An "Open" Invitation

An Open Invitation
Revelation 3:20

Usually when we hear this verse, it is during invitation time. The pastor or preacher is saying that god is standing at the door of your heart and he is knocking. If you will let Him in, He will come in and live with you and in you. Though this application is not heretical, it is not a directly what this verse is saying. You might say preachers are taking the actual meaning and making it analogous to the invitation to salvation.

So what does this verse actually mean? To be honest, I did not seek out this verse to meditate on. The Holy Spirit carried me to this verse while I was meditating on what it means to seek the face of God. As we look at what this verse really means, let look at three things: the audience, the door, and the fellowship or communion.

The Audience. The Book of Revelation is addressed to believers. It was written to give those who were suffering from persecution under the Roman government hope. It said to them (and to us) that though it is looking grim, the war is already won; though they appear to be winning, in the end they lose. The early part of Revelation was written to specific churches in Asia Minor. To some, Jesus gave compliments; to other He gave rebukes. One such church that was rebuked was Laodicea.

Jesus called Laodicea the lukewarm church. They were the fence-sitters. They were not necessarily pro-Jesus nor were they necessarily anti-Jesus. They sort of went with the flow. This is how they dealt with persecution. They adapted their behavior to the situation. They were not like Paul who said I become all things to all men that I may perhaps win some. They compromised their testimony to get along and avoid being called out, ridiculed, tortured, or put to death. There are many in the world today that can identify with the Laodiceans.

Jesus was telling them that He would rather that they chose a side. Either be for Him 100% or be against Him, but they can’t have it both ways. His encouragement to them was that though they had forsaken Him, He had not forsaken them. He told them that He was standing at the door (of their church and of their hearts) and that if they would open the door, He would come in and commune with them.

What is the door? The door was the barrier that kept them from giving their all to Jesus. Jesus instructed us to count the cost before we decided to become disciples. Some did not count the cost. When they chose to become disciples, they then realized the cost of that choice. Some shrank back. Jesus said to them that if they would overcome their fear and dedicate their life to Him; if they chose to lay down their lives for His sake and the Gospel’s, then He would accept them. They needed to love Him more than they loved their own lives or their own safety. If they would say to Him, “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back’, then He would come to them and empower them to be His witnesses and be His people.

The Communion. What would He do once He comes? He said He would dine or commune with them and they with Him. He would fellowship with them. He would establish and sustain a relationship with them. He would speak to them and through them. He would teach them. He would empower them for ministry. He would edify them individually and corporately. He would guide them into all truth. He would open to them the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. He would make them His witnesses in the world.

This is the thing that Jesus is promising us today. As Christians, Jesus already lives in us. But because the cares of the world or fear of rejection or persecution, we are not the people He has called us to be. We are timid, fearful, and weak. We compromise our testimony before the world because we seek to fit in to get in. However, "God has not given us a Spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7)." If we turn our eyes to Him and focus on Him, then we can walk in the spirit and be strong enough not to give in to the fears or temptations of the flesh.

The song says, “What a friend we have in Jesus?” It should say, “What a friend we could have in Jesus?” Thank God it doesn’t because though we do not seek to be God’s friend, He is ours. The fact that we do not take advantage of that relationship is not God’s fault. He is waiting willing, and able. To His friends, He is willing to open up the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. The Bible says, "[He has] made known to us the mystery of His will…(Ephesians 1:9).” Not only that, but through the blood shed by His son, which makes this relationship possible, we have access to the Father.

It is pointless just complaining to the weatherman because he only reports the weather, but talk to Him who can control the weather. It avails little talking to a doctor, he can only do so much, but talk to the Great Physician who has never lost a patient. It avails little to talk to an attorney, but take your case to the Great Advocate who has never lost a case. You can waste money on a therapist or talk to the Mighty Counselor who can give you peace that surpasses all understanding. Whatever the reason, we can go directly to Him and tell Him about our fears, our concerns, and our desires. You cannot shock God because He already knows you and your heart. He knows us better than we know ourselves. The Bible says, "The heart is deceitful about all things and desperately wicked; who can know it (Jer. 17:9)?” I tell you, God can. And He can cleanse it and change it. Only He has the power to transform your life.

Behold, Jesus stands nearby and is inviting you and me to come have a personal and real relationship with Him. Not a relationship that is superficial, but one that is intimate. He is not looking for casual friends. He has plenty of those. He is inviting you and me to be best friends, BFFs, if you will. What will your response be?

Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus (Part 2)

Looking to Jesus provides us so much more than freedom from worry. It gives us hope, joy, and increases our faith, just to name a few. The thing I want to talk about today is how turning your eyes upon Jesus can multiply your blessings. It is true and biblical that Turning your eyes upon Jesus can increase your blessings. With the Spirit’s help, I will show you how.

The year 2010 needs to be the year the church stop seeking just after God’s hand but after God’s face. We have spent too much time just seeking God’s hand. By that I mean, we spend prayer time asking God to give us this or that. That is seeking God’s hand. Seeking God’s face means to spend time with Him in prayer and in His Word getting to know him, and not just about Him. We need to spend time building our relationship with Him—after all, a relationship is what we were created for. A relationship is what separates true Christianity from religion. God is not about religion; He wants a relationship with His children. Religion is about ritual, rules, and rites which lead to death. Jesus is about redemption, reconciliation, and a relationship that leads to life everlasting.

Imagine with me, how strong would a relationship be if a boyfriend's or girlfriend's only interested in a person was from the neck down. Those are the relationships that go south quickly. Relationships that are about getting what we can from a person and not about getting to know the person are doomed from the start. I am reminded of the words to the song, Friends, by Whodini:
Talking on the telephone for hours at a time;
Else I was at your house or you were at mine.
Then came the arguments and all kinds of problems,
Besides making love we had nothing in common.
Could’ve lasted longer ‘cause it started out strong;
Guess we went about the whole thing wrong.
Saddest the way it came to an end;
‘cause we became lovers before we were friends.

The Southern Baptists like to say that if God can get your heart, He can get your pocketbook. By that they mean, if God is allowed to sit on the throne of your heart, you will have no trouble giving Him all you’ve got—since you’ll recognize it’s His anyhow. But did you know that the reverse is also true? Many are familiar with the passage of Psalms 37:4, even if they don’t know the chapter and verse. Psalms 37:4, says, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” That means that we are to seek the Lord’s face and He will bless us with the things that we want. He will do this because the things that we’ll want will be the things He wants us to have. Another good passage is 2 Chronicles 7:14, which states, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” The latter part of the verse is speaking of the blessings they desperately needed because they and their land were under a curse.

Let 2010 be the year you get to know God on a more intimate basis. Talk to Him and tell Him your problems and desires and let Him speak to you through His Spirit and His Word. You will find that it will change your life! Not only that, blessings will come your way as well. I am reminded of King David. David was known as a man after God’s own heart. This means that He was a man who sought the face of God. After David sinned with Bathsheba and God sent the prophet Nathan to confront David, God said to David through Nathan, "You are the man. Thus says the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; And I gaveyou’re your master's house, and your master's wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee [more] (2 Sam 12:7-8).” David repented and was spared the fate of Saul. God did not kill him nor take the Kingdom away from him. Vow to be a man/woman like David—a person after God’s own heart.

If you seek after the face of God, you can have what is in His hand. What is in His hand? Ask any child—“He has the whole world in His hand.”

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

This is a classic hymn that is sung in many churches. The chorus simply goes:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus/ look full in His wonderful face;
And the things of earth will grown strangely dim/ in the light of His glory and grace.

What does this song tell us? It tells us that we should keep our eyes upon Jesus. You might think that that’s a no-brainer, but how many Christians know to do this but don’t. When we set our minds upon Jesus, then the problems of this world will seem trivial. This is because when we focus on Him, 1) we realize that there is nothing that He can’t handle and 2) we realize the futility of worrying about ‘stuff’.

Don’t get me wrong, I know that your ‘stuff’ is important to you as is my ‘stuff’’ to me. The thing that we must not forget is that the 'stuff' we worry about won’t likely be an issue 10 years from now. (I’m sure you don’t remember what you were worried about 10 years ago.) It certainly won’t be an issue a million years from now. So what is the benefit of worrying? If you can’t do anything about the problem or you’ve done all you can about the problem, then worrying about it won’t accomplish anything else. You are accomplishing as much worrying as you are taking a walk without getting out of your chair. Just put the problem in God’s hand and leave it there!

The Holy Spirit gave me the perfect definition for worry—meditating on the problem and not the solution. There is even scripture to support this. Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” In this passage Paul was telling us about how to get peace—the opposite of worry. Our minds are at peace when follow God’s plan. When we think on the other things, that’s when the stree set in.

Similarly, Jesus said in Matthew 6, when we focus on what we are going to eat and what we are going to wear and where are going to sleep, we are worrying. But when we set our eyes on Jesus, we don’t worry about these things. When we focus on Him, then we trust him even if it means going without or sleeping outdoors. It is better for us to eat bugs and sleep in the mud with God, than to eat lobster and sleep in a palace on a pillow-top mattress without Him.

You might say, ‘Easier said than done.” This is true. We are not patient people and many are not passive people. We have to be doing something. I think this is one reason why women outlive men. Men are Mr. Fix-its. When we can’t fix it, we worry because we need to be doing something but there is nothing to do. Women are wired differently so the desire to fix it isn’t as strong in them, which likely translates into less stress. In any regard, whether you are a male or female, you’ve got to give worry up. The return on your investment isn’t worth it.

When Peter stepped out of the boat, everything was fine as long as He kept his eyes on Jesus. He wasn’t worried about the waves or the laws of physics or anything else. It wasn’t until he took his eyes off Jesus that he began to fall, fret, and flail. Likewise, as long as we keep our eyes upon Jesus, we too will find life abundant and full of peace.