This week we finished off with the 7th and final church letter to Laodicea.

This church was nearly a spiritual mirror to the natural culture in which they lived. Laodicea was wealthy, even rejecting Roman aid in times of natural disasters. Like the church, they saw themselves as rich and increasing in wealth and in need of nothing.

While the self-sufficient, self-important, self-reliant and self-supportive attitude may have been true of Laodicea, it was only satan’s deception to the believers there.

Jesus clearly identifies them as spiritually lukewarm and therefore wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.

Jesus’ stated love for this church was not agape, though that was undoubtedly true – He specifically said that His love for them was rooted in a deep friendship type love – and He called them to devotion and repentance due to His love inspired discipline of them.

Contrary to who many people use Jesus’ words – He was undeniably speaking to His saints in Laodicea when He told them the solution to their problem which was communion with Him.

His famous statement of being at the door of their hearts and knocking was a call for them to willingly enter into a leisurely discussion in the form of a communion meal. Not communion as in the last supper – but the chief meal of the day.

Their positive response to this invitation was the only clearly sited condition or future cause of their overcoming the evil deception which had taken them captive.

This week we are reviewing the church of Philadelphia to whom Jesus introduces Himself as the Holy One, the True One and the One Who holds the key of the house of David – which was a reference to Isaiah’s mention of Eliakim’s possessing the key or insignia of authority to David’s kingdom. Used as it is here in reference to Himself, this would indicate Jesus as possessing all authority and power regarding the Kingdom of God.

As such entrance into that kingdom in within His power – if He opens no man can shut and if He closes no man can open.

The assembly of believers in Philadelphia were heavily and negatively scrutinized by the larger Jewish population there – no doubt due to the Jesus the church worshipped was claimed to be the Jewish Messiah. All indicators point to Philadelphia being a small home church which only added to the judgement call of the Jewish people in that city that they were insignificant and unknown by God.

Jesus praises them for their not denying Him, their keeping of His word – especially His word regarding patient endurance. Jesus assures them that this Jews will one day bow at their feet and acknowledge that God… the Jesus their Messiah, had placed His love open these believers.

Many lessons were learned from this, one of the most important being that the opinions of others not only does not matter, but is often detrimental and wrong.

Jesus concludes His letter by telling them that the one who conquers will be made a pillar in the temple of God, which is a beautiful metaphor for not being on the “outside” as the pagan Jewish population in Philadelphia no doubt implied, but that they were in fact built upon its foundation Jesus Himself and were the epitome of strength and being firmly established!