“Are You A Member Of The Philadelphian Church?”

“Advent Journey Day VI.”
“Are You A Member Of The Philadelphian Church?”(Rev 3:7-13).
The late Moderator of the PCC, the Very Rev Henry Anye Awasum is fondly remembered for this: He visited the Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Kumba and had a chat with the students. The students raised questions like, “Why has the Church not done this or that?” Some suggested what the Church should do and what she should be. Etc. The Moderator then asked, “You keep talking about the Church…, Who is the Church?” He went on to explain that the Church is all of us who belong to that Church.
This is the sense in which the letters to the seven Churches of Revelation refer to – a constituent assembly that is all-inclusive.
That notwithstanding, each of the letters to the Churches are addressed to, “the angel of the Church…” In every assembly there must be somebody responsible for what identifies that assembly as an entity. In the cases of the Revelation Churches, the angel of each Church has to answer for whatever that Church is!
Commentators point out that we should understand “the angel of the Church…” to be either heavenly messengers or earthly messengers.
The Church is a reflection of her angel. Our Advent message today requires a “thumps up” to the angel of the Church in Philadelphia. The Lord commends the Philadelphian Church: “I know your deeds…I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name…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…Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 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…”
My friend, is your Church a Philadelphian Church? What role have you played to make the Philadelphian Church a commendable Church in the Lord’s eyes?
Keep your resilience to the end as you keep your fire of faith burning with uncompromising zeal until the Lord comes.
Weekend prayer: Thank you Lord Jesus Christ for assuring my place in the kingdom. Amen!
Have a blessed weekend! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.