EXPERIENCES WITH PAUL

D. M. Welch

2 Timothy 4: 8–10; Acts 20: 7–12; 2 Timothy 2: 3, 4; 1: 15–18

I wish to say a word about experience with Paul. We heard in the reading the love of the Spirit is to be

engaged with saving Paul. I trust each one of us would have an ear to the promptings and the appeals of the Spirit in this very great matter. There are experiences we have as being with Paul. In the first experience the present age apparently was so compelling to Demas that he forsook Paul. Being with Paul involves a moral process; much of it regarding Demas is not told to us. He had accompanied Paul, he had been in the benefit of all that came out in Paul, but the historic indictment is that he forsook Paul. How many times did Paul have his heart broken yet, by the help of the Spirit, he would not be deterred from finishing his ministry.

Poured out as a libation, he was one broken-hearted churchman. How many times, beloved brethren, has our experience with Paul proved this? This forsaking alludes to Demas going to some place. I would just appeal to the younger brethren to stay with Paul. It seems that difficult days began (in principle) when Demas forsook Paul. It does not say anything about his recovery. He apparently was a true believer who had a taste of these heavenly things along with Paul for a time. Unlike Timothy who faced the experience of imprisonment (Hebrews 13: 23), so as to convey to us that there is liberty in restriction. Demas could not bear the restrictions.

Then, the second experience with Paul concerns this youth, and then it names him, Eutychus.

Dear younger brother or sister, or older one too, have we found ourselves sitting at the window-opening? Great things were proceeding in the company of Paul on this occasion.

“There were many lights in the upper room”, something very pleasurable to God, but Eutychus was distracted. It does not say about Eutychus that he loved the present age, which would include the religious age that Demas perhaps sought his place in, without restrictions, but Eutychus was distracted to the point of sleep. In Ephesians it says, “Wake up, thou that sleepest ... and the Christ shall shine upon thee”, Ephesians 5: 14. If we are not in the gain of the love of the Spirit, and to make what He is doing our experience as attached to the Lord Jesus

in testimony, we may become like any other person who is asleep. Another has said that one asleep is not much different from a dead person; you cannot tell the difference until you get very close to them, to discern that one of them is breathing. We have to confess that we have had such experience, and even though it is overpowering at times, all is not lost. In this experience with Paul we see a shepherdly movement, he descends. He is the kind of man who can descend, he is the kind of man who has this youth in his affections, and his whole intention is to help this youth. And so this young man is recovered. What a wonderful thing that is, recovery; he is recovered to the company and no doubt resumes his place in committal to the Lord Jesus. He has captured his heart through the actions of one who had enfolded him in his arms. In committing himself to the Lord Jesus after recovery he is set for the Supper.

The third experience with Paul involves the example of a good soldier, Onesiphorus. Paul exhorts Timothy to be “a good soldier of Jesus Christ”, following without deviation to the right or to the left, following and enduring. It is in the path of that order of manhood, Jesus Christ. Onesiphorus is an example of a good soldier before Timothy was told to be a good soldier. His desire was great. At all cost to himself, he wanted to be with Paul, to be in the gain of all that God had brought out in Paul. He wanted to refresh Paul; and he did refresh Paul while remaining constant as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. He accepted the principle of sacrifice set forth by the Lord Jesus Himself. When the Lord took three disciples with Him to within a stone’s throw at the Mount of Olives, He prayed, then He prayed more intently, and He told the three to pray that they enter not into temptation. Prayer is necessary, beloved, if we are going to remain with Paul and to save Paul. So Onesiphorus fills out this wonderful feature set out in the Lord Jesus; he is ready for sacrifice, and what a sacrifice it was to refresh Paul. Do you think of those beloved brethren who have gone before us? Truth in the

inward parts characterised Onesiphorus, and his whole intent was to see the truth go through in relation to Paul by supporting and refreshing him. So his household is noted here, as if to say that it was preserved. In a positive way, beloved, how is the testimony to be carried on? It is to be carried on in our households. There are many mothers and fathers in the room, grandfathers and grandmothers too. If the Lord leaves us here it may depend upon your own commitment to Paul as to your children. They will have to do with the Lord themselves; the children know what is real and what is not real. Things were real to Onesiphorus and his household knew his reality. What a matter it is, beloved, as we speak of the love of the Spirit and of saving Paul, that we have to be prepared for our experiences with Paul.

I trust that we will take something from these three experiences. Let us heed the warning in regard to Demas, requiring that we pray more intently, so we may not be carried away by the present religious age, seeking something perhaps a little more broad in character. Demas may have had gift; but to use gift as approved by the Lord, we have to be prepared for the restrictive pathway. The Lord Jesus’ pathway was narrowed, becoming more restricted as He drew close to the cross. It will be so in the testimony. The Spirit of God and His love is really dependent on persons who remain available, persons who are willing to go down, to help the youth who may have fallen asleep because of the window-opening. It was the world outside that window. The love of the Spirit contemplates persons who have a love of the truth, truth in their inward parts, who know what it is to dwell in Ephesus, who are willing to seek out Paul, and to see that the Pauline level is perpetuated because the Lord Jesus loves the testimony. The testimony at the highest level has been committed to us, beloved brethren.

May God bless the word.

Address at Havering
5 January 2002

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