THE CHURCH AT PHILADELPHIA

 

By: Rev. Erick M. Fajardo
Baptist Church of the Firstborn, Mandaluyong City
(Prov. 13: 20;14:1)

 

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; these things saith he that is holy, he that is true, HE THAT HATH THE KEY OF DAVID, HE THAT OPENETH, AND NO MAN SHUTTETH; AND SHUTTETH, AND NO MAN OPENETH;

I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

Behold I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
(Rev. 3: 7-11)
IN CHAPTERS 2 & 3 of the Book of Revelation, we are given the details about the seven churches, where only one of them stands true. Only one did not receive a rebuke from the Lord. Only one did not lose sight of her direction and purpose.
The other 6 churches lost something along the way and consequently they lost sight of their direction and purpose.
The Church of Philadelphia was the only one that kept her vision and kept her word. the keyword is “kept” (vv 8, 10). By examining what each Church lost, we can obtain a good idea of the Church of Philadelphia kept.

1. The church at Ephesus lost her first love (Rev. 2:1-7).
a) Verses 4 & 5 tells us that she had left her first love and she is challenged to repent.
b) What is the first love of the Church? Christ and the souls.
c) Have we lost our first love for souls?
d) If so, then, He will rebuke us.
e) We will become ineffective for our Lord.

2. The church at Smyrna lost her courage& boldness (Rev. 2: 8-11)
a) vv 9-10
b) Trials and tribulations require stands of courage & boldness.
c) Dare to stand alone for Christ.

3. The church at Pergamos lost her purity – Doctrinal Stand
a) vv 14-15
b) They compromised their doctrines.
c) Are you still standing on the sound Biblical doctrines or have you compromised already?
d) Those who never learned to eat the strong meat of doctrines will remain as babes.

4. The church at Thyatira lost her separation (Rev. 2: 18-29).
a) vv 19-20
b) We are to maintain
- doctrinal separation
- moral separation
- spiritual separation

5.The church at Sardis lost her life (Rev. 3: 1-6)
a) vv 1 & 2
b) This church proclaimed to be something she was not.
c) There was no spark of life to work.
d) There was no spark of life to earnestly contend for the faith.

6. The church of Laodicea lost her zeal (Rev. 3: 14-19)
a) (v. 15)
b) They lost their zeal in their self-sufficiency (v. 17)
c) Only God gives sufficiency.
d) God is worthy
of our service.
e) The church
became content
until she lost
her zeal.