Exhortations from Patmos
The Apostle John was exiled to the island of Patmos during the cruel reign of Domitian. John’s crime was that he proclaimed and shared the saving message of the Lord Jesus (Revelation 1:9). On Patmos, John received a prophetic revelation concerning not only the future but also seven letters to seven churches that existed in that time in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). These letters are filled with correction and encouragement not only for the believers in those days but also today.
In Jesus’ letter to the church in Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13), the Lord provides four criteria that identify a faithful church. In this series of posts, we will explore each of these criteria as described in verse 8, where the Lord commends the church.
The first characteristic of a faithful church is that it takes advantage of the opportunities that the Lord provides them. But the Philadelphians have a problem. How will they fulfill this if they have little power?
Relying on the Lord’s Strength
The church is also described as having “little power” or “strength” yet commended for its good works. What is the Lord referring to? Robert Thomas summarizes this well by stating that “little power” must refer to the church’s limited influence because of its numerical smallness.”[1] In other words, even though they were small numerically the Lord provided the power they needed to serve and remain faithful to Him. The second characteristic of a faithful church is that it recognizes that its power comes from the Lord, not from itself.
“Numerically, the church was not very strong, but God had infused this faithful group with spiritual power enabling them to be true to His name in the midst of satanic opposition. God does not need naturally gifted vessels for His service (1 Corinthians 1:26-29), but yielded people through whom He can minister (2 Corinthians 4:7). Effective service does not depend upon the size of a church but upon its availability to be used.”[2]
Too often, we assume that if we have few people and limited resources, we cannot achieve anything significant for the Lord. The world may not find a church (or individual) with little strength appealing. However, the Lord teaches us here that He takes pleasure in weak vessels that are surrendered to Him.
The second characteristic of a faithful church is that it relies on the Lord for strength. What are you relying on?
“And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NKJV)
Blessings,
Pastor Steven