Philadelphia: A Government of Friendship

The government of Jesus is unlike any other the earth has ever experienced. Many of us know this intuitively. It is common, when we think about heaven, to imagine everyone living in peace, getting along, having fun with eachother, and not living selfishly. We are imagining a place where everyone is friends. This is true according to the Bible. But, the way this actually happens will not be accidental!

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.

The Greek word translated "friend" in the passage is "philos." Which is a specific love expressed in friendship. The Strongs outline of Biblical usage defines Philos as:

1. friend, to be friendly to one, wish him well
   1. a friend
   2. an associate
   3. he who associates familiarly with one, a companion
   4. one of the bridegroom's friends who on his behalf asked the hand of the bride and rendered him various services in closing the marriage and celebrating the nuptials

To be friends with Jesus, according to Jesus, requires some very specific choices. Because God chose love as the programming language of mankind's existence, we are required to choose to love back. The Bible has several words for love. The love shared between friends is "philos", the root of the word "Philadelphia" or "brotherly love."

Jesus is in the process of establishing an entire government that operates in friendship. In Revelation 2 and 3, Jesus addresses the entire spectrum of the end time Church. Just as there are the seven colors of the full spectrum rainbow, the end time Church will live in a full spectrum of understanding, agreement, and love. Not everyone in the Church shares Jesus' goals or believes in His methods of achieving His goals.

In order to address this lack of unity, Jesus gives the end time Church a physical of sorts. Jesus evaluates the agreement of each church in Revelation 2 and 3 with who He says He is. Five of the seven churches, or 70 percent of the church, is found lacking in the "friendship with Jesus" department and are corrected. Two churches, or about 30 percent of the end time church is told they are on the right track to being Jesus' friends through the Great Tribulation, which requires overcoming. Those two churches are Smyrna and Philadelphia.

Smyrna is in the throes of living out the cost of her friendship with Jesus. As the persecuted church of our hour (think the church in the 10/40 window, North Korea, and China) Smyrna chose Jesus knowing associating with Him was a costly social choice.

Philadelphia is different. Philadelphia has chosen Jesus mostly unaware that this choice to be friends with Him is going to be tested in an extreme way. The entire world is going to turn against, and is even now, anyone who is a LOYAL friend of Jesus. In fact, loyalty in friendship to Jesus is the test coming to everyone EXCEPT Phadphia, because Philadelphia has chosen to pass the test in advance. As long as she stays fsithful in friendship, she won't need any further testing!

Reveation 3:7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write,

‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: 8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.

Loyalty to Jesus in the reality of friendship, not just with Jesus, but also with one another, or "brotherly love" is the faithfulness Jesus is looking for and testing in this hour. It will cost everything in the area of social acceptability, money, opportunity, reputation, and security. It will be "little" earthly strength, but Jesus will fiercely protect it.

It takes an intentional plan to get into Philadelphia, or Philos, love. It takes an intentional plan to be a friend of Jesus. The Bible, thanfully, is really clear about how this works. But, are we willing to believe it and DO it, or are we simply arrogantly believing we are good friends with Jesus while already growing in denying Him our OBEDIENCE? Remember that first passage from the last supper? Friends first and foremost OBEY Him.

John 15:14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.

Right after Jesus told His friends this, He began testing them in it. We hear the story told primarily of Peter's failing the test, but first came the warning. It's easy to forget that this warning came at the last supper and that it came in the midst of an argument about greatness!

Luke 22:24 Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest. 25 And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ 26 But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. 27 For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.

28 “But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. 29 And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, 30 that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

31 And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

33 But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.”

34 Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.”

Surely enough, Peter did fail this test, and the failure was a failure of loyalty. The fruit of disobedience manifested in a failure of friendship. Peter, because he wouldn't obey Jesus, eventually found he didn't have the clarity or strength to stay friends with Jesus when it suddenly became very dangerous to be asociated with Him:

Luke 22:54 Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest’s house. But Peter followed at a distance. 55 Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them. 56 And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, “This man was also with Him.”

57 But he denied Him, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.”

58 And after a little while another saw him and said, “You also are of them.”

But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”

59 Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, “Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean.”

60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying!”

Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.

Peter, claimed to be ready to die for Jesus, and even after drawing His sword and cutting off a man's ear for trying to arrest Jesus, suddeny became afraid of a servant girl and two other women simply declaring that Peter was with Jesus. Peter wasn't afraid of what the girls were going to do to Him...he was confused and unclear about how Jesus was going to protect him in what seemed like a separation from Jesus. This was a direct result of Peter's earlier disobedience to follow Jesus' plan to get ready.

What was Jesus' plan? Watch and pray. The "key of David" or praying night and day... praying until... was the plan for Peter to grow in His oneness with Jesus to the point He KNEW Jesus would never leave Him or foresake Him:

Mark 14:32 Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. 34 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.”

35 He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. 36 And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.”

37 Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? 38 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

39 Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words. 40 And when He returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him.

41 Then He came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough! The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”

Because Peter wouldn't obey Jesus...because His friendship with Jesus failed... He eventually failed to be Jesus' friend. In Jesus' greatest moment of agony, He was left alone by His friends. This failure to search Jesus' heart because of Peter's arrogant overconfidence in His "love" for Jesus resulted in that very claim of love being tested in an unfortunate and true way. If Peter was truly willing to lay down His life for His best friend Jesus, he would have laid down his desire to sleep, ignore Jesus warnings, and live in self-centered delusion. Because Peter wasn't willing to do the "easier" death, He wasn't ready to stay loyal when His actual life was possibly threatened!

The same warning is given to the end time Church. "Stay awake. Pray without ceasing. Pray until, so you can be proven to be qualified as a friend."

Luke 21:34 “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. 35 For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Those who do this in advance won't just be kept safe from the ultimate test of friendship, they will be a standard of friendship when everyone else falls away in a flood of trouble!

Isaiah 59:19 So shall they fear

The name of the Lord from the west,

And His glory from the rising of the sun;

When the enemy comes in like a flood,

The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.