The effect of the Worldwide Church of God seeing itself as Philadelphia has been profound, elevating organizational loyalty over faithfulness to God.

All the signs point to Christ's imminent return, yet the Bible warns us not to let down. Hebrews 10 exhorts us to strive to please God and finish our course.

Just as fighting to escape its cocoon strengthens the butterfly, our calling requires effort above what the world has to endure to become free of Satan's cocoon.

The scattering of the church was an act of love by God to wake us from our lethargic, faithless condition. The feeding of the flock is the priority now.

Thyatira receives a litany of praise and rebuke from our Savior. He particularly focuses on idolatry, which is spiritual fornication.

God's selecting a particular candidate does not necessarily mean He has given America a reprieve from the results of her sins. We still need a sense of urgency.

We must emulate Christ, who learned through suffering, preparing Himself for His role as High Priest. Giving in alienates us from the fellowship with God.

God promises some Christians that He will keep them from the Tribulation, the 'hour of trial.' Here are the characteristics of those whom God will protect.

God is not only powerful, but He is the source of all power. We can tap into God's power to avoid slipping into apostasy.

The Bible shows a clear pattern of how people leave the faith: looking back, drawing back, looking elsewhere, and then going backward and refusing to hear.

As God has His eye on the sparrow, He has had His eye on us through the entire process of scattering so the tests we have endured will bear good fruit.

The Worldwide Church of God considered itself to be the 'Philadelphia era,' but the fruit has been misplaced trust, idolatry, competition, and exclusivity.

Each of the letters in Revelation 2 and 3 speak of overcoming. By examining those churches, we can understand what we are up against and what we must do.

Christ's fifth letter in Revelation 2-3, written to Sardis, calls its recipients 'dead.' Do they have any hope? Are our works lively, our faith living?

Oftentimes, searching for the truth brings us into conflict with others' beliefs, causing separations between brethren in the church of God.

Jesus blazed a trail, giving a pattern for qualifying (through suffering and resisting sin) for our responsibility as priests, reconnecting man and God.

Throughout the 'Christian' world, militant atheism may be decreasing, but religious indifference is also increasing at even a more dramatic rate.

Many churches have abandoned traditional values and have embraced humanism, using buzzwords such as inclusivity, community, spirituality, and justice.

When Jesus warns us not to let anyone take our crown, He encourages us to endure over the long-haul and not bask in the glory of a brief, victorious accomplishment.

Like the four groups of seeds exposed to various qualities of soil, many have heard the true gospel, but few have remained faithful after the onslaught of hardship.

As God found it necessary to test our forbears, He allows us to go through grueling experiences (trials, tests, and temptations) for maximum growth.

Corinth had four positive teachers, yet a mysterious fifth teacher was also influencing them and instilling beliefs that were the source of all the bad fruit.