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24 Aug: 

Churches: Philadelphia

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this: ‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you. Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches’” (Revelation 3:7-13).

• Description of Jesus – In this “missionary city” established to take Greek culture to the outside world, Jesus identified Himself as “holy” and “true”. To be holy is to be set apart. Jesus is separate from the world and calls us to be as well.            John 15:19 “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.”       John 17:15,16 “I do not ask You to take them out of the world but to keep them from the evil on. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.”         1 Peter 2:9,10 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that  you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”   Jesus tells us that we are no longer a part of this world; we should no longer allow it to influence us or motivate us in living our lives.
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• He is also the source of truth that everyone – civilized or barbarian – must follow. He possesses “the key of David” an allusion to an Old Testament prophecy (Isaiah 22:22), which signified that access to the Father was only through Him. He told His disciples years before, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6).  Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Rom 8:34 “Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”
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• Current circumstances – The church in Philadelphia had “an open door” before them as they served as “missionaries” to the lost. They had an opportunity to do important work for the cause of Christ despite their “little power” or perceived limitations However, they also faced trouble from “the synagogue of Satan” Greater trials were coming, but they would be protected from them.

“I have put before you an open door”  There are various passages which talk about our being tested and disciplined. If we were to talk to the Good Samaritan might he not say that him finding that broken person in the ditch may have been a test to his compassion and servanthood? Did not Jesus, after washing His disciples feet, them to go do the same?

•  2 Cor 5:18, 20 “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, … Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us”.          In the course of our lives we are going to find many opportunities to show our love to our neighbor whether it be sharing the gospel or helping them in some difficult situation. The question is – how are WE going to respond???
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• Commendations AND Reward – These brethren kept the Lord’s word and were obedient to Him.   They refused to deny His name despite the pressure put upon them. “Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”  Like with Smyrna, the Lord promises a crown if they would “hold fast”.  Are we like these brother and sisters, remaining faithful or have we on occasion been more like the Christian seeds that fell in the rocks and deserted their faith when things became difficult because of their Christian walk?

They would be made “a pillar in the temple of My God” emphasizing their place of honor in support of God and His worship. They would also be given a “new name” in connection with the name of God and His dwelling place signifying that they belonged to God and their identity was found in Him.     Gal 6:9 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”  Rev 2:10 “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.”

Conclusion: Just as the city of Philadelphia was intended to spread Greek culture, the church is here to spread the message of Christ’s kingdom. They may have been few in number (“little power”), yet they were able to contribute significantly to the cause of Christ. “No one [could] shut” the door that was open before them (Revelation 3:8). In other words, no one could take away their opportunity to do good. It was up to them to take advantage of it if they chose to. And apparently they desired to do so.    In a similar fashion we need to use the opportunities we have for good. When we have opportunities to help those who are in need we need to do so. Paul told the Galatians, “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Galatians 6:10).

When we have opportunities before us that are unique to us we should strive to use them to the glory of God.

 

 

17 Aug:  Churches: Thyatira

“And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this: ‘I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first. But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you. Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come. He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; and I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches’” (Revelation 2:18-29).

• Description of Jesus – Jesus first identified Himself as the “Son of God”, reminding them of His deity (cf. John 1 & 5:17-18). He then said He had “eyes like a flame of fire”. This was a reminder of His power of perception and that nothing could be hidden from Him. He also has “feet…like burnished bronze” so He could tread them under His feet in an act of divine judgment. We need to have a faith and knowledge of who it is that we worship and trust in! As found in Jesus’ prayer in John 17 we need to know that our Savior is one with the creator of this universe. And as God’s children we are one with Him also.
• Current circumstances – These brethren were not facing persecution as others were. However, they did have a woman among them who was identified as “Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess”. She was tempting the Christians in Thyatira to commit immorality and participate in idol worship. They, like the church in Pergamum, were tolerating sin within their church – 1 John 4:1 “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
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• Commendations – The Lord mentioned their love, faith, service, and perseverance. He also said, “Your deeds of late are greater than at first” indicating that their growth and progress were admirable.   1 Cor 3:1-3 “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able for you are ill fleshly…”.   Heb 5:12,13 “ For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, ¹³ for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.”    1 Peter 2:2 “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation”.    There is an obvious expectation in Scripture that we are to grow, mature and develop as Christians with regard to our knowledge and understanding of God’s Word and our faith and trust in our relationship with Him.
• Condemnations – Despite the good they were doing, they were also tolerating “Jezebel,” who was leading Christians astray, and not trying to oppose or stop her. This woman was leading some of the brethren to compromise their faith and morals in order to be like the world. Not all of them were caught up in this but some had been led astray.  1 Cor 16:13 ““Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.”  In Ephesians 6:13, Paul talks about putting on the full armor of God, which serves as a protective measure against spiritual battles. This armor equips us to stand firm in our beliefs and resist any negative influences that seek to undermine our faith. 1 Cor 15:33 “Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character.”  Rom 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”    Eph 4:11-14 “And He gave some . . . . for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the statute which belongs to the fullness of Christ. that we henceforth be no longer children, tossed and there by the waves and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men and their cunning and craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive”.  In order for us to remain faithful, we need to continually be immersing our mind and heart with the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. If and when we do not do this there are consequences for our failures and misguided behavior!
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• Punishment for sin – The Lord promised “tribulation” for Jezebel and her followers. This divine judgment – in whatever form it would take – would be apparent to the other churches. This would happen after she was given time to repent and refused to do so.      We need to beware of the philosophies taught by this world and not be carried off into its wisdom or way of life. Romans 1:24 “Therefore God have them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity…” Three times in Romans 1 it states that God gave them over to their passions. If we are not careful, we may find ourselves in the same condition as this Jezebel or the Prodigal Son as he fed the Pigs. 1 Peter 2:1-5 “Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. And coming to Him as to a living stone which … you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” Following the teachings of Christ, we cannot serve two masters. We are living for the Lord or we are living according to the teachings of Satan. Matthew 7:15-19 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. …. Every good true bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. …  A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
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• So the question is whether we are producing good fruit or bad fruit – remembering that “NO” fruit qualifies for the punishment of bad fruit. If you remember, Jesus cursed one fig tree because is was fruitless and the one talent man was thrown out into eternal darkness where there was weeping and gnashing of teeth.   On the other hand –
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Reward for faithfulness – Jesus promised His disciples that they would have “authority over the nations”  and would reign with Him, a reminder that He was the ultimate authority, not the powerful forces around them. They would also be given “the morning star” which is identified later by Jesus as Himself In other words, by remaining faithful, they would enjoy the blessings of fellowship with Him.   Revelation 3:21 “The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.”

Conclusion

We face the temptation to sin all of the time. Yet at times, this influence can even come from within the church. If tolerated, it will spread, and we will no longer be distinguishable as the Lord’s church.

In some ways, the situation of the church in Thyatira was much like the one described in Paul’s first letter to Corinth: 1 Cor 5:1,2 “It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife. You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst.”

The Corinthians were boasting over how “tolerant” they were toward the brother who was engaged in sin and refused to repent. Paul told them to “deliver such a one to Satan” (1 Cor 5:4,5). This is the lesson for us today. We must not tolerate sinful behavior within the church (and/or our lives).

Let us instead continue in love, faith, service, and perseverance and keep ourselves from becoming like the world.