Jesus Outside the Church
A Deeper Dive Into the Book of Revelation - Part 81
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”—Revelation 3:20 (NASB)
This verse has been used in evangelism, picturing Jesus knocking on the door of the heart of the sinner, inviting the sinner to open the door and let Jesus into their heart. The problem with that application is that this letter was not written to unbelievers. It was written to the Church.
This is a heartbreaking verse because of where Jesus is standing in relation to the church. He is outside. The door has been closed to Him.
The Church as a whole seems to have repeated the same mistake that the children of Israel made. The Church as a whole has chosen to go its own way, rather than to submit to the leadership of Jesus as the Head of the Church. Instead of submitting to the Lordship and guidance of Jesus, men have created a hierarchy of leadership amongst themselves that rules over an institution based on man-made traditions rather than the commands of Christ. As a result, Jesus has been pushed out of the traditional institutional church, leaving it desolate without Him.
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones [to death] those [messengers] who are sent to her [by God]! How often I have wanted to gather your children together [around Me], just as a hen gathers her young under her wings, but you were not willing! Listen carefully: your house is left to you desolate [abandoned by God and destitute of His protection]; and I say to you, you will not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed [to be celebrated with praise] is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”— Luke 13:34-35 (AMP)
Just like Jerusalem, the institutional church has murdered true servants of God who were sent with messages from God to the Church. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs is filled with the records of these saints of God of whom the world was not worthy.
Just like the temple in Jerusalem, Jesus is no longer the center of the Church in our time. He is outside, knocking on the door.
A.W. Tozer observed that “If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95% of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference.”
There may be no saving the institutional church system. Now Jesus is appealing to the individual. Communion with the Lord Jesus Christ in these last days will be more a matter of personal relationship. It may not be found in the institutional church of our religious traditions.
Personal Communion with the Lord Jesus
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”—Revelation 3:20 (NKJV)
One of the most important things that we can do in our lives is to cultivate a deep, personal relationship with God.
The foolish virgins in Matthew chapter 25 found out too late the vital importance of having a close personal relationship with their Lord. It cost them access to the Heavenly Bridegroom and participation in the wedding. They lost their chance to be included among those who will forever be the Bride of Christ.
Those who overcome to be included in the Bride of Christ will have been conformed to the image of Christ; they will be bond-servants of the Lord Jesus; and they will each have an intimate relationship with Him.
Jesus invites each one of us now to enter into deep, personal communion with Him. He is standing at the door and knocking, waiting for each one of us to open the door and let Him in.
This is not just a symbolic gesture. This is a real invitation. Jesus is standing at the door now and inviting you to enter into a place of deep communion with him.
You can take very practical steps to accept His invitation.
Set aside time to enter into a sacred space with Him.
Silence your distractions.
Pray to Him. Thank Him for knocking on your door, and then tell Him that you are opening the door. Invite Him to come in and dine with you, just as Abraham did in Genesis chapter 18.
But what do you dine on?
This is a spiritual encounter, and so you will dine on spiritual food. You will dine on the bread, meat, and milk of the Word of God. Just as Abraham set these things before the Lord in his physical encounter in Genesis 18, you will set these things before the Lord in your spiritual encounter with the Jesus.
During these times that you set aside to dine with the Lord Jesus, focus on meaningful passages of Scripture. Read them to the Lord. Talk with Him about these passages. What do they mean to you? What are you grateful for in these passages? What questions do you have? Ask Him. Wait for His response.
These intimate times of dining with the Lord Jesus can be as deeply meaningful as Abraham’s experience of dining with the Lord in Genesis 18. Just as Abraham did, you can receive life-changing insights from the Lord. Then you can turn those insights into subjects of prayer to God, just as Abraham did.
As you make these times of intimate dining with the Lord a regular practice and a way of life, you will grow to know the Lord more deeply. You will walk with the Lord more closely. And you will hear His voice more clearly.
You may notice that God will begin to speak to you more often, at different times, and in different ways.
He may take you out of your comfort zone at times, but your relationship with Him will grow closer and stronger. Your personal journey with the Heavenly Bridegroom will be similar to the Shulamite maiden’s journey to know her king in the Song of Solomon.
Eventually, your love for Jesus may be so strong that nothing could possibly come between you and the Lord that you love. Then you may declare your love for your Heavenly Bridegroom in words like these:
“Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as a seal upon your arm,
for love is strong as death,
jealousy is fierce as the grave.
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
the very flame of the Lord.
Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can floods drown it.
If a man offered for love
all the wealth of his house,
he would be utterly despised.”
—Song of Solomon 8:6-7 (ESV)
Read the entire series at www.SpritOfWisdomMedia.com.
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