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when everyone else was in danger of being carried away. He

was prepared to suffer in prison, in order that the saints might

be brought into the gain of the truth of the mystery, that there

might be a practical answer to it.

Are we prepared to settle for anything less? It is not just sitting

in the meeting room. It is the most precious thing that the Lord

has here, His greatest interest. The hymn says, ‘nor what is

next Thy heart can we forget’ His assembly here. It might be,

said that we can meet together on Christian ground, but is it in

the light of the assembly? Are we meeting on principles that

the Spirit can support? Are we able to assemble? You say,

‘What does ‘assembling’ mean?

We assemble to break bread. It means that you are prepared

to be merged in the company. In Acts 13 you have the notable

persons who were in the assembly at Antioch and it says, “and

Saul”. He was just hidden in the assembly. The Spirit of God

brings him to light, and also Barnabas. Assembling involves, I

think, that I am not in prominence; that no one brother is in

undue prominence. The assembly is operating in the power of

the Spirit. As we come in on Lord’s day morning we look on

the brethren and we are happy to merge with them and just be

one of them. That is what you get in John 12, that Lazarus was

one of those that sat at table with Him. It does not speak of his

having any service or even of his saying anything. He was just

happy to be there as one of them.

Well, beloved brethren, we each need to be one of those who

are moving in the light of the assembly and seeking to hold

what is precious to the Lord. The light of that is connected with

Paul. It is not popular, and there are not many who want it.

There is a chain connected with it that we are not to be

ashamed of. It means smallness, small companies, small

conditions, but to be available to the Lord. We want to value

these things. The Lord has given us the light of them, but the

taking up of them is another matter. That is what we have

been concerned about in our reading, that things should not