MINISTER'S BLOG

May 2026

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. - Matthew 7:7-8

Many of you will be familiar with these verses from Matthew 7, but it's always worth delving a little deeper into familiar passages. These verses are part of the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew chapters 5-7, a series of foundational teaching from Jesus, including the Lord's Prayer, the Beatitudes, how to live within the law, how to love. These chapters contain many of the core doctrines at the heart of our faith.

It is very easy to misinterpret these verses. If we get the emphasis wrong we could be reading it as

Ask and it will be GIVEN to you
Seek and you will FIND
Knock and the door will be OPENED

And this is, of course, true! If you ask, it will be given; if you seek, you will find; if you knock, the door will be opened. If you are looking for a relationship with God, whether that's the tentative relationship of someone new to Christianity or as a long time follower of Christ, this is a great starting point.

Our emphasis, however, should be on the Ask! Seek! Knock! There's an urgency to it, in the same way as when someone shouts “Stop!” or “Help!” It requires a response and it requires action. There's a persistence to it too. The Greek verbs emphasise a continuous action: ask and keep on asking; seek and keep on seeking; knock and keep on knocking. We ask, seek and knock through regular prayer, Bible study and talking with other Christians.

There is increasing intensity to these instructions too. We start with speaking. Having a conversation with God, verbalising our needs, our concerns, all that is on our hearts. Then there is a more active searching. This is actively trying to find out God's will, discernment. Then there is the knocking. Persistence, keeping in touch with God, checking-in that you're on the right path.

And this pattern is cyclical. We don't just ask, seek, knock once. We aim to keep going with this routine regularly, both as individuals, but also as a whole church. That is why being a member of church is so important and why our members' meetings are so important. As individuals we come to God to deepen our relationship with him, to be guided, comforted and corrected by Him. But as a Church we collectively come to God to discern His teachings, His paths, His plans.

Sometimes God opens new doors to us. As a church I believe we are on the cusp of something new. This can feel daunting but it's also exciting! God hasn't revealed all of His plans yet so as a fellowship we keep on asking, seeking, knocking. And when God opens that door, we need to be ready to walk through it with the confidence of knowing that God is right beside us!

Nigel