The origin of the ancient city of Pergamos goes back into the shadows of time, even before Lysimachus received the old
Citadel of Pergamum from Alexander the Great when he divided his Empire among
his four surviving generals, as prophesied in Daniel 8.

The present city, now called Bergama in Turkey, lies about 20 miles inland from the Aegean Sea. With a population of
60,000, it attracts many tourists due to its ample accomodations and abundant
historic features. First-time visitors are surprised at the great number of old
ruins in and about the city, testifying to its once-magnificent status as the
capital of Roman-ruled Mysia in Asia Minor.

Those who know something of its
history can point out the remains of its Acropolis, once the site of the huge
Altar of Zeus, or to the vestiges of the Amphitheater, the Emperor Trajan’s Temple to Athena, and a Roman palace. There is still a great basilica dating from early
Christian days, now a mosque. They may also recount its years of bygone
splendor, rivaling even Alexandria in "almost outrageous luxury" with
its glorious gardens and imposing library of over 200,000 books which
Alexander, although not their owner, took away as a gift to Cleopatra. Pergamos
was famous for its superb cloth of gold, as well as for pergamena charta,
or parchment, named after the city. Rich merchants once mingled with the
throngs at its enormous market place. But, as an archaeologist has written of
Pergamos:"Of its ancient finery, only rags are left."

In the Book of Revelation the Lord
directed the apostle John to write to each of the seven church­es in Asia messages that were to encompass the past, the present, and the future (Rev. 1:11,19).
These messages apply not only to each individual church or assembly as
constituted in John’s day, but more importantly for our counsel and guidance
today. They set forth prophetically the consecutive epochs of Christendom’s
history. Pergamos is the third of the seven churches addressed by the Lord.

EPHESUS was the first church,
corresponding prophetically to the days of the apostles to the year 167 A.D.
when persecutions of Christians increased violently in the reign of Marcus
Aurelius. The Ephesian saints were commended for their labor and patience in
rejecting evil men and false apostles; nevertheless, they had left their
"first love" (Rev. 2:4).

SMYRNA was the second church
addressed. Its name means "myrrh," one of the gifts brought by the
Magi to the child Jesus after His birth. A "sweet smell unto God,"
myrrh was also used for the burial of the Lord after His death on the cross. Secular
histories record ten phases (compare Rev. 2:10) of cruel persecution of
faithful Christians by edicts of Roman rulers down through the reign of Emperor
Diocletian, ending in 305 A.D. Diocletian made a concerted effort, not only to
kill all Christians who refused to worship the Roman gods, but to destroy
utterly every written word of Holy Scripture.

The historian, Tertullian, has
written, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church." And so
it was:the light of the gospel of Christ, far from being extin­guished,
continued to spread over the Roman world and beyond. Satan’s efforts, using
human tools, had failed. It was time for Satan to change his tactics.

PERGAMOS. Following the death of
Diocletian, Constantius reigned as Emperor for about a year. He and his wife,
Helena, were religiously inclined and favorable to the Christians. When
Constantius died, his son, Constantine, became one of six men who sought the
throne and the title of Emperor. Constantine’s mother strongly influenced him
and urged him to "accept Christianity" as she had done. Like his
father, he showed favor to Christians, but first and foremost Constantine was a
soldier, proud of his many victorious battles against his rivals.

In the year 312, Constantine was
leading his weary troops from Gaul toward Rome to face his most powerful enemy,
Maxentius. Greatly outnumbered, his battle-worn army approached the Milvian
bridge over the Tiber River. Deciding to attack the next morning, Constan­tine stood in the opening of his tent, considering which of the many gods to
supplicate for success in the coming battle. As the sun began to set, he saw a
strange apparition in its fading light, a foreboding figure that remained in
the sky even when the sun had set. This phenomenal event has been described by
the historian Eusebi­us who received the account directly from Constantine years later. There is also an account by Lactinius, a theologian and tutor of Constantine’s son, Crispus.

What did Constantine actually see?
The weight of evidence seems to favor a vision of intersecting rays over the
sun—a two-forked beam of fire, crossed diagonally to resemble the Greek letter chi
(χ). While he gazed at
the marvelous sight, he heard a voice saying, "In hoc signo vinces"
("In this sign shalt thou conquer"). Convinced that it was the voice
of Christ, he told his tired, dispirited troops of his vision. Eusebi­us writes
that the Saviour had instructed him to adopt his vision as a battle-cry and
victory symbol. Consequently, he superimposed the Greek letter rho over
the chi, thus making the first two letters (in Greek) of Christ’s name.
The soldiers made banners showing the chi-rho, and painted it on their
shields and helmets. Constantine’s army numbered 40,000; they faced an enemy
140,000 strong and rest­ed.

The ensuing battle resulted in a
great victory for Constantine and his army. The opposing leader, Maxentius, was
found after the battle, drowned in the river. Constantine gave all the credit
to Jesus Christ, and immediately sent for Christian teachers and re­quested instruction
about the true God and the meaning of Christ and His cross. He issued an edict
granting full tolerance and favor to Christians. Soon, a gradual transformation
began. Formerly meeting in secret, Christians started to hold services openly
in church buildings. Constantine ordered the erection of new church buildings
in many cities, including one "of wondrous beauty" in Jerusalem on the supposed site of the crucifixion of Christ. Huge cathedrals and basilicas
were built, employing the finest architects, artists, and artisans of many
crafts to adorn the lavish buildings with paintings and statuary. Singers and
musicians were hired to "praise God" in a "professional"
manner. Temples to Astarte, the fertility goddess, were converted to churches.
The substitution of Mary for the Roman goddess made little difference to many
of the congregants. Commerce increased as pilgrims came, often from great
distances, to visit the new shrines and "holy" sites. Jesus Christ
was made "popular." About eight centuries earlier, the Word of the
Lord came to Zechariah, saying, "For who has de­spised the day of small
things?" (Zech. 4:10). And the Saviour Himself said, "Fear not little
flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom"
(Luke 12:32).

The Emperor had offered—and the
church accepted—the patronage of the world, which is Satan’s throne (Rev.
2:13). An encyclopedia editor has written:"The beautiful influence of
Christianity spread through the earth until it became stronger than the Empire of
the Caesars, which fell to nothing while Christianity took possession of the
world." But was that the case? William Kelly wrote:"If the world
gains in some respects, the church loses in everything, because it is at the
cost of the will and glory of Christ." Satan looked on with satisfaction
as what had been a Spirit-directed organism became a human-directed
organization.

Ever since Paul’s message to the
Ephesian elders (Acts 20:28-31), unfaithfulness had been growing. The apostle
Paul had to deal with Hymenaeus and Philetus who "overthrew the faith of
some" (2 Tim. 2:16-18), and the apostle John exposed Diotrephes who
"loved to have the preeminence" (3 John 9), to name two examples of
false teaching early in the apostolic age of the Church. Paul’s prophesied rise
of "grievous wolves" and "perverse" teachers reached
fulfillment with the appearance of such false teachers bringing "damnable
heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them" (2 Pet. 2:1). The
scriptural gifts of "apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and
teachers" (Eph. 4:11) were supplanted by a hodgepodge of "religious
orders" such as monks, nuns, cardinals, and the like, none of which are
found in the Bible. The Roman Emperor became the recognized "Protector of
the delivered Church." Paul wrote:"I fear, lest by any means, as the
serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted
from the simplicity that is in Christ" (2 Cor. 11:3). The true
citizenship of the believer is in heaven, not of the earth (Phil. 3:20).

The name Pergamos means "much
marriage" or "many marriages." The Lord said, "I know where
you dwell, even where Satan’s seat [or throne] is" (Rev. 2:13). Many
alliances were made between the church and paganism by Satan’s wicked devices.
The voice of the "god of this world" was heeded by professing
Christians rather than the voice of Him who had "the sharp sword with two
edges" (Rev. 2:12). Paul wrote:"If our gospel be hid, it is hid to
those who are lost; in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of those
who believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the
image of God, should shine unto them" (2 Cor. 4:3,4). Of the Pergamos
period, Walter Scott writes, "Heathenism reigned supreme."

In 325 A.D., Constantine, together
with Pope Sylvester I, summoned a Council at Nicea in Asia Minor to affirm the
primacy of the Roman Church and to settle the Arian dispute as to the eternal
Sonship of Christ. Arius was teaching that Jesus Christ was a created
being of God the Father, "inferior" to Him in nature but still
superior in power and glory to all other beings. But while fundamental
doctrines of the Christian faith were starting to be eroded, there were some
who held fast the name of the Lord and did not deny the faith (Rev. 2:13).
Alexander, the Bishop of Alexandria, judged Arius to be "the forerunner of
Antichrist," and Athanasius, who succeeded Alexander in 326 A.D.,
vigorously and scripturally defended the Saviour’s eternal Sonship against the
teachings of Arius. Constantine failed to realize the serious nature of the
diabolic heresy of Arius and called for moderation on both sides. (The Arian
heresy, sadly, has resurfaced and is very active today among the Jehovah’s Wit­nesses.)

Unlike the Church periods
represented by the letters to Ephesus and Smyrna, the "Pergamos Era"
did not come to an end:it is still with us today. However well-meaning he may
have been, Constan­tine allowed himself to be used by Satan to bring the world
into the Church. His aim was to unite the Christian Church with the secular
State. He gave favors and recognition to bishops as Counsellors of State, and
he gradually extended judicial rights to them, with legal force to their
decisions. When the devil took the Lord Jesus up into a high mountain, he
showed Him "all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them; and said
unto Him, All these things will I give Thee if Thou wilt fall down and worship
me. Then said Jesus unto him, Get you hence, Satan:for it is written, You
shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve" (Matt.
4:8-10).

By 326 A.D. Constantine’s only
remaining rival, Licinius, died, and he claimed the title he had long sought of
sole Emperor of the Roman world. Now no man exceeded him in power and
authority.

While many humble believers were
spreading the good news of salvation, other professing church members
had drifted away from their position as "strangers and pilgrims on the
earth" (Heb. 11:13; 1 Pet. 2:11). Satan’s subtle plan was to make the true
calling and purpose of the Church appear to be the opposite of the
Lord’s prayer to His Father:"I have given them Thy Word; and the world
has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the
world. I pray not that Thou should take them out of the world, but that Thou
should keep them from the evil" (John 17:14, 15). Had they forgotten so
soon? The apostle Paul wrote:"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the
mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable
unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world;
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is
that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God" (Rom. 12:1,2).
"We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph. 6:12).

There were those in Pergamos who
held the "doctrine" of that hireling prophet, Balaam. Although he
said some things that were true, his spirit was not in them; he also taught
Balak, king of Moab, to corrupt "the people who could not be cursed"
by tempting them to marry Moabite women (Rev. 2:14; Num. 22; 23; 31:16). Eating
"things sacrificed to idols" and "fornication" were not
unknown in "the church in Pergamos" nor in churches in the
"Pergamos Era." The mere profession of Christianity (real or
unreal) became a means to Imperial favor and even riches. At their religious
festivals great crowds, wearing white garments, thronged around the clergymen
designated to baptize them, while the Emperor presented each with 20 gold
pieces and, to the needy classes, new garments.

Andrew Miller wrote of Constan­tine:"As a statesman, he owned and valued Christianity; but God only knows
whether as a lost sinner he ever embraced the Savi­our." (Constantine did not request baptism until on his death bed.)

On first entering one of Con­stantine’s still-standing "temples of Christian worship," the visitor is
almost overwhelmed by the sights, the sounds, the odors, the gold, silver,
precious stones, carved marble, statuary, the soaring organ notes, and choral
singing. But where in all this excess appeal to the fleshly appetites is the
humble Servant of Isaiah 53 and Mark 10:23-45?

Is there an application in all of
this for the Christian Church today? While the links between Church and State
that were forged by Constantine have largely disappeared in most countries, the
marriage of the Church and the world has only increased. The world’s methods
are used to increase church membership, the world’s entertainment is brought in
to keep the congregation interested, the world’s fund-raising methods are used
to keep the church financially sound, the world’s standards of morality are replacing
the Bible’s standards among members of many so-called Christian churches. To
the "over­comers" in "the church in Perga­mos," Christ
gives the "hidden manna," which speaks of Christ Himself and of our
appreciation of Him. He also gives a "white stone" that represents
His approval of us, with a name known only to the Giver and the receiver (Rev.
2:17). May the Lord help each of us to be true overcomers in this age of such
compromise of the Church with the world.

"Blessed is he who reads, and
they who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things that are
written therein; for the time is at hand" (Rev. 1:3). "He who has an
ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches" (Rev. 2:17).
"He who testifies these things says, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so
come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Amen" (Rev. 22:20,21).

                 Characteristics of the Early

                   Church:Assembly Meetings

There is a tendency among
Christians today—even among those who are truly born again—to be content with
being a part of the "electronic church." They watch or listen to a
certain quota of Christian programs each week—many with profitable ministry no
doubt—and feel they have fulfilled their obligation to Christ and His Church.

As noted in Part I of this series,
the Greek word, ekklesia, for Church expresses the thought of an
assembling of people. The chief activity of the local ekklesia or church
is being assembled together for worship, prayer, ministry of the Word of God,
or decision-making. The Lord Jesus, in anticipating the formation of His body,
the Church, expressed it this way:"Where two or three are gathered
together in My name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matt. 18:20).

In the first weeks and months of
the Church, the believers in their first love came together daily to
hear the teaching of the apostles, and for fellowship, breaking of bread, and
prayer (Acts 2:42-47). About 25 years later, the disciples seem to have had the
practice of gathering on the first day of the week (that is the Lord’s day or
Sunday) to break bread. When the apostle Paul came to Troas, he stayed seven
days. "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came
together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the
morrow" (Acts 20:6,7). It appears that the apostle stayed in Troas for seven days for the express purpose of being with the assembly when they
"came together to break bread." They openly expressed their
membership in the Church—the body of Christ—by being gathered together around
their risen Head.

The expression "gathered
together" in Matthew 18:20 is sunegmenoi—which refers not so much
to a voluntary action by the believers but a being drawn together by the power
of the Holy Spirit and attracted to Christ in their midst. The greatest joy of
heaven will come from being gathered around our Saviour, with "the Lamb as
it had been slain" "in the midst" (Rev. 5:6). It is God’s desire
that we should begin to experience this joy on earth by being gathered around
the Lord Jesus as members of His body.

What makes these meetings so
special is that there is no human leader in them. The same Spirit who gathers
the members of the body together is also the Leader who focuses all on
Christ the Head in the midst (John 16:14). There are at least four kinds of
these meetings:

1. The Lord’s Supper or
remembrance meeting. The words "came together" in Acts 20:7 are
from the Greek word sunegmenoi. Thus we have a link with "gathered
together" in Matt. 18:20. The purpose of this meeting is to meditate upon
the body or person of the Lord Jesus in all His holiness and perfection (Psa.
40:6-10; Luke 1:35; 2:51,52; 3:22; Acts 3:14; 2 Cor. 5:21; Rev. 4:8; etc.) and
in all His suffering for our sakes on the cross (Psa. 22:1-21; 69:1-21; Isa.
52:13-53:12; Matt. 26:36-27:50; etc.); and upon the tremendous value of His
precious, atoning blood (Rom. 3:25; 5:9; Eph. 1:7; 2:13; Col. 1:20; Heb. 10:19;
1 Pet. 1:19; 1 John 1:7; Rev. 1:5; 5:9; etc.).  In this way we
"remember" Him and "show the Lord’s death till He come" (1
Cor. 11:24-26). What a precious privilege is afforded us in being gathered
together with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself in our midst—both the Object and
the Leader (Psa. 22:22; Heb. 2:12) of our praise and worship. It is truly a
foretaste of heaven on earth.

2. The assembly prayer meeting.
In the immediate context of Matt. 18:20 we read, "If two of you shall
agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for
them of My Father who is in heaven" (verse 19). Here we have the
foreshadowing of an assembly prayer meeting with the smallest possible number
of participants—two.

In Acts 4, with the Church now in
existence, we read of a real assembly prayer meeting. The apostles Peter and
John, upon being released from prison, "went to their own company"
(verse 23). After the assembly heard Peter and John’s report, "they lifted
up their voice to God with one accord" (verse 24). (Note the similarity
with Matt. 18:19.) Observe what they prayed for:not for protection from trials
and persecution; not for judgment to come upon the persecutors; but for
boldness to speak God’s Word in the midst of a hostile world (verse 29). How
quickly and powerfully was that united, assembly prayer answered:"When
they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled [or gathered]
together [sunegmenoi]; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit,
and they spoke the Word of God with boldness" (verse 31).

Another wonderful example of an
assembly prayer meeting is found in Acts 12. We know the story well of how
Peter, upon being released from prison, went to the very place where the
assembly was gathered in prayer for him (verses 5,12).

Surely there is great power in
assembly prayer! It is sad to see how little value is placed on the assembly
prayer meeting in so many local churches and assemblies today. Sometimes just a
small fraction of the assembly is present at such meetings. Where are you—my
reader friend—to be found at the time of the weekly prayer meeting? Do you
realize that Christ is there in the midst just as in the remembrance meeting?
The One in whose name we pray (John 14:13,14; 15:16; 16:23), who prays for us
(John 17:9) and makes intercession for us (Heb. 7:25), and the all-powerful,
all-wise "I AM" who can meet all of our needs, is in our very midst
when we are thus gathered. An assembly can surely expect immense blessing and
experience the power of God when all the saints of the assembly are regularly
gathered together around the Lord in prayer.

3. The meeting for assembly
discipline. While the immediate context of Matt. 18:20 is a prayer meeting,
the broader context is a meeting for discipline:"If your brother shall
trespass against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone….
Take with you one or two more…. Tell it unto the church…. Whatsoever you
shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose on
earth shall be loosed in heaven" (verses 15-18). The apostle Paul gives
instruction concerning an assembly meeting for discipline:"In the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together [sunegmenoi], and
my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such an one unto
Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day
of the Lord Jesus" (1 Cor. 5:4,5). Putting people out and receiving people
into fellowship is not the work of a clergyman, not the work of a body of
elders or deacons, but the work of the assembly as a whole, as "gathered
together" "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." The great
value and power of assembly discipline and other assembly decisions derives
from being gathered around the Lord who guides their decisions and
ratifies them in heaven (Matt. 18:18).

4. The open ministry meeting.
"Being assembled together with them, [Jesus] commanded them that they
should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father."
Jesus went on to tell His disciples, "You shall receive power, after that
the Holy Spirit is come upon you; and you shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the
earth" (Acts 1:4-8). The literal sense of verse 4 is that Jesus had the
disciples gathered together about Himself. In this way, in their midst, He
encouraged and instructed His disciples. This might be considered to be a
precursor to an open ministry meeting where the assembly is gathered together
around the Lord Jesus to receive ministry from Himself through the mouths of
His prophet-servants.

The apostle Paul, in describing
the ministry particularly prominent in the open ministry meeting, wrote,
"He who prophesies speaks unto men to edification, and exhortation, and
comfort" (1 Cor. 14:3). When an assembly is gathered together unto the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ for receiving ministry, there is the promise that
the Lord Himself will be there in the midst, speaking through mouths of
willing, devoted brothers, words of "edification, and exhortation, and
comfort."

Instruction concerning the open
ministry meeting is found in 1 Corinthians 14. "When you come together,
every one of you has a psalm, has a doctrine, has a tongue, has a revelation,
has an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying" (verse 26).
This verse, when read in the context, serves two opposite purposes. First, on
the positive side, it describes the character of the open ministry meeting,
with many believers taking part in different ways. Second, on the negative
side, it suggests that there was disorder in Corinth with this meeting as there
was with the Lord’s Supper. The words, "every one of you," along with
the corrective instructions that follow, show that everybody was trying
to get into the act at such a meeting, and it was resulting in confusion. For
this reason, the apostle Paul was led by the Holy Spirit to write down several
rules, such as limiting the number of speakers, to help bring order to these
meetings (verses 27-35).

5. Other kinds of meetings.
Other meetings of the believers are mentioned in the New Testament. For example,
we read of the apostles preaching and teaching the Word of God to the believers
(Acts 2:42; 20:7) as well as preaching the gospel to a mixed company of
believers and unbelievers (Acts 2:14-26). These have a somewhat different
character from the meetings mentioned above in which the believers were
gathered around Christ, totally depending upon the Holy Spirit to lead one or
another brother in praying, worshiping, reading or ministering the Scriptures,
or giving out a hymn.

Frequency of gatherings for the
Lord’s Supper. As mentioned above, the believers initially had the
"breaking of bread" daily (Acts 2:42) and later weekly (Acts 20:7; 1
Cor. 16:2).

The children of Israel in the Old Testament were to offer a lamb every morning and a lamb every evening as
a continual burnt offering (Exod. 29:38-42). On the Sabbath (the seventh day),
this number was to be doubled. The sacrificed lambs prefigured the sacrificial
death of Christ on the cross for our sins. That which was a picture of the
atoning death of Christ was to be continually kept before the minds of the
Israelites. So it is not surprising that God would want believers in Christ to
have the remembrance of His death frequently before them. "For as often
as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you show the Lord’s death till He
come" (1 Cor. 11:26).

No specific command has been given
as to how often is "often." However, this is the only kind of
gathering the Lord has specifically requested of the believers, so it surely
should be given the highest priority in the local assembly, above teaching,
preaching, Bible study, and even prayer.

We sometimes hear objections to
weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper:"If we do it too frequently, it
will become stale, commonplace, boring." But isn’t it curious that we
seldom hear that objection to eating meals? And the people who spend about 600
hours each year listening to or watching baseball games or watching TV soap
operas, apparently do not find them stale, trite, and boring. On the other
hand, how could we possibly be bored when the Lord Jesus Christ is in our
midst! Is heaven going to become stale, commonplace, and boring after a few
weeks or months or years or millennia? Impossible!!!

Here are some suggested reasons
why the Holy Spirit has told us to remember the Lord often (1 Cor.
11:26):

1. God the Father and Christ our
Saviour surely are worthy of the continual, repeated, collective praise and
worship of saints who have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. This
will be the eternal theme of the saints in heaven (Rev. 5:8-14). Why should it
not occupy a large place in the believers’ lives here on earth?

2. Each time we do this we enter,
by faith, into the holiest where Christ has preceded us (Heb. 9:11,12,24;
10:19-22). As we do so we are reminded of the need to examine ourselves and
judge the sin in our lives (1 Cor. 11:28-30), to be living holy lives day by
day throughout the week (1 Cor. 5:8), and to be keeping short accounts with God
and with our brothers and sisters in Christ (Matt. 5:23,24).

3. As we physically feed upon the
bread and wine, we spiritually feed upon Christ, being nourished by the Holy
Spirit with fresh thoughts of the perfections, glories, sufferings, and love of
Christ, all of which provide fresh motivation for loving Him in return and for
living godly, obedient, dependent lives throughout the coming week.

Summary and conclusion.

1. God wants all believers in
Christ to be gathered with other believers in the local church or assembly, and
not just stay at home listening to "electronic" preachers and Bible
teachers. "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together" (Heb.
10:25).

2. God has designed special
meetings of the assembly in which the gathered believers, in full dependence
upon the leading of the Holy Spirit, enjoy the presence of the Lord Jesus in
their midst (Matt. 18:20).

3. In future installments of this
series, we shall speak more of how such meetings may be conducted as well as of
other ways each individual member of the body of Christ may contribute to the
welfare of the whole.

FRAGMENT  "Not forsaking the
assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is" (Heb. 10:25).

If Christ fills
the soul, the effect of it will be to draw us together. We read in Acts 2:1
that "they were all with one accord in one place." What was the
reason? Christ touched the chord in their hearts, and it rang responsive in
every heart that loved the Lord Jesus. We are not drawn together because we
have similarity of taste in natural things, or have the same education, or the
same nationality, or anything of that sort. Rather it is Christ, and Christ
alone, who draws the saints of God and holds them together. Thus we see how
fitting is the exhortation not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together.

Why is there
any need of such an exhortation, "As the manner of some is"? There is
a tendency even in the hearts of those who know Christ, if they grow cold, to
separate and remain apart. This we see in Thomas who was not with the disciples
when the risen Christ first appeared to them. If worldliness comes in, or if
anything obscures Christ from our vision, there is a tendency to turn away from
the fellowship of saints. Thus we need that exhortation. Let us take it as an
index of our state of soul that if we do not love to meet with the people of
God, if we do not love to come together for prayer, for exhortation, and, above
all, for remembering our blessed Lord, it shows He has not the supreme place in
our souls; let us judge the root of it and come back at once.

(From Lectures
on Hebrews by Samuel Ridout.)

"God has set some in the
Church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers … helps
…" (1 Cor. 12:28).

We might easily skip the little
word, "helps," in the list of gifts in the assembly. To us, apostles,
prophets, miraculous powers, and tongues overshadow such a vague, undefined
term as "helps." We are equally liable to pass over as insignificant
the persons whom God is using as "helps" in the gathering.

One with the gift of
"helps" is a kind and gracious person, ready and willing to do
anything needful and useful, often without being asked. He may be a feeble
member of the body of Christ, but yet is "necessary" (1 Cor. 12:22).
By active sympathy and loving concern for others he often exercises a more
powerful influence upon the spiritual well-being of the assembly than those who
occupy a more prominent place.

The "help" is always
busy, but never "cumbered about much serving" (Luke 10:40) which
makes a person fretful, peevish, and unpleasant. The life of Christ is flowing
through the heart of the true helper in the assembly. This person is so full of
the joy of being Christ’s that he cannot help loving all others who belong to
Christ. The helper’s heart is free from selfishness and worldliness and his
spirit is fresh and bright in the presence of the Lord, a cheer and comfort to
the rest of the assembly.

If the labors of the helpers are
so often unnoticed now, they will be fully displayed and amply rewarded in the
day of Christ’s glory. He will remember the cup of cold water given in His
name. A few "helps" are mentioned in Scripture. The apostle Paul
refers to Phoebe, Priscilla, Aquila, and Urbane as his helpers (Rom. 16:2,3,9).
This record is given to encourage other "helps" to continue on their
quiet way.

Let us pray that though we come
behind in the foremost gifts, God may maintain the supply of "helps"
in our midst. Let each helper be diligent in his tasks of living not for self
but for others.

To those of you who are
"helps" is written this word of encouragement:"God is not
unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward
His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister"
(Heb. 6:10).

(Modified and abridged from a
tract published by Moments With The Book, Bedford, Pennsylvania.)

"Let this mind be in you,
which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5).

In order that the mind of Christ
may be formed in us, the apostle Paul presents Christ before us as our perfect
Pattern. We have a touching presentation of the lowliness of mind that was
expressed in Him in His marvelous journey from Godhead glory to the cross of
shame. Let us note that the force of the passage is to present, not simply the
downward path He took, but the lowly mind that marked Him in taking the
path.

First, Christ is presented as
"being in the form of God." No man could pretend to describe the form
of One "whom no man has seen, nor can see" (1 Tim. 6:16);
nevertheless we are told what was the mind of Christ while yet in the form of
God. His mind was so set upon serving others in love that He thought not of
Himself and His reputation, but "made Himself of no reputation,"
and laid aside the outward form of God, though never ceasing to be God.

Second, He exhibits the lowly mind
by taking "the form of a servant." Not only does He serve, but
He assumes the form that is proper to a servant.

Third, still further does He
express the lowly mind by the particular "form of a servant" He
assumed. The angels are servants, but He passed the angels by. He was made a
little lower than the angels and took His place in "the likeness of men."
He passed by the higher form of servant to take the lower. He was made in the
likeness of men, a word that surely implies manhood in its full
constitution—spirit, soul, and body; however, let it be remembered that it was
not manhood in its fallen condition.

Fourth, still further is the lowly
mind expressed in Christ; for when found in fashion as a man, "He
humbled Himself." He did not take occasion by "being found in
fashion as a man" to exalt Himself among men according to the natural
thought of His brethren, who said, "If Thou do these things, show Thyself
to the world" (John 7:3,4). Rather, "He humbled Himself." He did
not claim His rights as man.

Fifth, yet further He expresses
the lowly mind by becoming "obedient." He might have become a
man and commanded, but He takes the place of obedience. This implies the laying
aside of individual will to do the will of another.

Sixth, the lowly mind is seen by
the measure of His obedience, for He was "obedient unto death."
This was more than obedience. In obedience He gave up His will; in death He
gave up His life.

Seventh, finally His lowly mind is
expressed in the death that He died. There are many forms of death, but of all
the deaths that man can die, He died the most ignominious of deaths—"the
death of the cross." This was more than an ordinary death, for while
in going to death a man gives up his life, in going to the death of the cross a
man gives up, not only his life, but his reputation before men. Thus it was
with the Lord. In going to the death of the cross such was His lowly mind—so
truly did He ignore self—that He gave up His reputation before men and was
"numbered with the transgressors" (Isa. 53:12).

(From Notes on the Epistle to
the Philippians.)

"Then those who feared the
LORD spoke often one to another; and the LORD hearkened and heard it, and a
book of remembrance was written before Him for those who feared the LORD and
who thought upon His name" (Mal. 3:16).

We have now the introduction of
the remnant, and nothing can be more beautiful than the contrast which is thus
drawn between these hidden saints and the self-righteousness of those by whom
they were surrounded. They had but three characteristics:(1) they "feared
the LORD," (2) they "spoke often one to another," and (3) they
"thought upon [the Lord’s] name." He Himself was the subject of their
thoughts and meditations. Let us look a little at these features.

"They feared the Lord."
This is precisely what the nation was not doing; indeed, they had cast off the
fear of God from before their eyes, as shown by their high-handed
transgressions of His statutes and ordinances, and their entire insensibility
to His claims and the honor of His name. But this pious, feeble remnant feared
Jehovah, feared Him with the fear due to His holy name, with a fear that showed
itself in obedience to His Word. He Himself was their object and hope, their
stay and support, amid the confusion and evil by which they were surrounded.
The LORD was their sanctuary from the power of the enemy on every side.

"They spoke often one to
another." They were drawn together in happy, holy fellowship by their
common objects, common affections, and common needs; and in this way their piety
and their fear of the LORD was sustained and encouraged. It is one of the
consolations of an evil day that in proportion as religious wickedness and
corruption abound, those who have the mind of the LORD are drawn more closely
together. The name of the LORD becomes more precious to those who fear Him when
it is generally dishonored; on the other hand, the power of the enemy drives
those together who are seeking to lift up a standard against him. The object of
the special hostility of Satan, because they form the one barrier to the
success of his efforts, they find their resource and strength in united
communings in the presence of God.

They "thought upon His
name." This is associated with the fear of the LORD at the close of verse
16. These two things can never be separated. The name of the LORD is the
expression of all the truth of Jehovah as revealed to His ancient people, just
as now the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to which His people are gathered, is
the symbol of all that He is as unfolded to us in these several terms—"the
Lord," "Jesus," and "Christ." What is meant,
therefore, when it is said, "They thought upon His name," is that
they set themselves to uphold all the truth that had been committed to Israel. This truth was their testimony in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.
Also they were drawn together by their common fear of Jehovah, to maintain the
honor of His name. Their one end and object was to vindicate Jehovah’s name, to
affirm His supremacy, and thus to give Him His rightful place in the midst of Israel. In doing this, though their brethren might despise and contemn them for not
swimming with the stream, they were adopting the one and only means for the
blessing of the nation.

In Luke 1 and 2 we have a living
picture of this God-fearing remnant. In Zacharias, Simeon, and Anna we behold a
few, together with those associated with them, who united all the
characteristics that are found in Mal. 3:16.

Of Zacharias and his wife
Elizabeth it is written, "They were both righteous before God, walking in
all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless" (Luke 1:6). Of
Simeon it is written that he "was just and devout, waiting for the
consolation of Israel; and the Holy Ghost was upon him" (2:25). Of Anna it
is written that "she was a widow of 84 years, who departed not from the
temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day" (2:37).
Such is the lovely picture, drawn by the unerring pencil of the Holy Spirit, of
a few in Jerusalem, amid decay and spiritual death, who feared the Lord, spoke
often to one another, and thought upon His name. Outside of the activities of
the day, and unknown to those in power and influence, they were known by the
Lord and by one another. This was enough for their souls, for their hearts were
fixed on "the consolation of Israel," "the Lord’s Christ,"
and He was sufficient to satisfy their every desire, even as He was the object
of all their hopes.

(From Malachi or The State of Things at the End.)

"These signs shall follow
those who believe:in My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with
new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing,
it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall
recover" (Mark 16:17,18).

The signs delineated by the Lord
Jesus when He told His disciples to go into all the world and preach the gospel
have a close correspondence with some of the spiritual gifts listed by the
apostle Paul:"The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man …
the gifts of healing … the working of miracles … divers kinds of tongues
… the interpretation of tongues" (1 Cor. 7-10).

It is a point of great controversy
among Biblical scholars whether these so-called "sign gifts" still
exist in the present day or whether they ceased when Holy Scripture was
completed at the end of the first century A.D. (as suggested by 1 Cor. 13:8).
It is not my purpose to enter into this controversy in this article. I believe
that one of the purposes of these gifts was to authenticate the teaching of the
apostles—to get people to pay attention in an era in which the Holy Scriptures
had not yet been completed and were not widely available. In parts of the world
today where the Scriptures and Christianity are as yet unknown, the Holy Spirit
may still be pleased to use such gifts to help missionaries to communicate the
gospel to the people and to get the people to pay attention to what the
missionaries are trying to tell them.

It may well be that these sign
gifts in their original form have essentially ceased in parts of the world—such
as our own—where the Bible is well known. However, I would like to do two
things in this article:(1) for any who believe they possess one of these sign
gifts today, I shall point out from Scripture how such gifts are to be used;
and (2) I shall suggest ways in which modified forms of the gifts of healing,
miracles, tongues, and interpretations may be manifested by believers
today—through the leading and power of the Holy Spirit—to minister to others.

                           
Healing

The Lord Jesus healed people and
so did the twelve disciples and the apostle Paul. We learn a number of things
from their examples:

1. The gift was not used for
personal benefit or gain. The apostle Paul could heal others (Acts 14:10;
28:8,9) but not himself (2 Cor. 12:8,9).

2. The gift included power for the
ultimate healing, namely, making the dead to live again (John 11:43,44; Acts
9:36-41; 20:9,10).

3. Neither Jesus nor the apostles staged
healing services, but rather went to where the sick people were, where there
could be ample testimony to the validity of the healing (Mark 1:21-2:12;
5:1-17; John 9:1-11; Acts 3:7-10; 9:38).

4. To my knowledge, there is no
mention in Scripture of anyone failing to be healed because of his or her own
lack of faith. But Jesus rebuked His disciples, who had the gift of healing,
for their lack of faith in failing to bring about healing (Matt.
17:14-21).

5. Illness cannot necessarily be
attributed to Satan. Satan could not touch Job without the LORD giving him
permission (Job 1:12; 2:6). Some illness is a result of a person’s own sin
(Jas. 5:15,16; 1 John 5:16). Some trials come directly from the Lord, "for
whom the Lord loves He chastens" (Heb. 12:5-11). And sometimes, the healer
may even be led of the Lord to call down sickness upon a sinning person in
judgment (Acts 13:11). Therefore one with the gift of healing must understand
that it may not be God’s will for a particular person to be healed (2 Cor. 12:8,9;
2 Tim. 4:20), at least for the present.

There is a kind of healing needed
in the Church today that, no doubt, is much more important than mere physical
healing. I refer to healing the backslidings of God’s children (Jer. 3:22; Hos.
14:4) by faithful appeals and admonitions (Matt. 18:15; Gal. 6:1). I refer also
to the healing of conflicts and breaches among Christians by those gifted as
peacemakers (Matt. 5:9).

                     
Working of Miracles

"They shall take up serpents;
and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them" (Mark 16:18).
This does not mean we are to tempt God (Matt. 4:7) by purposely playing with
cobras and drinking poison (as some way-out cults do today, often with dire
consequences). But the life of a missionary can be made very hazardous by
scorpions, tigers, polluted water, and hostile people. King Darius feared that
Daniel would be killed by the lions (Dan. 6:19-22) and the people of Malta expected the apostle Paul to die from the snakebite (Acts 28:3-6). While neither
Daniel nor Paul set out to perform miracles in these instances, the Holy Spirit
was pleased to work miracles through them.

How might the working of miracles
be applied today? Have you ever heard it said, "It will take a miracle for
X to become saved [or for Y to be restored to the Lord; or for Z and his wife
to be reconciled]"? Thank God for those of his faithful children who are
willing to challenge "the impossible" and accomplish, through
ministry of the Word in the power of the Holy Spirit, that which—humanly
speaking—is impossible (Luke 18:27).

                     
Speaking in Tongues

Here are some principles and rules
from Scripture for any who claim to speak in tongues, particularly in the
setting of the local church:

1. The tongues are real languages
(Acts 2:4,6,11), not repetitious nonsense syllables like
"ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-ba-ba."

2. No more than three men are to
speak in tongues in a given service (1 Cor. 14:27).

3. Those who speak in tongues are
to do so one at a time (verse 27).

4. They are to make certain there
is an interpreter; if none, they are to be silent (verse 27).

5. They are to pray for the gift
of interpretation (verse 13), in which case, if everyone in the room speaks the
same language, it would be preferable to skip the tongues and go straight to
the interpretation (verses 19,24).

6. The women are not to speak in
tongues but rather keep silence in the assembly meetings (verse 34).

The gift of tongues was given, in
part, to bridge communication barriers, as was evident on the Day of Pentecost
(Acts 2). Today, by studying foreign languages, we can prepare for the
possibility of being led into foreign missionary work. Even if we all speak the
same language, there may be cultural, social, economic, and educational
barriers to be bridged in an assembly. Suppose there are blacks, whites, and
Hispanics in an assembly; persons with Ph.D.’s and third grade dropouts;
teenagers and centenarians; Canners and non-Canners. These diverse groups, even
though every one is a born-again Christian, may tend to gravitate into cliques.
So the Lord may raise up someone with the gift and ability to bridge the
communication and fellowship gaps among the diverse groups.

                       
Interpretation

Any who believe they have the gift
of interpretation of tongues should bear in mind that a message in a foreign
tongue that is ten minutes long cannot be credibly interpreted in two minutes,
and vice versa. With the abundance of foreign language institutes and
translation services available today, it would be very wise to take tapes of
tongues-speaking and interpretations to be evaluated by language experts at a
Berlitz or similar agency. (See January-February 1976 Words of Truth for
an example of this.)

A modified form of the gift of
interpretation is sometimes helpful even when there is no speaking in tongues.
I refer to an area of ministry in which one may not be gifted as a teacher per
se but is gifted in understanding teaching ministry and making it more
plain to others. Suppose a teacher presents a complex explanation of a
particular doctrine. A listener who understands what has been taught, but who
senses that it might have gone over the heads of simpler souls, may get up and
give some simple examples and illustrations to aid others in the understanding of
that doctrine.

"Covet earnestly the best
gifts" (1 Cor. 12:31).

The following is a summary from
recent issues of Words of Truth of the lessons of faith gained from the
lives of men and women mentioned in the "Hall of Fame of Faith" in
Hebrews 11.

 1. Faith gives to God that which
reminds Him of the sacrifice of His Son (Abel).

 2. Faith does not give God the leftovers,
but rather gives to God the first and the best of our time and our possessions
(Abel).

 3. Faith walks with God, turns to
God in every circumstance, and pleases God well, even though not able to see,
hear, or touch God (Enoch).

 4. Faith is not influenced by the
philosophy of "everyone is doing it, why shouldn’t I?" (Noah).

 5. Faith is willing to be
separated from one’s earthly friends and relatives in order to be a friend of
God (Abraham).

 6. Faith persists in depending
upon the Lord even when trials and opposition seem to be hindering God’s plans
and purposes (Abraham).

 7. Even the weakest, tiniest bit
of faith in a child of God is recognized and appreciated by the Lord (Sarah).

 8. Faith is noted and honored by
God even when it comes at the very end of a life that is characterized by the
lack of faith (Isaac, Jacob, and Samson).

 9. Faith is not in bondage to,
but rises above, the cultural traditions of the day (Jacob).

10. Faith does not seek earthly
memorials or means whereby one’s name and reputation will be remembered by
future generations. Rather, faith looks on to "a better country"
where the eternal focus of attention will be the Lord Jesus Christ and the
marks of suffering in His hands, His feet, and His side (Joseph).

11. Faith does not become
discouraged or vengeful during times of adversity. Rather, faith prepares one
to do the very best—with the Lord’s help—both during the time of trial and when
it is over (Joseph).

12. Faith gives up worldly
pleasure, wealth, and fame for the promise of future reward and glory as well
as the present joy and satisfaction of pleasing God (Moses).

13. Faith is not surprised or
fearful at God’s providential and sometimes miraculous interventions on behalf
of His people (Children of Israel).

14. Faith is ready to walk with
God in whatever path He may open up for his children (Children of Israel).

15. Faith looks to God to reveal
His will in detail and is diligent in carrying out His will to the letter
(Joshua).

16. Faith is not concerned with
appearing foolish or with what other people may think while we are doing what
God wants us to do (Joshua).

17. Faith is willing to be a
traitor to one’s own nation or people if necessary to be true to the God of
heaven and earth (Rahab).

18. We must first prove our
faithfulness to the Lord in matters close to home before we are qualified to
serve Him far away from home (Gideon).

19. Faith is willing to give up
personal honor and glory in order to be certain of having the mind of God (Barak).

20. Faith does not depend upon
one’s natural or God-given strength, but upon the Giver of that strength
(Samson).

21. Faith does not depend upon
one’s natural or acquired abilities, spiritual gift, or experience, but still
depends upon the Lord for wisdom, help, and guidance in every endeavor of life
(Jephthah).

22. Faith does not follow the
example and pattern of man, but looks to Almighty God for wisdom and strength
to carry out His will (David).

23. Faith, in dependence upon the
Lord, does what needs to be done without waiting for someone better qualified
to do it (David).

24. Faith is not blind and
irrational, but takes account of previous evidences of God’s power and grace
when facing new challenges (David).

25. Faith does what is right
before God even at risk to one’s own personal safety and convenience (David).

26. Faith does not allow age
barriers or generation gaps to keep one from obeying God (Samuel).

27. Faith is willing to lose the
favor of others by bringing God’s words of reproof and correction to them
(Samuel and the

Prophets).

The prophet Elisha, as he traveled
his "circuit," lived as did the old-time preachers of pioneer days.
They did not stay at luxurious hotels or comfortable parsonage houses, but depended
on the generous hospitality of those to whom they sought to be of service in
"things pertaining to God" (Heb. 5:1).

As Elisha journeyed, he was
"constrained" by "a great woman" of Shunem to "eat
bread" occasionally at her well-spread table (2 Ki. 4:8). After the first
acceptance of her hospitality, it became his custom, as often as he passed that
way, to avail himself of her generosity and to drop in for a meal. He was a
prophet, recognized as such by the nation at large, so it seemed only right that
he should be made welcome at her table, just as some today feel it an
obligation to invite the pastor to Sunday dinner.

She was no ordinary woman,
however; so after close and prolonged observation of her guest’s spirit and
behavior, she concluded that he was not just one of the prophets, a graduate of
some such school as that kept by Samuel or some other. She concluded that
Elisha was "a holy man of God" (verse 9). She was no "easy
mark" to be imposed upon by anyone wearing a "rough garment to
deceive" (Zech. 13:4). No, she was a woman of godly discernment; and when
convinced of the prophet’s worthiness, she made known her conclusion to her
husband and proposed that they admit him into the inner circle of their family
life. "Let us make a little chamber, I pray you, on the wall," she
said. "And let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a
candlestick; and it shall be, when he comes to us that he shall turn in
there" (2 Ki. 4:10). Note that she did not go about this arrangement on
her own, independently of the wishes of her husband. She was not one of our
present day "emancipated" women who flaunted her independence, but
was subject to her husband as commanded in holy Scripture (Eph. 5:22; 1 Pet.
3:1-6).

Thus we see her already
"great" in three most admirable ways:(1) her kind hospitality toward
the servant of the Lord; (2) her cautious spiritual discernment; and (3) her
tactful, subject approach to her husband in the matter of hospitality toward
the prophet. Hers was no narrow heart, bent only on the selfish enjoyment of
her own commodious home, but desirous of sharing its ample space with the
lonely, homeless man of God whom she had deemed to be "a holy man of
God." If, in the beginning, at the Fall, "the woman, being deceived,
was in the transgression," here one of her worthy daughters retrieves the
clouded reputation in this respect and proves herself a true "discerner of
spirits." Religious impostors are still in evidence, as many have learned
to their cost and sorrow. It becomes all to be on their guard, and, as the
apostle warns, "Beware of evil workers" (Phil. 3:2). Some of these
deceivers may be able to preach with the eloquence of an Apollos, pray with the
fervency of an Elijah, and in conversation their words may be "smoother
than butter." "Believe not every spirit" applies as much today
to those who habituate missions, or insinuate themselves into churches, weak or
otherwise, and thus impose for their own personal benefit on the simple, too
trusting sheep of the flock.

How thoughtful was this really
"great woman" of the requisites of her prophet guest. The
"little chamber" was probably isolated from the noises and
interruptions necessary to the establishment of which his room would form a
part; it was built "on the wall," an apartment disconnected perhaps
from the other rooms of the house and conducive to retirement and quiet for the
man of God. To be much alone with God is an important need of every really
spiritual servant of God. This should not be forgotten by those who out of their
large-heartedness receive the pastor, teacher, or evangelist under their roof.
This admirable Shunammite was not forgetful of this.

A "bed" was set there
for him. The Lord considerately invited His disciples, "Come ye yourselves
apart … and rest a while" (Mark 6:31).

She knew, too, that he would need
"a table" on which he might spread the sacred rolls for study and
where he might also do his writing—an important part of a diligent servant’s
occupation. This is sometimes forgotten by those who take pleasure in
entertaining the ministers of Christ; they are not there merely to eat and
drink and sleep; more urgent matters are on their schedule of the day or night.
There is need of the "stool" with the "candlestick," for it
is often in "the night seasons" (Psa. 16:7) that the preacher’s most
pressing work is done. He who burns the midnight oil does not stand empty in
the pulpit.

I very well remember a young newly
married brother who thought of fitting up a "prophet’s chamber" in
his house. He provided a prayer rug beside the bed, which fit very well with
the furnishings of such a room.

Contentment, too, contributed to
the greatness of this matron of Israel. When asked by the prophet what should
be done for her in appreciation of her kindness, her only answer was, "I
dwell among mine own people" (2 Ki. 4:13). What a beautiful response,
delightful to the heart in a day like the present when restless ambition,
dissatisfied aspiration, seems to have taken possession of all hearts. She made
no request to be spoken of before the king or for military protection. "I
dwell among mine own people" betokens a heart content with God’s all-wise
appointments for her. Lovely indeed this trait of character, all too rare in a
day like that in which our lot is cast. "Godliness with contentment is
great gain" (1 Tim. 6:6).

A most remarkable thing about this
contented woman is that when requested by the prophet to state any request she
might wish, she dropped no hint of that which she doubtless desired above all
things—a child. She had none, and what was this great wealth of theirs
with no heir? So when called before Elisha the second time she was told that
which must have filled her with unspeakable joy:"About this season,
according to the time of life, you shall embrace a son" (2 Ki. 4:16). Not
just a child, but that which Jewish mothers esteemed above all things
else—"a son"! Oh what joy this should be to her who had probably
given up all hope of such good fortune.

To her it seemed utterly
impossible; so much so, she impulsively said to the man of God, "Do not
lie unto your handmaid." But it came to pass as he had foretold and in due
time the baby was born to her. Her joy, however, was short-lived for when the
child was grown (enough to toddle about), "it fell on a day that he went
out to his father to the reapers" (verse 18). Perhaps his head covering
fell off as he played and he suffered from sunstroke. "He said unto his
father, My head, my head! And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother"
(verse 19). The father was too busy; work came first with him.

"And when he had taken him
and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then
died" (verse 20). Who can imagine the feelings of the fond mother as she
felt the limp form stiffening in her tender grasp, as she saw the little liquid
eyes glaze as they close in death! Oh! it must surely have been the most trying
moment of her life, and such anguish must have pierced her heart as was never
felt before.

But trying as the hour was to her,
she made no outcry; she did not beat her breast nor tear her hair as is common
among Orientals. But in the quiet calm of a firm faith in the God who gave the
gift she "laid him on the bed of the man of God and shut the door upon him
and went out. And she called unto her husband and said, Send me, I pray you,
one of the young men and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God and
come again" (verses 21,22). This father seems oblivious to the possibility
that anything serious has happened; he thinks only that his pious wife is bent
on being present at one of the services of Elisha, so calls, "Why will you
go to him today? it is neither new moon nor sabbath" (verse 23).

Right here we have another
unmistakable proof of this woman’s greatness; it was her practice to attend
regularly the services held by the prophet Elisha at Carmel. These were
conducted on either the sabbath or the first day of the month; for this reason
the man was surprised that his wife should wish at this time the use of the
manservant with the riding ass. And those faithful souls are indeed great in
the eyes of God who are regular in their attendance at the meetings of the
assembly either to hear His Word expounded or preached, or to join with others
in prayer, or to partake of the sacred emblems of the Saviour’s death, and thus
"show forth the Lord’s death till He come." Yet today how many who
profess the name of Christ neglect consistently "the assembling of
[them]selves together" (Heb. 10:25). This is attested to by the half-empty
meeting rooms on the Lord’s day and in many places the weekly prayer meeting
altogether discontinued because scarcely anyone attends.

Happy is the minister of the Lord
who has people like this great woman of Shunem to help hold up his hands and
encourage him in his ministrations by their presence. Yes, happy is the man of
God who has such to pray for him and on every possible occasion present
themselves before him to hear from his lips what God the Lord would say to them
by his anointed lips!

The ass saddled, the woman asked
the servant to drive on with all possible speed toward the abode of the
prophet, some 16 miles distant. Decomposition of the corpse sets in quickly in
the heat of summer in the land of Palestine and there was no time to be lost.
The prophet spied her from afar with the afternoon sunshine at his back and,
suspecting something amiss, said to his servant, "Behold, yonder is that
Shunammite!" (verse 25). He bade him run to meet her but she gave him
scant attention; in reply to his unfeeling questions she said simply, "It
is well." She evidently had as little confidence in him as must have had
the prophet himself after the disclosure of his true character as manifested in
the following chapter (5:20-27). She was indeed a remarkable discerner of moral
character!

The rest of the story is briefly
told. Gehazi, sent on in advance, failed utterly in restoring life to the
child. The believing "mother of the child" clung tenaciously to
Elisha, the true representative of Jehovah, God of Israel, until he accompanied
her back to Shunem. Here Elisha, unlike the Lord of Life who raised the dead
and decaying Lazarus with a word, labored and prayed with the object of his and
the mother’s concern, until at last "the child sneezed seven times, and
the child opened his eyes" (verses 31-35).

The mother did not burst out in an
ecstasy of exuberant joy, be it observed; this would have been most natural, we
know. But here we have not mere nature displayed but that which is ever above
nature—faith. In deepest gratitude to God for the benefit bestowed, we
read:"Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the
ground, and took up her son, and went out" (verse 37). The prophet had
said, "Take up your son," but she was moved by that which is higher
than maternal affection, namely, gratitude to God; only after her due
expression of this did she take the darling child to her arms.

How very beautiful is this! God
must come first; His "power and the glory" must be acknowledged. Only
then may the current of maternal nature run their course. Mother love is truly
wonderful and of God Himself; but He ever has first claim and here in
"this Shunammite" we see the principle most beautifully exemplified.
May all Christians be instructed.

(From Holding Fast and Holding
Forth, Vol. 19, 1949.)

A year ago we took a trip to
Colorado. For much of the way from Denver to Grand Junction, Interstate 70
parallels the Colorado River. A few miles northeast of Grand Junction, the
terrain on the north side of the highway is essentially desert. On the other
side, in the river valley where the land is irrigated, the grass is green and
crops and trees flourish. It was a vivid illustration of what the writer of
Psalm 1 must have had in mind when he wrote of the blessed man:"He shall
be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in
its season; its leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away"
(Psa. 1:3,4). This simile of the righteous person being like a fruitful tree is
found several times in the Old Testament (Psa. 92:14; Isa. 61:3; Jer. 17:8),
perhaps because Palestine, like Colorado, is rather arid and flourishing green
trees stand out in the landscape.

The prophetess Anna is a wonderful
illustration of Psalm 92:12-15:"The  righteous shall flourish like the
palm tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the
house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still
bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat [or full of sap, JND] and
flourishing, to show that the LORD is upright; He is my Rock, and there is no
unrighteousness in Him."  Anna lived in the temple environs and served God
with fastings and prayers night and day. She was "planted in the house of the
LORD" and she "bore fruit in old age."

Anna had been a widow for many,
many years. By the time she is introduced to us in Luke 2:36, any children she
might have had during her brief marriage had long since grown up and she used
her freedom from family responsibilities to serve God. The "empty
nest" should not be a syndrome but an opportunity to use free time in
Christian service.

Older women often have difficulty
sleeping. What an opportunity to serve the Lord in those night hours by praying
or studying the Bible or writing letters of encouragement to friends,
acquaintances, neighbors, or relatives who are suffering in some way.

After Anna saw the Lord Jesus,
"she gave thanks … unto the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who
looked for redemption in Jerusalem" (Luke 2:38). Do we who have known and
trusted Christ speak of Him to one another? Too often our conversation is about
other things. I have read that in the Talmud (a book of commentary on the
Pentateuch written by Jewish rabbis) there is the exhortation, "Let not
two Israelites meet and separate without a word about the Law." Do not
Christians who know the Lord Jesus who loved them, gave Himself for them, and
is presently interceding for them, have even more reason to speak of Him than
Israelites have to speak of the Law?

People are living longer and
longer. Women on average, live longer than men. All Christians should stand out
in the dry desert of this world as flourishing green trees. Older Christians
can be even more fruitful in old age than in their younger years since they
have more time to devote to knowing and serving Christ, and have had more years
to become firmly established by the living waters and in the courts of the
Lord.

                             * * *

In producing blossom and fruit, a
branch of a plant sacrifices itself, yields up its own individual
vegetative life for the sake of another life that is to spring from it. And is
it not so in the kingdom of grace? Christian fruit comes from a transformation
of the branch in the True Vine. Instead of growing for its own ends, it
produces the blossoms of holiness and the fruits of righteousness, for the
glory of God and the good of men. The life of selfishness, self-righteousness,
and self-seeking is cut short, and changed into the life of self-denial (Matt.
16:24).

We can bring forth no fruit that
is pleasing to God until we yield ourselves a living sacrifice to Him (Rom.
12:1). In this self-sacrifice all the beauty of the Christian life manifests
itself. The life that lives for another in so doing bursts into flower and
shows its brightest hues and yields its sweetest fragrance. All is given to
Christ, and all is received back a hundredfold.

(From "Fruit" in Help
and Food, Vol. 6.)

EDITOR’S NOTE

   Masculine pronouns have been
used almost exclusively in reference to spiritual gifts in this issue, because
the "he/she" structure is cumbersome. Please keep in mind that the
Holy Spirit has gifted every female as well as every male believer in Christ.

God delights to impart wisdom to others. He gave
wisdom to craftsmen of Israel for fashioning the tabernacle and the priests’
garments (Exod. 28:1-6; 31;1-6). He gave to Solomon "a wise and an
understanding heart" (1 Ki. 3:12). The Lord promised to give His disciples
"a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to …
resist" (Luke 21:12-15); this was later borne out in Stephen when those
who disputed with him "were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit
by which he spoke" (Acts 6:9,10).

God does not automatically impart wisdom to all
believers. He wants us to ask for it just as Solomon of old asked for it (1 Ki.
3:5-13). Solomon, in turn, urged his children to "get wisdom," for
"wisdom is the principal thing" (Prov. 4:5-7). The apostle Paul
exhorted the Ephesians to be "as wise, redeeming the time" (Eph.
5:15,16). And the apostle James exhorted, "If any of you lack wisdom, let
him ask of God" (Jas. 1:5). God imparts this wisdom through "the holy
Scriptures, that are able to make you wise" (2 Tim. 3:15; see also Col.
3:16).

Accompanied by a few of his
partisans, the haughty priest strolled through the streets of Constantinople.
The year was 336 A.D.  Arius had been condemned and exiled, but now was
recalled by the Emperor Constantine himself.  He smugly reflected on his
sly triumph over his opponents, for tomorrow he was to be vindicated! Feeling
unwell, he excused himself to turn aside momentarily, when excruciating pain
seized him. Crying out in agony, he suddenly fell to the ground, and died.

Was this divine retribution? Read
the history of Arius and decide.

In the age following the apostles
of the Lord, many letters and other writings were circulated dealing with the
practical aspects of Christian life and describing the joy, blessing, and
salvation as found in Christ. "Church Fathers," so-called, such as
Polycarp, Clement, Irenaeus, Ignatius, Justin Martyr, Origen, and others
confessed their faith and their fervent wish to impart it to others through the
gospel. But even in the apostles’ day, John had written:"As you have
heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists" (1
John 2:18; see also 2 Tim. 4:3,4; 2 Pet. 2:1; 1 John 4:1-3). The religious
leaders at His cross demanded Jesus’ death, "Because He made Himself the
Son of God" (John 19:7). The unbelief that first challenged mankind’s
faith in God’s Word in the Garden of Eden was, and is, as deadly as ever
(Gen. 3:1-6).

During the second and third
centuries, discussions and correspondence on theological subjects began to
drift away from "the simplicity that is in Christ" (2 Cor. 11:3),
moving toward Greco-Roman philosophy, Judaic legalism, and pagan mythology.
Certain church leaders, in their defense of the "faith that was once
delivered unto the saints," composed the statement of faith known as
"The Apostles’ Creed" that briefly summarized their basic beliefs.
Originally dating from about 100 A.D., it had been memorized and passed down
orally for many years until being put into written form in 340 A.D. Hilary of
Poitiers, a faithfully opponent of Arianism, has wisely written this concerning
the making of creeds:"We are compelled to attempt what is unattainable,
to climb where we cannot reach, to speak what we cannot utter. Instead of the bare
adoration of faith, we are compelled to entrust the deep things of religion
to the perils of human expression."

By the end of the third century,
theologians were laboring to construct a statement faithfully delineating the
doctrine concerning the divine nature, especially as to the true deity of Jesus
Christ. Meanwhile, certain contentious voices found a champion in Arius.

In 318 A.D. Arius was a presbyter
in charge of a church in Alexandria. He was a man of learning and a shrewd
reasoner. His bishop, Alexander, had been teaching the eternal co-existence of
the Son with the Father. Arius protested, saying that God alone is eternal, and
therefore the Son must have had a beginning, created "out of nothing"
by divine fiat. Some thought that Arius merely intended to refute what he
assumed to be Sabellian teaching. (Sabellius, around 220 A.D., had denied that
the Son possessed a personality distinct from that of the Father, and had
taught that God manifests Himself in three modes without any distinction of
identity, thus denying the Trinity.)

Following the theories of Lucian,
his teacher, Arius held that the Logos ("Word," John 1:1) was a created
being, sent forth into the world, assuming a human nature in order to reveal
the Father. Arius said of the Son:"There was a time when He was not"
and that as the Son, Jesus only attained sinless perfection by firmly
maintaining a virtuous life. He said that the Son is not "one" with
the Father, a denial of John 10:30. He taught an inaccessible, unknowable God,
beyond the reach of mere humans, thus denying the mediation, atonement, and
redemption of Christ. To Arius, Jesus Christ was only an "example" to
be followed, not God the Son, who gave Himself a ransom for all (1 Tim. 2:6).
Although Arius’ personal popularity and his shrewd exploitation of his
doctrines gained him followers even among bishops, his teachings have been
called "pagan to the core" by orthodox Christians.

The true, scriptural concept of
divine redemption by the eternal Son was rescued from this pagan heresy, thanks
mainly to the devotion of one man, Athanasius. He wrote that it is futile as
well as irreverent blasphemy to reason from earthly relationships to the
mysteries of the Divine (1 Tim. 3:16). He wrote:"If they were disputing
concerning any man, then let them reason in this human way, both concerning his
word and his son; but if they argue concerning God, who created man, no longer
let them entertain human thoughts, but others, which transcend human
nature…. Nor, again, is it right to inquire how the Word is from God,
or how He is God’s radiance, or how God begets, and what is the manner of His
begetting. A man must be beside himself to venture on such points, since he
demands to have explained in words a thing ineffable and proper to God’s
nature, and known only to Him and to the Son…. Greatly do they err in
entertaining material notions about that which is immaterial."

Athanasius also pointed out that
if the "Son" were not eternal, neither could the "Father"
be eternal. Like present-day Jehovah’s Witnesses, the early leaders of Arianism
had no systematic, overall view of Scripture. Their method was to quote Bible
texts piecemeal, isolated, and out of context, not discerning their true
meaning. As Athanasius wrote:"Laying down their own impiety as a sort of canon
of interpretation, they wrest the whole of the divine Oracle into accordance
with it." (See Psa. 56:5; 2 Pet. 3:16.)

As a clever scheme to further
popularize his heresies, Arius composed a collection of songs, called Thalia
("Spiritual Banquet") for workmen, travelers, and common use. This
led to ignorant and irreverent groups using sacred language in familiar terms,
twisting the meanings into profane jokes in theaters and on the streets. In a
teaching that would later be echoed by Apollinaris (about 326-392 A.D.), Arius
denied that Christ had a human soul, its place being taken by the Logos.

Although these teachings were strongly
condemned by Alexander, Athanasius, and others, they continued to spread,
causing great controversy among the people. Emperor Constantine, anxious for
peace throughout his recently united Empire, tried to mend what he considered
"insignificant" differences among the theologians. Unsuccessful, he
called for a General Council to meet at Nicea in 325 A.D. A large number
attended, including 300 bishops. Athanasius strongly defended the need to
accept divine revelation by faith, and he protested again against asking
"How?" in regard to the Son of God being the "brightness of His
glory, and the express image of His person" (Heb. 1:3). He said,
"Such illustrations and such images Scripture has set before us in order
that, considering the incapacity of human nature to comprehend God, we might be
able even from these, to form some idea, so far as it is attainable, however
inadequately and dimly."

After much deliberation, the
Council adopted a creed (Latin credo, "I believe"), a unified
statement of doctrine. The Nicene Creed is still used in many churches today.
Arius was condemned and banished, spending the next few years in Illyria. His writings were burned. Only he and five other bishops refused to sign the
Council’s "Confession." Their stumbling block was Athanasius’ use of
the Greek word homoousios (expressing the "consubstantiality"
of the Father and the Son, God and Man united in Christ, "one substance"
with the ultimate and only God). Arius and his partisans maintained that Christ
was the incarnation of a secondary deity who was "like" the
Father, but not "one" with Him. Athanasius said, of the Word
becoming flesh:"This Mystery, which the Jews traduce, the Greeks deride,
but we adore … [brought about] the renewal of creation, wrought by the
self-same Word who made it in the beginning."

The results of the Nicene Council
were far from being a victory for orthodoxy. Several diverse parties began to
form; Constantine assumed both political and ecclesiastical power for what
became the state church; the Arians (still active) broke up into three major
groups. The extreme party, "Anomoeans" (or "dissimilar")
emphasized the differences between Father and Son; the "Homoeans" (or
"similar") aimed to avoid dogmatic precision; and the
"Semi-Arians" expressed both the similarities and distinctions
between the first two Persons of the Trinity. About 50 years later, Jerome
wrote of this period:"The whole world groaned and marveled to find itself
Arian." The new emperor, Constantius, openly embraced Arianism, and Athanasius
was exiled to Treves. An imperial order was issued to Arius’ old bishop,
Alexander, to receive Arius back to holy communion the following Sunday.
Alexander prayed:"O let me die before Arius comes into the Church; but if
Thou wilt have pity on Thy Church, prevent this crime, that heresy may not
enter the Church together with Arius."

On Saturday, the day before his
anticipated success, the arrogant Arius strolled with his followers, discussing
their strategies. But before Sunday’s sunrise, Arius lay dead on a Constantinople street. (His death has been described as similar to that of Judas in Acts
1:18.) The baneful influence of Arianism gradually diminished, but not for
several more centuries. The enemy of souls is always busy and has since used
many other human instruments to attack the Person of Jesus Christ. To name a
few:Eutyches and Nestorius, Socinius, Kant and Hegel, Søren Kierkegaard,
Charles Taze Russell, Frederick Raven and James Boyd, the James Taylors, father
and son, and Harry Fosdick. In this present day, prominent leaders of large,
"mainline" denominations such as the presiding bishop of the
Episcopal Church USA and the moderator of the United Church of Canada are
denying the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The apostle Paul told the Ephesian
elders, "Of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to
draw disciples after them" (Acts 20:30). Every age has had its heretics.

To the end of his life in 373
A.D., Athanasius remained faithful in insisting on what he regarded as the heart
of the gospel. The so-called Creed of Athanasius reads, in part:

"For there is one Person of
the Father, another of the Son, another of the Holy Ghost.

"But the Godhead of the
Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is all one:the glory co-equal, the
majesty co-eternal.

"Such as the Father, such is
the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost.

"The Father uncreate, the Son
uncreate, and the Holy Ghost uncreate.

"The Father eternal, the Son
eternal, and the Holy Ghost eternal.

"And yet there are not three
eternals, but One eternal.

"So the Father is God, the
Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God.

"And yet they are not three
gods, but one God."

Of the 46 years of his
"official" life, Athanasius spent at least 20 in exile.

"I suppose we may account
Athanasius as a sufficient champion of the true divinity of the blessed Lord.
Of all ancient writers he is known to be the undaunted and suffering defender
of this truth against the whole body of Arians, the Emperor and all, and died
an exile for this truth" (J.N. Darby in Collected Writings, Vol.
34).

Where, today, shall we find that
"bare adoration of faith" of which Hilary of Poitiers wrote?
(Jude 3,4).

                
Characteristics of the Early

             
Church:The Church as One Body and

                    
a Unity of Assemblies

The night before He was crucified,
the Lord Jesus prayed a high priestly, intercessory prayer to His Father
concerning His disciples. He prayed, "Holy Father, keep through Thine own
name those whom Thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are" (John
17:11). Jesus knew there would always be a tendency—aided and abetted by
Satan—for His disciples to go their separate ways and start their own
ministries and congregations. So He expresses, not only for His Father’s
"ears" but for those of His disciples as well, His desire that His
disciples remain united in spirit after His departure.

The Lord does not stop there:
"Neither pray I for these alone [that is, the twelve disciples minus
Judas], but for those also who shall believe on Me through their word; that
they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also
may be one in Us:that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me"
(17:20,21). This unity desired first for His disciples was to extend to all
believers in Christ. One very practical effect of such a unity would be its
testimony to the watching world that Jesus Christ had truly been sent by God
("Thou hast sent Me").

In answer to this prayer, the Holy
Spirit came down and baptized the believers in Christ "into one
body" (1 Cor. 12:13). At the risk of being repetitive, let us quote
several verses that refer to the one body of believers in Christ.

"For as we have many members
in one body, and all members have not the same office, so we, being many
are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another" (Rom.
12:4,5).

"The cup of blessing that we
bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread that we break,
is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread,
and one body:for we are all partakers of that one bread" (1 Cor.
10:16,17).

"For as the [human] body is
one and has many members, and all the members of that one body, being
many, are one body:so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all
baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond
or free…. For the body is not one member, but many" (1 Cor. 12:12-14).

"That He might reconcile both
[Jew and Gentile] unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the
enmity thereby…. There is one body" (Eph. 2:16; 4:4).

"Let the peace of God rule in
your hearts, to the which also you are called in one body" (Col.
3:15).

I have heard or read it expressed
a number of times:"God has arranged the Church into many different denominations
so that each believer may select the one with the kind of pastor, manner of
worship, scheme of church government, or variety of activities that best suit
his/her needs or personality." NOT SO! By no means is God
responsible for the many denominations and divisions of the Church! Sinful man
is responsible for them! I shall elaborate on this point in a later issue.

In the early years of the Church,
there was indeed one body in every sense of the word. There were no
divisions, no denominations. It is true that there were assemblies of believers
in many different countries, states, cities, and villages. But the New
Testament clearly shows that a strong unity existed among these assemblies.
There existed what is sometimes termed "a circle of fellowship." The
Church, the whole body of believers, did not consist of many independent
local assemblies but of interdependent assemblies, geographically
separated but united together as a complete and entire organism. We shall now
present various scriptural evidences of this unity.

The use of letters of
commendation. When brothers or sisters from one assembly visited another
assembly, they carried with them letters of introduction and commendation from
their home assembly, or from a well-known believer (such as the apostle Paul),
to the assembly being visited. These are referred to in 2 Cor. 3:1:"Do we
begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of
commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?" After Apollos
had been taught by Aquila and Priscilla "the way of God more
perfectly," he prepared to travel on to Achaia. So "the brethren
wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive [Apollos], who, when he was come,
helped them much who had believed through grace" (Acts 19:24-28).

In a sense the Epistle to the
Romans is a letter of commendation that the apostle Paul expanded into a
lengthy treatise of doctrinal and practical ministry. Near the end of the
letter Paul writes:"I commend unto you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant
of the church that is at Cenchrea, that you receive her in the Lord, as becomes
saints, and that you assist her in whatever business she has need of you, for
she has been a [helper] of many, and of myself also" (Rom. 16:1,2). These
two verses provide a good model for a letter of commendation.

An alternative to a letter
of commendation is found in Acts 9:26,27 where Barnabas personally
commended Saul of Tarsus to the believers in Jerusalem:"When Saul was
come to Jerusalem, he [tried] to join himself to the disciples; but they were
all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took
him and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the
Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly
at Damascus in the name of Jesus."

Letters of commendation have in
large measure fallen out of use today. But they still serve an important
purpose, both of introducing a visiting brother or sister who is in fellowship
in another assembly, and of expressing the unity that exists among the
assemblies. This writer would encourage each Christian assembly to reinstitute
the provision of letters of commendation to believers visiting assemblies where
they are not well known.

The ministry of Paul. The
apostle Paul did not confine his ministry to one assembly. In addition to
helping to establish assemblies of believers in many places, he revisited most
of these plus many others in order to build up the saints through ministry of
the Word of God. He also wrote letters (called "epistles" in our
Bibles) to a number of them, addressing problems specific to each one. In his
epistles to the assemblies, Paul often sought to remind the saints of their
unity with all of the other assemblies in the Church as a whole:"The churches
of Christ salute you" (Rom. 16:16). "Paul … unto the church of God that is at Corinth … with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus
Christ our Lord" (1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:1). "I have sent unto you
Timothy … who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways that be in Christ,
as I teach everywhere in every church" (1 Cor. 4:17). "As the Lord
has called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches" (1
Cor. 7:17). "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given
order to the churches of Galatia, even so do you" (1 Cor. 16:1).

The help of assemblies one for
another. A particular manifestation of the interdependence of assemblies in
the early Church was the way the different local assemblies helped each other:
"Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store,
as God has prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. And when I
come, whomever you shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring
your liberality unto Jerusalem" (1 Cor. 16:2,3; also 2 Cor. 8:1-15;
9:1-15).

Even though Philippi was not the
apostle Paul’s home assembly (he was sent out from Antioch, Acts 13:1-3), the
assembly at Philippi ministered often to the apostle’s temporal needs:
"Know also that … when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated
with me as concerning giving and receiving, but you only. For even in
Thessalonica you sent once and again unto my necessity" (Phil. 4:14-18).

The uniting of believers of
various ethnic backgrounds. The earliest members of the Church were Jewish
converts to Christ. The first were 120 or so disciples of the Lord (Acts 1:15)
upon whom the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost. These were soon
followed by 3,000 more Jewish men and women who responded to the preaching of
the apostle Peter (Acts 2:41). Later, Philip "preached Christ unto [the
Samaritans]." Many believed, following which they received the Holy Spirit
(Acts 8:5-17). Then the apostle Peter was sent by the Spirit to the house of
Cornelius, the Roman soldier. After Peter presented the gospel, Cornelius and
others in his household believed, and the same Holy Spirit came upon them as
well. The Jewish believers with Peter "were astonished … because that on
the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Spirit, for they heard
them speak with tongues and magnify God" (Acts 10:45,46).

There had existed a longstanding
animosity between the Jews and the Samaritans, the latter being largely made up
of stragglers from the ten tribes that broke away from the tribes of Judah and
Benjamin during the reign of Rehoboam (1 Ki. 11:31; John 4:9). A similar enmity
existed between the Jews and the Gentiles (Luke 4:24-29). But God arranged
things to show clearly that the same Holy Spirit that brought the Jewish
believers into the Church, the body of Christ, brought the Samaritan and
Gentile believers into that same body.

The apostle Paul emphasizes the
oneness of Jewish and Gentile believers:"He is our peace, who has made
both [that is, Jew and Gentile] one, and has broken down the middle wall of
partition between us … to make in Himself of two one new man, so making
peace; and that He might reconcile both unto God in one body … and came and
preached peace to you [Gentiles] who were afar off, and to those [Jews] who
were nigh. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the
Father" (Eph.

2:14-18).

The apostle further emphasizes the
importance of maintaining unity between Jews and Gentiles in the body of Christ
by beseeching the Ephesian believers that they might "with all lowliness
and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavor to
keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:1-3).

There is not one body or Church
for Jews and another for Gentiles; not one Spirit for Jews and another for
Samaritans; not one Lord for whites and another for blacks; not one faith for
males and another for females; not one baptism for Americans and another for
Asians. Rather, "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you
are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one
faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all" (Eph. 4:4-6).

The resolving of differences
between assemblies. The unity of assemblies in the early Church was further
demonstrated when "certain men who came down from Judea [to Antioch] taught the brethren and said, "Except you be circumcised after the manner of
Moses, you cannot be saved" (Acts 15:1). A delegation of brothers from the
Antioch assembly, including Paul and Barnabas, went to Jerusalem to discuss
this matter with the believers there. "And when there had been much
disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, you know how
that a good while ago God made choice among us that the Gentiles by my mouth
should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the hearts,
bore them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as He did unto us; and put
no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith" (Acts
15:7-9).

After the brethren of both
assemblies resolved that the Gentile believers should not be required to be
circumcised, the assembly at Jerusalem sent a delegation to the assembly at Antioch confirming the satisfactory agreement reached on the controversial question.

In this account we find a wonderful
example of the care, concern, and unity that should exist among the local
assemblies in the Church, the one body of Christ. Satan hates this unity of
God’s people, and does all he can to disrupt and destroy it. What a credit to
both the Antioch and Jerusalem assemblies that the brothers took great pains to
resolve the conflict rather than deciding to split and divide over their
disagreement.

Summary. We have pursued
various lines of evidence from the New Testament Scriptures to demonstrate the
strong unity that existed among the many local assemblies of believers in the
early period of the Church.

1. Letters of commendation were
used to introduce visitors from other assemblies.

2. The apostle Paul, when writing
to specific assemblies, often referred to other assemblies.

3. The assemblies helped one
another in times of need.

4. Jewish, Samaritan, and Gentile
believers were all made members of the same Church.

5. Care was taken to resolve
differences in doctrine and practice that arose among different assemblies.

Even though the unity of
assemblies has been tragically smashed to smithereens over the past 2,000
years, let us endeavor, as far as we can within the limits of Scripture,
"to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

In a later installment of this
series, after giving other characteristics of the early Church, we shall
explore from the scriptures ways we can best achieve at least a tiny degree of
God’s intended unity among assemblies.

When Dr. E.K. Kane was searching
the Arctic regions for the lost Sir John Franklin party in 1853-55, one thing
was quite prominent in that expedition. They faced a great many trials,
temperatures at minus 30 to 75 degrees, the long dark night of the Arctic
winger, the lack of food and other necessities, the whole party stricken down
with scurvy, grim Death lurking continually around their brig. But in spite of all
these trials, they continued to make observations and sketches of the coast
line, to strike out by sledge and whaleboat for evidences of the missing party,
to take temperatures, and otherwise follow through on the work they had set out
to do.

This was the apostle Paul’s
experience in a better cause. "In all things approving ourselves as the
ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in
distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings,
in fastings; by pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the
Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the Word of truth, by the power of God, by
the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honor and
dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; as
unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and
not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich;
as having nothing, and yet possessing all things" (2 Cor. 6:4-10).

(From Help and Food, Vol.
47.)

We have just completed a nine-part
series on "Lessons of Faith" drawn from the men and women cited in
the "Hall of Fame of Faith" in Hebrews 11. When we study further
these men and women of faith, we find pockmarks of failure scattered about
their lives. In fact, their lives are not that much different from ours, except
that ours probably are more dominated by failure than by faith.

In this new series of articles, we
shall take examples from both Old and New Testament men and women of faith, and
explore the antecedents and causes of their failures. From these lessons of
failure, perhaps we can learn how to avoid some of the failures in our own
Christian lives. The series will conclude on a positive note by looking at
God’s restoration and blessing of those who failed.

                Failure Resulting from Problems

                   and Difficulties of Life

1. Taking our eyes off the Lord
during problems. "Peter … said, Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come
unto Thee on the water. And He said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of
the ship, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind
boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save
me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand and caught him, and said
unto him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" (Matt. 14:28-31).

It is surely thrilling to read of
the faith of dear Peter. One of the most widely-recognized marks of the Lord
Jesus being fully God along with being fully man was His ability to walk on
water. Yet, Peter, a mere human being, also enjoyed a brief stint of walking on
water. How did Peter do it? He simply obeyed the Lord! When he went out in the
boat he had not the slightest idea he would become "a walking
miracle." But the Lord Jesus said "Come," and Peter—totally
forgetful of self—came.

What caused Peter to begin to
sink? "He saw the wind." Because of the roughness of the sea,
he took his eyes off of Jesus and instead looked at the water. Peter started
out remarkably well with a level of faith and obedience that we should all
emulate. But he did not persist in that faith, and thus failed.

The lesson for us is clear and
straightforward. Let us find out through reading God’s Word and prayer what the
Lord Jesus wants us to do, then let us go and do it. All the while, we must
keep our eyes of faith focused on the Lord, depending on Him to give us all the
strength and ability to do what He has asked of us. The Lord may test our faith
by allowing some trials or problems to come into our lives while we are
carrying out His will. We must learn to recognized these situations and focus
our faith all the more on our Lord and Master.

2. Seeking the help of others
instead of the Lord to get through our problems. When the Ethiopian
army—one million strong!—came against the army of Judah led by King Asa,
"Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with Thee
to help, whether with many or with those who have no power:help us, O LORD our
God, for we rest on Thee…. So the LORD smote the Ethiopians … and the
Ethiopians fled" (2 Chron. 14:9-12). What excellent faith! and what a
wonderful response of God to that faith!

Let us now fast-forward about 30
years to another incident in the life of King Asa. "In the 36th year of
the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah…. Then Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the
LORD and of the king’s house, and sent to Ben-hadad king of Syria" (2
Chron. 16:1,2). This time, instead of trusting in the LORD for help against the
enemy, Asa sought the help of the nation of Syria, a long-time antagonist of
the nation of Judah. What was the outcome? "Hanani the seer came to Asa
king of Judah and said unto him, Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD your God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of your hand. Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge host, with
very many chariots and horsemen? yet, because you relied on the LORD, He
delivered them into your hand" (verses 7,8).

Three years later Asa became
"diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great:yet in his
disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians" (verse 12). Two
years later he died.

How like King Asa are we! When
confronted with a problem, an enemy, or an illness, don’t we often take matters
into our own hands and seek the help of others before—if ever—seeking the
Lord’s help?

3. Trying to escape from our
problems. "There was a famine in the land, and Abram went down into Egypt" (Gen. 12:10). Abram (also known as Abraham) is renowned for his great faith. In
faith and obedience to the LORD, he left his homeland and traveled a long
distance to the land of Canaan. But when a problem [famine] arose, Abram forgot
about the LORD and left the land into which the LORD had led him in order to
escape the problem. In so doing, Abram got into a peck of trouble and greatly
embarrassed himself in the presence of the Egyptian Pharaoh.

Abraham’s son Isaac failed in the
same way in time of famine (Gen. 26). Likewise, David, so brave and dependent
upon the LORD when he went against the giant Goliath, seemed totally forgetful
of the LORD when trying to escape from King Saul. He did many foolish and
sinful things and was the cause of the death of many innocent persons while
trying to escape his problems (1 Sam. 21,22,27).

Contrast the early Christians in Jerusalem when faced with persecution by the Jews:"They lifted up their voice to God
with one accord, and said,… Lord, behold their threatenings and grant unto
Thy servants that with all boldness they may speak Thy Word" (Acts
4:23-29). And what was the outcome of such faithful dependence upon the Lord?
"When they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled
together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spake the
Word of God with boldness" (verse 31). The very thing they prayed
for—boldness—is what they received through the power of the Holy Spirit. May we
remember at all times to call upon the Lord with such faith!

4. Trying to forget our
problems. While King Saul doesn’t fall into the category of a man of faith,
we shall consider him as a powerful example of what happens when we try to
forget our problems rather than righteously dealing with them.

King Saul jealously gave David a
lot of problems, and even tried to destroy David’s life. At the same time Saul
had many problems of his own. The prophet Samuel sharply rebuked him twice for
acts of disobedience to the LORD, telling him, "The LORD has rejected you
from being king over Israel" (1 Sam. 13:13,14; 15:23,26). Between those
two events, he was shouted down by the people for wanting to put his son
Jonathan to death (14:43-45).

With all these negative things—all
of his own doing—putting a great strain on his ego, he became brooding and
depressed, helped along by "an evil spirit from the LORD [that] troubled
him" (16:14). Instead of responding to his failures and God’s judgment
upon him with humble repentance (particularly difficult for one in a position
of authority), Saul brought in a skillful harpist (who happened to be young
David) to help him, through music therapy, to forget his problems.

Saul’s ego problems expanded into
intense hatred and jealousy toward David when he heard the women singing,
"Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands" (18:7).
The music therapy no longer worked because Saul now regarded the musician as
his worst enemy:"It came to pass … that the evil spirit from God came
upon Saul … and David played with his hand, as at other times…. And Saul
cast the javelin … and David avoided out of his presence twice"
(18:10,11). Failing properly to deal with his initial failures, Saul’s sin and
failures continued to escalate.

We must honestly face our
problems, our fears, our being abused or put down by others, our failures, our
humiliating experiences; we must confess and repent of our failures; we must
commit our problems, our negative experiences, and particularly our ego to the
Lord; and then we must get on with our lives through the power of the Holy
Spirit:"This one thing I do, forgetting those things that are behind, and
reaching forth unto those things that are before, I press toward the mark for
the prize of the [calling on high] of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil.
3:13,14).

5. Trying to lie our way out of
our problems. Abram did it (Gen. 12:11-20; 20:2-18); Isaac did it (Gen.
26:7-11); Rahab did it (Josh. 2:1-7); David did it (1 Sam. 21:1-9; 27:10);
Peter did it (Matt. 26:69-75). Sometimes the lying resulted in dire
consequences to the liar or to others (Gen. 20:18; 1 Sam. 22:18-22). All times
it brought grief and dishonor to the Lord (Luke 22:61).

An inmate once told me of standing
trial for a minor offense that carried with it a six-month sentence. He lied to
the judge; the judge believed him and set him free. Six months later he landed
in jail again, this time for a more serious crime for which he faced a 20-year
sentence.

When we have problems, whether
from circumstances, from other people, or of our own doing, may we learn from
the Lord to deal with these problems by:

1. Keeping our eyes on the Lord at
all times.

2. Seeking the Lord’s help first
of all, and only seeking the help of others if led by the Lord to do so.

3. Facing the problem squarely and
dealing with it in the presence of the Lord and with His help, rather than (a)
trying to escape from it, (b) trying to drown it out and forget it, and (c)
trying to lie our way out of it.

"He who has an ear, let him
hear" and learn from these examples.

We shall continue in the next
issue, Lord willing, with a study of man’s failure stemming from other causes.

                 Characteristics of the Early

                 Church:The Priesthood of All

                           Believers

In Old Testament times Jehovah
established a priesthood in the nation of Israel. The work of the priest was
"to offer gifts and sacrifices" (Heb. 8:3), "first for his own
sins, and then for the people’s" (Heb. 7:27). Jehovah selected a special
family out of all the tribes and families of the nation to serve as priests on
behalf of the entire nation. Woe to anyone from outside the family of Aaron who
attempted to usurp the priesthood for himself (Num. 16,17).

The teaching of the New Testament
concerning priesthood represents quite a change from that of the Old Testament,
however. The priesthood of Aaron and his family has been replaced by the
priesthood of Christ and His body. The Israelite priesthood, under law, was
characterized by distance from God, while the Christian priesthood, under
grace, is characterized by nearness to God. Only the high priest could
go into the inner sanctum or "holiest of all" of the tabernacle—the
very presence of Jehovah. He could do this only once a year, and only with the
blood of a goat to make atonement for his own sins and those of the people
(Lev. 16:2,15-17,29,30; Heb. 9:1-10). But when Christ died, the veil of the temple
that blocked the way into the holiest "was torn in two from the top to the
bottom" (Matt. 27:51). For this reason, we are told that believers in
Christ have "boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by
a new and living way, which He has consecrated for us, through the veil, that
is to say, His flesh" (Heb. 10:19,20).

                  Who is Our High Priest Now?

It is the Lord Jesus Christ
Himself who is a "merciful and faithful High Priest" (Heb. 2:17). He
is our "great High Priest" who can "be touched with the feeling
of our infirmities … in all points tempted like as we are, yet without
sin" (Heb. 4:14,15). He is a "holy, harmles, undefiled" High
Priest who is "separate from sinners and made higher than the heavens …
set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens" (Heb.
7:26; 8:1). He is the One who offered one perfect sacrifice—Himself!—that fully
satisfied a holy God, in contrast to the repeated animal sacrifices offered by
the priests of Israel  (Heb. 7:27; 9:9,12,14; 10:11-14). The Book of Hebrews
clearly proves the superiority of the priesthood of Christ over that of Aaron.

                Who Are the Under-Priests Now?

If Christ is the High Priest, are
there under-priests as well? Yes indeed! But these are not confined to one
particular family or specially-appointed class of believers. Whenever the
Christian priesthood is mentioned it clearly has reference to all
believers, every member of the body of Christ:"You also, as living
stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood,… a royal
priesthood" (1 Pet. 2:5,9) To whom was the apostle Peter writing? 
"To the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia,
and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through
sanctification of the Spirit,… begotten … unto a living hope by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Pet. 1:1‑3). This
epistle was not written to a special class of believers but to all
believers, including Christian servants (2:18), wives (3:1-6), husbands (3:7),
ministers of the Word (4:11), elders of the local assembly (5:1-4), and younger
believers (5:5). In the Book of Revelation, those whom Christ has made
"priests unto God" are the same ones whom He loved and washed from
their sins (1:5,6).

               What Does a Christian Priest Do?

What do we do when we enter into
the holiest and thus draw near to Christ (Heb. 10:19,20)? We surely do not come
near with the blood of a sacrifice as Aaron used to do on the great day
of atonement. Rather, we come "by the blood of Jesus" (10:19),
the blood of a far superior sacrifice shed at the cross of Calvary. And as we
draw near we "offer up spiritual sacrifices" (1 Pet. 2:5), "the
sacrifice of praise to God" (Heb. 13:15). Surely each believer in Christ
has the privilege of doing this in his/her own private meditations and
devotions. We can enjoy a nearness to God through Christ that was not possible
for the family of Aaron.

But notice that the drawing near
into the holiest is linked in Hebrews 10 with "not forsaking the
assembling of ourselves together." So there is also a collective aspect to
this—a drawing near to Christ in fellowship and company with other believers in
Christ. The highest possible expression of this drawing near to Christ in a
collective way is the observance of the Lord’s Supper. We gather together unto
the name of Christ, with Himself in our midst (Matt. 18:20), with Himself and
His atoning death the object of our meditations, praise, and worship (1 Cor.
11:24‑26), with Himself as our High Priest (Heb. 2:17; etc.), and Himself
as our Praise‑Leader (Psa. 22:22; 40:3; Heb. 2:12).

Many Christian denominations and
congregations today, while giving lip-service to the truth of the priesthood of
all believers, behave as if God’s order for the Church is the same as was His
order for the nation of Israel. They believe that persons specially appointed
as priests or clergymen are necessary to minister to the rest of the
congregation—the laity—and to represent them before God.

Does the New Testament speak of a
special class of believers with greater authority and privilege than the rest
to draw near to God with their praise and worship? Nowhere! In fact, to
establish such a class implies that other worshipers cannot directly approach
God with their gifts and sacrifices. They are kept at a distance while others
approach for them.

In 1 Corinthians 11 and 14 we find
instruction given to believers as to their conduct when they come together. In
chapter 11 the Corinthians were enjoined not to allow the holy observance of
the Lord’s Supper to be marred by divisions and class‑conscious cliques
among them (11:17‑34). In chapter 14 they were told, "When you come
together, every one of you has a psalm, has a doctrine, has a tongue,
has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done unto
edifying" (14:26). The apostle goes on to set upper limits on the number
of speakers and to order that the "women keep silence in the churches, for
it is not permitted unto them to speak" (14:27‑34). In all of the
instructions given as to the conduct of the believers when they come together
in gatherings of the local church or assembly, there is not the slightest hint
of a single person ordained or assigned to lead the assembly in its worship.
Rather, all indications point to many of the brothers participating in
such a meeting. And is this not in keeping with the truths we have already
noticed in Hebrews, 1 Peter, and Revelation that Christ is our High
Priest and Praise-Leader, and that all believers comprise the Christian
priesthood?

In case any of our readers has
never experienced it in person, let me try to paint a picture of an assembly of
Christian priests gathered with their High Priest to observe the Lord’s Supper.
As led by the Holy Spirit, several brothers may in turn give out specific hymns
to be sung by the congregation, and intermingled with these hymns may be
prayers of thanksgiving and praise (perhaps as simple as, "We thank Thee,
Lord, for dying on the cross for us; amen") and meditation on the
sufferings of Christ. One or two brothers, again as moved by the Holy Spirit,
may stand up and read passages of Scripture, with or without comment, that help
to focus the hearts of the congregation on the beauties and glories of the
person of Christ and on the agonies and sufferings of His death on the cross
for us. Sometime during this service a brother will be moved by the Holy Spirit
to get up and give thanks for the loaf of bread and the cup of wine, symbols of
the body and blood of Christ, and will pass the loaf and the cup to those who
are in fellowship, that is, identified with the assembly. The brother who does
this may pray with great eloquence or with stammering lips; may be 101 or 61 or
21 years old; may have been in fellowship for eight decades or eight weeks; may
be a millionaire or a pauper; may have a Ph.D. or be a third‑grade
dropout; may be red, yellow, black, or white. Where each one in the assembly is
humbly waiting on the Holy Spirit for guidance, this gathering of priests can
be a most wonderful, awesome experience of united, harmonious praise and
worship.

One may ask, "If any one is
allowed to participate, are not mistakes sometimes made?" Yes, to be sure.
Occasionally, hymns may be given out or prayers uttered or scriptures read that
have little or nothing to do with commemorating the sufferings and death of
Christ. Sometimes a brother may participate when not led by the Holy Spirit,
but rather, perhaps, by a sense of his own importance and for the purpose of
putting himself forward, or perhaps through a lack of understanding. But the
Lord knows all about our weaknesses and failures and bears with us and
overlooks a great deal in us. Would we, because of occasional weakness and
failure, give up a meeting where each male priest is free to participate, as
led by the Holy Spirit, for one where only one priest is given the privilege
and authority to speak, regardless of whether he is actually led by the Holy
Spirit?

                What About the Female Priests?

The picture we have just
painted—and which is acted out in thousands of local assemblies around the
world each Lord’s day—seems to include only the male priests, the brothers in
Christ. What about the female priests, the sisters in Christ? Do they have any
role to play other than as spectators?

Yes, they have a most vital role
to play! First of all, they have the privilege of drawing near, within the
holiest, in their private meditations and devotions. In this their privilege is
identical to that of the brothers. Second, in meetings of the assembly where
"it is not permitted unto them to speak" (1 Cor. 14:34), they often
provide a solid spiritual foundation for the meeting. I know (from my personal
experience) that there is a tendency for the brothers sometimes to be occupied
with what they should say so as to make the best impression on others, whereas
the sisters are free to give themselves to pure meditation upon the Lord
without worrying what others will think. And so, I suspect, the Lord may often
take much more pleasure in the inaudible praises of the sisters than the
audible ones of the brothers.

Several times I have had the
experience of a sister coming to me after a meeting and saying that a thought I
had expressed, or a scripture passage I had read, or a hymn I had given out was
exactly what was going through her mind at that very moment. Experiences like
this serve to solidify the bonds that unite the saints together in an assembly.
Also, in many cases a married brother will receive spiritual insights through
conversations with his wife during the week, and the Holy Spirit may lead him
to express such thoughts in a meeting of the assembly.

Some may ask why, if all
Christians are part of the priesthood, only the brothers are allowed by
God to engage in priestly activities in a public way. I don’t profess to know
the entire answer to that. The Lord will reveal it in the glory, I am certain.
But I believe it is related to the teachings of Scripture that "Adam was
first formed, then Eve" (1 Tim. 2:11‑13), "the head of the
woman is the man" (1 Cor. 11:3‑10), and "the husband is the
head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the Church" (Eph. 5:22‑24).
The sisters’ silence in the meeting may serve as a "mute testimony"
to the truth that Christ is Head of the Church, and thus the brothers as
representing Christ in this setting must be most careful that whatever they say
in the meeting does not come from themselves, for their own glory, but is truly
from Christ, truly "the oracles of God … that God in all things may be
glorified through Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 4:11).

Some sisters in this era of the
"ERA" (Equal Rights Amendment) may tend to be resentful that God has
ordered them not to take a public part in the assembly meetings. They may
resent it that the brothers get all the glory and honor of the public place.
But this misses the whole point. Neither sisters nor brothers are to be seeking
personal honor and glory, either in this world nor in the one to come. It is God
who is to be glorified through Jesus Christ as we just noticed in the
previous paragraph, and as we find emphasized throughout the Scriptures (for
example, Josh. 7:19; 1 Chron. 16:10,24,27‑29; Psa. 22:23; 50:1; Mal. 2:2;
Matt. 6:13; Luke 2:14; Rom. 15:6,9; 1 Cor. 6:20; Rev. 1:6; 5:12,13; and
numerous of other references). Those who receive glory and honor for themselves
in this present life cannot expect further reward in the next life (Psa. 49:18‑20;
Matt. 6:1‑6). Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, may we earnestly
desire that all glory and honor and praise go up to God, and not seek
one iota of it for ourselves. I truly believe that when the rewards and crowns
are given out at the judgment seat of Christ, it will be the sisters who
worshiped and served the Lord quietly, in the private sphere given to them by
the Lord, who will carry away the most and best rewards.

                        Silent Priests

While the sisters are not
permitted by God to exercise their priesthood in public meetings of the
assembly, there are many brothers who fail to exercise their God‑given
rights and privileges in this regard. Why is this? For some it may be that they
just are not enjoying a close walk with the Lord; perhaps they are allowing
their job and hobbies and home improvement activities to crowd out their
"quiet time," time they should be spending daily reading the Word,
meditating on it, praying, and worshiping. If this is the case, their cup of
praise will not be "full and running over" on the Lord’s day. It is
what we gather through the week from the Word that will form our thoughts for
expression at the Lord’s Supper. Further, our preparation is greatly enhanced
by our being punctual, being seated at least a few minutes before the scheduled
time of the meeting (Luke 22:14).

For others, I believe, the reason
is self‑consciousness, which is a polite word for pride. Many are afraid
that if they speak up in the meeting they may stumble or stutter or say the
wrong thing or be rebuked by another. That certainly may happen. Join the
crowd! By remaining silent when the Lord, the Praise‑Leader, has given
you something to contribute, you may preserve your own self‑glory and
protect your self‑image from the slightest tarnish, but at the same time
you take away from God’s glory by failing to give Him the glory that He
deserves.

Has anyone ever thrown a birthday
party for you? I’m sure most of us can answer in the affirmative. When you open
your gifts, what do you say? Do you remain silent because you are afraid that
you might not be able to say "Thank you" with just the right
inflection, or with an appropriate degree of enthusiasm? Or do you say, "I
just don’t have a gift for saying ‘Thank you’"? I have never yet met a
person who wasn’t able to say a simple, "Thank you," when receiving a
gift. Why, then, is it so difficult to say aloud in a group of fellow‑believers
gathered around the Lord, "Thank You, Lord, for dying for us; amen"?

May the Lord encourage each male
priest to take advantage of his privilege of bringing glory and honor to God by
allowing the Holy Spirit to lead him to participate in the assembly praise and
prayer meetings. May the Lord encourage each of us, brothers and sisters alike,
to draw near to Him frequently, within the holiest, with our prayers, praises,
and meditations, "the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name."

"Who is a wise man and endued
with knowledge among you? let him show out of a good conversation his works
with meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envying
and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This
wisdom descends not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where
envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom
that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be
entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without
hypocrisy" (Jas. 3:13-17).

Let us put all these thoughts
together to form the portraits of two men—the truly wise man and the man with
false wisdom. The man who is truly wise is genuinely humble. He estimates
others to be better than himself. He does not put on airs, but does put others
at ease right away. His behavior is not like that of the world around him; it
is otherworldly. He does not live for the body but for the spirit. In words and
deeds he makes you think of the Lord Jesus. His life is pure. Morally and
spiritually he is clean. Then too he is peaceable. He will endure insult and
false accusation but will not fight back or even seek to justify himself. He is
gentle, mild-mannered, and tenderhearted. And he is easy to reason with,
willing to try to see the other person’s viewpoint. He is not vindictive but
always ready to forgive those who have wronged him. Not only so but he
habitually shows kindness to others, especially to those who don’t deserve it.
And he is the same to all; he doesn’t play favorites. The rich receive the same
treatment as the poor; the great are not preferred above the common people.
Finally, he is not a hypocrite. He doesn’t say one thing and mean another. You
will never hear him flatter. He speaks the truth and never wears a mask.

The worldly-wise man is not so.
His heart is filled with envy and strife. In his determination to enrich
himself, he becomes intolerant of every rival or competitor. There is nothing
noble about his behavior; it rises no higher than this earth. He lives to
gratify his natural appetites—just as the animals do. And his methods are
cruel, treacherous, and devilish. Beneath his well-pressed suit is a life of
impurity. His thought life is polluted, his morals debased, his speech unclean.
He is quarrelsome with all who disagree with him or who cross him in any way.
At home, at work, in social life, he is constantly contentious. And he is harsh
and overbearing, rude and crude. People cannot approach him easily; he keeps
them at arm’s length. To reason with him quietly is all but impossible. His
mind is already made up, and his opinions are not subject to change. He is
unforgiving and vindictive. When he catches someone in a fault or error, he
shows no mercy. Rather he unleashes a torrent of abuse, discourtesy, and
meanness. He values people according to the benefit they might be to him. When
he can no longer "use" them, that is, when there is no further hope
of profit from knowing them, he loses interest in them. Finally, he is
two-faced and insincere. You can never be sure of him—either of his words or
actions.

(From Believer’s Bible
Commentary, ©1990 by William MacDonald, published by Thomas Nelson Publishers,
Inc., Nashville, TN, used by permission.)

"The cloud covered [the
tabernacle] by day, and the appearance of fire by night. And when the cloud was
taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the children of Israel journeyed; and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Israel pitched their tents" (Num. 9:16,17).

The wilderness is a journeying
place; and if there is the danger of journeying away from God, there is the
blessed and happy privilege of journeying with Him. The first step of the
children of Israel’s journey, even in Egypt, was taken under the guidance of
the pillar of cloud and fire. And in the present passage, when the tabernacle
was set up the cloud hovered over it, moving only when the people were to
journey.

How beautiful was this cloud in
contrast to their surroundings. In the day time the cloud shielded the people
from the heat as it came between them and the sun; at night the darkness
manifested the brightness of a presence whose reality and beauty were only
enhanced by the surrounding gloom. We have this blessed presence always with us
in the person of the Holy Spirit who abides with us forever. All through our
journey, until we take the last step of our pilgrimage, He is pledged to be
with us; we "are sealed unto the day of redemption" (Eph. 4:30). When
the attractiveness of the world around us shines bright, His holy witness may
seem a cloud by contrast, yet a cloud that affords most grateful shade from the
false glare of the world. If only we would notice the cloud and listen to the
warnings and checks of the blessed Spirit of God! But when the gloom of this
world settles in, when all else is dark, how brightly does the presence of God
shine, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Sorrow, pain, grief, and loss
are but the foil upon which the consolations of Him "who gives songs in
the night" (Job 35:10) shine out all the more brightly.

The holy presence was to be Israel’s guide all through the wilderness, and it is to be ours also. How simple it made
their journey! There was no need for anxious thought for the morrow, no
restless peering into the unknown future, still less any entreaty of a child of
the desert to "be to us instead of eyes" (Num. 10:31). We have the
guidance of One who "neither slumbers nor sleeps" (Psa. 121:4), to
whom "the darkness and the light are both alike" (Psa. 139:12), and
who has pledged, "My presence shall go with you, and I will give you
rest" (Exod. 33:14).

This is a blessed journey indeed,
where not one step is taken ahead of our blessed Guide, where we need never
leave the sweet secret of His holy presence. What a remedy for all anxiety, all
restless Martha-service, all hasty Peter-warfare. It does not occupy us with
the way, whether it be smooth or rough, whether easy or perilous. Rather, it
fixes our eye upon Christ, as reflected by the Holy Spirit, and we follow as He
leads. Our one, our only care is just to abide in His presence. Does that
presence beckon us onward? let us move forward without fear. Does it stand
still? let us learn our lesson of patience. If in our darkest hour of trial it
lifts and moves forward, it is for us simply to follow—to follow not for the
sake of mere progress, but simply to continue in communion with our blessed
Lord. If we fail to go on when He leads we lose our communion, just as we do if
we press on in undue or self-confident haste. May our gracious God teach us to
abide in His holy, blessed presence.

"And now, little children,
abide in Him" (1 John 2:28).

"He who reproves a scorner
gets to himself shame; and he who rebukes a wicked man gets himself a blot.
Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love
you. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser; teach a just
man, and he will increase in learning. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy is
understanding. For by me your days shall be multiplied, and the years of your
life shall be increased. If you be wise, you shall be wise for yourself; but if
you scorn, you alone shall bear it" (Prov. 9:7-12).

Here we are warned against
meddling with the scorner. To correct such is vain; they willingly put shame
upon you. Let them alone, said the Lord to the disciples (Matt. 15:14). You may
only gain a blot in reproving a wicked person. They have a deeper need—to be
born again. Where no life is, hatred is the result. There is no wisdom in
reproving a scorner, any more than in giving that which is holy to the dogs or
in casting your pearls before the swine. The upshot may be that they will
trample the misdirected word under their feet, and turn and rend you.

Correction and reproof are for
those who have an ear to hear, that they walk not inconsistently with their
profession. Hence we are told here to "reprove a wise man, and he will
love you." A wise man may not always pursue the path of wisdom; he may
need reproof. A fool is one who never hears though always ready to find fault.
A wise man listens and weighs; when he recognizes what is of God, he will love
you.

Another thing that distinguishes
wisdom is the appreciation of what is good and helpful. Egotism is necessarily
unwise and evil, because man is sinful and God is unknown and untrusted. It is
self-satisfied and refuses to learn, having no distrust of its own dark,
selfish, and sinful state. On the other hand, "Impart to a wise man, and
he will be yet wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase learning."
It is not the great that are wise, nor does age of itself understand judgment.
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from
the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of
turning" (Jas. 1:17). Dependence on God is our only right attitude
habitually, and this includes our hearing from one another that which approves
itself to our conscience as His truth. It is well to remember that we are
members of one another, and He despises not any, let him be ever so
lowly. But He hates the proud and will punish the scorner.

The secret of it all is plain.
"The fear of the LORD is the
beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the Holy is understanding."
Creature intelligence is of no value for the soul, for eternity, for
relationship with God. It begins, and must begin, with fearing Him, the True
and the Good, the Righteous and the Holy. There is repentance no less than
faith, and therefore trembling at His Word; this is the direct opposite of
judging God’s Word and trusting in self, justifying ourselves instead of God.
Growth belongs to life in our present condition, and growth is by the right
knowledge of God who has communicated it in His Word for this purpose.
"The knowledge of the Holy" should read "the knowledge of the
Holy Ones."

"For by me your days shall be
multiplied, and the years of your life shall be increased." The pious Jew
addressed here looked for long life here below through divine favor. When
divine principles have their just and unimpeded result, every word will be
fulfilled, as when Christ reigns over all the earth. We Christians have a far
different calling now and look for a higher glory. Nevertheless we can say and
do believe that piety is profitable for everything, having promise of life, of
the present one, and of that to come.

It remains true also that "if
you be wise, you shall be wise for yourself; but if you scorn, you alone shall
bear it." God remains in changeless majesty; but in His righteous
judgment, each shall bear his own burden, and reap as he sows, from the flesh
corruption, and from the Spirit life everlasting.

(From "The Proverbs" in The
Bible Treasury, Vol. N3.)

"Thou wilt show Me the path
of life; in Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand there are
pleasures for evermore" (Psa. 16:11).

This life is a life lived in the
light of the glory to which it leads. Every path has a destined end. "The
path of life" leads into the presence of the Lord where there is fullness
of joy and pleasures for evermore. In all the opposition the Lord Jesus had to
meet—the contradiction of sinners, the insults and reproach from the religious
world, the ignorance and forsaking of His own—He endured in the light of the
glory before Him. As we read, "Who for the joy that was set before Him
endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of
the throne of God" (Heb. 12:2). The word to us is, "Consider Him who
endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest you be wearied and
faint in your minds" (Heb. 12:3).

Alas! we often break down in the
presence of contradiction and insult. We grow weary and faint under the
pressure of a long, drawn-out trial because we lose sight of the glory at the
end of the road—the joy that is set before us. Instead of quietly enduring
insults and shame, too often we return evil for evil and railing for railing.
We may attempt to justify our strong words and our hasty acts, but the one test
is, would Jesus have acted as we did? Would Jesus have said what we did?

If then we would think and speak
and act as the Lord Jesus did when treading the path of life—if in any measure
we would experience the blessedness of the lovely life marked out by Christ—let
us tread the path "looking unto Jesus" in the glory, the end
of the path; and let us "consider" Jesus as He trod the
path of life. Then, it may be, the transforming power of the loveliness of
Christ will, even now, change us into His image "from glory to
glory."

Moreover, let us remember that the
grace that enabled the Lord to tread the path of life is available for us. From
His place in the glory He still serves us as our great High Priest to help,
sympathize, and sustain us as we seek to follow in His steps in the path of
life that He has marked out for us. Whatever we may have to meet, whatever we
may be called upon to endure—opposition, insults, or desertions—let us remember
the word, "Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2
Tim. 2:1).

(From The Loveliness of Christ.)

"Who can find a virtuous
woman? For her price is far above rubies" (Prov. 31:10). The virtuous
woman here means a woman of strength or valor. It is virtue in the same sense
as the virtue that is to be added to faith in 2 Pet. 1:5. The fact that her
husband can "safely trust in her," knowing that "she will do him
good and not evil all the days of her life" (verses 11,12) assumes her
sexual chastity as well as her economic prudence and general loyalty.

Her husband has "no need of
spoil" (verse 11)—either the spoils of warfare or extra income in general.
She uses her time and financial resources to such advantage that she adds to
the family income (verses 16,24) rather than to the family debt.

"She rises also while it is
yet night" (very early in the morning), "her candle goes not out by
night," and she "eats not the bread of idleness" (verses
15,18,27). She has no time for aimless "just looking" in shopping
malls; initiating long, pointless telephone calls; hours of television viewing;
or romance and mystery novels (even Christian versions thereof). On the other
hand, she always has time to help the poor, the needy (financially,
emotionally, or spiritually), her husband, her children, her extended family,
and the neighbors (verses 20,26,27). She is a woman of wisdom and kindness as
well as strength (verse 26), which means that her advice and counsel are sought
by others. Such women as Phoebe, "a succorer of many," Mary,
"who bestowed much labor on us," and Persis, "who labored much
in the Lord," are particular, named women (Rom. 16:1,6,12) who are New
Testament examples of this ideal woman in Proverbs 11.

This strong, wise, industrious,
efficient woman does not follow the fashion trends of the day that are often
expensive, ridiculous, and immodest; rather, she provides clothes for her
family that are practical, sturdy, attractive, and modest (verses 21,22).

"Favor is deceitful, and
beauty is vain:but a woman who fears the LORD,
she shall be praised" (verse 30). She flies in the face of advice usually
given to women and develops inner beauty (which, like wisdom, begins
with the fear of the LORD), rather than
outer beauty. She does not neglect her appearance, but neither does she lavish
hours of time and great expenditure on it as she is urged to do by the popular
media.

In addition to being a description
for women to emulate, this passage is a message of advice to young men
contemplating marriage. "Who can find a virtuous woman?"
(verse 10). Evidently they were as scarce 3,000 years ago as they are now. Yet
the results are worth the search. Young men, you will be happier over the years
in every aspect of marriage if you choose a wise, industrious, strong, godly,
woman rather than one with a pretty face but immature, underdeveloped mind and
spirit.

FRAGMENT  Advice to Christian Women. True
spirituality and genuine Christian living is its own recommendation, and
depends upon nothing extraneous for its real value. Still, since there are
those who have mistaken views of the nature of Christianity, as if it were at
war with the gifts of the intellect, it would be well to disabuse their minds,
and by your attainments and accomplishments, to convince them that piety is
not, as they may suppose, another name for ignorance. For their sakes, then, as
well as for your own profit, cultivate your minds by study. Acquire an eager
thirst for knowledge. Be fond of reading, and of the best kind of reading.
Disprove the slander that girls are only fond of tales and novels, of stories
of love, female adventures, or heroism. Make it clear that those who are the
children of God are most eager to become acquainted with all the works of their
Heavenly Father—both His holy Word and the wonders and glories of His creation.
With a broad base of knowledge (particularly of world history and customs, and
of the Greek and Hebrew languages) you will relish all the more this bread of
life that came down from heaven—the Word of God. Inspiration has garnished the
pages of Scripture with beauties that are hidden from eyes whose vision has not
been strengthened by such knowledge.

(From Female Piety by the
Puritan author, John Angell James, 1860, reprinted by
Soli Deo Gloria Publications.)

He leads us on

By paths we did not know;

Upward He leads us, though our steps be slow,

Though often we faint and falter on the way,

Though storms and darkness oft obscure the day;

Yet when the clouds are gone,

We know He leads us on.

He leads us on

Through all the unquiet years;

Past all our dreamland hopes and doubts and fears

He guides our steps. Through all the tangled maze

Of sin, of sorrow, and o’er-clouded days;

We know His will is done,

And still He leads us on.

And He, at last—

After the weary strife,

After the restless fever men call life,

After the dreariness, the aching pain,

The wayward struggles that have proved in vain,

After our toils are past—

Will give us rest at last.

(From Help and Food, Vol.
7.)

               
The Church as the House of God

"House of God" is an
expression often used by people to denote a church building. However, the
following verses show us that the house of God is not a structure of wood,
brick, and stone, but a building whose "stones" are people.

"You also, as living stones,
are built up a spiritual house" (1 Pet. 2:5).

"Do you not know that you are
the temple of God?" (1 Cor. 3:16).

"You … are builded together
for a habitation of God through the Spirit" (Eph. 2:22).

"The house of God … is the
Church of the living God" (1 Tim. 3:15). The Church, as we have noted
previously, is a body of people, namely, all who have received Christ as
Saviour and Lord (Acts 2:47).

This temple or building or house
of God does not simply grow by the addition of new members, that is, new
converts to Christ. But like a living organism, all parts of it grow. As the
individual "living stones" grow spiritually and mature in the faith
(Eph. 4:12-16; Col. 1:10; 2:19; 1 Pet. 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:18), the entire house
grows.

The house of God is the dwelling
place of God. In the Old Testament, God dwelt in the holy of holies, the inner
sanctuary of the tabernacle or temple of Israel. Access to that inner room was
guarded by a heavy curtain or veil (Exod. 26:33). Only one person—the high
priest—was permitted into that most holy place, and only once a year on the Day
of Atonement (Lev. 16:2,29; Heb. 9:7).

One of the wonderful things that
happened when Christ died on the cross was that "the veil of the temple
was rent in two from the top to the bottom" (Matt. 27:51). This miraculous
event signified a new order for God’s people, who now have "boldness to
enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way …
through the veil, that is to say, His flesh" (Heb. 10:20).

But there is a blessing that seems
to go beyond even that just described of boldness to enter into the holiest.
The members of the Church, the body of Christ, in a sense actually form
the most holy place, "the temple of God," the dwelling place of God
in the Person of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16). This is awesome and most
humbling! No wonder the Church is exhorted so often to be holy (Rom. 6:11,19;
12:1; 2 Cor. 7:1; Eph. 5:26; 1 Thess. 4:3,4,7; 1 Tim. 2:15; 2 Tim. 1:9; 2:21;
Heb. 12:10,14; 1 Pet. 1:15,16)! "The temple of God is holy, which temple
you are" (1 Cor. 3:17).

A different emphasis is placed on
the house of God in 1 Tim. 3:15:"The house of God … is … the pillar
and ground of the truth." Let us understand clearly that the house of God
or the Church is not the source of the truth. Jesus declared, "I
am .. the truth," "Thy Word is truth," and "The Spirit
of truth … will guide you into all truth" (John 14:6; 17:17; 16:13). The
house of God is, first of all, the "pillar" on which the truth is
inscribed and proclaimed before the world. Telephone and power poles are
frequently used today to post notices about yard sales, lost cats, and upcoming
events. So pillars were used in olden days for the same purpose. God intends
that His house serve as a means by which the truth of His Word and the
revelation of His own character be proclaimed—both by words and by deeds. The
Lord Jesus hinted at this when He said, "By this shall all men know that
you are My disciples, if you have love one to another," and also when He
prayed for all believers "that they also may be one in Us, that the world
may believe that Thou hast sent Me" (John 13:35; 17:21).

God’s house is also the
"ground [or support] of the truth," or that which holds the truth
firmly and steadfastly and defends it against the attacks of the enemy.

Note that these responsibilities
concerning "the truth" are not given to individuals but to "the
house of God." There are Christian "free-lancers" in the world
today who proclaim God’s Word with varying degrees of faithfulness, without
accountability to other "stones" in God’s house. Ministers of God’s
Word need to give opportunity to other gifted and knowledgeable believers to
listen to their teaching and bring correction if necessary. This will result in
faithful, true, and united testimony of the Word of God by the house of God.

The truth of the Church as the
house or temple of God is linked with a number of important aspects of the
Church:

1. The house of God is made up of
both Jewish "stones" and Gentile "stones." "The middle
wall of partition" between these has been broken down, and through Christ
"both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now [they] are … fellow
citizens … of the household of God" (Eph. 2:12-22). (This aspect was
discussed in the March-April 1998 issue.)

2. The truth that we—the
Church—"are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in
[us]" (1 Cor. 3:16) links closely with the words of Christ:"Where
two or three are gathered together unto My name, there am I in the midst of
them" (Matt. 18:20).

3. The believers making up the
house of God are not only building blocks in the house but holy priests within
the house. "You also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, a
holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus
Christ" (1 Pet. 2:5).

4. The house of God, as already
mentioned, is connected with ministry of the Word of God:"The house of
God … is … the pillar and ground of the truth" (1 Tim. 3:15).

5. The house of God is linked with
order imposed upon each local assembly by means of the service of elders and
deacons. After giving qualifications of elders and deacons, the apostle Paul
writes, "These things write I unto you … that you may know how you ought
to behave yourself in the house of God" (1 Tim. 3:1-15).

6. The temple of God is holy:"All the building fitly framed together grows unto a holy temple in the
Lord" (Eph. 2:21). As a holy temple, discipline must be carried out in
order to purge out unholy elements. "Judgment must begin at the house of
God" (1 Pet. 4:17); "purge out therefore the old leaven" (1 Cor.
5:7); "put away from among yourselves that wicked person" (1 Cor.
5:13).

In future issues, we shall
consider these various features related to the house of God:(1) gathered
together unto the name of Christ with Himself in the midst; (2) the priesthood
of all believers; (3) the responsibility of all believers for ministry
and service in the assembly; (4) the role of overseers and deacons in the local
assembly; and (5) the carrying out assembly discipline.

              
The Church as the Bride of Christ

"I have espoused you to one
husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ" (2 Cor.
11:2). "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church,
and gave Himself for it" (Eph. 5:25). "Alleluia:for the Lord God
omnipotent reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him:for the
marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife has made herself ready" (Rev.
19:6,7).

The Church is presented in
Scripture in three aspects:(1) its unity as the body of Christ; (2) its
order and ministry as the house and temple of God indwelt by the Holy Spirit; and (3) its future hope as the bride of Christ.
Presently, the Church is seen as engaged to be married to Christ. When the
Church is caught up to heaven at the coming of Christ (1 Cor. 15:51-57; 1
Thess. 4:13-18), she will become the bride of the Lamb, Her precious Lord and
Saviour. While a number of insights into what heaven will be like are given in
Scripture, no details concerning this heavenly relationship between the bride
and the Bridegroom are divulged. However, the Holy Spirit uses imagery of what
many people have experienced as the most happy, joyful, pleasurable
relationship known on earth to describe the eternal, heavenly relationship of
Christ and the Church. Just as an engaged couple eagerly count the weeks and
days (and maybe even the hours and minutes) until their wedding day, so the
Church eagerly anticipates the marriage union with her heavenly Bridegroom.

Though the Church has been formed
and actively functions on earth, it has a heavenly character and a heavenly
hope. We see this in the following ways:

1. The Church has a heavenly
Head, One who came down from heaven (John 3:13,31; 6:33,38,41,50,51,58; Eph.
4:9); who even on earth was "in the bosom of the Father" (John 1:18);
who returned to heaven (Mark 16:19; Luke 24:51; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:9,10; 3:21;
Eph. 4:10; Heb. 4:14; 1 Pet. 3:22); is "crowned with glory and honor"
at "the right hand of God" (John 17:1-5,24; Acts 7:56; Heb. 1:3,13;
2:9; 9:24; 10:12; 12:2; Rev. 4,5;19:11,16; 21:22,23; 22:3); and is coming again
from heaven (Matt. 24:30; Mark 14:62; 1 Thess. 1:10; 4:16; 2 Thess. 1:7).

2. Early members of the Church,
including the disciples gathered in Jerusalem on the birthday of the Church,
Stephen, and the apostles Peter, Paul, and John, received heavenly
visions (Acts 2:2; 7:55,56; 9:3-5; 10:10-16; 11:9; 26:19; 2 Cor. 12:1-4; Rev.
1,4,5,19-22).

3. The members of the Church are heavenly
citizens with heavenly blessings (Rom. 6:4,5; Eph. 1:3; 2:6; 6:12; Phil.
3:10,14,20; Col. 3:1-3).

4. The Church has a heavenly
hope (John 14:1-3; 1 Cor. 15:42-54; 2 Cor. 5:1-8; Col. 1:5; 1 Thess. 1:10;
4:13-18; 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 19:7-9; 21:1-22:5).

As a side-note, what a precious
pattern the relationship of Christ and His bride provides for human
husband-wife relationships. May we Christian husbands learn more and more to
model our behavior toward our wives after the loving, self-sacrificing behavior
of Christ toward His Church (Eph. 5:25). And may you Christian wives learn more
and more to model your behavior toward your husbands after the submission of
the Church to the lordship of her heavenly Head (Eph. 5:24).

In the next issue, Lord willing,
we shall study the meetings and gatherings of the early Church, including types
of meetings, and the frequency and conduct of these meetings.

Cromwell asked, "What is
history but God’s unfolding of Himself?" The psalmist would have readily
agreed because in the history of his people, he saw Jehovah unfolded as a God
of goodness, patience, and steadfast love.

Although we cannot name the
psalmist, we do know that he was a godly Jew who wrote while his people were in
captivity (verse 47). The Psalm is primarily a confession of national sin, but
it also intermingles accounts of God’s grace and goodness and contains elements
of praise and petition.

In his approach to God, the
psalmist begins with worship (verse 1); he enters the divine gates with
thanksgiving, and the sacred courts with praise. "Praise ye the
LORD," the translation of the Hebrew word "Hallelujah," is the
first and last note of the song. Ceaseless thanksgiving should arise to the
LORD, because He has been so good to every one of us. His mercy endures
forever—our continued survival is proof of that. If we received what we
deserve, we would be lost forever.

No human tongue will ever be able
to recount all the miraculous interventions of God on behalf of His people.
Eternity itself will not be long enough to praise Him adequately for all that
He is and all that He has done (verses 2,3).

Praise is followed by personal
petition (verses 4,5). Looking forward to the restoration of Israel and the glorious reign of the Messiah-King, the writer prays that he might share in
the blessedness of that day when God shows favor to His ransomed saints. He
longs to see Israel enjoying unbroken prosperity and rejoicing after its long
night of sorrow. He desires to share in the glory of God’s ancient earthly
people. His prayer is not dissimilar to that of the dying thief, "Lord,
remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom" (Luke 23:42).

The Psalm now turns to confession,
following much the same order as the Lord’s prayer of Matthew 6. Both begin
with worship, move on to petition ("Give us this day our daily
bread"), and then ask for forgiveness ("Forgive us our debts").
It is a mark of true spiritual maturity when a man confesses not only his own
sins but the sins of his people as well. How hard it is to say from the heart:
"We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done
wickedly" (verse 6). As we consider the sins of the Israelites, we must
not look down our spiritual noses at them. If anything, we are worse than they!
Let their backslidings remind us of our own and drive us to our knees in
repentance.

 1. Their ingratitude.
They did not fully appreciate the wonders God performed in Egypt to purchase their freedom (verse 7).

 2. Their forgetfulness.
Too quickly the memory of God’s innumerable mercies faded from their minds.

 3. Their rebellion.
When they came to the Red Sea, they complained that God had led them to die in
wilderness, and that it would have been better to have stayed in Egypt (Exod. 14:11,12).

But their sin did not quench the
Lord’s love. He found in their rebellion an opportunity to reveal Himself as
their Servant and Saviour. True to His name, He delivered them—and what a
gigantic exhibition of power it was! At the word of His rebuke, the waters of
the Red Sea parted, leaving a bone-dry causeway for the Jews to cross on. When
they were safely on the east side, free from the pursuing enemy, the waters
returned to their place, conveniently drowning the Egyptian hosts. When they
saw this marvelous converging of events, how could the Jews help believing Him
and singing His praise? (verses 8-12).

It was not long before another
cycle of sin began.

 4. Their short memory.
They soon forgot His miracles for them (verse 13).

 5. Their self-will.
They would not wait for His guidance.

 6. Their lust. They
abandoned self-control in their craving for food (verse 14; Num. 11:1-35).

 7. Their provocation.
They tested God.

This time, God gave them what they
wanted (namely, quail in superabundance), but sent a loathsome disease among
them (Num. 11:20). "He gave them their request, but sent leanness into
their soul" (verse 16). Their history teaches us to be careful to pray
always in the will of God because, as Matthew Henry said, "What is asked
in passion is often given in wrath."

 8. Their rejection of
God’s leadership. Dathan and Abiram, together with Korah and On, were
leaders of a rebellion against Moses and Aaron (verses 16-18; Num. 16:1-30).
They envied these two men of God. Also they wanted to intrude into the office
of the priesthood. In rebelling against God’s holy ones, that is, against men
who were set apart as God’s representatives, they were rebelling against God’s
rule. As a result, the earth opened up and swallowed the leaders and their families.
And fire burst forth to devour the 250 other men who offered incense to the
LORD (Num. 16:31-35).

 9. Their idolatry.
Before Moses had come down from Mount Sinai with the law of God, the people
made a golden calf and worshiped it (Exod. 32:4). They exchanged the glory of
God for the likeness of an ox that eats grass. Instead of acknowledging God as
their Saviour from Egypt, they gave all the honor to the lifeless calf. God
would have destroyed them in a moment if Moses had not interceded. Like a soldier
who covers a break in a wall with his body, so "Moses … stood before Him
in the breach to turn away [God’s] wrath" (verses 19-23).

10. Their faithlessness at
Kadesh Barnea (Num. 14:2,27,28). God had promised them the pleasant land, a
land that was ideal for location, climate, and resources. The promise contained
all that was necessary to enter and occupy the land. But they did not believe
His promise, and turned up their noses at the land. Instead of marching forward
in faith, they sulked in their tents. Therefore God raised His hand in an oath
to destroy that generation in the wilderness and to disperse their descendants
among the nations of the world (verses 24-27).

11. Their sinful worship of the
Baal of Peor. The men of Israel not only committed fornication with the
daughters of Moab, they also joined in sacrificing to the dead and in other
pagan ceremonies involved in the worship of the Baal of Peor (Num. 25:3-8). God
was so infuriated that He sent a plague to slay the people by the thousands.
When Phinehas saw an Israelite taking a heathen woman to his tent, he slew both
of them with his spear. This stopped the plague, but only after 24,000 had
died. This act was a positive proof of his righteousness, and was rewarded by a
covenant of peace (verses 28-31). The LORD said, "Behold, I give unto him
My covenant of peace; and he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the
covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and
made an atonement for the children of Israel" (Num. 25:12,13).

12. The sin of Moses (Num.
20:2-13). At the waters  of Meribah (strife), the people were blatantly
unbelieving. They accused Moses of leading them into the wilderness to die of
thirst. Instead of speaking to the rock, as God said, Moses struck it twice
with his rod. He also spoke rashly against the people for their rebellion. As a
result God decreed that he would be denied the privilege of leading the people
of Israel into the land of promise (verses 32,33).

The new environment of Canaan did not changed the nature of the Israelites, as seen by:

13. Their failure to
exterminate the pagan inhabitants. The debased Canaanites were a gangrenous
limb of the human race. After bearing with them for hundreds of years, God
decided that the only solution was amputation, and committed the surgery to Israel. But they failed to obey Him (verse 34; Judg. 1:27-36).

14. Their intermingling with
the heathen. By fraternizing and intermarrying with the pagans, Israel corrupted its own religion and morals (verse 35).

15. Their idolatry. Soon
the Jews were worshiping idols instead of the true and living God (verse 36).

16. Their human sacrifices.
Particularly revolting to the Lord was the sacrifice of their sons and
daughters to appease the demons (2 Ki. 3:27; 21:6; Ezek. 16:20,21). Sons and
daughters of God’s chosen people were sacrificed to the filthy idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with murder (verses 37-39).

"Offended with His
people," writes Barnes, "the LORD treated them as if they were an
abomination to Him." He turned them over to the Gentiles—the
Mesopotamians, the Midianites, the Philistines, the Moabites, and others. These
ungodly nations lorded it over the Jews, oppressing them and persecuting them. In
spite of this treatment, the people persisted in their sin and rebellion
against Jehovah. But whenever they turned to Him in repentance, He looked down
on them in mercy. Mindful of His covenant, He turned from judgment to display
His steadfast love. Even during the darkest hours of their captivity, the Lord
caused them to be pitied by their captors—a touching example of mercy
triumphing over judgment (verses 40-46).

The psalmist prays for the
regathering of his people, scattered throughout the nations of the world. This
will result in great thanks ascending to God’s holy name; His people will make
it their glory to praise Him (verse 47). The prayer anticipates the petitions
of the remnant of Israel in the future time of the Tribulation, prior to the
inauguration of Christ’s glorious kingdom.

With this rapturous note we come
to the end of the Psalm:"Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting" (verse 48). But in coming to the end we must
resist the temptation to put this Psalm in a dispensational pigeon-hole,
limiting its message to the wicked nation of Israel and failing to see our own
history reflected in it. In 1 Corinthians 10:11 we distinctly read:"Now
all these things happened unto them for examples; and they are written for our
admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come."

This Psalm warns us against ingratitude.
If Israel should have been grateful for redemption by power from Egypt, how much more grateful should we be for redemption by the blood of Christ from sin
and from Satan!

It warns us against forgetfulness.
How easily we forget the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus. How guilty we
are of "the curse of dry-eyed Christianity."

It warns us against complaining.
It becomes a way of life to complain about the weather, about our living
conditions, about minor inconveniences, and even about lumps in the gravy.

It warns us against self-will,
against putting our will above the will of God.

It warns us against criticizing
God’s leadership, whether governmental officials, elders in the assembly, or
parents in the home.

It warns us against idolatry—the
worship of money, home, cars, education, pleasure, or worldly success.

It warns us against disbelief
in the promises of God. This sin caused Israel to wander in the wilderness for
38 years and barred the guilty ones from entering the promised land.

It warns us against immorality.
The worship of the Baal of Peor involved gross sexual sin. God’s attitude
toward it is seen in the disaster which He visited upon the culprits.

It warns us against what might
seem to be "trivial" disobedience. Moses struck the rock
instead of speaking to it. That may not seem very serious to us, but no
disobedience is trivial.

It warns us against marrying
unbelievers. God is a God of separation. He hates to see the corruption of
His people through the formation of unequal yokes.

Finally, it warns us against the sacrifice
of our children. Too seldom do Christian parents hold the work of the Lord
before their children as a desirable way in which to spend their lives. Too
often our children are raised with the ambition to make a name for themselves
in business or the professions. We raise them for the world—and for hell.

(From  Believer’s Bible
Commentary, ©1992; used by permission of Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc.,
Nashville, TN.)

                            
* * *

FRAGMENT  So immensely are our lives below the mark as
nominal Christians that we have next to no idea of the distance at which we
walk from God, and when the soul is turned to seek Him only, we discover with
amazement how many false props we have had, and how often we have been leaning
on the love and approbation of others and not upon a Father’s love alone.

                                                  
G.V. Wigram

                            
* * *

FRAGMENT  Are you walking in the light of the
affections of that Lord Jesus who loved you and washed you from our sins in His
own blood? Is that name of Jesus causing a vibration in your heart as you
walk along the
wilderness?                                       
G.V. Wigram

(Luke 9:28-36)

Let us look a little at this
scripture as showing what our joy in the glory will consist of. We have the
warrant of 2 Pet. 1:16 for saying that the scene represents to us the power and
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. And this is what we wait for. Our souls are
not in a healthy state unless we are waiting for God’s Son from heaven. The
Church is not regulated in its hopes by the Word and Spirit of God unless it is
looking for Him as Saviour from heaven (Phil. 3:20,21). This passage in Luke,
as disclosing to us especially what will be our portion when He comes, is
important to us in this respect.

"And it came to pass about
eight days after these sayings, He took Peter and John and James, and went up
into a mountain to pray. And as He prayed, the fashion of His countenance was
altered, and His raiment was white and glistening" (Luke 9:28,29). It was
when Jesus was in the acknowledgment of dependence—"as He
prayed"—that this change took place. This, then, is the first thing we
have here—a change such as will pass upon the living saints when Jesus comes.

"And behold, there talked
with Him two men, who were Moses and Elias" (verse 30). They were with
Him. And this will be our joy—we shall be with Jesus. "So shall
we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:17). But in this passage
there is not only the being with Christ, but there is also familiar
conversation with Him. "There talked with Him two men." It is not
that He talked with them, though that was no doubt true; but that might have
been, and they be at a distance. But when we read that they talked with Him,
we get the idea of the most free and familiar conversation. Peter and the
others knew what it was to have such communication with Jesus in humiliation;
and what joy must it have been to have this proof that such communication with
Him would be enjoyed in glory as well!

Then we are told that Moses,
Elias, and Christ "appeared in glory" (verse 31). Moses and Elias
shared in the same glory as that in which Christ was manifested. And so as to
us:"When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall we also appear
with Him in glory" (Col. 3:4). "The glory that Thou gavest Me, I have
given them; that they may be one, even as We are one:I in them, and Thou in
Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that Thou
hast sent Me, and hast loved them as Thou hast loved Me" (John 17:22,23).

But there is another thing still.
We are not only told that they were with Him, that they talked with Him, and
appeared in glory with Him, but we are also privileged to know the subject of
their conversation. They "spoke of His decease that He should accomplish
at Jerusalem" (verse 31). It was the cross that was the theme of their
conversation in the glory—the sufferings of Christ that He had to accomplish at
Jerusalem. And surely this will be our joy throughout eternity when in glory
with Christ—to dwell upon this theme of His decease accomplished at Jerusalem.

"While He thus spoke, there
came a cloud and overshadowed them; and they feared as they entered into the
cloud. And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son:
hear Him" (verses 34,35). Peter tells us that this voice came "from
the excellent glory" (2 Pet. 1:17). Now Peter and the others had entered
into the cloud; and thus we get this wonderful fact that in the glory, from
which the voice comes, saints are privileged to stand, and there, in that
glory, share the delight of the Father in His beloved Son. Not only are we
called to the fellowship of God’s Son, Jesus Christ; we are called to have
fellowship with the Father. We are admitted of God the Father to partake
of His satisfaction in His beloved Son.

"And when the voice was past,
Jesus was found alone" (verse 36). The vision was all gone—the cloud, the
voice, the glory, Moses and Elias—but Jesus was left, and they were left to go
on their way with Jesus, knowing Him now in the light of those scenes of glory
that they had beheld. And this is the use to us of those vivid apprehensions of
spiritual things that we may sometimes realize. It is not that we can be always
enjoying them and nothing else. But when for the season they have passed away,
like this vision on the holy mount, they leave us alone with Jesus to pursue
the path of our pilgrimage with Him in spirit now, and with Him in the light
and power of that deepened acquaintance with Him, and fellowship of the
Father’s joy in Him, that we have got on the mount. Thus we wait for the
moment of His return when all this, and more than our hearts can think of,
shall be fulfilled to us for ever.

(From Help and Food, Vol.
26.)

When all things seem against us,

And days are dark and drear,

And every outlook gloomy,

And naught hath power to cheer—

O, give us grace to say,

"Lord Jesus, have Thy
way."

When we—alas, how often!—

Must bear the penalty

Of our un-Christlike actions,

O, grant humility

And brokenness to say,

"Lord Jesus, have Thy
way."

But, ah! when we are wounded,

How quick to take our part,

And smite when we are smitten—

Alas! the pride of heart!—

That makes it hard to say,

"Lord Jesus, have Thy
way."

How many a needless sorrow,

How many a broken heart

Were spared, and many brethren

Had never need to part!

Had we been quick to say,

"Lord Jesus, have Thy
way."

Thy way is never sweet, Lord,

When ’tis against our will.

O, mold our wills to Thine, Lord

And bid our thoughts be
still.

Thus only can we say,

"Lord Jesus, have Thy
way."

How little, Lord, Thy meekness

And lowliness we show!

How little may the worldling

By us our Master know!

How often we display

Our own, and not Thy way.

Like Israel of old, Lord,

In spite of all Thy grace,

We sin against Thy goodness,

Forgetting Thy past ways;

Thy way thus thrust aside

Gives place to human pride.

When wilt Thou come and free us

From all our foolishness?

O, when shall we be like Thee,

Where Thou canst only bless,

And all our being say,

"We glory in Thy
way?"

(From Help and Food, Vol.
19.)

                            
* * *

FRAGMENT  "When Peter was come down out of the
ship, he walked on the water to go to Jesus" (Matt. 14:29). This walk has
no other foundation than, "Lord, if it be Thou," that is, Jesus
Himself. There is no support, no possibility of walking, if Christ be lost
sight of. J.N. Darby.

Upon a first reading of the Bible,
it may seem that very little information is given about heaven. But as we
become familiar with all of Scripture, we begin to find little nuggets about
what heaven is like in a number of different places in the Bible.

There is singing in heaven.
In three Psalms with extensive prophecies of the sufferings of Christ, we find
the resurrected Christ singing and praising God. "In the midst of the
congregation will I praise Thee" (Psa. 22:22,25; Heb. 2:12). "He has
put a new song in My mouth, even praise unto our God" (Psa. 40:3). "O
God, set Me up on high. I will praise the name of God with a song, and will
magnify Him with thanksgiving" (Psa. 69:30).

The curtain of heaven is rolled
back briefly in Revelation 5 and we find the saved ones (represented by the 24
elders) singing "a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and
to open the seals thereof:for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by
Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation"
(verses 8,9; see also 14:3 and 15:3).

There will be variety in heaven.
"The foundations of the wall of the [heavenly] city were garnished with
all manner of precious stones," representing many different colors (Rev.
21:19,20). "The tree of life … bore twelve manner of fruits, and yielded
her fruit every month" (22:2).

There will be knowledge in
heaven. "Now we see through a glass, darkly, but then face to face;
now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known" (1 Cor.
13:12). We will be with our all-knowing Creator and Saviour throughout
eternity. There we will be able to learn everything there is to know about the
created Universe, and there we will undoubtedly learn much more about the Man
Christ Jesus, especially His love and grace and sufferings for us. However,
there may still be knowledge about the Trinity that is beyond man’s
comprehension (1 Tim. 6:15,16).

There will be work in heaven.
"They who … have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of
the Lamb … are … before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in
His temple" (Rev. 7:15). "The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be
in it, and His servants shall serve Him" (22:3). One aspect of this
service is that "the saints shall judge the world" (during the
thousand-year reign of Christ) and "we shall judge angels" (1 Cor.
6:2,3).

It is well to notice here that,
contrary to the thought of worshipers of leisure time, work is not a curse of
God upon man. God gave Adam work to do in the garden (Gen. 2:15,19,20). As a
result of sin, work became more difficult and complicated (Gen. 3:17-19), and thus,
no doubt, less enjoyable and fulfilling. But in heaven, where sin will not be
found, enjoyable work will again abound.

There will be enjoyment of
God’s creation by those in heaven. There are at least hints and intimations
of such activity in several passages (1 Cor. 3:22; Eph. 1:10,11,21-23; Rev.
4:10,11; 21:7).

There will be no more tears,
death, sorrow, crying, pain, or night in heaven (Rev. 21:4,25).

We will have a new kind of body
in heaven. When "our earthly house … [is] dissolved, we have a building
of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we
groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from
heaven…. Not that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality
might be swallowed up of life" (2 Cor. 5:1-4). The apostle Paul looked
forward, not just to being released from the trials, labors, and pain of his
earthly life, but to being clothed upon with his new body that would perfectly
fit him for heaven. The relationship between our present "natural
body" and our future, "spiritual body" is likened to that
between a seed that is sown and the plant or bush or tree that grows from that
seed (1 Cor. 15:35-44). In other words, our present bodies are like a seed and
our future bodies will be like the full-grown plant.

This suggests powers and
capabilities that go far beyond those of our present bodies. With our new
bodies we may be able to sing with perfect pitch and harmony and rhythm, and
perhaps with a much wider range than our voices are capable of presently.
Similarly, we may have keener hearing and vision and be able to see a much
wider spectrum of color and discern more subtle differences among colors.

Our new bodies, if like Christ’s resurrection
body, will be capable of eating (Luke 24:43; John 21:13; see also Rev. 22:2;
however 1 Cor. 6:13 suggests the contrary thought). If we will eat in heaven,
we can well imagine having taste buds that are sensitive to a far greater range
of taste experiences than at present. But if it turns out that there is no
eating in heaven, not to worry! We can be certain that the Lord has prepared
other pleasures so wonderful that they will cause us to forget we used to eat
(Psa. 16:11).

There will be no sin in heaven.
While heaven will be a happy place, it is first and foremost a holy place (Isa.
6:3; Rev. 4:8), dominated by a holy God, His sinless Son, and the Holy Spirit.
We have been predestined to be conformed to the image of God’s Son (Rom. 8:29),
and "when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as
He is" (1 John 3:2). Just think of it! In heaven there will be no pride,
no offenses, no hard feelings, no selfishness, no cliques, no put downs, no
hypocrisy or pretending, no disappointment. Every individual will be totally
righteous, good, loving, giving, friendly, helpful, patient, kind, meek, and
humble.

There will be reconciliation
and unity in heaven. "And you who were sometime alienated and enemies
in your mind by wicked works, yet now has He reconciled in the body of His
flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in His
sight" (Col. 1:21,22; also John 17:20-23).

There will be a very close
relationship with Christ in heaven. Far above all the other blessings of
heaven mentioned above, we shall "be present with the Lord" (2 Cor.
5:8; also Luke 23:43; John 17:24; Phil. 1:23; 1 Thess. 4:16,17; Rev. 20:4); we
shall see His face (1 John 3:2; Rev. 1:13-16; 5:6-8), hear His voice (2 Cor.
12:4; Rev. 1:17-20), and be united with Christ as bride with Bridegroom (John
3:29; 2 Cor. 11:2; Rev. 19:7-9).

                   
How Shall We Then Live?

Are you looking forward to going
to heaven, as the apostle Paul was (2 Cor. 5:2,4,8; Phil. 1:23)? Would you be
happy if the Lord came today (1 Thess. 4:17,18)? Do you believe that "in
[God’s] presence is fullness of joy; at [His] right hand there are
pleasures for evermore" (Psa. 16:11)? Do you truly believe that heaven
will be at least a million times more enjoyable than your present life on
earth?

If your answer to each of these
questions is "yes," then you will be interested in beginning to enjoy
the pleasures of heaven even now. Here are a few suggestions as starters:

1. Singing hymns of redemption
with other believers in Christ (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16).

2. Gaining as much knowledge as
possible of the Bible, of God and His attributes, and of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:18).

3. Serving the Lord (Psa. 100:2;
Rom. 1:9; 14:18; 1 Thess. 1:9; Heb. 9:14).

4. Not sinning, being holy (Rom.
6:11; 2 Cor. 7:1; 1 Thess. 4:3,4; 2 Tim. 2:21; Heb. 12:10; 1 Pet. 1:16;
2:21-23; 1 John 2:1).

5. Being reconciled with persons
from whom we are estranged (Matt. 5:23,24; 6:14; 1 Cor. 7:11; Jas. 5:16).

6. Beholding, communing with, and
meditating upon Christ (John 15:4; 2 Cor. 3:18; Col. 3:1-3).

May "the Lord direct your
hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ" (2
Thess. 3:5; 1 Thess. 1:10). Let us "earnestly desire to be clothed upon
with our house that is from heaven" (2 Cor. 5:2).

"Peter answered Him and said,
Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water. And He said, Come. And
when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the waters to go to
Jesus" (Matt. 14:28,29).

The individuality of the
path of the Christian is what I would press upon our
souls just now. How strikingly it is presented! We see a solitary man, amid
boisterous winds and waves, forsaking the protection of the boat and the
company of the other disciples, and inviting the word that bids him to such a
difficult path. We often speak of a walk of faith. It is well to look steadily
at such a picture as this and to ask ourselves, "Have I ever realized it
in my own experience? Is there anything in it that corresponds to the path as I
know it?"

It was a solitary path, but Peter
had before him as the end of his path the gracious and glorious presence of Him
who had called him; for sustaining power in his path he had the Lord’s word
which was a promise for every possible difficulty. Even though Peter might
leave the company of the others, every step on this road would make the
Presence before him more bright and lustrous.

Again I would press the
individuality of the path. As we look back upon the examples of faith that God
has given us in the Scriptures, how each one shines out from surrounding
darkness! There was Enoch in that walk with God that never knew death. There
was Noah with his family, sole survivors of a judgment-wrecked world. There was
Abraham whose life was a great contrast even to that of his nephew Lot. All of these stand out from the dark background as men not formed by their
circumstances. They were no mere natural outgrowth from their surroundings, but
plants of the Lord’s planting. They maintained themselves where no power but
His could avail to keep them. A walk with God means necessarily independence of
men, perhaps even of other believers. Such a walk will be marked by unfeigned
lowliness and absence of self- will.

How striking is the path of this
lone man, Peter! It is a path that terminates only in the presence of the Lord,
and on which every step in advance brings nearer to Him! Various as our paths
must be, it is this that alone gives them their common Christian character; it
is this that makes us pilgrims, or as the inspired Word presents it, racers.
Our goal is outside the world and our object is Christ in heaven. If it be not
so with us, then we are immeasurably below those like Abraham who by their
lives declared plainly that they sought a better country. For this reason God
was "not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared for them a
city (Heb. 11:14-16).

This path of faith is one in which
we may show, with Peter, not the greatness of our faith, but the littleness of
it. It will never really make much of us. Do we seek it? The glory of
Christ is what lies before and beckons us. If, for our weakness, there be
rebuke, it is only that of a perfect love. The Lord did not ask Peter,
"Why did you presume?" but "Why did you doubt?"
(Matt. 14:31).  And with that, He offered Peter the outstretched hand of human
sympathy and divine support. Dear fellow-Christian, is there not for all the
trials of the way an overabundant recompense?

Let us remember that it is to the
one who invites his Lord’s invitation to such a path that it really
opens. The "come" of Christ is an answer to him who says, "Lord,
if it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water." The word
for the path is the answer alone to the heart for the path. And what to
Him is the joy of such desire so expressed? Let ours go forth, if any have not
yet, with such a cry:"Lord, if it be upon the waters I must come, and
that path it is which alone leads to Thee, then bid me come to Thee, blest,
gracious Master, even upon the water!"

(From Help and Food, Vol.
2.)

(All scripture references in this
article are from the JND translation.)

’Tis the treasure we’ve found in His love

That has made us now pilgrims below.

                              Hymns for the Little
Flock, #139

Where are our hearts, beloved? As
we travel homeward, our feet treading the wilderness, with whom and with what
are our hearts engaged?

The path of our blessed Lord
Jesus, when in this scene, led Him to the cross. "Having made [by Himself]
the purification of sins" (Heb. 1:3), He "has passed throu­gh the
heavens" (Heb. 4:14) where He has ascended to His Father and His God (John
20:17). Have our hearts followed Him there?

Again the question, beloved:where
are our hearts? Are they so saturated with things of this world that,
practically, we have forgotten we possess a Treasure in the heavens,
Jesus the Son of God, Heaven’s beloved One (Eph. 1:6,11)? Are our hearts and
minds on the things that are above (Col. 3:2)? "For where your treasure
is, there also will your heart be" (Luke 12:34).

The apostle John was found leaning
on the breast of Jesus (John 13:25). This is the normal dwelling place for the
heart of every believer while passing through this scene. Am I occupying this
place of nearness to the Lord Jesus? Leaning! How it betokens no confidence in
self. It is in this place, leaning on the bosom of Jesus, that secrets are
unfolded (John 13:23-26). Would you know more of His great love? Would you lay
claim to the fulfillment of God’s many precious promises, thereby enlarging
your border (Deut. 12:20)? Oh, take yourself and hide there on His breast.

Two things that rob the heart of
occupation with its rightful Treasure, even Christ, are fear and care.
Several times in that chapter that tells us, "Where your treasure is,
there also will your heart be" (Luke 12:34), we hear the Lord Jesus
saying, "Fear not," and "Be not careful" (verses 4,7,11,22,32).
These are words of balm to a troubled and careful heart. Do we hear the words
with sufficient intimacy of heart so that their power is felt? Once freed from
fear and care, the heart is at liberty to be engaged with its Treasure.

Deliverance from our fears is
brought about by the fear of God, or the fear of the Lord. To a child of God,
the fear of the Lord is a sweet expression of reverential trust. He is not One
of whom to be afraid. How simply we should trust Him and rest in Him!

As to the believer’s anxious care,
there is only one place for this:"Having cast all your care upon Him, for
He cares about you" (1 Pet. 5:7). Does this not call for the exercise of
prayer? We are told, "Be vigilant, watch" (1 Pet. 5:8). "Be
sober therefore, and be watchful unto prayers" (1 Pet. 4:7). This is the
way to have the heart kept. Our adversary, the devil, is ever seeking to
interpose some object between ourselves and Christ. If he succeeds, we are not
truly leaning on our Beloved.

He taught me how to watch and pray,

And live rejoicing every day.

                                 Hymns of Grace and
Truth #260

It is heaven begun to enjoy the
presence of the Beloved. Our blessed Lord Jesus would here and now have us
enter into the enjoyment of Himself. Does He not fill all heaven? He wants to
fill the hearts of His beloved people now.

From this place of leaning on the
breast of Jesus we enjoy life eternal, knowing the true God, our Father, and
Jesus Christ whom He has sent (John 17:3). Here, too, we receive that grace and
peace so freely bestowed upon us in fellowship with God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ, yes, even multiplied to us (1 Pet. 1:2; 2 Pet. 1:2).

We have often sung in blest
anticipation of eternity, when we will have entered our heavenly home:

And with Him shall our rest be on high,

When in holiness bright we sit down,

In the joy of His love ever nigh,

In the peace that His presence shall crown.

                               Hymns for the Little
Flock #139

Beloved, His presence now
crowns our life with love, joy, and peace. It is entered into by faith.  How
much are our souls letting in heaven’s rays?

The Lord Jesus, before departing
to be with His Father, told His own, "I leave peace with you; I give My
peace to you:not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart
be troubled, neither let it fear" (John 14:27). "Abide in my love"
(John 15:9). "I have spoken these things to you that my joy may be
in you, and your joy be full" (John 15:11).

Heaven is the presence of the
beloved One. It is enjoyed by faith even now, as we look forward to the day
when these bodies of ours shall be glorified.

Beloved, are we so yielding
ourselves to Him that our souls may expand in love, joy, and peace—the fruit of
the Holy Spirit? Where are our hearts, beloved? Are they resting in His
presence? If so, we can say with the poet:

Jesus so fills my glad heart
with his love

That I’m living in heaven
today.

The world says, "If two
people love each other, then any display of affection between them is
proper." Does God approve of this attitude? Perhaps a study of the Virgin
Mary will help us understand God’s view of the proper relationship and behavior
for couples who are in love or engaged to be married.

From studying the marriage customs
of the time, most scholars believe Mary was still a teenager when Jesus was
born. She was evidently not only a girl of high moral standards, but also
enjoyed a close relationship with God. This is evidenced by her very
intelligent and God-honoring hymn of praise, the Magnificat:"My
soul does magnify the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour. For
He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden, for, behold, from henceforth
all generations shall call me blessed. For He who is mighty has done to me
great things, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from
generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered
the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from
their seats, and exalted those of low degree…. He has helped His servant
Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham,
and to his seed for ever" (Luke 1:46-55).

Mary could never have been chosen
as the mother of the Messiah if she had been influenced by the thinking that
characterizes the world today—and has even influenced many Christians—that if
two people are in love or engaged to be married, then any sort of physical
demonstration of their love is acceptable. God honored Mary’s purity and He
will honor all young men and women who wish to please Him by remaining virgins
before marriage, by helping them achieve truly happy marriages.

A truly happy marriage can only be
achieved when there is a oneness of spirit as well as a oneness of the
affections and of the body. Our spirit is that part of our being that is
capable of responding to God. It also includes the conscience and our ability
to make moral decisions. The truest intimacy and oneness of spirit occurs when
the spirits of both persons are drawn very close to God and thus they are drawn
close to one another. In the measure that the spirits of both persons are
subject to the Word of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, in that measure
there will be agreement and oneness between them.

Now the time to begin building
this spiritual unity is before marriage and even before engagement. A physical
relationship is only really meaningful as it expresses spiritual unity. A
Christian couple should not plan to marry until they have laid a good
foundation for marriage by developing a spiritual relationship and know that
they can help each grow closer to God as the years go by.

Premature entry into an intimate
physical relationship short circuits the development of a real spiritual
relationship in several ways. First, the intimacy is physically and emotionally
exciting and the couple loses interest in spiritual matters. Second, the fact
that their relationship is a secret between the two of them which they try to
conceal from others may make them feel a certain closeness and loyalty to each
other. They may mistake this closeness for real unity of spirit, but it will
fade away when marriage makes their relationship "respectable" and
there is no need to conceal it. They no longer will share a secret and they
will find they share little else of real meaning. Third, since they are not
pleasing God, they cannot become closer to Him while out of communion with Him.
Fourth, the feelings of guilt that their behavior may arouse will tend to
interfere with the development of real intimacy after marriage. God will bless
those couples who use dating and engagement periods for the development of
spiritual and emotional unity and save physical intimacy for marriage. They
will have not only spiritual intimacy but a truly joyous physical relationship
as well.

Marriage is a type of the union
between Christ and His Church. This "Church age" is actually the
Church’s engagement period; the marriage ceremony will not take place until
after the rapture (Rev. 19:7). The apostle Paul said of the Church at Corinth,
"I have espoused you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste
virgin to Christ" (2 Cor. 11:2). How beautiful and pleasing to God when a
Christian couple’s relationship with each other before and after marriage truly
typify the union of Christ and His Church.

"And I beheld, and lo, in the
midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders,
stood a Lamb as it had been slain…. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of
many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders:and the
number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,
saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power,
and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. And
every creature that is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and
such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and
honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him who sits upon the throne, and unto the
Lamb for ever and ever" (Rev. 5:6-14).

In the midst of the heavenly scene
stood a Lamb as slain. The wound prints that the disciples beheld in His
resurrected body (John 20:20,25,27) are now seen by John in His glorified body.
The memories of Calvary are treasured in heaven. John the Baptist first points
out Jesus on earth as the "Lamb of God" (John 1:29-36); John the
apostle now beholds Him in that same character on high. But how different the
position! There, He was wounded and slain (Isa. 53); here, the
center of heaven’s strength and glory, yet bearing in His person the marks and
scars of the cross.

In the previous chapter Jehovah in
the greatness and eternity of His Being, as also in His relation to all
creation as its Lord, Sustainer, and Creator, evokes the profound worship of
the living ones and elders. No angels are mentioned as taking part in the
worship. But here we have as the center of heaven’s worship the slain Lamb,
and accordingly all creation is stirred to its depths. There are additional
features of heart interest, added grounds and reasons of worship, not
found when Jehovah, as such, is in view. The slain Lamb brings before us the
holy Sufferer of earth given up to insult and wrong, rejected and crucified,
uttering no word of reproach, nor exercising power on His own behalf save the
passive might to suffer. Now all is blessedly changed. The Lamb once stood in
the midst of the ribald band (Matt. 27:27-31), silent, meek, unresisting, alone
in holiness, in calm dignity, enduring to the utmost the mean and cruel
contempt of the ferocious men around Him. These men rained their blows on His
defenseless head, bowed before Him the mocking knee, covered Him with their
disgusting spittle, crowned and pierced Him with the prickly thorn, thrust a
reed into His bound hands, stripped Him, and with blow and taunt indulged their
vile and depraved nature. Silent and patient in His agony He stood in the
midst. Now the selfsame Lamb bearing in His Person the marks of His suffering
is here seen as the object of heaven’s worship. No voice is, nor can be, silent
when the slain Lamb appears.

"Thou art worthy to take the
book, and to open the seals thereof (verse 9). It is remarkable how the
introduction of the Lamb shuts out all else. In that character which presents
Him as slain He absorbs the attention of heaven. Where is the Lion of the tribe
of Judah? The Lion gives place to the Lamb. Under the former title, which is
one of might and power, He will defend the cause of His oppressed people of Israel, and in His career of victory He does not rest till the triumph of that people is
secured. But that title of assertive power is meantime in abeyance, and
the Lamb is all the glory in heaven and earth. Of course the power of the Lion
and grace of the Lamb center in Jesus. Here the Lamb is personally addressed in
song. His worthiness to disclose and to execute the counsels of God are
celebrated. Next, the ground of the Lamb’s worthiness to carry out the purposes
of God into full and glorious result is stated.

"For Thou wast slain, and
hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and
people, and nation." As the Lion of the tribe of Judah He acts in power,
but as the Lamb He was slain. Here the accomplishment of God’s counsels of
grace and glory is traced to the cross as the basis. Without the cross, Christ
would have entered into spheres of glory alone; without it there could
have been no redemption for sinners. The cross is the grandest counsel of
eternity and the grandest fact of time. It is the immovable basis on which
rests the blessing of Israel and creation, as also the glory of the Church and
of saints in the heavens.

"And I beheld, and I heard
the voice of many angels round about the throne." The introduction of
angels into the heavenly scene and the place that they occupy is of profound
interest. They announced the birth of Jesus and praise God in words of
never-dying fame (Luke 2:8-14); an angel ministered to Him in the gloomy garden
as the dark shadow of the cross and agony rested on His spirit (Luke 22:43);
two angels witnessed to His resurrection (John 20:12,13); and two also
testified of His ascension (Acts 1:10,11). The whole system of Christianity is
a matter of inquiry and interest to the heavenly hosts (1 Pet. 1:12). They
delight to serve the heirs of salvation now (Heb. 1:14), even as it will be
their joy to serve them in glory (Rev. 21:12).

In the center stands the slain
Lamb, around the throne the living ones and the redeemed, while the outer
circle is formed of angels whose numbers are beyond human computation (see Dan.
7:10). In the response of the angelic hosts to the song of the redeemed they say,
whereas the elders sing. There is more than a verbal difference in this,
for while angels know the Lamb they cannot say, "He was slain for
us." We know Him in a deeper, fuller, more personal way than do angels. He
died for us, not for them; hence the difference, we sing, they say.
Angels are never said to sing. Observe, too, that the elders in their song
directly address the Lamb, whereas the angels, in keeping with their place and
service, adopt a more distant form of address. The former sing to Him,
the latter speak of Him. The full burst of praise from the angelic hosts
is grand. The symphony is not marred by one discordant note.

They ascribe to Him the perfect
number (seven) of attributes. "Power" is first named because the
circumstances call for its immediate exercise. Power in its widest and most
comprehensive character is ascribed to Him. "Riches," the wealth of
the universe, physical and moral, is His due. "Wisdom" as seen in all

         
(Continued on page 50)

(Continued from page 72)

the ways and works of God next follows in the list.
"Strength" is the quality that enables one to execute what the will
determines to be done. "Honor" implies that every mark of public
distinction is worthy to be conferred on the Lamb. "Glory" refers to
public and moral display, of which the Lamb is deemed alone worthy.
"Blessing," every form and character of blessedness or happiness, is
here ascribed to the Lamb.

But the full tide of praise is not
yet exhausted. It rolls on, gathering force and volume, till the whole universe
is embraced. "Every creature that is in heaven, and on the earth, and
under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them"
takes in the vast universe of God in all its parts. Jehovah on His throne and
the Lamb are the objects of universal adoration. The fourfold ascription of praise—"blessing,
and honor, and glory, and power"—marks the universality of this
spontaneous burst of worship. The praise is never ceasing—"for ever and
ever."

(From Exposition of the
Revelation of Jesus Christ.)