PHILADELPHIA'S CROWN
PHILADELPHIA’S CROWN
The Lord contemplates at the end of the present period an assembly that has a crown. Different crowns are promised to faithful individuals as a special incentive to those in labour or conflict for the Lord. But the crown spoken of to Philadelphia is a crown of assembly character; it is an assembly crown.
If we consider how the “crown” is presented in the New Testament we see that it supposes the completion of what is entered upon, whether it be the athlete (1 Corinthians 9: 25), or the warrior (2 Timothy 4: 8), or the one who proves able to stand through temptation (James 1: 12), or the faithful shepherds (1 Peter 5: 4), or the assembly in Smyrna faithful unto death (Revelation 2: 10).
An assembly with a crown suggests to me saints walking together in the truth and character of the assembly. They have not, like Sardis, stopped short of completion; they have reached what is possible. I do not think we have reached that yet, but it is a glorious goal set before us — not an individual goal, but an assembly goal. That is, if we reach it at all we must reach it together. Hence the love of the brethren marks this assembly.
As illustrating what I mean I would refer to Stephen, whose name is the Greek word for “crown”. He reached the highest possible point at the moment. An open door was set before him to know in the fulness of the Spirit an opened heaven, and the glory of God, and Jesus the Son of man standing there. He completed the testimony of the moment. He was speaking to men who knew something of a dispensation marked by angelic glory. It was an angel who spoke to Moses in mount Sinai, for they received the law as ordained by the ministry of angels. All the true glory of the dispensation that was past was concentrated in Stephen as a final testimony to the official representatives of the nation. They saw his face as the face of an angel.
But he moves on to a further glory. He sees heaven opened as the scene of the glory of God, and Man there in the Person of Jesus, and as a suffering witness he passes into that heavenly scene in perfect correspondence with the Man in heaven. It seems to me that is the climax of the individual line. Stephen is the “crown” of witness such as an individual could bear. But he is also a sample of true assembly material. He was part of the “me” that Saul was persecuting. The body, the assembly, was there, though the truth of it did not come out until Saul’s conversion.
It is a striking and stimulating fact that at the end of the present period we should have presented to us the thought of an assembly with a crown. With “little power” the assembly in Philadelphia has a crown. She has reached the completion of what is possible, so that the complacent love of Christ rests upon her. Now are we really set to reach this? Are we minded to follow up every ray of assembly light, and every intimation of assembly character, that comes before us, so that every assembly exercise may be worked out to its completion? It is a day of great departure, but it is also a day of great revival. The Lord would have His saints to be without pretension, but characterised by everything that properly marks the assembly. He would have assembly features carried and expressed by the brethren as going on together. He exercises us so that we may reach and hold fast all the possibilities that He has put within our reach, so that there may be a company on earth before He comes amongst whom assembly exercises will have been worked out to completion.
Many things come in to further this — difficulties and conflict. A local difficulty generally raises a needed local exercise; there are often the same elements working in others as in those who are the immediate cause of the difficulty. If the Lord calls attention to something evil it is a mirror in which each one may see the evil that is in himself, so that the root of it may be judged in each one. J.N.D. said that discipline exercised in any other spirit than that of self-judgment is an abomination to God. If things come to the sad extremity of ceasing to walk with one who is characterised by evil it is an occasion for an assembly exercise. Such a person is declared to be unfit for Christian fellowship anywhere. We have the whole assembly in view in taking such a step. A few Christians in a place set to work out assembly exercises together would have the whole company in view in doing so. And I have no doubt that the faithfulness of a few would benefit the whole local assembly. If things are worked out to completion in a few, the Lord has secured things morally, and He will be able to bring out the whole assembly in a coming day in the gain [p. 230] of what has been worked out in the exercises and affections of the few. The promise is to Philadelphia: “I also will keep thee out of the hour of trial, which is about to come upon the whole habitable world”, but it will actually embrace the whole assembly. So that we have nothing less in mind than the whole; we do not dissociate ourselves in heart from “all saints”.
This is so also in connection with ministry. The ministry of Christ is in view of Christ being cherished down here, and coming out in His saints. The gifts are for the whole assembly; any spiritual light or food that is given is for all saints. We cannot bring it to them, perhaps, or see how it is going to reach them; but we regard it in view of the good of all the brethren. I think if this were really the state of our hearts and minds the Lord would give us more access to our fellow-saints for their good and ours. It is the want of love that hinders, not the want of light. We need to live more in the love of Christ for the assembly. “I have loved thee”. To know that love is an assembly exercise which is to be followed up to its full gain.
Keeping His word, not denying His name, and keeping the word of His patience, are true assembly exercises. The Lord would have us to realise the possibility of working them out in such a way as to possess an assembly crown.
There is another thing which is of importance. That is, the Lord’s attitude to His saints universally, and even to wretched Laodicea, should determine ours. He would have us to be sympathetic with Him as to this. There are thousands of true believers in what answers to Thyatira. The Lord says to them, “I do not cast upon you any other burden; but what ye have hold fast till I shall come”. He is tender and considerate for them: He compassionates them. Then as to Sardis He appreciates the fact that a few have not defiled their garments, and He says that they shall walk with Him in white “because they are worthy”. A true assembly exercise would make us sympathetic with the Lord’s attitude towards His saints both in popery and in protestantism, though it would preserve us in complete separation from what He disapproves in both. We should regard them as He regards them.
Then as to Laodicea it seems to me that the Lord’s attitude is a model for us. He is outside, but He has placed Himself [p. 231] at the door, and He continues to knock. We sing sometimes, ‘And with Thee move, and in Thee live’. It is our privilege to move with Him. Many hearts are at present boastful without Him, but our attitude should be to seek, as we have opportunity, to get an entrance for Christ that He may become their wealth and joy.
We may expect much opposition to any true assembly exercise, but it is the only thing which will lead to the possession of this crown. It would greatly promote the service of love amongst the saints if we were all more jealous in regard to the crown. Stephen held fast what he had; he did not lose his crown, May we realise more the blessedness of Philadelphia’s crown, and be more set to acquire it and to hold it fast!