Cultivating Faithful churches with brotherly love – The Church of Philadelphia
Part of the “Jesus in Revelation Series” preached at harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town.

To the Church in Philadelphia
Rev 3:7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “HE WHO HAS THE KEY OF DAVID, HE WHO OPENS AND NO ONE SHUTS, AND SHUTS AND NO ONE OPENS”:
Rev 3:8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.
Rev 3:9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.
Rev 3:10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
Rev 3:11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.
Rev 3:12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. 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 I will write on him My new name.
Rev 3:13 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ‘

Three keys to Jesus’ character that cultivates faithful churches is seen here:
He is Holy.
He is True.
He has the key of David.

Holiness
Holiness unlocks spiritual doors. Sometimes heaven remains shut for us because we have sins that have not been dealt with or there is unholiness in our lives. In the spiritual realm, you have to be covered int eh blood of Jesus in order to make a difference. Be holy as I am holy. The good news is that we have the Holy Spirit to help us. It is not by our holiness or our might or power to be holy, but by My Spirit says the Lord.
Jesus has perfected forever, those being sanctified.
There is a difference between trying to be perfect through own efforts, or allowing the holiness of God into your life to resume the sanctification process that Jesus began when you accepted him as Lord and Saviour of your life.
It is a simple submission to His will in everything that helps us overcome. We access His holiness daily even though we are tempted and fail in our own eyes.
Jesus is holy in your temple. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit. That should change the way you treat your inner being and outward person. It is a revelation of Jesus that makes you holy.

Truth
Truth is a Person too; it cultivates faithfulness to the truth in you. Jesus is the way the truth and the life. John 14:6
The Holy Spirit leads and guides us into all truth. Can you see how God the Father, the Son and Spirit work together? God exalts the trust of His Word above all, the Holy Spirit reminds us of it and leads us into it daily. There is complete unity of truth in the Godhead. Sometimes, our spirit, soul and body do not align with the truth. Our spirit says yes, but our minds fight and reason and doubt, while our body feels and experiences an entirely different reality, waiting for the truth to be manifest.
Jesus’ thoughts, words and actions lined up and he had power as result.

Key of David
The Key of David unlocks doors that can’t be shut and shuts doors that can’t be opened. Remember Jesus actually is the door! His life contained and operated in the key of David. He was known as the son of David. He was from the same tribe too! When Jesus said: “My food is to do the will of the Father and to finish it,” He was operating in the key of David. Let me explain: God found in David a man after His own heart, who would do all His will. David wasn’t just someone God like; he was a man that searched to find the heart of God about a matter. If you study the historical books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles int eh Bible with us, you will see how many times David enquired of the Lord before he made strategic decisions in his life. If we do the same, we start to operate with the key of David like Jesus, and like the church of Philadelphia.
This unlocks another level of faithfulness, that doesn’t just blindly commit forever with no understand and goes through the duties of Christian life as a ritual. No, real faithfulness sees the reason behind the season, the origin of the command in God’s heart, the love behind the sacrifice, the attitude behind the obedience.
If you are willing ad obedient, you will eat the good of the land. Sometimes we are obedient in situations but our attitude stinks. Let God cleanse our attitudes and our source of obedience – our willingness needs to be restored and cleanse in order to be after God’s heart in the matter and then it will unlock doors that can’t be shut.
David’s love for God above all is reflected in Jesus’ love and all his disciples. It is the defining fruit of all Christians that should be the first thing we look for in a relationship or partnership. Are we trying to seek God and His kingdom first out of a love that is self-sacrificial and pure?
The spirit and truth worship that flowed from such a relationship with God is another facet of the key of David. The tabernacle of David was restored in the New Testament in Acts 15. To be mentioned above Moses’ tabernacle and the temple of Solomon tells you David got something right, even though he also made many mistakes!

Rewards
And what are the rewards that Jesus offers for the faithful church?
Jesus recognizes their strengths and their works, that they kept the word and did not deny His name. The Philadelphian church had kept Jesus’ command to persevere.
Historically, Ignatius, the Bishop of Antioch had written a letter to the believers in Philadelphia, warning them against heresy and schism. Ignatius had turned many Gentile Christians to the Lord and warned Gentiles not to turn to Judaism, when Jesus had given them true salvation. This probably explains the heresy of the Synagogue of Satan who said they were Jews and were not. There are still such cults today.
Later, Polycarp was executed in Smyrna with several Christians from Philadelphia. Jesus commended such in this letter dictated to John.

In those times, the Romans erected temples to worship their Emperors who took on the forms of former Greek deities in the region.
An interesting historical anecdote refers to two princes from Pergamum who resisted Rome’s efforts to split them apart and turn on each other: Attalus II and Eumenes.
Later, Philadelphia repelled Turkish invasion and became the last outpost of the Byzantine Empire. One emperor of Constantinople came form Philadelphia.
Philadelphia: G5359 Philadelpheia Thayer Definition:
Philadelphia = “brotherly love”
1) a city of Lydia in Asia Minor, situated near the eastern base of of Mount Tmolus, founded and named by the Pergamene king, Attalus II Philadelphus.

Eventually there were over a dozen churches in Philadelphia.
[Source: book purchased by Apostle Andre and Nola Pelser on their mission to Turkey with Andre and Prophet Mimie De Jager; “Saint Paul and the Seven Churches” by Padriac Rohan, Silk Road Publications, Ipekyolu Turistik yayinlari.]

The faithfulness and strength to stand for your faith, in brotherly love and unity is a lesson for Christianity today that is facing a greater onslaught on many different levels. Let Jesus Christ, Who is holy and true and who possesses the key of David, help you overcome and make you a pillar in His temple:

Rev 3:12 He who overcomes,
I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more.
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 I will write on him My new name.