THE WORK OF THE MINISTRY
[p. 175] THE WORK OF THE MINISTRY
John 20: 17 - 23; Luke 24: 48; Mark 16: 15 - 18; Matthew 28: 18 - 20
I have been thinking about service or ministry. You will remember how, in the epistle to the Ephesians, it is said that the Lord, as ascended into heaven, having led captivity captive, has given gifts unto men, “Some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers”. Ephesians 4:11. These were to be, as it is said, “for the work of the ministry”. Ephesians 4: 12. You will see that the Lord has ever exercised wisdom and discrimination in the allotment of the gifts. Some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. God is the “God of measure”, and gifts are dealt out according to His measure. The apostle Paul refers to this in regard to his gift. He laboured according to the measure which God, who is the “God of measure”, apportioned to him. Gifts were given according to the order in which they were required in the ministry; they were “for the work of the ministry”. - Now my thought is to present, as the Lord may enable me, from these passages what is needful in ministry. I begin with John and work backwards, according to the order of the books. I begin with John because he is intended for the last days — the last word, as it were, to us. We are to take up everything in the light of the last communication, and the gospel of John is, I believe, the last divine communication to the assembly — later even than Revelation — and it behoves us to view all that preceded in the light of this book. It throws light on all that preceded it. It is the gospel, as most of us know, of the Person of Christ, presented to us by one who was peculiarly loved by Christ, so much so that he is said to be “the disciple whom Jesus loved”. John 21:21. He is thus a type,
[p. 176] for in these last days what counts specially is love. John says of himself that Jesus loved him, and there is abundant evidence that he loved Jesus. His love was reciprocal, and so he tells us (chapter 14) that he that has Christ’s commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves Him. The test of love is in keeping the commandments. And then, again, when the Lord is questioned by Judas, not the Iscariote, as to how He would manifest Himself unto them and not unto the world, the answer is “If a man love me he will keep my words and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him”. John 14:23. The commandment is first, and then the word. The commandment separates me from all that is contrary to it. The “word” is his mind, so that in keeping His word, as loving Him, there are conditions for the divine dwelling. The Father and He would come and make their abode there. It is not merely a visit.
Thus you see how John signalises love in a day of general departure, such as this, from the commandment of the Lord. And so I bring it forward now in regard to service. He tells us that the Lord in commissioning the disciples — breathed into them. This is preceded by the verse I have read to you in reference to His communication to Mary Magdalene, in whom there was responsive love. The Lord honours her by speaking to her of the wonderful relationship into which the disciples were to be given entrance. I refer to this so that we may see that service emanates from the family circle. Qualifications for it are not acquired in the seminaries or universities. They do not afford the education that ministry requires. What John would insist upon is the family circle — that those who minister according to God are sent forth from the bosom of the family. The disciples are the brethren of Christ. The Lord had just said to Mary, “Go to my brethren” (not ‘the brethren’ now, but “my brethren”) “and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father and to my God and your God”. “Mary came and told the disciples”, etc. John 20: 17,18. She delivered her message.
In the light of this message they are in a certain place, not “in assembly” — that is not the word to use, for it is not the assembly that John is concerned about now, but that which underlies it — family relationship. Relationship with, God as Father, relationship with Christ as His brethren. That is the position. They had shut the door for fear of the Jews. They would not have the family in any way corrupted or impaired. The doors were shut. The circle of the family of the brethren is to be immune from all religious corruption and contamination. The Lord stood in the midst. He stood there. He is not sitting, because, as I understand, He is going further, and He says, “Peace unto you”. John 20:19. I am not speaking, for the moment, of the privilege of the saints Godward, but of the features of the circle from which the Lord sent out His commissioners. He says again unto them, “Peace unto you”. John 20:21. Having called attention to His love for them, as witnessed by the wounds in His hands and His side, they were to be imbued with the thought of love, as attested by His wounds. Having shown them his hands and His side. He again says, “Peace” — the double portion, that of the first-born. Peace! It is a thought that pervades John, showing that inside there is to be peace. And then He says to them, “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you”. And then He breathed into them. What I see in this, dear brethren, is that the Lord intended representation, and representation must be founded on likeness, and likeness involves the spirit of the one whom I am like. It is not only likeness in physical form, but morally, and for that you must have the same spirit. Now we should not shirk from the idea of representation. No one should [p. 178] attempt service without the idea that in some way he represents Christ. He had that in His mind.
Now I dwell on that for a moment, for service may be used on other things, and not accompanied by this. I am to be the representative of Christ as He was the representative of God “The image of the invisible God”, Colossians 1:15 as it says. There must be that in order to serve according to God. He says, “Receive ye”. It is not only that the gift is available, but it is to be received. “Receive ye Holy Spirit”. John 20:22. You can understand, therefore, that as breathed into by the Lord He made available to them all that was necessary for representation. In the fourth chapter of this gospel we have the giving of the Spirit, and in the seventh it is the receiving of the Spirit. “This spake he of the Spirit which those that believed on him should receive”. John 7:39. And so here it is “Receive ye Holy Spirit”, and then He says, “Whosoever sins ye remit they are remitted”. John 20:23. What a commission, dear brethren, in a world of apostasy and where the people of God are led away in the drift! Sins of “ignorance” exist in all the varied denominations. Here the Lord puts a weapon into our hands, as representing Him in His service. You are to forgive them. You do not hide their sins — you bring them to their attention; but it is only to forgive them. You are not retaining sins; true, where the will is at work, of course, our attitude must be different; we have to say to such an one, “Your sins are upon you; we are unable to remit them”. But in general, according to John, the weapon of deliverance in our hands is forgiveness; it is the weapon of love. I think we can see, brethren, how serious the commission is, and yet how blessed. He has furnished us with the means — His Spirit. So that in service I think of Him — I think of His way of doing things; I have got the means because I have His Spirit. So that I approach those whom I would serve in the [p. 179] spirit of forgiveness. I set them at ease. I am not charging them with anything. It is the spirit of forgiveness.
Now I want to pass on to Luke. This evangelist would make the service dignified. The whole of the last chapter of Luke has reference to the Lord’s priestly service so as to qualify them to be witnesses. He opens their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures. The Scriptures had spoken of His death and His resurrection — the law of Moses, the prophets and the Psalms. And so he says, “That repentance and remission of sins should be preached”. Luke 24:47. Now a representative is one thing, a witness is another, and, mark, what He is dealing with here is not that they were His witnesses — it is that they are witnesses of the thing. They are competent to bear testimony as having seen the things. I lay stress on the great importance of having the understanding opened so that we may understand the Scriptures. It is in them that we see the full bearing of the things the Lord speaks of here. The Scriptures have announced them, and now they have taken form, and He says, “Ye are witnesses of these things”. Luke 24:48. Of course, the apostles had a special place in this respect, but the question arises — “Of what am I a witness?” This question should arise with every one of us. Of what can I speak with the positiveness of a witness? What is it that we can bear testimony to with positive certainty?
And then He goes on to say, “Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you”. Luke 24: 49. That is to say, the Spirit is given to them in divine faithfulness. The Father’s promise — a very precious thing. The Lord adds, “Tarry ye in the city until ye be endued with power from on high”. Luke 24:49. Now, that is what I wanted to dwell on particularly. There is spiritual intelligence as the understanding is opened, and there is thus competency to witness, because in a [p. 180] spiritual sense I have seen. How am I to bear witness? I am to be clothed with power from on high. You do not go on the witness-stand, so to speak, tremblingly or in fear or in shame. You are clothed with power from on high; it descends from heaven. It is a question of spiritual dignity. The minister of Christ is to go forth, not with apology, for why should he apologise in bearing witness of such wonderful things? Why should he apologise even because of himself? He is clothed with power from, on high. Where is man in all his dignity alongside of the apostles, alongside of Stephen and of Paul? “They could not resist the wisdom and spirit with which Stephen spake”. Acts 6:10. His face shone. He was a heavenly witness, reflecting the dignity of his master.
In Mark it is a question of faith; we are to have all these things with faith. There I am looking at what is not seen. I am not occupied with external credentials of Christianity. Learned men ransack history to establish theories and hypotheses in regard to the origin of Christianity, and they find themselves peculiarly handicapped, for there is no literature. There is no record of any Christian literature in the early days of Christianity. The Old Testament was there of course, but nothing else. Literature was not then needed, for it was a question of faith. The dispensation of God was “in faith”; it was a living thing, seen in persons. What marked them? “These signs”, said the Lord, “shall follow those that believe”. Mark 16:17. Not apostles, not ministers, but “those that believe”. “They shall cast out devils in my name”, etc. Mark 16:17. There was no need to write a book to prove that such people were from God. They were, themselves, the book. Evil would lift up its head, as in the case of Elymas, the sorcerer, who would turn, away the proconsul from the faith. He was struck blind. Then there was that woman with the spirit of Python,
who said, “These be the servants of the Most High God”. Acts 16:17. She did not deny God, nor that they were His servants; but she had a demon. There are people talking glibly today about God, but denying Christ. If Paul were here he would cast the demon out. It is well we should accept with humility the “day of small things”. They that believed in the early days had power. I do not say there is no power now, but it is relatively very little. “Thou hast a little power”. Revelation 3:8. The gospel of Mark, I believe, is the first of all Christian literature that is extant. It was written, no doubt, for Gentile believers. It was written to give an account of the ministry of Jesus. “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God”. Mark 1:1. There is nothing about His birth or His boyhood, it is the “Son of God”. What Mark stresses is faith. The Lord appeared to the eleven, in the verse previous to what I read, upbraiding them with their unbelief. They would not believe the testimony, and if you cannot believe on competent testimony you are not a Christian. They disbelieved the testimony of Mary and of those who were going into the country who had seen Him risen. But now they believe, and He says, “Go into all the world”, etc. Mark 16:15. Mark has “the whole creation” in view; “He that believeth shall be saved”. Mark 16:16. It is a question of believing or not believing. And so “these signs”, he said, “shall follow those who believe”. Mark 16:17. I want everyone here to look into this carefully, because at the present time ministry can only be in faith. There can be no power to cope with the enemy otherwise.
Now I go on to Matthew. Matthew tells us that the Lord sends a message through a woman to whom He appears, to tell His brethren that they should see Him in Galilee. Now Galilee is a long way to Jerusalem. What Matthew would impress us with, first of all, is that for ministry you must go to the Lord, and it will cost you a journey; but what He [p. 182] has to impart is precious — it is worth the journey. You have got to reach Him. Things do not come to you merely by reading, by study. You have got to go to Galilee. You have got to read, to be sure. Timothy was enjoined to “give attention to reading”. 1 Timothy 4:13. But in order to minister, in order to affect people, you have got to go, as it were, to the Lord in Galilee. If we aspire to minister (and it is a good thing to aspire to minister), we have got to go there. It involves strenuous exercise; as Paul says, “For this cause I labour”, 1 Timothy 4:10 etc. The Lord says, “Tell my brethren that they go into Galilee and there shall they see me”. Matthew 28:10. The order He was about to give them was a most extraordinary one. It was not simply to preach, but to “Teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”. Matthew 28:19. He meets them in Galilee. It is a question of distance, you see. It is a King we are dealing with. He is a great King — the King of kings, and the Lord of those that exercise lordship. He is to be reverenced and respected. And so, as they met Him they came and “held him by the feet, and worshipped him”. Matthew 28:9. Some doubted, but they worshipped Him. This is most wholesome. He comes to them, and says, “All power is given unto me” Matthew 28:18 — a great fact. It is a King who is speaking. Matthew presents the King. Elsewhere we learn that the disciples were to be made a kingdom. We are made a kingdom and priests unto God. He says, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and make disciples of all nations”. Matthew 28:18. How are we to “make disciples”? That requires power; “make” here implies skill and moral power. For this one has to be a king, and this is by coming under the influence and learning from Him in whom the full thought of kingship is set out. It is said in Proverbs that there are four stately things, and the last one is, “A king against whom there is no rising up”, Proverbs 30: 31. That contemplates great moral power. What influence have I got? How am I to rule ten cities by and by if I cannot rule now? The first thing is to rule my own spirit. If I am to rule, I must rule myself first. The Lord exerted a marvellous influence in this world in a lesser way, so did Paul. And as you are influenced by the Lord you will be an influence. “All power is given unto me in heaven and on earth”. Matthew 28:18. Paul brought Christ in among the nations; he presented in his own Person, as far as he could, the features of Christ. He says in speaking of the Corinthians, they had reigned as kings — but what kind of kings? According to men. One who is a king after Christ has greater influence, and it is thus, and thus only, that disciples can be made.
And so the Lord goes on to say here, “Teaching them and baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”. Matthew 28:19. How much do you young people here understand that as baptised you are brought into all that? We have further — “Teach them to observe the things that I have commanded you”. Matthew 28:20. It is one thing to teach you certain things, but another thing to teach you to observe those things. “What things soever I have commanded you”. Matthew 28:20. Look at the so-called Apostolic Church, based on this scripture, and what do you find? The things that Christ commands? No. It is “Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition”. Matthew 15:6. The Lord would bring us back, to observe the things that He has commanded. No one can be a true servant save as he takes these things into account. How can I teach anyone to observe the commands of Christ, save as doing it myself? Paul says, “I show unto you a way of more surpassing excellence”. 1 Corinthians 12:31. That is the point. The way of love is not only spoken of — it is shown; and so here it is “Teaching them to observe the things, whatsoever I have commanded you”. Matthew 28:20. And then He says, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world”. Matthew 28:20. May we not reckon on that? I should never come to these meetings or undertake any service except as relying on this promise.
Well, I trust that what I have said will help us to understand what ministry really involves, and to furnish that, so that in these weak, small days there might be something that will correspond with what there was at the beginning in the way of ministry and service.