The Seven Churches (9): Philadelphia, the Church of the Lord’s Desire

Of the seven churches in Revelation 2-3, it is the church in Philadelphia alone that fulfills the Lord’s desire. While almost all of the other churches are reproved by the Lord, to this church alone the Lord says, “You…have kept My word and have not denied My name” (Rev. 3:8).
Prophetically, Philadelphia, “the church of brotherly love,” signifies the recovery of the genuine church life, beginning with the Plymouth Brethren in the 1800s and continuing, many would say, with the local churches raised up in the 20th century through Watchman Nee and Witness Lee.
However, the testimony of Philadelphia is spiritual, not organizational, and so today it may not be easy to identify. Yet, if we seek to be in the fellowship of Philadelphia (and we surely should!) there are two particular traits we may look for, based on the Lord’s word above. That is, in this fellowship there is, positively, the keeping of the Lord’s word in an absolute way, and negatively, there is not the denying of His name by calling ourselves something other than believers in Christ.

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Since there is not enough room to list all of the books referred to in this episode here, they are listed on the website instead, here:
Episode #94: “The Seven Churches (9): “Philadelphia: The Church of the Lord’s Desire”

Online Resources

J.N. Darby: Considerations on the Nature and Unity of the Church of Christ
Video Testimony of DAC: How I Found the New Testament Fellowship

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Bible Verses
See  Episode #94: “The Seven Churches (9): “Philadelphia: The Church of the Lord’s Desire”

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Recording
Recorded in Chicago, Illinois on Wednesday, 19 June 2024