“It came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses. And all the people saw the cloudy pillar stand at the tabernacle door: and all the people rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door” (Exodus 33:9, 10).

“And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth” (Numbers 12:5).

“And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto them” (Numbers 20:6).

When Jacob dreamed of a ladder ascending to heaven in a deeply impressive experience with God at Bethel, “he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (Genesis 28:17).

Likewise, John the Revelator describes, “I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, ‘Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this’” (Revelation 4:1, NKJV).

During His time on earth, Jesus told one of His disciples, “I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man” (John 1:51, NKJV).

“Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. . . . I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture” (John 10:7, 9).

• Total surrender to Christ.

• A spiritual death to the world.

• The choice to become a servant of Christ.

• Christ becomes the first priority.

• Worldly ambitions are gone.

• Self is crucified.

“As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter” (Romans 8:36).

In harmony with this concept, we as Christ’s followers are bidden: “Discipline yourself to die to self, to bring your will in subjection to the will of Christ.”2

“Make your decision for eternity. Weigh evidence in this important time. We surely need not expect to escape trial and persecution in following our Saviour; for this is the salary of those who follow Him.”3

The mission of gospel workers is to invite souls to the door.

In Christ’s parable of the Great Banquet, “the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled” (Luke 14:23).

“If Christ is dwelling in the heart, it is impossible to conceal the light of His presence. If those who profess to be followers of Christ are not the light of the world, it is because the vital power has left them; if they have no light to give, it is because they have no connection with the Source of light.”4

“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain” (John 15:16).

“Without a living faith in Christ as a personal Saviour it is impossible to make our influence felt in a skeptical world. We cannot give to others that which we do not ourselves possess. It is in proportion to our own devotion and consecration to Christ that we exert an influence for the blessing and uplifting of mankind. If there is no actual service, no genuine love, no reality of experience, there is no power to help, no connection with heaven, no savor of Christ in the life.”5

“All things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18).

Jesus explains: “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). Thus we need His help at every moment. This must be explained to the people.

“Christ dwelling in the soul is a spring that never runs dry. Where He abides, there will be an overflowing of beneficence.

“To the appeal of the erring, the tempted, the wretched victims of want and sin, the Christian does not ask, Are they worthy? but, How can I benefit them? In the most wretched, the most debased, he sees souls whom Christ died to save and for whom God has given to His children the ministry of reconciliation.”6

The messenger of the Lord was constrained to write: “I have stated before [God's people] that, from what was shown me, but a small number of those now professing to believe the truth would eventually be saved—not because they could not be saved, but because they would not be saved in God’s own appointed way. The way marked out by our divine Lord is too narrow and the gate too strait to admit them while grasping the world or while cherishing selfishness or sin of any kind. There is no room for these things; and yet there are but few who will consent to part with them, that they may pass the narrow way and enter the strait gate.”7

It is not only new souls who need to understand—but, again, at every step each one of us needs to digest and fully assimilate those words of Christ: “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

“The meekness of Christ, manifested in the home, will make the inmates happy; it provokes no quarrel, gives back no angry answer, but soothes the irritated temper and diffuses a gentleness that is felt by all within its charmed circle. Wherever cherished, it makes the families of earth a part of the one great family above.”8

“Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Peter 2:5–9).

Thus, believers are a royal priesthood—and as such, all are gospel workers and agents to present by faith the ministry of reconciliation.

The Lord’s messenger was constrained to write some bad news for one individual:

“I saw that ‘Wanting’ was written against your name in the Ledger of Heaven—wanting in patience, in forbearance, in self-control, in lowliness and meekness. The want of these heavenly graces will surely close the gates of heaven against you.”9

How can we avoid such a pitfall?

“Only like can appreciate like. Unless you accept in your own life the principle of self-sacrificing love, which is the principle of [Jesus'] character, you cannot know God.”10

“The treasury of the jewels of truth is open to all. ‘Behold, I have set before thee an open door,’ the Lord declares, ‘and no man can shut it.’ No sword guards the way through this door. Voices from within and at the door say, Come. The Saviour’s voice earnestly and lovingly invites us: ‘I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich’ (Revelation 3:8, 18).

“The gospel of Christ is a blessing that all may possess. The poorest are as well able as the richest to purchase salvation; for no amount of worldly wealth can secure it. It is obtained by willing obedience, by giving ourselves to Christ as His own purchased possession. Education, even of the highest class, cannot of itself bring a man nearer to God. The Pharisees were favored with every temporal and every spiritual advantage, and they said with boastful pride, We are ‘rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing’; yet they were ‘wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked’ (Revelation 3:17). Christ offered them the pearl of great price; but they disdained to accept it, and He said to them, ‘The publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you’ (Matthew 21:31).

“We cannot earn salvation, but we are to seek for it with as much interest and perseverance as though we would abandon everything in the world for it.

“We are to seek for the pearl of great price, but not in worldly marts or in worldly ways. The price we are required to pay is not gold or silver, for this belongs to God. Abandon the idea that temporal or spiritual advantages will win for you salvation. God calls for your willing obedience. He asks you to give up your sins.”11

“If we would have the door opened, we must perseveringly knock. The responsibility of our own ruin will lie at our own door. The Word of God speaks to us as if everything depended upon our own efforts. We must come, we must resist the devil; we must strive to enter in at the strait gate; we must run the race with patience; we must fight the fight of faith; we must wrestle with principalities and powers; we must agonize before God in prayer, if we would stand blameless before the throne of God. We must have the faith that works, or it will be powerless. Good works will not pay the price of our redemption; they are the fruit of our faith in Jesus Christ, who is our righteousness.

“Our experience must broaden and deepen; for by grace the strength of God is to be made perfect in our weakness. Our will must be placed firmly, decidedly, intelligently, on the side of God’s will. There must be no presumption, no slothful work. It becomes us to pass the time of our sojourning here in fear, not in distrust of the grace of God, but in fear that self will gain the supremacy. We are not to fear that there will be any failure on the part of God, but fear lest because of our own sinful inclination any of us should come short of the promise. Let the standard be set high, and let there be an earnest striving to reach it in our daily lives, till our souls burn with holy desire. We need to talk faith, for it is very feeble; but in talking faith, we must speak of that faith that works by love and purifies the soul.”12