True Inclusion is Narrow and Pure as Matthew 7 Teaches

Inclusiveness. Open mindedness. Tolerance. Acceptance. These are all words that have been used to describe a “modern” church philosophy that appears to be growing in strength around the country and in many other nations around the world. There’s a real problem with this that is so apparent, it’s clear that the forces at work that are swaying people away from true belief cannot be from man.

Before going into details about all of this, I wanted to clarify why we have not been posting as much this month. It’s been a challenging month for both the Christian faith in general and for this ministry. Our activity level of bringing the Word to those who seek it has been low due to worldly distractions; we are not rich and we all have “day jobs” to support our families and this online ministry. Very few articles, no videos, and a reduction in social media postings have marked this month as our least active to date, and yet…

The message continues to reach people. It is an encouraging reminder that our personal failures are not always failures to our Father when the message still reaches people even when we are not actively promoting it. Thank the Lord that it is not in our hands, that we are simply active vessels. Video views have gone up nicely. Traffic to this website has remained steady. Our most popular Facebook post ever was posted four days ago. The Word cannot be contained even when the world presents challenges to us.

This is an important aspect of today’s teaching on inclusion. We are in dangerous times. There are Christians who face martyrdom as a daily possibility, something that most of us in western society have never had to face. At home, we’re faced with a different type of challenge. The Biblical way of life that God has given to us is under attack as it has been for a long time from those who do not believe, but the latest challenge is different and more dangerous. Our faith is being spoiled from within the churches in a way that may be diminishing the true Church itself.

To many, there is no “may” about it. They see the signs and the teachings of false prophets spreading a doctrine that is far from Biblical. I am more careful than to say it with absolute certainty that the true Church is diminishing simply because it is not in our hands to know the hearts of other men and women. The news may be reporting one thing and the reality may be completely different.

All things being equal, it doesn’t matter who is right. Whether you believe the true Church is diminishing or if you think that secretly it may be growing doesn’t make a difference for our course of action. The true faith in Yeshua is definitely under attack from within a good number of churches and by recognizable church leaders, so our path is clear. We must work towards spreading the true Gospel, the rightful teachings of our Father and of our Lord and Savior.

Tolerance and the Narrow Gate

There are many who promote a doctrine that demands inclusion, tolerance, and changing the mentality of the Church. Gay marriage, abortion, religious rights of businesses, inclusion of other gods, and salvation outside of Yeshua are some of the major battlegrounds where the lines are being drawn. The mass media is feeding us a daily dose of modern sensibilities that try to convince us that the old ways of the Church are dying.

It appears to be working.

The biggest problem with this is that we are being painted as narrow-minded. The argument that they make is that the letters written by men 2,000 years ago should not be applied today. The sad part is that the words written 2,000 years ago predicted that this very upheaval of faith and uprooting of the truth of this life would happen exactly as it’s happening.

There’s a difference between being hateful and narrow-minded. Yeshua did not teach us to be hateful, but He also did not teach us to sacrifice our doctrine for the sake of allowing transgressions. Yeshua taught us to love everyone else, but He did not teach us to be tolerant of false doctrine. Most importantly, He did not teach us to walk the broad way.

13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.Matthew 7:13-14 (KJV)

The true Church, the true believers in Yeshua as our Lord and Savior, must be narrow-minded without judging. It is because of the judgments of men that so many churches are faltering to these false doctrines.

Stay the Course without Judging

Let’s look at gay marriage. As we’ve discussed in the past, neither churches nor governments should allow gay marriage. Our society is trying to embrace tolerance and acceptance of equal rights and that’s to be embraced. However, those equal rights must never be contrary to the New Covenant, which is to say we must love as Jesus would have us love without sacrificing our faith for the sake of accepting sin.

Marriage was always intended to be a covenant between a man and a woman. It has turned into a contract of love and legality within the realm of rights. We are not to judge a gay couple for their actions unless we are without sin. Since nobody is without sin other than Yeshua, we cannot judge each other. However, that does not mean that we can arbitrarily dismiss the teachings of the Bible without cause. Gay marriage is against the Bible and should therefore not be made allowable.

Judge not, that ye be not judged.

2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?Matthew 7:1-3 (KJV)

If a gay couple needs help, we are to help them because that is what the Bible teaches us. If a gay couple wants to eat at our restaurant, we will serve them because that is what the Bible teaches us. If a gay couple wants us to participate in their marriage, we cannot because that’s what the Bible teaches us.

We cannot judge others. We cannot betray our faith, either. There is no gray area with this and that seems to be the case with so many things happening in society today. There are obviously other examples, but this one drives the point home properly.

The True Inclusive Church

If you were reading carefully, you’ll notice two trends in this article: the word “true” was used often and there was a distinction in capitalization between Church and church. A good chunk of churches today are embracing inclusive doctrines to allow anyone who does anything to be involved. Their heart is in the right place but the methodology is both misleading and destructive to the ideas promoted by the true Word of God.

True inclusion within the true Church is very straightforward. Follow the path that Yeshua has laid out before us. It doesn’t get more inclusive than this: He died for our sins and gave us the freedom to live as our Father has commanded without fear of messing it up through our human weaknesses. We all stumble, but stumbling will not damn us for eternity thanks to the sacrifice of our Savior as long as we walk the narrow path that He has illuminated for us.

The common idea of an inclusive church usually means pulling away from scripture to take us down the wrong path, the broad way, the wide gate. Having the word “church” after the name of a building does not make it holy or proper in any way. In fact, this is the challenge that I mentioned before that was discussed in several books of the Bible. Matthew 7 shows the consequences.

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.Matthew 7:21-23 (KJV)

Inclusion within the Church means following His path without compromise. It is open to all sinners who live by the teachings of the Bible. Unfortunately, many receiving the false teachings of men instead. Their form of inclusion is the broad way to iniquity.

Here are two videos, one that describes the narrow way and one that discusses the problems that face today’s churches and their congregations. Bookmark this page and set aside times to watch both.

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