Narrow is the gate... actual understanding???

[Fez]

Well I do like to insert a little humor now and then, but I was basically serious regarding feelings. We can feel any number of ways and change

all the time. The Bible tells us what to believe and even how to believe...our feelings need to line up with what the Bible says is the truth.

Feelings are ok...you just don't want to let them control you

Amen~!

And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Deuteronomy 6:5

Again I Say Amen~! And Amen~! And Amen~!

Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Psalms 103:1

Glory~! Glory~! Glory To The KING OF KINGS~!

I Love You Jesus

I Love You

Joe, I always love your prayers, your following, and kindness. I am not trying to make a discernment, and certainly not going to be rude, but is there a reason that you quote a person, and then just have your pre established content shared? I am just making sure you are do the posting on here, and not someone else that may have access to your computer. I guess you could have an injury that prevents typing as well, but I know things such as Dragon work pretty well. Just making sure you are fine. Share something about your personal feelings on the entrace to Heaven if you are ok. Thanks my friend.

It's quite easy to get. Joe does what we should all be doing and is an example we should all follow. He lets his thoughts and belief be known in black and backs it up with scripture in blue. As I said, everything is based on the Word. Something we should all be doing, and showing a real grasp of scripture at the same time.

[rjp34652]

Briefly to touch a subject that I have noted emergent Churches, as well as several Bible translations drifting towards. Matthew 7:13.. shares how the gate is narrow for entering life, and yet this is after it shares that the path is wide that leads to hell (destruction~ in most new translations). Seeing some Evangelists, such as Joseph Prince recently calling out the people that ever said this was meaning anything about few people being in Heaven was very interesting. He also went on to say that whenever you have a good feeling in you.. "that is God". Well, we know that God shares good, but so does the imposter, right? We know that God also shares some things that are not good.

To the point... ! Does anyone know the greek translation of this passage, and does it imply to heaven and hell, or as Prince and many others are now saying; to life today?

I have spent my whole life with the understanding that even the explanation of the parable of the sower shows why so many will simply not make it to Heaven, so many distractions, as Jesus shares very capably.

What to you all think??

First of all, a lot of what the current crop of evangelists say these days ought to be taken with a grain of salt. Mostly they say what they say so as to promote the perception that their ministry is a success. It is an axiom of marketing in the secular world as well as the religious one that perception is reality. Everybody likes a winner so the unspoken goad is that one ought to back the winning evangelist.

"The desire to believe something is much more persuasive than logic."

- Winston Churchill

The Bible, however, has no bias except to distribute the truth of God's own heart. God's word does indeed imply that the majority of people in the world will not accept the Lord of Heaven and Earth. As always, scripture can be depended upon to leave evidence of its precepts. Although many say that science and religion are incompatible, mathematical evidence indicates the truth of the narrow path to heaven.

Depending upon which recent survey you use, the present regular attendance* in American church services ranges from between 16%(1) to a bit less than a quarter of the population (22%-24%)(2).

The word few or fewer comes to mind when I consider these numbers.

Cultural trends bear worse tidings. According to projections by all groups who perform such studies the number will drop to 10% by the year 2050. That's a tithe of the American population.

The figures for Europe are much much worse NOW. All of Europe, once the bedrock of Christendom, is now secularized. The figures for South America are declining rapidly and although I can't quote a number it's not good. The ancient pagan religions are experiencing a resurgence. I discovered that when I was there, when I talked to missionaries from Central and S.A. and when I researched my book.

Numbers for Christian membership in Japan are stable, which isn't a good thing. There has been no appreciable growth of the Christian church there in decades. This news comes to me from my pastor who has participated in training and evangelistic efforts there for years. In fact, news coming out of the island nation indicates a resurgence in ancient traditional culture very much like that in S.A. and Africa.

Many mission groups like to say that China has experienced huge growth in numbers, but I doubt that assertion as well. China is a closed society and the church there is secret. No one except Christ knows how many Christians really live there. To state otherwise is to pretend to knowledge that simply isn't correct.

Culture is eroding the assembly of the church. Secular culture. Tyrannical culture. Pagan culture. Man's heart is disinclined toward God and the mercies of heaven. Man prefers to beat his neighbor to death to get what he wants instead of waiting patiently for the grace of God to bring it to him.

Perhaps the decline in the church is a blessing. For one thing it does rid the Body of Christ of an awful lot of dead wood.

Didn't Jesus say that conditions would be like this when He returns?

but that's just me, hollering from the choir loft...

(*) Regular attendance is usually defined as 2 or more times per month.

(1) Actual head count.

(2) Gallup poll.

Edited January 26, 2013 by rjp34652