Spectators vs. Participants

Jesus doesn't answer the question you ask. He answers the question you should have asked. And it's about you.

Text Us directly by clicking 'Text Us' at the top of these show notes to share your journey!

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theanglicanfamily

Connect with us: https://linktr.ee/TheNorthWord

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Good morning, this is Northword.

SPEAKER_00 0:15

Many will seek to enter the narrow door, but few will actually press through. Good morning, this is Northword, the Word, the North Your Week Daily Podcast from St. John's Fort Smith in collaboration with the Anglican family. I'm your host, Father Aaron. Today's episode is brought to you by Auntie's Corner Store, the best beef barley soup in Fort Smith, and beyond. Stop by, you won't regret it. Now, someone in a crowd asked Jesus a question. The question was, Lord, will only a few be saved? It is a question about other people, about statistics, about who makes the cut. A strange theological question with a slight detached quality to it. And Jesus does not answer the question that he was asked. He answers the question that should have been asked. Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. He doesn't engage the spectator's question about who will be saved, he turns it into a participations question. Are you actually pressing through the door yourself? This is important because there are two postures towards the Christian faith. You can seek it, you can be spiritual without committing, you can believe in God, you can come to church sometimes, pray occasionally, think about faith, you can appreciate it from a distance, you can have good intentions. But seeking is not the same as striving. Many will seek, they will look toward the door, they will mean to walk through it, they will have it in their mind as something they plan to do. But Jesus says they will not be able because the narrow door does not open itself to those who stand in front of it wishing. It requires pressing through. I have known people who have been spiritual their whole lives without ever committing. They believe in God. They meant to take it seriously, they had faith, but they never strived. They never submitted the whole life. They never pressed through the narrow door where things got costly and uncomfortable. They stayed on the pleasant side of commitment. That is the difference between seeking and striving. Seeking is admiration from a distance. Striving is commitment to the whole self. And Jesus is clear, the first will not get you through the door. We must not be content to simply seek, but with our whole entire being. We must strive. This has been Northward the Word, the North Your Week, a daily podcast from St. John's Fort Smith, in collaboration with the Anglican family. Are you a seeker or a striver? That is your question for today. And use the text us link in the description to reach out. We would love to hear from you and where you are on your journey. And if you feel like it, maybe today's the day you could drop us a review. That helps us reach more and more people with the word of God. Until tomorrow, may God be with you.

SPEAKER_01 3:25

Amen.