Revelation 3:7-13

The ancient city of Philadelphia was located on a low rise in the vast, fertile Hermus River Valley, approximately 38 miles (63 km) southeast of Sardis. The location was perfect for a military outpost, and the city became known as the gateway to the higher plateau of central Asia Minor. Even so, the city was situated along a lesser road, in a rural area. The economy, therefore, revolved around agriculture, primarily vineyards and wine. Indeed, Philadelphia had no booming industrial base. It was not a major commercial center, and the chief deity of the region was Dionysus, the god of wine.

Historically, the Hermus River Valley was prone to earthquakes. A massive quake in 17 AD destroyed the entire town. In fact, even when John recorded Revelation at the end of the first century, Philadelphia was still recovering. Key to this recovery was the generous earthquake relief provided by Emperor Tiberius, and as a result, the Imperial cult was quite strong.

Between the rural setting and the earthquakes, Philadelphia was dramatically smaller, less diverse, and less wealthy than the other cities addressed in Revelation 2-3, and the church there was not nearly as prominent as the other churches to which Jesus wrote.

To this church, Jesus addressed the sixth of his letters in Revelation 3:7-13:

“Write to the angel of the church in Philadelphia: Thus says the Holy One, the true one, the one who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and who closes and no one opens: I know your works. Look, I have placed before you an open door that no one can close because you have but little power; yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Note this: I will make those from the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews and are not, but are lying—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I have loved you. Because you have kept my command to endure, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is going to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one takes your crown.

“The one who conquers I will make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will never go out again. 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.

“Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.

Jesus knows our inadequacy.

It will come as no surprise that, as he has done so for each church he addressed, Jesus took the opening verse of his letter to Philadelphia to introduce himself in a very specific fashion. In this case, Jesus identifies himself in four ways that would prove relevant to the church.

First, to this small church in a rural setting, he introduced himself as “the Holy One.” The word holy is defined by Google to mean “morally and spiritually excellent.” Elsewhere in the Bible (e.g., Matthew 5:48), the concept of perfection is used interchangeably. The idea of holiness, then, is to be absolutely devoid of sin, and indeed, Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus, though tested in every way, remained without sin. In this, he is entirely unique: no other man or woman in history has managed to live a perfect life, and this moniker was to the Philadelphian church – and to us – a poignant reminder of that fact.

To this, Jesus added that he is “the true one.” The Greek word here, ἀληθινός, conveys the idea of authenticity, sincerity, and worthy of trust. He is uniquely faithful, consistent, and constant. That is, Jesus is who he says he is and does what he says he will do. For the Philadelphian church, it was a reminder that Jesus would keep his promises. Promises, such as when two or three people gathered in his name, he would be there (Matthew 18:20); as long as they were going, baptizing, and teaching, he would be present with them always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:16-20); and the one who believes in Jesus would be able to do “even greater works” (John 14:12).

Thirdly, Jesus identified himself to the Philadelphian church as “the one who has the key of David.” Anyone who has ever received a key understands that this key represents a degree of authority. The key-holder is authorized to open doors, close doors, enter, exit, and just about everything in between. Further, Jesus has the key of David, a reference, of course, to the famous hero-king of Israel. This key, then, represented royal authority to command both heaven and earth. Moreover, the key of David had messianic overtones, implying that this Jesus is the one who controls access to God’s kingdom, both in heaven and on earth.

Finally, Jesus introduces himself as the one “who opens and no one will close, and who closes and no one opens.” Commentary regarding these parallel phrases seems to polarize into two camps, with one camp thinking Jesus is opening and closing the door to heaven and the other asserting that he is opening and closing the door to opportunity, but I would submit that this is not a matter of one or the other, but of both and the other. That is, if Jesus opens the door for us to get to heaven, not even Satan himself can keep us out, and if Jesus opens the door of opportunity, not even Satan himself can stop us.

With these things in mind, Jesus opens the body of his letter with the familiar declaration: “I know your works.” At this juncture, the reader will recall that this declaration went okay for the church at Thyatira: Jesus commended their love, faithfulness, service, and endurance (Revelation 2:19). On the other hand, it did not go well at all for the church at Sardis, which Jesus described as having “a reputation for being alive, but you are dead” (Revelation 3:1-2). It is interesting, then, to notice the three things that Jesus knows about the works of the church at Philadelphia.

He knew “you have but little power.” At first glance, taken all by itself, this might be perceived as a rebuke, but considering the rest of the letter, it is actually a mere acknowledgment, a matter of fact. Just as an adult might recognize a small child as weak, the church at Philadelphia, objectively speaking, had limited strength. They were weak, but how so? Were they physically weak, perhaps because the members were aged? Were they financially weak because they did not have a large bank account or giving capacity? Were they numerically weak because there were not a lot of people who attended on Sunday morning? Were they spiritually weak, with a faith that was tepid and tenuous? Given the next two things that Jesus notes regarding their works, it would seem clear that the church at Philadelphia was not spiritually weak, but it is entirely possible that their strength was limited in one or all of the other areas.

He knew, “You… have kept my word.” The idea here was more than simply keeping a Bible on a bookshelf or even as a paperweight on a cluttered desk. Jesus here was declaring that the church at Philadelphia had obeyed his precepts and principles. They were committed to holiness, and this was high praise! After all, Jesus had identified himself at the outset of this letter as “the Holy One!” In short, Jesus was commending the church at Philadelphia for being just like him!

And he knew “you… have not denied my name.” Again, this is a huge deal! As we have seen, Philadelphia was known for the prominence of the Imperial cult, as well as myriad other pagan religions (particularly, Dionysus, the god of wine). Historically, little is known of the Jewish community in Philadelphia, but Jesus was apparently quite familiar with them: just like the Jews in Smyrna, he called the Jews of Philadelphia the “synagogue of Satan” (vs. 9). Together, these pagans and Jesus no doubt exerted a tremendous amount of pressure on the Christians of Philadelphia, attempting to coerce them into blaspheming the name of Jesus, or at least denying it. Even so, the church there refused to deny Jesus. In the end, he determined that they had “kept my command to endure” (vs. 10). In other words, they had been faithful and true. Sound familiar? Remember, Jesus called himself “the true one.” Now, he was saying, “You’re just like me!”

Indeed, Jesus knew their works. The church at Philadelphia was weak, but faithful. What, then, was the problem? The problem was that, in their own eyes, the church at Philadelphia was faithful, but weak. The subtle difference in wording between those statements amounted to a dramatic difference in impact. I mean, saying that someone is “weak, but faithful,” leaves a optimistic aftertaste, but describing someone as “faithful, but weak” leaves a rather pessimistic one. Instead of leaving behind the hope of faithfulness, the latter wording leaves behind the impression of weakness, which Google defines as “the state or condition of lacking strength; a quality or feature regarded as a disadvantage or fault.” Further, Google provides a number of discouraging synonyms for this weakness: infirmity, frailty, feebleness, debility, or failing. To these, I will add another synonym with which I believe many Christians and churches are contending today: inadequacy.

The stronghold in the church of Philadelphia was an overwhelming sense that they were inadequate. As a small church in a smaller community, they were inadequate in numbers. As a poor church in a poorer community, they were inadequate in resources. No doubt, this church was inadequate in gifts and talents: they did not have a surplus of Sunday School teachers or graphic designers. They did not even have the mildly well-known pastor! And they were inadequate in impact: clearly, this small church had never experienced anything even remotely resembling Pentecost. Perhaps worst of all, though, despite what Jesus said of them, the church at Philadelphia probably considered themselves inadequate in holiness and faithfulness.

Thom Rainer and others have observed that approximately 80% of churches in North America are plateaued or declining. I would submit that the vast majority of them probably struggle in some way with the stronghold of inadequacy. More than that, I wholly believe that a substantial portion of the 20% of churches that are growing are also contending with the stronghold of inadequacy. In fact, some of them are growing because of their sense of inadequacy.

This stronghold does not affect only churches. How many times have parishioners told me that they do not think they live a life that is good enough, that they do not know enough, or that their testimony is not dramatic enough to share. Why do we forget that, regardless of the earthly circumstances surrounding our conversion, when we placed our faith in Christ, we were brought from death to life (Ephesians 2:4-5)? There is not much in this world that is more dramatic than the contrast between death and life! Any time a dead person is brought back to life, it is exciting!

In fact, I would submit that those who will not openly admit to contending with inadequacy at some point in their lives are either too embarrassed, lying, or too narcissistic to acknowledge their own shortcomings. In fact, it is true. We are inadequate. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” What is the phrase “fall short” except a declaration that we are all inadequate? Moreover, Isaiah 64:6 pronounces, “All our righteous acts are like a polluted garment.” The word image there is of a garment stained by a woman’s menstrual flow. Talk about the antithesis of clean, pure, and righteous!

We, then, are inadequate. Consider, though, the biblical characters who shared our inadequacy! In Exodus 3:11, Moses asked, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” Just a chapter later, he pleaded, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent—either in the past or recently or since you have been speaking to your servant—because my mouth and my tongue are sluggish” (Exodus 4:10).

In Judges 6:15, Gideon, who would defeat 135,000 Midianite troops with just 300 unarmed men, observed, “Please, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Look, my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s family.” So also, when Saul was called to be the first Israelite king, he wondered, “Am I not a Benjaminite from the smallest of Israel’s tribes and isn’t my clan the least important of all the clans of the Benjaminite tribe? So why have you said something like this to me?” (1 Samuel 9:21)

In John 21, Jesus invited Peter, who had recently denied Jesus three times, to walk along the beach. As they went, Jesus asked three times if Peter loved – agape’d – him. Agape, of course, was the highest form of love known to the Greek-speaking mind. Peter answered three times that he merely phileo’d Jesus. The guy who Jesus had tapped to lead the first generation of his Church did not consider himself adequate.

And then there is the apostle Paul. In Romans 7:15, St. Paul lamented, “For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate.” In 1 Timothy 1:15, he called himself the worst sinner. And in 2 Corinthians 12:7, he wrote, “Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so that I would not exalt myself.” For centuries, commentators have debated exactly what this thorn was. Perhaps it was poor eyesight, a sickly physical condition, lustful thoughts, or even same-sex attraction. Whatever it was, it was a constant reminder of how inadequate the apostle was! But consider the apostle’s declaration in 2 Corinthians 12:8-9: “Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it would leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.’”

Did you grasp what Jesus said there to Paul? Because it was pretty much exactly what he was saying to the church at Philadelphia in Revelation, churches across North America and around the world today, and to each person reading this. Jesus was saying, “So, you’re inadequate. What’s new?”

Jesus knows all about our inadequacy. He knows that we are not good enough. In fact, he has always known, even since before time began, that this would be the case. Remember, Jesus said in John 3 that he came “to save the world,” and why would the world need saving if we were not inadequate?

Our inadequacy only becomes a problem when Satan convinces us that it is a problem, and too often, for too many of us, that is exactly what he has done! But read again what Jesus said to Paul: Yeah, I know you’re inadequate, but “my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.”

Now, read again what Jesus said to the church at Philadelphia: Yeah, I know you have limited strength, but I’ve been there, enabling you to be holy and faithful, even when that was anything but easy.

And read again what Jesus is saying to you and to me: Yeah, I know you are inadequate. I have always known. But that just means I get to show off a little more.

Yes, Jesus knows all about our inadequacy. But while Satan would use it to beat us down and keep us cowering in the back corner of the world for fear that we will not be good enough, it is okay that we are inadequate. In fact, in Jesus’ eyes, our inadequacy is actually our greatest strength because it allows him an opportunity to demonstrate the super-sufficiency of his own grace and power. You had better believe that he is infinitely more than adequate to pick up the slack, fill in the gaps, and meet the need! In fact, that is exactly what he is counting on being able to do.

We must seize opportunity.

So how do we remove the stronghold of inadequacy from our church and our lives? The short answer is that he won’t. At least, not completely.

Please do not misunderstand me. Jesus expects us to strive for holiness. And I believe wholeheartedly that he wants us to address our weaknesses and constraints. But there will never come a point on this side of glory when we do not still have some sort of actual weakness.

A better question is this: How do we get past this sense of “I’m not good enough” to step out and trust that, even though we are inadequate, Jesus is more than sufficient?

I believe that the answer to this question is found in Revelation 3:8: “I know your works. Look, I have placed before you an open door that no one can close because you have but little power; yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.” Before we dive into the actual battle plan for defeating the stronghold of complacency, though, I want to highlight two words.

The first of these is the word “because.” The word “because” indicates a causal relationship. In verse 8, notice what is causing the actual action in this statement. The action, of course, is that Jesus had placed before the Philadelphian church an open door. The reason why he did that is “because you… have kept my word” and “because you… have not denied my name.” Now, if you are anything like me, you have no problem nodding at these two reasons. Jesus should open opportunities for people and churches that are faithful. But did you miss the first reason Jesus gave for opening this door? He said he was opening the door “because you have but little power.” That is, it was precisely because the Philadelphian church had little power – precisely because they were weak and inadequate – that Jesus opened the door!

The second word we need to notice is the word “look” (vs. 8). Other translations render this term a bit differently. For instance, the Amplified Version translates it, “See!”, and the ESV, KJV, and NASB all translate it, “Behold.” In grammatical terms, it is an interjection, a word which is interjected into the normal flow of the sentence to get the reader’s or hearer’s attention. Thus, the statement could be understood, “Because you have but little power, have kept my word, and have not denied my name – pay attention now…” Indeed, the Greek word here literally means, “Open your eyes.” What is interesting, though, is that, in the original Greek, Jesus uses this same word three times in verses eight and nine as he outlines the strategy for dealing with this stronghold of inadequacy. In other words, three times in two verses, Jesus calls the church at Philadelphia to open their eyes and pay attention! And that call would be especially appropriate given what comes next.

“Look, I have placed before you an open door that no one can close” (vs. 8). Remember how Jesus introduced himself? He is the one that holds the key of David, opens doors that no one can shut, and shuts doors that no one can open. Now, this declaration returns, and with it, we get the notion that Jesus is opening the door for us to get to heaven someday. As exciting as that prospect is, however, there is another notion here that was far more important to defeating this stronghold of inadequacy: Jesus is opening the door for us – you, me, and our churches – to have effective ministry and make an impact on our community and our world today.

Yes, no matter how small, you can minister effectively. You can make a difference in the world.

The trick is that it is up to us to see those open doors and, by faith, step through.

We must seize opportunity for ministry.

How are we supposed to do that? The first step, found in verse 8, is to “Look.” That is, we must open our eyes and actually look for opportunity. Sadly, though, an unfortunate number of churches and people will not do this. Instead, we wander through life, oblivious to what is going on around us and complaining that there is nothing we can do.

Simply looking, though, is not enough. We must be looking in the right place. Notice where Jesus placed the open door for the Philadelphians: “before you.” That is, the door was right in front of their faces, and it is more than likely right in front of ours as well. Yet, how often do we think we must duplicate the ministries and success of that one church in that far-off city or that great author in that whole other place! If you want to find the opportunity that God has placed before your church and you, start looking at the community in which you live and work and play. Find or draw a map of your neighborhood or town, put a pin where your church is, and then draw around that pin a circle with a one-mile radius. (Depending on population density and church size, you may need to make that radius larger or smaller. For our church of 40, a 1-mile radius includes about 150 people for every 1 person who attends the church. There is nothing magic about that number, but it is the area that we have chosen to focus on.) If you really look, you will find that your neighbors are dealing with drugs, alcohol, divorce, mental illness, poverty, and more. Open your eyes and really, truly look for the door that Jesus has opened right in front of you.

The second step to seizing opportunity for ministry is found in verse 11, where Jesus exhorted the Philadelphian church, “Hold on to what you have.” In other words, “Keep on doing what you are doing.”

Now, please note that this exhortation was not the same as saying, “Do not change anything, ever.” It was not the same as saying, “Keep singing the same songs week in, week out, for all eternity.” It was not the same as saying, “Do not change the carpet or wall color.” It was not even the same as saying, “Do not ever change your programming or adapt your methods.” No, change in these areas is inevitable. Indeed, change anything and everything incidental, but hold on to what you have at the very core. For the Philadelphian church and for us, that core must always be holiness and faithfulness. Jesus was bidding them, “Keep on being holy. Keep on being faithful.”

Those two things – look for ministry opportunities right in front of you and hold on to holiness and faithfulness – are the entire battle plan for conquering the stronghold of inadequacy in our lives. That is it! And if you think about it, it makes sense. We are watching to see opportunity whenever it presents itself. We are holy so that, like a scalpel sterilized and set out on the tray is ready for use by the surgeon, we are ready to be used by God. And we are faithful so that, when an opportunity presents itself, whether we receive the whispered prompting of the Spirit in our ear or simply find something for our hand to do, we will seize that opportunity and make the absolute most of it!

Before we can move on, though, it is imperative that we notice three things about this strategy. The first is that the ministry opportunity originates with Jesus. Too often, we assume that it is our responsibility to create opportunities, so we get our sledge, jackhammer, and dynamite and try to make a door where none exists. Please notice that Jesus did not say, “Make for yourself an open door.” He did not even say, “Open the door I have made.” He said, “I have placed before you an open door.” Somewhere near you, there is a door that Jesus has already opened. Do not try to make one for yourself.

Second, notice the number of doors that Jesus opened for the church at Philadelphia: one. Too often, Satan beats us up because we are weak and not able to seize all sorts of different opportunities. He says, “Your church does not change oil for single mothers, have campuses in all the cool suburbs, or send missions teams to every third-world country on the planet. You do not have a calendar full of preaching events, invitations to sit on countless boards and committees, or a lucrative book contract. You must be broken, loser.” Jesus, however, did not promise the church at Philadelphia doors. Neither does he necessarily promise us opportunities. No, he promised them – and us – “I have placed before you an open door.”

Finally, notice that this door is not easily missed. Too many churches and people live looking in the rearview mirror. We lament the lover that we could have had, the job we should have taken, the ministry we could have done, and the lives we should have reached. Too often, we assume that we must have missed our opportunity somewhere along the way, but there are two things about Jesus’ statement to the Philadelphians that indicate this is not true. Jesus did not say, “I’ve placed somewhere along the way for you to find – good luck – an open door.” Neither did he say, “I’ve placed before you a door that – doh – just swung shut. Sorry.” No, Jesus said, “I have placed before you an open door that no one can close.”

Now, please do not misunderstand. This is not to say that God-ordained ministry opportunities will never be revoked. Indeed, there are biblical examples of people whose calling was revoked because of sin. Consider Moses, who was slated to lead Israel into the promise land but instead died on the mountain on the wrong side of the river because he lost his temper. Consider also Saul, who was supposed to be the first of a long dynasty of Israelite kings but was rejected when he failed to obey God’s command in its entirety. And consider Samson, who was given superhuman strength to deliver Israel from the Philistines but instead had his hair cut, eyes gouged out, and ended up crushed under a Philistine temple because of an adulterous relationship. Do not expect Jesus to hold the door of opportunity open if you will not be holy or faithful.

If you will, however, look and hold on to holiness and faithfulness, then at least one ministry opportunity is there, right in front of you. You just have to open your eyes and be ready to step through when Jesus opens the door.

We must expect God.

Our job is to open our eyes and to continue in holiness and faithfulness so that we are ready to step through the door that Jesus opens. It is Jesus’ job to open the door, but that is not all he will do. In fact, if we revisit Revelation 3:8-13, we discover several really cool things that Jesus promises to do for even the smallest of churches and least significant of people. Indeed, if we will look and hold on, then we can expect God to show up and do at least six amazing things starting in verse 8.

The first of these things is found right away in verses 8. Jesus said, “I have placed before you an open door that no one can close.” We have already touched on this, so I will not belabor the point. I will, however, point out the tense: the Greek verb which we see translated “have placed” is in the perfect tense, meaning that the action has already happened, but it remains effective in the present. In other words, the door is open and waiting. Jesus did that. It is our job simply to step through.

The second thing Jesus promised to do is in verse 9: “I will make those from the synagogue of Satan… come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I have loved you.” As we have seen, this is Jesus acknowledging the trouble in Philadelphia. Notice, though, the similarities between this verse and Revelation 2:9: “I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.” In both cases, Jesus references the “
“synagogue of Satan” and fraudulent, hypocritical Jews. Clearly, Jesus is endeavoring to make the point that the situation was very similar to that which existed in Smyrna, where the church was enduring severe persecution as Satan attempted to scare them stiff. Nevertheless, Jesus’ promise is that these troublemakers will (a) come to them; (b) bow down in humility at their feet, possibly worshiping Jesus alongside them; and (c) experience and acknowledge that Jesus loved the Christians that they were persecuting. This is huge! The whole point of this persecution was to convince the Philadelphian Christians that they were not worth loving, but Jesus was going to make clear for all to see that this was not the case. Jesus loves even the most inadequate!

Third, Jesus promises, “I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is going to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth” (vs. 10). There is some debate among scholars whether this applies to a specific historic situation, a future tribulation, or the Great Day of Judgment at the threshold of eternity. Regardless, it is important to remember that this is not a blanket promise to keep Christians from all suffering, for all time. Keeping these things in mind, it would seem that Jesus was saying that, as weak as they were, he would ultimately protect the believers at Philadelphia. He would ensure that, although they may suffer and even die on this earth, they would never taste the second death described in Revelation 21:8: “their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” And that was important because, as a church with limited power, they simply did not have the faculties and resources to protect themselves.

Fourth, Jesus vowed, “I am coming soon” (vs. 11). That is, not only will Jesus protect, but he is coming, and soon. In fact, notice that the verb here is in present tense: he is on his way right now. Now, before you start packing your bags, please understand that Jesus is not saying that his arrival is imminent, at least as we understand it. Remember, in God’s economy, a day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as a day (2 Peter 3:8-9). He is, however, commanding a sense of urgency about things. Jesus is coming! He is coming quickly! And when he gets here, he will want to hang out with us.

Jesus said, “I will make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will never go out again” (vs. 12). I have to say, this is one of my favorite Scriptural promises. You see, in Roman times, and particularly in Philadelphia, pillars were erected to honor important people for important accomplishments. This promise, then, was that, as small and insignificant – as weak as they were – Jesus would still erect a pillar in the Philadelphians’ honor. And not just anywhere: he would establish this pillar in the heavenly sanctuary, the very throneroom of heaven. They would stand forever at the very epicenter of the presence of the Most High! More than just monuments, though, these pillars were primary structural components supporting the whole building. As small and insignificant, as weak as they were, Jesus would make them integral to the heavenly sanctuary. Indeed, however small, insignificant, or weak we may be, holy and faithful churches and saints are what hold up the entire kingdom of God.

It is essential at this juncture to note, again, that Jesus does this. We do not make ourselves pillars. Nor do we just become pillars. Jesus must come in, complement our strengths, counter our weaknesses, and make us into those pillars. And all of this takes time and work. Moreover, these pillars were generally very ornate, meaning that they required a fair bit of chiseling. Becoming a pillar in the heavenly sanctuary is a lifelong, painful process of removing sin and anything else that does not belong!

Finally, Jesus bid, “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.” If the previous promise was one of my favorites, this one is my favorite. Jesus was going to write on the Philadelphian saints and us the name of his God (i.e., his Dad), the name of the new Jerusalem (i.e., his home), and his new name (i.e., his own name). This is like us putting our name and address on our stuff! But which one of us puts our name and address on ordinary, disposable stuff? The implication is that, as limited, weak, and inadequate as we may be, we are not disposable in Jesus’ eyes. If we will look, hold on to holiness and faithfulness, and step through the door of opportunity that he’s opened for us, then we are important enough for Jesus to put his name on us!

Notice that the promise of success is utterly omitted from this letter to the church at Philadelphia. Jesus does not say that we will succeed at everything we put our hand to. In fact, in the world’s eyes, we may fail, or at least not succeed. Consider, when Elisha arrived at the bedside of the Shunammite woman’s dead son, the boy was not revived the first time he prayed. Sometimes, we must persevere and try again. When St. Paul was invited to preach at the Areopagus in Athens, he delivered a masterful sermon, but only a handful of people joined him and believed. Sometimes, it is more about the process than the results. And in fact, when Jesus commissioned his disciples to preach in the surrounding villages, he told them that exactly what to do when they failed: in Matthew 10:14, Mark 6:11, and Luke 9:5, he instructed them to “shake the dust off your feet.” Sometimes, we will fail. But Jesus neither promised nor required success. He required faithfulness, and he promised opportunity, vindication, salvation, and presence in this life, and significance and acceptance in the next!

Notice also, again, that our part is simple: we are to look and hold on. Jesus promises to take care of everything else.

And these really are promises! This is exactly what Jesus will do – remember, he called himself the true one! – if we will only look and hold on! We can expect him to make this stuff happen. We must expect him to make this stuff happen!

If we want to overcome the stronghold of inadequacy in our churches and lives, then this is what we need to do! Open our eyes and hold on to holiness and faithfulness. Step through the door of opportunity and promise which Jesus has already opened for us. And then let Jesus do all the rest. We must expect Jesus to do his thing; to show up in power; to prove himself and his grace sufficient, regardless of our weakness and inadequacy. We must expect Jesus to bring glory to his name because we could never do it on our own.

Perhaps today, you are struggling with the stronghold of inadequacy. I know that I have contended with it. In fact, it is an ongoing battle. Typically, I struggle with it whenever I start comparing myself to others. I see their apparent success and faithfulness, and my apparent lack thereof. But it is an illusion foisted upon me by Satan himself. The truth is God knows full well that I am inadequate, but that is not a problem in his eyes. It only becomes a problem when I use that inadequacy as an excuse to hunker down and miss the ministry opportunity which he has placed right in front of my face.

I am reminded of Jesus’ parable of the talents. In the parable, three servants are given different amounts of money: five talents, two talents, and one talent. Of course, the man with the one talent buried it and was rightly chastised as a result. But what would have happened if he had invested his money like the others? It is doubtful that he would have received the same return that they did; he only started with one talent! What if he had lost it all?

I must believe that, had the man with the one talent invested in good faith and lost, the master still would have commended him. That commendation would not have been based on the servant’s adequacy, but on the master’s grace. Neither would it have been based on the servant’s success, but on the fact that he was faithful and seized the opportunity that was presented to him.

No matter how inadequate you may be, Jesus has opened at least one door, one ministry opportunity to you. Perhaps that door is not exactly where you were looking.  Perhaps it seems small compared to the doors others are walking through. It is, however, there, and if you will look for it and seize it, trusting that his grace is sufficient for you, then Jesus’ promise is that he will always be sufficient, and you will always be important to him.