THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE SPIRIT

^[p. 439] THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE SPIRIT

Philippians 2: 1,2; 1 John 5: 6 (last clause),7

JT Here in Philippians we have the fellowship of the Spirit mentioned, and it was known at Philippi. I think that in dealing with the subject of fellowship, and, having reference to the fellowship of the Spirit, it would be a help to link it with the spirit of control. The witness of the Spirit is connected with rule: the spirit of control. In the gospel of John He is spoken of as the Spirit of truth. It will be observed it is not fellowship with the Spirit, but fellowship of the Spirit. The kind of thing the fellowship is may be considered under three heads — the fellowship of God’s Son, the fellowship of the death of Christ, and then as in Philippians the fellowship of the Spirit. John’s epistle deals with fellowship with one another, but the character of the thing is what is presented in the letter to the Corinthians and here too in the epistle to the Philippians.

Ques Would you mind explaining exactly what you mean by the Spirit? Is it origin or character?

JT He is a divine Person giving character in that way. We are in that kind of fellowship. You get a wonderful balance in the three things which characterise it. 1 Corinthians alludes to the dignity of it, the fellowship of God’s Son, Jesus Christ our Lord; the fellowship of His death in chapter 10 cuts us off from the world, and the fellowship of the Spirit in Philippians brings in what is positive, and what we may say is subjective. We are kept not only by the Scriptures, but by the Spirit of truth; the Spirit of truth controls in a subjective way.

What comes out in John 14, John 15 and John 16 is the Comforter. “If ye love me, keep my commandments” John 14: 15. “He shall give you another Comforter ... even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know ^[p. 440] him; for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you” John 14: 16,17. We are marked off from the world at once, by the presence of One whom the world cannot see nor know; we are marked off in a positive way by the presence of the Comforter — a divine Person here whom the world cannot see nor know.

Ques “Thinking the same thing” Philippians 2: 2, is that the evidence of the fellowship of the Spirit?

JT It is the effect of the unity. We see in John how those are marked off from the world. It is said that the Father would send the Spirit in Christ’s name, so that, as here, He would teach them all things and bring to remembrance the things that Jesus said. We have the Teacher and as One who teaches all things and brings to remembrance the things that Jesus said; He brings in the whole value of the ministry of Christ. And then it goes on to say in chapter 15 that the Lord would send Him in order that He should witness of Him. As having been with the Father, He knows what the Father thinks about the Son. It is put that way on our account, that we might know that in the witness of the Spirit here, we have the evidence of what the Father thinks about Christ. The Son sends Him as from being with the Father, as it reads. Thus we have a further thing: He will not only bring all things to the remembrance of the twelve; but He would bring in more, He would bring in in His witness, what the Father thinks about Christ.

Ques Would that be set forth in type in Abraham’s servant when he went to seek a bride for Isaac? He opened the treasures of silver and gold and raiment, which all came from the father’s hand.

JT Yes, that is the thought; they were the witness of what Abraham had in mind for the ornamentation of Rebekah and of the wealth he possessed. All that Abraham had he gave to Isaac.

Rem I think you said that the Spirit’s work was to bring Christ objectively before our hearts, as set forth ^[p. 441] in the jewels of silver and gold, and that the raiment was subjective work.

JT Quite. And the servant knew the place that Isaac had in Abraham’s affections, “thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, Isaac” Genesis 22: 2. He was not only the messenger, but went qualified as knowing Abraham, to convey to Rebekah what the father thought of Isaac.

Ques Is your thought that as we enter by the Spirit into what the Father thinks of the Son and all that which is set forth in Him, so we come into these things, and then there is fellowship, there is a partnership in it?

JT Yes. You get an apprehension in John of what the Spirit is, what His function is, and what He goes on with, and thus you see the greatness of what you are brought into. You have a great deal in the fact that it is the fellowship of God’s Son, but then there is a divine Person here actually going on with us, positively, every day, and we have part in that.

Rem That is why, if I am not in the fellowship of His death, I am finding my pleasure in things on the wrong side, and it would be an interruption of the fellowship.

JT That is right. The fellowship of His death cuts us off from the world. You can see what wonderful things the Holy Spirit is going on with, so that the fellowship is not only governed by Scripture and is authoritative, but by that which is subjective — the feelings and affections being with you in truth. Many things could be among us, but the Spirit of truth enables us to see everything, so that it is not only that we have the Scriptures, but there is the fellowship that was set up and existed before we had the New Testament Scriptures.

Ques It would raise a question as to whether we receive communications of the Spirit.

JT I think it does. The word is “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” Revelation 2: 7. The Holy Spirit speaks to the churches, and he that has an ear hears what He says. There are communications.

Rem We have not only the Scriptures, but spiritual sensibilities.

JT We have the spirit of truth, so that things commend themselves to us; what is not true does not commend itself. You might not be able to give the reason exactly, but you are conscious that it is not true. John speaks of the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. It is not only that we have the Scriptures, but there is the spirit of things — the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Ques Would the apostle give the Spirit a great place? “The Spirit searcheth all things, even the depths of God” 1 Corinthians 2: 10.

JT That is set over against the wisdom of man.

Ques What practical effect would this have upon us?

JT We would have part in what the Holy Spirit is going on with, and that is a very great thing.

Rem It is suggestive of what we enjoy together.

JT Quite. You see what He is doing. In the Acts chapter 2 we see the coming in of what is in view. First of all they were all together, for all the saints are needed; no one is non-essential. They were all together in one place. They were all there, as if each felt that each should be there. We are thus reminded of the importance of being together; for as the saints come together in assembly, there should be the sense that no one should be absent; that each is essential for what God has in mind. And then it says, “There came a sound from heaven ... and it filled all the house” Acts 2: 2; a distinct sound over against what is going on around, and it fills the house, And then there appeared to them “cloven tongues like as of fire” Acts 2: 3. We see before us what God has in His mind. “Cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them” Acts 2: 3; so that one would say in the light of all that, one’s tongue is to be employed ^[p. 443] in it. Those people who were there were to have part in it all. “Parted tongues, as of fire” Acts 2: 3, suggest that the communications that go forth should be free from all corruption and taint. I cannot allow a tainted course and words, because the fire is intended to purify. You are to have part in one Spirit; one sound filled all the house where they were sitting; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak with other tongues, showing that they understood they were to have part in this thing. It is not simply that they were to be ornamented with tongues of fire; that is what they saw, but that they should understand what it meant and that they were to have part in it, “They began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave to them to speak forth” Acts 2: 4.

Ques Were there special conditions there that it could be said of them, that the Holy Spirit came upon each of them?

JT “It sat”, we read; there were conditions there which the Spirit could take up a permanent position. God has committed Himself in the giving of the Spirit in view of His testimony. “It sat upon each of them”. Acts 2: 3. They saw, and then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit — and the immediate result in them was they began to speak forth.

Ques What is the extent of the fellowship of the Spirit today?

JT We want to understand limitations, and it is our duty to bow to such.

Ques Could it be said of christians at the present moment that the Spirit sat on them?

JT What they saw on the day of Pentecost was a sign. We do not have signs now. The thing is to get the divine idea and that remains. There was no repetition of that, although in Acts 10 the Holy Spirit fell upon all those that heard the word. The divine thought is generously declared. I referred to chapter 2 as a great general principle. There was not only the sound, but ^[p. 444] what they saw, and what they did. They were given the Spirit and then they began to speak forth. That is the general view-point at the outset, and the testimony was that the multitude heard them speak in their own language the wonderful works of God. You have in these few verses of Acts 2 the divine thought as to the coming in of the Spirit. There is no withdrawal of the Spirit; the idea is that He sat. Now in the Lord’s case, He came down as a dove, bodily, without any accompanying things — no idea of fire, because there was nothing to deal with in the blessed Lord; but in the coming in at Pentecost, He is in the character of parted tongues of fire sitting upon each, meaning that He would deal with all that was contrary in each, and that the tongue should not be partial, nor national; they should be ready to be employed by the Spirit universally.

Rem With reference to Haggai, there was recovery. The Lord recalls them. “My spirit remaineth among you”. Haggai 2: 5. The power was there.

JT In Nehemiah, after recovery, the prophets of God helped to build. Now Haggai says, the covenant remains unchangeable. But then what about the power to make it good? So he says, “My spirit remaineth among you” Haggai 2: 5. In Zechariah 4 we have a further thought of a man who was woken out of sleep, which, I think, points to recovery because there had been a general slumber. When he waked out of sleep, he saw the symbol of the Spirit in the olive tree; and the word is “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord” Zechariah 4: 6. We have come to the day of very small things, but the hand that laid the foundation would lay the top-stone. The Holy Spirit is aiming at the top-stone of the building, and that is a very fine piece of work.

So that we want to see what He goes on with, and to hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The headstone is connected with the Lord’s supper, because in Ephesians it is said “Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” Ephesians 2: 20. It is Jesus Christ Himself, and I think that John’s ministry is to emphasise that. The Lord’s supper in Luke is a memorial. It is “Jesus himself stood in the midst” Luke 24: 36, while they were speaking. They were saying “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared unto Simon” Luke 24: 34, that is, they were speaking with the utmost confidence; they had no doubt about what they are saying: “and he has appeared unto Simon”. There is a sense of grace in what they say, for Simon was the one who had denied Him, The Lord was recognised and had been made known to the two going to Emmaus, in the breaking of bread. The assembly of God is not a debating society, it is a place of positive things; that is Luke’s side. They were saying these things, and as they were saying them, Jesus Himself stood in the midst. I think the assembly is a place where brethren speak with intelligence, and the Lord comes in on those lines: “As they said these things, Jesus himself stood in the midst” Luke 24: 36. John in order to bring the thing in positively that the Lord Himself is doing things in the last days, makes nothing of service. The twelve are mentioned but it is said that one of them was a devil. So that I think the Lord is showing us that He is doing things for us in His love, and the top-stone, it seems to me, is coming into view, We thus see the place the Lord has, and the place that the Holy Spirit gives Him.

Rem “The Spirit and the bride say, Come”. Revelation 22: 17.

JT It is His doing — “I Jesus” Revelation 22: 16. The Lord is everything. “I am the root and offspring of David”. Revelation 22: 16. “Before Abraham was, I am”. John 8: 58. He was before Abraham. The church understands that. Matthew’s gospel is that He is first.

Rem The whole of the present revival is the exaltation of Christ by the Spirit in the minds of the saints.

JT In that way I think the assembly reaches heavenly conditions. The Spirit of God would lead in that direction, that there should be a company here ^[p. 446] where heavenly conditions are reached, and where Christ is everything. The place the Lord’s supper has had is undoubtedly the work of the Spirit in the saints. It brings into view “Jesus Himself”.

The communication of the Spirit at Philippi is very special in view of limitation. The apostle wanted to visit the province of Asia but the Holy Spirit says to him, Do not preach in Asia. There you see the beginning of divine limitations; He was limiting Paul; He was directing him to a certain part of the field; so He was limiting him. They essayed to go to Bithynia but “the Spirit suffered them not” Acts 16: 7. We have to learn, therefore, the principle of limitation, not only governmental limitations, but direct limitations by the Spirit. The Spirit limited Paul on this occasion. It may be said the command was, “Go into all the world, and preach the glad tidings to all the creation” Mark 16: 15, but while we hold that, we must never forger we have to get our orders. The mind of God is that the gospel should be preached to all creation, but the preachers are not to do as they please; they are under the Lord, under the Spirit. As it says, “Separate me now Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” Acts 13: 2. The Spirit of God restricts them.

Ques Why do you think they were forbidden to preach in Asia?

JT It brings in the principle of limitation. Of course he did preach in Asia later, It raises another question as to why Africa and why Asia with their millions are still in darkness. It all comes under the head of divine limitations, that is to say, the Lord has the control.

Ques Why is it that with Philip the Lord directs him first and then the Spirit says, “Join thyself to this chariot”? Acts 8: 29.

JT In Acts 8: 26 an angel is directing Philip, that is to say, it is God’s providential way. The Lord knows better than I do where the soil is, so that I have to seek His guidance.

^[p. 447] What is He going on with at the end of the period? You do not want to miss that. The field is His and the labourers have to come to it. When the Eastern world comes into blessing they will come up to Jerusalem. That was the sign at the very outset for the wise men came from the East to worship Him. What has happened is that God has come out to the West and taken the assembly out of that. The unfoldings of the Spirit are wonderful. He comes forth from with the Father, which conveys the idea that He is with the Father, and thus is competent to unfold all the Father’s feelings, and affections, and counsels in regard to the Son. And, oh, what depths! As it says, “The Spirit searcheth all things, even the depths of God” 1 Corinthians 2: 10.