The Seven Churches (8): Why “Philadelphia”?

Among the seven churches in Revelation 2-3, it is the church in Philadelphia that fulfills the Lord’s desire. But, why did the Lord, under His sovereignty, name this city so that the church there would be “the church in Philadelphia,” and not “the church in Agape?” In other words, why is this church called “the church of brotherly love,” rather than, “the church of divine love?” (That’s what the Greek words mean, respectively.) We might expect that, since the divine love is so much richer and higher than brotherly love, it should be the church in Agape that fulfills the Lord’s desire, not the church in Philadelphia.
But in fact, in our experience, the divine love can only grow and develop within us in the environment of brotherly love (2 Peter 1:7). It is because the church in Philadelphia provides the environment for us to love the brothers and sacrifice ourselves for their sake, so that we enter into the experience of the divine love, that this church fulfills the Lord’s desire.

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See  Episode #92: “The Seven Churches (8): Why “Philadelphia”?

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Recording
Recorded in Chicago, Illinois on Tuesday, 28 May 2024