Q34. Narrow Door

[Pastor Ralph]

Q34. (Luke 13:23-27) Beyond the message that few will be saved, what is the unique message of the Parable of the Narrow Door? Why must would-be disciples be aggressive in order to enter the Kingdom? What happens if we don't aggressively seek God? Why do you think Jesus told this parable to his disciples?

[Nicolaas A.P. Mostert]

Q34. (Luke 13:23-27)

Beyond the message that few will be saved, what is the unique message of the Parable of the Narrow Door?

We must have an urgent need to enter the Kingdom of GOD. Not to be passive about the Kingdom. Nor are we to be gentlemanly or ladylike and let others go in ahead of us. We are to struggle, maybe even push and shove to get in while we can. No one can tell when the door will be shut close, as JESUS has said only our HEAVENLY FATHER knows the time. Make sure that you are in right standing with our LORD JESUS CHRIST. 

Why must would-be disciples be aggressive in order to enter the Kingdom?

To be a disciple you have to make or brake what ever it takes to enter GOD's Kingdom. The Word of GOD say that HIS Kingdom suffers violence, it is only a disciple that can aggressively uphold or enter GOD's Kingdom. a Disciple must make sure his place in God's Kingdom is permanently reserve.

What happens if we don't aggressively seek God?

The narrow door could be close in front of your face. Slam against your face, and you might loose a everlasting feast with FATHER GOD.

Why do you think Jesus told this parable to his disciples?

So that they be awake of things happing in the natural that tied with the spiritual realm.

[Katy]

Q34. Many will be clamouring at the narrow door to try and enter heaven. They will not all get in, many will try to claim allegiance with God but this will be denied. 
We must be aggressive about getting into Heaven it is not something that we can afford to be casual about. It is our most important mission in life, to follow Jesus closely, obey Him and honour Him in everything we do each day of our lives. If we are complacent about preparing for Heaven then we will miss our opportunity. The narrow gate will be closed and the Lord will shout out “ Go away, I never knew you”. 
Jesus wanted to make the disciples aware that entering Heaven was not easy only a few will enter. This needed to be part of their teaching to warn people about the narrow gate. 

[Robomom3]

Q34. (Luke 13:23-27)

Beyond the message that few will be saved, what is the unique message of the Parable of the Narrow Door?

That many are trying to enter and we must make every effort to make it through the door.  We must remember that the door represents Jesus... there is only one way into Heaven... we cannot earn our way to Heaven... we cannot climb through a window or dig a tunnel in... there is no other way in... everyone who enters God's Kingdom does so only through genuine repentance and the full submission of our lives to His Son.  The hardest thing for the flesh to do is give up control and deny its desires... this takes great and continual effort on our part.  I have learned to hate my flesh... it is now my enemy... a glutton and a lush... selfish and uncaring... unlikable and completely undesirable... I fight it every day and will continue the good fight until Jesus calls me home... my allegiance is with my King.

Why must would-be disciples be aggressive in order to enter the Kingdom?

I'm not sure I'm in full agreement here.  Yes, we must be aggressive with our flesh... it must die so that we are led by the Spirit and walk in the Spirit... so, my understanding of this Scripture is we must deny our selfish desires and make every effort to live our life for the One Who gave His life for us. We must take our eyes off of this world and all it offers us (which are just mirages and illusions) and place our eyes on Jesus, Who offers us true treasure... which we see in every one of the Fruits He places within us.

What happens if we don't aggressively seek God?

Absolutely nothing happens if we aren't aggressively seeking God... we remain unchanged... selfish and self-absorbed... if we aren't seeking God we are seeking to please ourselves, elevate ourselves and glorify ourselves... it's our natural state of being...

There is nothing else we are called to do except to seek God... everything else falls into place when we seek Him first in everything we do.  The Fruits of the Spirit... His Fruit... suddenly become our first instinct instead of something we have to consciously make ourselves be... Obedience becomes our first reaction to His Voice instead of excuses and arguments... the closer we are to Jesus... the more He is able to transform us into His likeness... We are called to abide in Him, seek Him, remain in Him... this is our only task... when we do this, He will have a vessel He is able to use for His good Will... Any good that comes from my life is not from me... it is from my Savior carrying on His Mission through me... this is why I will give Him any crown I may have waiting for me in Heaven... it is His Work that earned the crowns... not mine... they are His... I am just a broken vessel that He uses, when I step aside and allow Him, to bring Himself Glory.

Why do you think Jesus told this parable to his disciples?

He wants us to realize there is no other way to God's Kingdom other than Jesus.  We meet a lot of people who believe all roads, all doors, lead to heaven.  This is a lie of the enemy and we must be bold in our testimony never compromising our beliefs and never consenting to false doctrine.  The disciples faced these same lies and they had to remain bold... their message was new and it completely changed everything.  People do not like change... the disciples had a task ahead of them that we cannot begin to understand in our world.  Unfortunately, the gospel is no longer seen as new and exciting... we don't have the burden of changing people's concepts so much as convincing them the gospel is still relevant and alive.  

[Niyonka16]

Q34. Narrow Door. (Luke 13:23-27)

Beyond the message that few will be saved, what is the unique message of the Parable of the Narrow Door?

ANSWER: The narrow door is precisely how anyone must come to God. To walk through a narrow door, we must strip off every pretension we have. All the things that clutter our lives, all the things that we are often loath to lose; we must give up. Entrance through the narrow gate is granted through believing in who Jesus is and what He came to earth to do for us. The reason that the narrow gate is the better choice is that it leads to life. Entering the “narrow” gate is difficult because of the opposition of human pride, our natural love of sin, and the opposition of Satan and the world in his control, all of which battle against us in our pursuit of eternity in heaven with Lord Jesus.

Why must would-be disciples be aggressive in order to enter the Kingdom?

ANSWER: Warfare, warfare, warfare for our soul - the prince of the power of the air trying to send thoughts against us that derail us. The enemy doesn’t want us to get started, let alone finish. If you want your life to look like Heaven, you’ve got to have Kingdom aggression. You’ve got to go after God and His plan for your life violently-aggressively. We’ve got to have focus. The key is, we have to seek with ALL our hearts. That’s the missing element.

What happens if we don't aggressively seek God?

ANSWER: We become entrenched in the destructive ways of this world and become God’s enemies. One of Satan’s favorite, and easiest, ways to attack us—distracting us with mind-numbing activities that are seemingly more attractive and better uses of our time than seeking God. When we do not seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness, We WILL submit to something. We WILL follow some authority. We WILL seek something. There is NO neutral ground. Jesus said it this way: “He who does not gather with me scatters.”

Why do you think Jesus told this parable to His disciples?

ANSWER: Jesus told this parable to His disciples because He was describing the pathway to life, true, eternal life, as something requiring effort and focus to enter. He was explaining how hard being a Christian really is.  Also Jesus was conveying the uncertainty that could accompany the life of a true Christian. To follow Christ, one must be willing to accept a certain amount of volatility in their lives, knowing that they will remain living in the world without remaining part of the world.

 

[Zanele Tlhakanelo]

The unique message about the Parable of the Narrow Door is that it can only accommodate those who have truly repented and change not those who still hold on to the things of this world and pretend to be serving the Kingdom of God. Those that are active and not passive in preaching the meesage of repentance without compromising the Word. Jesus Christ is the host and He is the only One who can allow people to go through the Narrow Door because not everyone who says "Lord, Lord" will be able to enter.

Would-be disciples must be aggressive because the evil one is out there roaring like a lion and wants whoever he can devour. The devil comes with schemes that want to derail those who want to honestly serve the Kingdom of God and therefore, disciples need to be aggressive in ensuring that they do not bow down to any gods but to the Living God. The faint-hearted will not be able to go through the Narrow Door because they are not sure where they stand but those who aggressively seek Him and are prepared to be persecuted for the Kingdom of God, will be able to go through.

If we are not aggressive in seeking God, we will find ourselves tossed to and fro by the deceiver who is satan. The Word of God says " Even the elite will be deceived". There are so many false prophets who claim to be preaching the Word of God but they are like wolves in the sheep skin and if we are not seeking God, we will fall prey to all their dirty tricks. The Great Commission expects us to go to the end of the world and because we have to fulfi the mandate of God, we need to be as wise as serpents yet harmless as doves in carrying out our assignments.

This Parable was told to the disciples so that they should understand that not everyone who claims to be a follower of Christ will be able to go through the Narrow Door. Remember Judas Iscariot who was among the disciple but ended scheming with the high priests and selling Jesus Christ for some shekels, we still have those who say the serve the Kingdom of God but are deceiving people.

[Krissi]

Yes, the door is narrow, but He's on the other side, calling us and ENABLING us to walk through it toward Him. 

Salvation is not the consequence of my effort, but of His calling. I'm not to be aggressive but to be emptied ... passive before Him. He calls. He commands. He elects. He chooses those who are in the kingdom and those who remain outside (double predestination). I praise God to be among the elect. He has saved me from a certain eternity in hell.

I must be aggressive, however, with my own sinful tendencies, the ones that look back from the open door to the allures of what I left behind.

Spiritual warfare has to do with what happens AFTER salvation, not before it. It's Satan's attempt at rendering us useless for Him. God opens the door and then Satan pulls us back. It's a tug of war that never ends, and it's not a game, not a kid's playground pasttime, but deathly serious. We must not only go through the door, but CONTINUE walking forward once through it. That's the warfare and that's the hard part.

The narrow gate is salvation.

[RD35]

Beyond the message that few will be saved, what is the unique message of the Parable of the Narrow Door? Why must would-be disciples be aggressive in order to enter the Kingdom? What happens if we don't aggressively seek God? Why do you think Jesus told this parable to his disciples?

To enter the narrow door requires our earnest effort to follow Jesus and obey His commands, It requires a genuine repentance of sins and change from our old life.  we have to have a sense of urgency to enter because the time is coming soon when the door will be shut.  it's not enough to have a casual acquaintance with Jesus but have a personal relationship with him.  One major evidence of such a relationship is that you are growing in holiness, not just outwardly, but in your heart.  The closed doors make a final separation between the inside and outside without anything in the middle.

 

[GeraldG]

The unique message of the narrow door is that we must push and strive and do everything we can to enter in, because when the door is shut it will be to late. 

Would be Christians don't want to give their all to serve the Lord, therefore it would be hard for them to enter in the narrow door. So unless they change and get aggressive they may be left without.

If don't aggressively seek God, then we may become content with where we are at in our walk with Christ, and then become slack, and not mature in the word. Then when the Lord rises to shut the door you could be left standing outside, not able to enter in. 

Jesus told this parable to His disciples as well as to us all that if we won't to enter into the kingdom of God then you must press into it, and push with force, and fight the fight to enter in. For you can't just sit back and think you've got it made, go for the kingdom of God with your whole heart. 

 

[hanks]

Q34. (Luke 13:23-27)

Beyond the message that few will be saved, what is the unique message of the Parable of the Narrow Door? Why must would-be disciples be aggressive in order to enter the Kingdom? What happens if we don't aggressively seek God? Why do you think Jesus told this parable to His disciples?

Time is of the essence. The door will not remain open forever. Our Lord Jesus will return in heavenly glory before the whole world, and the door will be closed. The time of grace has passed, and all who did not accept Jesus’ invitation will find the door closed. They will hear the terrible words “I don't know you … away from Me, all you evildoers!” It is too late; they will spend eternity in hell. Jesus tells us every effort must be made to enter the Kingdom. There must be a concerted determination and desire to get to know our Lord. Diligently striving to follow Him and live a life in obedience to Him, whatever the cost. Fight the good fight of the faith (1 Tim 6:12). It requires regeneration, repentance, and faith in our Lord and Saviour. Becoming a new creation (2 Cor 5:17). To enter into His kingdom takes courage, and endurance because of the hostility we face in this world. It’s a personal journey that only a few are prepared to pay the cost of obedience and loyalty to the Word, Jesus.

[Lisa Wolf]

Q34. (Luke 13:23-27) Beyond the message that few will be saved, what is the unique message of the Parable of the Narrow Door? Why must would-be disciples be aggressive in order to enter the Kingdom? What happens if we don't aggressively seek God? Why do you think Jesus told this parable to his disciples? 

I agree with you, the phrase 'make every effort' to enter the narrow door is a strong one to us as Jesus' followers.  I never noticed so strongly those words.  Thank you for highlighting them.  Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with your whole Heart, your whole Soul, your whole Mind, and with all your Strength." ( Mark 12:30)  To make that happen in my life calls for 100% willingness on my part to learn and live as God plans.  100% of time in His Presence.  If we want to know GOD fully, we must listen to this caution Jesus spoke.  I believe He spoke this to His disciples because He wanted them to be with Him.  He wanted them to choose Him above all else.

[haar]

A34.

Many are called and would respond to the call to enter the Kingdom of God. But not all are committed to do all it takes to obey all the requirements and discipline necessary to qualify to enter the Kingdom of God.

Jesus told this parable to show disciples that entering the kingdom of God requires all the seriousness it takes to qualify to be among those who would enter the kingdom of God.

[Debra Grant]

Q34. (Luke 13:23-27) Beyond the message that few will be saved, what is the unique message of the Parable of the Narrow Door? Why must would-be disciples be aggressive in order to enter the Kingdom? What happens if we don't aggressively seek God? Why do you think Jesus told this parable to his disciples?

1. We must push and shove to get in. The door seems jammed with people, but not everyone that wants to get in will be able to get in.

2. Being aggressive shows determination which is expressing that you are pushing toward God's will. 

3. Jesus was letting us know that we must look forward to being his disciple by obeying him completely and understanding that if not we will not be able to enter the kingdom of heaven.

4. He was letting us know that the ones not pushing or have way obeying will not enter in. Only the disciples that are seriously pushing forth to do the will of God according to the position he has given them.

 

 

[Irmela]

Q34. (Luke 13:23-27)

Beyond the message that few will be saved, what is the unique message of the Parable of the Narrow Door?

Why must would-be disciples be aggressive in order to enter the Kingdom?

What happens if we don't aggressively seek God?

Why do you think Jesus told this parable to His disciples?

The message is to reveal the fact that there is more to the concept of being a true follower than just "sign a paper, as to having made a decision to change".  It is more than just a desire, a few tears and that's it.  It is a doing (striving), a letting go of all that hinders us from living for the Lord Jesus.  A repenting from a selfish lifestyle, a godless existence, and a putting aside of ones own desires and a striving to "let God".  

I understand this word aggressive to mean "be serious about" the decision, to seek God. 

It means being forceful and bold.  That is what I understand by making a decision to seek and follow the Lord.  

If eventually you are not serious about seeking God and following/serving Him, you will loose out and the door will close.  The opportunity to do so will end.  

Hard times were looming ahead, and some would not follow through with the path they had chosen.  They would fall back during the persecutions that were soon to follow and overcome the followers of Jesus.  Not just in that era.  Throughout the times even till now there are those persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ.  Their have been many martyrs.  

[George L]

Q34. (Luke 13:23-27) Beyond the message that few will be saved, what is the unique message of the Parable of the Narrow Door? While many consider the crowd and a rush as narrow; I believe it is a more an warning of an exact sellecting factor. That factor is the why did you cast ot devils and pray for miracles. For a show of self or by the guidance and for the purpose of Christ. Per our earlier study on why seek the spirit to guide your doing. That is the narrow door. And why Jesus will say I never knew you to so very many.

Why must would-be disciples be aggressive in order to enter the Kingdom? You must aggressively grab hold of the kingdom. Make your way through the troubles, thorns, and things of this world by believing and acting in accord with the word of God. We rescue sinners into a war for souls not a garden and a vacation land. Grace had a tremendous cost. The narrow is the true respect of serving the one who paid not just using his name. That id what disciples must transfer to the rescued to grow them from milk to strong meat.

What happens if we don't aggressively seek God? We will not hear “well done” but We would hear “depart from me I never knew you”.

Why do you think Jesus told this parable to his disciples? They had to know the true cost of giving up the desires of self life for the needs of rescuing the lost for the kingdom. True spiritual power comes only from true spiritual submission to the will and purposes of God.

[Sister Evelyn]

Q.34 (Luke 13:23-27)  Beyond the message that few will be saved.......the unique message about the narrow door is that Salvation is granted to followers only by the Grace of God, though the gift of Faith.

We must be aggressive to enter the Kingdom is to make every effort to enter through the Narrow Door.

If we chose not to be aggressive the owner will close the door. Like it happened in the days of Noah and the parable of the 10 virgins in which five of them were left out. You will be standing outside knocking  and pleading. The most horrifying words no one wants to hear will be "I don't know or depart from me I never knew you."

Jesus spoke this parable to his disciples then and to us now that we must strive t enter the door of salvation, to follow Jesus closely, and to be prepared to follow him even though his coming might be delayed.

[Karen11]

On 4/21/2023 at 11:38 PM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q34. (Luke 13:23-27) Beyond the message that few will be saved, what is the unique message of the Parable of the Narrow Door? Why must would-be disciples be aggressive in order to enter the Kingdom? What happens if we don't aggressively seek God? Why do you think Jesus told this parable to his disciples?

I believe God saves all who welcome him into their hearts and strive to know him more and to live and share him with all, some say they know the way but don't I would say false disciples.We should always seek God to stay in the word, if we don't we also will fall behind. Jesus told this so we will never stop the life we where called to live.

[Janzie]

On 4/21/2023 at 11:38 PM, Pastor Ralph said:

Q34. (Luke 13:23-27) Beyond the message that few will be saved, what is the unique message of the Parable of the Narrow Door? Why must would-be disciples be aggressive in order to enter the Kingdom? What happens if we don't aggressively seek God? Why do you think Jesus told this parable to his disciples?

That we should make every effort to enter the Kingdom of God, strive, keep believing God and reading and studying His Word, being guided by the Spirit of God. 

We must be aggressive in our walk with God, hearing Him, getting to know Him by spending time with Him and staying in tune with Him.

If we don't seek Him we will get cold and start serving the world and getting a hard heart.  

Because He doesn't want us to get cold and drift off.  We just don't make a commitment and then fade away.  He needs to be pursued, we need to put all our excuses away  and spend quality time with Him.  Let go of the things of this World and focus on Jesus.  

[Old Jerry]

I find that the unique message of the Parable of the Narrow Door is that we should do everything possible to enter the narrow door. Even if we have to push and shove. I think that we have to be aggressive in order to enter the Kingdom because we have an aggressive world and they will do anything to keep you from entering the Kingdom. I think that Jesus told this parable to his disciples to warn them about the things to come. They would be persecuted and the world would try to keep them out of the Kingdom.