FOLLOWING THE LORD IN "THE WAY"
C.Hammond
Our brother has reminded us of the need of laying hold of the purpose of God in relation to Christ and the assembly, and that inside position, as we may say, will have its bearing in a practical way upon the path of testimony and any part we may have in it. It is called here "the way" and was so because the Lord was in it. I suppose we are all clear that there is only one way, testimonially, that is accredited by God.
It is as well to get that clear. It is not a question of assumption or claim; it is a question of fact - that there is only one testimonial way that is accredited by God. Whether we are in it, of course, would be another consideration. Most of us, I suppose, have had the advantage of being brought up in the area where the truth is, but there comes a time, I believe, in the history of all, if we are to be serviceable to the Lord, when we realise that faith is required to pursue the path. It is a faith system, and we are to discover, as sensitive, where the Lord is in any matter and where He is to be found active, with the close co-operation of the Holy Spirit, amongst the saints. As the Lord went forth into the way, "a person ran up to him"; that was commendable. It does not say exactly that he ran into the way, but he ran up to Him. What a thing it is, dear brethren, if in any committal to the saints of God, the Lord is recognised as being there and He is the object of faith to us; but whether we have been sustained in that would be a challenge for us all to answer. This man (he is said elsewhere to be a young man (Matt 19: 20)), evidently was a reasonably rich man, a ruler. You do not need, dear brethren, to have a big bank balance to be rich! We find that in the testings of the way the Lord discloses to us what may be a hindrance to going on. We are in the presence of it now, as our brother prayed, there are some who could have been here and are not. We feel what they are missing. We think often of so many dear brethren that we have known over the years, but they have missed their way. Perhaps we should be more accurate in saying they have missed the way, for that is the truth. There is the way, the Christian way. Well-meaning believers will tell you that there are many roads to one goal. Well, if we are thinking of the rapture, yes; although there is only one basis for the saints being raptured, and that is that they are amongst the redeemed.
But meantime, dear brethren, we have to consider the way, and whether we are in it. It is not positional, though I thank God for where I am found and the help I receive. You can get on in years, but still you can learn, for the truth is so great and our understanding so small; we still need to go on learning and to keep fresh in our spirits. What affected me about this incident, and that is why I selected Mark, was the Lord's affectionate feelings for this man. Think of its being recorded that "Jesus looking upon him loved him". There was a certain amount of integrity with him. "All these things have I kept from my youth", and yet still there was a secret hindrance and the Lord knew it. Though he had been a good attender at the meetings, so to speak, he had done everything that he thought was required of him, there was something hindering full committal. Jesus looked upon him and He loved him. You can sense the Lord's feelings as he went away. Think of the Lord's grief as any, who having come into the way where He is, who have been in the presence of the Lord's activities, yet are not prepared for the challenge that the way involves. So He says, "One thing lackest thou, go, sell whatever thou hast and give to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in heaven". He does not leave it at that, but says "Come follow me". Why is it that in the first critical situation that occurred in the church, in Acts 5: 14, the Spirit of God says that "Believers were more than ever added to the Lord"? Because the simple truth is that if we are added to the Lord we shall be safe. If we are merely added to a position, we may not be; even if we are where the truth is held the knowledge of the truth itself will not necessarily hold us; but "Follow me". That is the word!
So in the next section of this chapter the disciples, though they were amazed and afraid, it says "they followed" Him. Think of the apprehension in their minds! I do not think they regretted following the Lord, but just an inward sense that a climax was coming. They wanted to be faithful, but alas! it says, "All left him and fled", Mark 14: 50. What testings there were, and yet what recovery as Christ as risen appears and has to do with Peter, for instance, and with Mary and others. What compassion He shows! What grace! What understanding, dear brethren! Even if we have failed Him at any given time there is His grace to bring us back into the path, a path that is designated in the Scripture, "the way". Even if at times we are amazed and afraid, we should still follow Him.
So the Lord tells them what was to befall Him, the Son of man. "They shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him up to the nations; and they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him". We might think this could well cause despondency. You hear some say at the present time, I just could not stand another division. Well, supposing it is so? Supposing following the Lord involves just that? I do not know. I am not wishing to be negative, for I am assured that final victory is coming. "And after three days he shall rise again". That means, dear brethren, that the ultimate will be moral victory testimonially.
So in Acts 9 you find there is one who is brought into "the way"; a most unlikely man, as most of us are, I suppose, whether we are brought up amongst brethren or not. Saul is persecuting those "who were of the way". It is a suffering way. Think of the sufferings through which the saints have passed the last few years, the declension of those near and dear. Think of the brethren that you loved and had fellowship with. Do we feel these things as the Lord feels them, dear brethren? I am sure He feels them but if He feels one who turns away as this ruler did, I think we can read also into it the Lord's pleasure in some who seek to follow Him in the way. The way will be where the Lord is. You may say, That is over-simplification. Yet it is basic to the position, that we locate where the Lord is; and it we have been side-tracked at any time let us go back and trace where we have missed the Lord's movements and then ask ourselves why we missed them.
So we need to be sensitive, and whatever the way and whatever the claims of the fellowship and the testimony may be, dear brethren, let us follow Him. Ananias was a little doubtful about Saul, as no doubt the brethren at times may feel a little doubtful about us, dear brethren. Thank God, we have a gracious High Priest and Shepherd who is able to help us through in these matters. So He says "This man is an elect vessel to me... for I will shew to him how much he must suffer for my name".
So we find in Acts 19 "the way" is spoken against. It says that Paul spoke persuasively in their synagogue for three months. Think of listening to Paul for three months! Think of his persuasive appeal, not in emotional persuasion but in the power of the Holy Spirit. Yet it says, "Some were hardened and disbelieved". That seems a stronger word than unbelief. Paul says that the Lord had mercy on him because of his unbelief, see 1 Tim 1: 13. In what he did, he thought he was doing God a service, but it was in ignorance. The fact is, dear brethren, we can have integrity and be wrong. We may believe that the path we are treading is a right one but we may not be sufficiently near the Lord to discern His movements. So what does Paul do? When they hardened their hearts and disbelieved and spoke evil of the way (and that would include those in it) he separated the disciples. How long was he in the school of Tyrannus? Two years at least, daily teaching. How does this teaching go on? Do we confine our consideration of the truth and the Scriptures, and what has been recovered to us, to our assemblings together? What was the word that Paul gave to Timothy? "Give thyself to reading", 1 Tim 4: 13. Dear young brethren "Give thyself to reading" - prayerfully. You have a heritage that many believers, I am sure, would be thankful to have. We have the Scriptures and the ministry. I am concerned about the value of referring householdly to the Scriptures, and if necessary finding some expression of your feelings in the singing of hymns. Let it be done. It is not duty; it is because you find pleasure and profit in it. So he "reasoned daily in the school of Tyrannus". Well, what happened? All in Asia, Asia Minor that is, "heard the word of the Lord". Well dear brethren, the testimony is going through. "The way" is still here. If we claim that we are it, we may miss it, but please God we may be morally qualified to have our part in it; and I say the secret of it all is "Follow me, taking up the cross". Where the Lord is, we may be sure things will go through to ultimate victory. The testimony is going to finish in power and triumph. I believe there will be a collective testimony; I believe there will be disciples who continue, so to speak, in the school of Tyrannus, under the teaching of the Lord. The Lord left that last touch with His disciples to encourage them to endure to the end, for it says "He that has endured to the end, he shall be saved", Mark 13: 13. May the Lord encourage us. The counterpart, as I have said, to the privilege side that our brother has referred to, is in our desiring to be found in the way. It is the Christian way, the way that every Christian should be in, and please God there may be more recovered yet. There is room for all, dear brethren. Some may want a broader path, but if the path is even more straightened it will lead to life (see Matt 7: 14). It the Lord is in it, dear brethren, it is all that will really matter to us. May we, like the disciples of old, be added to the Lord; then we shall be safe.
LONDON
4 December 1973