SCRIPTURE: I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Revelation 3:8 ESV
THOUGHT: God of compassion. That’s the phrase that goes through my mind as I read about the church in Philadelphia.
A city in Turkey (modern day Alashehir), Philadelphia was a commercial center in 189 BC when the king of Pergamum established it, naming it to honor his brother. It is nowhere else mentioned in Scripture, although Paul on his third missionary journey could have passed through it on his journey from Antioch to Ephesus. It was almost destroyed by earthquake and volcano in 17 AD, and I wonder if Jesus might have heard of the difficult journey for the people there. The historians of the day certainly did.
I’ve read through this passage in Revelation 3 multiple times in the last few years and it means something really personal to me. God is so compassionate to look down at a small group of people calling on him, trusting in him, and open heavy doors no human being could budge.
As you read through the warnings to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3, Philadelphia stands out as a group of early believers (and perhaps representative of “late” believers on the cusp of Christ’s return) who were/are faithful despite being surrounded by anti-Christian cultures. I know your works; I’ve been watching your faith in action, God says. Don’t you wish the entire church was like the one in Philadelphia?
Just like this ancient city, the body of Christ has been threatened over and over – and you and I have our own stories of the enemy’s tactics to destroy. I have faith that, like the Christians in Philadelphia, God can open doors for us too as we keep his word and honor his name.
PRAYER: Oh God, it is not by our works that we are saved lest any of us should boast. It is by your power to open and close doors – and we pray you’ll do it again as we focus on your powerful word and great name, and leave those heavy doors to you.
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Blogger Amy Clemens is the author of Walking When You’d Rather Fly: Meditations on Faith After the Fall. In it she explores childhood sexual abuse and how it impacted her faith (or lack thereof) for four decades. You’ll find not only her story, but better yet, the Big Story of God.
Check out Walking When You’d Rather Fly, and learn more about the book and Amy’s other ministries. You will also find her devotional work at Words of Hope.
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