Philadelphia
1. City in ancient Lydia (modern-day Turkey)
2. Founded around 189 BC by King Eumenes II of Pergamum
3. Name means “brotherly love”
4. Part of the Roman Empire
5. Located on an important trade route
6. Prone to earthquakes
7. Diverse religious landscape
8. Significant Jewish community
9. Church was likely founded during Paul’s ministry in Ephesus
10. Church faced persecution from both Jewish and pagan sources

The Message to the Church
1. Embrace your identity in Christ

The Message to the Church
1. Embrace your identity in Christ
a) The Church must recognize Christ’s authority
b) Recognize your power

The Message to the Church
1. Embrace your identity in Christ
a) The Church must recognize Christ’s authority
b) Recognize your power
c) The church’s little strength
d) The church’s faithfulness to His word
e) The church’s refusal to deny His name
f) The church maintained the faith in a compromising culture
g) The church’s eternal perspective

The Message to the Church
2. Persevere in the face of opposition

The Message to the Church
2. Persevere in the face of opposition
a) Stand firm against false teachings
b) Trust in God’s vindication
c) Endure patiently

The Message to the Church
3. Hold fast to your spiritual inheritance

The Message to the Church
3. Hold fast to your spiritual inheritance
a) Maintain your spiritual vigilance
b) Christ is coming soon; stay alert and faithful
c) Claim your spiritual rewards

The Message to the Church
4. I am coming
a) Hold on to what you have
b) The promise of His return
c) The rewards for the victorious

N.T. Wright
“The church is not called to be an oasis of piety in a desert of secularism, but rather to be a force for transformation in the world.”