Come in

Some passages of scripture are filled with mental images a person from the original culture would immediately understand. For many passages from John’s Revelation this is especially true. Let us consider, "Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends . . . Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches." - Rev 3:20;22 (NLT). Around this time, a locked door indicated some level of protection from whatever was outside, and opening the door meant trust of the person who is to come inside. The first element here is notification that someone on the other side of this safety device wants to enter. John introduces this as, "hear." This word meant more than absorbing the sound that is made, perhaps an alert at the door.  To these hearers, it meant understanding what was said and accepting the meaning. One can listen to words and not understand their meaning. Finally, when one opened the door and invited a person into his home, the home owner was expected to do all in their power to give them aid and even protection. A meal was understood to indicate a level of acceptance and close fellowship. To the original hearers, this describes a sincere invitation to those people who are able to understand the significance of having a very close relationship with God. As then, the closest relationship to God now is via the Holy Spirit. As Christians move along their unique individual spiritual journey, they should ask the Holy Spirit to guide their pathway and offer praise to God.