One of the nicest courtesies someone can afford me is to hold open a door.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and I’m not kidding. When I’m in my wheelchair and find myself approaching a door, let’s say at a mall, I usually scan the area to see if anyone’s coming, and then adjust my speed to reach the door at the same time I see that person approaching. Then I ask, "Pardon me, mind holding that door open for me?” And then I’ll say, “Thank you for your help… you’re a great Girl Scout.” Or if it’s a guy, I’ll say, “Boy Scout” – whatever. And you know what? Invariably, that person who holds open the door always does so with a smile. Frankly, I think the individual who helps me feels good to have lent a hand, really I do.
I have yet to encounter someone who, when I ask them to “Catch that door for me, would you?” I’ve yet to hear them look at me and say, “You? Forget it, no way!” Wouldn’t it be ridiculous if someone said to me, “Look, lady, I’m not very good at opening doors. Here, let me quick go find someone else who can hold doors better.” You’d never hear that, right?
Well, as Christians, you and I are door openers. Each opportunity we have to share the Gospel with an unbeliever is a chance to hold wide open the door to the kingdom of heaven. But some believers would rather not lend the spiritual hand. They’d rather not help the person in spiritual need. When it comes to witnessing for Christ, they decline to open the door. Some people think they’re not very good at it. They feel that a more experienced or more evangelism-like gifted Christian ought to do the door opening – someone who’s been through evangelism training or is comfortable being up front about the Good News. Others, well… let me describe those “others” by reading Matthew 23:13, where Jesus says, “Woe to you… you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.” That verse is describing people who, because of self-righteousness, have convinced themselves they’re above showing people the door to the kingdom of Christ. They feel they don’t need to get that down and dirty where the rubber meets the road of showing people the way of salvation in Jesus – and in so doing? Well, as Matthew 23 says, they actually slam the door in another’s face. Or they go off the deep end the other way – they make the Gospel sound like a difficult series of hoops one must jump through. They insist that an unbeliever must clean up your act and “start living right” before becoming a Christian; you know, do this, don’t do that; say this, never say that… kind of a legalistic approach to the Gospel.
Well, Jesus likens witnessing to something that ought to be as natural as opening a door for somebody else. And friend, you can and should be a kingdom door opener. You don’t have to be an expert, just available, sensitive, and wanting others to meet the Savior who has rescued you. And to help you in guiding others to that door, I’ve got a special booklet by James Petty, a wonderful biblical counselor, and it’s simply called “Guidance.” I’d love to send you a free copy and all you have to do is come on over to joniandfriendsradio.org and ask. Again, that’s joniandfriendsradio.org and simply request your copy of the booklet on “Guidance.” And finally, friend, thank you, God bless you for keeping your hand on the door, always looking for ways to swing it wide open so that whosoever will might come in.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 91376
© Joni and Friends