The Open Door Church

INTRODUCTION

We are studying the sixth church in the book of Revelation tonight; THE OPEN DOOR CHURCH. This letter is addressed to the church in Philadelphia. And if I could relate our church as whole to any of these churches, I would like to think this letter would fit us most.

As we study these letters, we should make personal application to our own lives. One may love Jesus less than they did when they first come to Christ, or one may be allowing wicked people to infiltrate their lives. But corporately, I think this letter is for us.

Philadelphia:

The word Philadelphia means “love of the brethren”. This name came from Attalus Philadelphus who possibly who founded the city (or his brother the king of Pergamum). The city had tremendous opportunity because of its location and known as “the gateway to the east”.

Philadelphia gained its reputation as a missionary city Attalus decided to import Greek culture to the barbarian people in this region of Asia Minor. He used the city of Philadelphia as the launch point to spread the Greek language and the Greek way of life to people locked in what he saw as crude and uncivilized ways. Philadelphia was to be the door for Greek culture into the whole region.

When I think about the city that we are located in, this sounds like it. We are in a place of tremendous opportunity and a chance to reach people from all over the world without ever leaving the county.

Jesus also says to this church, “behold I have put before you an open door which no one can shut”.

Man if that is not true for us! What an opportunity we have before us! There are nearly 8,000 people here within10 sq miles. And right over on FT Campbell there are 30,000 soldiers not including their wives and children! Most of which do not know Jesus. There is not a church on every block, to my knowledge no one is going out boots on the ground and working these neighborhoods. We are looking out an open door Jesus has put before us.

Opportunity in churches is impossible without people. Paul did not plant churches in the desert. He planted them in busy cities because that is where the people were! And that is exactly where God has placed us, where people are.

Jesus introduces Himself as Revelation 3:7 ““And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this:”

Notice Jesus has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and shuts and no one will open”

The keys of David is referring back to King David when he ruled over all of Israel

Jesus is the Davidic King, the Son of David, and holds the greater keys to the kingdom of God.

This is a powerful way of saying that Jesus is the one who has the absolute authority to admit or exclude people from the heavenly kingdom.

QUESTION: How can this description encourage as a small church with all this opportunity around us?

Revelation 3:8–9 “‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. ‘Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.”

“He knows their deeds”

Read on down and see if you can find what deeds Jesus is referring to.

They remained faithful

They obeyed

They did not deny His name (faithful witnesses even in hostile environment)

“I have put before you an open door”

What do you think Jesus is referring to by an “open door”?

ANSWER: Paul spoke of open doors in his ministry.

1 Corinthians 16:9 “for a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.”

2 Corinthians 2:12 “Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord,”

Colossians 4:3 “praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned;”

Acts 14:27 “When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.”

“I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet”

QUESTION: Who is the enemy of the church?

ANSWER: The religious people

Do you know who has given us the most opposition in this church?

RELIGIOUS PEOPLE

Religious people on the outside and religious people on this inside

Shouldn’t we continue to expect opposition in this open door ministry

1 Corinthians 16:9 “for a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.”

Who is the source of this opposition?

Satan

We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but principalities and powers

There is no rebuke to this church from Jesus. They are praised for their deeds, and even described as having “little power” meaning they were probably small and insignificant by the world’s standards.

QUESTION: Considering this, how should we describe a successful church?

How much have we been conditioned by culture to see a successful church as a big church, or a church with a lot going on, or a church with a great name, or other things

When we get an unbiblical idea of what a successful church is, we can get discouraged and think Jesus is not with us, or does not care about us, or we have done something wrong

Revelation 3:10–11 “‘Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. ‘I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”

Notice the repeated praise for “perseverance” in these letters.

This isn the third church praised for persevering

When Scripture repeats something, it is not being redundant

God is wanting to make something veery clear to us who are reading this letter

Perseverance is an absolute must for us all! To continue in our walk with Jesus, one step at a time, steadfast and unwavering in our faithfulness to Him is paramount to our eternity!

We must never get the idea that God is going to overlook a pattern of unfaithfulness in our lives

When we live in a pattern of unfaithfulness, we are in danger

QUESTION: What does Jesus promise to do for those who persevere?

ANSWER: Keep them from the hour of testing.

QUESTION: What testing is He talking about?

The Great Tribulation

Matthew 24:21 ““For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.”

Revelation 7:14 “I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

Daniel 12:1 ““Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.”

Two views:

Jesus is saying the church will be raptured out of this world before the Great Tribulation comes

The keeping is not from the trial, but from “the hour of trial” speaking of the time period

Others reference the story of Lot who was saved from Sodom and Gomorrah

Jesus is saying that the church will be kept safe during this period, but not taken out

The reason for this interpretation is the thrust of the whole letter. Jesus is saying, since this church has been faithful to him during their trial, He will be faithful to them during their great trial

Revelation 3:12–13 “‘He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and 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 My new name. ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”