The Narrow Door

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If you look at the original scriptures you won’t find Jesus at all as that’s a name that came about many centuries later, 

You will find Yeshua, yet for most of yout that is not important. I will however use Yeshua in this and maybe future messages.

 

Luke 10:38-42  

And it came to pass, in their going on, that He entered into a certain village, and a certain woman, by name Martha, received Him into her house, and she also had a sister, called Mary, who also, having seated herself beside the feet of Yeshua, was hearing the word, and Martha was distracted about much serving, and having stood by Him, she said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister left me alone to serve? Say then to her that she may partake along with me.” And Yeshua answering said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and disquieted about many things, but of one thing there is need, and Mary chose the good part; that will not be taken away from her.” 

 

Martha's focus is not only off Yeshua, but having an expectation that others become like her, and worse, seeking to distract them from God (and God's work).

 

I have very little concern for cleaning up and serving in the physical sense (food, etc.), though it is a need, so if you help in church by serving, great we need that, but I hope you aren’t doing so while the service is on, while the message is being delivered, if so there’s probably a problem there. Because it’s as simple as this, what God wants to say is a little more important than cleaning up afterwards, right?

 

Except of course, for some roles that are required during the message. Like cameramen and sound engineers, etc. If the food hasn’t been served or the mess cleaned up by the time a messenger begins to speak, just stop and listen. What God has to say might just be for you. On that, notice Yeshua didn’t say Martha, it’s time to stop and come listen. The messenger's focus is on the message not the mess or who’s cleaning it up, so it’s up to you to not miss out

 

So let’s look at the importance of things, starting with what’s not important. Pulling people away from God, their call, the messages they need to hear, being a hindrance in any way, being a part of the problem rather than a part of the answer, is not only unimportant, it’s problematic.

 

Please do what you can to help, but first think, is what you’re doing helping or hindering? And is it the right time?

 

So all with what’s not important 

 

and as it’s not as simple as 3 levels - not important, important and very important 

 

as there are many levels. So I’ll just keep going till I get to what’s most important

 

The first important thing is your salvation. Firstly, many people make commitments in their life and fail, usually because they didn’t know what they were committing to. As an example, Like The uni Student that just can’t get through the study and didn’t know it would be so difficult before they started. So, I have recently come to a point where I have decided to make sure a person understands what a commitment to God really means before I ask them to make that commitment. Now with this includes repentance turning away from sin and toward a godly life, as well as making a public commitment Mat 10:32,33 Everyone, therefore, who will confess in Me before men, I also will confess in him before My Father who is in the heavens; and whoever will deny Me before men, I also will deny him before My Father who is in the heavens. 

 

Then there is Baptism in both Water and The Holy Spirit Acts 2:38 "Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Yeshua Christos for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

 

And Prayer 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christos Yeshua. God’s will doesn’t stop there, though.

 

There’s also Worship Colossians 3:16 says, Let the message of Christos dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish [which means warn] one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. Which touches on Community and fellowship, which I’ll get to in a moment, but Commitment, Baptism, Prayer and worship are the basics.

 

So more importantly, we need to persevere. Hebrews 12:1-2 says, “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Yeshua, the founder and perfecter of our faith.” What’s the use if we don’t finish the race?

 

We need to serve 1 Peter 4:10 

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. None of this is of value if it’s just for yourself, as selfishness is a sin, and in that cas,e it means you never really committed to God in the first place, as a big part of your commitment is to serve

 

Then there's Study, Romans 10:17 – 

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christos.” and (2 Timothy 3:16-17) All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. So how can you say you are living as a Christian if you haven’t found out from the Bible what a Christian life is?

 

Now fellowship and community, including learning to walk with and hear God, as you are unlikely to recognise your spiritual needs by reading the bible and prayer alone., It often requires an anointed person to point them out, as Hebrews 10:24,25 says And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching. So, fellowship is a directive, and its main purpose is for teaching and learning everything about God and Godliness

 

The next step and more importan,t is finding your calling and developing that ministry. The main ministries are listed in Eph 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; but there are other ministries also, such as ushers, administrators and helpers, etc

 

They’re all important and more important than those initial steps, as they are what those initial steps lead to. Then we come to this, What’s most important? What’s really important?

 

Evangelism, Obedience and Honouring God, these are the ultimate purpose of all those things that came before. 

 

Evangelism ,(Matthew 28:19-20) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” That is what all Christians are called to do. To bring others to God and teach them. 

 

Also obey, we are all called to obey God and his word. James 1:22 "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." That says it all.

 

And finally, Honour God through  and fruit, Eph 2:8 for by grace (charis) you are saved, through faith, and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God,  

 

This isn’t done by trying to look like a Christian or public prayer, in factthat is more likely dishonouring God Mat 6:5 "And whenever you pray, don't be like the hypocrites who love to stand in the synagoguesand on the street corners so that they will be seen by people. I tell you with certainty, they have their full reward! 

 

So what is if you haven’t seen my previous messages charis is the greek word translated as grace what it actually means is - the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life, in simple words, it’s letting God influence your heart so much that it’s obvious to others, which by the very nature of that you are making a concerted effort to avoid sin and replace it with Godliness Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. 

 

Service is good, it’s important, but Evangelism, Obedience and Honouring God are the most important. Now listen carefully, as this is a little convoluted, so I’ll say it slowly.. The “what” (you do) is not so important, the important thing is why. If the reason isn’t for God, then “the what” just doesn’t matter, and when, what at the wrong time can be a problem, so when is important too even if the why is for God. 

 

Now you also have to be careful with why, so many people are sinning by doing things for God. The Holy Spirit may tell a minister to teach on sin, and that minister may decide to preach on something else because they are afraid of losing church members from preaching harsh messages. 

 

They will get up and preach for God… No, they are preaching for themselves 

in spite of God, which by putting themselves before God in avoiding what God told them to do is therefore sin. Sin in this case is refusing what God wants. You can do a godly thing to avoid what God wants from you and be in sin because of it. 

 

Don’t be Martha, be Mary. So, do the right things, as God wants from you, at the right time, with the ultimate goals of evangelism, obedience and Charis. So people can’t help to talk about you and say Now that person's a Christian, they’re Godly.