PROSPERITY
G.McKay
As coming together, dear brethren, the thought came to me as to prosperity and the pleasure of Jehovah prospering in the hand of Christ. This is a meeting that tests us, and the readings and other meetings test us; I believe that the service of God, too, tests us as to what we have that is the product of prosperity. Everyone who seeks to carry responsibility locally would surely have this exercise that there should be spiritual prosperity. Prosperity is a great word in the world but it is a great thing spiritually, a great spiritual word, too. I wondered if we might be stirred up a little in exercise that we might assess whether we are on a line that would cause prosperity. Joseph in Scripture emerges as a person who wherever he was caused prosperity. He was a prosperous man, a man that caused prosperity. That was the kind of man he was (see Gen 39: 2). That would be a test to us, I think; are things prosperous amongst us and are they on a line that would lead to this, to the brethren being enriched? It is not just survival. Sometimes we set our sights on surviving. Sometimes you feel that is all you can do, just hold on. Well, that is fine, too, that you hold on. But then we should be more than just surviving, we should answer to the thought of wealth and prosperity spiritually. Every local company should have that, prosperous conditions where life is fostered and where the saints are getting on. The great point, as Paul wrote in Philippians, is that the saints are getting on; not whether they are still there or not but how they are getting on. The thought of prosperity is very important. Isaiah brings out the great matter that prosperity involves the hand of Christ: "and the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper in his hand". We are assured that that will be so. The Lord Jesus, on account of the way He has gone and His exalted position, has everything in His hand and it is in His hand to be turned in this direction - prosperity for the pleasure of Jehovah.
That was primarily in mind, but also our enjoyment of prosperity. It is not a happy position materially, or spiritually either, to be in want, to be in poverty. But it is a fine thing to have a touch of spiritual prosperity, a touch of joy, a touch of wealth, satisfaction, all that is involved in prosperity. It is all under the hand of Christ; He is the key to it, that there might be something for God. That is why I thought that perhaps the service of God brings this out, as to how we are in what we are able to offer to God. "The pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper" in the hand of Christ; that is, on high He is seeing to the pleasure of God. He Himself has set out in the fullest way what is pleasurable to God. I suppose anyone who is going to cause prosperity has to set the thing out a bit in himself, to apply it in that way. It is seen in the Lord Jesus supremely. Perhaps it would not be right even to compare too much, but just to think first of all of the Lord Jesus Himself and how He is on high. The Lord is able to dispense for everyone, like Joseph who was able to provide for everyone, for the whole land of Egypt in the seven fat years and the lean years as well. It involves wisdom, and it involves suffering according to this scripture; "When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see a seed". If there was to be any wealth for us He that was rich had to become poor that we through His poverty might be enriched. If Joseph was to come through as the person who was going to enrich the land of Egypt, then he had to go into the pit, into the prison, and the iron entered into his soul. So there may have to be suffering and exercise if there is going to be prosperity locally. It may be there will have to be deeper exercise, akin to some of the exercises that Joseph went through. He is a type of Christ, of course, and there will be no prosperity apart from what Jesus has done for us.
So the pleasure of Jehovah is prospering in the hand of Christ. "He shall see a seed", there is something produced, there is some result. And that is what we would love to see locally, what is fruitful and what is productive, signs of life. I suppose a gardener likes to see that in the spring, something emerging, signs of life, a shoot, and a bud, and then the full fruit. That is what we want to have locally in everyone, in all of us, brother and sister alike, that there is what is for the heart of Christ. It might be in a shoot or a bud or a flower, it might be a fruit, something full and mature. I think the local company is so constituted that there should be all these things, not only in the older brethren but in the youngest; not only in the brothers but in the sisters; not only in the older sisters but in the younger sisters too. In every stage and in every circumstance there is something emerging that shows there is life and there is a product, there is something for Christ and for His heart, something for the pleasure of Jehovah. You can see that this is a very important line. If there is going to be wealth that can be under the Lord's hand for the service of God there has to be wealth in our souls. So what line are we on then? It is one of the features, I suppose, with many of us that we underrate what we can do, and say that our little contribution will not make much difference. You might say, what can I do to bring about prosperity locally? We may very easily say we can do nothing and just sit back. But then what can we do? In Colossians Paul speaks about the head and the body, and the joints and bands (see chap 2: 19). The whole body is ministered to by the joints and the bands. That points to something, some activity of perhaps a rather obscure character but of a vital character. It may be that much of what is vital amongst us is obscure. Maybe some of the most important things amongst us are the obscure activities, the affection that underlies the binding together of the saints, having love for one another. Perhaps if we had these things that would be producing prosperity, it would be on the line of producing growth, of producing what is going to be for the heart of God, what is going to be for the divine pleasure.
So we can look at these things and assess what line we are on. Another thing is, when you look at those animals in Leviticus, you find that if you are a clean animal the brethren can feed on you, because we are meant to appropriate one another. There are features of the brethren that can be appropriated, that build up the constitution of the saints. As you are in the house, or in the meeting, or wherever you are, the kind of person you are is effecting something, and if the saints can feed on you, you are building up the saints. If you are a groaning lizard or a mole, an unclean animal, you are undermining, you are breaking down, you might say, the morale among the saints, you are bringing down the hearts of the saints and you are working away negatively and destructively. But if there are signs of spirituality in an exercised and separate walk, the chewing of the cud and feeding on divine things, and then the scales - by what we are we can be on the line of causing prosperity. It is amazing what one person can do. When you think of brothers who have ministered, these books on the bookshelves, you might say how is it that God has worked in a man to produce such great wealth? It is immense when you think of it. "He that believes on me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water", John 7: 38. That is one person and there are rivers coming from one person in that scripture. There is not going to be prosperity unless there are rivers, unless there is room for the Spirit, unless there are persons who can produce this, you might say, persons who believe in Christ. "Out of his belly" points to a person that has appropriated Christ, a person of faith, a person that has taken on the truth, so that out of his belly can flow rivers of living water. That is one of the great ways that you can cause prosperity, by enjoying things yourself. I think that is the meaning of 'belly', the person is in the full enjoyment and appropriation of divine things ·and there is a great outflowing. The river in Ezekiel produced prosperity, the trees on this side and on that side. The thought is that there is a flow in the meeting so that there is prosperity. We can be persons who believe individually to bring this about.
There is the care meeting too. Think of the wisdom that Joseph had! Wisdom needed too if there is going to be prosperity among the saints. It would be fine to have a word of wisdom, the right thing to say at the right time. It preserves the saints and keeps the enemy out, keeps out what would destroy life amongst the saints and depress the saints. That is what Joseph had - spiritual wisdom. And he looked ahead too, to those seven lean years, and provided for the people. As we are together we want an atmosphere, a kind of input to the meeting, you might say. (I do not know if it is too familiar a term), but I suppose everyone comes to the meeting in the sense of contributing in their spirit, in their exercise, in their demeanour, praying perhaps even before the meeting, providing beforehand. Preparation is involved, providing beforehand in exercise for each meeting. If you can possibly manage it, just have a moment to pray before the meeting. Even first thing in the morning think about the meeting at night, just look ahead and say, Well, Lord, it is going to be a hard day, there are many things I am going to need help about; but go right through in your prayer and say, May it be a good meeting tonight, too. May we be able to go right through and have an encouraging meeting. I think the Lord helps in that way, that you look ahead, as Joseph looked ahead into those seven lean years and provided for them in wisdom.
I believe there is something for each one of us to do, dear brethren. If everyone takes on the exercise to produce prosperity, to be the kind of person in character and activity that brings about prosperity, then we will have under the Lord's hand a prosperous state of things and wealth among the saints, children coming on, as I believe they are, and everyone encouraged, and perhaps persons who would go away will be kept from going away, and preserved because there is food among the people of God. May we be all exercised, for His name's sake.
GLASGOW
28 September 1982