The Way
Matthew 7:13-14
"[Saul] asked...for letters to the synagogues..., so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem."
(ACTS 9:2)
Before we were called "Christians," the church was referred to as "the Way." This early title for the church communicates much more than the six letters would seem to indicate. Most importantly, it teaches us some-thing about the exclusivity of the Christian's claim. Christ is not a way, one path among many to the divine. He is the Way - the only way to the Father (John 14:6). And those who follow in His footsteps walk the straight and narrow path that He first walked.
Christians in the 21st century need to hear this message more than ever. We are constantly told that no one religion can make an exclusive claim to be the truth, and, sadly, even the church's confidence in this truth has begun to erode. If the church in our age is going to remain faithful to its calling to make disciples of all nations, we cannot afford to lose our conviction that Jesus is the Way. While we may need to grow in our ability to pre-sent this truth with "gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15), we must never leave it behind.
INSIGHT
How have you seen this important truth attacked in our age? Can you defend it?
READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Ezekiel 1-2
Psalm 131
2 Corinthians 13
Matthew 7:13-14
The Narrow and Wide Gates
13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Matthew 7:13-14
New Living Translation (NLT)
The Narrow Gate
13 "You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell[a] is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.
Footnotes:
a. Matthew 7:13 Greek The road that leads to destruction.
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