Everyone who studies Scripture wants to be in the church of Philadelphia because it alone was promised protection from the Great Tribulation Jesus said was coming.

“Since you have kept My command to endure patiently, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.” – Rev. 3:10

It was also the church that Jesus gave an ‘open door‘ to. They were not wealthy and were not mighty in worldly power and influence but, they were rich in faithfulness. With this intro I give the video introduction to the church of Philadelphia.

Worldly mentality judges by such things as your prosperity, your acceptance or acclaim, your popularity, or your ministry’s success (in worldly terms of course) but, these are just works and are not the standards Christ judges by. While all of these things may be desirable or important, the Philadelphia church had none of them. Yet, they are the only church Jesus promised to keep from the great trial that will come to test the whole world. Why?

They kept His Word and they did not deny His name. On these two things everything else hangs. The Word of God is the foundation for all the rest, even the very creation was accomplished by God speaking His Word. His Name embodies everything He is. You cannot properly be faithful to His name unless you accept all He taught. We must embrace all Jesus was and is – until He is formed in us as Paul wrote to the Galatians –

“My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be
formed in you,” – Gal. 4:19

Father, forgive them …

They endured patiently the ridicule and persecution that all  “who will live godly in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:12) must bear and I imagine they even prayed for their persecutors as Jesus did from the cross. For me, this requires great grace as my natural inclination is to punch-em the nose! But, the Lord helped them and set an open door before them and only time will tell how many souls are in heaven today because of their faithful use of the authority to bind the evil and loose the good given to them.

May we all achieve the same level of faithfulness.

(Lessons from Laodocia will be the next letter)