Sunday Sermons
The Will of God - Part 4
The Will of God 4
Open Doors
Various New Testament passages speak of “open doors” and some would argue, “What are they if not circumstantial indications from the Lord concerning a direction He wants us to take?” Most of the passages about “open doors” refers opportunities to preach the gospel (Acts 14:27 “They began to report all things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles”; Colossians 4:3 “praying at the same time for us as well, that God may open up to us a door for the word”). Friesen observes, “Does an ‘open door’ constitute direction from the Lord that must be obeyed? Or is it an opportunity or way of access that may be taken or bypassed with the decision be left to the judgment of the believer?” (pp. 216-217). Consider the following observations concerning “open doors”.
“Open doors” are opportunities to preach Christ. Paul was not praying for guidance or a “sign”, but rather an opportunity. Paul did not need providential “sign” to encourage him to preach in a certain place, for every place needs the gospel (Matthew 28:19). “But I shall remain in Ephesus until Pentecost; for a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Corinthians 16:8-9). It is instructive to see how Paul regarded the above situation. “He did not, on the one hand, seem to look upon the ‘door’ as a ‘sign’ commanding him to stay in Ephesus. He was not under moral compulsion; he was spiritually opportunistic. Nor did Paul view the adversaries as messengers from God telling him to move on to more productive fields of service” (Friesen pp. 218-219). Paul was simply trying to redeem the time (Ephesians 5:16) and reach as many people as possible and neutralize the opposition at the same time, yet he would leave this situation by Pentecost.
When Paul wanted Christians to pray for “open doors” (Colossians 4:3), he did not tell them to pray for “signs”, but rather opportunities to preach. Again, Paul never needed a “sign” to teach someone the gospel. Friesen notes, “An ‘open door’ is not a direct providential sign from God telling the believer to go in a certain direction. A door is used, not because it is a sign, but because doors facilitate entrance. It is foolish to climb through a back window or tear down a wall when the front door is open”(pp. 221).
The Door that was not Entered
“Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord, I had no rest of my spirit, not finding Titus my brother, but taking leave of them, I went on to Macedonia” (2 Corinthians 2:12-13). Here is a “door” that Paul walked away from because he was so concerned about how the Corinthian congregation had responded to the letter of First Corinthians. Apparently, Paul and Titus had planned to meet in Troas, but not finding Titus Paul went into Macedonia and there met Titus who had good news that the Corinthians had repented (2 Corinthians 7:5-7). Normally Paul would have made use of such an open door, but in this case there were more pressing matters that needed to be addressed. Here we learn that if a greater opportunity or more pressing work is at hand, it is acceptable and proper to by pass an opportunity. That is, every open door is a sign from God that we must walk through it. Rather, open doors are opportunities. In addition, depending upon a person’s growth, experience, and knowledge, they may not personally be able to do the actually teaching required, and may ask someone else to assist them. Certain open doors we may farm out to others, if we really have a full plate. Other doors may simply have to wait (Acts 20:1-6).
“Closed Doors”
The phrase “open door” may infer “closed door”, yet the Bible never uses such terminology. “And I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented thus far)” (Romans 1:13). When things did not work out for Paul, although the plan was sound and Scriptural, he simply waited and tried again later. “He did not view a blocked endeavor as a ‘closed door’ sign from God that his plan was faulty. He accepted the fact that he could not pursue that plan at that time. Yet he continued to desire, pray, and plan for the eventual accomplishment of the goal”(Friesen p. 221). In addition, the Bible also gives us precise instruction in certain situations, that is we are to abstain from continually seeking to present the gospel to someone who is rebellious and unappreciative of the message (Matthew 7:6). There is a point at which the unfaithful Christian is to be withdrawn from and treated as a Gentile and a tax-gatherer (Matthew 18:15-17). A factious man is to be rejected after a first and second warning (Titus 3:10). Christian women who have non-Christians husbands who are not interested in converting are to cease preaching to them and rather set a Christian example (1 Peter 3:1ff). False teachers are to be marked and avoided (Romans 16:17). Carefully note that Paul never “subjectively” evaluated opportunities or used language such as, “I just feel led” to move in this or that direction. Rather, opportunities were used to the best of his abilities unless something else was more pressing at the time. Neither did Paul wait for a “voice” to tell him to choose or not choose.
Acts 16:6-7
“And they passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; and when they had come to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not permit them”.
McGarvey notes that this is the first time that we read that Paul’s own judgment as to his next field of labor was overruled by the Holy Spirit. The question of course is how or through what means the Holy Spirit prevented Paul from a certain field of labor. In previous lessons we have already seen that the Holy Spirit does not mysteriously prompt certain inward impulses or feelings. Others have suggested that this forbidding was accomplished by providential means such as natural barriers being set up. Yet seeing that this section is followed by a miraculous vision (16:9-10), I would argue that the forbidding in this section was nothing mysterious or vague, but rather was a direction communication from God. In addition, Paul and his party would have wasted a good deal of time trying to get into Asia or Bithynia if they were simply battling against the circumstances. Rather, God supernaturally directs Paul to Troas because God wants Paul in Europe as soon as possible.
“If The Lord Wills”
“For I do not wish to see you now just in passing; for I hope to remain with you for some time, if the Lord permits” (1 Corinthians 16:7). “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit’. Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that’” (James 4:13-15).
Notice that James does not condemn the short or long-term planning of these men, rather what he condemns is their self-assured attitude that was leaving God out of their plans. Their attitude is rebuked, but no other element in their planning is. God expects us to have a humble attitude in our life-plans, but nowhere in James does God tell these men what business to engage in or what specific city they should visit. Many of the details are left completely up to the individual. “So Christians should not say, ‘We have diligently prayed about this plan and we know the Lord is going to bring it about’. Others may be impressed with such an expression of ‘faith’, but James would say, ‘What happened to the ‘if’? Spiritual plans are commendable, but even they are not 100 percent certain” (Friesen p. 211). The clear statement, “If the Lord wills” reveals that God does not speak to the heart of the believer either through a voice or circumstances to reveal a specific plan of action they should take. The “if” tells us that even the Christian has no guarantee or “sign” from God that they will be alive tomorrow, that a particular plan will succeed or that this earth will even exist. We should note at this point that even the plans that the Apostle Paul made did not always come to pass or come to pass as he planned (Romans 15:24,27). Paul even understood that while he had to make plans to redeem the time, God was not even giving him an inside tract on what plans to make or not make, “but taking leave of them and saying, ‘I will return to you again if God wills’, he set sail from Ephesus” (Acts 18:21). When Paul wrote Timothy, he noted that he was heading towards Macedonia (1 Timothy 1:3), yet by the time he writes the second letter, Paul is in prison (2 Timothy 1:8,17). Paul’s last recorded words to Timothy include, “Make every effort to come to me soon” (2 Timothy 4:9), revealing that the Lord had not given Paul any “signs” to inform him whether or not Timothy would arrive or arrive in time.
Application
From the above passages it is clear that God’s providential workings were not even revealed to the apostles. Since God’s providential workings cannot be ascertained in advance, and since God does not reveal in advance the things that will happen in our lives, it is clear that we are wasting our time if we are trying to find out such things in advance. Rather, we must take what God has already told us (the Scriptures) and make decisions using the Bible as our guide (Psalm 119:105). In addition, the Christian should be prepared to humbly submit to whatever life may bring their way that cannot be avoided.
Motivation
I can see why people desire a detailed life plan for every decision: First, such would relieve much of the responsibility for the choices made in life. Secondly, many people are afraid of failing, falling on their face, or having to start over again, and they desire the ideal path. Third, others are convinced that God has promised believers an “inside tract” to financial success, and many other decisions, a path that is relatively smooth and easy, yet God never gave the prophets or apostles such guidance. They often struggled (2 Corinthians 6:10), and often ended up saying things that brought persecution upon them (Acts 7:51-53). The Bible certainly does not teach that there exists some sort of hidden wisdom so that a person can have material success in everything they do. Neither does it teach that there is a way to make right decisions whereby everyone continues to like you. In fact, Jesus noted, “Woe to you when all mean speak well of you, for in the same way their fathers used to treat the false prophets” (Luke 6:26). In addition, Jesus plainly told us that God gives physical blessings to both the good and the evil(Luke 6:35; Matthew 5:45). Fourth, it appears that some may want God to make all the decisions for them and remove the necessity for searching the Scriptures (Hebrews 5:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22), putting forth their own hard work and effort, and trusting that God will in the end provide (Hebrew 13:5-6). It seems there are always people who want a 100 guarantee of success even before they begin any project and do not want to trust the unknown future to a God who might allow us to encounter persecution (Acts 14:22), lose all our possessions (Hebrews 10:32-34), die a premature death (James 4:13-15), or be at the mercy of time and chance that happens to all (Ecclesiastes 9:11-12).
Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net/mdunagan@easystreet.com
