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wednesday morning a christian woman left her home and headed for the
Woman’s Bible Study at Beth Sar Shalom - a mission to the Jews.
She realized that this morning was not going to be a happy one. She finally
arrived at the mission, parked her car, stopped the engine, and picked
up her Bible. She had been wondering if she was really a Christian. As
she walked into the mission, she did not see anyone in the office. This
was not normal and so she wondered where the secretary was. When she
entered the large room where the Bible study usually was held, she only
saw empty seats. Bibles were open on the tables, coats were hanging over
the chairs, pencils and pens were left, and coffee cups were partially
filled. But no one was present. She screamed in panic believing that
Jesus had come and had left her behind. The women came running from the
back door and soon learned that she had been worried that perhaps she
was not a Christian and was going to hell. In this study, we will get
our first glimpse in Revelation as to how Jesus will return.Open Door. The church in Philadelphia was an unusual church among
the seven churches. It is one of two churches about which God had only good things to say. The other
church was Smyrna. The remaining five churches all received some negative comments. This church had
a passion for reaching those who did not believe in Jesus. As a result they were persecuted but it
did not stop them because they loved Jesus. So God says to them,
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 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. (NASB) Rev. 3:7-8
As a result God opened a door of opportunity for them. We will find
in the next verse that the open door is an opportunity to tell others
about Jesus Christ. They had been faithful to Him. They were not powerful
in the sense of political influence or financial wealth, but they were
devoted. That was all the power they needed. They held to the teaching
of scripture and did not deny Jesus even under persecution. They were
committed to Him. There have always been two types of Christians. Those who seriously
follow Him and those who do not. Those who dedicate themselves to God and those who give a part of
themselves. In the book of Ecclesiastes we are reminded that this is the view of our world,
Do not be excessively righteous, and do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself? (NASB) Eccl. 7:16 We read in the gospels that Jesus told a rich man to give
away everything that he owned. But the man was not willing to give all of himself to God.
Some today do not want to be “overly righteous” because that would spoil their
fun. “Why should you ruin yourself?” Why should we witness for Jesus? We sometimes
forget that God demands that Christians serve Him as a slave serves a Master.
And why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? (NASB) Luke 6:46 These Christians served Jesus with a passion in their heart.
So God opened doors of opportunity for them. This is real church growth. God responds
to the hearts of His children who are committed to Him by opening doors of ministry. In the city of Los Angeles (in the United States) there was a church
called the “Church of the Open Door.” The church was famous for its pastors. They were
men such as Dr. R. A. Torrey, Dr. Louis T. Talbot, and Dr. J. Vernon McGee. This church had a huge
red, neon sign on top of the thirteenth floor which read, “Jesus Saves.” The doors of
the church were always open throughout the day to anyone who wanted to come in and pray to God. The
church was a beacon in the United States and throughout the world since it supported many missionaries.
The church at Philadelphia was like the Church of the Open Door. God opened doors of ministry for
both churches.
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| Revelation: Prophecy of the Future | |||||
