"A LARGE UPPER ROOM FURNISHED"

“A LARGE UPPER ROOM FURNISHED”

Luke 22:7 - 13; Acts 2:41 - 47

JT We get in Acts 2 the question of housing. The Lord knew the number that would come so there was no need of hastily improvising accommodation. I thought it would help us to consider the facts which bear on this point, that we might see how the Lord had a place in mind large enough, and how readily the subjects of the work of God fitted in, so that they were quite at home there. It occurred to me that this section in Luke would serve to show that the Lord had something large before Him, and that it should be cherished.

It will be observed that the initiative was taken by the Lord in this gospel, He sends Peter and John; in the other gospels they enquire. I think Peter and John would represent vigilance and administrative provision on the one hand, and family feeling on the other. There can be no right housekeeping without these two features — administration on the one hand which keeps things in order and brings in supplies, and the family feeling and affections on the other without which we cannot have right house conditions.

CAC I suppose the administrative order would safeguard and give room for the development of the affections. You would suggest that Peter gives administration and John the family.

JT Yes. Order and supply go together. The part Peter had in the opening of the dispensation shows that he represents the administrative side. He stood up with the eleven, making one of the twelve, representing in what he said what he stood for: it ^[p. 2] showed heaven was acting in administrative conditions. A wonderful time of fulness had come in, heaven opened itself, and a wonderful supply was present in the Spirit. We should look for this feature today. There must be administrative order and with that supply, but we may have that without affection. John comes in in the next chapter (Acts 3). It is not so much what he said but he was there, and his presence would ensure that love which is essential to house conditions. So in Luke 22 the Lord sent Peter and John: it was His own thought.

As a rule we have much difficulty in housing our numbers, but in Acts 2 there seemed to be no inconvenience in the fact that three thousand came in at once: there was house accommodation for all of them. These verses do not describe what marked the first day, but they describe a period after Pentecost, conditions that marked the early christians, not only that day but for a definite period. The more you look into them the more delightful they are, so easy, nothing forced; there was no confusion and no one lacked anything. All the house principles were present, there was subjection and they persevered steadily in spite of the current against them: “They persevered in the teaching and fellowship of the apostles, in breaking of bread and prayers”. We have in these features elements of the house; they involve principles that survive, that cannot be overthrown by the current against them. First they persevered in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship; it was that kind of teaching, and there was subjection to the authority of Christ in those men who were acting as Christ’s representatives. That is easily applicable at the present time and there can be no house conditions apart from that. One could understand how each one of these three thousand believers would have a great regard for Peter, the light had come into their souls through Peter, and they would ^[p. 3] recognise a certain authority in what Peter said. Then there were these eleven men standing alongside of Peter, and they would make enquiries about these men, why they were standing up together. There were a hundred and twenty altogether, why were these twelve standing up? The explanation was very simple: these men were the apostles; they were not men of yesterday; they had been with Jesus, moving in and out with Him from the outset, from John’s baptism till the present time. Every true believer would make enquiry as to these twelve, and then he would see that it was no longer simply a question of Moses or those who sat in Moses’ seat but of these twelve men, what they say about any given thing and what they teach.

Ques That question would arise with every soul today as to the apostles’ doctrine.

JT Exactly. These three thousand men and women who got light on that day said, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”. Acts 2:37. They did what they were told to do. There was the principle of subjection; they began with that and persevered in it. They persevered in the teaching and fellowship of the apostles. What wonderful things were there! So now the same thing would arise: these converts recognised the apostles, and one who is subject now is ready for what there is. Where God is working there would be respect for what represents the authority of the Lord: there is no safety outside that. Where that is disregarded disaster is the consequence, and where it is bowed to there is enlargement, room for the Spirit.

The subject of housing in spiritual things is of great interest, because it is a principle of God. We get the elements of it in these verses in Acts 2; they indicate the elements that make up the houses. These twelve men were remarkable people, those who stood up with a hundred and twenty in the background.

^[p. 4] Then there was this influx of three thousand. Ordinarily we would say, Have we not to improvise something for them? But no, the provision was there: “There were added in that day about three thousand souls”. I believe this was put down for this purpose to call attention to the fact that the provision was there and there was no inconvenience. Later on it says, “The Lord added to the assembly” and there could be no thought of inconvenience with what He added. I think the word ‘large’ (Luke 22) used by the Lord Himself would convey to us that He had this in mind; He had additions in mind.

CAC It was a time of great things, they had heard the great things of God.

JT In Mark it is “my guest-chamber”. Mark 14:14 The Lord had in His mind that there would be great accessions, and that there would be room for them. Here it is a “large upper room furnished”.

Ques What connection has it with “There make ready”?

JT I think the apostles would have in mind that the Lord intended to have things large and furnished, and then that there should be something there. I think the making ready is seen in what we get in these two chapters in Acts. The three thousand came in to a day of great things. The apostles were speaking of the great things of God, not things at a distance but things present. A wonderful thing had come in; it was there, and they were to have part in it. The testimony had come down from heaven, from the place Christ had in heaven — the testimony of the Spirit, He sat on each of them: each had the testimony in himself of what was in heaven and what was going on in heaven. Think of being introduced into that company! Think of the influence and the power that actuated those people! Think of Peter in the exercise of his gift and all the others, yet the room was large enough for it. The thing could ^[p. 5] be entered on in commodious quarters. They knew what they were doing, God had not left the temple system yet, but they broke bread from house to house. Where did these three thousand people meet? It says they broke bread in the house. Each of these had a house, and their houses were available so there was no inconvenience at all.

Ques Is this breaking bread the Lord’s supper?

JT Yes. It says, “Every day, being constantly in the temple with one accord, and breaking bread in the house, they received their food with gladness and simplicity of heart”. The ordinary meal may have been added to it but they would have the Lord’s supper there in the house, in the enjoyment of family feelings and affections.

Ques Would the prayers be in the house or the temple?

JT We can pray anywhere but we cannot break bread anywhere. We read of a place where they were wont to pray, but the point here is that they continued in prayer. It was a day of great things, so many were coming in at once. The disciples earlier had said, What shall we do with this number, five thousand or four thousand, shall we send them away? The Lord says, That is not the idea at all, give ye them to eat. He told them what to do, they were to be set down in order, in ranks of fifty and a hundred, so that they ate in an orderly way, and there was room for fellowship and no inconvenience. The provision was there, the bounty of heaven. In Matthew 14 the Lord looks up to heaven and gives thanks, but in chapter 15 He only gives thanks. Chapter 14 is the administration of heaven and chapter 15 is the Spirit. The two things run together, the bounty of heaven and the presence of the Spirit on earth.

In a company of fifty you could be acquainted with everybody, which you could not be with five thousand at once, so they had fellowship. The apostles’ fellowship would apply to all the companies of fifty, and to every individual in each company too.

Ques Have you in mind a spiritual nucleus?

JT Yes, and there is authority there which morally represents the Lord and we can rest: there exists something invulnerable.

Ques Are there companies of fifty today?

JT The nucleus is that, but Luke is more concerned with externals than the other evangelists: he gives the hour of meeting, not the evening. He provides for God’s people scattered all over the world where they could know and enjoy each other.

The house in Acts 1 was the upper room; chapter 1 leads up to conditions which chapter 2 notes. Those who had seen the Lord go up return to Jerusalem and go to the upper room where were the apostles and the Lord’s mother and His brethren, and there they are withdrawn from the elements and the level of ordinary influence. Peter stood up — that is not a simple thing. People say, Any brother can stand up; one often finds that radical spirit. But it is not that at all, it is a question of the brother who is most suitable, and if we are in the light of this chapter and understand the wonderful material which the Lord has formed we shall recognise the brother who stands up. Peter stands up in the midst of the company first and then with the eleven. He stands up in chapter 1 as having moral title, not as an apostle but as one qualified to convey the mind of God for the moment, and everyone present would feel that Peter was the brother who could stand up: it was a question of formation. If we do not understand formation we shall not be in assembly activity; we must take account of divine formation and make room for it. This was a special case; the Lord had appointed twelve apostles but now there were only eleven — the Lord had not solved the case and who was going to lead to the solution ^[p. 7] of it?

CAC It was not so much authority as moral weight.

JT Yes, and what follows shows that Peter was the one who should stand up. He conveyed the mind of God which led to the solution of this matter. Later on Peter stands up and says, “Brethren, ye know that from the earliest days God amongst you chose that the nations by my mouth should hear the word of the glad tidings and believe”. Acts 15:7. But he does not say that here, there is nothing official here, but a brother being able to bring in divine principles so that there should be a solution of the matter; he brings in Scripture to bear on it.

CAC Scripture is there for us today but wisdom is needed to use right principles at the right time.

JT The spiritual one would discern that the Scriptures Peter read were exactly right at the time. It is important to make room for divine formation so that we might have the mind of God at any time.

CAC Would that not be the oracles of God?

JT Yes, that is just what it was. We have the possibility of the mind of God being brought in, and who but one whom God has fitted for it could do that?

CAC Would you suggest the importance of spiritual exercise that might furnish that kind of ability? We often find practically that there are difficulties and exercises locally which seem to require the voice of the divine oracle to illuminate and clear them.

JT Yes. In the early days the Holy Spirit set these things down for us. I think our younger brethren would do well to take note that whilst the mutual principle is present in the assembly, yet alongside of that there is divine formation without which we cannot have the assembly really. So that while I am free as a young person to take part in the assembly, yet ^[p. 8] I am concerned lest I should interfere with one who is more experienced and developed: if I do I may shut out the oracle. Nobody said anything here but Peter, according to the record; what he said was right and they acted upon it. At the present time it is a great thing to make room for the word of God whilst maintaining the mutual feature. If I were in a meeting with Paul I would be very concerned to hear what he had to say and should not like to shut him out.

Ques Would you speak of the whole city as a company?

JT The whole city is the assembly in the city: the word ‘company’ is not official. When we speak of an assembly in a place do we mean all? In principle going to their company meant all the saints in Jerusalem, they represented the whole company.

CAC It speaks of “two of you”. The “you” is the company.

JT Here we have three thousand added that day, and the Lord added all that should be saved: there was room for all. In the light of the whole assembly is there room for all the saints at Exeter? The question is whether we have the thing in our hearts in such a way that we could embrace them.

CAC There is room and provender. Christ and the Spirit are an adequate supply.

JT Yes, these men were great enough for the emergency; they were not carried off their feet but were equal to it. If I have these principles in my soul, even if everybody in this city turned out I should be equal to it. It tests one as to where one is and as to what God is doing. Am I great enough to embrace the whole work of God? We do not see what God is doing except now and again one is let into what He is doing. He is working though one knows very little about it. Moses said, “Let thy work appear unto thy servants”, and the next thing is, “Establish thou the work of our hands”, Psalm 90:16,17.

^[p. 9] The Lord did not have anything less in view than the full result of the testimony in the upper room, but He had in mind that there should be accommodation for all the work of God.