05/22/2026
We've almost gone full circle as we reach the next church Jesus addresses a letter to. It's the church at Philadelphia. This is the type of church you would want to join and raise your family in. Jesus has some really good things to say about this congregation. In fact, it is the only church He doesn't rebuke for anything. It seems like the perfect church. Of course, we know there is no such thing as a perfect church, and as my dad use to always say, if you find a perfect church, don't join it because it won't be perfect any longer.
But the church in Philadelphia is about as close as you can come to finding a perfect church.
There are a lot of people searching for a perfect church. They will bounce from one church to another, but they always get disappointed. They hear someone talking about another Christian, or hear a member complaining about the preacher, the preacher's wife, or their kids. Or maybe hear someone grumbling about a decision the church made. Perhaps the music is too slow, too loud, or not their style. There are so many reasons people jump from church to church, but the fact is, there is no perfect church because every church is filled will sinners. And because they are sinners, they occasionally sin, maybe even sin more than they should, since they are a child of God.
The sad truth is, people who hop from church to church because of dissatisfaction, will eventually drop completely out of church most times. Their excuse is typically something like: "church people are nothing but hypocrites!" So, they stop going. Funny, there are a lot of hypocrites at Walmart too. They complain about the store but they keep going back. For some reason these hypocrites don't seem to bother the church hoppers because they go to Walmart and shop alongside everyone of them.
Anyway, I hope you will consider joining us this Sunday at 10:30 AM as we return to the third chapter of Revelation and see what Jesus has to say to this church at Philadelphia. I will warn you - there are a bunch of sinners at Arlington FBC, beginning with me as their pastor. But they are a loving bunch of sinners who love God and love others. We're nothing but a bunch of saved sinners striving to be more like our Savior the best we can. If you don't have a church, we would love for you to give us a try. Come out and worship and let's dig into God's Word together so we can grow to be more like Him.
God bless you
Bro. David - pastor
