THE SPIRIT OF THE DISPENSATION

A.B.Parker

Acts 4: 32-38; Revelation 3: 8-11

These scriptures speak of what was outstanding at the beginning of the dispensation and, clearly, was very precious to heaven; then, in Revelation, there is the indication of what is very precious to the heart of Christ at the end of the dispensation. We are at the end; we cannot have part in what was at the beginning. I do not suppose that will ever be arrived at again, but we can admire what was so wondrously developed at the beginning. Acts 4: 4 says that the number of the men had become about five thousand. That happened very quickly. Three thousand had been added on the day of Pentecost and it says that "they persevered in the teaching and fellowship of the apostles, in breaking of bread and prayers ", Acts 2: 42. They persevered not merely continued, but persevered. It would be difficult to imagine so many suddenly put together and all persevering in this way. How devoted and committed they must have been! How very real things were! "Not one said that anything of what he possessed was his own, but all things were common to them ... For neither was there any one in want among them; for as many as were owners of lands or houses, selling them, brought the price of what was sold and laid it at the feet of the apostles; and distribution was made to each according as any one might have need". From the time the law was given, heaven was looking for an answer to it from God's people. Now, the Spirit having come, consequent upon Christ being glorified, the law is being fulfilled by these persons in a remarkable way, not as a legal requirement but in the freshness of love in the Spirit. Galatians 5: 14 says "the whole law is fulfilled in one word, in Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself”. Here was a demonstration of it - thousands of men, women and children, each loving his neighbour as himself, not considering what he had his own, but having all things common. What a delight to heaven!

The way in which Ananias and Sapphira were dealt with so summarily because they had misrepresented this great movement would indicate how precious it was to heaven. They had attempted to re present themselves as being a part of this living organism in its purely unselfish character, but they were secretly holding back part for themselves. It was not exactly what they did with the property: Peter makes that clear. It was the seriousness of their misrepresentation in claiming to be so wholly in what was proceeding but, in reality, being animated by selfishness. It was a misrepresentation of what was so pleasingly current, and the Spirit of God, through Peter, dealt summarily, in the most severe discipline, with Ananias and Sapphira. It serves to stress how delightful to heaven was the state of the saints.

A somewhat similar situation occurred when Moses smote the rock in Numbers 20. We may think that his so doing was hardly enough cause for Moses to be deprived of going into the land, but his action misrepresented what God had arrived at. He was told to take the staff of Aaron which had budded and to speak to the rock. That staff was the assurance that a new generation would be brought into being through the death of Christ, what is out of Christ; a new generation in which God would find delight. In the anticipation of this He could turn aside from the murmurings of the people: "I will make to cease from before me the murmurings of the children of Israel" Num 17: 5. Actually the murmurings did not cease, but they ceased from before God, because He was going on with what had budded and blossomed and ripened almonds. God is bringing in a people that are of Christ, like Him, and who are going through. God is presently engaged with that. So that when Moses with his rod the rod of authority - smote the rock instead of speaking to it, God told him that he could not go into the land. He had misrepresented the dispensation of grace. I have referred to this because it shows, again, how serious it is to misrepresent what is so precious to the heart of God at any point in the testimony.

We, now, are at the end of the dispensation. We are ashamed of the part we have had in misrepresenting the dispensation in our day, and we can understand the rightness of God's hand of government upon us; but we justify Him in it because His government expresses His righteousness. But now He would engage us with what is precious to Him and to Christ. The Lord Jesus has indicated that, at by the end of the dispensation, there will be certain in whom heaven will have special delight. We should earnestly desire to be numbered amongst such, dear brethren. Let us never say that we are such persons! Let us never be presumptuous; but let us be in earnest, longing to be a part of the wonderful company of whom the Lord Jesus can say "Thou hast a little power, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name". Think of what it means to Him, in the presence of the conditions which exist in the profession, of which we are part, to have some who are not denying His name and who are keeping the word of His patience. This gives a moral basis for the Lord to preserve such from the world as it grows worse and worse. He says "I also will keep thee out of the hour of trial which is about to come upon the whole habitable world". May we be conscious of being kept! David, in the cave of Adullam, was conscious of being in the shadow of Jehovah's wings (see Ps 57: 1). If we are under His wings we are very near to Him whose wings they are. Think of God putting His wings over us and holding us near! May He ever hold us near! But then there is the other side, for the Lord Jesus has said that He will cause certain persons "to know that I have loved thee" . Not only is the Lord's personal love to be known by us, but it will be made evident to those who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie, and those persons will be made to do homage. That is His matter, His prerogative; but it shows how precious it is to the Lord Jesus to have those at the end of the dispensation who are true to Him, "the holy, the true". We know something about being misunderstood. Do we know enough about being understood, and loved? The Lord Jesus knows our motives; He knows our desires; He knows if we have a little strength, if we are not denying His name and if we are keeping the word of His patience. Can we say that we are? What a list from which to take an inventory, to see where we stand spiritually! Are we giving the Lord Jesus occasion to love us? We have the opportunity; it is our privilege at the very end of the dispensation, at the very time the Lord Jesus had in mind. Are we having part in this? How one longs to be more conscious of being kept, divinely! "I also will keep thee". That seems to be just like the Lord putting His wing over us and holding us near. Whilst being in the midst of the troubled conditions in this world, the trouble does not reach us. We are under the wings of Jehovah, as David could say. May we know more about it, not only for our own satisfaction and comfort, but to increase in the knowledge of God and the love of Christ and the comfort of the blessed Spirit, that we may truly worship God in spirit and in truth, for His Name's sake.

BROOKLYN NY

11 December 1973