Gatekeeper

When my husband and I began to consistently visit our current church, our pastor asked to meet with us. When we met, we had a beautiful evening of fellowship and getting to know each other. Our pastor shared more about himself and asked us to share our stories. Finally, he got straight to the point and asked, "Where do you two see yourselves ministering in the church?" That question caught both of us off guard; we hadn't really thought about it.

My husband took a moment to think and then said, "For starters, I can see myself being the doorkeeper, greeting people who come in."

Our pastor chuckled a little and said, "You know, I'm very happy to hear you say that. Too often, I have meetings with people, and very rarely do they see themselves as the doorkeeper or part of the cleanup crew. But that's usually where I place them, as that's where there is the greatest need. We always start with your willingness to do the most insignificant jobs, and then we promote you to other roles from there."

I realized right then that we have a good pastor because this exemplifies a model that Christ reveals to us in His Word. In addition to the physical church we regularly attend, there is also a spiritual temple that we must attend to, and that is the temple of our hearts. 

Jesus teaches a parable that is often referred to as the Parable of the Gatekeeper (found in Mark 13 and Luke 12). In this parable, Jesus tells of a master who leaves on a journey, assigning roles to his servants and instructing the doorkeeper to keep watch at the door. To "watch at the door" spiritually means maintaining a quiet presence at the gates of heaven. This is reflected in our quiet devotional time spent in prayer and studying the Word. 

In John 10:9, Jesus declares, "I am the gate." This gatekeeper symbolizes the time we devote to being at the gate—at Jesus's feet—watching and praying. The parable concludes with the statement that when the master returns and finds that servant faithfully doing what he was instructed, he will promote that servant over his entire household.

Jesus always assigns us the role of gatekeeper first. We are called to sit at the gates of heaven and at Jesus's feet, maintaining the temple of our hearts. When we demonstrate faithfulness in this, the master will promote us and guide us to the destiny and calling He always had in mind for us—an area of influence that will minister to the entire household and the body of Christ.