The letters to the seven churches in Rev. 2 and Rev. 3 are exceedingly precious to us today, especially in the light of the Lord's soon coming, for they show no what the Lord desires and intends to have in the last days.
Many times when we have considered the soon return of Christ, believing we have but a few years left at most, we have wondered what the Lord would especially like to obtain on earth before His coming. We asked ourselves, What would completely satisfy Him and fulfill His desire, what would accomplish His purpose for His testimony in the last days, what would even hasten His return?
We prayed: Lord, whatever You want to do in these last days, whatever you intend to have on the earth before You come, we pray that you will accomplish that - yet not clearly realizing exactly what "that" was, but only desiring to cooperate with Him for that, at least to pray for it.
It was certain that before the end the gospel of the kingdom must be proclaimed in every nation - Matt. 24:14 is explicit concerning that. It was also manifest that there needed to be persons walking with God, separated from the world, with all holy manner of life to hasten His return - 2 Pet. 3:11-12 makes this very clear.
We also knew from Revelation 2 and 3 that in view of the church's degradation the Lord desires and is still calling individuals to rise up to be overcomers. But was there anything more? Was there something that would embody all that was in the Lord's heart and bring it to a conclusion? Was there one thing not fully completed that would hasten His return?
After a number of months, perhaps a year, of prayer and seeking, we realized from the holy Word that there is something that answers all these questions. It is shown to us in the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3, and it is all encapsulated in one word - Philadelphia. Oh, how much that word, that reality, embodies and implies! Brothers and sisters, we are very clear and deeply impressed, that is what the Lord wants and still intends to have on earth before His coming. That is what is still waiting to be completed and manifested, at least to Him if not to others.
When we know what the Lord wants, we can focus on it, bringing everything into line with it, and causing all to be subservient to it. It is vital, and it is so good, to know what the Lord is preeminently seeking in these last days, in our time. How fitting and timely in these days that we should have our eyes upon Philadelphia, learning from her, aspiring to be in that condition for the Lord's approval and satisfaction.
Undoubtedly, He still wants the gospel of the kingdom proclaimed in every nation, including the translation and wide distribution of His Holy Word; He still desires that we lead holy lives in the fear of the Lord and that we be the overcomers. We should wholeheartedly support, pray for, and be alive to all these things.
But above all we should aim at satisfying Him by giving ourselves for what He commends and approves to the uttermost - Philadelphia. The Spirit has actually been speaking concerning this for almost two centuries and is still moving among His people to obtain it. We need to see freshly and very impressively what Philadelphia is. This is a matter not only of our readiness for His coming, but of His satisfaction and readiness to come.
Let us read again the Lord's own words to Philadelphia that they may be freshly before us:
"And to the messenger of the church in Philadelphia write: These things say the holy One, the true One, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one will shut, and shuts and no one opens: I know your works; behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power and have kept My word and have not denied My name. Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, those who call themselves Jews and are not, but are lying; behold, I will cause them to come and worship before your feet, and know that I have loved you. Because you have kept the word of My endurance, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which is about to come on the whole inhabited earth, to test those who dwell on the earth. I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have so that no one take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall by no means go out any more, and I will write upon him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which descends out of heaven from My God, and My new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (Rev. 3:7-13).
In His letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3, the all-knowing Lord judges everything with His eyes of flame. He is honest, frank, and righteous, neither sparing rebuke nor withholding praise, but rendering a perfect evaluation, portraying everything in each church exactly as it is.
It is a grievous picture on the whole with few bright spots, but in the midst of the gloom and decline there is one delightful and utterly desirable scene - Philadelphia. We thank God that there was an actual church on the earth as an example of what He unreservedly commends and what He intends we should attain! Others were found in that condition; thank God, we also may be. I believe it is really not that difficult if we love Him with our best love.
Bible students and lovers of the Word have seen that the letters to the seven churches are prophetic of seven successive epochs of the church's history, spanning this age from beginning to end. History, in retrospect, has confirmed the truth of this discovery. Moreover, these searchers of the Word have realized that the letters to the last four churches contain references to the Lord's coming again, whereas the first three do not, leading them to conclude that the churches represented by the last four - Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea - will remain concurrently on the earth until the Lord’s return. This also is borne out by history and coincides with the present situation of Christianity.
Let us consider briefly, as a background, the essential character of these four remaining churches, the churches that are still with us on earth today. This will cause Philadelphia to stand out in marked contrast to everything around us, and we may see very clearly where we should he and where we should not be.
The church in Thyatira very evidently signifies the great apostate Roman Catholic Church, blasphemous in heresies, incorrigible in idolatries, and implacable as Jezebel in opposition to the truth. Yet, remarkably, within her darksome bosom is a remnant (Rev. 2:24) who have "not known the depths of Satan." To them the Lord says, "What you have hold fast until I come" (Rev. 2:25). The Roman church with its somewhat hidden remnant is very much with us today and will be until the end, when God will judge with fire the unrepentant church (Rev. 2-21; 17:16-17) and reward the faithful remnant.
The next church, the church in Sardis, clearly represents the whole range of Protestant denominations who came out of Thyatira, the Roman church, and who, since that time, have spawned a multitude of Christian groups and affiliations, all outside the fold of Catholicism. Included in this category is the whole spectrum of old-line traditional denominations, fundamentalists, evangelicals, pentecostals, charismatics, etc. - almost all of Christianity not subject to the Pope. Sardis is also very evident and prevalent today. We may be part of it.
This church had a good beginning, for they had a reputation of being living; but they became generally dead and unwatchful and completed nothing (Rev. 3:1-2). This is the Lord's verdict. He said that He would come upon them as a thief (Rev. 3:3), a reference to His Parousia [presence, or coming], which will be a devastating loss to this church. Yet among them are a "few names who have not defiled their garments," and they will walk with the Lord in white for "they are worthy" (Rev. 3:4) - an allusion to the rapture and reward of these blessed individuals. The word here implies that He who will come upon Sardis as a thief will take these who are "worthy" and leave the rest.
Then comes Philadelphia, a church with just "a little power" (Rev. 3:8), yet immensely pleasing to the Lord and already with a crown (Rev. 3:11). The Lord said that He would keep them "out of the hour of trial," the tribulation (Rev. 3:10), indicating that these simple but faithful people were prepared as firstfruits for early rapture, which in itself is a great reward.
The Lord, knowing and feeling their touching affection for Him and desiring to preserve them in it, said to them as to no other church, "I come quickly! Hold fast what you have that no one take your crown" (Rev. 3:11).
Historically, Philadelphia signifies those groups of saints who have come out of Sardis and all human organizations and systems, not for the sake of coming out, not with any divisive attitude, but solely desiring to be faithful to the Lord and His Word and with a heart of love to receive and be one with all believers without any sectarian limitations. They seek genuinely and diligently to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace, holding to the truth in love (Eph. 4:3, 15).
The Lord is very happy with them. They do not consider themselves Philadelphia or designate themselves Philadelphia. If they do, they most probably are not Philadelphia and far from it. They are happy to leave all evaluation to the Lord, for He alone knows and discerns everything as it really is. How blessed is their state!
We believe that Philadelphia, or some approximation to it, is here on the earth today. Whoever they are and wherever they are, the Lord knows. While Thyatira, Sardis, and in some cases Laodicea are easy to identify, Philadelphia can best be described only as a condition, leaving the Lord to discern who or what groups of saints truly qualify.
Lastly we have Laodicea, the church characterized by lukewarmness and pride. It denotes those who have fallen from Philadelphia, no longer having Christ and the love of the brothers before them, but rather focusing on themselves, boasting in their knowledge and spiritual attainments. Toward Christ they are lukewarm and indifferent. He is outside; He has no place in Laodicea; yet He knocks for admittance and pledges to come in and dine with any individuals in Laodicea who repent and open to Him, setting before them the reign with Him in His Kingdom as the prize and motivation to overcome.
The existence of Laodicea, after plummeting from Philadelphian glory, may be seen today in a number of groups and affiliations of Christians that may be identified by those who know their history and their present state. It is a deep shame to any saints if Laodicean characteristics are found in them, yet they are all too prevalent.
Thus, out of the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3, four are still with us. Out of the four the Lord specially sets before us one that is according to His desire and represents His original intention for the church - Philadelphia. At the end of this age He intends to have Philadelphia on the earth in utter contrast to the corruptions of Thyatira, the lifelessness and halfway measures of Sardis, and the lukewarmness and pride of Laodieca. The question, of course, arises, Where are we?
In Thyatira there was a remnant that was faithful, in Sardis there were a few individuals who had not defiled their garments, and in Laodicea there was the possibility of a few who would open the door to Christ; but in Philadelphia the whole church - think of it! - is characterized by going after Christ, cherishing Him by keeping His word and not denying His name, and loving without any sectarian narrowness the brothers, the saints. They only need to hold fast what they already have. The crown is theirs; they only need to guard it jealously lest they lose it to others (Rev. 3:11). Every lover of Christ and His interests would surely want to be identified with them.
Philadelphia represents a great spiritual revival: it is what someone has called "a church revival." Many are praying today for revival. There have been a number of evangelical revivals in the past, and we welcome them. May we pray, however, for this kind of revival, a Philadelphia revival, among the Lord's people. However, unlike other revivals, it will probably remain largely hidden, not to the Lord but to the world's view.
Having glimpsed the preciousness to the Lord of Philadelphia, let us examine more deeply the basis for His delight in her that we may follow in her steps and be ready for rapture as they were. There are three fundamental virtues that we need to contemplate, which perhaps we have often considered. We pray that we may see them freshly that we may enter more fully into their reality, even to become Philadelphia. They are simply, keeping His word, not denying His name, and loving the brothers. (The first two are clearly mentioned in Revelation 3:8; the third is derived from the name Philadelphia, meaning brotherly love.) It was this that ravished the Lord's heart and above all prepared them for His coming. It was their crown that they should hold fast. We are burdened to share briefly on the first two and more thoroughly on the last.
To the church in Ephesus the Lord said with touching regret that they had left their first love (2:4). That tragic negligence precipitated the degradation of the whole church from that day till this. But, thank God, feeble but faithful Philadelphia accomplished a grand recovery - mostly unnoticed and unrecognized - back to the beginning, back to the original characteristics of the church, back to the first love. What Ephesus lost, Philadelphia regained. If they had not, the Lord would have reproved them for it as He did Ephesus. But He had no reproof, only commendation, for Philadelphia.
The church in Philadelphia was in the glow of the first and best love for the Lord. Hallelujah! Yet, very interestingly, the Lord does not mention their first love. Rather He says that they kept His word. The Lord notices here the fruit, the evidence, of first love, which is the keeping of His word. This is indeed the "acid test." By this He makes known that their heart, their affections, are wholly for Himself. By keeping His word and not denying His name, Philadelphia proves beyond any doubt that they are in the condition of first love. By this it is evident that Christ is everything to Philadelphia.
Philadelphia loved Christ by keeping His word; this is the only way to do it in reality. The Lord told His disciples: "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word," and on the other side, "He who does not love Me does not keep my words" (John 14:23, 24). John, the apostle, echoed his Lord's assertion, saying, "Whoever keeps His word, truly in this one the love of God has been perfected" (1 John 2:5).
What a great thing it is to keep the word of God, to love it, to treasure it, to carry it out. Our Lord puts great stock in this; He looks for this. It is so simple, but it means everything.
Has the Lord instructed us in His Word regarding our attitudes, our living, our relationships with others? Has He shown us His desire for the church, for His expression, for the oneness of His Body, and for our relationship to it and participation in it? Are we obedient? Are we faithful to what He has shown us, especially regarding His Body? Philadelphia was. Or do we rationalize our way out of it, or postpone obedience? Our love is tested right here.
It is possible to replace the Word of God with man's word, adulterate it with teachings of Christian leaders, make it void by our traditions, or simply to neglect it and not receive it earnestly and seriously. Thyatira and Sardis do these things all the time. Dare we like Philadelphia return to the pure Word of God and keep it faithfully, leaving the consequences with Him? Margaret Barber, that loyal Philadelphian wrote:
Can you be obedient to the Lord of all,
Though the earth should totter, though the heavens should fall?
Can you? Then beloved, Christ just waits for you;
Listen for His orders, glad His will to do.
Then when soldiers muster at the set of sun,
And your name is mentioned
Christ will say, "Well done!"
However, please notice, to obey like this and keep the Lord's word like Philadelphia requires an attitude that is sorely missing today. Very few seem to have it. The Lord said: "To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word" (Isa. 66:1-2). Where is the fear of the Lord that takes the Lord's word so seriously that we tremble at it and dare not disobey it? The author of Psalm 119 said, "My heart stands in awe of Thy words" (v. 161). Such a one loved the Lord's word profoundly and kept it with his whole heart (vv. 67, 69, 101). The keeping of the Lord's word, therefore, demands a very real and proper fear of the Lord, as well as a fervent love. Oh, may they be found in us! May this healthy trembling at His word enter into us.
The matter in which our keeping the Lord's word is most tested is our church life and standing, our keeping the oneness of the Spirit, and our being practically built up together in Christ. A dear brother who has served the Lord for many years told me metaphorically, "We need small feet and a large heart." He explained: we need small feet to walk steadfastly in the narrow way of the Lord's word (Matt. 7:14), keeping it diligently. At the same time we need a large heart that embraces in love all the Lord's children and identifies with them, though not with any human systems.
The possession among the Lord's children of these two virtues in simultaneous practice, faithfully keeping the Lord's word on one hand, and abiding in the proper fellowship in love with all the Lord's children on the other, is a rare occurrence. We are dreadfully short of both, especially in confluence. Philadelphia has this blessed combination: they keep the Lord's word and they love the brothers - all the brothers.
But be sure, the keeping of the Lord's word like this will draw fire, especially from those with great ecclesiastical pretensions. This is exactly what happened to Philadelphia - they suffered from the "synagogue of Satan", from those "who call themselves Jews and are not" (Rev. 3:9). This is a religious system that purports to be something they have no right to claim. But the Lord will cause these pretenders to come and worship before lowly Philadelphia and know that He has loved her.
However, in all her affliction, Philadelphia keeps the word of His endurance, enduring in the same way, from the same source, and in the same spirit as her Lord on earth. Therefore the Lord will keep her out of the hour of trial, the great tribulation, which will come upon the whole earth. They keep; He keeps. They keep His word, and He keeps them, meaning He raptures them, taking them out of this scene before that dreadful tribulation will sweep the earth. The rapture referred to here is not an automatic rapture for all Christians, as some suppose, but for those who qualify as Philadelphia did. There are conditions attached to it. This is very clear.
Before leaving this matter we must mention that it is the Lord’s word Philadelphia keeps, not man's. They exalt the Lord's word far above that of any human teacher or spiritual leader. The proper ministry of any servant of the Lord is to bring the Lord's people back to the pure Word of God and help them to keep it. It is through the word of the Lord, both His written Word and the word He speaks to them, that Philadelphia enjoys direct fellowship with Christ. There is no mediator between Philadelphia and Christ; there is no human instrument who stands in the way, though they would undoubtedly give due honor to any messenger who truly represented the Lord and His word. The personal pronoun stands out very strikingly in the Lord's words to Philadelphia: He says, "My word...MY name... the word of MY endurance."
When we read of not denying His name, we are spontaneously reminded of the Lord's words in the Gospels, "Whoever shall deny Me before men, I also will deny him before My Father who is in heaven" (Mt. 10:33). We think also of Peter's triple denial of the Lord, which we too may have been guilty of in some form. But there is a denial implied in the letter to Philadelphia that is much more subjective, and one which most of us are guilty of perhaps every day. It is very serious, for it leads on, if we continue in it, to open, outright denial of the Lord. Let us consider this.
The Lord is not only a great speaker ("No man ever spoke like this man" - John 7:46), but also a great writer, even the greatest of writers, for He intends to write upon us His name, i.e., Himself and all He is. In fact, upon the overcomers in Philadelphia the Lord says that He will write His new name, and much more (Rev. 3: 12). In the next age the writing He has already been doing in this age will be fully manifested. What does this mean for us practically? What does this have to do with not denying His name?
The Lord brings us to turning points every day when He attempts to write something of Himself freshly upon us. There is inwardly a fork in the road: we may go this way or that; we may choose our will or His; we may stand with our self, or stand with Him against our self. If we choose our self, our way, our will, we deny Him the opportunity to write more of Himself on our heart, we deny His name.
This is a very real inward denial of the Lord's name. We in effect are saying to the Lord, "I will not have it; I prefer my name, not Yours." Is this not a common occurrence with most of us? Then consider how much we have actually denied the Lord's name!
The characteristic of saints in Philadelphia is that they do not deny His name. They not only have the Lord's speaking - He speaks much to them, and they keep His word - but they have the Lord's writing - they allow Him to write the name of His God, the name of the city of His God, and His new name upon their being. They deny their self; they do not deny His name; and that is the only way not to deny His name.
We have many opportunities every day not to deny the Lord's name, but rather allow Him to write it upon us. If we will do it, our being will be changed; we will have a new name; we will bear another image and have another expression; we will be made in His likeness. Thus we will be ripe and ready for rapture, not otherwise. Amen! May we never deny His name, either inwardly or outwardly.
Along with this, we can be sure that Philadelphia would never exalt any name - whether the names of spiritual leaders or the titles of denominations - but only that of the Lord Jesus Christ. They glory in that name, rejecting every other. For them to do otherwise would also be to deny His name, as Thyatira and Sardis have done many times. Philadelphia goes all the way back to the beginning, where there was only one glorious name, on which the saints called, in which they prayed, and into which they gathered. They would say:
"Let names, and sects, and parties fall: Thou, O Christ, art all in all"
Because Philadelphia is in her first and best love for Christ, she cannot fail to love what He loves, to give herself for what He gave Himself, and to pour out for what He poured out. Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her (Eph. 5:25), including all the dear saints, for He loved me and gave Himself for me (Gal. 2:20). With Christ, the church, His members, the saints are number one. Therefore Philadelphia loves the church, Christ's body, the saints, with the same love with which she loves Him.
It is impossible to love Christ and not love His body. Our love for Him is proved practically by loving all the brothers, Christ's members. "For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen" (1 John 4:20).
Philadelphia does this in such reality and strength that her very name is called Philadelphia, brotherly love. Think of it! This characterizes her to the extent that she is known and renowned forever by this fact that she loves the brothers. How precious!
This is probably not the most striking feature of most of us, to put it mildly, or of the assembly where the Lord has placed us. But by His mercy we can repent for this and strive toward it. It is imperative to know that the Lord accounts love for the brothers a prime requirement of readiness for rapture.
A perusal of Paul's two letters to the Thessalonians, which stress the Second Coming, affords much evidence of this, for in those letters love for the brothers is repeatedly mentioned. If anyone is a brother (or sister), born of the same Father as us, sharing the same divine life as us, the Lord expects us to love him unconditionally, even as He loved us, regardless of how unattractive or incompatible with our theology he may be. His love in us is well sufficient for this. Let us thank and praise Him!
What does it mean to really love the brothers? We must investigate this from the Word as well as our experience, with much heart searching and admission of failure; otherwise we are multiplying mere platitudes and can never understand what it means to be Philadelphia. How can we define it in practical terms that will help us to practice brotherly love more truly and fully? By the Lord's gracious enabling let us try.
When we speak of loving the brothers, we must refer to John 13 and the Lord's act of washing His disciples' feet, for it is the chief example of brotherly love and embodies all its qualities. Moreover, it was given to us directly by the Lord Himself with this end in view. From it we can learn volumes, but we may only speak briefly here.
The Scriptures recount His act in a few extraordinary verses: "Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all into His hands, and that He had come forth from God, and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. Then He poured water into the basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded" (John 13:3-5).
He followed by saying, "If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that as I have done to you, you also may do" (vv. 14-15). Then, in this very context He said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you" (v.34). In other words, "You must love one another, and the way to love others is to do to them what I have just done to you."
To summarize, three main points are covered in this passage (excluding the matter of Judas):
1) the Lord washes the disciples' feet, that means our feet
2) we are to wash one another's feet
3) we must love one another
Putting them together we realize that the way to love one another is to wash one another's feet, just as the Lord has washed ours.
Brothers and Sisters, the Lord Jesus has shown us, not by lecture, but by His own loving example, how to love the brothers. It is by stooping to wash their feet. We may rarely do it physically and externally, but we certainly can do it in spiritual reality many times, the more the better. The Lord in fact has commanded us to do it, and He said, "If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them (v. 17).
Volumes have been said and written concerning foot-washing, but we are burdened to see freshly what it really means to wash others' feet, for this is brotherly love, this is Philadelphia and preparation for rapture.
But at this point we must break off and continue in the next issue, Philadelphia, Part 2.
We have very much to say by the Lord's enabling regarding the washing of feet and the love of the brothers, that we may progress toward Philadelphia and the Lord may have such a testimony on the earth before His return.
How we thank the Lord that He has shown us the church in Philadelphia as His heart's desire, and that He has also shown us the characteristics that made her great in His eyes. How precious to have such an example, that we may know where we should be and how we should be at the end of this age, in the midst of so much that comes short of His glory and grieves Him!
We saw in the last issue the three features of the church in Philadelphia that ravished the Lord's heart, that drew nothing but commendation from Him: they kept His word, they did not deny His name, and they loved the brothers. We left with the matter of loving the brothers, having done little more than introduce it. But having received fresh light from the Lord, we must return to the keeping of His word, for this is foundational, it is the starting point of everything, and we have not covered it adequately. Oh, this is exceedingly precious!
Philadelphia was the only church among seven to whom the Lord could say that they kept His word. It was the basis of all their blessing. Everything for the Lord's satisfaction and for our growth and fruitfulness issue from our keeping His word; it is most crucial. Therefore we must touch this matter more deeply. We must see what it really means to keep His word.
John's writings - his Gospel, Epistles, and Revelation - were the last books written in the New Testament, penned about 90 A. D., when John himself was close to ninety. The church had been on the earth for nearly six decades, and it had already declined, with seeds of further decadence everywhere. It was a day strikingly like our own. The Lord's children were beset with many teachings: some blatantly false; others insidious and subtle. The spirit of error was at work (1 John 4:6).
Moreover, hypocrisy was prevalent everywhere, as evidenced by John's repetition in his first epistle, "If we say ... if we say," (1 John 1:6, 8, 10), and, "He who says ... he who says …" (1 John 2:4, 6, 9). Many were making high-sounding assertions, but with no living to back them up, no righteousness, no love for the brothers. The result was confusion, the inroads of falsehood, and a loss of direction among God's people, very similar to our time. John's writings therefore are most timely and fitting for us today.
John undoubtedly was deeply concerned for the situation and sought the Lord for the answer, for the word to meet the need. The Lord gave it, and it became John's strong and definite burden in all his writings.
The prescription, simply speaking, was to return to the pure word of God, to the word of life that was in the beginning, and keep it. In both his Gospel and his Epistles, John brings us back to the beginning, back to the Word in whom there was life (John 1:1, 4; 1 John 1: 1), and back to nothing else. Moreover, at the opening of his last book, Revelation, the blessing is given to those who read the word, hear it, and keep it (Rev. 1:3).
In the beginning it was so simple: there was just God and His word. How uncomplicated! Things today are so complicated, including Christian things. There are so many "ministries," with Christian television and radio, books, tapes, seminars and workshops, etc., and many of these corrupt the Word or detract from it. It is like a Christian smorgasbord.
John brings us back to such an uncomplicated situation, back to our source, back to our home, back to simply God and His word. We were born of God (John 1:13), and we were born of the word (1 Pet. 1:23). This is our source. In a time of confusion we need to come back to our source, back to our home, back to the Lord Himself and His word.
We don't realize how much we have been away from the pure word until we begin to come back. The Jews in the Lord's day picked up many concepts contrary to the Word of God -the Lord was always coming up against them. We have done the same, unknowingly. We need to come to the pure word, perhaps laying aside many other materials, and by its shining have any discrepancies adjusted or removed.
It has been pointed out that John's ministry was a mending ministry. He mended the net at the place of rupture or incompletion. Considering the four gospels, we may say that John filled up the shortage left by the other three by supplying the Word, by emphasizing the Word of life. In other words, he filled up the gap in the net by the Word. It is only by this, for example, that the requirement of the kingdom in the Gospel of Matthew can be met. John provides by the word of life the supply to meet all the demand.
John in his writings not only speaks particularly of the word, but also mentions the world many times, in fact more so than any other New Testament writer. In his Gospel he refers to the world almost eighty times, and in his first Epistle over twenty times. The world he speaks of is especially the religious world, the satanic system that crucified the Lord. These two, the word and the world, are mutually antagonistic, the world seeking to corrupt the word and destroy it, and the word exposing the world and overcoming it.
The two words in English, word and world, resemble one another closely. Look at them:
WORD ---------- WORLD
The only difference between them is the ‘L’ in world. If we add an ‘L’ to WORD, it becomes WORLD. We use this is an illustration of the real situation. We should never add anything to the Word of God. If we do, it becomes part of Satan's systematized world.
Satan, the enemy of God and His Word, has attempted repeatedly to destroy and obliterate God's Word and has never succeeded; the Bible has always survived. His other stratagem has been to corrupt the word by inducing his servants to add to it and thus incorporate it into his system, the religious world. In this, it seems, he has had a considerable measure of success.
But the pure Word of God still remains for all who will return to it and take it as it is, neither adding to it nor subtracting from it, and reading it in its context. The Psalmist said, "Thy word is exceedingly pure; therefore Thy servant loves it" (Psa. 119:140).
We may say that the ‘L’ added to the Word, which makes it the world, stands for Leaven. The Lord alerted His disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees (Matt. 16:6). They had added to and subtracted from God's Word in the Old Testament: the Pharisees added; the Sadducees subtracted. Thus they defiled and systematized the Word to the point where they crucified the God who gave it.
The Lord's admonition is still needed today: we must beware of any additions to the Word or subtractions from it in the teachings and writings of men. They are still as plentiful today as when the Lord was here. Many have added their own concepts and traditions to God's pure and holy Word.
In addition to returning to the word, John enjoins us many times in all his writings to keep the word. In his Gospel, for example, "He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me" (John 14:21). And, "If any man loves Me, he will keep My word" (John 14:23).
In his first Epistle: "Whoever keeps His word, truly in this one the love of God has been perfected" (1 John 2:5). And, "He who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him" (1 John 3.24). And in his Revelation: "You have a little strength and have kept My word" (Rev. 3:8). And, "Behold, I come quickly. Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book" (Rev. 22:7). This is just a sampling of many verses in John's writings to attest to John's burden (and the Lord's) that we keep the word.
What does it mean to keep the Lord's word? Seeing this will aid us greatly in our experience. The word keep is crucial. It denotes either of two things: 1) the doing, the performing, the carrying out of the word; or 2) the guarding, the treasuring, the holding fast of the word.
We will show that the second meaning, the guarding, the holding fast of the word, is the primary and essential meaning of keeping the word. The first, the performing of the word, comes out of the second as the fruit, the result. This is most meaningful in our experience. The essential meaning of keeping the Lord's word is to receive it, treasure it, guard it, and hold it fast.
Consider the parable of the Sower and the seed, given and interpreted by the Lord Himself. The Sower is the Lord, the seed is His word, and the various kinds of ground are the various conditions of man's heart. That is clear. We may skip over the first three kinds of ground and come to the fourth, the good ground. Concerning this the Lord says, "But the seeds that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with endurance" (Luke 8:15). One version renders the words keep it as hold it fast.
This parable in the Lord’s own words sheds light on what it means to keep the word. The good ground does nothing; it only receives the seed and holds it fast, guarding it, permitting no one to take it away. Such a heart treasures the word, cleaves to it, and allows it to take root and bear fruit - nothing more. The ground in this picture does not attempt to perform anything; it is not capable of that. It is only good for doing that for which it was made - holding the seed fast within its bosom. The seed, the word, does the rest. It does what the ground could never do: it grows and bears fruit. The word accomplishes what none of us could ever do; for, thank God, it is the word of life, not the word of work. It has life power to accomplish everything for which it was given.
The Psalmist in Psalm 119 said, "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee" (v. 11). Here was good ground: here was one who kept the word: he did it by hiding it in his heart, not by attempting in himself to perform it, again showing the way to keep the word. The word hid can also be translated treasured. The author of Psalm 119 treasured the Lord's word and hid it in his heart, indicating that he guarded it and watched over it.
The whole of Psalm 119 is an outstanding example of one who kept the Lord's word. In fact, the word keep in relation to the word is mentioned some thirty times in this Psalm. The Psalmist uses many other words like, longing after the word, seeking it, choosing it, cleaving to it, loving it, confiding and hoping in it, delighting and rejoicing in it, meditating upon it, not wandering from it, and not forgetting it. All these reveal the attitude of one who keeps the word.
Oh, brothers and sisters, this is the keeping of the Lord's word that we so desperately need! This is what Philadelphia had; and it is this that produces brotherly love (1 John 5:2), the building up of the church, and all that God desires. May we see more here and be deeply impressed.
The following verses further confirm the ability of the word to accomplish its own work: "Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls" (James 1:21); and, "I commit you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up..."(Acts 20:32).
Not only is our spirit regenerated by the word of God, but our soul is saved by His word, saved by keeping His word as the good ground, as the word "implanted" implies. We can keep His word, but we cannot save our soul; the word of life with its transforming power will do that. Neither are we able apart from the word to build ourselves up, but we praise the Lord that His word is able. The keeping of the Lord's word will enable the word of God to build up the church He desires. Hallelujah! We need to put our full confidence in the word of God.
The Lord declares that person blessed who reads, hears, and keeps the Word, and that person is blessed indeed. Revelation 1:3 affirms: "Blessed is he who reads, and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and keep what is written in it, for the time is near." There are four matters included here: 1) the word is written; 2) we are blessed if we read it; 3) we are further blessed if we hear it; and 4) we are fully blessed and reach the goal if we keep it.
Thank God that the word has been written down, that it has survived for all these centuries, and that we hold it in our hands today, the Bible. What a blessing!
It has been written, of course, that we may read it. How blessed are those who have the daily habit of Bible reading! It is a must for all of us. But the purpose of reading the Word, please note, is that we may hear it, or rather that we may hear the Lord speaking to us in the Word. Many come short here. They are faithful to read the Word, but they seldom hear the voice of the Lord within speaking to them from His Word so clearly that they know what He has spoken. Yet this should be our normal and daily experience.
The Lord is speaking all the time: if our ear is attuned to Him, we will unfailingly hear His voice every day. We need to read His Word not only with our eyes but even more with our ears, our inner ears. We need His speaking directly and personally to us all the time.
Our hearing then is for our keeping. What the Lord speaks to us, that is what we need to keep in our hearts. We may not be able to keep all that we read, but we do need to keep what we hear from the Lord.
While we are reading with our heart attentive to Him, He will touch us and impress us with His word, perhaps only in a verse or a phrase, or perhaps in several verses. That is His speaking to us. It may be that after we have read, the Lord may remind us and impress us with verses we have read either that day or perhaps years ago. Or a brother or sister, in the church meeting or at any time, may speak a word that conveys the Lord's speaking to us. We should take it very seriously, treasuring His word and guarding it in our heart. We may meditate upon it, seek to remember it, consider it, speak of it to others, pray over it, and thank God for it. Dear saints, this is what it means to keep the word. May we do it with our whole heart! We are all capable of this - if we have the heart.
After we have heard from the Lord - whether it has been a word for us personally or even a word for the church (for we read, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit speaks to the churches") - it helps many times to write it down. I have found in my own experience that writing down what I have received from the Lord is an aid in keeping the word I have heard; otherwise, it may be lost. The very act of writing it down impresses it more deeply upon one's heart. It not only may help us at a later date, but may become food for others. I have practiced this quite often.
I have frequently pondered the Lord's word to Philadelphia, "You have a little power and have kept My word..." (Rev. 3:8). Why did the Lord tell them that they had a little power? It certainly is helpful to see that Philadelphia did not require great power to keep the Lord's word. To perform the Lord's word, yes, they may need substantial power, but they did not have that. They only had a "little power." But that was enough to keep His word. Very few of us have great power, but we all have a little power; and that is all we need if we will use it to keep His word, holding it fast, treasuring it, cleaving to it, and praying over it. We all have what it takes to keep His word in this way. Everything depends on our attitude toward it.
Since John has spoken to us so much concerning keeping the Lord's word, he himself should be a prime example of one who kept His word, and he is. We not only need the teaching, but even more the example. Teachings abound everywhere, and some are high and spiritual, but good examples are very rare.
Consider John. He wrote his gospel some sixty years after the Lord was on earth, yet he could write twenty-one chapters depicting the Lord's life and recounting His teachings in such fine detail. So many decades had elapsed since John was with the Lord, and John himself was greatly advanced in years, yet he could recall and record, for the untold benefit of millions of saints, the words and deeds of the Son of God with an intimacy, grandeur, and savor unmatched by any other.
No one else wrote such high and holy passages as the Lord's teaching in John 14, John 15, and John 16, and the Lord's prayer in John 17. We are greatly indebted. Moreover, he could call to mind much more than he wrote, which he says, if it were written, the world itself could not contain the books (John 22:25).
What was his secret? How could he recall all the events and words of the Lord with such definiteness and assurance? The answer assuredly is that he had kept the Lord's words, so many of them, hidden and treasured in his heart, not just words of knowledge but words of life that operated in him and made him like his Lord. Undoubtedly these words were nurtured and strengthened by the Spirit throughout his long life. Then at the appropriate time the Spirit reminded him of many things stored in his heart and he wrote them down. John was an exemplary keeper of the word. Thus he could write so frequently in his books that we must keep the word - he himself did it.
Consider this: when John was with the Lord along with the other disciples, he said very little. We can easily discover many of Peter's sayings - he was always speaking. Recently I looked through the gospels to locate the statements of John. I could find only one or two.
My conclusion is that John said little, but listened much. At the end of his days, however, he had very much to say. He poured out so many words that he had kept hidden in his heart; they were written down and became an immense blessing for the whole age. If we listen more, we will keep better, and what we keep will eventually be a great blessing not only to ourselves, but to many others.
Recall how at the last supper John reclined on the Lord's bosom (John 13:23). It seems that was his habit; he wanted to be as close as possible to the Lord and catch every precious word from His mouth, storing them in his heart. To keep the Lord's word we too need to get very close to Him and attend to every word He speaks.
Five times in John's Gospel he refers to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." He was very conscious of the Lord's tender love for him. Did the Lord not love the other disciples? Certainly He did. But it seems that the Lord took note of John's endearing love for His word and his keeping of the word and granted him a special manifestation of His love. The Lord's words were surely fulfilled in his case, "He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me ... and I will love him and manifest Myself to him" (John 14:21).
The church in Philadelphia, similar to John, could rightly say that she was "the church that Jesus loved." The Lord Himself said this of her, "Behold, I will cause them of the. synagogue of Satan ... to come, and worship before your feet, and they will know that I have loved you" (Rev. 3:9).
Did the Lord not love the other churches? Assuredly He did. He even loved the church in Laodicea, telling them, "As many as I love I rebuke and discipline" (Rev. 3:19). But He manifests His love especially to those like John and Philadelphia who evidence their love by keeping His word. As individuals we should emulate John, and as churches we should follow Philadelphia to treasure and keep His word. Then we will unfailingly partake of the blessings of His love bestowed upon John and Philadelphia. May it be so!
Mary of Bethany, just as John, is another outstanding example of one who kept the Lord's word, proving it by her works. We first meet her in the gospel account in Luke 10, when Jesus was received as a guest into her home by her sister Martha.
We know the story well. While Martha busied herself in the kitchen preparing a meal, Mary was overwhelmingly attracted by the Lord and sat transfixed at His feet listening to His word.
Martha, anxious and distracted in serving, wanted help and commanded the Lord to tell Mary to come to her aid. But the Lord replied that Mary had chosen the good part, which would not be taken away from her. The Lord will never remove anyone from such a position; He desires and intends that. He would have been delighted if Martha had come and joined her sister at His feet. Dinner could wait; there was more important business.
I recently heard a brother with tears give a testimony that touched me deeply. He said, "The Lord, the Word of God, was in my home, sitting in my very living room, and I occupied myself in the kitchen, away from Him, frantically running to and fro to serve Him. I spent a lot of time cooking up this and cooking up that - all to ‘serve the Lord’ - but I missed Him, I lost the opportunity of being with Him and hearing His word."
The brother repented before the Lord. Many of us have treated the Lord in the same way. He dwells within us; He is so near; yet we have not spent adequate time with Him, seeking His word, listening to His word, and storing it in our heart. Fruitful service issues from this. How sweet is His word to our taste! May we taste the sweetness of it.
The next time we see Mary is in John 11, when Jesus arrived belatedly and raised Lazarus from the dead. He spoke those wondrous words, which Martha heard and passed on to her sister Mary: "I am the resurrection and the life." This must have been the topmost in preciousness of all the words received by Mary from the Lord. She not only heard them, but saw the reality and treasured it in her heart. It was these words and this event that triggered what occurred the next time we see Mary.
In John 12:1-8 we view Mary for the next and final time in Scripture: it is climactic. Martha is still in the kitchen serving, but she is at peace now. Lazarus, fresh from the dead, is just sitting there - that is all he need do. His presence is a powerful testimony. And Mary? She is still where you might expect her, at the Lord's feet. Mary was always at the Lord's feet: it signifies the attitude of lowliness, devotion, openness, and receptivity that we always need to keep His word. And then, a marvelous event occurred: Mary took a pound of very precious ointment and poured the whole thing on the Lord, reserving none. She anointed the feet of Jesus and filled the whole house with the fragrance of the ointment. It was a kind of spiritual explosion, which has sent reverberations through the centuries.
Judas was quick to react, saying the ointment should have been sold for three hundred denarii (a year's wages). All he could see were dollar signs. He saw no worth in the Lord of glory and His holy word as Mary did. The Lord interjected, "Let her alone! She has kept it for the day of My burial" - a most significant declaration.
It appears that Mary was the only one with spiritual intelligence concerning the Lord's death, burial, and resurrection; so she alone was able to anoint Him beforehand. How was she so enlightened? It is clear: she listened to Jesus' word and kept it. She heard Jesus speak of His death, burial, and resurrection; she received these words, treasured them and kept them. The Lord said that she kept the precious ointment for Him -she did; but what she kept inwardly was the Lord's precious word. The pouring out of the ointment was the proof and fruit of her keeping the Lord's word, testifying how exceedingly precious the Lord and His word were to her.
Our keeping of the Lord's word will inevitably have the same result as Mary's. It will issue in our pouring out all we are and have on the Lord Jesus. He is looking for this. Bethany was eventually a little Philadelphia, so pleasing to the Lord. At the heart of it was the keeping of the Lord's word, which He treasures above all. Whether we are a brother or sister, let us aspire to be a John or a Mary, and altogether a Philadelphia.
I will descend now to a rather menial level and then raise it to the divine, for I want to portray the elements of a modern day personal computer (PC) as an illustration of the divine technology involved in keeping the Lord's word.
Every PC user is well aware of two components of his computer, which he uses constantly: they are the hard drive and the memory. Every PC has these two distinct components (except for a few cheaper models, which use a disc drive instead of a hard drive). The hard drive is a metallic disc that is capable of receiving many magnetic impressions. Its function is to store very large quantities of information in the computer. The hard drives in some computers can store 500 million characters, and some even more.
The computer memory, on the other hand, has a greatly reduced capacity, usually of only a few million characters, for its function is not storage, but application. When the computer is used for any kind of application - for example, word processing, graphics, etc. - the memory receives information from the storage on the hard drive and makes it accessible to the user.
Without the memory, the information is locked away as in a warehouse. The memory makes the data available for instant access and usage. Both the hard drive and the memory are indispensable. If no data or data programs have been stored on the hard drive, the memory cannot call upon them for desired applications.
Now every one of us is like a personal computer, each with a hard drive and memory installed. However, I would not like to speak of a hard drive in us, but rather the "heart drive," which should not be hard but soft. Our heart drive is capable of receiving and storing a tremendous amount of words given by the Lord. Its capacity is phenomenal - you can see how great it was in the Apostle John. The heart drive is simply our heart, where we can treasure and hide the Lord's words for future use at any time.
When a person is regenerated, he receives a new "heart drive," a new heart (Ezek. 36:26). It is capable of receiving many divine impressions through the Lord's word. The old heart drive, which was really a hard drive, for it is called a "heart of stone," has been taken away - thank God!
As the newborn child of God begins to grow and commune with the Lord, he receives divine communications from the living word of God. These he begins to store, one by one, on his new heart drive. They are there, and if he preserves them properly, they will be available for needful applications that arise. They only need to be transferred from the heart drive to the memory, and this is the work of the Holy Spirit. The Lord said, "The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name ... will remind You of all things which I said to you" (John 14:26).
When in the believer's daily life or service a certain need arises, the Holy Spirit can touch a key in our being, and a word from the Lord hidden in our heart will he transferred to our memory where it is available to be applied. If the believer’s life with the Lord is normal, this will happen continually and spontaneously. This is the way the Lord Jesus Himself lived.
For example, the believer in his daily life may be faced with the need to experience Christ in a certain way. The Holy Spirit can find just the right word, if it has been stored, to meet that need and supply the believer through the word so that he is greatly benefited. Or the believer may meet someone who is in urgent need of a word from the Lord to carry him through a trial. The Holy Spirit will locate a fitting word in the believer's heart drive, call it to his memory, and the believer will pass it on to the needy soul to his great relief and blessing. The gospel may be imparted to many unbelievers with great wisdom in the same manner.
As the believer grows in life and the knowledge of the Lord, more and more words will be added to his heart drive on a daily basis for the Holy Spirit to draw upon. The vast room on his heart drive will begin to be utilized. When he has known the Lord for five or ten years, in a normal situation, he should have accumulated a good number of words. By twenty or thirty years of walking with the Lord, he will have a considerable storage to meet many needs and applications. And when he is advanced in years and mature in life like John, his heart drive will be filled, perhaps near to capacity, with living words of God that have been treasured and nurtured over the years. He can "bring out of his treasure things new and old" (Matt. 13:52) to minister to many people and meet many needs.
We have been speaking of a normal Christian life. The problem is that many of us are not normal; there is not much storage in our heart, and the Holy Spirit is severely limited in the availability of words for application. But, thank God, we can begin at whatever stage we are to keep the Lord's word, to store in our heart many living words for the Spirit to access. We should grasp every opportunity to fill our heart with the words He speaks, guarding them and nurturing them.
Every computer user realizes the danger of losing data by not properly saving it to the hard drive. I personally have had sad experience in this. Precious information was lost through inadvertence: it was not saved properly and could not be recovered. It was a lesson to me that when the Lord speaks I need to watch over His word with care and store it securely in my heart.
May the Lord bring forth the reality of the church in Philadelphia among us through many of us giving all diligence to keep His word in love. Amen!
