Popularity

Matt 7:13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. 15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

When you take a look around and see everyone going your way, you are on the wrong road.

True, Biblical, Christianity will ALWAYS be unpopular. This is what Jesus is saying. Rest assured your choice to follow Jesus will always keep you in the smallest of minorities.

This is what makes this “road” so narrow and difficult to follow. Since opinion polls have such a dramatic impact on the decisions we make, choosing to go against all available demographic data will never be an easy decision. It will make you an outsider, and it will affect your life greatly.

Why do most refuse TRUE Christianity? That’s easy. It’s because true Biblical Christianity calls for following Christ - while DOING the things He does. There is a cost involved, and the greatest part of that cost may be popularity.

The less radical version, (which we may call ‘professing’ Christianity,) calls for far less, and is much more popular. It simply calls for “following” Christ, without defining what “following Christ” even means.

And that’s the real problem with the popular version of being a “Christian.” It isn’t anything like Christ, (which is what being a Christian means in the first place.) People who think they are following Christ don’t even really know what Christ stands for. They probably haven’t been told, and they haven’t bothered to find out. Unfortunately, they may not even know they need to.

You are not a Christian by attending a church, even if the church is very large and very full, and even if the church has been THE de-facto “church” for hundreds of years.

You are not a Christian by being an American, even though that is a very popular thing to believe. (It CAN be popular to BELIEVE you are a Christian – it will never be popular to KNOW you are one.)

The only way you will ever KNOW you are a Christian is by making a difficult choice. (An unpopular choice, even to ourselves.) It is not easy to make the choice to deny the self. It is not easy to choose against feeding fleshy desires and sensual lusts. It is not easy to deny our rights to anything – let alone everything.

But this is what Jesus calls for. Abject poverty in the ways of the world. Extreme unpopularity. Being born again. Life in Christ. Knowing Christ, and desiring His will and not our own. It is choosing against this world, and choosing for the kingdom of heaven. And it is the greatest life known to man, even if unpopular.

-Pastor Bill