SPIRITUAL PROSPERITY
W. Dickson
Psalm 1: 1–3; John 15: 7, 8; Colossians 1: 7–10
I desire, beloved brethren, to say a word tonight about spiritual prosperity. There is such a thing as material prosperity, and we recognise the principle of stewardship in regard to material prosperity, manifesting itself in hospitality and the support of the Lord’s interests.
But I wanted to speak tonight of what is greater, and that is spiritual prosperity. There are none of us I am sure but what would desire to prosper spiritually. It is a certain desire that is brought out by the Holy Spirit—the desire to prosper spiritually, and I thought that these scriptures might be a help to all of us in the fulfilment of that desire.
It has always been a matter of interest to me that the books of Psalms, so rich in experience and so rich in spiritual substance, should begin as they do. You look at the verse, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the wicked, and standeth not in the way of sinners, and sitteth not in the seat of scorners”, and you may wonder why the books of Psalms, so rich in types of the Lord Jesus Christ, so wonderful in the experiences that they give, should begin with that verse. What it brings out, beloved brethren, is a great principle, and that is that experience spiritually is only profitable to persons who have some exercise as to a sanctified walk. I lay that before the brethren as a first principle in regard to spiritual prosperity, the need for a sanctified walk. Of course we are all thankful for divine grace that has ensured to us, even in these days of brokenness, spiritual companionship. We are thankful for that. But the Spirit of God would give us at the beginning of the books of Psalms all these negative thoughts in regard to a person who does not walk in a certain way, and I would leave that with all the brethren, particularly the younger brethren, as to the need for a sanctified walk, in relation to companionships, in relation to friendships, in relation to social links, if there is to be spiritual prosperity.
Then it says, “But his delight is in Jehovah’s law, and in his law doth he meditate day and night”. The law here, in our time, would undoubtedly refer to the Holy Scriptures. It would involve in our time both the Old and New Testaments. Another great principle in soul prosperity is the valuing of the Holy Scriptures. “His delight is in Jehovah’s law”; that is confirmatory of a thought that came before us yesterday, that a person’s heart be engaged.
Beloved, when you read the Holy Scriptures is your heart engaged, are your affections engaged? I have often been affected in reading Mr. Darby’s ‘Synopsis’ how often he breaks out in holy feelings, as if his heart is engaged. The psalmist delights in Jehovah’s law.
Beloved brethren, as you read the gospels of Luke and John, as you meditate on Jehovah’s law, do you delight in it? Is there something surging up in your soul in the way of spiritual feeling and appreciation of the glory of that blessed Man who is delineated in the pages of Scripture? What a touch of spiritual prosperity it is when you delight, when your affections are engaged with the living character of the Holy Scriptures.
Then he says, “In his law doth he meditate day and night”, and that brings out the mind, brings out the faculty of thinking. Think of the wonders of Scripture, the wonders of what is unfolded in the ways of God, the purposes of God, what concerns Israel, what concerns the assembly, what concerns the world to come and concerns eternity, and you meditate on these things. It all adds up to soul prosperity. So that you delight in Jehovah’s law, in that your affections are drawn out; it is not as you would read a text book, or a manual of instruction from the college, your delight is in Jehovah’s law. I have been very exercised for myself (I hope the brethren will forgive me for referring to what I have been exercised in) that I should not use the Holy Scriptures just as a text book for preaching or ministry, but should use the Holy Scriptures to feed my soul.
Then it says, “He is as a tree planted by brooks of water”—an evident allusion to the Holy Spirit. It does not say ‘by a river’; it says “by brooks of water”. Scripture never makes a distinction without a difference. The thought of a river refers to the Holy Spirit in a broad, general sense, but the brook—and this is where the current, practical side comes to us—refers to the present, living flow of the Holy Spirit as it reaches me. Are we like trees drawing our sustenance continually from the blessed Spirit? It brings up the whole question as to how near we are to the blessed source of refreshment currently in the blessed Spirit, bearing upon us, not dispensationally exactly, but in our daily lives and experience. Then, “Which giveth its fruit in its season”—very fine that! You think of the Lord Jesus as a Boy in the temple at Jerusalem; how delightful was the fruit in its season! How beautiful the fruit in its season also in older brethren who have mellowness of spirit, the choice result of experience with God. What an asset older brethren are in a company, marked by “fruit in its season”.
Then it says “whose leaf fadeth not”. Elder brethren in a locality should be concerned, in a shepherdly spirit, to discern when the leaf is fading. A leaf fades because something has come in to rob it of its freshness and to detach it from the living spring of things. The evidence of the leaf fading may manifest itself in less of a desire for the Holy Scriptures. The shepherds in a locality (Paul exhorts them in Acts 20) exercise vigilance to see that the leaf does not fade. Finally it says, “and all that he doeth prospereth”—spiritual prosperity. What a blessed thing!
It is just like Joseph—he added a touch of prosperity to every circumstance. You go to visit an old sister; you give a touch of prosperity. You come to the service of God—a touch of prosperity. You come to the care meeting; you give a touch of prosperity. “All that he doeth prospereth”. Why? Because the soul is prospering, meditates in the law of Jehovah, and is planted by the brooks of water. Let us cultivate this matter of our personal links with Christ and with the Holy Spirit, with a constant desire for the living word of God that will manifest itself in the leaf never fading, but being in constant greenness and freshness amongst us.
So in John’s gospel the Lord said, “If ye abide in me”. Do you know what it is to abide in Christ? Much has been said about this passage, but what does it mean to abide in Christ? I will put it simply. A person who abides in Christ relates everything to Christ. That is the principle of abiding in Christ. There is not a matter that comes up but you relate it to Christ.
Selfishness takes many forms, and there is no greater obstacle to soul prosperity. One form is relating matters to yourself. How does this affect me? How does it affect my interests? How does it affect my sphere of things? “Ye abide in me” means that you relate every matter to Christ.
Then the Lord says, “and my words abide in you”. Well, “my words” is a different thought from the Scriptures. “Jehovah’s law” and ‘my words” are not the same thing. “My words” means that you are diligent, and you are listening to what the Lord is currently saying amongst His people. “My words abide in you”—there is what you get yourself from the Scriptures, what you get for your own soul’s prosperity, but “my words abide in you” is a reference to His present, living voice, but of course still from the Scripture. It is a good thing, beloved brethren, before you come to a meeting for ministry, or any meeting of that character, to get down before the Lord and ask Him to give you grace to perceive the word that is for you. How good to get on your knees before the meeting and say, ‘Lord help me to discern the word that is for me’. It may be a word bearing on the saints collectively. It abides in you and adds to your prosperity, and it will give you an understanding of the Lord’s interest in the assembly. So you can pray, as it says, “Ye shall ask what ye will and it shall come to pass to you. In this is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit, and ye shall become disciples of mine” (John 15: 7, 8).
What is the fruitfulness that John speaks of here, that God is glorified? Fruit in John’s gospel, in which God is glorified, is “love amongst yourselves”. And one great evidence of soul prosperity is, that we seek, as abiding in Christ, and His word abiding in us, to love the brethren. There is need currently amongst us for an increase in love. The current voice of the Spirit is love, love amongst the brethren. Thereby God is glorified, if there is love amongst the brethren, and it will only come about as we are spiritually prospered by abiding in Christ, His word abiding in us and finding a resting place as we accept it.
This is a very interesting scripture in Colossians 1: 7. I suggest to the brethren that there is some correspondence between Epaphras and Elisha. I do not think there is anything recorded in the scriptures as to what Elisha ministered. The prophetic ministry of Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and many of the minor prophets is recorded, but there is no record in Scripture as to what Elisha ministered and there is no record in Scripture as to what Epaphras said. There are details in Scripture as to what he did, so in that way he represents, in a certain sense, features of Elisha. Elisha’s service was almost entirely conducted in proximity to the Jordan, and power amongst the brethren on the part of any person is in the measure in which they keep near to the Jordan. Jordan is a source of power for a servant. The truth of the death of Christ is a source of power for a servant. Death is the resolving of every issue in a locality, or generally, or in an individual. Death is the solution of every matter. I do not know, beloved brethren, if we fully appreciate the significance of that. Elisha derived his power in relation to the Jordan (2 Kings 2: 13, 14).
“Epaphras … who is a faithful minister of Christ for you, who has also manifested to us your love in the Spirit”. This links with John’s gospel, “your love in the Spirit”. Why did Paul say this? I will tell you why he said it, beloved brethren. This has often been spoken of as a ‘danger epistle’ or an epistle of crisis. They were going on to God’s full thoughts, and the enemy was endeavouring to divert them because they were prosperous (Colossians 1: 6).
Beloved brethren, when the Lord is prospering you locally, that is the time to watch. Epaphras knew that things were prospering in Colosse. They were set for the full thing, so he combated earnestly in prayer (Colossians 4: 12). As we are prospered, beloved brethren, let us be more dependent than ever. If you are prospered individually, be more dependent on God than ever you have been. If you are prospered in your locality, and I can see the evidence of prosperity, beloved brethren, watch. Watch as you have never watched before and be dependent. Epaphras, Paul says, “has also manifested to us your love in the Spirit”. The essential characteristic of love in the Spirit is purity. In localities there are always dangers of partisanship, dangers of diverse feelings, so let there be a demonstration of “love in the Spirit”, in its purity, its unfeigned character, and its unprejudiced character. Thus there will be fruitfulness continuing amongst God’s people.
So Paul prayed: “For this reason we also … do not cease praying and asking for you, to the end that ye may be filled with the full knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so as to walk worthily of the Lord unto all well-pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and growing by the true knowledge of God”; and Epaphras was in full support. Well, the Lord wants us to prosper individually; He wants us to prosper in our localities, and there are great resources available to us by which that can be achieved, but they are hidden resources, they are the resources that lie in the Spirit. The great feature in Colossians is what is hid, “your life is hid with the Christ in God” (Colossians 3: 3). The Lord would direct us to these hidden things by which we can be maintained in spiritual prosperity.
Again I say brethren, in all affection, Watch, and ensure that “love in the Spirit” is what can be said to mark you, as I would seek that it might be said of where I come from, for His name’s sake.
Address at Plainfield, N.J.
28 August 1978