CONSECRATION TO CHRIST
A. C. Craig
I have thought for some time that this epistle, Philippians, is like the New Testament Leviticus, especially up to chapter 9 of Leviticus. I dare say if I had the ability I could perhaps find all the offerings in this epistle. There are some lying on the surface. Paul speaks about himself being poured out a libation, that is a fine one, that is the drink-offering. Then he speaks in the last chapter about an acceptable sacrifice, agreeable to God, a sweet odour. I suppose, in Philippians 2, the great down-stooping of Christ would include all the offerings.
In the light of that, the epistle is really full of the kind of spirit that Leviticus would bring up, a spirit ready to offer, ready to give. A buoyant happy spirit, full, and ready to give, that is the idea in Philippians. It is a people who are in the enjoyment of eternal life really. As we have been taught, sin is not the subject in the epistle; justification is not mentioned, blood is not mentioned, that is not the line that Philippians pursues; it is rather a buoyant line full of rejoicing in view of the service of God being sustained in that kind of attitude and mind and spirit.
It is wonderful to see in Leviticus what comes up as to these offerings, all of them, and the law of the offerings too, and that goes right through to the consecration of the priests which I want to introduce into this meeting. The great ideal of devotedness or consecration is something which, I believe, we could all be stimulated about, in order to give a little bit more application to what it is to be here in the light of the heavenly position, but with the urge to have part, powerfully, responsively, in the service of God. Now let us all make a decision and say to ourselves, No, I have not been as I ought to have been. That would be a good start, a good thing to confess to yourself, and to the Lord, I have not been what I should have been. So you think of this wonderful down-stooping of Christ. He became obedient even unto death and that the death of the cross. The object in the apostle’s mind is to bring out the extent, or length, to which Christ’s obedience would take Him. It is really consecration, the length to which the Lord, in His devotedness, would go—even to the death of the cross. You come to the point in Leviticus, in chapter 8, referring to the consecration of the priests, to the ram of consecration. I would wish, dear brethren, we would all take on this great matter, seen typically in the ram of consecration, and seen in Himself.
But following that, in chapter 9, you have Moses instructing Aaron to tell the people what to do because Jehovah is going to appear among them, and certain sacrifices had to be offered; it was all in view of Jehovah appearing among them. Three times in the chapter there is reference to Jehovah appearing. Who would not want to be there when Jehovah appeared?
That is tomorrow morning, the first day of the week. We would all like to be there surely when He appears. Where the chapter closes it says, “Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting”, they came out, but first they went in. Israel still awaits them coming out, and so do we; but Israel’s blessing depends on them coming out again, and so does ours; but in the meantime the Spirit has come out, that would not be true exactly of Israel. The Messiah Himself will come as the great answer to all their expectations. So they are awaiting His coming out, and we are awaiting too the coming out. That is Philippians 3, “we await the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour, who shall transform our body of humiliation into conformity to his body of glory” (Philippians 3: 20, 21). We await Him, that is Philippians. I think I am justified in linking this epistle somewhat with those chapters of Leviticus, in which God is claiming the affections of His people by way of sacrifice, and this epistle would do that. How often in
this epistle you read about rejoicing; it would stimulate a buoyant spirit with God’s people in view of their response to Him.
Now, I come to a suggestion, in one of those chapters in Leviticus, where a priest who offered a burnt-offering for a man had to have the skin of the beast for himself; that was his portion, the offering priest had to have the skin (Leviticus 7: 8). Now, that is one great objective in the epistle to the Philippians, that every one of us should come out here in the beauty of Christ. That is the point, that we come out here in the beauty of Christ in view of the time when He will come for us. Philippians is that we are a heavenly people yet still here on the earth awaiting being caught up; the intention is that we might come out in the beauty of Christ, having the righteousness of God, not my own, Paul says. There could not be anything greater than that. The new man is not mentioned in Philippians, but the point is that he is there; he does not need mentioning but he is there in character in the saints.
I want to refer to Timothy and Epaphroditus and Paul, these three, and this matter of devotedness or consecration. I am appealing to every one of us, beloved brethren. Our worthy Saviour, the One whom we await, who will change us, has been the way of obedience Himself—what a contemplation! You cannot read Philippians 2, you cannot absorb what is there without some spiritual change coming about in us, when you think of the path He took from Godhead’s fullest glory, down to Calvary’s depth of woe. He has set on the line for us that we might follow in obedience; but the death of the cross was His, not ours. Now I think these three brothers set out something of this. Paul is not an apostle in this epistle, he is a bondman. He could not, in the light of chapter 2, call himself an apostle; that is not the line of his ministry, it is more influential, more pattern, something to be followed. That is the idea in Philippians. Brothers who lead in the locality should
take that on. We begin by way of setting something on, not merely by what we say, but in the way of example.
We begin with Timothy. See what Paul says about him. Some of us are not young any more, but dear younger brothers, listen to what he says about Timotheus, “But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus to you shortly, that I also may be refreshed, knowing how ye get on.
For I have no one like-minded who will care with genuine feeling how ye get on”. I think Timothy, in his youth, was setting something on. He had really absorbed, so to speak, the greatness of Christ as the consecration offering in the beginning of the chapter, he is coming out himself like that. I would encourage the younger people, younger brothers and sisters too, to feed on Christ, to absorb Him. At the consecration offering in Leviticus 8 there were two rams; one was killed and offered, the second was killed too and the blood put upon the priest, on the tip of his right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the great toe of his right foot. Now that is not exactly for redemption, though all the value of redemption is there. The Lord’s claims are in that, but that is not the intention of it, it is that the quality of his consecration, the quality of his service might be complete. Do not forget that. The blood is applied to us in that respect, that precious blood. Although that is not mentioned in this chapter in connection with Christ’s down-coming and down-stooping, still, we carry the value of that. We carry the value of it, on our ear, on our thumb and on our foot. We are covered, so to speak, by this great thought of what the precious blood of Christ is. Now when I contemplate that, then I think of my ear, my hand and my foot. I contemplate Christ, His devotedness, what it meant for Him in consecration to the divine will, and the more I absorb that the better I will be. I think Timothy had absorbed that. Paul had “no one like-minded who will care with genuine feeling”. You cannot read chapter 2 of this epistle, about the down-stooping of Jesus, without being affected in your soul and in your
heart. You become genuine with the precious blood upon you. It is expected from you as the blood is put on you. It is not exactly obligation, but still it is expected from you that you are fully consecrated, you are fully devoted.
Along with that the ram had to be boiled, not roast with fire, it had to be boiled. Now that is in keeping with what I said about the blood; it is not exactly atonement or redemption, but still all the value is there, in the boiling. It is not so severe as the roasting, and they are to eat it at the door of the tent of meeting. Now are the young Timothies listening? I am including the sisters too, they are to eat it at the tent of meeting. This ram, boiled, they are to eat it at the tent of meeting for seven days, and they are not to give up their service, they are not to depart from the tent of meeting. That is a complete committal in consecration and devotedness. I think you would agree with me that most of us, all of us perhaps, are half-hearted, casual. We want to study Philippians 2 more, and absorb something of the down-stooping of Jesus. You read that chapter, read it on your knees; go into your closet and open your Bible before you and pray over it; ask the Spirit to help you to absorb something of the down-stooping of Jesus, the blessed One who became obedient even unto death. He stands in contrast to Adam. Mr. Darby gives that in the footnote in his translation of the Bible. This whole section is in contrast to the first Adam, whose mind, after he came under influence from the devil, was upward. You think of the mind that was in Christ Jesus, Paul says, let it be in you or among you. Dear brethren, if that was with us everywhere there would not be those troubles that we have, often with one another. Let this mind be among you, the mind to go down, in contrast to all that is around us that savours of the first man and his works.
So Timothy is a young brother and his name means ‘honoured of God’. He is called into the fellowship, he
is honoured of God and he valued it, right from the beginning of his history in the book of Acts. He was taken up by God, the son of a Jewish believing woman and his father a Greek; think of the sovereignty of God in that. He was brought in to replace John Mark. But he was such a brother. Timothy, he did not pride himself that he had come in to take John Mark’s place; he worked things out with John Mark later on. Paul said to Timothy, When you come bring John Mark with you for he is profitable to me for the ministry. You could imagine Timothy, how he would work in any difficulties and problems. You think of his activities and his concern about how the saints get on. Paul says there is nobody like him. Would you not like a distinction like that? Nobody like you, concerned about how the saints are getting on.
Paul says, “For all seek their own things, not the things of Jesus Christ”. We will leave that negative. “But ye know the proof of him, that, as a child a father, he has served with me in the work of the glad tidings”. This is my point, into this matter of his consecration and devotedness comes this thought that he worked with Paul, as a child, a father, is that not wonderful? You think of the atmosphere of that relationship, a child and a father, how they would work together. If Paul was making a tent and needed something, you can see Timothy reaching him the needle or the threads or the shears. So he worked with him as a father in the glad tidings, he was there fitting in with him, he was there alongside of him. What blessed relationships and conditions there would be, how happy things would be between them. Then he says, “Him therefore I hope to send immediately, as soon as I shall see how it goes with me”.
Now I come to Epaphroditus. His name means ‘Beautiful’. He is appearing in the skin of another’s burnt-offering; he is beautiful or fascinating, pardon me using that word, fascinating, but he was fascinating this man, Epaphroditus. You think of his consecration.
Paul says, first, he was sick close to death, then he says he
ventured his life, Philippians 2: 30, “because for the sake of the work he drew near even to death, venturing his life”. You think of that devotedness, that consecration! I would like to have been like Epaphroditus, and the extent of his consecration. He came close to death. This is the length, dear brethren, to which his consecration went. Where did he learn that? He learned that in chapter 2. I would like you to read that chapter; read about the down-stooping of Christ, absorb that; that is what he learned. If you want to learn anything that is where you will learn it, you will learn it from Christ. You will learn it among the brethren, you will see it in somebody maybe, but you will learn it from Christ. Epaphroditus ventured his life, what a consecration!
Would that we, dear brethren, were marked by these features in this world, with so much in the way of profession; here is a real man. The Philippians were distressed because they had heard that he was sick. He must have been either a Philippian, because he brought something to Paul as he says in the last chapter, or he was well-known at any rate by the Philippians, because they had heard about him being sick. They were distressed about that, and he was distressed because they were distressed. That is the idea, beloved brethren, of having the saints in our affections. He was upset because they had heard he was sick. Paul goes over it twice, saying, “he was also sick close to death”, and again, “because for the sake of the work he drew near even to death, venturing his life that he might fill up what lacked in your ministration toward me”. Obviously, Paul deals tenderly with these Philippians, they must have been coming short in something. You must speak carefully about this happy company, but there was something that Paul perhaps should have had from them, and he did not have it, but Epaphroditus would say, I will make it up to you. Think of that! One would wish that this kind of thing, this consecration, this devotedness be found amongst us—I will make it up to you.
Now I come to Paul himself. What had he absorbed of that wondrous offering in Philippians 2? Think of what he was prepared to do, there was nobody like Saul of Tarsus in the whole of Israel. I suppose he could have commanded a prominent position in the Sanhedrin had he gone on that line. He enumerates seven things he could have traded with, he could have made much of them, he could have gained for himself quite a reputation, and made for himself a name in Israel. There were seven things, you go over them, and study them one by one. He gave them all up, all in order that he might gain Christ. Such was his consecration, such his devotedness that he would divest himself of what belonged to him rightly, he would divest himself of it all that he might gain Christ. His name was Paul, that means ‘little’; how little he became. How could anybody be great in the light of chapter 2 of this epistle, how could they?
Can you think of him divesting himself like Jonathan? You remember how Jonathan gave up his robe, and his girdle, even his sword (1 Samuel 18: 4). Now he was a military man, the last thing a military man would surrender is his sword, but Jonathan gave up his sword. I am not going to say what he did not give up, but he went that length anyway. Here is Paul, he is divesting himself of everything that belonged to him legitimately, he gave everything up in view of gaining Christ, for the “excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord”. Such was his resolution in his consecration, as having fed on Christ, that he would give up everything for the sake of that.
How much do we sacrifice? I read of Mr. Raven saying, that he would expect that anybody coming into fellowship would have something to give up. Have you ever given anything up?
What have you sacrificed? What have you given up in view of gaining Christ? The more you give up, like Paul, the more you have of Christ, as he says, “that I may gain Christ; and that I may be found in him, not having my righteousness, which would be on the principle of law, but that which is by faith of
Christ, the righteousness which is of God, through faith”. He wanted to come out in the beauty of Christ. That is one great privilege, beloved brethren, we all could have, while we are awaiting His coming to take us, as it says, “our commonwealth has its existence in the heavens, from which also we await the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour”, Philippians 3: 20.
While waiting for that may it be our endeavour and our resolution to come out more like Christ down here. May He bless the word.
Address at Dundee, 18 February 1995
SERVICE FOR THE LORD
W. McKillop
Mark 1: 1; 3: 13–15; Acts 12: 25; 13: 1, 2; 15: 36; 20: 24
Mark presents the Lord from the outset in his ministerial position in service. This gospel specially bears on those who serve. The writer immediately brings before us tried, proved and qualified humanity, “Beginning of the glad tidings of Jesus Christ”, and he immediately adds,
“Son of God”. This thought of Son of God is to cover the whole of the Lord’s service in this gospel. The Lord carries on His service in Mark from this point of view, “Son of God”. We might not think that Mark presenting the Lord as the Servant would emphasise that immediately, but it is to be in our minds from the outset of this gospel that the Servant before us is the Son of God. All that Mark records in his gospel takes colour from this presentation of Christ.
As we take up levitical service, we would do so from the point of view of sonship; sonship underlies all service. The service is to be characterised by spiritual liberty, spiritual dignity, and spiritual intelligence. The divine thought is that those who take up service should
do so in spiritual liberty in their own souls. While we take it up in the attitude of bondmanship, yet inwardly what would characterise the servant would be the liberty of sonship. It would be the divine thought that those who take up service should do so intelligently; they should be marked by the intelligence of sonship. The Lord raises questions with persons throughout the gospel, saying to some, for instance, Have ye never read? A point we did not touch on in the reading, and it comes to my mind now, is to urge upon those who are younger to read the Scriptures and the ministry. It should not have to be said now to any servant in this dispensation. Have ye never read? I do want to encourage those who are younger to addict themselves to reading the Scriptures and the ministry. The apostle says to Timothy, “give thyself to reading”. He does not say, Give thyself to tennis or to holidays, or to staying away from the meetings, but “give thyself to reading”, 1 Timothy 4: 13. A son of God setting out on levitical service on the line of bondmanship would feel that he must rightly represent God in taking up service. The truth should be exemplified in us as we minister the truth.
It is always an exercise to have something fresh from the Spirit to say to the beloved brethren.
At one point in the history of Elisha, there were certain who said that the place was too strait for them, so they needed expanded room. Elisha went with them, he did not say a word against it, but as one of them was felling a beam the axe head fell into the water. He was engaged in a large project, felling a beam, and perhaps that was beyond the measure of his gift. He says, “Alas, master, and it was borrowed!”, 2 Kings 6: 5. I would urge on all who are younger to get something directly from the Spirit when you are going to serve; borrowing something may work for a time, but it is sure to be exposed. It is striking that in dealing with that matter Elisha cut down a stick, not a beam. He was teaching, I would say, that young prophet a lesson; keep to your measure, and do not attempt to deal with what is beyond your measure by
borrowing an axe that belongs to someone else.
There is a more sobering word in Jeremiah where God speaks concerning the prophets in a way that is very testing. In particular He says, “behold, I am against the prophets, saith Jehovah, that steal my words every one from his neighbour” (Jeremiah 23: 30). It is bad enough to borrow the axe, but it is worse to steal somebody else’s words. God says I am against the prophets “that steal my words every one from his neighbour”. The words do not lose their value. He still says they are My words; they do not belong to the person who has misappropriated them. I do not want to enlarge on that particularly but I would commend to those of us who are serving that God is looking over the whole prophetic scene. He says to Jeremiah concerning the prophets, that every one of them is under the eye of God; He is examining their methods, the source from which they get things, and the circumstances in which they present them. It is solemn that He says, “I am against the prophets ... that steal my words every one from his neighbour”. I would not like to be a prophet and have God against me. Beloved brethren, let us make things our own through exercise morally with the Lord and the Spirit, so that it is clear that what we minister really belongs to us, we have made it our own.
In Mark 3 the Lord selected persons. We are not in those inaugural days, but the Lord is still working on the same principle, “he goes up into the mountain”. We alluded to the mountain of God already. The Lord “goes up into the mountain, and calls whom he himself would, and they went to him”. It may be that the Lord is calling someone. There are several younger men here today, and the question is, Will you go where He is so that He can bring you into His service on spiritual lines? I am not deprecating that someone may preach here and there—and the brethren tell them, We enjoyed that—but I want to emphasise the urgency of being with Christ, and serving from the point of view of nearness to Christ.
(There is a whole series of meetings in Belfast with Mr. James Taylor on Nearness to Christ and Public Service, New Series Vol. 29. If you have not read them, I would urge you to read them). So He “calls whom he himself would”. The Lord is sovereign in this matter. I would say to myself as representing one locality, and to all the brethren from every other locality represented here, that we need to be thinking more about what the Lord has in mind in regard of the preaching, fellowship meetings, and three-day meetings. Are we sufficiently exercised in our localities about whom He Himself would send. A brother was saying to me between the meetings that he feels the gospel has become a matter of rotation in some localities. The care of the gospel should involve exercise. As another has said, really the preaching of the glad tidings is the greatest service. I have to confess we have this same exercise in my locality. The Lord would have us more exercised about the selection of persons for every service. So they “went to him”, those are the persons you want, those that go to Christ on the mountain; that displays spiritual energy, they leave other things, leave them morally and spiritually and they go to Him where He is.
He appointed twelve. I am not thinking about the Lord officially appointing persons among us but He reserves the right to appoint whom He will. I am thinking about the fact that Mark records “he appointed twelve”. As we have often heard, twelve is the number that represents the workability of love. We spoke on that at the end of the reading, that Moses and Aaron needed each other, and we need one another. As I stand here and speak to you, I need you because there is a reservoir of faith and love in the souls of the saints who are listening to me, and that helps me. I think anyone standing here would say the same thing, that what he is conscious of in the saints helps him in what he has to say. So it says, “And he appointed twelve that they might be with him, and that he might send them to preach”—“send them”—
it is not a question of
your turn or the rotation, but that the Lord is sending persons to preach. Those who have care of the gospel need to be with Him about whom He is sending for this Lord’s day. Then it says, “and to have power”—note that. If there is anything that we would desire in service, it is power. Without the active power of the Holy Spirit in this meeting there would be no result for God, but I am assured there will be because of the faith and love that is in the saints.
I referred to these men in the book of the Acts because they set out certain things that would help us to understand how to be in the Lord’s work. In Acts 12, “Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, having fulfilled the service entrusted to them”. That is a great point to have in our minds that we fulfil the service entrusted to us. The apostle Paul wrote, “And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, to the end that thou fulfil it”, Colossians 4: 17. Evidently he had grown careless about what the Lord had given him, and so the apostle exhorts him by saying, “Take heed”. These men returned
“having fulfilled the service entrusted to them”. This would bring out that they were trustworthy. Every person who has some part in levitical service should be marked by this feature of trustworthiness, enabled, through grace, to fulfil what has been committed or entrusted to him. Here there were two. Barnabas is put first, showing that Saul is able to take a second place. It is always an important matter that you can support another in the opening out of the truth.
The Spirit, in Acts 13, says, “Separate me now Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them”. The Spirit is still speaking on this line in regard of levitical service. He has come down and remains here; the Lord is on high, and the operational side of things here is all under the Spirit. He is speaking here as a divine Person, “Separate me now Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them”. He does not
say what the work is, but that He has called them to it. It is here, I would think, that Barnabas and Saul received their commission. Paul was earlier selected as an elect vessel, another principle that enters into service, involving the sovereignty of the Lord; but here it is the active commission, and it is the result of the Spirit speaking in this assembly. If I am going to serve, I have to understand what it is the Spirit has called me to do on any given occasion. I am quite clear in using these scriptures, beloved brethren, that we are not apostles and that we are not in the inaugural church, the inaugural period of the testimony, but I do not see that the Lord and the Spirit have changed the principles on which they operate in regard of levitical service.
At the end of Acts 15 it says, “But after certain days Paul said to Barnabas, Let us return now and visit the brethren in every city where we have announced the word of the Lord, and see how they are getting on”. There is no suggestion here of an invitation; they did not have invitations from all the places where they had announced the word of the Lord. The great apostle is exercising levitical discrimination here, and he says to Barnabas, “Let us return now and visit the brethren in every city where we have announced the word of the Lord”. It is not the word of God but the word of the Lord; the word of the Lord meaning that the Lord is dealing in His word with conditions that had to be met. Paul is exercised to see what remains as a result of their labours, so he says, “and see how they are getting on”. I would encourage those who serve, who have the time and the means, to move on this principle. It brings out very clearly the idea of being sent. An invitation to serve in meetings usually indicates that the Lord would send you to that place, but there is such a thing as the servant being exercised himself, and reaching the conclusion that he ought to go and see how the brethren are getting on. Paul proposed that here to Barnabas. You might go with another brother if he was similarly exercised; generally we go one by one, but no scripture
precludes two of us going if we are similarly exercised. The point I am at is whether there is levitical exercise and energy with us to return to places where we have served to see how the brethren are getting on. Paul commended Timothy saying he had “no one like-minded who will care with genuine feeling how ye get on”, Philippians 2: 20. I would urge again those who are in the work who have the time and means to act on this principle. I believe the Lord or the Spirit would say, I will be with you in that. You are not going there for a holiday, you are going where the word of the Lord was announced, and you are going to see how the brethren are getting on. I am quite assured that the Lord would say, I will be with you in it, and the blessed Spirit would say, I will be with you in that. The less formality there is among us the better, because the more love there is the less formality there will be. What we have here is levitical love on the part of Paul to return and see how the brethren are getting on.
I refer in closing to the word I read in Acts 20. The great apostle says, “I make no account of my life as dear to myself”. He is saying I am not going to spare myself. The brethren who have read Mr. Darby’s letters will remember he said, when he began to read the Scriptures following his conversion, what struck him in reading the gospels was, here was a Man, Jesus, who never did anything for Himself. Mr. Darby said that laid hold of his soul. We would have to say it worked out in him too. You can read his letters and you will see levitical energy even to the advanced years of his life. Paul says, “I make no account of my life as dear to myself”. He is really saying that the value of my life is what it is for Christ and what it is for the saints. Then he says, “so that I finish my course”—that should be a great matter before us, that we finish our course, every one of us. It is a matter of special import for those who are older; How are you going to finish? It may be in physical weakness, the Lord knows, but the Spirit of God would enable us to finish in spiritual brightness. Paul is not
thinking of dropping out or stopping before he reaches the goal when he says, “so that I finish my course, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus”. How touching it is that he uses that title, “the Lord Jesus”! How that would move the heart of these saints as they read that! How it moves our hearts as we think of him saying, “the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus”! It implies really that his ministry was because of Christ’s love for the assembly. And all true ministry is the result of Christ’s love for the assembly. Then he adds, “to testify the glad tidings of the grace of God”. It is wonderful to go on finishing your course and testifying the glad tidings of the grace of God.
Beloved brethren, that is my message at the moment. I trust the Lord will use it to stimulate greater spiritual energy among us, greater desire to be helpful to one another, and greater desire to learn how to become skilful in serving one another in love, so that the divine thought in all service is reached; that there is pure affection for Christ and that the service of God is carried on by the Spirit and in truth.
Address at Edinburgh, 19 August 1995
GROWTH AND PROGRESS
A. J. E. Welch
Luke 2: 41–52; Ephesians 4: 10–16; 1 Timothy 4: 13–16
I want to speak briefly about growth and progress. God delights that we should grow in respect of His things. He has made wonderful provision for growth; that is brought out in the second scripture we read. But I thought it fitting to refer to Jesus to indicate how growth was seen even with Him. The spirit of worship is provoked as we read this passage, seeing the idea of
growth being connected with God’s beloved Son. It is to bring out the perfection of His manhood. That is to be an occupation of heart and mind with us, the manhood of Jesus. Luke very feelingly records the early days of His sojourn here, and this passage brings out how definitely He took up what was due to His Father. We are told that He went to Jerusalem with His parents; His parents are spoken of in that simple way, and Luke gives us a good deal about them in these chapters. For a time He remained behind in Jerusalem when they had left; they sought Him and found Him sitting in the midst of the teachers in the temple, and asking them questions. What an affecting sight to see the boy Jesus in the temple! He is spoken of as
“the boy”, “the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem”. It would affect our spirits to see how the Spirit of God records that, when we think of who He was, and who He is. Beloved brethren, let us think about the glory of the Person of Jesus. Personally He was God, unchangingly God. It has been said that He never ceased to be who He was on account of what He became, and we see that in this scripture. The One spoken of as “the boy Jesus” in His Person was God. God drawn near to men in this glorious Person, in Jesus Himself found in manhood. Think of that in the light of who He was! As we think of that our hearts rise up adoringly and worshipfully. Let us give our hearts and minds to the contemplation of Jesus, having in our minds who He was.
It says of His parents when they saw Him they were amazed, and His mother raises the question, “why past thou dealt thus with us?” She had knowledge of who He was; fancy asking a question such as this! And the reply from Jesus is, “did ye not know that I ought to be occupied in my Father’s business?” That is the taking up of responsibility, the acceptance of responsibility, what was before Him was His Father’s business. What an acknowledgment from One who was a boy of twelve years! We can understand that, according to Luke 2: 50, they understood not. What an amazing thing it is, that
One found in boyhood at the age of twelve, Himself no less than God, had committed Himself to His Father’s business. I believe this is a wonderful contemplation, to attract our hearts into the way in which God has had to deal with men, drawing near to men in all their need, and setting out absolute perfection of manhood in Jesus.
Dear brethren, we have a responsible place to fill, for what is called for in us, at the present time, is commitment. I believe the Lord would speak to us about commitment, a searching thought, but a stimulating thought. How worthy is this glorious Person of entire commitment to what He would entrust to us responsibly. What are we occupied with? We cannot speak exactly as we can of Jesus; but we can speak of our responsibility as called into the testimony of God, as called into the interests of Christ, the interests of this glorious Person. So let us be committed to Him. I am making a very simple appeal, it would affect all of us, the young ones, but not only the young ones, for the Lord would secure commitment with every one of us. How worthy He is that He should have it!
Then it says finally in Luke 2: 52, “And Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men”. When one thinks of His perfection in manhood, it becomes affecting that it should speak of His advancing in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men.
The uniqueness of Christ, beloved brethren, is to test us more. How simple some of these statements are, but the One about whom they speak is God’s beloved Son.
Now as we go further we find that God would have growth with all of us; He has made wonderful provision for it. He has exalted Christ. We can say, if this is a better way to express it, that His beloved Son has ascended into a place of power. What a descent preceded that! He descended into the lower parts of the earth, one of the most affecting references to the death
of Jesus, to meet every adverse power, the power of death itself. Why should we not grow?
Why should we not increase in what is precious to Christ? The enemy would put every possible obstacle in the way, but the Lord Jesus, by going into death, has broken the power of all that, and He has ascended up on high, in triumph, leading captivity captive. The whole principle of captivity, into which man has fallen through sin, the whole power of that is broken, and now the One who ascended engages our attention in the wonder of what He has done. This scripture reminds us of what He is still doing, what He would do in this meeting maybe, because He has given gifts, the gifts that have been in the testimony since Pentecost.
God has used those gifts. We have some of them given us as examples, apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers, all for the benefit of His saints, so that what He has for Himself might be strengthened through the growth of those who know Him. The gifts are given for the perfecting of the saints, that expression intimates full growth.
Think of the truth, beloved brethren, which has been opened out for us. Think of the apostles, who early in this time of the Spirit, set forth that truth. We read of the teaching and fellowship of the apostles (see Acts 2: 42), and in wonderful grace God has brought us into that, and indeed, we are responsible in regard to it. The wonderful divine principles that were committed to the apostles, have come down to us through the ministry of the truth. Have we grown through those things? Have we developed in understanding of divine truth? What provision God has made! Have we taken that provision? Because growth is in mind in that,
“for the perfecting of the saints”. That does not suggest that any one of us is reaching perfection, it is the way the scripture has of expressing full growth. How attractive it is to God to have in His saints full growth, the taking on of so much that He has committed to us.
Then it says, “with a view to the work of the ministry”. The work of the ministry has gone on dear brethren, it has come right down to this
present time, this time of reviving. Indeed, how God has acted in blessing from His side that we may all come into the experience of the very best that His love can provide, growing by it, being formed like Christ by the ministry of the truth.
Verse 13 reminds us of the objective—“until we all arrive at the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, at the full-grown man”. How attractive that is, to be like Christ in full growth. Then we are warned in order that we may be no longer babes. Some of us have been babes long enough, “tossed and carried about by every wind of that teaching which is in the sleight of men”. Have we been turned away, dear brethren, by clever men? How busy the enemy is, bringing in so many things to divert the saints. We have all met things which are intended of Satan to divert us, but what has come to us in the truth would protect us. The administration that God has carried through is to protect us. I say these things that we may value what has been committed to the saints, that we may all be growing towards the great end in mind, the full-grown man, growing as having come into the working of this wonderful system of things, established in an ascended Christ and in the Spirit sent by Him. How much of that we would know in experience; how God is coming in to stimulate us, to strengthen energy among us. What energy there was at the beginning! The Acts of the Apostles present to us a great course of energy.
When such precious things are in question shall we fail, beloved brethren? Are we ready to commit ourselves? Have we any appreciation of the mind of God conveyed to us first in the glad tidings, but enlarged to us by this working of the ministry? I say that in an affectionate challenge, a challenge which I accept for myself. God has made wonderful provision for us; established this wonderful system, not a human system, but a divinely established system, borne witness to in Scripture, and enlarged to us in the service of the Spirit.
Well, the end in mind is growth. Is it not attractive to become more like Christ? Is it not attractive to furnish something for the heart of God? Because all this is in view in this scripture that, “we may grow up to him in all things, who is the head, the Christ”. Then we have the assembly brought in on the line of increase, “the increase of the body to its self-building up in love”, a prosperous suggestion. Think of the poverty of things in man’s world!
Think of the glory of things in God’s world! To which, shall we devote ourselves? Let us devote ourselves to God’s world and understand something of growth. How every meeting that we attend should bring out something that leads to growth. I trust that suggestion may strengthen us.
But then a word about progress in 1 Timothy 4. It leads us to think of that affectionate link between Paul and Timothy, how Timotheus knew what it was to serve with Paul. Paul speaks of him as like-minded, he valued the respect and affection of Timothy; they were like a father and a son. Paul addressing Timothy as his son, how close the connection was. Paul stood for the glory of this great system we have been speaking of, and he was urging upon Timothy to devote himself to it—“give thyself to reading”, he says, “to exhortation, to teaching. Be not negligent of the gift that is in thee”. What appealing things these are! We are not to be negligent, and we would remember the affectionate bond that was there. We have had fathers in divine things; how much has been bestowed upon us by beloved ones who have stood for divine things, and now Paul says to Timothy, “Occupy thyself”. What are we occupied with?
Brothers and sisters, old and young, what are we occupied with? What is engaging our attention? What is engaging our strength, our energy? How much there is in reference to the truth to which we can devote our energy. Sometimes we look at that bookcase, full of precious ministry, it calls for sacrifice, it raises the question, Shall we go in for that fully?
That is how growth will become evident. The Lord could ask the
question, “But which of you by being careful can add to his stature ...?”, Luke 12: 25. So Paul says, “Occupy thyself with these things; be wholly in them”. Well, dear brethren, I leave all of us with that word, “be wholly in them”. This is what I spoke of in regard of progress, as Paul says to Timothy, “that thy progress may be manifest to all”, that we are more in the current of these things today than we have been before; if that is so that is progress. Shall we have more of these things engaging us in a week’s time if the Lord leaves us here? That is what is meant by progress.
So that the two lines are very close to one another, growth and progress. May it appeal to us and be for the glory of Christ. May we answer to the appeal for His name’s sake.
Address at Endbach
31 January 1987