COVENTRY - READING (2)
[p. 76] COVENTRY — READING (2)
Acts 10: 34 - 48; Acts 11: 1 - 18
JT Someone was speaking as we stopped this afternoon. Perhaps you would repeat what you said then.
ECT I was going to remark that we should all be desirous of being in keeping with the Holy Spirit of God in relation to what He might be doing at any given time, as indicated in this book of Acts.
JT Yes. One might cite many instances of special ministry during the last fifty years at least, such as the sonship of Christ, and now again, the ministry as to the Holy Spirit Himself. This latter is the most important phase that is treated of in recent times, and I might say that, in some measure, it started from Numbers 21, but other scriptures might be cited, and not the least what Peter said here.
JPH Is attention to the ministry and obedience to it important? I was thinking of verse 29 in chapter 10, where Peter says “Wherefore also, having been sent for, I came without saying anything against it”. He did not speak against what was said to him by the Spirit. He is quickly adjusted and from the moment of the Spirit speaking to him he is steadily going forward.
JT Quite so, and so he says further in that same verse: “I inquire therefore for what reason ye have sent for me”, and then Cornelius answered, showing that he was a veritable evidence of the work of God for the moment, leading up to the great truth that is being opened up as to the Spirit.
Ques Would speaking against this truth as to the Spirit be lawlessness now?
JT Well, now there is the word as to anyone speaking against the Holy Spirit, that it shall never [p. 77] be forgiven him. In Matthew 12: 31, it says: “For this reason I say unto you, Every sin and injurious speaking shall be forgiven to men, but speaking injuriously of the Spirit shall not be forgiven to men. And whosoever shall have spoken a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this age nor in the coming one”. That is one of the most solemn things to be thought of as to our subject.
WBH Does the fact that that is repeated three times, in Matthew and in Mark and in Luke, emphasise that?
JT Quite so. There are certain things that are omitted in some of the gospels; for instance, Matthew does not record the ascension, so that we have to watch that and see what is recorded and what is not recorded. What is recorded three times is certainly to be noted specially.
Now Peter here in verse 34, opening his mouth, said, “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons, but in every nation he that fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him. The word which he sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all things, ) ye know; the testimony which has spread through the whole of Judaea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism which John preached — Jesus who was of Nazareth: how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power; who went through all quarters doing good, and healing all that were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. We also are witnesses of all things which he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem; whom they also slew, having hanged him on [p. 81] a cross. This man God raised up the third day and gave him to be openly seen, not of all the people, but of witnesses who were chosen before of God, us who [p. 78] have eaten and drunk with him after he arose from among the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that he it is who was determinately appointed of God to be judge of living and dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that every one that believes on him will receive through his name remission of sins”. Now Peter in Acts 2 speaks of remission of sins and then the gift of the Holy Spirit is added. It would seem as if the Spirit of God intends that certain features of the truth may be stressed at one time and certain others at another time.
CHG Does verse 43 show that the same gospel is now available for all men, including the gentiles? “The prophets bear witness that every one that believes on him will receive through his name remission of sins”.
JT Quite so. So that what we were referring to this afternoon may well be stressed again; that is, the idea of so-called coloured persons especially in the American continent. The coloured race is probably ten millions, showing that God is not passing over the race that other sections of humanity despise. God is dealing with them in the gospel and many of them are not only converted, but are in fellowship, actually in fellowship in the truth, and having gift, too, to preach the gospel and minister the word.
Rem It has often been noticed that in those parts of America where the colour bar is so strictly enforced the testimony has not taken root.
JT That is quite true. In the southern part of the United States, for instance, the truth has never taken very much hold, whereas in the north and west it has.
PL So that the experience as to the sheet is to make us humbly thankful that God selects our company for us and we embrace all He [p. 79] gives.
JT Yes, so that while the race is in mind, as we see here, that is to say men, as such, are in mind, yet the fact remains that there are differences that it is wise to observe. There is not the same effect from the gospel in sections of the world such as Japan and China, besides the coloured races of the south. There are these differences, and if we are seeking to minister the truth we had better just observe that, and God would help us to do so; the Spirit of God is here, He is not only in heaven, He is here, and sent down here to help us in all these matters, so that we had better consult the Spirit. Of course we consult God as such, and the Lord Jesus, but consult the Spirit as to what especially would be supported in the truth.
Ques Does the apostle’s word to Titus bear that out: “One of themselves, a prophet of their own, has said, Cretans are always liars” and so on?
JT Quite so — “always liars”. Well, then you had better avoid that class because God has written down a word for us and we should be guided by it. Paul is the author of that passage, and we are dealing now with the gentiles, and how the truth has come to them. Paul, of course, is, you might say, more available and amenable to the Spirit of truth, not indeed that I would say a word against any of the others, but at the same time Paul is a speciality. The Lord speaks of him as special to Himself.
JSE Why did you draw a distinction between the allusion to forgiveness of sins in the early part of the book and what he said here? You made a reference to the fact that the gift of the Holy Spirit is not added here.
JT Well, it is not said here, and it is a question of the wisdom or the differentiation that you get with the Spirit’s ministry. We do well to follow His guidance in that sense, but truth is truth. We shall see in chapter 11 that Peter [p. 80] differentiates certain things from chapter 10, which we might easily look at.
EuR Immediately following “every one that believes on him will receive through his name remission of sins”, we have “While Peter was yet speaking these words the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were hearing the word”.
JT Quite so. Now I think we should go on to the main subject from the chapter where we began to read.
Ques In verse 35 of chapter 10 is Peter looking out for any feature of the work of God, wherever it appeared?
JT I am sure he is. At the same time the Spirit of God knows; He is God, and He knows what is to happen, as well as what has happened. We can thus count on Him and be guided by what He says or does not say, and then if we need to compare and get help from the comparison, we might well look into each detail of the matter, and make a comparison. So that we have in this verse, “But in every nation he that fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him”, showing that the fear of God and the working of righteousness is to be observed, and then again: “The word which he sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all things, ) ye know”. Notice the word ‘word’ there. Sometimes you may have ‘words’, which would mean detail of language, but sometimes you have ‘word’, which is a general idea, as we say ‘preach the word’ — the word is one whole idea.
Ques You drew attention this afternoon to the word ‘witnesses’ in verses 39 and 41. Had you something further to say as to that?
JT “We also are witnesses of all things which he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem; whom they also slew, having hanged him on a cross. This man God raised up the third day and gave him to be openly seen, not of all the people, but of witnesses who were chosen before of God, us” and so forth. Well, now God there has to be regarded in the full light of the word ‘God’; that is God, including sometimes the three Persons of the Godhead. Sometimes it is that but not at all times; so that we have to be careful in making comparisons.
NKM Is the “us” in verse 41, which you stressed, apostolic?
JT I would think that is what Peter means, although the apostle Paul was already selected, you know.
Ques Is it to be noted that those who accompanied Peter were designated the faithful of the circumcision? Do we see by that that they were morally fitted to accompany him on this great mission?
JT Just so; there were six mentioned afterwards. I would think what you say is right. So that the Spirit of God is careful to give credit where credit is due, and to bring to light the persons in whom God is working. When we say God — you might say it is God in the full sense. In chapter 8 of 1 Corinthians it is said “to us there is one God, the Father, of whom all things ... and one Lord, Jesus Christ”. The Holy Spirit is not mentioned in that category. We can add that very evidently, but we need not because the Spirit of God does not add it Himself.
AJG Have you anything in your mind as to why the Holy Spirit is not mentioned in that chapter?
JT I have not. I have often thought of it, but it is not there. It is just one Father and one Lord.
Ques Would it be a question of what is needed at [p. 82] that moment?
JT That is in general what I would say. You might add something, too, because we are here for that purpose.
Rem One is struck with the skill which the Spirit gives to the ministers to meet the need of those to whom they minister.
JT Yes, and you might say about that what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4, “God has set us the apostles for the last”. Why should that be? It is as if they were capable of more reproach and more suffering than any of us.
Ques Would that passage in 1 Corinthians 8 not also guide us as to prayer so that we should not labour to address more divine Persons than we are free with at the moment, or to address all divine persons in prayer, but that we should be selective?
JT Quite so. If we give thanks for our food at the table we do not lengthen our prayers, but we would not deny anything; there are occasions for shortening prayers and for lengthening them. We could easily pick out from Scripture lengthened prayers or lengthened terms of reverence and thanksgiving to God. We could easily select many passages from the Psalms and the Old Testament generally as well as in the New.
CHG Would the expression “they of the circumcision” at Jerusalem in verse 2 of chapter 11 imply those of a certain narrow view of things who were insisting on circumcision and all the Jewish ceremonials?
JT They would not be reliable men, I would say. Verse 1: “the apostles and the brethren who were in Judaea heard that the nations also had received the word of God”; notice that it is the “word of God”, not the ‘words of God’, but the “word of God”. We say ‘preach the word’; that is another expression. The word is a general term conveying the full thought of the mind of God on some point.
Then it goes on to say: “And when Peter went up to Jerusalem, they of the circumcision contended with him”. So we may be sure that they are not with God when they are contending against the truth. They contended with him, saying, “Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised and hast eaten with them”. That is a complaint, but it is not according to Scripture. It is just a false contention against the truth.
Ques In verse 3 of chapter 11 Peter is accused of having eaten with the nations, but when he speaks to Cornelius in verse 41 of chapter 10, he says: “Us who have eaten and drunk with him after he arose from among the dead”. Does that suggest the intimacy with divine Persons which gives the liberty and power to rise above legalism?
JT You would make a point of intimacy; is that what you mean? that Peter had intimacy with the Lord?
Rem Yes, eating and drinking with Him after He rose from the dead suggests the intimacy of communion with the Lord Jesus in that condition, and I was thinking how it would in that sense reflect on our intimacy with the Holy Spirit now, so as to rise above what is legal.
JT Quite so, I think what you say is perfectly right. The question of intimacy with the Holy Spirit is a matter to be understood and to be practised too, because the Lord Himself has helped us as to that truth.
Ques Does the thought of the Holy Spirit falling upon those that were hearing the word bring in the affections of the Spirit, and how attractive those that were hearing the word would be to Him?
JT Quite so. We have the expression “the love of the Spirit” in Romans, so that the idea of the affections of the Spirit is quite in order.
[p. 84] Ques Is it not something like the Father falling on the neck of the returning son?
JT Very good.
AJG Do you think Peter’s action according to chapter 11 in setting forth the matter to them in order, is an example of how to seek to help those who have difficulties?
JT I would think so. Perhaps you would say a little more.
AJG I was only thinking that Peter would be sympathetic with those who had difficulties because he had had difficulties himself, and God had graciously removed them by the vision and the voice from heaven, and so on.
JT It is a very good sign if a brother who has had difficulties and who has been saying things that are not right, would say so and confess he has been wrong. He would be helped. It often happens, however, that people ignore the errors they have been making.
NKM The effect of Peter’s word to them was that “when they heard these things they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then indeed God has to the nations also granted repentance to life”.
JT Yes, quite so. So that the matter was settled, that is what I would say. It is a great thing to settle a matter, and not to spread it out too much.
Ques Is it a great thing that the matter was settled by the Spirit’s own action?
JT Just so. But it might be settled even by the ministry of a brother, too. The ministry of a brother might be the actual word of the Holy Spirit; he might speak by the Spirit of God, and of course every one of us should aim at that, if we are attempting to minister.
JEB Peter in his epistle uses the expression the “oracles of God”.
JT Quite so, he says. “if any one speak — as oracles of God” (1 Peter 4: 11), so that is an injunction to everyone of us who is ministering.
Ques Has God something special in mind in bringing forward the Holy Spirit as He has been doing in the last two or three years?
JT He certainly has, and I think it is to help all of us in ministry to be clear about the Scriptures, and then to make room for the Spirit Himself, so that the word may be with power, as we often say. It cannot be denied if it is with power. Another thing we should notice is that the Holy Spirit refers to Himself in quoting the Old Testament, “as says the Holy Spirit”, Hebrews 3:7. The whole book of the Scriptures is thus before us in this sense, and the Holy Spirit is the Author of all, but He quotes Himself oftentimes, and He brings forward persons whom He has raised up and is using to present the truth to us. We need to be careful therefore thus to be with the Spirit in what He is doing, because He is the One to guide us in regard of quotations from Scripture, because He has written it. Then too, if we are real christians, He is indwelling us, and there are these meetings which we are having, and in which God is helping us; the Spirit of God Himself is helping us. The truth is being more and more clarified, and of course the young people ought to read or listen to the ministry and get on their knees and see whether they are getting the good of what has been said by the ministers and the Holy Spirit Himself. If a person has not got the Spirit he never understands anything properly, and there are many who have not got the Spirit, and so the question would be, therefore, if I am not sure that I have the Spirit, to be sure to ask for Him.
Ques Do not these words of Peter [p. 86] become divine communications?
JT They do indeed.
AJG Do you think that the more we come to recognise and value the presence of the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, the more we shall be able to get into all the truth and reach completion, and also to meet every form of opposition that may arise?
JT Quite so, and especially if a brother has been neglectful or failed in the ministry to receive it when he has had opportunity, well, then he ought to be more and more particular. He should take it to heart and make it clear to the brethren that he has judged himself, because we are to judge ourselves. We are enjoined to do so, in the epistle to the Corinthians.
Ques Would continued resistance in this way involve an assembly meeting?
JT I should certainly say so, but be sure if we have an assembly meeting to get the facts together to show that there is real need for judgment.
EuR You mean get the facts together beforehand?
JT Just so, and let them be declared in the presence of witnesses, because the care meeting is a meeting for witnesses. Witnesses are present capable of telling things and giving information as to them.
Ques Would not Peter setting forth the matter in order be to carry the brethren with him and to convince them as to the truth?
JT Quite so, and tell their wives at home. The wives too should ask them so that they get the truth. It says in 1 Corinthians 14: 35, “Let them ask their own husbands at home”. That is an important thing for the sisters; to ask their husbands at home.
JSE Is there something very attractive in the fact that, while Peter was speaking, the Holy Spirit fell on those who heard the word? In his speaking [p. 87] he was really acknowledging his own adjustment in relation to the truth.
JT Just so. He was a corrected man — a self-judged man, as you might say. We know well enough that he was adjusted later when Paul had to take issue with him. Paul says, “I said to Peter before all”. Paul took issue with Peter himself.
RSW Is the intimacy with the Spirit which we are being brought into necessary in view of eternal conditions upon which we are about to enter?
JT Very good. That is an immense word, which we can hardly touch on now, because there is not time, but it is one of the most important things anyone could say. As being translated to heaven, what conditions we are coming into! The Spirit, I believe thoroughly, is going with us when we go. There will, of course, be other ministry by the Spirit, but it will be on lower ground, indeed more Israelitish ground. But then the conditions as to Israel — the facts as to Israel — will have to terminate too, because there is no word of Israel being brought into eternal conditions. They will go into it as men, I would say. If they have been brought into the assembly, of course, they have come into it as men.
Rem So that the idea of nations is not carried beyond the millennium.
JT Not that I know of. But still it shows how thoughtful God is and how He is faithful to His promises to the fathers. What regard He has for the fathers — the believers in the truth, especially Moses. It is wonderful that Moses should be brought forward as he is as speaking to the Lord on the mount of transfiguration. There were Moses and Elias. There are things there that are not very clear to us at times, but a greater study would make them clearer, so that we become acquainted with [p. 88] them.
TH Would the two words in verse 12 of chapter 11, “nothing doubting”, be particularly important? There may perhaps be the element amongst us of doubting. It says of the disciples at the close of Matthew, “some doubted”.
JT Just so; especially if they are gifted men and God is using them. It is most important that they should be sure and not have any doubts about things. Why should we have doubts? If you have doubts, well, get to God. He will make it clear. The word is, “Think of what I say, for the Lord will give thee understanding in all things”, 2 Timothy 2: 7.
FWO Does the recognition of the Spirit’s own voice settle every doubt? He says, “The Spirit said to me”.
JT Quite so. You can have no greater authority than the Spirit of God. He is God Himself.
JEB Would you say with regard to some of the special men in the Old Testament, such as Moses, that they had the Spirit in some special way. I was thinking of what we get in Isaiah. “But he remembered the days of old, Moses and his people: Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is he that put his Holy Spirit within him ...” Isaiah 63: 11.
JT They would not be what we call indwelt by the Spirit. In a peculiar way the Spirit is here permanently now indwelling the assembly — no one person can contain the Spirit, it is only the assembly fully that can contain the Spirit.
AJG So each believer’s body is characteristically temple of the Holy Spirit.
JT That is so, but still we cannot ignore the fact that it is only one out of many. The assembly is a united idea; it is a full united thought, and the thought of union too is involved in it. That is another point that perhaps we have not all touched on much lately — union with Christ, but it implies [p. 89] that every one who is indwelt by the Spirit is in union.
AJG John in his second epistle speaks of the truth which “abides in us and shall be with us to eternity”. Do you think that is an allusion to the Spirit as with us to eternity?
JT I would think so. It is the full thought which is characteristic of John. He gives full thoughts, but many of them are abstract thoughts; you have to bring in the idea of abstraction to get them. John is the most abstract man of all.
Ques Were you going to say anything more about union?
JT No, I do not think I could. We have to study Mr. Stoney’s writings to get the full truth of union, because he knew more about it than any of those that have ministered, as far as I understand.
EuR Had you in mind “he that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit”?
JT I do not think that is full union. Union is what we have in Genesis 2, if you will kindly read it.
AJG In Genesis 2, first of all the man says: “This time it is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh, this shall be called Woman, because this was taken out of a man”. Then the Spirit adds, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh”. Is that the thought of union?
JT That is right, and as brought into the New Testament that is worked out as union.
AJG And that is quoted in Ephesians 5, and Paul says, “I speak as to Christ, and as to the assembly”.
JT Quite so. He speaks of other things, but he wants that specially stressed, because that is what is in his mind. “I speak as to Christ and as to the assembly”. I would say therefore that Paul knows [p. 90] more about the assembly than any, because he is minister of it.
AGH Would you please say something about this vessel? Is this “certain vessel descending” the assembly?
JT I think it is. We are impressed with the immensity of it, because it is a very immense idea and it refers to the assembly. It came down three times and went up to stay — that is the eternal thought.
AGH In chapter 10 it speaks of it being taken up into heaven, and in chapter 11 it is drawn up.
JT There is not much difference. ‘Drawn up’ would mean a hand above — some hand above. Similarly we have earlier in this book the idea of hard breathing, connected with the sound out of heaven. That would be an allusion to lungs. We would be very reverential in referring to the idea of lungs in God, but still the idea is there as to breathing — hard breathing: (See footnote, Acts 2: 2).
Ques Is there any link in Acts 10: 45, with Genesis 24, where the servant is astonished at Rebecca? I believe it is the same word used.
JT The Spirit is alluded to in Genesis 24; Abraham’s servant typifies the Spirit. So that the astonishment is all the more wonderful in that chapter; it suggests the astonishment the Spirit has. It is better to leave it without saying too much, lest we might get into error about it, but it is remarkable that the Spirit is there and spoken of in that sense. The whole chapter conveys precious thoughts, that we need to feed on rather than enlarge on too much in ministry.
Rem Referring to the thought of the vessel, once more, we sometimes speak of it as being a sheet, but it is as a sheet. I wondered whether the thought of a vessel in this connection would give us an impression of the entity of the church, and that [p. 91] it is quite indivisible; you have it all or nothing, so to speak, I wondered whether that would be conveyed to Peter.
JT In addition to that, I would say that I do not think we should speak of any part of the assembly as a remnant. I would avoid, as far as I am concerned, speaking of the assembly in any sense as a remnant. The remnant is spoken of in regard to the Jews, but I do not think it should be spoken of in regard to the assembly. I do not think that even in the third chapter of Revelation — in the reference to Philadelphia — the assembly should be spoken of as a remnant. Some think of it in that sense, because it is in Revelation, but it is not, it is the full thought of the assembly in that passage.
Rem What you are saying is very interesting, because sometimes we are inclined to take terms which are used to designate Israel and apply them to the church with equal facility, whereas the Lord has the whole thing in mind when He speaks of the assembly.
JT Quite so, I think the Lord, so to speak, would be loath to use it in any other sense, because the assembly is so great, and He loves it.
JGS Might it not tend to be a slight on the presence of the Spirit indwelling the assembly if we talk of a remnant?
JT I think you are right. That is just what I would say. Now let us finish verse 18: “And when they heard these things they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then indeed God has to the nations also granted repentance to life”, I think that is a wonderful verse after such readings as we have had today. The matter is settled.
PL And are those who are now established in it invigorated to go forward to the next step?
JT Just so; to go forward. Mr. Mace once told me that he had learnt something from someone that [p. 92] seemed to be the truth. It was: ‘Go on, go on, go on’, just like that, and I think he was right, too. The words ‘Go on’ struck me, and it strikes me now. We can well go on from what we have been saying as to the introduction of the gentiles, for we belong to the gentiles. There is hardly a Jew in fellowship now.
AJG It is a scriptural expression because we get “Let us go on to what belongs to full growth”.
JT Very good.
WBH What do the words “repentance to life” suggest?
JT It is a real repentance. Not simply that you have a sense that God has done something for you, but it is a real repentance. It is to life, meaning that eternal life would be implied in it; it would reach that point. We all know what came out in Mr. Raven’s ministry in the last century as to eternal life.
AJG And does that mean that repentance is in view of filling a position here in testimony in the power of eternal life?
JT Quite so.
ACSP Is it a great matter not only to arrive at the fact that what the ministry has said is right, but to arrive at what God is doing?
JT Very good; what God is doing.
ACSP I was thinking of the expression, “Then indeed God has to the nations also granted repentance to life”. They do not say, Peter, you are justified in what you did, but they recognise what God has done.
JT Just so. I think instead of saying what God is doing, the time has come when we say God is at rest. We have Mr. Darby’s beautiful hymn, ‘Rest of the saints above, Jerusalem of God’ (74:1), but then God is at rest as well. That verse conveys the idea [p. 93] of rest, and we are coming into rest — the rest of God.
PL “He will rest in His love”.
AM Do the variety of creatures themselves that are found in the sheet set forth the principle of life in its variety?
JT Well, I would say so. The Lord says of His sheep, “I give them life eternal; and they shall never perish” — so that the thought is there — “and no one shall seize them out of my hand”. All the ideas are there in the sheet.
Ques You have several times referred to the fact that there are no — or very few — Jews in fellowship. Did you have in mind the passage in Romans 11 about the goodness and severity of God? It says, “Behold then the goodness and severity of God; upon them who have fallen, severity; upon thee goodness of God, if thou shalt abide in goodness, since otherwise thou also wilt be cut away”.
JT Quite so. That is a fitting close to what we have had.