Each sorrow Thou hast sent to me
Has only drawn me nearer Thee,
Blest Saviour! taught my soul to hide
In safety, in Thy wounded side.

Each step of mine that was unmeet
Has only brought me to Thy feet,
To learn, through these, my willful ways
A deeper, sweeter note of praise.

Though anguish fill my breaking heart,
When called from one I love to part,
It doth but loose from earth’s dark shore,
And make me long for Thee the more.

The joy, rebuke, the grief, the pain
Thou sendest, Lord, is all my gain;
For all things work for good to one
Who loveth God, and Thee, His Son.

(From Hymns of Grace and Truth, published by Loizeaux Brothers, Neptune, NJ.)

(Ed. note:This is the second of a series of three articles on Matt. 18:20 and the Lord’s Supper.
All three are based on lectures given at Bible Truth Hall, Nassau, Bahamas, April 1995.)

"Where two or three are gathered together [unto] My name, there am I in the midst of them"
(Matt. 18:20).

In the first article in this series (July-August 1996 issue), Byron Crosby presented the foundational
truths concerning Matt. 18:20 and its context. In this present article, we shall build on that
foundation and elaborate on the meaning and practical application of each phrase of this verse. In
particular, we shall discuss the types of assembly meetings that seem to be implied by this verse.

"Two or Three"

Two or three are greater than one. It is both possible and desirable for individual Christians to
spend time alone with the Lord in reading of the Word, meditation, prayer, and worship. But at
the same time, God has seen fit to unite believers together into one body (John 17:11,21; Rom.
12:4,5; 1 Cor. 12:12,13; Eph. 4:4). There is a special blessing for the believers and a special
glory for Christ when two, three, or more believers minister the Word, pray, and worship
together. As Mr. Crosby aptly expressed it in the previous article, "one believer, by himself,
cannot be a complete testimony to Christ."

On the other hand, it doesn’t say, "200 or 300." A large number of believers in Christ is not
necessary in order to enjoy fellowship together or in order to give a collective testimony to Christ.
The Lord Himself selected only twelve men to comprise His special group of disciples. On certain
occasions, He took with Him only the inner circle of Peter, James, and John (Mark 5:37; 9:2;
14:33). "Where two or three are gathered together."

"Unto My Name"

Let us now consider the phrase, "unto My name." What is that name, or rather, what are those
names and titles that belong to Him? Let us mention a few.

His personal name is Jesus, meaning "Jehovah is Saviour," and speaking of all that He was as a
Man on earth, including His teachings, His sinless life, and His sacrificial death (Matt. 1:21; Acts
4:10-12).

His rank is Lord, meaning Master or Boss, and speaking of His supreme authority over all of us
(Luke 6:46; Rom. 10:9).

His title is Christ, meaning the Anointed One or Messiah, and speaking of His greatness as One
sent by God to perform a special work on earth and who has returned to His home in heaven (2
Sam. 7:13; Isa. 11; 52:13-53:12; Dan. 9:25,26; Luke 2:26; 3:15; John 1:41; 4:25,29).

He is Son of God, speaking of His deity, being co-equal with God the Father and God the Holy
Spirit (Matt. 14:33; 16:16; 27:54; Mark 1:1; Luke 1:35; John 1:34; 3:18; 5:18; 10:30-38; 1 John
4:15).

He is Son of Man, speaking of His being fully Man, but in a totally unique way, that is, being
also fully God at the same time (Dan. 7:13,14; Matt. 16:13; 26:64,65).

He is Immanuel, meaning "God with us" (Isa. 7:14; 8:8; Matt. 1:23).

He is the Word, speaking of the One who has come in person to express the truth concerning God
(John 1:1,14).

His descriptive titles include Wonderful, Counselor, Prince of Peace, the Way, the Truth, the
Life, the Door, the True Vine, the Good Shepherd, and the Great High Priest. These are all
summed up in that grand title, I AM (Exod. 3:14; John 8:58).

So when believers are gathered together unto His name, they are intensely conscious of what that
name stands for, all that He is and all that He has done. Furthermore, that name expresses His
authority. When thus gathered unto His name, the believers do not make up their own rules but
are intent upon following His directions as Head of the body.

"Are Gathered Together"

The Greek verb, sunegmenoi, translated, "gathered together," is passive, implying that there is
an outside force_or Person_who does the gathering. That Person is the Holy Spirit. How does
He do it? He puts the desire in the hearts of those who are walking in Him (Rom. 8:4; Gal. 5:16)
and being led by Him (Rom. 8:14; Gal. 5:18). Those truly "gathered together" do not merely
come together out of force of habit, or because it is expected of them, or in a legalistic way.

What are the types of meetings to which believers in Christ are gathered by the Holy Spirit?

The Lord’s Supper or Remembrance Meeting. The Apostle Paul and his companions traveled
to Troas, arriving on a Monday. They stayed seven days, and on the last day of their visit, "upon
the first day of the week … the disciples came together to break bread" (Acts 20:4-7). The phrase
"came together" is better translated "were gathered together" because it is a form of the Greek
word sunegmenoi.

In 1 Cor. 11:17-34 where the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul gives important instructions
concerning the Lord’s Supper, the expression "come together" is found five times (verses
17,18,20,33,34). However, in each case it is the common Greek word for coming together, not
sunegmenoi. Reading the context, we find there was disorder in the assembly at Corinth in
observing the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper was being linked with the partaking of an
ordinary meal, and those who had plenty to eat were not sharing with the poorer believers who
had little or nothing to eat. Given such a fleshly, sinful, un-Christlike state, sunegmenoi would
have been an inappropriate word to describe the gatherings of the Corinthians. They were not in

a spiritual condition to be gathered together by the Holy Spirit.

This should solemnize our hearts. Just because some of our meeting halls have signs proclaiming,
"Gathered unto the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ," just because we hold to this principle of truth,
does not necessarily mean that in a particular assembly on a particular Lord’s day, the saints have
been gathered by the Holy Spirit to break bread. There may be a low spiritual state, and the
believers may be coming together only out of force of habit, or to please or impress others.

May all of us allow our hearts to be searched in the presence of the Lord as to our motive in
coming to remember Him. Let us pray, with the psalmist, "Search me, O God, and know my
heart; try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in
the way everlasting" (Psa. 139:23,24). Let us apply Christ’s instruction to this meeting:"If you
bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave
there your gift before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then
come and offer your gift" (Matt. 5:23,24). And let us follow the teaching of the Apostle Paul, "Let
a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup" (1 Cor. 11:28).

The 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 made up of believers in Christ 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 spake 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). What a marvelous answer to their prayers
by "Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Eph. 3:20).
Peter’s sudden appearance at the house was such a wonderful and rapid answer to prayer that it
took awhile before the truth of it sank in (Acts 12:15,16). (Note:The expression, "gathered
together" in Acts 12:12 is not sunegmenoi but another passive verb, sunethroismenoi, which seems
to be very close in meaning to sunegmenoi.)

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 assemblies. Sometimes just a small fraction of the assembly
is present at such meetings, and in some assemblies only a few of the brothers regularly

participate. Where are the saints at the time of the weekly prayer meeting? Some may be home
watching television; others may be out playing ball or working in the yard; others may be working
late in order to advance their careers or to pay off their debts of extravagant living; others may
be "baby-sitting" their children who themselves would benefit from being at the prayer meeting;
and some who are at the meeting have their minds "a thousand miles away." Can an assembly
expect blessing and experience the power of God under such conditions?

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.

Another precursor is found in Luke 24. Two disciples were returning home from Jerusalem on that
resurrection day. As "they talked together of all these things which had happened and … while
they communed together … Jesus Himself drew near and went with them" (verses 14,15). They
were occupied with the memory of the crucifixion and the reports of the resurrection of Christ,
when Christ Himself joined them and taught them from "all the Scriptures the things concerning
Himself" (verse 27). Doesn’t this give us the essence of Matt. 18:20?

Later that evening, back in Jerusalem, the eleven disciples along with others were "gathered
together" (sunethroismenoi as in Acts 12:12). Then "Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them and
said unto them, Peace be unto you…. Then opened He their understanding, that they might
understand the Scriptures. And said unto them, Thus it is written and thus it behooved Christ to
suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remission of sins should
be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem…. Tarry in the city of
Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:36-49).

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 the Lord Jesus came into the midst of the disciples gathered together, the first thing
He did was give them words of comfort and encouragement:"Peace be unto you." Then He went
on to help them to understand from the Old Testament Scriptures the things that had happened,
and told them some things that they were to do. 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 six rules to help bring
some order to these meetings (verses 27-35):

1. No more than three persons were to speak in a foreign tongue.

2. These were to speak one at a time, not simultaneously in different parts of the room.

3. After a sentence or two of a foreign tongue, the speaker was to stop to allow for translation (as
with speeches by foreign dignitaries today). If there was no one who could interpret, the speaker
was to be silent.

4. No more than three persons were to prophesy, that is, give ministry from the Lord in the
common language of the hearers.

5. These were to speak one at a time, not simultaneously.

6. Only the brothers were permitted to minister in these ways; the women were to keep silence
in the assembly meetings.

We find two occurrences of the expression "come together" in 1 Cor. 14:23,26, the same Greek
word as the five occurrences in chapter 11. This is further evidence of the fleshly disorder that had
come into the assembly at Corinth to mar the potential beauty and blessing of the open ministry
meetings.

The Meeting for 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."

Preparation for These Meetings. The Holy Spirit who gathers the believers together also helps
them (brothers and sisters alike) to prepare for such meetings. Here are some ways:

1. Pray in advance for each meeting that you and all of the saints will truly come as gathered by

the Holy Spirit and that the Spirit may have liberty to use whomever He will to pray, worship, or
minister.

2. Anticipate the Lord Himself being in the midst.

3. Be much in prayer and much in the Scriptures throughout the week; ask the Lord to prepare you
to be a mouthpiece for Him in the meeting.

4. Pray often with your family at home; pray for relatives, friends, neighbors, schoolmates, fellow
employees, the saints in the local assembly, those in other assemblies, etc. This will prepare you
to be a spokesman for the Holy Spirit when gathered together in the assembly for prayer.

5. Consider having a prayer request box in conjunction with the assembly prayer meeting. Do not
be afraid to share personal needs, such as being laid off of your job or having a rebellious son or
daughter.

6. The sisters do well to pray_both beforehand and during the meeting_about what the Lord
would have them to say if they were free to speak. If all of the brothers and sisters prepare in this
way, I believe the sisters will find that the prayer, worship, or ministry given out by the brothers
often coincides with their own exercises of soul.

Temptation to Be Absent from the Assembly Meetings.

Maybe some are thinking, "The meetings are boring" or "I can get more benefit from listening to
Christian radio or watching a Christian video." Would it not be better to ask yourself, "How can
I contribute more to the meetings?" "Am I using the gift the Holy Spirit has given to me?" "Am
I spending enough time preparing for the meetings?"

If all of the brothers are using what gift they have in dependence upon the Holy Spirit, and if all
the sisters are supporting the brothers in prayer during the meeting and encouraging the brothers
outside of the meetings_there will be far greater blessing gained from the meetings of the
assembly than can be found from a video of a gifted Bible teacher.

"In the Midst"

In what way is Christ in the midst of those who are gathered together unto His Name? Some have
suggested that He is in the midst in the Person of the Holy Spirit. While it is true that the Holy
Spirit is there, working in the hearts and minds of those whom He wants to speak, Matt. 18:20
says clearly, "there am I in the midst." In each of the gatherings of the assembly, Christ is in the
midst for a particular purpose. In the remembrance meeting, Christ is in the midst as the praise
leader (Psa. 22:22; 40:3; Heb. 2:12). In the prayer meeting, Christ is in the midst as the One in
whose Name we pray (John 14:13,14), who prays for us (John 17:9), who makes intercession for
us (Heb. 7:25), and the "I AM" who can meet all of our needs. In the ministry meeting, Christ
is in the midst as the One who teaches and encourages His disciples, as noted earlier from passages
in Luke and Acts, and the One who reveals Himself to His people. In the discipline meeting,

Christ is in the midst as the One who guides the assembly’s decisions and ratifies them in heaven
(Matt. 18:18).

May we learn to value these meetings of the assembly. May we approach each one_whether
remembrance, prayer, ministry, or discipline meeting_with a sense of eager anticipation,
expecting the Lord Himself to be there. While we will not hear the Lord’s own voice speaking to
us, if all who are thus gathered are in the right spirit and yielded to the Holy Spirit’s leading, we
can expect to hear the Lord speaking through the brothers who participate. "If any man speak, let
him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God
gives, that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 4:11).

In consideration of all that has been presented, let us "not [forsake] the assembling of ourselves
together, as the manner of some is; but [let us encourage] one another:and so much the more, as
[we] see the day approaching" (Heb. 10:25).

"You may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted" (1 Cor. 14:31).

Let us review the character of the open ministry meeting. In this meeting we come together to wait
on God to hear what He has to say to us. It is not a meeting especially for those who are full-time
preachers of the Word to exercise their gift. In any particular meeting it may be God’s will that
none of those speak at all. When we realize the true character of the meeting, we will not be
thinking, "I wonder if Brother So and So will speak today?" Rather, it will be, "Well, I wonder
what God is going to say to us this afternoon (or evening)," and not be concerned about the vessel
through whom He would speak.

"You may all prophesy." J. N. Darby translates this verse, "You can all prophesy." There is a
difference between the words "may" and "can." There is not only liberty_as led by the Holy Spir
it_for all to prophesy, there is also ability provided to each one by the Holy Spirit.

Perhaps it is well to consider what this word "prophesy" means. "He who prophesies speaks unto
men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort" (1 Cor. 14:3). This is the true character of
prophecy. First of all, it will edify or build up the saints of God. It is not the place for showing
our ability to be humorous, though illustrations may well have their place to explain and clarify
the scriptures. Remember that the true and basic emphasis is to build up. Where this word "edify"
is used in the Old Testament, it has the connotation also of repairing. We may need to be repaired
spiritually in many ways. God knows in what respects this may be needed by the saints.

In addition to edification, prophesying is for exhortation (or encouragement, JND translation). We
all need encouragement to a greater or lesser degree at different times.

A third use of prophesying is for comfort or consolation. There are many of God’s people who
are carrying around broken hearts. They may have a smile on their face, but their soul may be
weeping. So there is need for ministry of the comfort of the Holy Scriptures. God knows who
needs this and when it is needed.

The open ministry meeting is not primarily an occasion for God’s people to hear a recital of
various truths, however appropriate that may be in its place. It is not necessarily the place for
teaching at all. We are gathered to hear what God has to say to us. God alone knows what our
needs may be. It may be that we sorely need comfort, to be encouraged, or to be mended,
repaired, or built up.

Who are those that are to speak? First of all, in a gathering of this character, the women are to
keep silent (1 Cor. 14:34). But at the same time the sisters can be of tremendous help.
Unquestioned and untold blessing will come from the earnest, believing prayers of the
sisters_equally with those of the brothers_both before and throughout the meeting. Of course,
I am referring to silent rather than public prayers of the sisters during this meeting.

Who among the brothers are to speak? One does not have to have a so-called public gift for

teaching, preaching, or prophesying. (It may at times be easier for God to deliver His message
through one who is not particularly gifted as a speaker.) One does not necessarily have to come
up to the front of the room, although that may be beneficial in order for all in the room to hear
what is being said. Speaking so that few can hear has the same effect as speaking in tongues_the
others are not edified (1 Cor. 14:17). One does not have to be able to put ten words together. I
believe that in general, the briefer the message is, the more telling and weighty and memorable
the words may be to our hearts. What is called for, then, is not so much a use of our spiritual
gifts, but being on our faces before God so we can receive the message that He would have us to
bring to His people at that particular time.

Sometimes there may be long silences in such meetings. When this happens, those who are gifted
in preaching and teaching may tend to think, "I can speak on Psalm 23 or Romans 3 (or some
other familiar passage) and relieve us of the silence." But "the spirits of the prophets are subject
to the prophets" (1 Cor. 14:32). We must be careful to restrain ourselves from getting up simply
to break the silence. What we need_I repeat myself_is a message from God.

On the other hand, God may give a certain brother a message, and through timidity or fear he
remains glued to his seat. If we fail to communicate what God has given us, there may be loss to
the people of God and loss to ourselves through our unbelief. Still, God recognizes our frailties,
and may graciously do His work through another if I fail.

I mentioned earlier that it did not have to be even ten words. The Apostle Paul writes, "In the
church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach
others also, than 10,000 words in an unknown tongue" (1 Cor. 14:19). If you have but a sentence
or two to give to God’s people that you feel is a message from God, do not hold back. Stand up
and give it, perhaps right where you are if you fear losing it by the time you get to the podium.
What we want, what we need, is ministry from God. The meeting may be a very short one; or it
may be longer; length is not so important as having something from Himself.

Often, the principle, "the shorter the better," holds with regard to a particular message and also
to the entire meeting. This may be born out by the fact that there is to be a limitation on the
number of speakers:"Let the prophets speak two or three" (1 Cor. 14:29). God, in divine
consideration of our human weaknesses, so imposes this limit. There may be those in the audience
who could sit and take in and profit perhaps for hours; but this is not true of most. It is not just
a matter of listening to speakers, but of listening to the voice of God to ourselves and of exposing
our hearts before God. Too many words may very well dilute the message God has for our hearts
and consciences.

Let us illustrate this point from the Old Testament:"And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the
son of Oded; and he went out to meet Asa and said unto him, Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and
Benjamin; the LORD is with you while you are with Him; and if you seek Him, He will be found
of you; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you…. Be strong therefore, and let not your hands
be weak, for your work shall be rewarded. And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy
of Oded the prophet, he took courage and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of
Judah and Benjamin" (2 Chron. 15:1-8). What Azariah said to King Asa seems to have been very

brief. But it went right home to the heart of Asa and had a powerful effect on him.

"You may all prophesy." Do not be waiting on this one or that one to speak. It is a privilege and
a responsibility of all to become involved. Every brother should come to such a meeting with the
prayer on his heart, "Lord, help me to be available to be used as a mouthpiece for Thee." If we
have a heart of love for the saints, and get close to the heart of God, He will give us His message
for the gathered saints.

May God bless His Word to our hearts.

(Condensed and modified from a message given in an open ministry meeting at a Bible Conference
in Cedar Falls, Iowa.)

Let me tell you about an event that turned the whole current of my future course from that day to
this.

I had heard that Captain W. and a few other Christians met on the first day of the week to break
bread, like the disciples in Acts 20. One Lord’s day morning, I went to see what this could mean.

I found them gathered in an upper room in Wellington Street, Sheffield (England). I sat behind,
and naturally looked for the pulpit. There was no pulpit, but a table spread, or covered with a
white cloth, and on it the bread and wine in commemoration of the death of the Lord Jesus.

I then looked for the minister, or president. There was no such person. All the believers gathered
were seated around the table. A deep, solemn impression fell upon me:"These people have come
to meet the Lord Himself." I have no doubt it was the Spirit of God that thus spoke to me.

It is impossible to describe the sense I had, for the first time, of being in the immediate presence
of the Lord Jesus, according to that word, "For where two or three are gathered together in My
name, there am I in the midst of them." I could scarcely notice what was done, I was so
overwhelmed with the presence of the Lord. No one can have any idea what this is unless really
gathered to His name.

What a contrast to everything I had seen before, and yet how simple! It was like going back to that
which was in the beginning of Christianity_before any priest was heard of to offer in the church
a sacrifice for the living and the dead.

I was surprised to find, strange as this gathering together of Christians to break bread appeared
to me, that it was exactly what we find in Scripture. Instead of even a minister at the Lord’s table,
I found the same simple liberty as described in 1 Cor. 14:29-37.

I was greatly struck with each believer worshiping the Lord in dependence on the Holy Spirit. I
felt that was my place, deeply unworthy as I was of it. Well do I remember the thought, "This is
my place, if even it were to be a doormat, for these Christians to wipe their feet on me."

After some weeks, I was named as one who desired to obey the Lord, "Do this in remembrance
of Me," and through grace, I took my place as one redeemed to God at the table. Shortly after
this, I experienced one morning, while we sat in silent, what I had never known before_the
leading of the Spirit of God.

It came as a gentle whisper from the Lord:"Read 2 Corinthians 1," and very precious thoughts
came into my soul on verses 3-5. I felt agitated, so much so that perspiration ran down my face
and body. We had sat some time in silence. I felt bidden to rise and read, but had not courage to
do so.

At length, Captain W., who sat at the other side of the room, arose and said, "Let us read 2

Corinthians 1." Then he ministered the very thoughts the Spirit had laid on my heart. This was
how I first learned the leading of the Spirit in the midst of Christians gathered to Christ. This has
been a matter of frequent occurrence for these many years.

Sarah wanted a son. A woman was considered not to have fulfilled her purpose in life if she had
not borne her husband a son. Sarah’s biological clock had stopped, so she asked Abraham to take
her slave woman, Hagar, as his concubine. Hagar was Sarah’s property and Hagar’s children
would be considered Sarah’s as well. There was trouble in the household as soon as Abraham
complied with Sarah’s request (Gen. 16:1-6). Finally, Sarah had Abraham dismiss Hagar and
Ishmael from the household (Gen. 21:9-11). While this may have provided temporary peace,
anyone who pays attention to the news media knows that Sarah’s suggestion is still having
repercussions and her descendants and Hagar’s are still engaging in sibling rivalry.

Sarah made a bad decision and tried to fix it by ejecting Hagar and Ishmael from her life, but her
decision is still causing trouble thousands of years later. Some of God’s people have made bad
decisions which have resulted in domestic strife. Perhaps a Christian has married an unbeliever.
Later the Christian may want to draw closer to the Lord and is dismayed to find that his or her
spouse has no such interest and, indeed, seems determined to behave like the unregenerate person
he or she was all along.

Perhaps the Christian secretly hopes the non-Christian spouse will seek a divorce and then
(according to some interpretations of 1 Cor. 7:15) he/she will be free to remarry or at least will
be left in peace and will not have to deal with the non-Christian on a daily and intimate basis. But
will divorce solve the problem? No, by the very nature of God’s design of marriage, the two
divorced persons will always be a part of each other. If there are children, both of their biological
parents will always be a part of and an influence on them mentally and physically. Even secular
writers are beginning to admit that divorce adversely affects children, often for years afterward.
If the non-Christian was behaving badly before the divorce, he or she probably will behave worse
afterwards. One of my co-workers divorced his first wife at least ten years ago and has since
remarried; but he and his first wife (who has also remarried) still periodically battle in the courts
over issues relating to the care of their daughter, now 15. The daughter can hardly find this a
pleasant situation. Sarah’s eviction of Hagar did not provide long-term peace, and divorce will not
provide peace for a Christian spouse.

Is there any hope? Suppose for some reason a believer married an unbeliever or both were
unbelievers at the time of the marriage and now one is a believer. How should the believing spouse
deal with the tensions this unequal yoke will cause in the marriage? The Apostle Peter used a
different aspect of Sarah’s behavior as a good example for women in such marriages.

"Likewise, wives, be in subjection to your own husbands, that if any obey not the Word, they also
may with the word be won by the conversation [or behavior] of the wives, while they behold your
chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of
plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man
of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which
is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also,
who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:even as
Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord; whose daughters you are, as long as you do well, and

are not afraid with any amazement" (1 Pet. 3:1-6). In verse 1, the first "the Word," since it has
the definite article in the Greek, is referring to a specific Word_the Scriptures. The second "the
word" does not have a definite article and could perhaps be translated "a word" or "any word."
No one is brought to Christ totally apart from the Word (1 Pet. 1:23), but unbelieving husbands
can certainly be brought to Christ without preaching, exhorting, or verbal persuasion from their
wives. Peter is saying that if you have an unsaved spouse it is more important to live the gospel
than to tell the gospel.

Although this passage is addressed to women (Christian wives with unsaved husbands seem to
outnumber Christian men with unsaved wives), similar principles would apply to men. What a
testimony to an unsaved wife would be the totally Christ-like, self-sacrificing love of her Christian
husband (Eph. 5:25-29). Perhaps the verse, "And be not bitter against them" (Col. 3:19), might
have special meaning for Christian men married to unsaved wives. At any rate, living out the
gospel daily is far more effective in winning loved ones to Christ than daily preaching or verbal
confrontations. Practical Christian living will also help to bring peace to your home. "When a
man’s ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him" (Prov. 16:7).
Some of Sarah’s behavior we should emulate; some we should not. Let us ask God for help in
winning our loved ones to Christ and bringing real peace to our homes.

Abraham

"By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for
an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing where he went…. By faith Abraham, when
he was tried, offered up Isaac:and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten
son" (Heb. 11:8,17).

Abraham’s faith was tested by God in many different ways. Some of the tests he passed, some he
failed. In this article we shall focus on only the two tests mentioned in the verses just quoted.

These two tests represent the very first and the very last tests given by God to Abraham recorded
in the Scriptures. They are separated in time by about 50 years. Yet they have some features in
common. In both, Abraham was tested with respect to his willingness to be separated from persons
near and dear to him. In the first case, it was all of the relatives he grew up with in Ur of the
Chaldees. In the second case, it was his only begotten son. In the first case, it was separation by
leaving his relatives behind. In the second case, it was separation by slaying his son.

In the first case, Abraham was faithful in leaving his homeland, but he got stalled at Haran on the
way. Abraham’s father Terah had come with him, and apparently it was Terah’s desire to stay at
Haran, short of God’s goal for Abraham. For a few years, Abraham acquiesced to his father’s will
rather than to God’s commandment. But when Terah died, Abraham completed his journey to
Canaan, the land God had marked out for him (Acts 7:2-4).

The second test was much more severe for Abraham. It would have been difficult enough to get
up and leave his son Isaac behind, as he had earlier left his older relatives behind. But this time
he was asked to kill Isaac_to sever all ties with him, to give up all possibilities of seeing his
beloved son again. This time there was no stalling. Abraham did exactly what he was told to do,
until the angel of the LORD stopped him short of plunging his knife into Isaac. By this we can see
how much stronger Abraham’s faith was at the last than at the first.

Abraham, in the New Testament, is referred to as "the friend of God" (Jas. 2:23). By faith, he was
willing to be separated from earthly friends and relatives, counting it far more important and
satisfying to be the friend of God. Christians today may be called upon by God to separate
themselves from earthly friends and relatives. God may call some to go to far off countries to
serve as missionaries. Some may have to separate themselves from those near and dear to them
because of unjudged wickedness in the assembly (1 Cor. 5:13; 2 Tim. 2:20,21). Some may be
called upon the Lord to reprove a close friend or relative concerning a sinful behavior (Matt.
18:15; Gal. 6:1), at the risk of losing that person as a friend. Situations such as these may be great
trials for us. We may naturally shrink from doing anything that would cause us to be separated
from our friends and loved ones. But if the honey (Lev. 2:11) of natural affection is very strong
in a Christian, God may test that person to see if he or she will put human relationships ahead of
the relationship with God.

The lesson of faith here is this: Faith is willing to be separated from one’s earthly friends and
relatives in order to be a friend of God.

In Abraham’s second test, there was much more at stake than simply being separated from his
beloved son, Isaac. Decades earlier, God had made a promise to Abraham:"Look now toward
heaven, and tell the stars, if you be able to number them; and He said unto him, So shall your seed
be. And he believed in the LORD, and He counted it to him for righteousness" (Gen. 15:5,6).
More specifically, the vast number of descendants promised to Abraham were to come through
Isaac (Gen. 17:19).

Did God know what He was doing when He asked Abraham to kill the very one who was to
provide him with a large number of descendants? Of course He did! And Abraham had gotten to
know God well enough that he had not the slightest question about what God was doing. In fact,
Abraham had gained such confidence in God that he assumed that God was going to raise Isaac
up from the dead (Heb. 11:19).

How could Abraham assume such a thing when he had never witnessed resurrection before? God
previously had introduced Abraham to the concept of resurrection when he brought life (Isaac) out
of "the deadness of Sarah’s womb" (Rom. 4:19) at the age of 90. By faith, Abraham was able to
take the lesson he had learned about the power of God in one situation and apply it to quite a new
and different situation.

Often, when God leads one of His children into a new area of service for Him, He will test that
person to see if he/she is truly trusting God totally in that service. Moses encountered frequent
opposition by the people whom God wanted him to lead. Joshua was deceived by the Gibeonites
while leading the armies of Israel against the Canaanites. The prophet of Judah was deceived by
the old prophet of Bethel while on a mission for the LORD. Both Old Testament prophets and New
Testament apostles were beaten, imprisoned, and murdered by those who opposed their testimony
for the Lord. So Abraham was tested_most severely_to see if he really still believed that God
would provide descendants for him through Isaac.

Therefore, let us not despair if we sense that God has guided us in a certain direction and
then_boom!_trouble comes in. He is only testing our faith to see if we are continuing to trust
Him totally.

Abraham thus provides us with another lesson of faith: Faith persists in depending upon the
Lord even when trials and opposition seem to be hindering God’s plans and purposes.

Sarah

"Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child
when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised" (Heb. 11:11).

The account in Genesis suggests that there was anything but faith in Sarah in this regard. "And
[the angels] said unto [Abraham] … Sarah your wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the

tent door which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and
it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself,
saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? And the LORD said
unto Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh?… Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was
afraid" (Gen. 18:9-15).

Sarah sinned twice in this account. First, she laughed in unbelief at the words of the angelic
visitors. Then she denied that she had laughed. Where do we find faith in this?

While Sarah’s faith clearly was weak, at least at the outset, God saw in Sarah what man perhaps
failed to see, and her faith has been recorded for all to know.

We may despair of failing God so often, and having so little faith. But let us learn from Sarah this
lesson of faith: Even the weakest, tiniest bit of faith in a child of God is recognized and
appreciated by the Lord.

O Jesus, Lord, my Life, my All,
Hast Thou now set Thy love on me?
Then chain this heart, Thy captive thrall,
To beat forevermore for Thee!

I trust Thee_break my stubborn will;
I would not count the cost to me
If in the wine press love distill
From this poor bruised heart to Thee!

Yea, chasten through my pilgrim years,
In faithful, tender grace to me,
Till self shall melt to love and tears,
And lavish all its wealth on Thee!

With one exception, all of the epistles of the Apostle Paul begin with a salutation, and every
greeting begins with his name. The exception is the Epistle to the Hebrews. It begins with the
name "God."

Due to the absence of Paul’s name in the Epistle to the Hebrews (and with practically no other
evidence), its Pauline authorship has been questioned from time to time.

The only conclusive certainty on the subject is quickly settled:the Author is the Holy Spirit (2 Pet.
1:21). As to the other arguments, if Paul is indeed the human instrument, as is most probable, due
credit should be given him as the Epistle fits into a spiritual pattern of that which Paul calls "my
doctrine" (2 Tim. 3:10). H. A. Ironside suggested a trilogy based on Hab. 2:4:"The just (Rom.
1:17) shall live (Gal. 3:11) by faith (Heb. 10:38).

Questions of Pauline authorship (but not of the Epistle’s canonicity) did not arise until the close
of the 2nd century. Clement of Alexandria "supposed" Luke to have been either its author or its
translator from an unknown Jewish source. Tertullian "supposed" the Epistle to be the work of
Barnabas, but the clearly apocryphal Epistle of Barnabas bears no relationship whatever to the
Epistle to the Hebrews. Martin Luther "supposed" it to be by Apollos, but that eloquent disciple’s
own "home church" of Alexandria (Acts 18:24) always attributed Hebrews to Paul. Other
"supposed" authors are Aquila, Silas, Philip the Deacon, Clement of Rome, Philo of Alexandria,
and Priscilla.

The Epistle’s theme is the superiority of Christ:greater than angels, greater than Moses, greater
than Aaron and all other high priests. Its object, said Dr. Barnhouse, is to "stop the Hebrews from
being Hebrews." Paul, in order to exalt Christ alone, and realizing that his apostleship would have
no weight in convincing his Jewish (Hebrew) audience of whom the Nazarenes and Ebionites
rejected him and his writings, he omits his name, omits his usual salutation ("Paul, an apostle"),
and goes right to his subject:God the Son is speaking now. To the Jew, Paul became a Jew (1 Cor.
9:20), hiding his personal identity. He brings the recognized authority of the Old Testament:
"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the
prophets, has in these last days spoken unto us by His Son" (or "God the Son now speaks") (Heb.
1:1,2).

Note that Paul wrote that God has spoken "to us," not "to you." This eliminates the possibility of
Gentile authorship, as Paul was a Hebrew (Phil. 3:5). However, he was not the "apostle to the
circumcision" (Hebrews) as was Peter (Gal. 2:7). Peter wrote two epistles to Hebrews who were
"strangers scattered throughout" many lands (1 Pet. 1:1; 2 Pet. 3:1). Peter referred to "our
beloved brother Paul" having "written unto you" (scattered Hebrews) (2 Pet. 3:15). What other
epistle than Paul’s to the Hebrews could Peter be referring to? What other epistle is so well
described as "in which are some things hard to be understood" (2 Pet. 3:16)? Whose epistles, other
than Paul’s, close with "Grace be with you" (see 2 Thess. 3:17,18)? Who but Paul refers to "our
brother Timothy" (2 Cor. 1:1; Philem. 1; Heb. 13:23)? Where was Paul on the date ascribed to
the Epistle to the Hebrews, if not in Italy (Heb. 13:24)?

The Apostle Paul’s doctrine is particularly focused on the dispensational counsels of God; John’s,
on the manifestation and communication of eternal life; Peter’s, on the pilgrim path of the
believer. The Epistle to the Hebrews clearly reflects Paul’s characteristic doctrines in overall
distinction and detail.