The term translated as “power” is the Greek word dynamis, from which we get the English word dynamite. The term conveys the ability to accomplish, even in the face of resistance. In Philadelphia, though, the church has little of this ability. That can be because they are few in number or because they are economically poor or even because these saints have no social standing (see 1 Corinthians 1:26–29). Whatever the detail may be, the church in Philadelphia was weak in the face of the threatening powers around them.
8 “‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.