FRUIT FROM MINISTRY
E.C.Burr
This scripture brings before us the authority of the Scriptures and their usefulness and their effect. None of us here this evening and, thank God, many other believers, has any doubt about the divine authority of the Scriptures. It is a thing to be thankful for and to look for the extension of, that the Scriptures might extend their authority in the minds of men. They have been assailed under the enemy's power for centuries; they stand in the brilliance in which they were first written nevertheless. The fact that the attacks on the authority of Scripture have to be renewed in every generation is only a demonstration of how ineffective those attacks are. It is as if the enemy bangs his head against the same wall for centuries. The Scriptures have divine authority. Then Paul says here that they are "profitable for teaching, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness", thus giving us what I may speak of as the general usefulness of the Scriptures. Then he tells us about the effect: "that the man of God may be complete, fully fitted to every good work".
Now that effect may be produced in individuals even by reading the Bible; the very reading of the Scriptures, as the soul is put before them, has the effect that their usefulness is brought to bear on the man so that he makes progress towards completeness and progress towards being fully fitted to every good work. It is something brought before us in chapter 2, that we should be serviceable to the Master; in this chapter what is in mind is "that the man of God may be complete, fully fitted to every good work". As I say, that effect may be brought about in souls as a result of sitting down privately and reading the Bible. More generally, however, that effect in applying the usefulness of the Scriptures to the soul is brought about by ministry, and their usefulness for the purpose which is indicated here has its effect in souls as a result of ministry. I suppose we never cease to be thankful for the ministry which the Lord has given us, ministry which has helped us to understand the Scriptures, perhaps in the sphere of the recovery the Scriptures understood apart from the intellectual capacity of man in a way that they are understood nowhere else. I question whether the Scriptures are understood spiritually anywhere as they are amongst those who have sought to walk in the light of the truth, and that is the consequence of the ministry that the Lord has given and is giving, that the usefulness of the Scriptures is applied with a view to this effect.
But I believe that ministry is most effective when the objective is kept before those who minister; that is to say, if ministry proceeds, you might say, aimlessly, then the effect achieved will be by the grace of the Spirit in the souls who hear, as it were a bow shot at a venture; but there will be more effect as the divine intention in giving ministry in relation to the Scriptures is kept in mind. Therefore, as any of us serve, I think we do well to keep in mind the availability of the Scriptures to this great objective. There are other objectives presented in Scripture as well in relation to ministry and we do well to equip ourselves with a knowledge of what the divine intention in ministry is. The Scriptures that Paul would have had available, or Peter, or the other apostles, would be almost entirely the Old Testament. It is remarkable to us with what power the apostles draw on the Old Testament Scriptures; what ability the Spirit gives them to take one scripture or another in order to make, as it were, the point which the Spirit would be making at that moment. Read, for instance, the way in which Paul quotes from the Old Testament in Romans to establish the way in which the gentiles are to be brought into blessing, ways in which I do not think you would ever have understood the Old Testament if you had not had the epistle to the Romans. Then consider the way in which Peter, both in his speaking in the Acts and in his letters, is able to draw with great versatility on the Old Testament Scriptures, using them for current gain. And we have the advantage of having the New Testament as well.
Now one thing that Paul was concerned about in all his service and ministry was that there might be fruit from it. It is interesting that in writing to the Romans, to whom he hoped to go, he says that he hoped to impart some spiritual gift and to receive from them, and that he might have fruit among them "as among the other nations", chap 1: 13. Now that scripture makes it plain that Paul could identify fruit from his own ministry among the nations. And he was anticipating going to Rome in order that there also there might be fruit which he could identify from his own ministry among them. "That I might have some fruit among you", he says, indicating that Paul regarded it as normal that there should be identifiable fruit from the ministry in which he served. That there was such fruit we can observe not merely from the epistle to the Romans but from other scriptures, and it is interesting that in writing to the Colossians, to whom he had not been, he says that the glad tidings were bearing fruit among them and growing (see chap 1: 6). That shows that the preaching of the gospel and ministry may have the effect of bearing fruit, no doubt as room is made for it amongst those who receive it. Of course, Paul at the close of his ministry has to speak of all in Asia having turned away from him and you might therefore think that, as it were, a withering blast had come across the fruitful field in which Paul had ministered, and no doubt there was much loss in that immediate day, though there has been much gain from Paul's ministry since. But in his own time he was able to discern the fruit of his ministry in such a place as Ephesus where he could distinguish the capability of a local assembly, not only to apprehend the truth on its highest level, but to give expression to that truth in the service of God on its highest level. That, I suppose, is the greatest fruit from ministry that we might expect to be brought about; that is, that the saints are capable of apprehending the truth on its highest levels and capable of expressing themselves to God in service collectively at the level of the light which they have received, the fruit of Paul's ministry.
As I think of these things, beloved, it is a matter of considerable current exercise, to myself at least, as to what fruit there is from ministry at the present time. What fruit is there from ministry? A good place to start in relation to that question is to ask yourself, what fruit in me is there from ministry under which I have sat? We have meetings which we enjoy, and we look forward to meetings on Saturday, if the Lord will, in which we anticipate having the truth powerfully ministered and opened up among us. We look therefore for fruit from that. But we look back, too, and we think, for instance, of similar meetings that we have had in this city over a long period. Let us go back over three months or over six months, over a year, over longer than that; we can go back as to ministry of that kind. We have had more extended occasions, over a period we have had a series of three day meetings. We have ministry continually, we have ministry continually on a Tuesday night, we have ministry on Wednesday nights and locally on Thursdays and Fridays and we go to other meetings, and we preach; and, beloved, what is the fruit? Is there fruit that is identifiable? Paul says he hoped to have fruit among the Romans that was identifiable, and I think that would be in the view of any who undertook service of any kind, that they hoped to see fruit.
There is, of course, much to encourage any who serve at the present time. There is a lively interest in the meetings, in the truth, as it comes along; but what fruit is there? Is it a pleasant song, an idle tale? Do we enjoy good meetings and go away? Do we enjoy good meetings and eventually put them on our bookshelves and forget them, or is there fruit? What is the fruit of the ministry? I suggest that it is well for us all to ask ourselves, what is the fruit in me from the ministry under which I have sat? What is the fruit among us collectively, what is the fruit in this city of ministry which has been carried on under the Lord's hand amongst us here? You might say, and I would certainly say, that if you look among the saints and compare where they are today with where they were at such and such a previous date, you can see progress. I speak respectfully to the brethren, I myself can certainly see progress among the saints, but what is the identifiable fruit? Does it find expression in the service of God? Is there a new fulness in the service of God? Is there a readiness in the service of God? Is there a capacity to sustain the service of God or do we, as it were, go to the Supper for the service of God, give out our hymn, get on our feet for our thanksgiving, and then that is our part finished, or are we bearing fruit all through the meeting, so that if it is necessary for somebody to take part again, we are there with more fruit? It says "he purges it that it may bring forth more fruit", John 15: 2. Are we there in the spirit of more fruit or are we just, as it were, going and putting our contribution metaphorically into the box and that is that? Or, beloved, is the occasion of the service of God a manifestation of substantial fruit from what I may speak of as substantial ministry? Then, what about the other meetings? Are our contributions to the readings, our questions, our participation in them, a manifestation that there is 'more fruit' among us because we have brought of what we have already acquired? or do we remain childish and in the kindergarten, and our contributions on that level? Is the man of God becoming complete, fit for every good work, fit to take a man's part where it is needed, or do we remain in the situation where we prefer to be nursed and to be ministered to, to be fed with milk and water, as it were, or are we ready ourselves to bring forth fruit in its season for the saints? These are the results of fruit from ministry and a sign that the man of God is becoming complete.
Then there is the preaching. I find my own response to the preaching a great test. It is one of the easiest meetings to criticise - Well, a fair word tonight, thought he was helped a bit, or something like that. But, beloved, we were there to hear the word of God even if we thought that the brother did not get on too well; not always do all of us get on very well in the preaching. It may be that the Lord would use even our own questioning about it to raise exercise in us as to the quality of preaching generally and as to the quality of our own preaching. There is no meeting that should regularly be more fruitful among the brethren than the preaching of the gospel, because it gets to the roots of the work of God in the brethren and it is able to water things at their very root. One might go through the meetings in which we participate together and ask, Is the result that the man of God is being complete and fitted for every good work? Every good work involves primarily the service of God, it involves the testimony of God, it involves the administration of the Lord's interests: fit for every good work. Those who are bearing fruit as the result of ministry that the Lord gives have little difficulty with administrative questions that may arise because they have been nourished in the truth and have therefore developed the capability to take up, in great simplicity, administrative matters that may come up. Those who are nearest to the Lord always have the simplest answer to administrative problems. The way to make administrative problems difficult is to get into the borders of the camp; those nearest the holiest will find that every question is answered there.
These things I speak of, beloved, because they are an exercise to me. I myself have had the privilege often of serving among the brethren, sometimes in extended meetings, sometimes in fellowship meetings, sometimes on other occasions, and I, like all the brethren, would seek to be serviceable on any occasion. You would never come to a meeting without something for the brethren, never come without feeling that the whole responsibility of the meeting lay on you, although it never does unless you are giving an address. But you come to the meeting, this meeting, come to the Lord's day reading, as if the responsibility lay on you, so that you have something for the brethren no matter how small it may seem to be, and you will discover how much fruit it bears. But I question myself as to what fruit there might have been from anything in which I have served, and perhaps you question yourself as to what fruit there might have been from any ministry in which you have served, whether in fellowship meetings, or in the preaching, or in a reading, or in a word tonight, or something like that; what fruit has there been? I think, beloved, the Lord would exercise us about this, exercise us as to the cultivation of the ground. None of us need have stony ground. We can all go down deep and therefore get rid of the stones. None of us need have thorns growing up; we can all root them out in the power of the Spirit by putting to death the deeds of the body. None of us need be afraid of the birds of the air snatching the seed away. One of the earliest men in the Scriptures frightened birds away and we can certainly do that. What we should look for in ourselves is good ground and we should be those who are receiving the truth in ready and good hearts. Then in relation to ministry that we receive there is much scope for the service of an Apollos who would water. "Apollos watered", it says, 1 Cor 3: 6. Paul ministered, Apollos watered; that is, he helped to make the ministry fruitful, and God gave the increase. There would never be any increase any other way than by what God gives, but I feel, beloved, that there needs to be exercise amongst us currently as to what fruit there is from ministry. I speak with my brethren, you have a word with a brother here and there; how did you get on at so and so, did you feel helped? Yes, but you wonder what the fruit is. And you say to another brother, were you encouraged at so and so and he says, Well, I felt helped but I wondered what the impact was. Beloved, I wonder what the impact is too. But the result that is to be looked for from ministry is "that the man of God may be complete, fully fitted to every good work". I believe the Lord would exercise us in order that what proceeds amongst us may be of the character that it bears more fruit in order that the service of God may be enriched and the testimony strengthened and the administration simplified as we are fully fitted for every good work for the Master's use.
LONDON
11 January 1977