"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." - Rev 3:20
Is this verse an invitation to sinners to "accept Jesus into their heart" as is preached in many modern churches? Let's look at the context of this verse in order to determine the intended audience. The first verse in this section is v. 14, "And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write..." The last verse in this section and the chapter (v. 22) reads, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” So then, the intended audience is not the unconverted sinner, but rather the church. In fact the previous verse, v. 19 says, "Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent." Jesus' offer to come in and eat with a person is a calling to His own to renew their fellowship with Him. This isn't a pathetic Jesus wishing more people would just "accept Him." This is our saviour, our beloved, knocking, as He does in Song of Solomon 5:2 desiring fellowship with the ones He loves.
