No Easy Way
This is a truth that religious folk seem to miss. Why do we assume that being "in the club" means passage to heaven? I can't imagine the crowd's reaction to this teaching. Here is the long-awaited Jewish Messiah telling the people that many Jews will not see heaven, while many outsiders will. Wow.
The same goes for us. Attending church, even pastoring a church is no guarantee. We are not privileged, but must bear much fruit, every one of us. In John 15, Jesus makes it clear that each person will either bear much fruit or none, and that the fruitless branches will be taken away. If we follow Jesus, He will bear fruit in us, and we will be pruned to bear even more. We must press on always. This path is not about being safe, not about relaxing now that we're "in." We have great responsibility and much work to do in service of our great King.
The same goes for us. Attending church, even pastoring a church is no guarantee. We are not privileged, but must bear much fruit, every one of us. In John 15, Jesus makes it clear that each person will either bear much fruit or none, and that the fruitless branches will be taken away. If we follow Jesus, He will bear fruit in us, and we will be pruned to bear even more. We must press on always. This path is not about being safe, not about relaxing now that we're "in." We have great responsibility and much work to do in service of our great King.
