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. . . And With the Household of Cornelius Before his ascension, Jesus said to the apostles, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost [Spirit] is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Before in the declaration of his intentions to establish the church, he had said to Peter, "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:19). Peter used these keys on the day of Pentecost with the establishment of the church and later in going to the household of Cornelius. There was loosing and binding on the day of Pentecost. The doors of the church were opened to the Jews on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) and opened to the Gentiles with the household of Cornelius sometime later (Acts 10 and 11). As God’s leading spokesman, Peter used the keys. And with that God opened the door for evangelism, beginning at Jerusalem and finally reaching to the "uttermost part of the earth." . There was an open door to Philip when he was commanded to "go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert" (Acts 8:26). This unlikely place resulted in a conversion that would open Ethiopia to the gospel. On this open road he found a man with an open Bible. "Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture [which the man was reading, Isaiah 53], and preached unto him Jesus" (8:35). His heart was opened, and when they came by some open water, the Ethiopian said, "See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized" (8:36). "And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him" (8:37.38). Heaven was open to him, and he went on his way rejoicing. . Unto the Gentiles from Antioch The largely Gentile church at Antioch became the focal point of Gentile evangelism as God opened doors. The leading of God is very evident as Paul and Barnabas and others were sent out from here to carry the gospel to the Gentile world (Acts 13:1-3, etc.). As they returned to their home base from their great missionary endeavors, we read that they "sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled. And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles" (Acts 14:26,27). . The Macedonian call is interesting as God further opened doors. The gospel would be carried to Europe. It was at Troas that "a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us" (Acts 16:9). Then we read, "And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them" (16:10). Paul and his company made their way across the Aegean Sea to Philippi in northern Macedonia. And further, interestingly, the man in the vision initially turned out to be a group of women headed up by one named Lydia "whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken by Paul" (16:14). "She was baptized, and her household" (16:15). Paul and his workers entered the open door God set before them and found people with open hearts. This is the story of evangelism in the book of Acts. . The Great Commission We can’t help but think of the promise in the Great Commission when we consider open doors. On the peak of his resurrection glory the Lord said, "All power [authority] is given unto me in heaven and in earth," and then commanded, "Go ye therefore, and teach [make disciples of] all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost [Spirit]: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world [age]. Amen" (Matthew 28:18-20). In 1 Corinthians chapter 3, Paul writes to the Corinthian converts, "Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed…I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase" (3:5-7). He goes on to say, "For we are labourers together with God" (3:9). Those who faithfully carry out the Great Commission can claim the promise, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." God opens doors and is with those who would enter in fulfilling the commission. . Before You An Open Door" Please take a look at Revelation 3:8. This may involve more than an open door to evangelism, but nevertheless notice. The Lord declared, "I know thy works: behold I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and has kept my word, and hast not denied my name." This is a great verse. These words were spoken to the church in Philadelphia, the only one of the seven churches in Asia Minor with which the Lord found no fault. There was an open door set before it. No one could shut it. What a promise! . II. FOR WHOM DOES GOD OPEN DOORS? . Out the Great Commission As we specifically nail down the truths highlighted in this article, we ask, "For whom does God open doors?" The Great Commission answered this. It is for those who would carry out the Great Commission. The apostle Paul illustrates this well. God called him to carry the gospel to the Gentiles. This was his mission in life. He unreservedly gave himself to Christ. He declared, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). Consequently he said, "I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek" (Romans 1:14-16). He asserts in Colossians 1:27 and 28, "God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect [complete] in Christ Jesus." He rounds this statement out with these words, "Wherefore I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily" (1:29). . The record speaks for itself. An open door was set before Paul. He entered thereby claiming the promise of the Great Commission. And the Lord worked "mightily" in him, motivating and energizing him to do this work. An open door is before those who would carry out the Great Commission. . Jesus clearly stated in Matthew 7:7 and 8, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." God opens doors for those who ask, seek and knock. The parable of the persistent friend, wanting bread in the "wee" hours of the night, illustrates this well (Luke 11:5-10). Although a prisoner at Rome, Paul requested prayers that "God would open unto us a door of utterance" (Colossians 4:3). This prayer was answered, a door was opened, and we read of those who had been made converts even in Caesar’s household (Philippians 4:22). To God the carrying out of the Great Commission is always an open door. We need to pray for specific opportunities. . Open doors are many times to the small and seemingly insignificant. This was true of the church at Philadelphia in Revelation 3:7-13. The Lord spoke of them has having "little strength" (3:8). But he knew their works. He knew that they had kept his word (3:10). Consequently, there was set before them an open door. They had unobstructed access to heaven. Their opportunities for service were and would remain intact. They would be kept in the hour of trial. The mega-church is not always the one before which the Lord has set an open door. Many times the mega-church really is a mini-church, and the mini-church is mega in the sight of God. ("Enter ye in at the strait gate [narrow door]: for wide is the gate [door, entrance], and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait [narrow, restricted] is the gate [door, entrance], and narrow [compressed] is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it," Matthew 7:13,14). . God chooses to use that which is unimposing to accomplish his unfeigned spiritual purposes. At the heart of the message of the gospel is the old rugged cross, utter foolishness and weakness in the eyes of an unbelieving world (1 Corinthians 1:18-31). Paul was given a thorn in the flesh, as he said, "Lest I should be exalted above measure" (2 Corinthians 12:7). Not taking it away, the Lord said, "My strength is made perfect in weakness" (12:9). God’s power is more evident in a weak vessel. The Lord’s plan is not to work through imposing missionary societies and man-made human organizations, but simply through the simple, local, autonomous church and individual Christians. That is how they did it in the first century. That is how it should be done today. . III. WHY ARE DOORS OPENED? . The answer to this question is very simple. Perhaps there is no connection in the origin of our English word "through," but as a matter of interest the Greek word for door is thura. Doors are opened to enter, to go through. If we don’t enter, the doors may not always be open. From another perspective Jesus made that plain in Matthew 25:9-13. When the door was shut, the young virgins who had failed to be prepared, cried out, "Lord, Lord, open to us." If we fail to enter the door the Lord opens, the opportunity may be gone forever. . The emphasis in this article has been evangelism. This is very close to the heart of God. The salvation of mankind is why God became flesh in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are living in the last days. Time is running out. Doors will be closed forever unless we enter them to win the lost. And doors in more of an immediate context don’t stay open always. Situations change. Opportunities must be taken advantage of. Jesus said, "I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work" (John 9:4; 2 Peter 3:9). So, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with [all] thy might…" (Ecclesiastes 9:10). . We can think of open doors beyond evangelism. Paul wrote in Galatians 6:10, "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good…" Opportunity (open doors) plus ability equals responsibility. The parable of the talents makes this emphatic (Matthew 25:14-30). Each was given opportunity according to his ability and was held accountable for it. God opens the door for all of us to be used by Him. Let us enter that open door. . We need to be open and surrendered to the leadership of God, genuinely converted. We must be surrendered to the will of God before His will can be worked out in our lives. "If a man therefore purge himself…he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet [suited] for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work" (2 Timothy 2:21). x |