1 Corinthians 16:9 for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
Paul concludes sharing his plans to visit the Corinthians. A “wide door” has opened for him. This means that there is much to do in Ephesus and surrounding community, and he feels God is directing him to stay there until Pentecost. The door is described with two adjectives. One is the word “wide” or “large.” The harvest was plentiful for Paul. He needed to train up the local leaders to work in this great harvest. The door is also “effective” or workable (from “energy”). This hints at Paul’s ministry strategy. He wanted to go where God opened the doors for him. He wanted to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, as the book of Acts indicates.
The problem, however, is that he had many adversaries or opponents. These people made the ministry difficult, even to the point of outright persecution, beating, and imprisonment. Paul would not let this deter him from the calling to preach the gospel. This is a great inspiration to us. Every person experiences some type of obstacle to preaching and sharing the good news with others. Sometimes this challenge is of our own making, such as fear or shame. Other times, others will oppose us. Paul hints here that when God provides the open door, we can go forward through this door and follow God’s will, even when there are people who make it difficult for us. Don’t give up following God’s path for you!
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