THE RESULT OF CHRIST'S MINISTRY ON EARTH
THE RESULT OF CHRIST’S MINISTRY ON EARTH
The words written in Isaiah 49: 4 are prophetically those of the Lord Himself: “I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for naught, and in vain”. This was true in so far as Israel after the flesh was concerned. It is not to be forgotten that Christ came to man as he was, bearing blessed tidings to him from God, and relieving him of all the many ills that followed in the train of sin; as it is said, “Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people”, Matthew 4: 23.
This ministry on the part of the Lord was perfect, and calculated, if indeed such were possible, to reach and recover the heart of man for God. But such was not possible It is true indeed that in many instances an outward and passing effect was produced by the words and works of Christ, but it was only where the Father had wrought beforehand that a real and eternal effect resulted from the Lord’s testimony. There was no fruit whatever save where the seed fell upon good ground, and the good ground was unquestionably divinely prepared. There may be the most perfect presentation of divine light (whose presentation of truth could be more perfect than the Lord’s?) and yet, apart from the work of God in the soul, it must be utterly in vain. John the Baptist had come in the way of righteousness, calling upon the people to repent; the Lord came in perfect grace to fulfil the promises, without a complaint or demand, and by His miracles showing that power was there to set up the kingdom; yet, as far as man himself was concerned, all was without avail. The doleful strains [p. 6] of the Baptist, and the heavenly music of the Son of man, were alike without any appreciation or response. Men were like “the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear; which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely”, Psalm 58: 4, 5.
Now the effect on our own service of entering into all this will be that what is merely human will be shunned in the setting forth of the testimony of God, and there will be constant dependence upon the Lord that what is presented may be in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, and that it may come in contact with those whose hearts the Lord may open to receive it. Thus, although there may be little in the way of outward show, the effect will not be a transient one, as that which is produced by human eloquence and the like, and the faith of those who are reached will stand not in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. It must be remembered that while God commands repentance, He also grants it.
If man would not have Christ, if His “report” was altogether unheeded, and if in this respect His strength was spent for nothing, yet the Lord accomplished a vast deal. I do not now refer to the cross, but to the result of His ministry in connection with the Father’s work. It is of the deepest interest to see the Father and Son working conjointly with a view to the carrying into effect of divine counsels. In connection with this the ministry of Christ was of great importance; it was the beginning and groundwork of “the vast universe of bliss”, which God had purposed for Himself. I speak of His gathering, and of His forming, after His own blessed pattern, those whom the Father, in eternal love, had given and drawn to Him. In following the Lord in His pathway of service, as it is presented in the gospels, great blessing lies in the soul being led into the secret of what was [p. 7] before Him in it; and entering into this, we see not only the perfection of the service, but also its unique character.
And now, what was the immediate result of this work of love? This, that upon the Lord’s ascension to heaven He left behind upon earth a vessel which was morally suitable for the reception of the Holy Ghost. This was a mighty result. Who but He could have effected it? I take great pleasure in regarding the little band, from whom the Lord was taken up at Bethany, as His own handiwork, and forming as such a vessel suitable for the reception of the Holy Ghost.
We will now turn to look at this company for a moment. Luke, at the end of his first narrative, gives a most touching description of them. At the cross they had been scattered. The Shepherd was smitten and the sheep were scattered; this was a terrible moment for them, but He had said that He would see them again, and their hearts should rejoice, and so it came to pass. Being risen He gathered them together, spoke to them the peace of victory, and filled their hearts with joy, bringing them into the resurrection atmosphere in company with Himself. Then He led them out as far as to Bethany, where He was taken from them. And now look at them! They worship Him, and return to Jerusalem with great joy, and are continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Their hearts were truly gained for God.
The same writer, in his second treatise, Acts 1: gives us another and not less beautiful view of them, and here I find two points, to call attention to which is the immediate object of this paper.
First, they were gazing up into heaven, verses 10, 11. Lovely attitude! True, they could not have continued literally in this position, for He was coming again, as the “two men in white apparel” told them, and there was testimony to be rendered to Him in the meantime; but this band of men looking steadfastly toward heaven is an affecting scene, and full of moral beauty. And what was the secret of it? No doubt they had much to learn as to what was to follow upon what they had just witnessed, but their hearts were charmed, fairly captivated by the blessed One who had been taken up from them. The world was a blank to them, and all their joys and hopes were centred in Him whom heaven was receiving.
The second point to note is that having returned to Jerusalem which was to be the scene of their labour and conflict, they were marked by prayer and supplication, verse 14. If, on the one hand, their hearts were absorbed with the Lord, as going into heaven, on the other they had a sense of being utterly without strength in themselves to maintain His interests in a contrary and hostile world. This led to the expression of their dependence.
These two traits in the disciples are of great importance as showing the effect of the Lord’s ministry, and proving them to be morally qualified for receiving the Holy Ghost. The Spirit could not dwell upon earth without the formation of that in which He can reside. When the Son came a body was prepared for Him in which He tabernacled among men. The Spirit in coming did not in the same way become incarnate, but a company was formed as a vessel divinely prepared and morally suitable for His reception and dwelling place.
Now, in all that has been before us, what I see of practical importance is this, that although we cannot have all that saints in early days had in the way of outward manifestation of power, yet we can surely count upon the Lord to produce in its those simple marks which characterised them, namely, occupation [p. 9] with Himself, and dependence, and where these are found there will be no lack of spiritual power. It is in getting to the simple state where human pretension and strength are entirely disclaimed, that we really get back to the Spirit’s power, and prove the reality of His presence down here. May the Lord lead to it!