NOTES ON THE SEVEN CHURCHES OF REVELATION: LESSONS FOR AMERICA’S SPIRITUAL CRISIS. – PART VI: PHILADELPHIA

PART I: Ephesus – The Loveless Church

PART II: Smyrna – The Persecuted Church

PART III: Pergamos – The Compromising Church

PART IV: Thyatira – The Corrupt Church

PART V: Sardis – The Dead Church

PART VI: PHILADELPHIA – THE FAITHFUL CHURCH

PART VII: Laodicea – The Lukewarm Church

EPILOGUE: America’s Two Churches

SCRIPTURE. “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: 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. 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.

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. Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” – REVELATION 3:7-13, NKJV

QUOTATIONS

“As American Culture changes, the Scandal of Christianity is increasingly right up front, exactly where it was in the first century. ‘The Shaking’ of American Culture will get us back to THE QUESTION Jesus asked his disciples at Caesarea Philippi: ‘Who do you say that I am?’ As the Bible Belt recedes, those left standing up for Jesus will be those who, like Simon Peter of old, know how to answer that Question. Once Christianity is no longer seen as part and parcel of Patriotism, the Church must offer more than ‘What would Jesus do?’ Moralism and the ‘I Vote Values’ Populism to which we’ve grown accustomed. Good!” – RUSSELL D. MOORE, ‘Onward: Engaging the Culture without Losing the Gospel,’ 2015; edited

“Put the things you can control ‘in Order.’ Repair what is in disorder, and make what is already good, better. It is possible that you can manage, if you are careful. People are very tough. People can survive through much pain and loss. But to Persevere they must see the good in Being. If they lose that, that are truly lost.” – JORDAN B. PETERSON, ‘12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos,’ 2018

Selah.

1. FIRST THOUGHTS

As I set out on this important Teaching on the Ideal Church, I kept thinking about DUTY – something I find in short supply these days in America and the Church. That is why I cited Dr. Peterson about the practical necessity to ‘Take Responsibility’ to work with God’s Spirit in the critical days ahead.

In doing so, I recall from my early days as a follower of Christ the adage, a cliché actually: “Don’t be so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good.” Hold on. C.S. LEWIS puts that baby to bed beautifully in the following comment.

“A continual ‘looking forward’ to the Eternal World is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the Next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven.” – ‘Mere Christianity,’ 1952; edited

BLESSED HOPE. Which brings me to one of the reasons I so enjoy the Fellowship of the Remnant Church: We are all of us, to a single man or woman from all walks and stations in life, in love with our King, are ‘Groaning’ in great anticipation for His Return for us.

• GROANS FOR. From the Greek term, ‘Apokaradokia’ [ἀποκαραδοκία]: “Eager, strained expectancy; properly, thinking forward (literally with head out-stretched), referring to eager, intense expectation [of a great event]; Romans 8:19 applies this term directly to each believer receiving a unique, glorified body; also means turning away from what is lesser, to lay hold of the greater; from anything else that might engage the attention – is also absorbed in the expected object ‘till the fulfillment is realized.”

• GLORIFIED BODY. “When Paul uses the term ‘spiritual body’ (1 Corinthians 15:44), he is not talking about a body made of spirit, or an incorporeal body—there is no such thing. ‘Body’ means corporeal: flesh and bones. The word ‘spiritual’ here is an adjective describing ‘body,’ not negating its meaning. A spiritual body is first and foremost a real body or it would not qualify to be called a body. Paul could have simply said, ‘It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spirit,’ if that were the case. Judging from Christ’s Resurrection Body, a spiritual body appears most of the time to look and act like a regular physical body, with the exception that it may have (and in Christ’s case it does have) some powers of a metaphysical nature; that is, beyond normal physical abilities.” – RANDY ALCORN, “What Will Our Glorified Bodies Be Like?” ‘Eternal Perspective Ministries,’ February 17, 2010; edited

This Hope, quite frankly, is what is to ‘fuels our fire’ for Him in the form of what Scripture calls, ‘good works.’ In this regard I confess a bias of mine toward many Christians who have been given much but seem to be more interested in ‘keeping their stuff’ than doing the right thing.

EARTHLY HOPE. I personally love the Letters to Timothy that Paul the Apostle wrote so zealously concerning matters that we face today in that regard. Here is his Rebuke of the rich that bores steely holes in many hearts about what I see so much of today in America.

“As for the rich in this present world, instruct them not to be conceited and arrogant, nor to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly and ceaselessly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, willing to share [with others]. In this way storing up for themselves the enduring riches of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.” – 1 TIMOTHY 6:17-19, AMP

I realize I am generalizing here, but as I watch our folks increasingly line up in the Trump Brigades that are overwhelmingly all about ‘Self Gain’ (‘My rights!’) Material accumulation and Fame, and keeping what’s mine, I am compelled to frontload still another Severe Warning against this dark Spiritual Trend.

• ANTI-VAX. A number of corroborative reports show the stunning finding that up to 45 percent of mostly White Evangelicals are refusing the Covid-19 Vaccination. That is nearly half of the 44 million Christians in America, clearly enough to shatter any hope of crowd immunity – ever!

• SPIRIT OF INSURRECTION. It is in the very air, beloved, everywhere I look, without exception. I have argued that it all began, ‘en masse,’ with the rise to power of Donald Trump, who demonstrates all the characteristics of ‘The Lawless One’ according to the Canon. – cf. Matthew 24:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:8

THE CHURCH DEFIANT. God is four-square against that malignant ‘Spirit of Defiance’ of all that is True and Honorable in Christ that the Church of Philadelphia finds her courageous marching orders. Indeed, it is that ‘Spirit’ that fueled the seditious, Christian-led effort toward the bloody ‘Coup d’etat’ on January 6, 2021 in the Nation’s Capitol.

Washington Post Religion reporter MICHELLE BOORSTEIN paints an excellent silhouette of this Travesty in a piece entitled, “A Horn-Wearing Shaman,” July 6, 2021; edited.

Many forces contributed to the attack on the Capitol, including Trump’s false claims of electoral victory and American anger with institutions. But part of the mix, say experts on American religion, is the fact that the country is in a period when ‘Institutional Religion is breaking apart,’ becoming more individualized and more disconnected from denominations, theological credentials and oversight …

[For example], Many Christians at the Capitol on January 6 were part of more conventional, affiliated faith, including pastors, Catholic priests and bused-in church groups. But what researchers studying January 6 find remarkable are the leaderless, idiosyncratic expressions of Religion that day. Among them are those of [Evangelical Pauline] Bauer, who wrote to a judge last month that she’s a ‘free living soul’ and an ‘ambassador of Christ,’ and of Jake Chansley, the ‘QAnon Shaman’ who prayed to Christ at a dais in the Senate and calls himself a ‘multidimensional being.’” –

PASTORS: This strange fire is in your house! Yet you dare to remain thunderously Silent about it to this very day. We turn, therefore, to the ‘Faithful Church at Philadelphia’ for far nobler expression of Christ on the earth in the Last Days.

Selah.

1. HISTORICAL CONTEXT

I borrow first from the respected pastor and author, RAY STEDMAN, for some initial Background Review that follows. Taken from a piece entitled, “The Little Church That Tried,” December 10, 1989; edited. Note the link between the City’s actual history and characteristics, and Christ’s Message to the Church there.

“Philadelphia was founded about 150 B.C. by KING ATTALUS of Pergamum, whose nickname was Philadelphus, which means “lover of a brother.” This man was noted for the admiration and love he had for his brother, EUMENES, and he named this city in honor of him. One feature about the City … was that the City was destroyed by an earthquake in 17 A. D., along with Sardis and other cities in that locality. Most of the others recovered rather quickly from the disaster, but the after-shocks continued in Philadelphia for quite a number of years, with the result that the people had to flee the city repeatedly. TIBERIUS CAESAR helped Philadelphia to recover from the earthquake, and out of gratitude the City changed its name to Neocaesarea (New Caesar), and for awhile it bore that name. I mention these facts because they have a bearing on the Promises to the Church in this Letter, as we will see …

This Church in Philadelphia is unique among the Seven Churches because it is the only Church the Lord registers no complaint against. This is the Church that delights Christ!”

A second source brings us a bit more appreciation for that City’s uniqueness. Taken from the EDITORS at a Turkish ministry, ‘Biblical Ephesus,’ retrieved on August 31, 2021; edited.

“The Church in Philadelphia (3:7–13) stood at an important junction of the imperial post road that ran from Rome through Troas, Pergamum, and Sardis on through to Tarsus and the East. They had ‘an open door’ through which to share the Gospel.

Yet here too a Synagogue of Satan opposed the believers. Although no archaeological evidence for a synagogue has been found, a 3rd-century A.D. inscription was found 10 miles east of the city mentioning a ‘synagogue of the Hebrews.’ Philadelphia was located in an earthquake-prone region called the Catacecaumene.

Both Sardis and Philadelphia were devastated by earthquakes in A.D. 17. Asian temples were built to withstand severe earthquakes. Their foundations were laid on beds of charcoal covered with wool fleeces, which caused the structure to ‘float’ on the soil like a raft. Each block was joined to another by metal cramps, so that the Platform was a Unity.”

So it is my friends, that I take my own special delight in examining what I shall propose is the IDEAL TEMPLATE for the Last Days’ Remnant Church to imitate down to its letters, jots and tittles. We need such a compact Model to clearly delineate what it will take to Overcome in the treacherous waters ahead of us.

The Church at Philadelphia is that Model.

1. THE TEACHING

SCRIPTURE. “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: 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. 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.

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. Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” – REVELATION 3:7-13, NKJV

Now to the delicious task of diving into the meat of the KEY TERMS given to Philadelphia, this Body of believers that so pleased the King. What better treasure to explore to find out on what ‘Principles’ we ought stand so very firmly.

• AN OPEN DOOR. The Introduction of this Church by the Messiah is full to the brim with commendation, culminating in this Promise of the Open Door. From the central Greek terms, ‘Anoigó’ [ἀνοίγω], for: “That which has been opened” to the faithful servant, which no one can shut. And more pointedly, ‘Thura’ [θύρα]: “A portal, entrance or gateway to ‘opportunity;’ a passage into something richly, divinely blessed; even the Door to the Kingdom of Heaven (the very Abode of God).” DK: I could not help but think of the Door of the Ark, held Open to all who would remain faithful and true to the King and His Commands. Even unto death, where there is sacred Spiritual Juncture between Smyrna and Philadelphia.

• A LITTLE STRENGTH. This important Idea is defined by the Greek word, ‘Dunamis’ [δύναμις]. From the root word referring to ‘Dynamic,’ meaning: “Miraculous power, might, strength; physical force, might, ability, efficacy, energy, meaning powerful deeds, deeds showing extraordinary signs or  marvelous works; miracles wrought from the inherent power of the Spirit of God; the ability to do the impossible.” DK: Note that we need have only “a little” of this strength, from the Greek, ‘Micros’ [μικρῶν], or “small, least, less.” The idea is that a speck of God’s Power is more than sufficient for the day’s challenges, though we must most assuredly be ‘filled’ with His Spirit for them. – cf. Matthew 25:7; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 5:18

• KEPT MY WORD. My favorite here is that Jesus loved the fact that they treasured His Words. From the term, ‘Téreó’ [τηρέω], translated: “To watch over, to guard, spiritually protect [from all foulness or desecration]; to properly maintain and preserve (in its original form); to hold firmly [as if one’s life depended on it]; to observe the sacred commands, ordinances, traditions and laws of His Creation.”  DK: This is very special to me, it is what and who I am: A Watchman, or Keeper of His Way to preserve and then share with all who will listen. I almost thought of ‘a Librarian’ in this regard, Keeper of the Teachings, as with the ‘Book of Eli’ (2010) in Denzel Washington’s stellar, reverent performance to honor and protect God’s Word, at any and every cost.

• NOT DENIED MY NAME. Now here is where the fealty of the true Warrior for Christ is fully tested, midst the fiery temptations to Deny Him. From the Greek, ‘Arneomai’ [ἀρνέομαι]: “To say no, repudiate the Lord’s Word; to contradict or disown [by words or deeds]; abnegate, refuse, reject; to decline what God offers or requires in preference for falsehood; to renounce, retract or otherwise turn away from Him; to withhold one’s commitment.” DK: I confess again that it took me 35 years to get to this level of commitment; I don’t believe you have that kind of time to do the same, beloved. The Great Apostasy is now underway, like a massive, tidal Undertow, pulling its compliant victims out to the darkest of seas. Don’t let it!

THE MAGNIFICENT PROMISE. Now let’s not mince words here, beloved, I plead with you. If it is ‘By faith’ that you were saved, then it follows that it shall be ‘By faith’ that only The Remnant Church shall suddenly Rise in the Rapture, spared from the horrors of God’s impending Fury. – cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:17, 5:9  

Listen to what two respected scholars of the Sacred Text have to say of this mighty Promise, too tall as it were, for mere words to fully capture.

• CHARLES ELLICOTT. “The one who keeps God’s Word is ‘Kept.’ Such is the ‘Benigna Talio [Supreme Covenant] of the Kingdom of God,’ as Archbishop Trench calls it. The Promise does not mean the being kept away from, but the being ‘kept out from’ The Tribulation. The head should be kept above the waters; they should not be ashamed, because they had kept the Word of patience [and perseverance]. It is through ‘Patience’, as well as comfort of the Scripture, that we have the [Blessed] Hope which maketh not ashamed (cf. Romans 15:5, and Revelation 3:3-5).” – ‘Old and New Testament Commentary for English Readers,’ 1878, 1897; edited

• WILLIAM MACDONALD. “Because the Philadelphians had maintained God’s Truth by living it before men, the Lord would ‘Keep them from’ the Hour of Trial which is to come upon all who dwell upon the earth. This is a ‘Promise of Exemption’ from the Tribulation Period described in Chapters 6-19. Note that they will be ‘Kept from’ the Hour of Trial, that is, from the whole time period. Also, they will be ‘Kept out’ of that Period (Greek, ‘ek’), not through it.” – ‘Believer’s Bible Commentary,’ 1995, p. 2359; edited

HISTORIC CONSENSUS. Now you might wish to bring all your arguments against this Doctrine of the Rapture, but the majority of conservative Bible expositors are of a single mind that this is the orthodoxy of the Canon. It has been attacked and largely eviscerated over the last century by Allegorical Hermeneutics (Preterism, Idealism, Historicism), but the Spirit of God is Restoring sound doctrines to the Church today, including this one.

To those who will listen, and only those.

Beloved: This is our Matchless Promise for the shattering Departure from human history and form, toward Final Redemption of our souls and bodies. Thereby to be ‘fitted for Eternal Life and Work’ with the King of kings. Why, oh why, would anyone dare to challenge the clear meaning of the Text?

THE DAY OF THE LORD. I have taught for decades now what I believe is undoubtedly the Canonical View of this stupendous Mega-Event. Rather than quote from any theologian or Bible scholar, let us just listen to the Holy Writ set forth in ‘The Sixth Seal Judgment,’ as God brings “History as we know it” to a Catastrophic End, catapulting Mankind into the Great Tribulation.

On this same Day of the Lord, shall the Church be evacuated from the earth just before God’s Wrath explodes, being held back for thousands of years, awaiting its Divine Moment.

I purposely quote it without graph breaks, for full impact.

“I looked when He (the Lamb) broke open the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth [made] of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, like a fig tree shedding its late [summer] figs when shaken by a strong wind. The sky was split [separated from the land] and rolled up like a scroll, and every mountain and island were dislodged and moved out of their places. Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the military commanders and the wealthy and the strong and everyone, [whether] slave or free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains;and they called to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne, and from the [righteous] wrath and indignation of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath and vengeance and retribution has come, and who is able to [face God and] stand [before the wrath of the Lamb]?’” – REVELATION 6:12-17, AMP

THE RAPTURE EVENT. This next from my own account in the book, ‘The Sixth Seal’ (2017), to be revised and reissued midyear, 2022. Bear in mind that the Rapture takes place in the very midst of this world-wide Chaos and Terror, actually becoming a key part of it.

Here is just a snippet of what it may be like at this Explosive Moment.

“The Greek term used here [in Acts 1:9-11 in Christ’s Raising to Heaven] is ‘Epairo,’ translated literally as ‘exalted by being hoisted up [violently]. Drilling down a bit more, ‘hoisted’ is from a Dutch root word for being ‘drawn up with ropes and pulleys.’ Which in turn strongly implies ‘a raising by force.’ The idea here is that for Christ (or anyone) to be likewise ‘lifted up’ in defiance of the known laws of physics, ‘great power’ is needed. Thus [the depiction] of the Lord’s Ascension as a powerful and breathtaking Event, in keeping with my sense of what the Rapture must require for us all to be likewise, ‘taken up!’” – pp. 116-117; edited

This is what is soon coming to the earth, beloved: To the Righteous Remnant, a stunning, all-encompassing, sky shattering Sweep Upward to the Clouds to be with Him forever and ever. For the Apostate Church and unbelievers, all are ‘Left Behind’ to endure the most violent, Seven-Year long Cosmological Shaking to ever visit the earth.

Selah. Selah.

1. LAST THOUGHTS

WHAT ARE THE ODDS? Pardon the gambling expression here, but that phrase lept out of me as I set to this final section. My Point: Just what Proportion of the American Church likely qualifies as ‘Philadelphian’?

To address it, let me first posit to you straight up front that the Church at Philadelphia is roughly synonymous with THE FAITHFUL REMNANT.

• ISAIAH 10:22 (AMPC).  For though your population, O Israel, be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of it will return [and survive]. The [fully completed] destruction is decreed (decided upon and brought to an issue); it overflows with justice and righteousness [the infliction of just punishment].”

• REMNANT. From the Hebrew term, ‘Shear’ [שְׁאָר], meaning: “The rest of residue [of a much larger group]; a remainder or that which remains; the ‘Leftovers;’ that which survived after a judgment, an elimination or a catastrophe; that which is left after ‘the separation, removal or destruction of a part;’ refugees left alive after a major disaster.”

COMMENTARY. “In this verse, and in Isaiah 10:23, the Prophet expresses positively the idea that ‘but’ a Remnant of the people should be preserved amidst the Calamities. He had said [in] Isaiah 10:20-21, that a Remnant should return to God. He now carries forward the idea, and states that only a Remnant should be preserved out of the multitude, however great it was. Admitting that the number was then very great, yet the great mass of the nation would be cut off, and only a small portion would ‘remain’ … The general sense of this is plain. The Prophet is giving a reason why only a few of them would return, and he says, that the Judgment which God had determined was inevitable, and would overflow the land in Justice.” – ALBERT BARNES, ‘Notes on the Old and New Testaments,’ 1884; edited

So no: “Not everybody gets to go,” who claims to be a follower of The Christ – despite what we are taught in most American Churches today. The True Body of Christ is a very special group, beloved.

Scripture lends God’s very sacredness to it:

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a [special] people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies [the wonderful deeds and virtues and perfections] of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

One theologian described The Remnant thus defined as “Mirrors of God,” while the early English Methodist minister and theologian, JOSEPH BENSON, said this: “‘A royal priesthood’ — Kings and priests unto God, Revelation 1:6. As princes, you have power with God, and victory over sin and Satan, the world and the flesh: As priests, ye are consecrated to God for the purpose of offering spiritual sacrifices.” – ‘Notes on the Holy Bible, Containing the Old and New Testaments,’ 5 vols., 1811-1818; edited

VISION. Finally, if there were a single characteristic of the Philadelphian Christians, the True Remnant Church, it is found in an ancient Proverb penned by King Solomon.

“Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish; but he who keeps the law [of God, which includes that of man]—blessed (happy, fortunate, and enviable) is he.” – PROVERBS 29:18, AMPC

‘The Great Distinction’ between the Church that is destined for Apostasy in the Last Days is right here: The Apostate Church has, at its core for the many reasons these essays have labored to identify, ‘Lost its way,’ along with its Vision and Relationship with Christ.

The Remnant, however, has ‘Kept the Law of God and man’ in obedience and righteousness, however imperfectly.

That is to say, in the words of Richard Weaver and Russell Kirk, the True Church faithfully adheres to God’s impenetrable ‘Visions of Order’ (1964) in the midst of Chaos. In so doing, as the Subtitle of the book proclaims: They successfully Resist ‘The Crisis of Our Time.’

Significantly, they were willing to ‘Suffer loss for Christ in order to remain true.’

CODA. As Category 4 Hurricane Ida bore down upon the Louisiana Coast as I penned these words, I was reminded that it is The Faithful Philadelphians who shall be best prepared for the unprecedented Last Days Storms.

In this regard, it is ultimately not so much what the Philadelphian does, lest we construct an artificial theology of works. No, no, beloved. It is always and forever, principally, ‘a matter of the heart,’ as we see in this on eloquent display in the following iconic Bible Story of King Samuel.

“But the Lord said to Samuel, Look not on his appearance or at the height of his stature, for I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” – 1 SAMUEL 16:7, AMPC

This is precisely whey King David was the true godly leader of Israel, though he failed as much as he gained for God. In searching for a way to conclude this Treatise on the True Christian, the Warrior for Christ, I came across

A DYSTOPIAN TALE. I am going to end in unusual fashion, by quoting an exchange from ‘The Book of Eli’ (2010) mentioned earlier. I love the work of DENZEL WASHINGTON, who never fails to work into his films a way to glorify the God who he clearly loves.

This Exchange is between the main character, ELI, a nomad roaming the ruins of a civilization destroyed by a nuclear holocaust, and SOLARA, depicted by Mila Kunis, playing the daughter of a warlord named Carnegie. He is a man of God; she clearly is not. She is ordered to stay the night with him, but he makes it clear he shall not touch her. Here’s the Exchange.

Solara: You know, you say you’ve been walking for thirty years, right?

Eli: Right?

Solara: Have you ever thought that maybe you were lost?

Eli: Nope.

Solara: Well, how do you know that you’re walking in the right direction?

Eli: I walk by faith, not by sight.

Solara: [sighs] What does that mean?

Eli: It means that you know something even if you don’t know something.

Solara: That doesn’t make any sense.

Eli: It doesn’t have to make sense. It’s faith, it’s faith. It’s the Flower of Light in the field of darkness that’s giving me the strength to carry on. You understand?

Solara: Is that from your book?

Eli: No, it’s, uh, Johnny Cash, Live at Folsom Prison.”

NOTE ON JOHNNY CASH. Perhaps you will recall that the one book that led to my deciding for Christ instead of suicide on October 30, 1979, was ‘Man in Black’ (1975), his personal testimony of dramatic Rescue from a raucous, debauched life of substance abuse, similar to my own.  

The Point: The only qualification for membership in the Church at Philadelphia is a heart and life “Recklessly abandoned to Christ,” as OSWALD CHAMBERS would passionately describe it in his classic, ‘My Utmost for His Highest’ (1935).

So with Dietrich Bonhoeffer and a thousand-thousands of our Forefathers, I bid you ‘Come and die’ with me, beloved, to all the entrapments of this Fouled World. To rather ‘Travel the Philadelphian Road’ above all other others offered you.

That you might be bear ripe for His Kingdom, and a little later, ‘Swept Upward’ to the clouds to be with Him forever and ever.

I trust you will, and many already have.

Ever your servant, DK