BRAGGING ABOUT THE NARROW ROAD

When I began my preaching calling, I was a shouter and a pulpit-pounder. Gentleness and kindness may be of the Spirit, but I had none of that. I was interested in one thing and one thing only; TRUTH. I didn't care who flinched. I was a pulpit bully and proud of it....until....until I shifted to preaching Jesus. He wrecked my previous training as well as my proud doctrine.

There was a huge flaw in me. I was preaching a TRUTH handed to me by the church fathers. The problem? It identified more with the Pharisees slant on TRUTH than on Jesus' slant. The two, as you well know, were of opposing views.

How is it I (and those in the church like me) can be so bold as to believe we stand for the unblemished truth of God when, in reality, Jesus stands against those very things? Consider then and now:

1. You can't eat that grain on the Sabbath!
2. You can't have a garage sale in the name of the church!
3. You can't heal that man's hand!
4. You can't use that version of the Bible!
5. You can't claim to know God!
6. You can't claim God speaks to you!
7. You can't..........

I (and those like me) have made a huge mistake. We believed our studies and our syllogistic proofs won debates and thus promoted the real truth. However, we were promoting Pharisaism in its most polished form which is still killing congregations. All who remain there feel good about their religious position by one main criteria....they know of whom they disapprove. Ah, so Pharisaical.

A great challenge for the Churches of Christ is to lean into the Christ more than the Law which got us to where we are. We reference New Testament church as if we are it. Yet, we reflect the disposition of Jesus' opponents more than we do Jesus. At times I have been more the Church of Us.....than of Him. This is rotten religion robed in garments of self-absorption.

We have pick-pocketed the Word to use a handful of conscience soothing nuggets like; few are chosen and the narrow road. As was Saul, I was big into ravaging the church with my spewments of harsh approach to the New Testament standards. My problem was I was more on the side of Jesus' opponents than I was his. I had to change.

The church has to change. Otherwise, it will die off bragging it is on the narrow road and are the few chosen.