ENLARGEMENT

^[p. 490] ENLARGEMENT

2 Corinthians 6:11 - 13; Genesis 9:27; Numbers 23:9,10; 1 Chronicles 4:9,10

One has in view spiritual enlargement. My remarks are intended for Christians, for enlargement is not for others. The more enlargement they get, the greater they become and this breeds strife and discontent, and exclusion of God and His things. So that this word is for those who believe. They are of interest to heaven. They become of interest to heaven when they receive forgiveness and grow in righteousness. Heaven is constantly concerned about them; day and night, it is constantly making provision for them. It is said of the Lord that He is “always living to intercede for them (Hebrews 7:25)”, as though He does nothing else. They are always on His heart, in the breastplate. The type of the high priest shows that He never appears before God without us. Even when we fail, as with Peter, He prays for us: “I have besought for thee that thy faith fail not (Luke 22:32)”. The Holy Spirit of God is also here now and He is interested in the saints. As Christ is Advocate above, so the Holy Spirit takes care of us here. Often grieved, yet He unceasingly looks after us. He is our Solicitor — the Paraclete. He remains with us, as the Lord said, “another Comforter”. He bears witness with our spirit, and is constantly reminding us that we are the children of God.

Angels are attending the saints, also: “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out for service on account of those who shall inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14). No census has been taken of the angels, but they are all ministering. It is not that they can minister, but that they do. They are sent out for service on account of the saints.

And then, the Lord Jesus has given gifts to men. “He has given some apostles, and some prophets,

^[p. 491] and some evangelists, and some shepherds and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints (Ephesians 4:11,12)”. Anything we may have in the way of gift is for the saints, however naughty they may be. It is “until we all arrive ... at the full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fulness of the Christ”(Ephesians 4:13). All those are active for us that we might be enlarged, spiritually; not in our businesses, for that is of little consequence. It is not that God does not prosper us, for He may. “Beloved, I desire that in all things thou shouldest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospers” (3 John 2). But when we make money, we begin to love money; it becomes a snare to us, for the love of money is the root of every evil.

Then, again, the saints are liable to become sectarian and partisan, which is a grief to heaven. Paul wrote his first letter to Corinth because of grief due to this. But in his second epistle he says, “Our mouth is opened to you ... our heart is expanded ... let your heart also expand itself”. They had been convicted of their naughty ways. They had a peculiar place in the affections of the apostle: “Written in our hearts, known and read of all men”, 2 Corinthians 3:2. He spoke well of them; his heart was enlarged. He spoke to them as his children for he was a father to them. They could have ten thousand instructors but only one father, for Paul had begotten them through the glad tidings. But he goes on to mention five things — five groups of things set over against each other — things that would hinder spiritual enlargement. “What participation is there between righteousness and lawlessness? or what fellowship of light with darkness? and what consent of Christ with Beliar, or what part for a believer along with an unbeliever? and what agreement of God’s temple with idols?” (2 Corinthians 6:14 - 16). The unequal yoke, whatever it may be, is against enlargement. You may get on in business with an unequal yoke, but there will be no spiritual enlargement. Paul says, “Ye are the living God’s temple” (2 Corinthians 6:16). Think of being that, dear brethren; his first letter had brought this light to them. “Do ye not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?” (1 Corinthians 6:19). But now he says, “Ye are the living God’s temple”. God dwelt amongst them, walked amongst them! So he says, “Come out from the midst of them, and be separated” (2 Corinthians 6:17). He brings forward what is positive to urge them to give up evil things that nothing may hinder them from being enlarged.

In Genesis 9 we have a test case of the kind of persons that are enlarged, as seen in the case of Noah, and the blessing of his three sons. This passage is very interesting, for Japheth means ‘enlargement’. Shem’s name means ‘renown’, and Ham means ‘black’. Ham acted in an unholy way. Some think that he was cursed, but he was not, directly. The curse was a much broader thing. The word is, “Cursed be Canaan”. The curse of the father came upon his progeny. It was executed long afterward by Joshua. What a terrible thing to be occupied with the nakedness of the brethren! How God hates it when we delight in the exposure of His people! The leaders in Corinth were envious of Paul. They spoke badly of that beloved servant of God. They said that his speech was contemptible. They said that his bodily presence was weak. Their conduct was like that of Ham. They wanted Paul’s place. But Shem and Japheth looked in another direction; they covered the nakedness of their father. That is the man God loves! He loves the man who covers his brethren. Never hide what is wrong, of course, but do not speak ill of your neighbour. That is love’s way. And so God delights to enlarge Japheth. We are nearly all Japhethites in the west. God has enlarged him in Europe, America and elsewhere. But we are speaking of spiritual enlargement, and Japheth illustrates the kind of man that God delights to enlarge.

^[p. 493] Jabez is said to have been brought forth in pain. He cost his mother much. He was a product of suffering. And so is every Christian. Not only do we owe everything to the sufferings of Christ, but we have caused our brethren suffering. Would we all admit that? Well, we have. The mother of Jabez is like the local meeting. Think of how much our younger brethren have cost us. But we value them, and seek their spiritual enlargement. Jabez is like a gem set in this long list of genealogies. He “called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest richly bless me, and enlarge my border ... !” He was spiritual. He may have called on God as Creator, but he was a spiritual man. What a prayer! You can enlarge that prayer, almost indefinitely. Every Christian should be able to say, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). But that is what Jabez said, in principle. He desired to be richly blessed. Who can enumerate the “every spiritual blessing”? Jabez turned to God; he was a young man who had cost his mother much, but she is going to reap accordingly, for God brought about what he had requested. And God will grant our requests if they are on the line of spiritual enlargement.

Well now, enlargement is helped by separation. Some may say that if we separate we will be small — just a handful. Many turn to the multitudes, but we must not “follow the multitude for evil” (Exodus 23:2). Balaam’s prophecies are full of encouragement to turn aside from evil associations. The Spirit of God used Balaam, though unconverted, to say wonderful things about God’s people in separation. “It is a people that shall dwell alone and shall not be reckoned among the nations”. They are not to vie with the world. The authorities may require information from us, and if so, we are Christians — believers. That is ^[p. 494] what we are in the mind of heaven. They may call us a sect, but we are Christians. Let us ever keep to the spiritual thought! The neutral kind of persons may say that if we are on the line of separation we will be small. Scripture says, “Who hath despised the day of small things?” (Zechariah 4:10). The Lord does not. “Who can count the dust of Jacob ... ?”. These are they who are dwelling alone; there is enlargement, spiritually. It means separation from the world, but there will be sufficient; there will be enough in numbers; and it is the sure way to spiritual enlargement. God has in mind that Christ is to be the firstborn among many brethren.

May the Lord bless the word to us.