Ministry in London

(i) David J.Hutson

Matthew 28: 20 (from "And behold"); 18: 20; 2 Timothy 2: 19 (from "let everyone")

These scriptures came to mind following our brother's prayer, as to the experience of the Lord's presence. Matthew 28 is general; the Lord will not fail His testimony here for the Holy Spirit is here to maintain the rights of the Lord Jesus in the assembly and as our brother has said, the gifts - and indeed the Holy Spirit Himself have come from Christ in glory, and He Himself is concerned and active in relation to the maintenance of the testimony and what is due to His Name here on earth at the present time. Although no doubt there is a dispensational bearing of this reference in Matthew, He would say "I am with you all the days until the completion of the age". Paul could say to the Philippians that "the Lord is near" (Phil 4: 5). Although He is ascended up far above all heavens we do not feel at a distance because of His support and help in view of the continuation of the testimony in which, through grace, we have our part.

That is general and the question is as to what degree we prove His presence. It says in Matthew 18 "For where two or three are gathered together unto my name, there am I in the midst of them". It is not automatic. It is not just coming to a round of meetings, if I may speak plainly, it does not say 'when two or three or more come together to read the Bible, I am in the midst', or for any other purpose, but "where two or three are gathered together unto my name". So that I feel searched as to it myself, as to our motives when we come together, when we come to a meeting like this; is it another Tuesday night and the brethren will expect to see us there? Or can it be said in an active way that we are gathered unto His Name? Our brother has referred to the fact that we do, through grace, prove something of His presence. Do we all feel it? It has been said that we can be in the company where there are those who experience His presence and maybe we do not feel it ourselves. The secret of it, surely is what He says here, "where two or three are gathered together unto my name".

I read in 2 Timothy that if we name His Name we must be departing from iniquity, so that there is a moral basis for our gathering together as having departed from that which is not according to His Name, especially in the ecclesiastical area of profession. All that would enter into our being gathered together unto His Name. I believe it would also relate to what our beloved brother has said .as to being ready and available as we are gathered to His Name, which implies His absence, and yet in the assurance of what He says - not a promise exactly that I will come, but that I am in the midst. It would be our concern not simply to come together for our own enjoyment and our own experience of fellowship and these holy links together (thank God for them, and thank God for the experience of them), but I believe it would also involve that as He would come in there would be something for Himself - something that we have together, something which we are sharing, something which is suitable for Himself. Again that challenges us as to what we have and what we share together, not only what we say together, but our experiences together, our relations together, whether our relations together are such that as He comes in among us He can find pleasure in the way that we are set together as gathered to His Name.

I felt that we should stimulate one another in relation to it so that we might have these experiences to which our brother referred in prayer and that we might all be in them and that above all there might be, as we are together, something which there is for the satisfaction of His own heart. He has secured it at such cost and His service continues, the washing of water by the word, in view of that time of presentation, but does He find something which is in accord with it at the present time? Something which is for the delight of His own heart as we come together. Thank God for what we experience, what comes in as He comes in, His word that comes in among us, but then the great end would be that there would be something for Himself, and not only for Himself but something which He can take on in view of what should be for the enrichment of the service of His God and Father. I just bring these suggestions forward, as I felt it would help us in such occasions as this that there might be as we gather to His Name, greater liberty among us, and that there might be more for Himself, and surely if we were concerned as to this there would be a blessing for us.

May it be so for His Name's sake.