What is the will of God? We are told by Jesus that we should Love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind. And, to love our neighbor as ourselves. In order for us to understand these words better, we will be looking at the Book of Revelation and the Angel of the Church of Philadelphia. Before doing so, let us watch a very brief two minute video. I am beside you in spirit, watching it with you.

In Revelation chapter 3 it says, “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;  I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.” – Revelation 3:7-8. So, what is the will of God? Let us now look deeper at a few of the words using the Strong’s Concordance and a program called e-Sword. We will be looking at the original languages, the root words, and the definitions. The first word that we will look at is Philadelphia and the meaning behind it.

The word Philadelphia means, fond of the brethren, that is, fraternal: – to love AS brethren. We are told by the Messiah to love our neighbor even as ourselves. The word fraternal means, of, or like a brother. In simple English, we should be loving everyone like they are our brother. Yes, that also includes our spouse. We will get into that a little later. First, let us look at the meaning of the word David. As it will add even more to our Understanding. The meaning of David is, loving, as a brother, (well-) beloved, as a father’s brother. Let us now look at it using e-Sword.

Let us now build upon this revelation of knowing a deeper meaning behind loving our neighbors as ourselves, and consider once again, what is the will of God? Previous posts on this website have covered Biblical Abstinence. If you have yet to read the free eBook, Jesus, Abstinence, and The Bible, do so now by clicking on the link. Sanctification of the Spirit, and the Gift of the Holy Ghost come by understanding this principle, fully committing to believing it, KNOWING who we all are and what we all did, and by understanding Biblical Repentance.

A good place to lead you in a beginning of understanding the foundational principles of the Gospel would be, The Gospel Of Jesus Christ. It is an in depth Bible Study, which starts with who we all are, what we all did, and builds it’s way up from there. Each lesson builds briefly upon the previous one, leading us in our understanding of not only the Truth, but also the Way, and the Life.

In 1 Thessalonians 4, we are told this by Paul, “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication.” Here is a post which dives deeper in to this understanding, This Is Your Sanctification – Even The Will Of GOD. Romans 12:2 tells us, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Ephesians 5:17 says, “Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”

The Bible tells us that we are washed by the water of the Word. A good post to look at now would be, The Baptism Of The Holy Ghost. If you don’t know the Bible, and are being fed by pastors and teachers that are only showing you parts of verses, or a verse here or there, you are being fed with bread. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Let’s now tie some of this together with a short video on the Church of Philadelphia.

The Church Of Philadelphia – Love AS Brethren – Love Thy Neighbor As Thyself

As our own knowledge and understanding grows, the old man begins to lose grip within us. At least, it should. If, we are reaching forth unto those things which are before. I did a recent video on the parable of the sower and will tie to it again from Mark chapter 4. We will specifically be looking at the seed that is sown amongst the thorns. The seed that is amongst the thorns are those who “hear” the Word, and the cares of this world with it’s distractions, uselessness, and the lusts of all the other things this world has to offer, prevent us from bearing any fruit. Let us look at the meaning behind a few of these words now.

As we have seen, the things that are in this world prevent us from pushing forward, prevent us from following the Lord with our whole heart. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” – Matthew 6:21-23.

Where is your heart brothers and sisters? Is one leg in the world, and one leg out? The last few posts have been on becoming a soldier for Jesus Christ, and through love, serving one another. It would be a good refresher to look at the last post, Be A Good Soldier Of Christ. Because it ties into the next part of the Angel of the Church in Philadelphia. It tells us, “I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.” We will look at a couple of the meanings now.

This understanding has been covered in detail throughout this website with posts such as, About My Fathers Business, Fit For The Kingdom Of Heaven, and Through Love Serve One Another, as well as others. In the last mentioned post, it begins with, “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” – Galatians 5:13-16.

Are you one who “hears” the Word? Are you one who knows the truth? Are you sharing what you know to be true with others? Are you using your own unique set of gifts and talents to further the Kingdom of our Father in Heaven? “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” – Romans 8:5-8. “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.” – Philippians 1:9-11.” We will now look deeper at these verses in e-Sword.

As we are washing off the old man and putting on the new, after our sanctification of the Spirit, the fruit that we bear should be, “as plucked.” Meaning, for others to eat from, and for others to see. That my brothers and sisters is what Peter means when he leads into this, “And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

I will finally tie into the next portion of the Angel of the Church of Philadelphia, with the following, “and (thou) hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.” Let us look at it deeper.

It is not just knowing who we are and what we did. It is not just knowing about abstinence. It is not just coming to terms with those truths. It is also about letting go of the man that we once were in the flesh, becoming more like the Father, walking as He walked, and most importantly, doing as He did. “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” – Luke 22:31-32. We all as Peter, being built up as living “stones,” a temple for the Lord God to occupy, once we are converted and are able to “hear” what the Spirit says unto us, are all tasked with strengthening the brethren.

Please take the time to digest fully all that you have seen and heard hear today. Our sins take care of themselves as we draw closer to the Father. As our desires line up more perfectly with His, the things that we used to do, put simply, we don’t want to do anymore. Don’t wait for tomorrow. Don’t wait for next week. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. None of us are sure what tomorrow brings. Don’t let those in your immediate vicinity take away that which is ever “before” you. What is the will of God? To love the Lord God with all our heart, mind, and strength. And, to love our neighbors as ourselves. Now, I hope you have a better understanding of what this means. I pray that the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, will shine bright within your hearts, as you become a light unto this very dark and evil world.

Jonathan Heller – Lift Up A Banner