NEARNESS TO CHRIST AND PUBLIC SERVICE (4)
[p. 201] NEARNESS TO CHRIST AND PUBLIC SERVICE (4)
JT This chapter is especially for those who serve. The Lord had wrought from chapter 4 to chapter 7 alone, as it were. The apostles were not much in evidence. In chapter 8 they are with Him, and crossing in the boat with Him, but now they are sent out to serve by themselves; He sends them out. I think that we may be helped as we view this chapter from the standpoint of those who serve. What is to be noted is that the Lord calls the twelve together, a word that has its place, I think, among those who serve, that they should be together through the Lord’s call. There is a general unity, which, of course, involves the assembly; but then there is a unity that should especially mark those who serve, I think. Do you not think so?
HD'AC Yes, indeed.
Ques A unity that marks those who serve, did you say?
JT Well, a unity that belongs to those who serve.
HD'AC Later on, when they went out in their service at Pentecost, there was no divergence, there was no difference of thought.
JT In the main the apostles were held together; the Lord, indeed, had prayed for that, that they should be one; (John 17). There should be that sort of thing in relation to the testimony. We see how it was worked out in connection with Paul and those labouring with him; how the unity was maintained with Jerusalem. So that, not only are the saints as a whole bound up in unity, the unity of the Spirit, but those who serve are specially to be united in the [p. 202] service, that there should not be any independency. The unity of the Spirit enters into the whole position. The unity of the faith enters into it, too, but it lies largely with those who serve; that the service bears in one direction, that is the unity of the faith: “until we all arrive at the unity of the faith”, (Ephesians 4:13).
Ques Do you say that this is more connected with the unity of the faith?
JT Well, I thought so; the gifts in Ephesians 4 are to that end, “until we all arrive at the unity of the faith”. That is to say, that there should be no divergence in the teaching.
Ques Would you open that out a little more?
JT Well, it is just that one sees in this chapter that the Lord has the twelve in His mind, and in sending them out He calls them together; the teaching, the ministry, should not be on independent lines; it is really based as much on unity as the church is. Indeed, if the ministry be not that, there will be cleavage and partisan feeling among the saints.
Rem So that there is no divergence, they are all on the same lines.
JT That is right. You see how it worked out at Corinth; one said, “I am of Paul”, and another, “I of Apollos”. There was no divergence between these ministers; Paul and Apollos were on the same line, but the apostle is not really referring to himself and Apollos, but to local persons — persons at Corinth; there were different schools there. He had transferred the thing to himself and Apollos for their sakes.
Ques And even there, would you say, the planter and the waterer are one — is this the unity to which you referred?
JT Yes, that is right; it emphasises what I was remarking, Paul plants and Apollos waters, but God gives the increase; (1 Corinthians 3:7,8).
[p. 203] Rem It would be wrong for us to think, like Martha, that we are left to serve alone.
JT We are not left to serve alone — there are many serving, and the Lord would call them together.
Rem Psalm 133 would indicate the unity of the Spirit — the brethren dwelling together in unity; and then, in the next psalm we have, “all ye servants of Jehovah”; there is unity connected with the thought of service, dependent on Christ having His right place as in Psalm 132.
JT Just so. And then you will find that in Psalm 135 the house of Levi is called in — there is the principle of service. In Psalm 134 it says, “Behold, bless Jehovah, all ye servants of Jehovah”; and then in the next psalm, “house of Aaron, bless ye Jehovah; house of Levi, bless ye Jehovah”. The varied branches of the service are called upon to the same employ, showing that all are called into the unity expressed in praise.
Ques Is it illustrated in the history of so-called ‘brethren’ — Satan divided them? He knew what power there would be if they remained united.
JT Yes. You see in the public history of the church how it was broken up into the Eastern and Western branches, besides minor sections in Asia and Africa; and then in our own times into numberless branches.
Ques Is the thought in “One is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren” (Matthew 23:8) and “See that ye fall not out by the way”?
JT Quite so; and the Lord’s service in the last supper has that in view, that we should serve one another in love — the servants particularly are in view. It is not for nothing that the Spirit tells us here that the Lord calls them together. They had been with Him, and in the boat with Him, now He calls them together; they are sent out together, as immediately under His call and influence.
[p. 204] Ques Would the table of shewbread illustrate it at all — the twelve loaves on the table?
JT I think so. As we were remarking yesterday, ‘the twelve’ suggests material for the Lord’s use, that He can manipulate to the best advantage. In order to be thus available to Christ, love must underlie our relations with one another; we must have no personal motives or ambitions, but be just at the Lord’s bidding.
Ques I suppose Psalm 133 would bring that out beautifully?
JT Yes; brethren dwelling together.
Rem If one may refer to what we had elsewhere with regard to Aaron going to find Moses — both sides are necessary. That is, the levite is connected with the sanctuary and all the service of God. And then, there is Moses, a man who has been under discipline in the wilderness; these two working together are able to gather the saints together, and convey the mind of God to them; as at Antioch, Saul and Barnabas go together. The christian takes character from the ministry he receives.
Ques Did the twelve go out together, and return together?
JT We know that elsewhere it says that He sent them out “by two and two”. They might go anywhere, as the Lord directed, but they would be in accord with one another.
Ques A spiritual combination in relation to divine things — was that the Lord’s thought?
JT Yes. There is a needs-be for being called together. In the beginning of Numbers the heads of the tribes were such as were summoned on all occasions. Moses would always summon them when necessary, and they were supposed to be available, so that their names are given. The princes of the congregation are called in due course, for the altar is to be dedicated; their offerings indicate perfect [p. 205] unity, they are perfectly united in their minds and affections; each one offered as the others. And then, all the offerings combined are there — a standing witness to the unity of the leaders. It was a real unity; (Numbers 7).
Ques Does that verse in Philippians 2:4 apply, “Look not every man on his own things, but every-man also on the things of others”?
JT Yes; “If there be therefore any consolation in Christ ... if any fellowship of the Spirit”, (verse 1), then they are to think the same thing — “thinking one thing”. The Lord is graciously providing ministers to serve the saints — we ought to be most thankful for it; for the variety of ministry and energy that there is — but it is important that it should be borne in mind that the ministry is under the Lord; He called them together, and then gave them power and authority — it was all at one time. And the furnishings imply “authority over all demons”; whatever variety of demons there might be, they had authority over them; “and to heal diseases”, another thing that is important; and “to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick”. We see, therefore, that the Lord intends those who minister to be marked by power and authority. Of course, this is apostolic, but notwithstanding these days of brokenness, the principle holds good that the ministry should be marked by “power and authority”. And there is power and authority over all demons; whatever form evil may take, the ministers do not run away from it. You may say, It is not my affair; but then you do not run away from it. Wherever evil lifts up its head, there ought to be ability to deal with it.
Ques Why do demons come first?
JT I think you can see that Satan has his emissaries, and the servants have to contend with them; they are sure to have to contend with them. Demons are emissaries of Satan. As the Lord has His representatives,
[p. 206] so Satan has his. You see in the earlier chapters how seven of them had gone out of Mary Magdalene, and the legion out of the man. We see how things happened, and it is very solemn in the case of the latter that the Lord acceded to the wish of the demons to go into the swine. That is to say, we have to reckon on divine allowances of evil. It is not that He sent them, He allowed them. It is humbling, for there is some cause for it underneath.
Then, the next thing is whether the power given is effective, whether there is the ability to deal with evil in every form of it — all demons. It says “all demons” here, not simply ‘demons’; there is no form of evil that may arise that cannot be met, as the ministers are subject to Christ.
Ques Is not that one of the features of the kingdom?
JT Just so, only that here it is a question not of that, but of the ministers — their power. What can you do with all demons when you see them working? And then diseases? We have to distinguish between these and ‘the sick’. A disease is a thing that may be prevalent.
Ques An exercise, for instance, that spreads out for a long time?
JT Yes; involving many — all affected by the same thing. Whereas ‘the sick’ may have diverse ailments.
Rem The sick are marked as being without strength.
JT Yes; whatever disease they suffer from, they are sick; whereas disease is something that affects many, the same thing.
Ques It was physical then, was it not?
JT Oh, yes! Now it is spiritual diseases.
Ques There are those who claim that they have power to heal; why is it that you view it spiritually,
[p. 207] in that way; is it because the dispensation is in faith?
JT Because it is a time of soul salvation — not body salvation. Body salvation implies the resurrection. If what they hold is true, we could not die. The time of body salvation is future — not that the Lord does not help our bodies, I am sure He does, for they are the temple of the Spirit. But then, to make the body the prominent thing instead of the soul is quite wrong. It is the salvation of our souls — the spiritual side — now.
Ques Is the dealing with the demons actual now — there is authority over them?
JT Yes, because they affect us spiritually.
Rem Saints are often given back through our prayers when things are hopeless.
Ques “If I with the finger of God cast out devils” (Luke 11:20) — is that the line?
JT Yes; things are done by the Spirit. I am saved in my soul, it is a time of soul salvation; God is dealing with our souls. He cares for the body, of course.
Ques The Lord gives them authority, why is that?
JT That is the point — authority, as it says, to heal diseases, and to heal the sick. It is much more important that any spiritual disease that may prevail should be dealt with. It is not, as I said, that God does not help the saints physically, He provides food for our bodies, and all that.
Rem What is needed in these cases is correct diagnosis.
JT I think so. The ministers should not assume that the sick should be left to the local people; it comes within the range of all serving. But great wisdom has to be used by anyone who would help in a locality not his own. On the other hand, to refuse help because the person is not of the locality is pure independency.
[p. 208] Ques Do you suggest that ministers should have power to meet disease in a locality?
JT Yes; not interfering, but they certainly should not turn their backs on the trouble. They ought to have ability to meet it. They have wide experience — they ought to have wide experience. Gift is general, not local. They have great experience, and any local disease, surely, should be a matter for them to think over, whether they can help it. It is remarkable how these things do spread in localities and in districts — certain spiritual diseases. And, besides that, there are individuals who are ‘sick’, this may be from other causes.
Ques Is power and authority given to the company, although it comes out in individuals in connection with unity?
JT Here it is the ministers who are in view; we shall see elsewhere how authority is given to the church, but I think here it is simply the ministers. Of course, it is apostolic, we have to bear that in mind.
Rem The apostle says to the Corinthians, “many are weak and sickly among you”, (1 Corinthians 11:30). He had their spiritual interests at heart.
JT He had diagnosed the case — it was that they were behaving badly in regard to the Lord’s supper.
Ques Is it the thought of the Lord that there should be a healing ministry amongst us today? Would healing be characteristic of the ministry today?
JT Quite so; “let it rather be healed”, (Hebrews 12:13). But you want to get at the root of the thing. The apostle got at the root of the thing at Corinth, they were behaving badly in regard to the Lord’s supper, and other things, and sickness followed.
Ques Does healing involve a process?
JT I suppose it would — a true physician would [p. 209] know. The thing is to get at the root of it, and what it is that would meet it.
In the midst of all this they were to proclaim the kingdom of God — the preaching was to go on. Then He says to them, “Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip ... neither have two coats apiece. And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart”. You see how the servants are sent out in dependence upon God — a very important side of the position. “Neither staves ... neither have two coats apiece”; this has to be read, of course, in the spirit of it, but it is to produce dependence on God, and not on the brethren. Although the brethren are obligated in regard to the bodily needs of the servants, they are dependent on Him.
Ques Would the healing power that the servants have show to the people the benefit that is to be obtained from the kingdom of God that they preached?
JT Quite so.
Ques What is involved in the preaching of the kingdom? It is not the “glad tidings” here.
JT It is the power; it is called the “glad tidings of the kingdom” elsewhere, but here it is the thing itself. It is not called the glad tidings, it is more the thing itself that has to be preached. That is what they were to attend to particularly — the kingdom. The thought of power in an organised way involves the Spirit being here; that is to be preached.
Ques Is it the kingdom of God, set over against the kingdom of Satan, in that way?
JT No doubt. The kingdom of God is God acting in grace, but acting in power, so that according to what is said here power marks the apostles throughout.
Ques Do you think the ministry of the twelve would bring in healing, and also bring in the light of God against the darkness of Satan?
JT Yes; they proclaimed [p. 210] the kingdom. That was not simply the power that was in them, for the kingdom was to remain when they left any district; the kingdom remains, it is not dependent upon them. You preach something that remains and holds good for faith at all times. That is a most important thing, that the ministers pass on, but if the kingdom is preached it remains, so that the believer gets the good of it at all times. The minister may go away, but the kingdom remains. Today it lies in the Holy Spirit.
Ques Would you link it in any way with the world to come?
JT Exactly. The apostle speaks of that as marking the present time — the powers of the world to come are already active here. If a Paul came to a town he would heal diseases, but the kingdom which he preached would not pass away. That is what the believer is in; it is a faith system. It holds good, so that it is always present. It is set up in Christ in heaven, and made good in the Spirit here. It is available at all times.
Ques Would you say what the kingdom is?
JT In Luke it is the kingdom of God, that is to say, it is what God is morally operating here in grace; but there is power in it, so that it is connected with the Spirit. The kingdom of heaven is connected with Christ in heaven, but the kingdom of God is connected with the Spirit here; it is God here, really. So that He says, “if by the finger of God I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God is come upon you”, (chapter 11:20). That is what Luke presents to us. It is always available to the believer. The servant passes on, but he announces what exists, what remains. Of course, the power exercised by the apostles was that of the kingdom, but the kingdom of God is set up in Christ in heaven and the Spirit down here. Mark speaks of the kingdom of God come in power.
Ques Are we not fortified in going out by the [p. 211] fact that we have received a kingdom that cannot be moved? (Hebrews 12:28). The apostle would have that sense.
,J.T. Quite so; you are conscious of that. So that he says in Romans 14:17, “The kingdom of God is ... righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit”. That remains to us.
The next thing is that they are withdrawn. “The apostles having returned related to him whatever they had done”; and then it says, “he took them ... apart into a desert place of a city called Bethsaida”. Now we are tested in another way, we are withdrawn from the actual field of service. It is one thing to be active in service, conscious of divine power, but it is another thing to be withdrawn from it in the Lord’s company. In relating to Him what you have done, you get to see that it is not perhaps as great as you thought it was, because the power is not now operating in your soul. You are now on your own ground, according to your spiritual stature. When you are on the platform preaching, you may rely on the power of the Spirit; that is one thing, but when that is over, to be in the Lord’s presence relating to Him what He knows well, is another matter. That has to be gone through, for really what I am with Him in the wilderness is not a question of my ability to preach or to minister, but of what my spiritual stature is. What can I be in the presence of Christ, save as what He has made me?
Rem They do not tell other people; they tell Him.
JT And in telling Him they would be made conscious of the true proportion of things; He would give them to understand the true bearing of things. Then it says, “the crowds ... followed him; and he received them”. That is, the apostles are now in a new position. Here are five thousand people, and the Lord can receive them — He received them;
[p. 212] we are now leading on to the idea of reception. We shall see something about His being received Himself, and how He is received, but here He received five thousand people, showing something of His large-heartedness.
Ques Would so many coming be consequent on the service of the twelve?
JT I think so; it fits in here in that way in the order of events. The service is becoming general now, and results are accruing, but can the twelve receive them? You may get converts in number, but how about the reception of them? because here it is a question of reception. As it says of Paul, “he ... received all who came to him”, (Acts 28:30). He made no difference, he received all. The Lord here received them. Thus it is more important, in a way, to learn how to receive than to make converts. The principle of reception is a very important one.
Rem The brethren were very slow to receive Paul at first.
JT Yes. It says here, “he received them, and spake to them of the kingdom of God, and cured those that had need of healing”. Now the apostles would get a new view of things. He received them, and “cured those that had need of healing”; they did not all need healing, but He healed those that did. Then it says, “But the day began to decline, and the twelve came and said to him, Send away the crowd”. Now, you see, He had received them and things were going well, but in the decline of the day we lose energy. Send them away! — thus said the twelve, that is to say, ourselves in service. How quickly we tire of the results of the service! That is not the kingdom of God, that is not the dispensation; it is a time of reception, not of sending away.
Rem That is not on the line of healing.
JT No; nor on the line of feeding, nor of the dispensation at all. They say, “Send away the [p. 213] crowd that they may go into the villages around, and into the fields, and lodge and find victuals, for here we are in a desert place”. But He says, “Give ye them to eat”. Now, you see, the servants are in another position; it is a question now, not of healing diseases, nor of proclaiming the kingdom, but of feeding, and feeding a large number.
Ques With regard to the receiving and healing, how would that apply now?
JT Well, that is what should go on amongst us — receiving. The Lord is working, and souls are moving towards the light; they must not find darkness, but light. Here it is a question of healing, and then feeding them. It raises the question as to what kind of ‘readings’ we are having. What food have you got for them? What kind of meetings do you have here? Is there food available for those coming in?
Ques Was Paul in that spirit when he said, “Receive ye one another, according as the Christ also has received you to the glory of God”? (Romans 15:7).
JT Yes. We are tested as to what we are doing with people. After all, how much better off are they than where they were? Are they healed? Is there plenty of food? Or are they just coming into a better order of meetings?
Rem We are not able to feed people if we are not fed ourselves; in Mark’s gospel they had not time to eat.
JT You must have the food, that is the point now. The Lord had done the receiving, and He says, “Give ye them to eat”; that is the challenge now. They say, “We have not more than five loaves and two fishes, unless we should go and buy food for all this people; for they were about five thousand men”. You see, they are not governed by spiritual thoughts. They reckon what they had, and then talk about buying; they are not spiritual. The Lord is brief in His remarks, He says, “Make them sit down in companies by fifties”. That is how Luke puts it, as if the Lord would remind you that you can feed them more easily if you have small meetings. There will be more developed and the readings will be better; there will be more mutual contributions; the meetings will be richer and fresher if you have small rather than large ones.
Rem It is quite easy to understand that.
JT You get acquainted with the brethren as they come in, you get to know them personally. It is thus much easier to feed them.
Rem The women and children are not mentioned — only the men.
JT Matthew 14:21 says, “besides women and children”; they were fed, too; it was a very large number. In mentioning the men only, Luke, no doubt, has assembly order in view.
Ques How would you apply the thought that we should go and buy?
JT Well, where are you going to buy? Our brother was remarking in his prayer about our coming to the Lord and buying, but that is not in view here. It is a question of what we have.
Rem Going to buy would be like “another man’s line of things made ready to our hand”, (2 Corinthians 10:16).
JT What is in view here is what faith lays hold of. The Lord says, “Make them sit down in companies by fifties”; that is the first thing to do. What about the size of the meeting? And then, what if you have a very large meeting, and one or two brothers are taking charge? The Lord would break that up; He would have every one in each company responsible.
Ques Is the thought of fifty to bring in dependence on the Lord?
JT Quite so; it is perhaps weakness in responsibility — five times ten.
[p. 215] Rem In Acts 2 it says that they broke bread from house to house.
JT Just so. It should read, broke, bread “in the house”, not in the temple. But the practice would imply small companies.
Then it goes on, “They ... made them all sit down. And taking the five loaves and the two fishes, looking up to heaven he blessed them, and broke and gave to the disciples to set before the crowd. And they all ate and were filled; and there was taken up of what had remained over and above to them in fragments twelve hand-baskets”.
Another thing comes out in verse 18: the Lord introduces the question of His Person — as to what knowledge there was of His Person; what could they say about Him? It is connected with prayer; as it says, “he was praying alone, his disciples were with him, and he asked them saying, Who do the crowds say that I am? But they answering said, John the baptist; but others, Elias; and others, that one of the old prophets has risen again. And he said to them, But ye, who do ye say that I am?”
Ques Is that connected with feeding?
JT The feeding of the multitude would call attention to the Person who was there. Now what are we saying about the Lord’s Person? Surely it is a matter of interest as to who He is. Zacchaeus, later, is said to have wished to see Him, “who he was”. The Lord here challenges us as to what we say about Him.
Rem It would determine the kind of ministry.
JT It would. You are challenged, in preaching Christ, as to who He is. Are you able to speak of Him — as to His Person — who He is?
Rem It indicates whether we are babes, young men, or fathers.
JT Everyone ought to be able to say something about the Person of Christ.
[p. 216] Ques Why is the challenge in regard to the crowds first?
JT Well, the Lord would, I think, put it upon us that we should not be ignorant as to what is current, what is being said about Christ. Not that you take up what they say as right, but it is well to be conversant with what is said about Christ. He is everything to you, and you want to know what people are saying about Him.
The bride in the Song of Songs could give you an account of Christ — “What is thy beloved?” they say to her. It is a poor thing if I cannot give an account of Christ. It is not here what I think about Him, but what I say. Of course, what I think about Him will come out in what I say.
Ques You would say it is something different from ‘buying’, as in the previous part; Psalm 45 tells what you “have made”.
JT You speak of the things you “have made touching the king” — very beautiful!
Ques Is it not important that, in going out to preach, you preach Christ as the One who is able to fill all things, and will fill every circle?
JT Yes. Herod in his circle thought that he could give an account of Christ. As you get it here: “Herod the tetrarch heard of all the things which were done by him, and was in perplexity, because it was said by some that John was risen from among the dead, and by some that Elias had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again. And Herod said, John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?” Elsewhere he says that it was John, as if he could give an account of it. But that is Herod’s circle; it is a vicious circle. What you get here is that He asks, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” that is to say, men in general, or, as we might say, ‘the profession around’, for the crowds were interested enough to [p. 217] talk about Him. And surely we cannot but be thankful that there are people who will talk about Him. But the point is, What are they saying about Him? And then, Is there anyone who says the right thing about Christ, as to His Person? I may preach redemption, but what can I say as to who He is? It is a very delicate subject, but it is an important one — what we say about His Person. They were interested in Him; He had received them, and they have different views about Him. And then He says, “who do ye say that I am?” and Peter says, “The Christ of God”.
Ques Do you think it is the same crowd that He received?
JT This is more general; it is “the crowds” here.
Rem In Luke’s gospel, in regard to the reply of Peter, the Spirit of God does not say he gets it by revelation of the Father.
JT I think it is more here the outcome of what he had observed; he had gained a knowledge of Christ.
Ques Does he recognise Him as the Anointed?
JT Yes; it is not ‘the Christ’ as in Mark, it is “the Christ of God” — the One anointed to bring God in.
Ques Do you think that this is a private transaction between the disciples and the Lord — they were not to tell this to the people? You were speaking of the servants just now, I was wondering if it would be necessary for the servants to have this apprehension of Christ in the soul.
JT It looks so; “He enjoined them to say this to no man”. And then the mount of transfiguration is on the same principle — it is a secret. But Peter says, “we have not followed cunningly devised fables” (2 Peter 1:16); it acted powerfully in them in their testimony.
[p. 218] Ques As to bringing God in, it says in Luke 4:18, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me”. Is that what you thought?
JT That is right. “The Christ of God” is to bring God in, that God had visited His people.
Rem He is the vessel of the grace of God.
JT Yes. Then the next thing is the mount of transfiguration. The Lord is now finishing the education of the disciples, they are to be allowed into the secret of His Person, into the knowledge of His Person, and of the place He has on high — what heaven thinks about Him. So that you get a view of Christ in these two sections that is of all moment to those who serve. There is great power in the soul in the knowledge of His Person.
Ques In verse 21 it says, “And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing” — what is the thought? Why does He charge them not to make this known?
JT He is “the Christ of God”; they were not to make that known, it was to be a secret. That was because the Jews had rejected Him; He was not going to adorn an apostate state of things with such precious thoughts. These precious things are to be kept for the saints. You do not want to adorn an apostate christendom with the precious things of Christ. God is judging that system, He is not whitewashing it.
Ques Preaching the kingdom of God — is that not universal?
JT Quite so. We have already had it before us — the idea of parabolic teaching; if you are preaching the gospel, you do not whitewash christendom. Then it says, “I say unto you of a truth, There are some of those standing here who shall not taste death until they shall have seen the kingdom of God”. That is to say, now they are to see it in its reality, on high; what it is. And then it says, “And it came to pass [p. 219] after these words, about eight days, that taking Peter and John and James, he went up into a mountain to pray”. He did not take them all up — showing that it is on the principle of sovereign selection, doubtless alluding to their spirituality; they were equal to such a thing. How many of us are equal to that?
Ques Would it be an answer to losing one’s life here?
JT Well, no doubt. I think Peter and James and John would represent the spiritual element; they were equal to it. It would, of course, affect the whole company in them. The selection is the Lord’s own sovereign right, but then He selects those fitted for His purpose. He knows well enough the state of each one of us — our stature.
Rem Here it is a question of God’s sovereign selection, but there may be exercise on our side.
JT When the Lord says, “There are some ... standing here” — well, that challenges every one standing around. They would say, Am I to be amongst these?