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Topic: Doors (04/05/04)
TITLE: D O O R S By Phyllis Inniss 04/11/04 |
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Doors open and close, but the door to Jesus is never closed. It is we who shut the door to keep him out, but he said “knock and it shall be opened unto you, seek and you shall find.” Because of our lack of understanding we go our merry way ignoring the truths in the bible and the admonitions and warnings of the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the key to understanding. He shows us the Way and if we follow in his footsteps our lives will be made smoother, less complicated. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. We come to the Father through Him.
At the end of a relationship I was doing some soul-searching during my unhappy period. I prayed more than usual and found solace in prayer. I listened to the various pastors and read texts written by biblical scholars and came to a better understanding of the bible. This was wonderful for me. Doors of hope and opportunity were opening up for me. I actually looked forward to hearing the Word of God from these luminaries of the bible. One night I heard Dr Schuller Jr. talk about the fruit of the spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control Gal.6:22&23.
Now, I had been reading the bible for some time and had never paid attention to those particular verses. I was indeed glad that I had listened and paid attention to what he was saying, or I could have missed it. My mind flitted back to a dream I had long before I had heard this sermon. I had seen a very large ripe red fruit on a short tree. I had to bend a little to pick it. As I held the fruit and was about to twist it off its stem I turned to the left and saw a church with its door open. I saw all the way to the altar. Immediately I let go of the fruit and said “Oh, it’s for the Church’ The following night I dreamt a white dove was perched on my right thigh. Subsequent to those dreams, I would dream of a church. The doors would always be open , but I would remain outside. It took me some time to realize that the Lord was telling me something. I was reading the bible but I wasn’t going to church. I thought reading the bible was sufficient. Jesus said, “I am the door; if anyone enters by me, he will be saved.” John 10:9
Later in my dreams, I saw myself inside a church. When I started gong to church again, doors of understanding opened up for me. My life took on new meaning. I was asked if I would like to join the Church choir. I did and enjoyed the different activities the choir took part in. I found that I was meeting people who shared experiences that were inspired by God. Hearing Dr. Schuller that day made me examine myself in terms of the fruit of the spirit. In my dream the doors of the different churches were always open – waiting for me.
There was this dream that made me realize that God was really protecting me. There was some sort of turbulence or turmoil and people were running helter skelter and most of them were going towards the sea. Instead of following the others, I turned left with my son in front of me for his protection. As I turned into this street, there was this wide door. I entered. Facing me was an elderly man with the largest bunch of keys you ever saw. I approached him and told him there were many people outside needing help. He went towards the door, stopped and turned back and looked at me. I knew then I was inside a sanctuary, that my son and I were saved from whatever those people were running away from. I awoke from my sleep, feeling relieved. Paul’s advice to the Colossians was to continue steadfastly in prayer………..”that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ”
The mystery of Christ is hidden from us in our natural sense or reason. It is only revealed through our spiritual awakening as we attain a closer relationship with God. It is a hidden truth that our search for God reveals to us only when we die to self and we shut the doors of hate, envy, pride, wickedness and other evils. When we put on the garment of righteousness the doors to the fruit of the spirit will gradually open to us. The Revelation to John says “Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut.”