Title: "A Church Strong in Weakness"

1. By what measures do people typically consider a church impressive and powerful? Recall the story of the small church in South Dakota Andy talked about. In what ways did its external façade not tell the whole story? What two factors caused the church in Philadelphia to struggle and, therefore, appear weak and unimpressive? According to v. 8, what was Jesus’ evaluation?

2. Read v. 7. What was Jesus likely communicating by using the imagery of an open door? Read Hebrews 4:14-16. How does such access to God’s holy presence make you feel? How was Jesus’ encouragement designed to make the persecuted Philadelphian Christians feel and live?

3. Read v. 9 and Isaiah 45:14 and discuss Jesus’ reversal of fortunes for his readers. Read v. 10. What makes it likely that ‘tribulation’ in Revelation isn’t a 7-year period in the future but a description of faithful endurance for all Christians during the church age? Read v. 12. What is being promised through the pillar and name imagery and how should that encourage us?