Seize the Opportunity
“But I will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost; for a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” (1 Corinthians 16:8-9 NASB)
Holy Spirit has been drawing me to this verse a good bit lately; I’ve actually quoted from it in a couple of posts. It came as still another confirmation when my spiritual dad and apostolic leader of the fellowship I’m aligned with, Jim Hodges, used it in his recent newsletter. Here is Jim’s exhortation, with a few slight additions to make it more applicable to a broader audience. Jim says:
“The apostle Paul’s ministry often demonstrated that opportunities to advance the Gospel of Christ were accompanied by opposition. He stated this in our opening verse, 1 Corinthians 16:9. Count on it: opportunity is accompanied by opposition. This is amply illustrated throughout Paul’s ministry. Perhaps the most dramatic one is his dangerous trip to Rome, recorded in Acts 27 and 28. The open door at that time was for Paul, a Roman citizen, to stand before the Roman emperor and personally declare to him and his palace guards the Gospel of the Kingdom.
“In this Corinthians verse, Paul describes an opportunity to advance the gospel as being great and effectual. Great is megas,(1) meaning ‘exceedingly large, wide, grand or great;’ we get our English word mega from this Greek word. Effectual is energes,(2) meaning ‘powerful, effective, and active’; it’s easy to see the words’ energy and energized in this word. Energes is power in action, power at work. The root word (ergon)(3) actually means ‘to work.’
“Paul called the opportunity a ‘door,’ which is a place of access. He was saying a door of great opportunity was wide open, affording great access, and that this mega opportunity would have divine power/energy to succeed in its mission! And it certainly did. Ephesus became a great beachhead for the gospel.
“On another occasion, Dr. Luke records in Acts 14:27 how the Lord Himself had opened a door of faith for Paul and Barnabas to go to the Gentiles!”
Then Jim says: “Great and effectual doors are open to the Ekklesia, the Church, in our day! Despite the opposition, we must walk through them, proclaiming and demonstrating the Gospel of the King and His Kingdom! Holy Spirit will empower us! At this time, we have been given great access to the following wide-open doors:
The 3rd Great Awakening. (A great and transformative outpouring of the Holy Spirit here and around the world.)
Revival and reformation. The recent outbreaks of the Holy Spirit at Asbury University and many other colleges across America are one of many signs that revival is here and very accessible! And the church is now equipped to add reformation to this revival, discipling people groups and nations with the principles of Christ’s Kingdom.
Global harvest. The Body of Christ is increasing on the earth faster than the world’s population. This includes Israel and a number of Muslim nations. (I recommend reading The Triumph of Christianity by Baylor University professor Rodney Stark).
The turnaround and reset of the USA. There is an unrelenting remnant that refuses to come down off the wall of intercession, declarations, and decrees on behalf of our beloved, though beleaguered, nation.
The release of the supernatural power of the Lord. We have entered a season of great signs and wonders. Don’t miss opportunities to demonstrate this!
The increasing release of revelation through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Just as John ascended by the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, recorded in Revelation 4:1, we can go through the same open door he entered! This is truly a season of revelation!
Accessing the doors of civil governments to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom. Paul’s mission to Rome was successful; Philippians 4:22 tells his effectual ministry resulted in the conversion of a number of Caesar’s ‘household.’”
My Comments
We should not be surprised or alarmed when great opposition arises against our attempts to go through spiritual doors and reap the fruit. Jesus Himself said, “If they have persecuted me, they will persecute you” (John 15:20). The key to victory is staying focused on Christ and the opportunities Holy Spirit gives us (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 3:12), not the opposition.
We have not only been invited into God’s family, but to join Him in His labors, partnering with Him in His great cause. If you are a regular reader/listener of Give Him15, you know this and have probably said “yes.” Mine and my spiritual father’s exhortation today is to persevere through all opposition and seize every opportunity. Our prayers are saving this nation and being used to reap the greatest spiritual harvest ever. Remain steadfast. When we finish our race, we’ll rejoice for eternity.
Ignore the critics and naysayers. Reject all unbelief. Cast off all lethargy and complacency. Never, ever yield to discouragement. Resist the devil, submit to and draw near to God. Hate evil, love people. Repeat.
I leave you with a passage from The Message:
“I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it.” Philippians 3:12-16
Pray with me:
Father, we are not those who put their hand to the plow and turn back. As General Patton said, somewhat more colorfully, “Retreat? No, we’ll advance to the rear.” We say to You, Father, we will not retreat. We are advancing with You into greater glory, greater faith, greater opportunities, and greater fruitfulness.
Thank You for the honor of partnering with You. We ask for razor-sharp focus in this hinge year. We ask for keen hearing, acute awareness, sharp vision, and heightened discernment. May we not miss an opportunity. Like Peter, who walked by the lame man at Beautiful Gate many times, but knew when the season had changed and it was time for this miracle. The gift of faith was activated, the miracle occurred, and thousands were saved. We want this level of sensitivity. We declare that this is a year of extraordinary miracles!
And we turn our hearts to the warning You gave us for our water, dams, and ports. We decree by faith in You and Your word that every port, dam, waterway, and water supply in all of America is protected and shielded from evil. No evil plot planned or devised against them will succeed; every snare is broken. We will not fear, and terror will not come near us (Isaiah 54:14 AMP; Isaiah 54:17; Psalm 21:11; Psalm 124:7).
Our decree:
We decree that no opposition will deter us from Holy Spirit’s opportunities.
Click on the link below to watch the full video.
You can find out more about Jim Hodges at JimHodgesMinistries.com.
James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 3173
Ibid., ref. no. 1756.
Ibid., ref. no. 2041.