SELECTION FOR SERVICE
[p. 116] SELECTION FOR SERVICE
These books, John’s gospel and the book of the Revelation, are written by John himself, and it is because of this that in measure they are read, because John affords us one who can be relied upon. The Lord made His selections in view of His services and made no mistakes, it need not be said; and hence if selection has to be made we can understand how John would be chosen to make them — the selection of one to serve or for a group to serve. And so John has been selected at this time in order to point out persons who are without guile. He had a great knowledge of persons and no doubt the Lord had this in mind when He made him a favourite; when He made him the disciple whom He loved. Critical times had arrived in the history of the truth. John lived to be a considerable age; some lived to be a great age. Critical times had arrived. There were special missions needed; and so it was that the Lord said to Peter that if it were His thought to reserve John for such purposes that was within His rights. He had used Peter, too; He gave him work to do, greater indeed in import than the work He gave John. He assigned Peter to assembly service. “Thou shalt be called Cephas”, John 1:42 He said to him when He saw him, according to John. He looked at him, which is something to be kept in mind, for a look from Jesus means something. It is not casual. He looked at Peter and told him what he was to be called. The account is different in Matthew because there the Lord says of him that he was material: “Thou art Peter”. Paul had something to say about the apostles, which you can understand he would love to do in due course-after his conversion he had in [p. 117] mind to become acquainted with the apostles, and I might say in passing it is a very important thing for young people as to what acquaintances, what companionships they are making. We get examples as to what to do in those matters: what kind of associations, companionships, we are to select for ourselves. And so in Paul’s case he decided that he would go up to Jerusalem to make acquaintance with Peter. At that time I suppose he could scarcely make a better selection than Peter. He was a man of experience at that time, as experience went, although they were all comparatively young. As far as I can see the Lord did not select elder brethren to be apostles or to be overseers or deacons; He made His selection from the younger ones. And so Paul made his selection and the Lord would approve, there can be no doubt. He said he went up to make acquaintance with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days; so that we can see how the early apostles and Christians were governed, what influenced them, and we do well to take note of what influenced them and see to ourselves, as to what influences us in making selections as to companionships and the like.
In coming to John’s gospel he clearly made a good selection to prepare his material for the book he was about to write. He also made a good selection in preparing the Apocalypse, and the Lord helped him in that. So that if there be any thought with any of us about serving in this way, whether in taking notes for the Lord’s people or transcribing them or revising them, the Lord will help us to do it, and there is great need for it, too. Material for the saints in that sense, for their reading, is piling up and as far as I see there is no hope of overtaking the work that should be done, and done well. There are touches at the beginning of John’s gospel and at the end of it that show that he took great care so that any selections that should be made by the brethren [p. 118] in later years should be suitable; for the Holy Spirit was over it all. All that John did and all the others did was governed, controlled by the Holy Spirit. That is another point to keep before us, that the blessed Spirit is here in the office of another Comforter, another Paraclete; that is, another divine Person beside us, ready to stretch forth His hand to help us in time of need, whatever the need may be. It is not a time for idleness. The Lord is ready to send out labourers. The work needs to be done and He is ready to use us and give us to understand that we are worth using. I do not think the Lord would make selection of a person, who was not worth it, therefore we may as well challenge our hearts as to what we have been able to do heretofore, to see if we are worth anything, because heaven is making calculations on these lines. So John made his selection as to guileless persons. You might say, Why should he do that? Well, the word is there in this chapter 1 and the word may be there in the book of Revelation from which I have read. At any rate, the words ‘lie’ and ‘falsehood’ are very akin and very near to the idea of guile. John evidently in making his selections has the thought of selecting certain persons who are guileless, and the first one is Nathanael. There can be no question about the word applying to him; the Lord Himself is quoted by John here, and He points to Nathanael and says, “Behold one truly an Israelite, in whom there is no guile” (verse 47). So that it is time for us to look into this matter of guile if we have not done it already, for John has been selected to make selections of the kind of people that are known as guileful and then guileless people. So, as I said, you can see how he would think around and begin his great book on this point and begin it right. There is a man already converted immediately, you might say. He has been sitting under the fig-tree just recently and questioning what one is saying about the Lord [p. 119] Jesus; and in questioning the servants of the Lord, those who are reputed to be that, we run great risks in speaking ill of them. In this particular case the person involved was speaking ill of Christ. He was questioning the Lord Jesus. “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” He is speaking of the Lord Jesus when he says that. You can see how easily we may make comments of that kind as to those who are seeking to serve the Lord’s people. The Spirit of God will not forget what we say and will point a finger at us, too, as He can, if we are saying things that are not right, that are not true, about anything. So the Lord knew all about this and that is another matter that one can conveniently speak of, that the Lord knows everything about us. He says here to Nathanael, “Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig-tree, I saw thee”. One might multiply references of that kind — where one was last night; where last evening was spent, and whether the Lord could say, I saw thee there; you did not know it, but I saw thee.
Well now, I am endeavouring to speak about Nathanael and the remarkable history that he has, which is left by the pen of John for us. He runs through the gospel, seen first in this way by the Lord, and the Lord saw him moving toward him. You say, Well, that is a small matter, but it is not a small matter; it is a big matter, that even he should move toward the Lord Jesus. Just a moment ago he had been speaking ill of the Lord; at least speaking disrespectfully of Him. Now the Lord looks at him; when He saw him coming to Him He looked at him. As I said at the beginning, a look from Christ at a person is no small matter. That is to say, it is a question of who the person may be and what the history may be behind it, and whether the Lord is looking at you inquiringly for something. Maybe you do what you can do and He may be questioning [p. 120] that you are hardly fit to do it; that you require some adjustment before you can do it. There is great need, but there is great need of adjustment; and so when the Lord saw him coming to Him, He says, “Behold one truly an Israelite, in whom there is no guile”. As if it were a rare matter and undoubtedly it was, and it is a rare matter now: an Israelite who is without guile is a rare matter today. Follow them up in their business affairs and household affairs and you shall soon discover whether there is guile or not. And if there is not then heaven knows it and is pleased with it. So it was that Nathanael was in mind to be an apostle, no less than that. How quickly the Lord would settle matters in that way. Indeed, when He appointed the apostles He spent the whole night in prayer. You can see how the Lord would go over the ground as regards Peter. He was always the first, and then James and then John. Nathanael is an apostle and the Lord has selected him, and in view of that He is saying things about him. Hence, as I said, I am now seeking to challenge the brethren as to what is to be done; how much is to be done, and whether there are any who can do it, and whether they are ready to come forward to do it and sacrifice to do it, because that is the way of heaven. The way of heaven is to sacrifice. The Lord Jesus made the greatest of all sacrifices. He has led the way for us in that sense, and so, therefore, I am inquiring now as to this person and what his capabilities are, what the Lord is thinking about him, what place he is to have in the list, in the cabinet; for there is such a thing as in David’s time and Solomon’s time and others’: persons who have held offices, and so it is the thing is going on today and the places are not all filled. There is great need; not, indeed, for such work as I am doing now, in so much as there is a great number that can do it. Some think the number is increasing. Is it [p. 121] because there is a certain advantage in it, more than in other offices that are unfilled? It is a question of whether we are making a right selection in choosing certain things to be done.
And so it is that the epistles to the Corinthians help us. We are to choose the best gifts, but rather that we may prophesy. That is a thing that is not very much done, especially by sisters. One often has spoken about that. In Philip’s day there were sisters who did it. I do not know of any now. But I must return to what the Lord is thinking of. It is wonderful, indeed, that anyone of us should have the privilege of looking into what the Lord is thinking of doing, as it were. We think of it in the prayer meetings; we think of what the Lord is about to do with certain ones and pray for them accordingly. So the Lord was thinking about Nathanael. He was in His mind for an office and he is showing his capabilities; he is showing his reliability. I do not know of anything more important than reliability, that a brother can be trusted with a matter, whether it be doctrine or whether it be a visitation to a needy person who wishes to break bread and the like. It is a question of whether the persons are reliable and whether the persons who are seeking to serve them are priests indeed, priests unto God, priests unto the saints, so that they are reliable. I am venturing to enlarge on this matter of Nathanael that the Lord is making a selection of him. He is telling it abroad that he has a certain quality that is of the highest importance, and the highest order. He is a man without guile; he is an Israelite. I need not say that Israelites have certain characteristics and, of course, in the early days there were a great many in the fellowship who had those characteristics and there are very few now. At the same time, there are persons who follow in the steps of the early Israelites who were known as believers, who were selected when [p. 122] any matter came up, such as deacon work. The time came when it was necessary to have them, and there is a great ado, so to say, made about it, that these brothers that ought to fill the offices are to be relied on. I am selecting this brother Nathanael because the Lord is taking him on. He is taking on others now, not of the same value as Nathanael but still the Lord is taking on workers and He is trying them out. He has His standards and these standards will soon appear. The Lord will work out these things so that they do appear and will appear, whether any are capable of taking on services which are so urgent and needed. I have already said I am not speaking of what I am doing now, for there are a great many in mind for this kind of service. It is sought after. Brethren come distances so as to have a part in it, and rightly. The thing has to be done, and so the question is reliability; whether a brother can be trusted to do such work and whether it will harm him in any sense. Because if it is liable to harm him, keep him away from it, and keep it away from him. If he has come a long way to get it, well, be careful. He may do well and he may not, because the Lord is looking for persons who are reliable in these matters so that the truth is being rightly presented to us by those who know it; those who believe and know the truth. These are the ones.
Well now, as I said, the Lord has already committed Himself to Nathanael. “Behold one truly an Israelite, in whom there is no guile”. He is in the Lord’s mind for apostleship, but it is now time for me to pass on to something else, and that is to think of Nathanael in his reliability as a guileless man. How important it is that there are such persons, even if there only be one in a thousand or a million who are really guileless; who are really trustworthy in the sense of doing things honestly, having no motive but uprightness in what they are doing. And so the Lord went on to say to him, “Thou shalt see greater things than these”. It is encouraging at this very moment, to me at least and no doubt to others, that there are such great things ahead of us; greater things than we realise ahead of us. “Things which eye has not seen, and ear not heard, and which have not come into man’s heart, which God has prepared for them that love him, but God has revealed to us by [his] Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God”, 1 Corinthians 2:9,10. And that we can understand. We can have a clear outlook in that sense from the passage I have quoted from 1 Corinthians. So it was that Nathanael would be set on his way. Alas, he fell out of the way. John tells us that he went with Peter to fish when he should not have gone; but still he got his service. The Lord allotted to him the service He had in mind for him as He did with Peter. So the Lord has His thoughts about us and whatever they are He will carry them through. He may discipline us in order that He can carry them through but He will do it. “But desire earnestly the greater gifts, and yet shew I unto you a way of more surpassing excellence”, 1 Corinthians 12:31. That is the way of love. So I would say to everyone, if indeed you may be diverted at all, look out for love. Take that on, because it will never fail.
Well now, I must go on to the Apocalypse, because we have a wonderful group there and they are selected by John. He makes a selection although in a prophetic sense; not in the clear way in which the gospels make their selection, but he makes his selection and we should just see the features of it to show how near the millennial blessing will be to ours, the one that we are in. John is dealing with both. He is dealing with the present dispensation too. Nathanael was really taken up primarily as an Israelite, but he becomes an apostle: therefore, he belongs to the assembly. Then the next group is the one at mount [p. 124] Zion. We will just look at it: “and in their mouths was no lie found; [for] they are blameless” The word is really ‘guile’, or it may be ‘lie’, but there seems to be a question about that. ‘Guile’ would be quite safe to think of; “for they are blameless”. So that we have some inkling here as to what millennial blessing will be and what the kind of people are to be in that day for the offices to be filled. But I am now dealing with the present time. I am dealing now with John, of course, who is not a millennial man. He is an apostle and so is Nathanael. And then these one hundred and forty-four thousand — who are they? Are we safe to select them for our own dispensation? Is John not safe to do it? He has done it, and he has set them up in relation to the Messiah in the coming day in mount Zion. May we not say that there is great elasticity as to the things of God, and if it be apostleship and the like, if it be the appointments in the millennial day, may they not be brought forward to our own day? We are dealing with the same persons that we are dealing with in John. He has made the selection here. It is in the Apocalypse, of course, but at the same time it is a Christian matter, and John is a Christian apostle. He is the oldest one as far as we know, of them. He lived to be very old and all the time was loved by the Lord Jesus. He was always the disciple whom Jesus loved and is, I might say, yet, although he has passed on. But in the time while he was here he was the disciple whom Jesus loved, and if he made his selection he made it on those lines. “And I saw, and behold, the Lamb standing upon Mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having his name and the name of his Father written upon their foreheads” (verse 1). It is John and he is the disciple whom Jesus loved, and is the Lord not thinking of such persons now, such groups, persons who can be looked to and relied upon to carry through commissions,
[p. 125] things that have to be done? Surely it is so. We are in the apostolic time in that sense, although the book of Revelation is not written on that line. John does not write as an apostle; he writes as a prophet, but he writes. He is the writer and he is the one that loves, that knows love. He is the one that the Lord loves, too; he has not changed, and he will remain, too, in the Lord’s love for ever and ever. We do well to love. If we want an office at all go in for love, because the Lord is making His selection and up to the last minute of this dispensation He will be making His selection and He will use whom He will, and persons whom He will use are reliable persons. He is looking at it now, and it is a question, therefore, of whether He is looking at us; whether we are looking for anything, whether He can take us on; whether He can rely on us for any work He has to do. One might think of certain nations, as to what is being done, what the Lord is doing. One might speak of those, but I would prefer to keep on, as I said before, the point is we are in the time when the Lord is doing things and they have to be done; even if it is only for a day or a week they have to be done, and He is looking for suitable workers. He will not take any others. He is not forced to the wall in that sense. He will make His own selection, so that it is a question, dear brethren, of whether we are ready for what there is to be done. The Lord is looking for us and casting His eye upon us even now as to what He has to do, and whom He may select to do it, and whether you have any predilections of your own and whether you want to keep on to them and gain your point or whether you are ready for what the Lord wants, for He is supreme. We have spoken of that today already — the supreme One. The Lord is supreme in everything and He wants us, as I said before, for whatever is to be done, and He has His eye upon us. Are we to go in for it and do the thing, do the next [p. 126] thing; not wait for someone to die to do it, but do the next thing; whatever the next thing is, do it? “What thou doest, do quickly”, John 13:27. But there is the thought of having things done, and of one it is said, “What she could she has done”, Mark 14:8. She did not wait at all. Whatever it was that came her way she did it. That is the idea. I am just seeking to lay it out in that sense, and put it before you and just leave it, in the Lord’s name.