An Open Door

God has a long history of opening doors for effective ministry:

• God opened doors for Paul:
  • “I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a wide door for effective work has opened to me” (1 Cor 16:8-9).
  • “When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, . . . a door was opened for me in the Lord” (2 Cor 2:12).
• Jesus opened a door for the saints in Philadelphia: “I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut” (Rev 3:8).

We saw this past Sunday that the Lord has set before this church “an open door, which no one is able to shut.” Guests flooded into the assembly because you invited them. They heard the Word of God. They experienced Christian fellowship. They saw the love which flows from heart to heart in this place.

Our work now really begins. We made the first step in reaching our friends with the gospel through the invitation to worship, and they made the first step toward coming to Jesus when they came. You certainly deserve praise for all your hard work—from inviting your friends, to preparing good food, to welcoming our guests, to your prayers, and so much more! Yet, we have much more to do—there are souls to save from an eternal hell, and we cannot rest on our laurels while our loved ones walk that broad way which leads to destruction.

God has opened the door for us to reach this community. You know that any door God opens God blesses. God will bless every effort we put forth. God will bless every prayer we offer. God will bless every visit we make. God will bless every example we set. God will bless this church as we take the gospel from the assembly into the community.

We know God will bless our open door, for we saw his blessings this past Lord’s Day—we saw him open hearts, we saw him bless your invitations, we saw him bless our fellowship, and we saw him bless our worship. As I’ve seen the way God has blessed our open door, I’m persuaded now more than ever that the brightest days for the Deer Park church are yet to come. After all, with God on our side, how can we fail?

Let’s continue to pray that God will open our door wider and wider. Paul told the Colossian Christians: “Pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ” (Col 4:3). As we pray for that wide open door, let us work with the full confidence God’s blessings gives, knowing that God is doing great things in our midst and that God is working in Deer Park.

This article was originally written by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr., for the weekly newsletter at Church of Christ Deer Park in Deer Park, Texas.