A People With Little Power

Introduction

In this picture, who would you say holds the most power?

First of all, we have the president of the most powerful country in the world - the President of the United States.

He’s president of the country with the strongest military and greatest economy in the world.

In the right hand side we have Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones and his wife Bethan…who was a christian minister in London, England.

Who is the most powerful?

The President of the United States has the nuclear launch codes, things he says or puts out into the internet have the power to greatly impact the worldwide financial system, he has the power to pardon people for federal crimes, and can authorize attacks on the enemies of the United States.

Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones was a simple man, a pastor in a large church, but at the end of the day he was a simple pastor of a local christian congregation.

He was not a politician.

He was not wealthy.

He was not even a member of the British Royal Family.

…he was a simple christian believer.

One could say, that that DJT holds the greatest power when compared to Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones who had very little power.

When we consider ourselves in terms of the power or influence that we have, how much power do we really have?

Many of us have a level of influence that probably extends to our immediate family.

Many of us continue to work because we do not have large sums of money in the bank just waiting to be spent.

We all work hard M-F, and sometimes even on the weekends, so that we can pay our bills.

Many of us don’t even have much power of influence online - we post a picture and we realize that although we would love to be influencers - our reach really does not extend beyond our closest friends and family.

Even as a pastor, I realize that I would love to influence the congregation I lead…but even then, sometimes I realize that I am not as effective as I would like to be - even as a preacher or pastor…I am very ordinary.

…at the end of the day we must realize that humanly speaking we are relatively insignificant in our wealth, power, and influence.

And yet…although this may be true of us - we know God has a plan despite our little power.

We find such a church in the book of Revelation.

The church in Philadelphia was a relatively small congregation.

They were not a mega church where the rich and famous would attend.

It’s very likely that most of the congregation was poor and belonged to the lower social classes in society - many of them worked as servants in rich people’s homes.

When Jesus rights a letter to them, notice one thing that stands out:

Apocalipsis 3:8 ESV

8 “ ‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

Notice how he say “I know that you have but little power”.

They were not an influential group. They were not the movers and shakers in society.

They were poor, humble, simple ordinary people.

…and yet…notice what Jesus says: I have set before you an open door which no one is able to shut.

Although they were a humble people, Jesus was determined to set before them an open door.

Maybe he was opening a door for opportunity so that they could reach many people with the gospel.

Maybe he was opening a door for them to prosper financially so that they could support the work of the gospel in far away places.

Maybe he was opening a door so that they could reach their employers with the message of Jesus Christ.

Whatever this open door was…we know that the open door was entirely the work of Jesus.

It was not that the believers in Philadelphia opened a door of opportunity for themselves.

It was not that they were so wise, so smart, such good business people - none of that.

It was simply because they humbled themselves before God’s presence, relied entirely on God’s power, and determined to be faithful to Jesus Christ - God in turn responded by providing an open door for them.

Many of us fail in our christian life because we go around life really thinking that we have it all figured out.

We rely on our skills, we believe we really have things figured out.

We speak so confidently, almost as if we’ve discovered the secret sauce to success in life.

We come to rely on ourselves rather than relying on God.

We come to believe that we have lots of power, that we are high and mighty.

…and we forget that we are simple, ordinary christians, with just a little power. We forget that Jesus promised to put an open door before those that humble themselves before God, who keep his word, and confess his name before men.