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I was amazed, while in Ephesus, to see how many of the ancient walls and doors are still standing. We toured through ancient buildings, with large rooms. Whose to say that these very rooms did not house a prayer meeting of a group of early believers?

Russets and blues, greens and yellows still flashed through ancient dust, revealing ancient mosaics of still-recognizable signs and symbols of Roman presence and of early Christian belief. There the sign of Nike, Roman god; here a scratched out or deeply chiseled Cross.

How are we to discern between God-gift and opportunity signaled by that seemingly 'open door' and when it's just wishful, even ego-centric, thinking, in that we want our church to grow, our ministry to be a success? That's one question. And as Paul also paints with simple metaphor the 'open door' and 'effectual opportunity' that some believers may realize as they say 'yes' to someone's request that they join in ministry, I wonder too if it could widen our thinking to something more. To be sure, at first glance, about an opportunity we have to serve anywhere in the context of the in-0house ministry of the local church (perhaps in agreeing to teach a Sunday School class or lead a youth group, to to serve in the kitchen, or as usher or greeter at the door).

But perhaps too, it is about our looking out of the window or door of our church building (metaphorically or literally), or from our house, condo or apartment, to see the very obvious needs all around us (around our buildings, on our street, and where we work and work-out, that we could meet, someone to feed or clothe or welcome, a widow's sidewalk to be shoveled, leaves to be raked, a vacant lot or stream that needs to be rescued from winter's fruit of paper-liter, old tires, abandoned grocery carts and other debris, or a colleague who is bereaved or self-medicating in the absence of close friendship and ultimate purpose

It may be that in actually going out to serve (moving beyond ortho-doxy to ortho-praxy) - that in moving through the door of opportunity to actually touch the lives and places of our neighbours and communities, that we will begin to see new fruit and get in on the blessing of a life of loving service in the fellowship of Christ. We want to be truly His People. Some of us, moved by His Spirit, want to touch our world and somehow transform our neighbourhood. Paul was one such person and in his letter to the Corinthians and also to us, there is motivation to share his perspective and join his kind.

To be effectual and fruitful 'out there' assumes that one has got to be - well, out there - drawn out by need, by a sense of the Saviour's call (for He's often there before we choose to show up). The fruit of loving, caring, practical ministry is what our communities long to see.

So, I would suggest, the wide door is not something about our building-architecture or in-drag intent. It's beyond hoping that people 'without' who have needs will somehow notice a wide door of welcome we seek to create, one of good spiritual service through great programs for all ages, or that of wonderful hospitality and warm embrace (not that such is not vital). But Paul's point, surely, is that the wide door and all the opportunities in the world are what we are to see as we believers look out, from the inside, looking out not in some hope that we can figure out how best to draw people in (to our buildings and services - not at first, at least, and surely not so that our churches can stay alive). The real need for perspective is through our looking out and about, as did the apostle, and awakening to all of the opportunities around us to (as we go) love and serve people for Christ's sake.

A wide door is to get us out; not a wide door to get them in. A wide door is that of entry into the lives of people who are starving for want of what we have to offer, dying for want of being loved and forgiven through the pardon and release of Jesus and in all the integral fullness of the Gospel.

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