Oftentimes life’s great opportunities last only for a moment. You must seize that moment. It is the time to grab the brass ring. Take advantage of the opportunity or it will be gone. I am talking about real life changing opportunities that we have.
These are the moments when you sense there is a current flowing and if you act on the opportunity you can Seize the day! “Carpe diem!
When you find that God has opened a door you do not want to miss the blessing of going through it. Once Jesus closes that door there is nobody who can open it. The life changing opportunity becomes a lost opportunity.
To the Church in Philadelphia, Revelation 3:7-13
Jesus message to the To the Church in Philadelphia is the sixth of seven messages to the churches. As He does to the other churches Jesus gives a unique description of himself pertaining to the situation of that particular church.
Revelation 3:7
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.
Jesus is Holy. Because of His deity He is set apart from us. He is free from the corruption of sin. God made Jesus who knew no sin to become sin on our behalf. The description says Jesus is true. Christ is completely trustworthy and totally reliable.
Here Jesus is described as the one who holds the keys of David. He is the awaited Messiah. He is the second David who is the promised one who gives eternal life. Jesus came to save his people. He is the one who opens and shuts the door. He is in control.
The city of Philadelphia was established to be the gateway city to the east. The purpose of the city was to promote the Greek culture in Asia and expand the influence of the Greek empire. It was known as the open door of the Greek world. The city of Philadelphia accomplished this purpose of influencing
the language and culture of other cities.
A society can use its influence to promote its culture. Jesus was presenting the church in Philadelphia with an open door. It was an open door to missionary service. The purpose of the city in a secular sense was to be an open door for exporting its cultural influence. Now Jesus is calling the church of that same city to take the open door opportunity with the Gospel to influence those same cities.
Paul often spoke of his missionary opportunities as an open door for effective work.
1 Corinthians 16:9, “Because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.”
Colossians 4:3 “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ.”
Revelation 3:8b tells us the conditions of Philippi.
I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
The church in Philippi did not have a lot of resources, but the church stood firm. They were faithful with what they had. The Lord would offer this church an open door of mission opportunity. The reward for faithful service is greater opportunity. Being faithful brings an open door of opportunity.
When Billy Graham did a crusade in Japan he noted their success in business, they exported automobiles and electronics. He challenged the church to use that expertise to promote the gospel around the world.
Our economic situation may be an open door of opportunity. People come here from some of the most unreached parts of the world and we often can go there through business. In the past one Secretary of transportation in Washington DC would pray that the roads built would be used to carry beautiful feet of those who spread the gospel.
One thing is for certain that if we are faithful with the resources we have the Lord himself will open opportunities of service. Because of your faithfulness you may be someone that people come to with ministry opportunities. When you are faithful with what you are doing there will be other open doors of opportunity.
This was probably a small church in Philadelphia, but they were faithful with the opportunities they had. Jesus had nothing negative to say about this church. Jesus acknowledged that Christians were mistrusted in Philadelphia
Revelation 3:9
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.
Just think that persecutors will fall down at the feet of the believers. The next time you are harassed and persecuted because of your faith, you might ask yourself, I wonder how this person will fall down before me at the second coming of Christ.
What will it look like when this person falls down at my feet and acknowledges that Jesus loves me? The thought of this verse might encourage you through a difficult time. Of course we hope they join us and move from the persecutors to the persecuted in this lifetime.
Revelation 3:10-12
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.
11I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12Him 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.
The overcomer will be a pillar. The overcomer will have a crown. The idea of a crown for the faithful is a familiar promise for an overcomer.
It would be very sad if the Lord placed an open door before you and you refused to go through it. I put my faith in Jesus Christ during my junior year in college. At that time everything changed. The Lord was speaking to me about a Christian summer project.
I sensed that my whole Christian life was in the balance depending on how I went through the open door of opportunity. If I didn’t do that I would probably not have laid the right foundation in my Christian life. I most likely would have been smothered by the world as a new believer in Christ and probably become unfit for service. You will avoid so much unnecessary trouble by walking through the open door of opportunity.
Jesus is the door of Salvation. Don’t miss the most important open door of opportunity of coming to faith in Christ.
John 10:7 & 9 (NASB)
7 Therefore Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 9 I am the door, if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
Revelation 3:13
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Has Jesus laid some open door of opportunity before you? Don’t delay. Grab the brass ring. Seize the day. Walk through that open door now.
