A LETTER FROM THE LORD

(6) REVELATION 3.7-13: TO PHILADELPHIA: A LETTER ABOUT FIDELITY

For the Church at Philadelphia (alone) Christ seems to have no word of firm, loving censure but only words of approval and encouragement.  Four words seem to sum up the Church there and Christ’s message to it: VULNERABILITY, FIDELITY,  OPPORTUNITY, ETERNITY.

I. VULNERABILITY:  3.8 ‘I know you have little strength’

• In what ways do you imagine the Church at Philadelphia might have lacked ‘strength’? Do you see Christ’s words as a criticism?  Or an acknowledgement?  (Why?)
• In what ways is it always true of Christ’s church in this world that we ‘have little strength’?
• (Matt 10.16, Eph 6.10-12, 1 Cor 1.26-27, 2 Cor 4.7-10
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  In what areas do we, personally, especially experience vulnerability?
• (So....How can we live for Christ and serve?)
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• What encouragements does Christ offer in this letter to this vulnerable church?

II. FIDELITY:  3.8-11: ‘yet you have kept my word’

• In great vulnerability, they have demonstrated fidelity. How? (3.8,10) How do you imagine their fidelity to Christ might have been tested?  How is ours tested in our day? How might we compromise it?
•  (What if we fail??  2 Timothy 2.13)
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• How important to God is ‘faithfulness’?  (Prov 3.3-4) Quote: “Our calling is not to be successful but to be faithful”. Is there any truth in this saying?  How much is being successful in our control?
• What special encouragement and reward does Jesus extend to this Church for its fidelity?  3.10. Does this surprise you?  (especially in the light of his words to  Smyrna 2.10). How do you explain it?

III. OPPORTUNITY:  3.7-8 : ‘I have set before you an open door’

• What do you think Christ means by this?  An ‘open door’ for what?  (1 Cor 16.9, 2 Cor 2.12, Col 4.3, Acts 14.27)) How come Christ provides ‘an open door’ to a church that has ‘little strength’?
• How do Christ’s promises to the Philadelphians in verses 9-10 (of ‘victory’ and immunity’) further their ability to take advantage of the ‘open door’? What urgency is given by the opening words of 3.11?
• Do you sense that you (or ‘we’ as Christians or a church) are being presented with any particular ‘open door(s)’ in these days?

IV. ETERNITY:  3.11-12: ‘Him who overcomes I will make....’

Philadelphia’s fidelity is to be rewarded by both earthly opportunity and heavenly ‘legacy’!

• Being faithful to Christ not infrequently shuts the door on certain earthly honours for Christ’s people. (Do you agree?) What heavenly compensations does Christ promise?
• (Bearing in mind the background to Philadelphia,) what special compensations are signified by the promises: to make you ‘a pillar in the temple of God’?
• to ‘never again leave it’?
• to write on them ‘the names ‘... and His new name’?
• Christians in Philadelphia are encouraged to be thoroughly ‘earthly-minded’ and seize the day of opportunity; and yet to be thoroughly  ‘heavenly-minded’ and always keep in mind the joys of eternity. How important is this balance?
• Do we have the two in balance today?