November 15, 2017

Open Doors

During a recent visit to a struggling church there were only three of us in attendance. One man was at retirement age and the other man was well beyond retirement. Both gentlemen have had heath issues and are unable to keep up with the facility maintenance. The pastor said, “Once in a while we have visitors and can fill a [pew] row. We don’t have any youth programs, so I can see why people with children want to go other churches. We continue to be faithful here until God says shut the door…which may be sooner rather than later.” As an observer it appeared to me that the Lord had already shut the door. I couldn’t help but wonder if, rather than praying for the Lord to shut the door, they should be praying for the Lord to open a door. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me” (1 Cor 16:7-9 NIV).


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