Who You Gonna Call? Door Busters! (April 29, 2007)

Today we will do the opposite of last week. We will give some thought to "closed doors," and what happens when the power of God encounters a closed door.

Read John 20:19-31.

Notice the reference to locked doors in verse 19. Notice the reference to shut doors in verse 26. What did Jesus do when encountering a locked or a shut door?


AN OLD STORY...
There is an old story about a man with raggedy clothes who has had a rough time of it in the world and was looking for a place that cared. He didn’t belong to a church but had heard that a church was where God loved people and taught people to love each other. So when he saw a bunch of people filing into a nearby church he decided to check it out. The sign outside said, ‘All are welcome.’ So he went inside. He found a seat. Everyone was very dressed up. But no one acknowledged him. He sat through the service, which talked about salvation. He sang. But when the service ended, he noticed that everyone filed out of the pew away from him. No one spoke to him in the reception line and when he got to the minister he received a considering look and some gentle advice: ‘friend, I can see that you are looking for a church – and I’m glad – but I want you to go home and ask God, in your prayers, if this is really the right church for you.”

The man left and returned the following week. This time he did his best to dress a little nicer, but he could not dress nearly as nice as others. The same thing happened. The minister, seeing him, had one of his deacons greet him this time and suggest, again, that he should ask God if this was really the right church for him. After several more trips, played out in the same predictable fashion, the minister finally walked up to the man after the service and asked him forthrightly, “Friend, I thought you were going to ask God if this was really the right church for you.” And the man said, “I did, pastor. But the funny thing is, God said he couldn’t tell me. He said he’s never been inside your church before.”


Though this story is told in a humorous vein, it has a serious point, does it not? Is Jesus welcome in your church? Is your door open for Jesus, or are you huddled in fear behind a closed door?


Read these two stories from Acts about God's power over closed doors in a prison:

Acts 5:17-20

Acts 16:16-34

A locked door stands no chance against the power of God. Where are the closed doors and locked doors among us? Where does it seem that there is just no way for a barrier to fall?

Read one more story about a door which cannot be entered (but this time for a different reason):

Mark 2:1-12


Think about the persistence of those friends. They had a friend who had a need, and they knew Jesus was the answer, and they decided they would do whatever it took to bring their friend to Jesus. Who are you helping to bring to Jesus, the Door?