A challenger and a champion

Continuing Elan's walk through Revelation 2 and 3, Pastor Juliet Lyons arrives at Philadelphia, the sixth of the seven churches. She opens with Mr. Davidson, her form tutor in London who was also her Sunday school teacher and a church elder. He held her to a high standard and had authority in her life because he took his own advice. That, she says, is what this letter is: Christ Himself challenging and championing the church in Philadelphia. Good leadership in God's house should not always stroke our ego; it should push against pride, keep us submitted to the lordship of Christ, and call us to God's standard, not man's. Psalm 24, Proverbs 3, and 2 Timothy 3 remind us that God's discipline and correction are expressions of love, and the trap is to assume the admonition is for somebody else.

The setting in Philadelphia

Ancient Philadelphia, in modern-day Turkey, sat on the border of two tectonic plates. An earthquake around AD 17 devastated the city, and it never regained its former glory. When the Jewish synagogue expelled the Christians, it removed their exemption from saying "Hail Caesar," effectively signing their death sentence. John's letter would have landed like water on dry soil. Pastor Juliet organizes it around four things: Christ's character, His commendation, His commands, and His commitment.

His character: holy and true, holding the key of David

Jesus introduces Himself as the one who is holy and true, and He expects the same of His people. The key of David comes from Isaiah 22:22, where Eliakim is given the key to the house of David; Jesus is the true guardian of a new Jerusalem, and the key He holds gives access to His very presence and all the riches of heaven.

His commendation: little strength, great faithfulness

"I know your deeds," Jesus says, and places before them an open door no one can shut. Pastor Juliet warns against lifting this verse out of context; the door opens because of their faithfulness. They were small in number, hated by Romans, Gentiles, and Jews alike, facing the same persecution that killed Polycarp, yet they kept His Word and did not deny His name. God saw it when no one else was watching. Faithfulness to God is our best offense in a dark world. To those who slandered them, God promises vindication: one day their accusers will acknowledge that He has loved them.

His commands: endure patiently and hold on

Verse 10 reveals that enduring patiently is a command from God, and obedience in endurance will always reap a reward, just not when we expect it. Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 24 that persecution would come, love would grow cold, and "the one who endures to the end will be saved." We often pray for the trauma to be removed, and God answers like a coach: stand firm, hold fast. The second command, "hold on to what you have," guards against an enemy who wants to water down convictions, convince us that compromise is the only option, and snatch our reward.

His commitment: pillars with His name

To the one who overcomes, Jesus promises to make them a pillar in the temple of God, written with the name of God, the name of His city, and Jesus' own new name. Those once denied access to the synagogue will never again be denied access to the presence of God.

Sunrise over the Maasai Mara

Pastor Juliet closes with a 2019 missions trip to Kenya. Grieving her oldest sister's death and six months postpartum, she climbed into a hot air balloon in pitch darkness. As the sun rose over the Maasai Mara, the hardness in her heart melted away, and she could speak to God again for the first time in months. Patient endurance in the midnight moments is not easy, but when the morning comes every setback is worth it. Philadelphia was commended not because life was perfect but because it wasn't, and they were faithful anyway. She invites two kinds of people to pray: those living their own way while making excuses, and those who feel tested and are desperately trying to hold on. The call to holiness is high, and the faithful well done is worth waiting for.