The Narrow Gate

"The door to heaven is narrow. Work hard to get in, because many will try to enter, but when the head of the house has locked the door, it will be too late. Then you will stand outside knocking and pleading, `Lord, open the door for us!' But he will reply, `I do not know you.' You will say, `But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.' And he will reply, `I tell you, I don't know you. Go away, all you who do evil.'
"And there will be great weeping and gnashing of teeth, for you will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets within the Kingdom of God, but you will be thrown out. Then people will come from all over the world to take their places in the Kingdom of God. And note this: Some who are despised now will be greatly honored then; and some who are greatly honored now will be despised then."(Luke 13:24-30)
Matthew 7:21-23 talks about those who did miracles in Jesus' name. We believe Christianity is widespread and growing? Well, the gate is narrow. It isn't enough to prophesy and do miracles in Jesus name. It isn't enough to "eat and drink" with Him. The gate is narrow.
To God, love is the most important aspect, as laid out in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3. And Jesus tells us in John 14:21 who it is that truly loves the Lord: "He who has my commandments and keeps them." Again, in John 15:14: "You are my friends if you do whatever I command you." So love is obedience. But according to the 3 passages I brought up originally, obedience is not necessarily love. It's like a child grudgingly obeying his parents, not because he wants to, but because he knows he is supposed to.
This is the truth of the matter: You can sit in the presence of God, get filled, go out and preach, teach, prophesy and do miracles, all in the name of Jesus, and still miss heaven. You can be used by God in miraculous ways and shape history, and still miss heaven. God can use people He doesn't know. But if God does not know you, and if you don't know God, you're not making it to heaven. Many people are going to miss it, and not by much.
So how do you live so you won't miss the mark? What can you do to find your way through the narrow gate? That is what I will be discussing from here on out - raw Christianity. Having an intimate relationship with Christ. Stay with me. You may learn something.