PUBLICITY IN SERVICE UNSUITABLE IN THIS DAY

^[p. 30] PUBLICITY IN SERVICE UNSUITABLE IN THIS DAY

I am very thankful that you have entered your protest against placarding, and the human efforts put forth to gain publicity. I feel that there is a misapprehension of the Lord’s mind as to our calling as His servants at this time when efforts of the kind are resorted to. I am sure that if a servant had any true sense of the Lord in judgment in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, he would not seek to be publicly acknowledged, when he knew that the church had forfeited its proper calling of candlestick to the world because it has left its first love to Himself. It is, in my mind, an attempt to regain by human means a position once ours by the power of the Lord — as if, when a king had refused to give a military escort to his son because he was discreditable in public, that the son then should hire a company of roughs to proclaim him. Before the decline of the church there was always power for the work of the Lord in public. See Paul at Philippi (Acts 16). I see that if the church were up to its true position the Lord would support us by His own power, so that human means would not be required. To use human means for the Lord’s service in this world where He was rejected by man, is either a monstrous inconsistency or an attempt to deny His rejection. This would apply even in the brightest days of the church, how much more so now when we know that the church to man’s eye is in ruins. Our calling is to trim our lamps and go forth to meet the Bridegroom. There is light according to our devotedness to the Lord personally. We have failed in public testimony, now we are called to look out for the morning Star; and the more thoroughly our hearts are eager to see Him, the more we detach ourselves from everything unsuited to Him, the more are we a light for Him. The Spirit and the bride say, “Come”, and it is still the day of grace — “Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22: 17). As far as I see, I think that there should be no publicity now but the publicity which personal ^[p. 31] devotedness to Christ would entail. Love does not seek to be seen by others, though others cannot fail to see the self-sacrificing interest with which it devotes itself to Christ and His things; and He, though He be rejected here, is the coming King, and when He opens no man can shut. He is the one object of interest, and hence every service is carefully attended to, because it is His, and this I believe is our testimony in this the closing day.