OPEN
DOOR MINISTRY
2 Corinthians
2:12-13, 4:1-6
2
Corinthians 4:1: “Therefore, since
through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.”
2
Corinthians 5:20 says, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God
were making His appeal through us.” So,
every Christian is an ambassador [am-BASS-a-dor] for Christ. An ambassador is a representative. Countries like the United States have
ambassadors for other countries. That
person visits that country and makes friends with them on behalf of the United
States, (or the country they’re representing).
Apostle Paul uses “Open Doors” as a
figure of speech about wonderful opportunities.
In 2 Corinthians 2:12-13, Paul says, “Now when I went to Troas to
preach the gospel of Christ and fund
that the Lord had opened a door for me, I still had no peace of mind, because I
did not find my brother Titus
there. So I said good-bye to them and went
on to Macedonia.”
I also consider open doors and peace
of mind signs from God. They point to
the path He wants me to take. Especially
when life is troublesome, I pray for and run through open doors. I seize the opportunity—happy to have found
rest from my current difficulty. When
doors repeatedly slam in one’s face, an open door and peace of mind is oh, so
welcome!
Evidently, Apostle Paul used open and closed
doors to guide him on his ministry journey around the known world around A.D.
55. This “open door ministry” is a safe,
daring, but scary way to live. Just
consider many of Paul’s closed doors. He
encountered physical and geographical problems that limited his progress around
the world.
Today, we have no such
barriers. God has opened the whole
world’s doors for His ministry through technology. We’re living in the perfect time to represent
Christ to everyone in the whole world.
With the Internet and satellites positioned in outer space that probe
everywhere in the world, the time to be Christ’s ambassador is NOW!
If you have chosen to believe in
Jesus as Lord, you are empowered by His Spirit right now. Eternal life is yours. Do you have any excuse not to represent Him?
Take
Home Nugget
Being Christ’s
ambassador is not as scary as you think.
If anyone were to ask, could you talk about Jesus’ birth? If anyone were to ask, could you talk about
His miracles? If anyone were to ask, could
you talk about His death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven?
Even if
you don’t talk about Christ, you are still His ambassador through your words
and actions. Your open door ministry is
on stage for the whole world to see.
Congratulations,
ambassador!
Don’t
shut down, be an open door ministry for Christ.
J.D.
Griffith
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What an honor it is to meet you!
My background is a life time of worship, but seriously following Jesus came with age. Spiritual maturity is a leap of faith. Sometimes we don’t know what we’re missing until living on the edge of God’s leading. My life of self sufficiency ended abruptly when losing my job as an analytical chemist after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Now living on the edge of God’s leading has become a way of life that I wouldn’t trade for anything else.
Surrendering one’s will to the Lord can be scary. Why did I wait so long to do it? Diving into an intimate relation with the sovereign God of creation is the most secure position in the universe. Will you share your experience with me? Will you let me give you my testimony? May I introduce you to the Jesus I know?