Doors (part 2 of 3)

Several years ago, Dianna and I went on a trip of lifetime to celebrate our Twenty-fifth Wedding anniversary. We went to Rome! It was incredible. But one of the simplest pleasures of that trip came as a surprise. It was the doors of Rome! They were diversified in size, look, color, and design.

These are just a few of the snapshots we took:

But there is one thing about doors that is common to all doors. No matter what the doors may look like. They have one function. They open.

• They open in order to make a way for the one authorized to enter.
• They remain closed to deny access to the one who is not authorized to enter.
   

Metaphorically, doors have a spiritual function as well. Doors are the chosen image throughout scripture to speak to the idea of gaining entrance to a spiritual experience or opportunity.

Jesus said in John 10:7, "I am the door." Paul used the same imagery when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:12, "I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord has opened a door for me." In Revelation, John quoted the resurrected Lord saying, (Revelation 3:8), "See, I have placed before you an open door that no none can shut."

God opens doors. And sometimes, open doors mean that we will experience opposition. In 1 Corinthians 16:9 Paul writes, "A great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me." Sometimes we erroneously assume that if God opens a door then we will face no opposition and all of life will be smooth sailing. Not so!

But whether we face opposition or not, our job is to keep knocking and asking the Lord to open the doors of opportunity for the sake of His Kingdom. We are to pray that God would battle against the spiritual forces that strive to keep the doors closed. And we are to keep on knocking with a relentless and annoying persistence that will not relent.

In Colossians 4:3-4 Paul prayed, "Pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains!"

The bottom line is this: while only God opens doors, only we can do the knocking. It gives a new meaning to Jesus' invitation, don't you think? "Knock and the door will be opened to you!" And look at why Paul said we should pray for the open door to the message-because He is in chains for this ministry.

The reality is, so many in this world are living in the "chains" of Satan's captivity. And the only way they will ever be freed, is if we become slaves to Christ, even willing to take up chains if necessary to share the message of the freedom of Christ.

Are you knocking? Who will know to open the door if you do not knock upon it?

July 4th is all about freedom. Who do you know that you need to be knocking on the doors of heaven for their soul? Keep knocking!