“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

Revelation 3:20

Something has happened in my lifetime. When I was a young person growing up in church, everything was about Jesus. Jesus loved me. Jesus died on the cross for my sin. Jesus would help me live for Him.

I learned that disobedience to any of God’s commands was sin. And, that sin separated me from God. In church, I learned that that separation from God could be restored – but only by Jesus’ death on the cross to pay the penalty for my sin. Once I heard this, I wanted to have that relationship restored. I did not want to be separated from God for eternity. Once I recognized that I had sinned, and wanted God to forgive me of that sin, I trusted Jesus was the only One who could take that sin away (see John 14:6: “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”).

Today when the question of sin is presented to most people, they reply, “Sin? What sin?”

You see, something has happened in most churches. What Jesus did on the cross to take away sin is only mentioned once in a blue moon. Now the focus has turned to the thought that God loves everyone. He wants us to love everyone. The way to show the world that we love them is to bring them into the church, just as they are, and the church will minister to them. The church shows love by meeting any physical or emotional need they may have. Meeting those needs is a wonderful way to show the love of God – but only if one has first showed them that Jesus is that love of God. Remember: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). God’s love is revealed in the death of Jesus on the cross to pay the penalty for individual’s sin in order to restore that broken relationship. By not making this the primary message in the churches today, many churches have in essence pushed Jesus out of the door and closed it. It is almost as if many churches have made their own door (good works, meeting people’s needs, love, etc.), replacing Jesus as The Door of the sheep. That is the condition of the church in the final church age, portrayed in Revelation 3:14-22. That church is doing so well, performing good works, that they do not even realize they are in need. Because so many churches today are busy doing these good works, they have forgotten to share the message of Jesus and His death that is necessary to take away individual people’s sin. Jesus is the only way of salvation. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Nevertheless, as we see in Revelation 3:20, Jesus is still available to any one who will open the Door (for Jesus is the Door, see John 10:7: “Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep”) to allow Jesus inside. He will come inside, and there can be sweet fellowship. “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).

Make sure that you find a church that still faithfully presents the Gospel message of Jesus, which is the only way to be saved. Make sure that Jesus is the primary focus of your life.

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” (Revelation 3:22).

Are you someone who has allowed Jesus to be pushed out, forgetting why He came?

Would you be willing to open the door and let Him back in?