Skip to main content

Philadelphia

    The church of Philadelphia is unique in the fact that it is the one church of all seven who didn't have any criticisms from Jesus. Their letter was more to encourage them to stay on the track they were already headed down. That is the goal for us all. We should strive to posses the qualities that the church in Philadelphia did.

    Even though the church in Philadelphia had "little strength," they still managed to follow God's word. Sometimes it's easy to convince ourselves that we are too tired to devote any time or effort to following Jesus. Maybe we don't think about it outright, but we believe it and therefore back away from Jesus and His community. The beauty of the Philadelphia church was that they pressed on even when they were weak and never denied Jesus in the hard times, as is tempting for us all. 

    The Lord brought those who came against Philadelphia to their feet. They admitted the truth and recognized His people for who they were. Jesus honored their endurance and perseverance so much, He protected them from the judgement of the world. The interpretation of this passage varies as Jesus is referencing His second coming to the earth, but what we can be sure of is that He promised His faithful followers that they would not have to go through the testing and trials that those of the world would around the time of His return. 

    We should all strive to be like the church in Philadelphia. They were blessed for their perseverance in all circumstances. Even when it feels impossible to carry on, we've got to. If we succeed in this, we will be highly blessed and favored for it in Jesus' sight. I can't think of anything better.

Revelation 3:8-12 I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me. Look, I will force those who belong to Satan’s synagogue—those liars who say they are Jews but are not—to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love.
“Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name." (NLT)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Seeing by Faith

    When we are trying to live by faith, the things that inhibit us are the things that are right under our noses. We are trained to live based on the things around us. We don't believe anything if we don't see proof of it. The things around us are more our reality than what we say we believe in. But the Bible tells us that we are to walk by faith and not by sight. We are to live based on what we know is truth, not by what we see.     The things we see around us distract us from the reality we should be living in. What is unseen is eternal and more important than the things of this world. We need to fix our eyes on what is lasting and know the difference. We need to be filling ourselves with the word and not the world. When we are distracted by the world, we forget the truth. We become discouraged and doubt our faith. We need to draw strength from one another so that we may run the race with endurance.     What is determining your reality today? Is i...

Think Twice

    When the Holy Spirit was sent to us on earth, it made Jesus readily available to all. Now He lives in us, not among us. When you are a born again Christian, you now have Jesus dwelling inside you. How does that affect your daily life? Do you realize that you are a reflection of the one you carry with you everywhere you go?    Sadly, that doesn't mean much to a lot of Christians. Instead of using Jesus as an instrument of love, hope, and salvation, they use His name as a weapon. They spend their time boycotting instead of praying for Jesus to change hearts. Telling others that the God who IS love, hates them. Letting others know that they will go to hell for their decisions, instead of lighting the way to heaven. Let me be clear: this is wrong! No one wants to believe in a hateful, unforgiving God. I certainly don't. That's why I follow Jesus.     Even if you aren't the one openly boycotting on street corners, be careful of the image of God you are g...

Receiving Graciously Pt. 1

    We've all heard sermons and teachings about the importance of giving, yet not many leaders in the church seem to cover the topic of receiving. We know that it s hugely important that we give and give abundantly to those around us. We use what God has blessed us with to bless those around us. But what happens when you're on the other end of that blessing? When God uses someone else to bless you? There are two big mistakes when it comes to receiving-- those who take too much and those who won't receive at all. Let's start with the former and finish with the latter tomorrow.     We all know those people who will try to get anything they can out of others. Free food? Let me stuff my pockets for later. You're buying? Let me order the most expensive thing off the menu. Is that attitude really exhibiting the characteristics of Jesus? No. Jesus was no beggar and no taker. He wasn't one to take everything He could get out of others and we shouldn't be either. O...