In the Bible, a remnant is a group of people who remain loyal to God after a time of hardship. There is a special meaning to the remnant of believers that will exist in the last days, when the earth is at its worst, right before the Messiah returning.
The beauty of God’s plan is He promises there will always be a remnant who will remain faithful to Him (Ezekiel 6:8-10). No matter how dark the world becomes or how dire the circumstances that emerge, the church of Christ will never be defeated (Numbers 16:18). The light that had come into the world through Jesus will never be extinguished (John 8:12). Sometimes I wonder how big that remnant will be in our generation.
The more I learn and the closer I draw to Christ, the more concerned I become about the multitudes who profess Jesus with their lips but deny Him with their lives. I see no evidence that everyone who calls themselves a believer of Christ is part of the remnant of God. I see a lot of people walking the path of “doing church” who could never squeeze through the narrow gate.
“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. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way that leads to life, and there are few who find it“ – Matthew 7:13-14
I remember the story of Gideon in the Old Testament in Judges 6-8. When God chose him to deliver His people from the hands of the Midianites, Gideon got an army of over 32,000 men to fight. But soon it became apparent that not everyone who showed up for the battle believed in the Name they were called to defend. The first to leave were those who lacked faith that God would ever deliver them. Gideon told all those who were afraid of the enemy to go home, and over two-thirds of his army left (Judges 7:1-3). Then God removed all those who were not diligent to pay attention to the battle before them. All those who relaxed and carelessly drank in the refreshing water and ignored what was around them were sent home as well. (Judges 1:4-7). Only 300 out of the original 32,000 remained with Gideon. These were the ones who trusted God to deliver them and were unafraid to stand for God’s name. Those were the ones who would not take their eyes off the battle for the sake of their own comfort. They would not allow their personal desires to distract them from their mission. This was the remnant God used to deliver Israel from the hands of their oppressors. Less than 1% of those who reported for duty were chosen.
How many of the thousands of people who say they are church members across our lands will be part of the remnant? How many will be chosen? When times get tough and persecution mounts, how many will tremble and return to their homes? How many will grow weary of fighting and succumb to cultural pressures, and take their eyes off Jesus, just for a moment, to seek comfort and relaxation? Who will remain steadfast and alert? Who will be part of the remnant of God?
How many will have what it takes to hold fast go our convictions and persevere? This is not something that can be done in our own strength. If a person wants to be part of the remnant of God, they must live Him and all their heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). Leaning on God for every decision and living with the courage to not deny Him. (Deuteronomy 31:6; Proverbs 3:5-6). They must take up their cross daily and die to themselves (Luke 9:23; Galatians 2:19-20).
Matthew 24:9-13 tells us that many who come to Jesus will fall away. When times of trouble come and we face persecution of any kind, God will ask us, “You don’t want to go away, do you?” (John 6:66-67). Will we answer like Peter answered, “Where else would we go? For you have the words of eternal life!” (John 6:68-69).
Will we stand firm and never waver? And be a part of the remnant of God.
From Pity to Praise 