Which gate?

We are to enter by the narrow gate, but which one? Other gates could look right. Who is leading us to the narrow gate?

Jesus immediately warned us about those who mislead others.

"Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves." Matthew 7:15

These false prophets look right; they may have the appearances that we expect. But we cannot see their heart. They know themselves that something is wrong inside; they know they are not what they appear.

Jesus gives a way to distinguish the one who is speaking by the Spirit of God and one who is speaking from himself.

"You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit; but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits." Matthew 7:16-19

We cannot distinguish always what is of the Spirit of God, and what is not, by content. God may say what we do not want to hear, or what we do not understand. But we can distinguish the fruit of that spirit in the person's life, whether the fruit is good or bad. We should be able to taste that. Only the starving will be unable to taste the difference.

This a significant point. We do not judge a person in this way. We do not expect perfection out of another believer. But we are not judging the person of the prophet; we are judging the spirit within the prophet. The spirit which gives utterance to this person may be the Spirit of God, or it may be another spirit.

We know that each of us has tares along with the good seed. Each of us must seek for the kingdom of God sown in our heart, knowing that we are also infested with tares. But the prophet claims to have found the kingdom; he claims to speak for God. He is not claiming to be speaking for himself. He has either found his place in the kingdom of God, or he is deceived, or a deceiver, knowingly lying. The issue is the rule of the kingdom in this person.

We can know if the kingdom of God rules in this person, not by what he says, but by what he does. We see this mechanism in Galatians. A person is either walking by the Spirit of God, or he is walking in the strength of his flesh. The one who is walking by the Spirit of God yields the fruit of the Spirit; the one who is walking in his flesh yields the works of the flesh. Our flesh cannot produce the fruits of the Spirit. The two trees produce different fruit.

Paul is writing to believers in Galatian; this is not an issue between unbelievers and believers. It is believers who may turn to walking by the strength of the flesh. This is the whole intent of Galatians, to get believers back on the right path, walking by the Spirit of God.

This is the same mechanism in what Jesus taught. It is an issue of rule. We cannot serve two masters. The prophet who is ruled by another spirit cannot serve Christ. The prophet who is ruled by the Spirit of God will serve Christ his master. This is true for the prophets just as it is true for us.

We may look good, saying the right Christian things, maintaining appearances around other Christians, but know in our heart that the Bridegroom has been taken from us. We know that the Shepherd and Guardian of our soul is not at work in us. We know the plagues of our own heart. Someday, when we are honest with ourselves, we will fast, seeking the kingdom of God first, denying obedience to the things that have mastered us. We need this; the prophets also need this.

But we must sort out now those who speak in the name of God. They are leading others to destruction; they are keeping some from the narrow gate. We are no better than them, but we must determine which spirit is at work in them.

We do not think this way. We look at the outward. If a man speaks what sounds right to our ears, and looks good, we assume he is good. We do not try to look at who he is; we do not make an effort to examine the person. If we have not tasted good fruit, we may not be able to taste the difference. Our leaders are generally only held to the standard of numbers; the successful ones bring in money and bring in nice people. But if a man has been overcome by sin, he will not be able to set others free. He may hold all of the "right" doctrines in our particular denomination; he may play the part well, with all of the "right" mannerisms. He may put on a good show. But he will not make disciples of Jesus Christ; he has another master, whether he admits it to himself or not. He cannot lead others to the narrow gate; it would never occur to him.

It has been two thousand years since Jesus Christ spoke these words on a hillside somewhere. Many men have built on the foundation of Christianity over those years. Some spoke by the Spirit of God; some did not. What we call "Christianity" is the synthesis of two thousand years of teachings. What we think is "the right way" may not be; "the right way" may be culture, not Christ. We know we do little with what Jesus taught. The Gospels do not fit well into our Theologies. Most of us think the narrow gate is the point of becoming a Christian, nothing more.

We do not know which gate is the narrow gate; our prophets do not know either.