2008. 9. 7 Rev. Kim, Young Bong

Invitation to a Spiritual Journey 1
Traveler of Heaven
---Matthews 7:13-14

1.

Let me ask you a question. “If you were to die today, are you confident that you will go to heaven?” Perhaps for some of you, this may be the first time you’ve been asked this question; for others, you may have heard this question from people who evangelize. How would you answer this question? Would you answer, “Of course, I will definitely go to heaven”? Or would you answer, “Well, I’m not sure”?

Before we try to find an adequate response to this question, we need to first explore the traps lying beneath it. There is a danger in this question in that it may reduce the Gospel like the expression, “Jesus: heaven; disbelief: hell.” If we were to consider this question only, it appears as though having faith in Jesus is merely to go to heaven upon death. So faith in Jesus seems to be simply for the goal of obtaining a ticket to heaven. According to people who press this question onto others to evangelize, if one has accepted Jesus as Lord, one should not doubt but answer with confidence, “Yes, I would go to heaven even if I die right now.” This faith is valid, but one must realize that this is not all there is to believing in Jesus.

Many people understand and explain the concept of salvation by comparing it to Noah’s ark. They think that believing in Jesus is like getting on the boat of salvation. Whoever gets into the boat of salvation will receive salvation. So whoever is on the boat is saved, and whoever is not on the boat is not saved. What the person on the boat actually does on the boat is not important. As long as that person does not get out of the boat, the ticket to heaven is secured.

Those who believe in this way can easily fall into spiritual arrogance. This is because they believe it is sufficient that they are on board the boat of salvation. They are so grateful to have been born again as Christians that they have no interest in continuing to grow. As a result, although they are very certain of their own salvation, it is difficult to see the fruits of their faith in their words and actions. They remember the day in which they were born again and share only the tear-jerking experience of how they first became believers. When they tell their stories of repentance, something appears to have happened, but when we witness their words and actions, we question what exactly has happened.

Among such people, there are those who are enthusiastic about evangelizing. These people do not think much about their own words and actions. They attach all significance to the fact that they are on that boat of salvation, and when they meet unbelievers, they evangelize, being “prepared in season and out of season” (2Tim 4:2). Although that kind of evangelism does sometimes bear fruit, most often it leads unbelievers to reject Christianity.

Even those who are not familiar with Christianity have the expectation that, “Those who believe in a true God surely act in certain ways.” So, if a person has absolutely no doubts about one’s salvation, tries to encourage others to believe in their God, but demonstrates no distinction in their actions or words, those who receive their message will become disappointed in Christianity. Sometimes, the words and actions of the one evangelizing are worse than the words and actions of the one being evangelized, so this latter person may then think to oneself, “I will not believe, because I am afraid I will become like you!”

2.

Sometimes, those devoted to evangelism act preposterously. All of you have probably heard some incredible stories. I have some experience with these kinds of stories myself, but I want to share one that I read in a book.

A certain Caucasian man and his family went on an outing at the mall. On that particular day, the parking lot was full. He tried to find a parking spot closer to the entrance. Thinking of his children, he drove around and around the parking lot trying to find an empty spot. Just as he was about to lose his patience, he saw a car backing out of its space. Smiling, he drove slowly towards that direction. At that moment, an expensive sports car drove quickly from the opposite direction, and parked on the spot the family man had been waiting for. Anger coursed through his veins. So with his heavy and bulky family van, he stepped on the accelerator and drove quickly towards the sports car. As his whole family screamed in fear, he made a sudden stop short of the sports car’s bumper.

A young couple got out of the sport car and watched his actions with surprise, then walked toward the upset man. The man lowered his window to lecture them. At that moment, the man who got out of the sports car spoke first to the man sitting behind the wheel of the van. He smiled and said, “You must have an anger issue. Don’t you know that Jesus loves you?”

Where does this kind of confidence come from? How can we Christians act in such an arrogant manner? Why are we Christians so forgetful in our actions? The term “evangelize” means to spread the truth, but if the person who is supposed to spread the truth speaks and acts in a way that has nothing to do with truth, is he going to spread the truth or distort it?

This great misunderstanding, arrogance, and misapprehension that characterize many Christians are due to the misconception that salvation means ‘getting aboard the boat’. They mistakenly think that believing in Jesus means that they hold in their hands, the ticket to heaven. They believe that the purpose in believing in Jesus is to go to heaven after death. The truth is that we achieve salvation, not through actions or accomplishments, but through the grace of God through Jesus Christ. And although God saves us without merit, we have forgotten that the Holy Spirit changes us and helps us to grow.

3.

All of this is part of Christian faith, but this is not all. We should not reduce Christian gospel in this manner. To have faith in Jesus is more like entering the ‘path to salvation’ rather than going on board a “boat of salvation’. Getting aboard a ‘boat’ may mean the end of the story, but a ‘path’ needs to be continuously tread upon. To believe in Jesus is to walk the way that Jesus guides us until our last breath.

This is not just some theory of mine. As we have read from Matthew chapter 7 verses 13 and 14, this is what Jesus said. In the <New Translation> Bible, this text is entitled ‘The Narrow Gate.’ I don’t think this is a good title. It is the same in the English Bible. NRSV has the title The Narrow Gate, and NIV has the title The Narrow and Wide Gates. These titles are misleading. Opening and entering the narrow gate does not immediately lead us to the city of life. We are able to reach the city of life only after walking the narrow and arduous path that lies beyond the gate. It is important to choose the narrow gate over the temptation of the wide gate, but it is also important to walk the narrow and rough path that is behind the narrow gate. The title for this text ought to be ‘Narrow Way’

By accepting Jesus Christ as Lord, we enter a path that is narrow and rough, but one that also leads to a true life. We can say that we have already received salvation, as long as we stand in the way of life that Jesus Christ opened up for us. As long as we are on that path, it is alright to believe that heaven will accept us even if we die right at this moment. But this is not all. It is not enough to merely enter the narrow way. We should not squat down on that path and wait to die. We should not waste time by lingering and enjoying ourselves on that path either. Rather, we need to walk step by step until we reach the city of life.

In this sense, the Apostle Paul understood Jesus’ intention accurately. He often compared his spiritual life to a ‘journey’ or a ‘marathon’. In that famous self-confession of Paul’s in Philippians, Paul professes: “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me” (Philip. 3:12). Near the end of his life, Paul confessed: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (Timothy 2, 4:7). Paul truly desired to reach a mature state as a Christian. So to him, simply walking the spiritual journey was not enough. He ran the best he could. He ran like a sprinter, pushing his head forward.

4.

In this respect, we believers can be considered ‘travelers of heaven.’ Travelers of heaven walking on the narrow path are grateful for the salvation already given to them, but not boastful of it. They offer thanks, reminiscing about their journeys so far, and humble themselves as they look ahead to the path still to be walked. They are grateful that God saved them despite their lack of merits, and always apologetic that they have not grown much. Believers whose faiths are like this believe in their salvation; they just don’t brag or guarantee it. They don’t judge other peoples’ salvation too casually.

Therefore, travelers of heaven do not act rudely or brazenly to those who don’t believe. Although they are already standing in the path of salvation, they behave carefully and humbly, knowing that they still have a long way to go. They do not meet an unbeliever on the assumption, “You are as good as dead, but I have already earned the eternal life.” They don’t try to knock out the unbeliever with one blow. First, they take their own steps with great sincerity and share a personal relationship with that person. In doing so, they get to find opportunities to invite that person to the path they are walking on. When the person shows interest in their path, they share their experiences that took place while walking in that path in the past.

Even if the person turns down their invitation, travelers of heaven do not give up. They do not consider people only as objects of evangelism. They don’t just meet people because they are worth evangelizing, nor do they reject people because they aren’t worth it. They know that what Jesus Christ truly wants is not mere evangelism, but meeting and loving a soul with a true heart. He expects us to love until evangelism is achieved. He expects our love to lead to evangelism. Therefore, travelers of heaven make an effort to love everyone they encounter. They love until the end.

Travelers of heaven walking on the narrow path do not definitely feel nervous about evangelizing people. They don’t expect instant fruition. They believe that repentance is not sufficient as a one-time occurrence; rather it should be a multi-phase journey to be elevated to a deeper and deeper level. For that reason, they continue their spiritual journey even after they accept Jesus Christ as their savior. They meet people with sincerity, and exchange positive influences, regardless of the respective spiritual stages in which they stand. In that process, they advise at times, challenge or wait at other times. That is evangelism. Evangelism should be what happens naturally in the path of a spiritual journey.

For that reason, Rick Richardson, Professor of Evangelism at Wheaton University, argues that we have to change the image of an evangelist from a ‘salesperson’ to a ‘travel guide.’ Please read his book, Reimagining Evangelism. I hope all our fellow believers will read this book, so that we can put aside our preconceptions about evangelism and exercise the kind of evangelism that truly inspires. As Professor Richardson suggested, we should not try to sell evangelism from place to place like salespeople. Instead, we should be able to introduce others to the path of life we are walking on and invite them to walk with us.

5.

Therefore, while we are sincerely meditating on evangelism, we should first look back at what kind of path we are walking on ourselves. Are we walking on the narrow path, the path of life and path of truth that Jesus Christ opened for us? Have we accepted Jesus Christ and are we following Him as His disciples? Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me (Matthew 16:24).” Here, “deny himself” can be interpreted in various ways; one of its meanings can be “Deny the way that looks good to him.”

Receiving Jesus Christ as our savior is a very important turning point. It is a major turning point, significant enough to be called being ‘born again’ or ‘reborn.’ The spiritual experience of meeting the Lord Jesus is truly important. However, that doesn’t automatically qualify us to be his apostles. After being born again, following a spiritual experience, a life walking in His footsteps must continue day by day. We must walk through the narrow and difficult path relentlessly, following Jesus Christ. In doing so, we must grow up as well as being born again. We should resemble Jesus Christ more and more in our thoughts, words, and actions.

Walking in the narrow and difficult path following Lord Jesus means seeking His teachings and guidance in our daily choices and decisions and obeying them. The reason why Jesus defined the way to follow Him as narrow and difficult is this: Sometimes, living in this world of so much sin and corruption, it is difficult for us to seek His teachings and guidance and obey them, because quite often, Jesus’ teaching is the opposite of the values of the world. It is because Jesus’ methods are ruling by serving, winning by losing, living by dying, and gaining by giving. In this world where everyone is trying to best others, to win at whatever the cost, or to grab as much as possible, following Jesus Christ is often the same as walking in the narrow and difficult path.

Are we walking on such a path? Are we really making progress on this path? Are we at least walking forward step by step without stopping, if not running breathlessly, like Apostle Paul? Even if we will have to stop to catch our breath or to rest for a while, are we determined that we will walk the entire path with renewed strength? Do you know that the Holy Spirit is with us as we walk this path? Do you know that there is a secret to “be joyful day and night walking in the narrow path (Hymn 427)?” Have you experienced such mystery? Are you discovering that the path you first saw as narrow and difficult is now full of wonder?

You need such experiences. Only with this, will you have the courage to invite unbelievers, “Would you like to walk with me on this path?” Only with this, will you have an answer to a question, “Why are you walking on that path?” And your answer will convince and inspire them. Only with this, can you heal ‘aversion to evangelism’ expressed in such a remark as, “I can’t believe Jesus, because I don’t want to become like you!” As we are progressing on our spiritual journey, people around us will ask, “What does it take to become like you?”

6.

My dear congregation, I congratulate you for entering the spiritual journey. We are all His disciples, following Him and walking under His guidance. The path we walk reveals who we are. The path we walk tells us of our future. We find this way and we give thanks and praise for entering this path. Because we are so grateful for this wonderful grace, we relentlessly push forward on this narrow and difficult path, step by step. Like a road of autumn trees changing colors, this path becomes more and more mysterious and beautiful the longer we travel on it. The heart flutters in anticipation of what lies ahead, and so one cannot stop walking.

Not only this, but we desire to inform others of this path. Although one hasn’t been to the end of this path, what one has seen and experienced up to that point is enough to convey to the other. One asks whether the other would like to walk this same path with Him. This is because we know that the reason for our lives to be even this much happy is because we walk this path. We know that if we don’t walk this path we cannot find the true direction, meaning, worth, or calling in this life. Therefore we strongly desire others to enter this path as well. We know that the biggest service we can do for our loved ones is to let them know of this path and help them walk on it. With a loving and earnest heart, we inform them of this path as we walk on it. This is the way travelers of heaven live.

Dear travelers of heaven, who walk this narrow path, listen to the encouraging words given to us by the author of Hebrews: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. "Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.” (Hebrews 12:1, 2, 12, 13). I pray that these words become true in all of us.

Lord, by walking the way of the cross
You have opened the narrow and arduous path
By calling us to this path
You bless us with a true life
Guide our steps and
Let us stand firm in this path
As we walk forward step by step
Although we walk a narrow and difficult path,
Let us know of the secret to being joyous day and night
And let us become able to
Share this secret with others
Amen.