On a busy New York Street, a man hustled across a intersection only to be struck (really only grazed) by a bus. A crowd quickly gathered. Believing he was dying, he cried out, “A priest, somebody get me a priest!” A police man checked the crowd, but there was no priest to be found. Then out of the crowd stepped a little old Jewish man.
“Mr. Policeman, said the little old man, “I’m not a priest. I’m not even Catholic, but for 50 years now I’ve been living behind the St. Elizabeth Cathedral on Fifth Avenue. And every night, I listened to their words wafting through their stained glass windows. Maybe I can say something of comfort.” The policeman agreed and brought the gentlemen over to the injured man. He knelt down, leaned over him and spoked in solemn voice: “B-4. I-19. N-38. G-54. 0-72.”
That day, availability met need. It’s called opportunity. Opportunity is simply being in the right place at the right time, hopefully doing the right thing—but as the little old man illustrated—not always. There is a better approach than bingo: carpe diem. It’s Latin for “seize the day.” On any given day, opportunity will present itself and ask of you: Will you seize the day, will you walk through the door marked “Carpe Diem” now? How will you respond? Consider the response an oncology nurse who stood at the door of opportunity.
Oncology nurse Tricia Seaman treated cancer patient Tricia Somers with such comfort, Somers described Nurse Seaman as “a warm blanket on me. I swore I had met my angel.”
That’s why on the day Somers received the worse news, she asked her angel, "Can you take my son? Will you raise him if I die?" Her son was eight-years-old. How would Nurse Tricia respond? The question is yours, too.
It may not be an eight-year-old boy. It may be an 80-year-old nursing home resident, or a homeless shelter downtown. But in time of great need, opportunity will require a response as God’s church. Reciting some words over a need—words you’ve picked up, but not possessed—is not enough. You have to go through the door. What is needed is one word—yes. In an unprecedented time of human need—war, hunger, natural and national disasters of earth, wind, and fiery, God is looking for a "Carpe Diem, Seize the Day” church who sees the opportunity to be the church now because people need a life line of hope not tomorrow but today. The Philadelphia Church was such a church—an opportunistic church.
How do you approach opportunity as Christ’s church? In Revelation 3:7-13, we see the Philadelphia Church’s approach to opportunity. The Philadelphia church was one of the seven churches of Asia Minor Christ measured for their fitness to be called His opportunistic church. Philadelphia is the sixth church of our Lenten church series: Lent—it’s not what just what you give up, but what you gain.
As you look within to examine what you need to give up in your Christian walk, and look forward to what you gain as Christ’s opportunistic church, consider Philadelphia. First, you will see the Philly Church seize her opportunity to witness, and second, you will see their reward awaiting them for seizing the day. Church, I know you have your sites on a tomorrow when you are back to your thriving days. But God is coming back for a Carpe Diem church focused on here and now opportunity. It not a gamble. It’s a gain.
First, the opportunistic church seizes the opportunity to serve despite their negative circumstances. The Philadelphia church stood at a door to a great opportunity to do God’s work but it was also a difficult place.
First, they were in an unsafe place. Situated at the foothills of the volcanos of Asia Minor, near modern day Turkey, the Philadelphia church was always faced with earthquakes and falling rocks. Every day, they had to deal with the possibility of running for cover.
Second, they were in an oppressive place. The larger Jewish community made life difficult for these Christians who were primarily converted Jews. The Jews hated the Christians for this.
Third, the Philadelphia church faced cultural pressure of the Greco-Roman world. Pressure to accommodate emperor and pagan worship, as we have seen in the other Revelation-seven churches, was a way of life. The Philly church was in a tough place, but, nevertheless, an opportunistic place as far as Christ was concerned. He knew their work. We see it in verse 8.
"I know your works (behold, I have left an open door before you, which no one can close)…. You have limited strength, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name." Rev. 3:8
The works of the Philly Church was being a faithful witness. The door that Christ left open for Philly was the strategic place they were situated. Philadelphia, the ancient city, stood on the border of three countries, at the gateway or door, if you will, between Europe and the East. A major highway went through it. Thus, it was in a great place for the church to spread the gospel of Christ. And they did. For their faithfulness, Christ promised the Philadelphia Church that someday their oppressors will acknowledge them as the church that Christ really loved because they loved Christ's name on the lips of the world. Look at verse. 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. Rev 3:9
Love is the right acknowledgment of the Philadelphia Church. Their ancient city’s name means “brotherly love”, a combination of two Greek terms: phileo meaning "to love" and adelphos meaning "brother". It was named to honor the loyalty of two Greek brothers who were rulers of the region. The Philadelphia Church showed their own brand of loyalty to Christ by keeping His word and honoring his name despite the challenge. They told the world that passed their door that Jesus was the Christ. This confession is the key to the door of the Kingdom of God and the foundation of the Church according Peter’s answer to the question Jesus asked him: Who do you say I am:
Peter answered, Thou art the Christ.” Jesus relied,
…upon this rock (thou art the Christ) I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; Matthew 16:18-19
Look how opportunistic Peter was with those keys:
· He preached on the Day of Pentecost and 3,000 where saved.
· He laid hands on the Samaritans and they received the Holy Spirit.
· He preached to Cornelius and the doors to the kingdom were open to the Gentiles.
These same keys were given to the Philadelphia Church, and they stood at their strategic door and spread the gospel to the East.
We all hold those same keys, as well, to be a “Carpe Diem” church to keep his Acts 1:8 word to be his witness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samara and the uttermost part of Longview, so others may enter the door like Gerald Williams. Seizing the day, not manana, mattered.
I regularly, intentionally made Wednesdays “Step Out” day at the campus where I was chaplain—a day for students to step out of the four wall of the chapel and to knock on dorms doors and witness. They would go as two-by-two teams, armed with one door-opening question: “If you died tonight, do you know where you would spend eternity?”
It was not an easy opportunity, but a “put on your big boy pants” witness because they could expect ridicule, rejection and laugh in the face. One Wednesday no teams showed up. So, I went out with one faithful student. After an hour of slammed doors and common excuses— “ I’m good, I’m having too much fun, I’ll think about it—I was ready to pack it in, but the Holy Spirit said, “One more student.” That student was Gerald who I knew from my ethics class. He had recently become a father, so I asked him how his son was. I finally got around to the seminal question: “If you died tonight, Gerald, do you know where you will spend eternity with the assurance, you’d see your son there?
He stopped dead in his tracks, and said, “I don’t know.”
After hearing the Roman Road gospel message, Gerald confessed who Jesus is to him—the Christ, the key to the Kingdom. Gerald walked through the door. He seized the day, he opted by the opportunity to be with his son forever. I baptized him that night.
Two months later, he as killed in a car accident. There is no question where he is spending eternity. But there remained the question: Will Gerald spend it with his son? And that depends on the answer to the question of the hour: Who will be the opportunistic Church to witness to his son?
Church, Christ is looking for His opportunistic church to seize that day. Look within. You stand at a door marked “Carpe Diem”, like Philadelphia. You hold the keys to the Kingdom like Peter. You can say to Christ “Yes”, today, or you can tell him, no, manana, maybe. To say yes is to say, “I love you, Lord.
For the Opportunistic Church who say yes to “seizing that day”, they will receive a crown of security, identity and authority. Christ promised the Philadelphia church they could expect to be rewarded:11-13.
11 I am coming quickly. Hold fast to what you have, so that no one may take your crown. 12 " '"The victor I will make into a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will never leave it again. On him I will inscribe the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God, as well as my new name.
The Opportunistic Philadelphia church could expect strenght if they just hold on. That strength is represented in the pillar. The Philly Church will be made strong and secure like a pillar that supports God’s temple of the here-after because they faithfully supported the church in the here and now. Today, as it was in the day of Philadelphia, there are two kinds of people in the church: people who support the church and people who come only for support. Who are you?
Not only will the opportunistic church look forward to security, they will be rewarded with a secure identity. In the Greco-Roman world, a support pillar was also the place where those who served in the temple faithfully would have their names written. So, it will be in heaven. But is won’t be on name, but three. Think of these names as tattoo of the opportunistic church.
First, you will have the name of your God written on them. There will be no doubt who you belong to.
Second, you will have the name of you permanent city—the New Jerusalem. There will be no doubt where you belong.
Third, you will have the name of you savior—Christ. There will be no doubt by whose authority you received the keys to the kingdom.
We place a lot of stock in identity integrity in personal our portfolio. And well we should. Identity thief can cause irreparable damage. Even more so, secure your spiritual identity. With one card--a Master Card--youwill have access to opportunities in worlds without end. Don’t do church without it. Apply now. Seize the day.
What does God expect from the opportunistic church? He expects for you to seize the like Philadelphia. They were in the right place, at the right time and to do the right thing by keeping God’s word and honoring Christ name as a witness as they stood in the door way to the unsaved world. For their love of God as an opportunistic church, they kept their crown, they will be rewarded with security and in questioned identiry.
Opportunity is being in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing like an oncology nurse Tricia Seaman who was asked by her dying patient to take in her son, then 8 years-old, when she passed on. She did not long after.
Tricia seized the day and was rewarded. Eight years later, Wesley Seaman has blossomed. He is a straight-A student and model child. He now has a learner's permit. And will get a car soon. He is ready with a key chain his mother left him for that day. She bought gifts for him to open as he got older. In small ways like that, nurse and patient are still raising the boy together. “He is exceptional. But the most important thing is he just has such a kind and loving heart," Seaman said.”
Church, the door is open. Just be an angel with the word of Carpe Diem word on your lips. Seize the day and raise something exceptional just as you are. It’s not a gamble. It’s a gain.
Comments