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Dr. Hubbard begins the sermon referring to a common opinion of Christianity and Christians in particular. He noted that Christians are often seen as narrow minded. But rather than object to that view he began to corroborate that view. Turning it from a bad thing to a good thing. He noted that he would rather his surgeon be very narrow minded in his focus on the surgery he was about to perform. But then he began to relate the scripture to this idea of being narrow minded. He spoke from 2 scripture references in particular. #1. “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 there at: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”      #2. “Then saith he unto his disciples, the harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.”  Matthew 7:13-14 and Matthew 9:37-38

Dr. Hubbard states, “out of the few who are being saved, fewer still are becoming a part of what God wants to do in the world.” It was this statement that struck me forcefully. 

I knew that this was a message that more people need to hear. Because in most of the churches that I have spent time in there is a mindset that says, “that is the pastor’s job not mine”. Thankfully this is not the entire congregation, but it is a mindset held by many. Many attend morning worship in much the same fashion as one who goes to their jobsite and clocks in. They put in their time in church and go home to the rest of their life as though they have fulfilled some unwritten obligation. Going to church has become a routine rather than an opportunity to meet with the Sovereign God of all that is.

Why do you show up to church? Obligation? Duty? To be seen as a good person? To atone for misdeeds? Or do you merely think it is expected of you? Do you think that if you go to church and do some other nice things it will be your ticket to eternity? Beginning with the last motivation and all the way to the first listed motivation, I can assure you that none of these reasons or rationales will lead you to eternal life. It will not even provide you with the joy and peace that you are seeking. You may have thought that you go to church to sing a few songs, pray, listen to a sermon, pay your tithe and or offering and then listen to the closing prayer and go home. These types of activities may indeed take place depending upon the kind of church service you are attending. But God is looking for a deeper more satisfying relationship for you.

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 But now we can boldly come before him, bringing our praise and worship knowing we are accepted and received as one of his own. 

Beginning with the Beatitudes of Matthew 5:3-16 and throughout the New Testament, Jesus has related to us what manner of people we are to be. The ‘Sermon on the Mount’ was not for the 1st century church alone. They apply to us today. We are called to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all of the various needs and cares of this world God will also provide. (Matthew 6:33) Even in this we do not see the real motivation for going to church.

Allow me to step backward to Dr. Hubbard’s observation, Dr. Hubbard states, “out of the few who are being saved, fewer still are becoming a part of what God wants to do in the world.” So many believers who are religiously attending church are really missing the greatest opportunity that believers in Christ Jesus will ever have. 

When you read the Beatitudes, you see that they present us with God’s expectation for daily interaction between ourselves and one another. There is a blessing attached to each one of these responses to life’s realities. We are blessed when we look to our Heavenly Father for the cares of this life. Dependent upon him. Not demanding. Not requiring. Not entitled. But depending upon him as a little child depends upon his parents. These are all very individual responses to the circumstances of our lives. Are we going to look to our Father or are we going to use our own ingenuity and abilities? Jesus laid the pattern before us in Matthew 5:3-16 and beyond. When we follow Jesus all of these blessing will be ours. But still we have not gotten to  the greatest reason for attending and being in the fellowship of the saints of God. 

So, let’s say you are finally getting it about why Jesus gave us the sermon on the mount with the beatitudes. This does not really, adequately, answer the motivation question. The beatitudes will give you that mindset that Christ Jesus had. And hopefully you will be like the rich man that came to Jesus and asked what he should do to inherit eternal life. For that young man it came down to more than just keeping the Mosaic Law. Jesus challenged him to sell all he had and give to the poor and follow him. Jesus said this to the man because of the second question that he had asked. When Jesus told him to keep the commandments, the young man said, “All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?” Hopefully you are asking the same question what lack I yet? What else is needed? 

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I want to be very clear. Our salvation can never be bought with our good deeds. There is no other way for us to be born into the kingdom of heaven than by believing on the name of the Son of God who came from God to reconcile us to God. 

But in God’s family there are only a very few who willingly, purposefully, choose to be a part of what God is doing in the world.

God has founded the church for just that purpose. The Greek word that we translate to church is Ekklesia. Here I want to insert the explanation from GotQuestions.org. 

“Understanding the definition of ekklesia (and its alternate spelling ecclesia) is an important component of understanding the church. Ekklesia is a Greek     word defined as “a called-out assembly or congregation.” Ekklesia is commonly translated as “church” in the New Testament. For example, Acts 11:26 says that “Barnabas and Saul met with the church [ekklesia]” in Antioch. And in 1 Corinthians 15:9 Paul says that he had persecuted the church [ekklesia] of God.” The “called-out assembly,” then, is a congregation of believers whom God has called out of the world and “into His wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9).”

https://www.gotquestions.org/definition-ekklesia.html 

We are to be in the world to represent our Heavenly Father. We are called out of the world to represent Christ Jesus. We are called to carry the work of the ministry that Jesus began with the 12 men and the few women who followed him. 

But so often church attenders are not involved in the work of the ministry. We are coming to church to be ministered to. Dr. Hubbard notes this concern for today’s church. The church has lost or given up “our sense of the distinctiveness of the church”. (Dr. Hubbard) God’s church, his called out ones are “those whose lives have been transformed by the grace of God, who are placed, by the grace of God, in order to challenge our culture and draw men and women to saving knowledge of Jesus Christ by the power and enablement of the Holy Spirit and to live distinctive lives for his glory.” (Dr. Hubbard) 

Dr. Hubbard stresses that we the church have been, Transformed by the grace of God, Placed by the grace of God, to challenge our culture and draw men and women to saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Many in the church today can indeed attest to their lives being transformed by the grace of God. But only a very few also acknowledge that they have been placed in the church, in the body of Christ to challenge our culture today and draw them to the saving knowledge of Christ Jesus.

Only a very few want to be a part of what God wants to do in the world.