Though he was a statesman and the President of France’s Fifth Republic, the people of France endearingly refer to Charles de Gaulle as Le General (The General). I was amused by The General’s statement about church. He said that church is “the only place where someone speaks to me…and I do not have to answer back.”¹

De Gaulle’s statement surprises me. It surprises me because it comes from a general. Generals understand the importance of maintaining a chain of command. When a superior speaks, you respond. It could be that the speaker in de Gaulle’s church delivered a speech, not a message; God’s Word was merely a reference point and not the point of the message. Or, it could have been that the point of God’s message was dulled by the crowd. When a message is addressed to the church, we think, “God is speaking to US” instead of “God is speaking to ME.”

When Jesus addresses the church, He is speaking to the believers who represent the church. As we have seen in the first five memos to the churches in Asia Minor, Jesus reveals Himself as the Supreme Authority. Thus, these messages are meant for the members of the church. We need to hear them as though “Jesus is speaking to ME,” not “Jesus is speaking to US.” Since Jesus is the highest authority in the chain of command, when He speaks, He expects a response. The question at this point is, “What will your response be to memos six and seven from Jesus?”

MEMO #6
I’m Proud of You

Jesus’s memo to the believers in Philadelphia is one every church would love to receive. The heading would read, “I’m proud of you.” You sense this when you read Revelation 3:7-8.

7 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.”

Today, the city’s name is Alasehir. Then, it was Philadelphia. Founded sometime after 189 B.C. by Attalus II, it was the youngest of the seven cities. Because of his deep love for his older brother King Eumenes of Pergamum, Attalus II’s nickname was “Philadelphus” which means “brother lover.” Thus when the city was founded it was given the name “Philadelphia.”

The greeting to the believers in Philadelphia is different from many of the other memos. Previous memos refer to Revelation 1:12-20 depicting Jesus as the Supreme Judge. In His memo to the believers in Philadelphia He’s called the one who is “holy and true.” The word “holy” in both the Old and New Testaments means to be “set apart.” The Greek word for “true” (Alethinos) means genuine, authentic, and real. In a culture smothered by false gods, false prophets, and false beliefs, the one who is set apart by His holiness is about to speak out. Jesus, the one real God in the midst of all the frauds, is about to say I know your deeds...and...I’m so proud of you!

I’ve always loved telling my boys that I’m proud of them. However, before he started kindergarten, my youngest son Lee once asked me, “Dad, what does ‘proud’ mean?” I had to stop and think for it was hard to describe the depths of my emotions and to do it in a way that Lee would understand. Finally, I said, “Lee, when I say I’m proud of you, I’m telling you that you make my heart smile.” As my boys will tell you, I usually can’t stop with a short explanation, so I added the following:

Lee, your Pawpaw used to always tell me that he was proud of me. I really didn’t know what that meant until God gave me you and your brother. And you won’t know what it truly means until you have children of your own. Yet, Lee, when I say I’m proud of you, I want you to know it’s not just because of what you do. It’s mainly because of who you are. I love the way God has made you. Then, when you act in a way that makes God smile, it makes my heart smile even more.

If you are a parent, you understand the depth of emotion behind the expression, “I’m proud of you.” Can you imagine, then, Jesus’ love for you when He tells you, “I’m proud of you...not just because of what you do, but because of who you are.” Yet, when your actions with Christ reveal your closeness to Him, it makes His heart smile even more. That’s the picture I get in verse 8. Here, Jesus says, “I know your deeds and I’m so proud of your faithfulness.”

In verse 8, Jesus tells them, “I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.” Verse 7 points to Christ’s authority to open or close doors of opportunity for ministry. That’s the way the metaphor of an “open door” is used throughout the New Testament (Acts 14:27; 1 Corinthians 16:9; 2 Corinthians 2;12; Colossians 4:3). Jesus knew the open door He had provided His believers in Philadelphia, though the citizens of Philadelphia probably thought of it more as a gate.

Because it was located at the intersection of several trade routes, Philadelphia was called “the gateway to the east.” That gate not only swung open for commerce, it was swung wide for culture. When Attalus II founded Philadelphia, he did so with the intent of spreading Greek culture throughout the region. Thus, it was known by many as “Little Athens.”

Though the citizens of Philadelphia saw themselves as the gateway to the east for commerce and culture, the believers in Philadelphia knew God had given them an open door to the east for another purpose. They were in a strategic position to make an impact for Christ.

I have always felt the same about serving God in Richmond, Virginia. When we moved here, Richmond had more Fortune 500 companies (per capita) than any other city in the United States. Even now, that means people from all over North America and the world are coming to and through Richmond.

Furthermore, within this congregation, we have people giving leadership and support to over 500 churches in Virginia, as well as individuals giving leadership and support to over 5,000 missionaries throughout the world. Within this congregation, we have civic leaders of various communities, and agency leaders supporting families at the state capital and marriages throughout Virginia. Through our television ministry, we have the opportunity to be in millions of homes each week all over the United States.

I’m confident there are other churches who also feel Jesus has given them an enormous door of opportunity. And like the believers in Philadelphia, there are days you can feel weakened by the weight of the door. Jesus realizes this and says in verse 8,

8 “I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.”

The Greek word for strength refers to one’s ability. Jesus is saying,

I know your mental, physical, emotional, and financial abilities have been taxed to the max. I know that the size of your church is nowhere near the size of the opportunity I’ve given you. I know that spiritually you are drained. And yet, in the midst of your weakness you have remained strong. Unlike others who have broken beneath theological pressures, you’ve kept My Word. Unlike others who have surrendered to cultural compromise, you have not denied My name.

Like I told my boys, Jesus is telling His church, “I’m proud of you simply because of who you are. However, I’m now even more proud of you. Though you feel weak beneath the weight of the opportunity, you’ve remained faithful. I’m so proud of you.”

Verses 9-13 reveal that when you feel weak from the opportunity, Jesus will support your faithfulness in three ways. He promises,

9 “I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.

11 “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Jesus’ first promise to the faithful is, “I’ll make it right!” Verse 9 says that the Jews in Philadelphia are like the ones in Smyrna. They know God by ritual but not by relationship (Romans 2:28-29). They slandered Jesus’ followers and caused them to suffer because of their faithfulness to Him. Therefore, Jesus says, “I’ll make it right. The time will come when I will make them bow before you and declare that I love you.”

When our boys were young they would occasionally get into fights. Our first inclination as parents was to reprimand the one who had hurt the other. However, we learned it was far more effective to first love on the one who had been hurt. Not only did it secure him in our love, the expression of that love convicted the other of his actions. By the time we turned to him to address it, he was ready to listen and apologize.

Jesus says, “I know you feel the weight of your opportunity. I know you are trying to be faithful, and I see the way others are treating you. Just stay faithful. In time I’ll make it right, and they will have to bow before you and confess that I love you.”

Jesus’ second promise to the faithful is, “You’ll be kept from my wrath.” Though His first step is to love on the faithful, Jesus’ second step is to release His wrath on the faithless. Jesus’ wrath is vividly described in chapters 6-19 of Revelation. However, verse 10 indicates that those who have surrendered their lives to Christ will be kept from His wrath. It says that those who have faithfully kept God’s command will be kept “from” the hour of trial, not kept “through” the hour of trial.

Furthermore, verse 10 explains that the scope of Jesus’ wrath is world-wide, but the focus of His wrath is on unbelievers. The phrase “to test those who live upon the earth” is a reoccurring label for unbelievers throughout Revelation (Revelation 6:10; 8:13; 11:10; 13:8, 12, 14; 14:6; 17:2, 8).

Finally, the fact that the word “church” or “churches” occurs nineteen times in the first three chapters, and not once during the chapters regarding the tribulation, leads me to believe that Jesus has physically kept the faithful from His wrath upon the faithless. This is more commonly known as the rapture of the church prior to the Great Tribulation. We will give specific attention to this after our study of Revelation 5.

Jesus’ third promise to the faithful is “I’ll guarantee your security.” This was particularly valuable to those living in and around the city of Philadelphia. In 17 A.D. the city was devastated by an earthquake. Because Philadelphia was built near the epicenter of the quake, the people were traumatized for years by the reoccurring aftershocks. Some built huts outside the city. Those living in the city utilized various devices to help secure their homes. They lived under a cloud of despair that in any moment everything could be taken away from them.

Therefore in verse 11, Jesus promises His faithful “that no one will take your crown.” According to Revelation 2:10, this crown refers to “the crown of life,” or one’s salvation. Jesus reassures them, “No one can take your salvation from you.”

Then in verses 12-13, Jesus gives them a picture of the security of their salvation. He tells them, “Because you are faithful, you are a pillar in heaven with three names inscribed.” A pillar not only represented something set and immovable, it was also used at that time to honor great leaders. It’s likely that those pillars had the names of the leaders chiseled on them. As a pillar in heaven, you will have three names upon you. First you will have the name of God. This indicates that you belong to Him. He owns you. Second, you will have the name of the city of God. This underscores that your citizenship in heaven cannot be revoked. Third, you will have a new name. According to Revelation 22:4, when all is fulfilled by God, He will write His name on those who are with Him forever. Thus, in these three names God tells His faithful that you belong to Him and heaven belongs to you forever. What a great guarantee.

I played linebacker in high school. Mom and Dad went to every game, and before it was popular for parents to film their children’s events, Dad was filming my games. In my mind, every play was an opportunity to do something great. When I didn’t make as many plays as I thought I should, I’d come home bummed about the game. Regardless of the hour I’d get home, Dad would get out of bed to tell me he was proud of me. During the week, I’d view the homemade game films to try and learn why I didn’t make certain plays. Dad would sit and watch a while, and then say, “Son, you didn’t do as bad as you thought. I’m proud of you.”

Looking back, I truly believe my performances in the games would have been better if I had listened to Dad. He was at every game, seeing every play. He knew how hard I worked to make every tackle. Though I thought I could have done better, He was still proud of the effort I gave. Even if I had the worst game I thought I ever played, I always knew that when I got home Dad would be waiting to say, “I’m proud of you.”

That’s why this memo from Jesus is so important to me and should be important to you. Jesus, who sees every play of your life, who knows the sincere efforts you are giving, is saying, “I’m proud of you.” Furthermore, He promises that when your game (your life) is over and you come home (to heaven), He’ll be waiting to say, “Sure, you may not have fulfilled every opportunity the way you wanted, but you were always faithful. I’m so proud of you.”

What a great memo from Jesus!

MEMO #7
Your Pride is Making Me Sick

Just as the believers in Philadelphia loved their memo from Jesus, the believers in Laodicea didn’t like theirs. Jesus was proud of the believers in Philadelphia, but the believers in Laodicea were proud of themselves. Thus, Jesus bluntly tells them, “Your pride is making me sick.”

Pride has a way of blinding us to reality. Therefore, Jesus makes sure the believers in Laodicea knew that He had the real view of them. He opens His memo to them in verse 14 by saying,

14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.”

Today, ancient Laodicea is nothing more than an archeological site.² I feel the same will be true of churches who don’t heed this memo. They’ll talk about what you once did, but not about what you are doing with Christ.

That’s why Jesus’ greeting is so strong. He tells them that these are the words of the Amen. This is the same title given to God twice in Isaiah 65:16 where He is called the God of truth. In Hebrew, it’s the word for Amen. Jesus wants the believers to know that when He’s talking, God’s talking...and, He’s mad.

Jesus also calls Himself “the faithful and true witness.” This label occurs only one other time in Revelation. In Revelation 19:11, Jesus has mounted His white horse and is about to take His final action upon the godless of the earth. The name given to Him before He takes action is “Faithful and True.”

Pride can blind and give us a distorted picture of ourselves. It can also deafen. When someone tries to paint a real picture, our pride won’t let us listen. That’s why Jesus wants the believers in Laodicea to know that He is God. He sees them perfectly, and what He has seen has made Him mad. In verses 15-16, Jesus tells them,

15 “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”

Laodiceans enjoyed an aqueduct system that provided them hot and cold running water from miles away. It’s possible that they received their cold water from Colossae and their hot water from the hot springs of Hieropolis. Thus, whenever they expected a refreshing drink of cold water or a relaxing bath in hot water and found it lukewarm, they knew something had gone wrong between them and the source.

Do you understand that when you profess to be a follower of Jesus Christ, people expect you to be different? Believers and non-believers alike will hold you to a higher standard. Furthermore, Jesus will expect more of you than do others. Others expect you to be different, Jesus expects you to make a difference.

At least Jesus had something complimentary to say to the other six churches. However, there were no compliments for the believers in Laodicea. Apparently, others didn’t see any difference within them, and God wasn’t seeing any difference through them. Something had gone wrong between them and God. According to verses 17-18, the problem was pride.

17 “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.”

The believers in Laodicea had become proud of what they could do. Unknowingly, their self-reliant pride was causing them to live independent of God instead of dependent upon God.

Verse 17 calls them “rich.” Laodicea was the strategic banking center of Asia Minor. When an earthquake leveled the city in A.D. 60, Rome offered financial aid to rebuild the city. The citizens said that they didn’t need it.

Laodicea was also famous for producing black wool for clothes and carpets. Furthermore, the city supported a medical school well-known for creating a healing salve for eyes. There wasn’t a need in Laodicea that could not be met.

The believers had taken on the same self-reliant pride as the citizens. There wasn’t a need they couldn’t meet. They saw themselves one way, but Jesus saw them another. In verse 17, He calls them “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”

In their eyes, they were comfortable, but Jesus saw them as miserable (wretched). They were impressed with their lives, but Jesus thought they should be pitied. They thought they were rich, but Jesus knew they were poor. They saw themselves as visionaries, but Jesus knew they were blind. They thought they were wearing the spoils of a victorious life, but Jesus knew they were walking in the naked shame of defeat (Isaiah 20).

Why were their views so different? It was because the believers in Laodicea were experiencing life based on what they could do, instead of living life according to what God can do. That’s why Jesus tells them in verse 18 that if they want to experience the true riches of life, they need “to buy from me gold refined in the fire.” Then they will reclaim the treasures of a life that comes from experiences that leave you completely dependent on God.

Two remarkable women underscore this truth—Corrie ten Boom and Joni Eareckson Tada. Corrie ten Boom experienced the riches of God while enduring the atrocities of a Jewish concentration camp in WW II. Joni Eareckson Tada experienced those same riches after a diving accident at age 17 left her paralyzed from the neck down. Both women would probably say that their trials in life helped them realize how rich they were in God. Dependence on God does that.

It would be one more trial that would bring these two women together. In 1978 at the age of 86, Corrie ten Boom suffered a stroke that left her paralyzed the remaining five years of her life. Joni Eareckson Tada went to see her and wrote about the experience.

I relive each moment of my visit with Corrie ten Boom (paralyzed by a stroke). I recall how our eyes met as we were fed our cucumber sandwiches. Helpless and for the most part dependent, I felt our mutual weakness. Yet I am certain neither of us had ever felt stronger. It makes me think of the Cross of Christ--a symbol of weakness and humiliation, yet at the same time, a symbol of victory and strength. ...

For a wheelchair may confine a body that is wasting away. But no wheelchair can confine the soul, ...the soul that is inwardly renewed day by day. For paralyzed people can walk with the Lord. Speechless people can talk with the Almighty. Sightless people can see Jesus. Deaf people can hear the Word of God. And those like Tante Corrie, their minds shadowy and obscure, can have the very mind of Christ.³

Believers who live life based on what they can do are the ones living life spiritually paralyzed. But believers who live life according to what God can do are the ones who walk through life on the legs of God, see life with the eyes of God, and achieve impossible victories with the resources of God. When it appears that we are living spiritually paralyzed instead of spiritually powerful lives, Jesus loves us too much not to confront us. That is what He does with the believers of Laodicea in verses 19-20,

19 “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”

When you compare Jesus’ statements to the churches of Philadelphia and Laodicea, you see the difference between living dependent upon God and living dependent upon yourself. The believers in Philiadephia lived dependent on God and God opened a door of opportunities before them. The believers in Laodicea lived dependent upon themselves and shut the door of their church to God.

Pride not only can blind us, it can make us stubborn. That’s why the Greek grammar in verse 20 reveals that Jesus continually stands at the door of prideful, self-reliant churches and knocks. He does so waiting for anyone within the church to start living his or her life according to what God can do. If just one would do that, they would give to God the open door of opportunity to come in and make a difference within their church.

When pride is replaced by humility, independence with dependence, you are reconnected to the source. You once again become a difference maker. The reward of a difference maker is described in verses 21-22.

21 “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Which Memo Would You Receive?

Before taking his expedition to the South Pole, Sir Ernest Shackleton placed the following ad in a London newspaper:

Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful.

When asked how the response had been to his ad, Shackleton said, “It seemed as though all the men in Great Britain were determined to accompany us.”⁴

Apparently, they all wanted to be a part of an adventure that would challenge them, stretch them, and enable them to accomplish something they couldn’t do alone.

When you look at the memo Jesus sent to the believers in Philadelphia, it sounds as though they are already on the adventure with Christ. They are being stretched and are seeing God do things through them they could have never done on their own. Thus, Jesus’ memo is one of encouragement as He says, “I’m proud of you.”

When you read the memo sent to the believers in Laodicea, it sounds as though Jesus is calling the believers to join Him in the adventure. They were proud of their lives and had become satisfied and soft. Thus, Jesus, says, “Your pride is making me sick, because I know you can experience and accomplish so much more. But you will have to be willing to give up the comfortable life you have made, and depend on me for the adventure I have planned for you.”

The question you have to ask yourself is which memo would Jesus send you? Would He send you the one encouraging you because you are already being stretched on your adventure with God? Would your memo read, “I’m proud of you”?

Or would you receive the other memo? Would you receive the one that calls you from living life according to what you can do to living life relying on what God can do? Would your memo read, “Your pride is making me sick. So, swallow your pride, open the door, and let’s go. You’ll be surprised at all you experience when you depend on me.”