According to modern-day revelations, open doors of opportunity are God’s leading. These opportunities come to us and, when unhindered, is God’s revelation. If one faces obstacles, opposition, or resistance, it is not an open door. This is an example of a sign of an internal impression or unction in which God wants us to walk.  We should walk only through open doors.  But, the “open doors” of the New Testament were doors of opportunity to preach the gospel, not to choose a wife, house, or job. These were not used to give guidance in areas of decision-making.  Once again, these are texts that are taken out of context.
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 16:8-9, “But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost.  For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.” Paul’s opportunity to teach at the school of Tyrannus for two years resulted in a great number of people hearing the gospel (Acts 19:8-10). But, the many adversaries mentioned in 1 Corinthians 16 remind us of the terrible trouble that resulted from the work of Demetrius in the city of Ephesus. Paul stays in this city for three years (Acts 20:17, 31), yet the presence of obstacles, opposition, and resistance did not define the decision to preach in Ephesus a “closed door.” Paul had obstacles but considered the preaching of the gospel an open door. I guess we can dismiss that definition as faulty. Â
1 Corinthians 2:12-13 reads, “Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord,  I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I departed for Macedonia.”
Paul goes to Macedonia in Acts 20:1 and had sent Titus to Corinth. It seems that Paul intended to meet Titus in Troas with a report from Corinth. When Titus didn’t show up, after waiting for seven days, he moved on to Macedonia. Troas was an open door but instead of walking through that door, Paul leaves after seven days. If open doors are a clear voice from God, how could he have disobeyed the “clear” voice of God? The counter-response is that Paul didn’t have peace with it because “his spirit had no rest.” However, the point is that Paul didn’t consider the open door as a sign. An open door was only an opportunity for service, usually the preaching of the gospel. It was not a directive from God.
Colossians 4:3 reads, “meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains.”  Once again, Paul looked upon chains in Rome as an opportunity to preach the gospel. Oh, but wait. If there are obstacles and hindrances, that is not an open door, according to the view. It is a closed-door that means God is telling you not to go. An example of a closed-door was when the Spirit told Paul not to go into Bythynia (Acts 16:7).  We are not told how the Spirit revealed this, but the text tells us that he forbade or did not permit them to go. Then, they received the Macedonian call to go over there – another door of opportunity. Still, Paul considers an open door to be an opportunity to preach, even under very obvious obstacles and resistance.  None of the open doors were cues given by God to give us a green light to go forward with a decision.