Page 27 - The Gate and the Way

and the things in it. Self-fulfillment, rather than self-denial, is the overriding motive of this
man’s life. He seeks to gain those things his soul desires, whether they be material
possessions, a comfortable life, many pleasures, or the approval and applause of other men.
This person may convince themself that a pursuit of their soul’s desires is the will of God,
but when they stand before Christ they will find that they have forfeited the salvation of
their soul.
A great many voices are proclaiming the message of the anti-cross today. I
understand the appeal of the prosperity and self-fulfillment message. Nobody likes to
suffer. If we were given the choice between spending a day enjoying ourselves, or a day
suffering, and were promised that the reward at the end of the day would be the same for
both, who in their right mind would choose suffering?
This is precisely where the deception comes in. The reward at the end of the day is
NOT the same for the ones who choose to please themselves and the ones who embrace
suffering in order to follow Christ.

Luke 13:23-30
And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to
you, will seek to enter and will not be able... And indeed there are last who will be
first, and there are first who will be last."

Have you ever seen a popular speaker today who gathered tens of thousands of
followers by telling them that they are blessed to have less of the world’s goods than others,
even to be considered poor, to have little to eat, to live a painful life of sorrow and tears, and
to be hated by others? Such messages do not attract the materially covetous, or those who
are prospering in this world system. Megachurches would be emptied overnight if those
carnal saints who fill them were suddenly subjected to the message that Christ proclaimed.

Luke 6:20-26
And turning His gaze on His disciples, He began to say, “Blessed are you who are
poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall
be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you
when men hate you, and ostracize you, and cast insults at you, and spurn your name
as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day, and leap for joy, for
behold, your reward is great in heaven; for in the same way their fathers used to treat
the prophets. But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.
Woe to you who are well-fed now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh
now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for
in the same way their fathers used to treat the false prophets.”

The heaped up teachers of prosperity have no shortage of admirers who love the
message of living a full and satisfied life. It has not occurred to most that this was not the
message, or the example, of Christ and His disciples. The message of fulness and pleasure
appeals to the soul, but it leads to destruction.
A great many Christians today are afraid to take a closer look at what Christ actually
taught and exemplified in His life. It is imperative that they do so, however, for at the end
of the day it will matter greatly which principle one lived their life by. Christ will ask, “Did
you take up your cross and follow Me, or did you seek to save your natural life and satisfy