Letter Six

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.’” ~Revelation 3:7

In our examination of the seven letters in the book of Revelation, we come to the second of two letters to churches that received no criticism. Remarkably, they are sent to the churches that, by all worldly measures of success, appear unsuccessful. The church in Smyrna was overwhelmed by tribulation, suffering, and poverty. None of these are terms we’d want applied to us or our church. They sound an awful lot like losing. The church in Philadelphia was only a small company of believers who were marked by weakness (“you have but little power”) — yet another term that lands awkwardly on our ears. Isn’t success measured by strength? Isn’t success marked by achievement? Not according to Christ, the one who succeeded in His ministry by persecution; the one who succeeded in His mission by dying.

What is it, then, about the church in Philadelphia that elicits praise from Christ? It certainly isn’t their popularity, prestige, or position within the society — rather, it’s that one all-important word that truly defines success from heaven’s perspective: faithfulness. They had “kept” Christ’s Word. They had “not denied” His name. They “patiently endured” in their calling despite the hardship they experienced at the hands of those who denied their message. In other words, they were faithful to Christ according to His word, in their witness, and in their hope.

Have you ever wondered how a person or a church can be faithful to Christ when everything seems to be going against them? Sickness or financial difficulties hit suddenly. Numbers dwindle or seasons of hardship arise out of nowhere. We find ourselves weak and poor and unable to accomplish anything on our own — a good place to be, actually, since it’s from this place that we find the true source of our success in life and in ministry: reliance on Christ Himself as the sovereign one over all our circumstances.

Jesus talks about “open doors” and “shut doors” and “keep[ing]” the saints in Philadelphia. In all these things, He is portraying Himself as the one who is strong. It’s His strength that upholds His people. He alone is powerful to save. The weakness of the Philadelphian church could not stand in the way of the one who grants salvation. In fact, if it weren’t for their weakness, they would have had reason to boast, but as they are “unsuccessful” by worldly standards, they could only look to Jesus for strength.

Friends, I’m sure you’ve heard it said: in the Christian faith, the way up is down. Living looks a lot like dying. Christ’s strength is found in our weakness. And because of this we can be afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). We don’t measure spiritual success by worldly standards; rather, we remember that no matter what Christ gives us, we are called to remain faithful to and fully dependent upon Him, and He will ultimately accomplish all His purposes, for our good and His glory.

Rev. Kyle Lockhart, Pastor