Back to the Future: Revelation - Letter to Philadelphia

Revelation: 3:8-12 | Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia. This is the message from the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David. What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open.

I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me. Look, I will force those who belong to Satan’s synagogue—those liars who say they are Jews but are not—to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love.

Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name.

• What was the church in Philadelphia doing well? 

• How do you relate to the church in Philadelphia? 

  • Which of the following things are you doing well? What do you need to start doing or to do better? 

    • Obeying the Bible

    • Publicly showing your faith in Jesus

    • Not giving up when following Jesus is hard

• The letter to the church at Philadelphia is the only one without correction. What do you think was at the center of their righteousness - or being able to live God’s way?

• The church in Philadelphia didn’t need correction, but God spoke to them with encouragement anyway. Why was this important? How can you encourage a fellow believer today? [Now do it!]