The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep … therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out and find pasture. (John 10:2, 7-9)   My children understand that Jesus is the shepherd, but they have forgotten that he is also the gate. The gate is the one entrance that the sheep go through each day, moving from the safety of the sheep pen to the dangers of the…

“Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3)   Every person who truly follows me begins this journey by means of the spirit, but so many try to complete the journey by means of the flesh. This is not speaking of the sinful flesh but of the willful flesh: when a person tries to complete my calling in his own strength and resources. This, more than anything else, is what has caused my church to become ineffectual and without influence in the world. The sin of the flesh is not the problem today, it…