Open Doors

How many of you have ever been to Jail?

Come on you can be honest.

I have been to jail on the extended stay program and got to see the inside of the jail for about 45 days.

For those of you that have never been to jail let me tell you one thing that i learned in jail.

In my 45 days there i prayed God if you will open the door for me to get out I’ll never do that again. Which was a lie because i did it again and again.

God Dosen’t open doors like that.

In my stay at the jail there are all kinds of doors.

You have doors to each cell.

You have doors to each dorm.

you have doors at each place that you go in the jail.

before you can get from one area to the next the guard radios the cammand center.

In that command ceter is a guy tthat has all the screens in front of him and he can see every door in the jail.

On the control panel that’s in front of him is all the buttons for each door and on each of them they say open.

This person in the command center can see all the doors at one time and has the power and the authority to open those doors.

We have a God that sits on high and can see every door thats in your life and has the power and the authority to open those doors.

Revelation 3:8 ““ ‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.”

Isn’t that encouraging church?

That God says he has opened a door that no on is able to shut.

When your hearts desire is to share the Gospel God will open doors.

Listen if God has opened the door why don’t we walk through it.

God is opening the door here at liberty for the Word to go forth.

We have launch the Connect Student ministry. God has a open Door for the word.

We have the ladies Bible study. God has a open door for the word.

We have The Man Church Every week God has a open door for the word.

I pray that today that the door is opened for you today to want to share the gospel with others.

Today i want to touch on three things.

The Meaning of the open door.

The Means of the open door.

The message of the open door.

colossians 4:2-4 “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—

that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.”

Pray.

The Meaning of the Open Door.

Look with me in verse 3 Paul says “that God may open to us a door for the word to declare the mystery of Christ”

The meaning of the open door is for the word to go out .

To have a oppertunity to speak the word.

to share Christ

Paul Was chained 24 hours a day

and instead of asking for his chains tyo be removed he asked for oppertunity in his situation to share the word.

In the book of Acts Paul was going out and preaching and was amazed at the door that God had opened to the gentiles.

These are people so far from God and yet God opened the door for the word.

sometimes god opeded big doors for the word and sometimes he oped more intament door on a personal level to share the gospel.

Paul was always looking for oppertunity for the gospel

So heres Paul chained 24 hours a day to a Roman guard.

The Roman guard worked six hour shifts so for six hours with each guard each day paul saw it as a open door to share the gospel.

so for six hours each day each man heard the good news of Jesus Christ.

Paul had open door to preach to govenors and rulers like Festus and Felix.

He saw God open doors to kings like king Agrripa

Paul was looking for a open door in every situation he was in wheather it was chained to a guard or standing in front of a king.

Why because he know the power and authority that God has to open doors.

God will us you where you are to reach people in unlikly places and open doors you would never imagine

As you simply say God give me oppertunity to share you today and help me to see those oppertunities.

when i see those oppertunities help me to share with those around me.

God will use you at your job, at the store, at the supermarket, whereever you are God can open the door for the gospel

Share the storie of Johnny and the open door

Let me ask you this.

Has God put in front of you a open door that either you don’t see or your just not walking through

If your not using the opertunities where you are your either not seeing the open doors or your just not wlking through them.

Because God is constantly opening doors for the gospel and Jesus wants us to have those oppertunities.

I want you to look with me next at

The means of a Open Door

The means by which God opens the door for us to share the word is through prayer.

Prayer has the ability to open doors

Prayer has the ability to open hearts and minds to the Gospel.

Prayer has the ability to open your lips to share the Gospel.

Paul say in veres 2

Colossians 4:2 “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”

The word steadfastly means to be strong in your prayers.

Not giving up on them. remain faithful to it.

Don’t give up praying for lost people in your life.

Don’t give up praying for open doors stay strong in your prayers even when your cercumstance looks different than what your parying.

Next Paul says to be watchful.

When you pray keep your eyes open looking for what God is doing through your prayers and move on them when you see God opening the door.

share about praying for Tristen

When you see God open the door we are to enter prayer with thanksgiving.

This means as you keep praying being watchful for the open doors and as you walk through them continue to give thanks for more oppertunities to share the gospel.

The means of a open door is prayer where you share your heart for lost people in your life with God and through those prayers God opens the door for us to share the word.

Look at what paul says in verse 3 he says pray also for us

The word us here means paul and anyone that is sharing the gospel.

He is saying when you pray God will use those prayers in the ministries your praying for to open doors for the word.

But as you pray for other ministries and other people who are sharing the gospel i want you to pray for your selves.

Pray that God would use you to share the gospel with others.

That God would open doors in your life to share what he has done for you.

Pray that he will open the door for you to share the Gospel at work or at the store where ever he has you pray for open doors for the word and boldness to share it.

I pray every day God I know your working today.

If your working God will you put me in front of someone that your working in today.

When you pray for open doors God will open them

Stephanie and I have a open door next week.

We will get to travel to North caralina to share our story and what God has done in our lives. God has opened a door for the word in a place that we have never been.

We ask you to pray for us that when we go that the message of the gospel would be clear.

That God would help us to be blod to share what he has done in our lives and that the power of the gospel would change lives.

Look with me in the text at verse 3 Pual says to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which i’m in prison.

The last thing i want you to see is

The message

Paul understood the purpose of the open door.

It was to take the message of Jesus through the open door.

Listen it’s great to have relationship. It’s great to have relationships with lost people and to have friendships with people that don’t know Christ.

But the purpose of the open door is not for you to have more lost friend the purpose of the open door is for you to carry the gospel to them.

Pual said to pray that God would open the door for the mystery of Christ.

What is the mystery of Christ?

It was something that at one time was hidden but now has been revieled.

It’s this Jewish people that seemed to be close to God and Gentile people that seemed so far from God.

Could both come to God and be saved through Jesus Christ That was the mystery.

It made sence that Jewish people could come to know Christ because they had everything

They had the scripture.

They had the phrophets.

They had the temple and the promises of God.

But the Gentiles that Don’t know God that seemed to be so far from God.

That lived pagen lives that didn’t have Gods word could still come to know Christ.

Heres the message I want you to here

That no matter how close to God a person is and no matter how far away from God a person is .

They can both come to God the same way through Jesus Christ and the blood that he shead for sin on the cross.

No person is beyond the reach of Christ.

We also pray that the message we take through the open door would be clear.

Colossians 4:4 “that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.”

When You see the doors that God is opening for you to share the message of Christ pray also that he would help you make it clear and simple.

Some people think if you don’t use fancy words or elequent speach that you some how offend the gospel.

That if you don’t speak a certin way God can’t use you.

Charles Spurgen said this

Jesus said feed my sheep and feed my lambs

some people read it and think it says feed my garrafs because they put the food so high up when they share the message the sheep and lamb can’t reach it.

Listen the Gospel is simple and that’s how we should speak it.

There are people in your life right now that need the gospel and you may be the only open door for them to here the message.

When God opens the door for you to carry the message pray that it would be clear and simple language like this.

God Loves you and he sent his son Jesus to die on a cross for you.

Your a sinner. if you turn from your sin and ask jesus into your heart.

He will save you and give you the gift of eternal life

Church God has an open door before all of us here.

To take the message to a hurting community

Church the word of God says in Revolation 3:8 Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut

The door is wide open and waiting for us to carry the message through it.

Maybe your here today and God has opened the door to your heart to recive the message and today you want to give your life to him and then carry the message to others.

Maybe your here today and your prayer life isn’t where it needs to be you haven’t been praying the way you should.

You haven’t looked for the open doors that god has place in front of you to walk through and today god has opend your eyes to see the open doors he has for your life to carry his message.

Maybe your here today and you just need to come and be in the presence of the Lord in prayer and see what he opens up for you.