A Journey of the Open Door

Every church in her life cycle will see an open door of ministry from the Lord. Unfortunately not every church will go through that door. Many times she will attempt to kick open another door based on the myths and methods of the past. We must learn to recognize the doors that the Lord opens and respond to his calling upon our lives.

I see a door being to open for our True North Church. God called me to plant this church 10 years ago. For some of you that may surprise you that it was 10 years ago. Especially considering that we started from scratch just over 2 years ago. The Lord took my on a long journey of discovery before he opened the door. The calling was there 10 years ago but the door was not opened yet. Now we stand in a day that TNC has an incredible door opening to us. 

Allow me to take you on a journey of the open door. To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. Revelation 3:7

                                                                                          

First, we need to see The Irreversible Power of the Open Door. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. (3.8)

Here are two amazing facts:

No one can open the door except for Jesus  

Too many times we bang our heads on a door trying to force it open. We waste energy, time, and money attempting to copy someone else’s open door. When all along all we need do is look and wait for Him to open the door he chooses. Friends, He is the only one that can open the door for your ministry and your life.  But that’s why we need his power that he promises. I love this promise in Acts 1:8 “…you will receive power…” You will only be the person that God created you to be when you receive the power that He has created for you to have.

  

 No one can close the door Jesus opens

He can and will close doors. There are some doors that must be closed for us to be of the greatest impact for his kingdom. This is why we need his protection that he provides. It is written about in Luke 10.17-20. The disciples are returning from open door missions amazed at the power they experience. Jesus let them in on a secret. He saw the enemy try to take them down and he stood up for them. We need his protection to close doors today.

We have such emotional baggage we carry. We do not have to live in the garbage heap of regret, or in the sewer of despair, or even in the emotional manure of generational hurts, hang-ups, and pain. Let Him take all this and heal. Let Him close these doors. He is the master of using imperfect people to accomplish amazing adventures.   

Next, we must see The Incredible Opportunity of the Open Door. …I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.  (3.8)

Philadelphia was established as a mission city for disseminating Greco-Asiatic culture and language in the eastern part of Lydia and in Phyrgia. The Greeks mastered the concept of amalgamation and seize the opportunity that Philadelphia offered to them as a model of openness and outreach for their lifestyle.

We must seize every opportunity to impact our culture and communities in the Christ-life we own. You have daily opportunities open to make a transformational impact for Christ. Come on think about it even if you only have a little strength you can still make a huge impact for the Lord. It is not the size of the church that counts. It is size of our faith and availability to Him that matter. Are you taking advantage of the open doors? Are actively praying for those doors in your life and the life of your church?

Listen to some of the thoughts of the Apostle Paul:  1 Corinthians 16.9 For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.

2 Corinthians 2.12 Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord,

Colossians 4 ²Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; ³meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, ⁴that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.

Finally we need to see The Immense Adventure of the Open Door. I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. (3.9-10)

           

We need adventure; this is what keeps us alive and vital. Men this is what you craved and dreamt of as small boys. And we live that Adventure through Jesus our Christ. This Christ life is not for sissies! Following Jesus is a great adventure filled with peril, struggles, and even doubts. But follow on for this journey leads to a life transformed through abundant living. We must have adventure in our lives or we will shrivel, starve, and die.  

We must have a challenge.  What is a vision after all if not a challenge? Is it not a challenge for us to become what God wants? Is it not for us to become less of the flesh and become more of Him – filled more with Him and for Him? This is abundant life my friends. He is with us through every storm and through every struggle.

"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door," he {Bilbo} used to say. "You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no telling where you might be swept off to." This quote is from The Lord of the Rings. It reminds me that my feet long for adventure. An adventure I will only know if I go through the open door.

Exchange Policy

As a member of the male race I wish to go on record as never – ever enjoying the process of the exchange. When I purchase something my plan is for it to work, fit, make it happen, look good, and not to break. Even if it does not work, fit, make it happen, look good, and break I can find away to use it somehow. And if I can’t find a way I put my “man-card” in jeopardy.

This is a fine attitude if I am talking about socks. Trouble is many times we bring this attitude to every aspect of our lives. There are some key emotions that we need to exchange. There are some troubling issues that must be traded in for a better way. There is a pathway and pattern that must be redirected in order for us to be the Christ follower that transforms.

So what is the “exchange policy”? I suggest that it is simply a spirit and attitude of worship. Too many of us are malnourished in this area of our spirit because we sing far too little and complain far too much. Exchange your sorrows for a song of praise. Try singing a worship song in the shower. Make a joyful noise to the Lord in your morning commute. Attempt that new worship song while taking a walk.

Worship of the Almighty Majestic Ancient of Days will exchange your doldrums, pains, and sorrows. Focus on Him in song and allow him to take charge of the daily cares and concerns for an exchange. You may be pleasant surprised that this is one of the master designs of worship from the One who created you.  He longs to make this exchange for you.

Isaiah 61

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,

3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—

to bestow on them a crown of beauty

instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness

instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise

instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

a planting of the LORD

for the display of his splendor.

Sounds like a great exchange policy to me!

Losing your Impact for Christ?

A Preacher said once “The two greatest problems today are ignorance and apathy.” He then asked a man on the front row what he thought about that and the man replied, “I don’t know and I don’t care!”

Many Christ-followers are losing their impact today and do not appear to know it or care about it. Consider that 20-25% of churches that meet today will cease to exist by the year 2020. We are seeing more than 80 Evangelical churches close each week across America. And many who are active worshipers in a church are only three bad Sundays away from never stepping foot in the door of a church again. 

We have lost our passion for Jesus. We have lost our concern for the people in our communities. We have lost any impact that we may have had for Christ in our neighborhoods. And we may be in danger of losing that impact with our families, if we haven’t already.

How does a Christ follower lose their impact?

There are at least two ways our impact is lost according to Revelation 3 in the note to the church at Sardis. These two ways are subtle and simple for any of us to fall prey too.    

     

First, attempting to maintain our reputation loses our impact.  Revelation 3:1 …I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Here’s a question to wrestle with seriously - Are you continually living in the past? Many of us are stuck in the glory days. Or we cannot overcome a painful event and bitterness sets in. We get frozen by failures on our part or others. And my personal pet we begin playing the what-if-game. We can spend too much time fighting for our reputations and not enough time living holy lives before God.  

               

Secondly, we may become tempted to relax our guard. Revelation 3:2 – 3b …Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God… but if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

Twice in the history of Sardis they fell to sneak attacks. In the 6^th century B.C., “a shrewd Persians soldier observed a Sardian descending the southern winding path to retrieve his fallen helmet. Unknown to the soldier, the Persians followed his path back up to the summit and captured the whole city, taking them quite by surprise.” (Alan Johnson, The Expositor’s Bible commentary – Revelation, p. 51). A similar sneak attack occurred 200 years later.

Be careful not to relax your guard in this world we are in. The minute that we think we will not fall maybe the second of the attack from evil. “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!” 1 Cor. 10:12

What do you do when you have lost your impact?

There must be a Reversal of Direction

Revelation 3: 3 states it perfectly in one word – “repent”. This is not only a spiritually solution for reclaiming our impact. It is also practical. My dad used to have great line he shared with me as a teenager “Stop it!” Or like Barney Fife so eloquently said, “Nip it! Nip it in the bud.”   

There must be a Renewal of Doctrine

I love the flow of Revelation 3:3a – Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard…We must go back, remember our doctrine and practice the truth of this Christ life we have been given. We walk in the true doctrines and the impact will come naturally.

There must be a Restoration of Discipline

Revelation 3:2 sounds the alarm -  Wake up!  What will it take for us to wake up? What is the line that has to be crossed in our life before we come to our senses? Jesus sees some who walk with him faithfully. Rev. 3:4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. We must practice the spiritual disciplines in our life out of love and reverence.  Spiritual discipline is a daily practice in the small things not a big leap once in a while.

Here’s encouragement for us to renew our impact, restore our passions, and resolve our faithfulness to the Lord.

“ ‘If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit. Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land.

“  ‘I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove savage beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.

 “ ‘I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you.

Leviticus 26: 3-9

 Will you be faithful to make an impact?

Or, will you be one of the stats that has waltz out the door?

Romans at a Glance

Recently for my quiet time I experimented with reading the first few verse in each chapter in the book of Romans. I love this book of doctrinal truth. It was awesome how reading the first few verses gave me an overview of these truths at a glance. It meant so much to me that I thought you might be encouraged by it too. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide your mind as you read these verses. I hope you enjoy Romans at a glance.

1: 1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith. 6 And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

2: 1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.

3:1 What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? 2 Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God.3 What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness? 4 Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar.

4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3 What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

5: 1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

6: 1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

7: 1 Do you not know, brothers—for I am speaking to men who know the law—that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives?

8: 1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

9: 1 I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit— 2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, 4 the people of Israel.

10: 1 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

11: 1 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.

12: 1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

13: 1 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.

14: 1 Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. 2 One man’s faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3 The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

15: 1 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.

16: 17 I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people…. 25 Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, 26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him— 27 to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.

Dangerous Ground

Have you ever done something you knew you ought not to do? But then knowing better you kept on? This is an issue of stubbornness, pride, and arrogance. I do this every time my stomach sends a message to my brain that I have eaten enough. If the food is battered, fried, sweet, and creamy you better believe that I am going to keep eating. Knowing better does not stop me. And woe is me and weary and heavy laden follows.

We stand in a time that many of us are doing exactly what we please regardless of truth, morality, and faith. We have come back to a time in which men do what they feel is right in their eyes. This week we have seen just such an issue.

Consider that in one week in one of America’s largest cities we have been told there is a limit to the size of our soft drinks. And in the nation we heard the decision that selective-gender abortions are okay. Laura Ingraham put it well “So…we can ban super-sized drinks but not gender-select abortions? …Sugar bad but gendercide good? Heaven help Us”

We stand on Dangerous Ground today as individuals and a nation. We continue to practice the things that our God hates and have no plan on changing. We have been given plenty of time by the Lord – Dangerous Ground. We have been offered grace by a patient Holy God – Dangerous Ground. And yet we do not take advantage of His offer.

Jesus delivered a message to our generation through the church at Thyatira. This place was not particularly impressive or even important. But there was a witness in this city of the dye guilds. However the majority of that church continued to do the things they ought not to do. They stood on Dangerous Ground.

The Refusal to Repent

“I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.” Revelation 2:21.

The accounts of our lives are coming before the eyes of Jesus and he brings us a verdict – REPENT. We need to consider a couple of things here. First, increased ACTIVITY is not a substitute for repentance. Jesus recognized their activity in Revelation 2:19 “…you are now doing more than you did at first.” But Jesus is more impressed with genuine repentance than he is with hurried activity of kindness. Secondly, ignorant ACTION is not a substitute for repentance. Sure many fall prey to the sinful actions of the world. Many do these acts in complete ignorance to the principles of God’s Word. Ignorance of the law is not a valid defense.  Please do not refuse to repent when Jesus calls you to repent.  

If we refuse to repent we stand on Dangerous Ground because God will act on his Word. When we refuse we are saying we are ready for retribution.

The Retribution on the Un-repentant

You mean to tell us that there is a day of retribution coming? But this cannot be fair? Well, let’s consider that retribution will be from a just standing. Here is a fact about an Omnipotent God – he tells us the truth about our actions. “…I am he who searches hearts and minds.” Revelation 2:23. I cannot know your heart or your mind. Truth is I have trouble knowing my own heart and mind. Jesus can see it all. I cannot fool Him. And neither can you. This fact alone is enough to bring me to repentance. How about you? 

Here’s another truth we can depend. Retribution from God is based on merit. We think that we impress God with our actions and yet it is our actions of sin that he says when we leave unconfessed and unrepented of that he will judge.  “…I will repay each of you according to your deeds.” Revelation 2:23. To quote Apollo 13 – “Houston, We may have a problem!”

The un-repentant will have a day of retribution according to their actions. Once again, we must now repent. Repentance is our only hope.

The Release of the Righteous

Repentance brings at least three marks of goodness into our lives.  Repentance brings GRACE – confession and repentance opens the door to get what we cannot earn His forgiveness and mercy. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9. Repentance brings GROWTH – Jesus promised to take to weights off of us. “I will not impose any other burden on you.” Revelations 2:24. Repentance brings GIFTS – Jesus allows us to hang on to him as our prize. “Only hold on to what you have until I come.” Revelation 2:25.

What is Jesus revealing to you right now about your current actions? He is calling us to repentance. Repent by dropping those things that you are doing, those actions are now dead to you do not do them anymore. Repent by totally depending on Jesus to move his work of Grace in your life.