Great Is Thy Faithfulness!

Four Signs of Faithfulness

“Understand, therefore, that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands.”          Deuteronomy 7:9

Lamentations 3:21-25 

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; 

Modern church life is much more complicated than the early church, but the faithfulness of the church in Philadelphia is a model we can emulate today. Christ commended the church in Philadelphia for four things—principles that can be, and often are, lost among the practices and programs of the modern church.

While Christ addresses his letter in Revelation 3:7-13 to the church as a body, His words of commendation were for every individual believer. It’s the faith of the individual believers that determines the strength of the church.

There are four reasons Christ praised Philadelphian believers, and we can benefit from and apply these principles to our personal spiritual lives:

1. They have an open door

Christ opens His letter to Philadelphia revealing His sovereignty. He is the one who “has the key of David … who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens” (Revelation 3:7). With that in mind, He tells the church in Philadelphia, “I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it.”

The notion of an open door appears several times in the New Testament. Paul talked about a door for ministry that was open for him in Ephesus (1 Corinthians 16:8-9). He said the same thing about his opportunity for ministry in Troas (2 Corinthians 2:12). And in Colossians 4:2-3, Paul talked about praying “that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ.” In each case, the “open door” represents an opportunity for ministry. That would include people on the other side of the door who were receptive to Paul’s message.

Philadelphia was a gateway city to a large region that included other cities. Christ was reminding the church in Philadelphia that they were in a strategic location for ministry.

Has God placed you in a strategic place for ministry?

The late John Stott of England adds great discernment to the notion of open doors for ministry:

“Christ has the keys and He opens the doors. Then let us not barge our way unceremoniously through doors which are still closed. We must wait for Him to make openings for us. Damage is continually being done to the cause of Christ by rude or blatant testimony. It is indeed right to seek to win for Christ our friends and relatives at home and at work, but we are sometimes in a greater hurry than God is. Be patient, pray hard, love much, and wait expectantly for the opportunity of witness. The same applies to our future. More mistakes are probably made by speed than by sloth, by impatience than by deleteriousness. God’s purposes often ripen slowly and if the door is shut, don’t put your shoulder to it. Wait till Christ takes out the key and opens it up.”

The church in Philadelphia is reminded that Christ is able to open doors for ministry that no one can close. And the same is true for every church and individual believer today.

2. They have a little strength

Christ next makes a rather strange sounding commendation. He has just reminded them of the great opportunity He has given them, but then says “you have a little strength.” What did He mean?

Literally, the Greek text conveys this idea: You have “but little strength.” Christ presents their situation as almost problematic: You have a big opportunity but only a little strength. The implication is that it is not their strength that is important but Christ’s strength. 

This brings to mind Christ’s words to Paul: “My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Paul learned that in His weakness, Christ’s strength was more than sufficient.

That is the message of Christ for His Church in all places and in all ages. What we do in our own strength has no staying power, but what Christ does for us in His strength will last for eternity.

3. They have kept the Word of God

Third, Christ commends the church in Philadelphia for their fidelity to the Word of God: “[You] have kept My Word.”

After my book I Never Thought I’d See the Day! was published, I was asked to do a number of radio interviews. The most-frequently asked question was: “What is the one thing that is most responsible for erosion of biblical standards in the Church?” I didn’t need to think for long about that answer—it is the removal of the Word of God from the pulpits of churches. When Christians don’t know what God’s desires and standards are, how can we follow them? And further, how can we resist being conformed to the world that violates God’s standards? We can’t without God’s Word!

One of the reasons the church in Philadelphia was blessed by God was because of their faithfulness to His Word. Make a commitment to remain faithful to the Word of God. “Hide it in your heart” that you might not sin against Him (Psalm 119:1).

4. They have not denied the Lord

Finally, Christ commended the church in Philadelphia because they had not denied His name. They were faithful not only to the Word of the Lord but to the Lord Himself. They would not participate in the worship of Caesar that was so common in their day. Even in the face of persecution they did not deny the name of Christ. 

Resolve to serve Christ with your whole heart. Those who serve the Lord faithfully are a testimony of His grace and mercy to a lost and dying world. 

If we want to make an impact for the kingdom of God while we are here and be commended by Christ like the church of Philadelphia, we need to walk through open doors of ministry, depend on His strength, and be true to Him and to His Word.