5th Gospel

 13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:13-14

A man named Juan Carlos Ortiz speaks of a 5th Gospel, popular among many in the church. You'll not find it actually written anywhere except in the hearts and minds of many who struggle to accept and live out the truth of Matthew 7:13-14. Ortiz says that the central message of this 5th Gospel, which he calls, "The Gospel Of The Evangelicals" is, "We take what we like from His Word and take out what we don't. God the Father and Christ His Son make no demands upon us. Jesus accepts us whether we fully accept Him or not."

He says this Gospel creates a third gate and road, the Middle. The large gate and road are for those evil sinners who do all manner of evil deeds. They're the ones heading to destruction. The Narrow gate and road is for all those called to full time ministry; pastors, missionaries, evangelists, and various full time workers in the Kingdom of God. The Middle gate and road is for the rest of us. It give us a lot of leeway. We can walk a bit on some aspects of the destructive wide way while maintaining a walk on parts of the narrow. That is, those parts we can accept and live with. The Middle way he tells us is the invention of men. That's true, but that bogus way has attracted and seduced so many to their destruction. It continues to do so today. Are you walking upon it now?

The truth of all of this can be seen in the message being proclaimed in so many parts of the western church. Jesus made clear that if we are going to follow Him, we are to take up our cross, the cross that will lead us to our own encounter with our own Calvary and follow upon His way. The narrow way. The way of the cross. I ask you, how often are you hearing this message from the pulpit of your fellowship? Have you ever heard it? Or have you been saturated with Ortiz's "Gospel of the Evangelicals?"

This is what Ortiz had to say about what is marking so much of the modern message of the church; "We're always appealing to man's interests. Jesus is Savior, Healer, the King coming for US, for ME. ME is at the center of the gospel message." Think on how true that is. Think on how we have presented Jesus as someone who will make your life better, richer, more abundant. It may be good now, but if you add Jesus, it will be even better, a life filled with blessing. In truth, we have proclaimed Him as more of an add on to our lives than as He who is not just Savior, but Lord. In the Bible, He is called Lord far more often than He is called Savior. Entering into the fellowship of His sufferings isn't part of the package. As Ortiz remarks, "We're anxious to be relieved of the burden of our sin, but we want our 'self-life' to walk away unchanged." In short, He can save us, but He can't "have" us. This is the Gospel of the Evangelicals. It's not just coming to a church near you, it's already arrived.

The time for this message to be put to death is now. It begins with our willingness to die out to its attraction. Our flesh embraces such a message. His Spirit and Life never will. May we hear the true message of Christ, of His cross and His life. May we cease trying to walk a non-existent middle road and enter in by the narrow gate. And may we know something more. As someone said, His narrow gate leads into a wide life. It is not a life of rigidity, but of freedom and abundance in Him. The Narrow Gate is Christ Himself. Those who have really experienced Him will choose no other. May He be chosen by us, by you today. Enter in by the life gate of Christ.

Blessings,

Pastor O