<p>3:8 <em>I know your works (behold, I have set before you an open door, which none can shut), you have a little power- </em>Although no <em>man</em> can shut the door, the Lord can (see on :7). An open door speaks of an opportunity (1 Cor. 16:9; 2 Cor. 2:12; Col. 4:3). It is the Lord who takes the initiative, opening the door to the Kingdom, by grace. It is for us to respond to His initiatives. Their &quot;little power / strength&quot; could imply that it could have been far stronger; but all the same, the Lord commends and accepts them. There are ranges of response to the Lord, and He is willing to accept that some ground will yield more harvest to His glory than others. Some work harder and longer in the vineyard than others; but all receive the penny of salvation.</p><p><em>And did keep my word and did not deny my name</em>- The aorist suggests this keeping of the Lord's <em>logos</em> was at a particular time in the past. They had presumably been called upon to deny His Name and stop abiding in His &quot;word&quot;. And they had refused. This could have referred to the local Jewish synagogue expelling them (Jn. 9:22), with the associated economic and social isolation which ensued for a diaspora Jew. Or in the Gentile context, it could have referred to exclusion from pagan trade guilds, with the same effect; or perhaps a call to show loyalty to the Caesar cult. But :9 suggests that the persecution had originated with the 'satan' of organized Jewish opposition.</p>