The AMI QT Blogs from June 5-11 are provided by Tina Hsu. Tina, a graduate of Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.) has just returned from E. Asia, where she served as a missionary for two years. Currently, she serves at Church of Southland and Kairos International University.
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS FOR TODAY
“The End Result Outweighs the Present Discomfort”
Revelation 3:7-9
“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia… ‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.’”
Has anyone ever asked you, “If rejection were not a factor, how would you outwardly express your faith?” Whatever your answer may be, you would probably set out to do it with an increased boldness and steadfastness.
In this passage, God is assuring the 1st century church in Philadelphia of His unshakable love and acceptance for them. He gave them “an open door which no one can shut.” Why was this a significant affirmation for the church?
At that time, the small congregation in Philadelphia faced great opposition from the Jews—or more specifically, people who falsely claimed themselves as Jews (v. 9). Very likely, the believers in Philadelphia were former Jews who became Christians and were rejected and ridiculed by the local Jewish synagogue because they professed that Jesus was the Messiah. God’s Spirit is reassuring them that even though the door to the synagogue is shut, the door into the messianic kingdom remains open forever. Though they were vulnerable outcasts in the eyes of their oppressors, God commends them for keeping His Word and not denying His Name publicly. Furthermore, God promises the church that He himself will show their oppressors that He has chosen the church and loves them (v. 9). One day, the oppression will end and those who attacked them before will actually “come and bow down at your feet.” This gives the church continuous boldness against harsh rejection, because they know they are on the right path with God and that their present suffering is small compared to their future reward.
Having assurance of your eternal home in God’s kingdom, how do you want to live your life in the present? How are you responding to your present hardships and discomforts? This morning, let’s ask God to give us the same faithfulness that the church at Philadelphia lived out.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, Your love and acceptance is constant and unchanging. I praise and thank You! Lord, please help me to follow the example of these believers in Philadelphia who kept Your Word and did not deny your Name in times of opposition. As You are faithful to me, help me to be a faithful witness of your Name. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Romans 1
LUNCH BREAK STUDY
Read Isaiah 60:14-15: “The sons of those who afflicted you will come bowing to you, and all those who despised you will bow themselves at the soles of your feet; and they will call you the city of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Whereas you have been forsaken and hated with no one passing through, I will make you an everlasting pride, a joy from generation to generation.”
Questions to Consider
- What is the context of this promise?
- What will “the sons of those who afflicted you” notice about Israel?
- What does this promise reveal to you about God?
Notes
- God is telling Israel through the prophet Isaiah what will happen when they are lifted up from exile and when God restores Israel. Among the many good things to come, one thing is that the nations who treated Israel negatively will in the future treat Israel differently. God will cause this to happen.
- They will recognize that Israel is the people of God, the city of the Lord. They will ascribe honor to Israel because of God, the Holy One of Israel.
- Personal response.
EVENING REFLECTION
The church at Philadelphia is an example of a people who waited upon God to be exalted, to be lifted up. They followed the humility of Christ. When they were persecuted, they did not return evil with evil. They continued to acknowledge Jesus and to follow Jesus. Tonight, reflect on Jesus’ teaching in Luke 14:11: “Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
The AMI QT Blogs from June 5-11 are provided by Tina Hsu. Tina, a graduate of Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.) has just returned from E. Asia, where she served as a missionary for two years. Currently, she serves at Church of Southland and Kairos International University.
There is a well-known saying, “It’s not about how you start, it’s all about how you finish.” The Lord gave the church at Sardis a spiritual diagnosis of their church body. He gave them the frightening truth that they have a reputation of being a lively church, but they are actually a dying church. They started with fervor and passion for the Lord, but they fell into a deep spiritual slumber, no longer awake to God’s voice. For this reason, God specifically said to them, “…for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God.” Those who study this passage will naturally ask, “What did these believers not complete?” One possibility is that it wasn’t like they did not fulfill a ministry or calling that the Lord specifically gave this church, but a more likely situation is that they “backslid” and became secular again in their beliefs and lifestyle. In this way, they did not finish the course of living holy to the Lord until His second coming. They were no longer living as the “pure bride” that Jesus Christ shed His blood for. This is not a church dwindling in number or failing at sustaining the “programs” of a church—from the outside they are “alive.” Yet this is a church dying in their spiritual fervor and walk with the Lord.
In today’s passage we come across a Roman centurion who pleads to Jesus to heal his servant. While there are dozens of stories in the New Testament of Jesus healing the sick, this story comes as a bit of a shock due to Jesus’s reaction. As Jesus begins to walk to the servant’s home, the centurion stops Jesus and says that he is not worthy of the Lord to come to his house, but by His words alone Jesus can heal his servant (v.8). It states that Jesus marveled at this response and proceeds to declare that there is no man in Israel with greater faith than the centurion.
Several years ago, while I was serving a one-year internship in Shanghai, I met a young college student who was enamored at the idea of living in America. She believed that the US had everything that China could not offer her, and her ultimate goal was to live and work in “the land of opportunity.” At the time, I let her know that America was not the perfect nation she imagined it to be, and that her hope should not be in this American ideal. Although nothing I said seemed to change her mind, in hindsight, I realized I couldn’t blame her for having such thoughts. This idea was precisely what brought America to be the nation that it is today—an immigrant nation filled with individuals who believed that the United States would provide the economic stability and educational resources they desired. This is precisely why my parents moved to the US as well. Despite the language barrier and their economic situation, their belief in a better life propelled them to leave everything they knew and everything that was comfortable in order to move to the land of opportunity.
The AMI QT blogs for June 1 and 2 are provided by Mei Lan Thallman. Mei Lan is originally from Taiwan and a graduate of Asbury College and Asbury Theological Seminary (M.A.) in Kentucky. She is the wife of Pastor Kirt, who serves at Grace Covenant Church (Philadelphia). They have two children, Nate and Naomi .
After becoming a Christian at age 17, the foundation of my faith was built through my college years at Asbury University. As important as the sound doctrine of faith I learned through chapel and Bible classes was, the life witnesses of countless Christian professors and missionaries, along with their wives and families, have left a profound influence upon my life. The longer I live, the deeper I treasure the legacy of faith I have received through the authenticity of their vibrant faith and faithfulness.
At our former church in Taiwan, Kathy, an oncology nurse, was trying to live out her new-found faith in her work place; she joined her hospital’s Christian fellowship and prayed before her meals. One day a co-worker doctor approached her with this question: “I know you became a Christian recently. I like Christians, but I have a difficult time accepting the teachings of your God. Why does your God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, just to prove his allegiance to God? What kind of God does that?” As a new believer, my friend Kathy didn’t know how to answer this question, so she came to my husband and me for an answer.
Small children always seem to want to do what their parents are doing, following them into the kitchen or the yard; that’s why toy manufacturers make kitchen and tool play sets. My friends tell me that their toddlers will mimic cleaning up or beg to help out mom and dad in the kitchen counter—even if they’re not all that helpful.
My husband and I purchased a home about six months ago and, as it is about a hundred years old, there are certain quirks about it. Doors don’t always line up and close, floors are not quite level, corners are not quite right angles. That being said, there is a certain craftsmanship to it that doesn’t exist in newly built homes. Even when we wanted to replace the floor, we were told that it would be extremely difficult to match as they don’t make flooring of that size anymore. The walls are made of plaster and lathe, not drywall—a labor-intensive method to build homes that is not employed anymore. All that is to say, the credit does not belong to the house itself, but to the craftsmanship of the builders and the methods they used.
Today’s AMI QT Blog is written by Pastor David Son of Symphony Church, Boston.
When I was in college, I had a friend named Moe (not his real name). Moe was a large man: 6’3” and roughly 250 lbs. Although Moe was a member at my church, I didn’t like him very much. For one, he had a hot temper, which had gotten him into trouble at home and with the law several times in his past. But moreover, he always had too much to say. In my flesh, I was extremely annoyed by Moe because I saw in him these two glaring flaws, yet he continued to hang around the church (and me) so faithfully.