be the everyday struggle the Christian has of carrying their cross daily after entering through the strait gate. Because once one enters the narrow path, it is by striving to walk in the Spirit that one stays on the path that leads to eternal life.
Now that we know how the Holy Spirit presents Himself, we can take a look at what is taking place across the land and see if it is real or not. Since this revival is ongoing, it will take some time to see the end result of what is transpiring; however, we can know for certain if this so-called outpouring is of God, or not, simply by the fact that those involved should come out of these meetings walking in the Spirit while boldly preaching about Christ to the lost souls of the world. It really is that simple.
One thing should be noted before leaving this subject of revival. Many, I will call them false teachers, are now taking the fore in these revival meetings, and instead of preaching the gospel, they are attacking the historical church that has existed since the time of Christ. Many are beginning to say that those who have doubts about the authenticity of this ‘revival rage’ are putting God in a box, and all they are doing is allowing God out of the box so He can be God.
Sadly, these false ministers are misleading multitudes away from the very thing that God put in place to protect them – the local church that faithfully proclaims the gospel in order to equip the saints for the work of the ministry (Eph 4:12). The deceivers are successful because the masses are looking for something new. Sadly, they have forgotten that God does not change. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8). Thus, those falling for this end time’s deception are at risk of scurrying to and fro following revival instead of looking up for the return of Jesus Christ, which is increasingly imminent. Even worse, if those attending these events are not hearing the gospel whereby they can be saved, they are at risk of missing the coming of the master and being left outside when the door is shut.
By the way, God has effectively put Himself in a box by letting us know that He does not change. He has shown us exactly how He behaves throughout His Word so we can know instantly whether something is of Him or not. Therefore, those who are claiming that God is doing a new thing are in danger of judgment because they are essentially adding to what God has revealed about Himself, and severe judgment comes upon those that add to God’s Word. [6]
Conclusion
Two paths are available to each individual. It is very important to ‘choose wisely’ the correct path right now. This is so important because we are not promised another second. In fact, what we are promised is death followed by judgment (Heb 9:27). Only those who are on the narrow path at the time of Christ’s coming for His bride will avoid the first death as they will be changed into incorruptible in the twinkling of an eye at the sound of the last trump (1 Cor 15:52).
Avoid the many distractions that would cause you to look at the things of this world favorably. Remember, this is not our home. We are but strangers passing through on our way to eternity with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ. Lastly, mark and avoid those who would deceive (Rom 16:17-18).
Website: In His Commission
[1] For greater understanding, see the article, “The Old Man and The Cross.”
[2] “Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the King James Version.”
[3] For greater understanding, see the article, “Wolves of Faith.”
[4] Merriam-Webster dictionary, “Rage.”
[5] For greater understanding, see the article, “The Hyphenated-Christian.”
[6] For greater understanding, see the article, “The Great Awakening – The Grand Deception.”