MINISTRY MEETING IN PLAINFIELD - 2
C.F.Dadd
When the Lord addresses Philadelphia He really addresses the whole assembly, not just a part of it. This eliminates any possibility of any claiming to be Philadelphia. But He addresses this assembly and one thing that is clear is that they carry the approbation of the Lord and their faithfulness is very distinctly implied. I was thinking of that in relation to what has been said tonight, the thought of faithfulness - "because thou hast a little power, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name". I think the principle of faithfulness is implied in the way that the Lord addresses this assembly. I think it is very beautiful. "Thou hast a little power", not much. Our brother has referred to the fact that we are in a day when things are broken and scattered, and whatever there is it is only little. But He says, "thou hast a little power, and hast kept my word", that would be faithfulness - keeping the word of the Lord. How wonderful it is that the word of the Lord has come in. The first word tonight was in the beginning, the early part of John's gospel, and again we are calling on John as to what the Lord delivered to him, "and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name". Much at the present time, even in Christendom, is really the denial of the name of the Lord; it is denial in the sense that it is not confessed, it is not brought forward. You can read about religious bodies today and it is interesting to see how they all say that they believe in God - practically everybody says they believe in God - and yet the name of the Lord Jesus rarely comes into the matter. I believe that is involved in what the Lord is saying here, "Thou hast not denied my name". Well, beloved, it is the Name that is the issue, at the present time, the name of Christ. But then verse 10, "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience" - thou hast kept that. I think we are in a time when our patience is being tested, certainly our faith is being tested, but our patience too. We appeal to the Lord for recoveries and we do not see very much in the way of recovery taking place, and our patience might be tried. But the Lord says, "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee out of the hour of trial". That is a promise; what a promise that is that we will be kept out of the hour of trial "which will come upon the whole habitable world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. I come quickly". We often speak about the Lord's coming. He says, "I come quickly: hold fast what thou hast, that no one take thy crown". In this setting I think the holding fast and the crown would involve the knowledge of God, and it is open to all. So He says, "Hold fast what thou hast, that no one take thy crown". I think the crowning point of what the believer has is the knowledge of God and the love of God, which is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. So that we are to hold fast, hold fast to the knowledge of God, the knowledge of Christ; we cannot exclude Christ because we have had the thought of fulness tonight, the full idea is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, that would be involved beyond doubt. "That no one take thy crown". The enemy is out to rob us if he can. I was thinking a little of that today, how the enemy would rob us of the food supply, how he would undermine and weaken the ministry if he could. And we want to hold fast to that, and to what has been recovered to us in the day in which we are, which is open to the whole church. It is not our property, it belongs to the whole Christian position. Whether persons take advantage of it or not is their responsibility, but we are to hold fast. I think that is one of the things that our brother, now with Christ, left with us, Hold fast and stand firm. That is a fine word for us tonight that we might be encouraged and in faith we might be found standing as the day comes to a close. For His Name's sake.
PLAINFIELD
17 April 1995