Church at Philadelphia: Promise, Prophetic, Application
"He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. 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 I will write on him My new name. 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'" (Revelation 3:12,13 - New King James Version)
Those who are true Christians, having trusted Christ as their only hope of being saved, will be pillars in God's temple. This has the idea of permanence. We will forever be in God's presence. We will never be separated from the Lord.
God will write upon us His Name, the name of His city and His new name. All of these signify that we belong to God. It will be clear that we are His as we worship Him in eternity.
Some believe that this letter prophetically pictures the period of Church History called the Great Awakening. This period includes the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The Great Awakening grew out of the earlier Reformation period. This was a time of declining power among the State Churches, and growth of the free churches who were not State controlled or sponsored.
This was also a time of great evangelistic and missionary efforts. Christians got back to the spiritual battle that had so long been neglected. This was the time of John and Charles Wesley, George Whitefield, Charles Spurgeon, Dwight Moody, Jonathon Edwards, Hudson Taylor, and many others whom God used in great ways.
Christianity made great advances during this period. Yet this was not an effort based upon human strength but was one of weakness. The ministries during this time relied on God every day to meet their needs for that day. They knew not where the support would come for tomorrow or next week, but worked by faith and God supplied.
Christians today could learn much from those who served God so faithfully during this time. If we had the faith they had, the power in prayer they had, and the courage they had, we would accomplish more for God. What should encourage us is that we can have what they had. It is available if we will trust God's strength not our own. It is when we are weak that we are strong in the Lord.
This letter should be a source of encouragement for every Christian who is faithful in His service for the Lord. We should continue to do what we are doing. We should also look for more that we can do. We may be weak but the Lord is strong.
He is ready to equip us to use the doors of opportunity that are before us. We must recognize these doors and go through them trusting God to empower us. We need to learn to walk by faith not by sight and to step out of our comfort zone.
Those who are true Christians, having trusted Christ as their only hope of being saved, will be pillars in God's temple. This has the idea of permanence. We will forever be in God's presence. We will never be separated from the Lord.
God will write upon us His Name, the name of His city and His new name. All of these signify that we belong to God. It will be clear that we are His as we worship Him in eternity.
Some believe that this letter prophetically pictures the period of Church History called the Great Awakening. This period includes the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The Great Awakening grew out of the earlier Reformation period. This was a time of declining power among the State Churches, and growth of the free churches who were not State controlled or sponsored.
This was also a time of great evangelistic and missionary efforts. Christians got back to the spiritual battle that had so long been neglected. This was the time of John and Charles Wesley, George Whitefield, Charles Spurgeon, Dwight Moody, Jonathon Edwards, Hudson Taylor, and many others whom God used in great ways.
Christianity made great advances during this period. Yet this was not an effort based upon human strength but was one of weakness. The ministries during this time relied on God every day to meet their needs for that day. They knew not where the support would come for tomorrow or next week, but worked by faith and God supplied.
Christians today could learn much from those who served God so faithfully during this time. If we had the faith they had, the power in prayer they had, and the courage they had, we would accomplish more for God. What should encourage us is that we can have what they had. It is available if we will trust God's strength not our own. It is when we are weak that we are strong in the Lord.
This letter should be a source of encouragement for every Christian who is faithful in His service for the Lord. We should continue to do what we are doing. We should also look for more that we can do. We may be weak but the Lord is strong.
He is ready to equip us to use the doors of opportunity that are before us. We must recognize these doors and go through them trusting God to empower us. We need to learn to walk by faith not by sight and to step out of our comfort zone.
posted by David Frank Wilson | 6:51 PM
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