THE INTRODUCTION OF THE GOSPEL AMONG THE GENTILES (1)
[p. 252] THE INTRODUCTION OF THE GOSPEL AMONG THE GENTILES (1)
Acts 9: 32 - 43; Acts 10: 1 - 20
JT What is in mind is to call attention to the introduction of the gospel, or christianity, among the gentiles. The passage in chapter 9 is read to help us to judge as to Peter’s ability and commission, and to see how he became qualified for what the Lord said of him, “I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of the heavens”, Matthew 16: 19. So it is, that in the list of apostles in Matthew 10 Peter is put first: “first ... Peter”. The passage in Acts 9 indicates how he had qualified and how he was serving effectively and approved by the Lord, making way for Cornelius, representative of the gentiles, as we shall see. We might allude first to Paul, who appears in the history of the truth in the book of Acts before the gentiles were admitted. His conversion is recorded in chapter 9. Peter, however, has the leading place, and so he introduces the gentiles, according to the Lord’s word that he would have the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, that whatsoever he should bind on earth should be bound in heaven. There is thus liberating power and binding power entering into the moment; I mean into Christianity.
Ques Why do you begin with the incident of Aeneas?
JT Just to link on the man and the woman in the chapter. They are subjects of the healing power of God, even to the raising from the dead, showing what enters into the truth of Christianity physically, but particularly leading up to the spiritual side, which we shall see presently. What is to be noted perhaps at the outset is that the man and the woman are in mind. There is no indication that sisters or women were segregated from men for the services,
[p. 253] in the proclamation of the truth, especially the ministry. The question is whether we have been guided aright since the practice of segregating sisters and brothers became habitual. It is now for us to think of and see whether it is right, and whether we should not make way for sisters in all our assemblies of an enlarged character, called conferences, but properly special meetings for ministry of an extended character.
PL Would the reference to the hundred and twenty in the upper room in Acts 1, and the allusion to the women there, confirm that?
JT I would think so. There were “several women, and Mary the mother of Jesus”. Many of the epistles include the idea of women, especially that to the Philippians, as Paul says, “Those women which laboured with me”, Philippians 4: 3.
Ques Would the scripture, “Neither is ... man without woman, in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 11: 11) also be confirmatory of that?
JT It is confirmatory of it. The word “Man” in Genesis 1: 27 includes the male and female.
PL God asked for Sarah at the tent door in relation to His communications (Genesis 18).
JT Quite so. What she says, in Galatians 4: 30, is called Scripture, showing how a sister may be used in that sense, and there are other instances of the kind.
Rem In the case of the Lord Himself and His going from city to city, it says, “The twelve were with him, and certain women”, and then some are named: “Mary who was called Magdalene ... and Joanna, wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others”, Luke 8: 2, 3. Personality was found amongst the women as well as amongst the twelve.
JT Well, all that is confirmatory of what we have said.
SMcC [p. 254] One of the difficulties that has been largely in the minds of the brethren in regard of these meetings that have been referred to is the numbers, but there seem to be great numbers in the beginning of this book that we are looking at, do there not? It was linked with the open air, of course.
JT Quite so. It was not in a building, evidently. The word in the second chapter is, “And breaking bread in the house”, which would be a limited position, as over against the temple.
Ques Are you not making any room for conferences?
JT I do not know whether the idea of conference is quite scriptural. In chapter 15 of this book we have what might be called a council of the church, as the Roman Catholics would say, and it would look as if women may have been there, because the whole multitude is mentioned. There is every likelihood that the women may have been there of times. It was a question, of course, of doctrine to be considered, and no council of the kind has ever been held since practically, except among the Roman Catholics.
Ques In 1 Corinthians 15 it says, “Then he appeared to above five hundred brethren at once”. Would that bear on it?
JT The word ‘brethren’ would include both brothers and sisters, I would think.
Ques Is it in your mind to carry forward the principle of selection in relation to women, as well as to men, to sisters as well as to brothers?
JT I would think so, I do not see how we can avoid it, and I think the truth would show that it should not be avoided, I am questioning too (there are no very old men here among us) whether the idea of a conference limited to brothers was current in Mr. Darby’s time or in Mr. Stoney’s time, or even in Mr. Raven’s time.
[p. 255] Ques The meetings at Quemerford included sisters, did they not?
JT They did. The room there, of course, was small. It would not accommodate more than three hundred.
WGT It says in Acts 17. “But some men joining themselves to him believed; among whom also was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman by name Damaris, and others with them”.
JT Showing that both sexes were there.
Ques In that connection is it interesting that in the earlier part of chapter 17, at Thessalonica, it says, “of the chief women not a few”, as though the idea of outstanding personality is there?
JT Of course, it is said in Acts 4: “The number of the men had become about five thousand”. It is a question of what that may mean. Why should it be mentioned thus? It could not have been mentioned as covering the number of persons who assembled in a building.
WmH We have generally regarded the so-called conferences as somewhat based on Nehemiah 8.
JT Yes, but the beginning of that passage implies men and women. If you look at it you will see it.
PL It says, “All the people gathered together as one man to the open place”, Nehemiah 8: l.
JT “As one man”, meaning that the women were included.
PL And then “both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month”.
PHH Do you mean that the second day referred to in verse 13 flowed out of that?
JT That is what I am speaking of. If you read that it will indicate what we are saying.
PHH It says, “on the second day were gathered together the chief fathers of all the people, the priests, and the Levites”, Nehemiah 8: 13.
JT That is to say, it would be a number of persons that could be reckoned on to deal with doctrines, or with principles, but the whole occasion involved women.
PL So that of the spiritual women, the daughters of Zelophehad, it says, “They stood before Moses, and before Eleazar the priest, and before the princes and the whole assembly, at the entrance of the tent of meeting”, Numbers 27: 2.
JT Very good. A good deal more could be said of that.
PL I was thinking that they are persons of distinction, for the name of each of them is always given when they are mentioned.
JT And “The daughters of Zelophehad speak right”, it says. They spoke right, showing how important they were; they could speak right in a crisis.
Ques Would Chloe be one who spoke right, and the apostle Paul honours her for her exercise (1 Corinthians 1: 11)?
JT Yes, and then Phoebe also ought to be linked with her.
PL And “the elect lady” too?
RWS I want to ask if the discrimination which you speak of has tended to hinder the sisterhood from functioning as would be normal?
JT Yes, and perhaps hindered in the acquirement of the truth, which all ought to have. They are not to be regarded as secondary, or of little account. They belong to the first line, so to speak.
EAL Do you think it is significant that our local assemblies are mostly made up of more sisters than brothers?
JT The assembly itself is made up of brothers and sisters; in fact, it is most unusual to find a [p. 257] meeting that has the status of the assembly, that has not brothers and sisters.
APB Do you think at the closing point of the assembly’s history, it is especially needed that all the sisters should be equally with the brothers in the truth?
JT It is quite evident that the early meetings of the brethren, or the saints, included women. We have already quoted from the first chapter of the Acts, where we have several women, including Mary herself.
PHH Does it seem, from the mention of Dorcas, that some particular living feature would come in with the sisters? Peter presented her alive.
JT We read from this passage, and it says in verse 40: “But Peter, putting them all out, and kneeling down, prayed. And, turning to the body, he said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes, and, seeing Peter, sat up. And having given her his hand, he raised her up, and having called the saints and the widows, presented her living”. So that the idea of life is there. Of course, it might be literal in the sense that she was alive in a different sense, but I think there is more than that in it.
PL Would the fact that her name means gazelle bear on this great closing feature of graceful agility in the assembly?
JT Quite so. I think John 20 would point to that.
PL ‘The hind of the morning’, Psalm 22 (title).
JT Yes; just so.
Ques Is it important that the prophetic gift among sisters might be developed on the lines suggested?
JT Well, how are we going to find out about Philip’s daughters and how they prophesied? In 1 Corinthians 11 the woman is not to pray or prophesy with her head uncovered; there is to be a [p. 258] covering on the head to show the subjection of the sisters. At the same time there is nothing to interfere with what we have said already, that the sisters need instruction. They need to have power to teach their children and so forth.
HFN Is there anything in the fact that in Matthew’s record of the Lord feeding the multitude they are spoken of as “those that had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children”?
JT They were there, anyway. At the same time it is a remarkable thing, as we have quoted from Acts 4, that there were five thousand men, “Many of those who had heard the word believed; and the number of the men had become about five thousand”.
Ques Does not Peter himself refer to “holy men” and also “holy women”? The women as examples of the truth.
JT I would think so. He makes much of women too in his instructions as to wives, or women.
DJM Would Aquila and Priscilla support what you are saying; they “unfolded to him [Apollos] the way of God more exactly”? Acts 18: 26.
JT One is mentioned first as often as the other; the wife is mentioned as often as Aquila, showing that she was, in herself, possibly equal to her husband in instruction. We have a reference to Paul lodging with them.
Ques Would what you are now saying have any bearing on the care meeting, or do you regard that still as a matter exclusively for brothers?
JT Well, there is a basis for the care meeting. That is to say, brothers have more wisdom for these matters; more experience, more authority. But there is nothing in the care meeting to support ecclesiastical action, or actual discipline. There is nothing in the care meeting for that. It is only a matter of [p. 259] inquiry, and the assembly has to be reached before we do anything. We shall see in Acts 15 that the whole assembly had to come into the action.
Ques Would it be right to say that the references in the book of Judges to Deborah and Jael, and the woman who crushed the skull of Abimelech, show the important part which women may play in the conflict for the truth?
JT Quite so. In the sense of war they were decidedly in the lead in it; at the same time it has to be remembered that Deborah is not mentioned in Hebrews 11; Barak is mentioned only.
WGT Three sisters are mentioned as standing by the cross in John 19.
JT That is very touching.
FES Would it be right to say that we can have temple conditions without the sisters?
JT We cannot have assembly conditions properly without the sisters.
JTJr Would the inauguration of the Supper being only in the presence of men, be only to establish the authority of it?
JT That is right; that is what I would say, “And when the hour was come, he placed himself at table, and the twelve apostles with him”, Luke 22: 14. It is a question of apostleship in Luke.
Ques Would you explain in what setting sisters may prophesy?
JT I cannot do that, I was just saying that we have to find out about that, about the four daughters of Philip, how they prophesied; but clearly they did prophesy.
EuR In the reign of Josiah they went to the house of Huldah, the prophetess, to obtain the mind of God (2 Kings 22: 14).
JT I had thought of that.
SMcC In this section that we began reading, does it suggest that some adjustment is needed on [p. 260] the side connected with the man in our localities before proceeding to the sisterhood in the latter section?
JT That is why I suggested it should be read. The man’s name is given, which is to be noticed, and the point is that he was to rise and make his bed. He had been lying for eight years upon a couch; he was paralysed, and Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus, the Christ, heals thee: rise up, and make thy couch for thyself. And straightway he rose up”. Why should he have to make his couch? That ought to be enquired into, too. Then the next point is the woman who actually died. She, probably, would represent the idea of moral death, so as to bring out the fulness of it. Then, we see how Peter acted, and how prayer entered into it. He put out certain influences that would have interfered with the action, some unspiritual influences. How to eject unspiritual influences on such an occasion is another thing to be noticed.
AJG Is it to be noted that it is possible to be full of good works and yet not to be living spiritually?
JT I thought that. That is another thing to speak of, being “full of good works”, and yet wanting in spirituality. So that it is not simply what you have in your pocket, but what you have in your heart in the way of love.
Ques Why is the extremity of death brought in in the woman and not in the case of the man?
JT It is perhaps in keeping with what we are saying as to the man and the woman. Scripture begins with the man and the woman, and now, in this case, we have it, as if both are implied, or included, in what God is doing. Why then should we keep the sisters all out at any given time? Of course, we have referred to the care meeting, but that is a question of wisdom and not anything more [p. 261] than that. It is not a question of being taught, but of wisdom, to know what to do or say in a crisis.
Ques What is involved in “make thy couch for thyself”?
JT Well, to show what he could be; he would be a household man. It is an important thing that a man should know what to do in a house, as well as the wife. There is nothing more in this, as far as I see, than the dual character of the race. It is masculine and feminine; because, when we come to sonship, and God is bringing many sons to glory, we must include the sisters as well as the brothers.
AJG It is rather striking that when Saul began to persecute it says, “if he found any who were of the way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem” (Acts 9: 2), as though Satan’s attack was on the full thought.
JT Quite so.
PHH And in the Nazarite’s vow, in Numbers 6, the woman is brought in as well as the man.
JT Well, I submit to the brethren now that what we have said already is established by Scripture. The question now is how we can bring it about, how we can make it work out to the end of this dispensation. Of course, it is not the thought just to dwell exclusively on this question of man and woman, but to proceed to chapter 10; that is to say, to what happened in the case of Cornelius, because it is a question of Cornelius, the man himself, in view of the introduction of the gentiles. He was evidently representative of the gentiles; he was taken up in that sense.
Ques Before we go on, do I understand you to mean that we could hardly arrange another such gathering as we had last week?
JT Well, I could not say. It is a question of what the brethren may say. We are all here. It is a question of all the brethren. We must take counsel [p. 262] about it, think over it, and see what should be done, because it is a real matter to be adjusted.
JTJr Would what has been done in the brothers having been alone for so many years, bring out into relief now the feminine side, so that perhaps we should have the thing properly in mind?
JT Quite so. I believe it takes time to weigh it over, because it is somewhat far-reaching. The Australian brethren in their meetings two years ago did not have the sisters. They followed what we do here. They could have had them, I suppose, but they did not have them. In America and in the Colonies, I mean to say, in the West Indies and other parts of the world, we never think of excluding the sisters. Only in one instance, in London, Ontario, we excluded them and it did not work at all; it was not profitable at all.
GHW Were you thinking of the value of the subjective spirit, as represented by the sisters?
JT Quite so. The way subjection is spoken of in Ephesians 5 would indicate that. The idea of subjection is encouraged there; the sisters are to lead in it, and, in that sense, to represent the assembly in the feminine sense when it is fully understood. Christ represents the masculine, and the assembly, the feminine.
EAL I noticed at the last meetings we had in London in 1946, at the beginning of the evening address, you thanked the Lord for the beneficial element that we did not have during the day; that was, the presence of the beloved sisters.
JT I am sure I would say that, ‘Beneficial’ is the word to use. The sisters bring a beneficial element.
Ques Referring again to this principle of selection as regards the sisters, do I understand that that would not be necessary where the numbers are not beyond our [p. 263] capacity?
JT I do not think it would be necessary. If the numbers are beyond our capacity, reduce the numbers; that is what we have done in regard to local meetings. We reduced the numbers composing the meetings, but increased the total number of the meetings themselves, and so we have more meetings on that principle. We have more meetings and therefore more for God, more for Christ, and more for the Spirit, because we have the sisters with us.
JPH If sisters are selected as sisters, would it be apart from the merits of their husbands? Would a sister be invited on her own merits or as the wife of a worthy brother, with her husband?
JT Well, that is a small matter. The brethren would invite the husband, surely, if they invited the wife.
EuR Tabitha is referred to as a certain female disciple.
JT Well, that word ‘certain’ is only a sort of classification. She was just ordinary; she was not a person of special distinction like Phoebe.
HS Would the movements of Paul into Europe be the public working out of the section we have read? I was thinking of the vision of the Macedonian man, and the first reference we have as to the working out of it is to the women who had assembled by the river, and then we have Lydia.
JT Well, it is remarkable that they appear there. Of course, the work of God now, since that time, has gone toward the west, and its outgoings. It is not in the east specially, not in Asia specially, although, at the beginning, the work of God began in Asia. It moved out to Europe which, with its outgoings, is now the sphere in which God is working, and the material for the assembly is being secured from it. There are very few Jews left; it is almost entirely a gentile matter now.
[p. 264] Ques Have you noticed that the word for “men” in 2 Timothy 2: 2 is a word that would include male and female?
JT I had not noticed that, I am glad to hear it.
PRC Is it in mind that the inclusion of sisters would add spiritual power to an occasion?
JT It would, if they were spiritual. At the same time, the actual idea of sex ought to be there, because God intended it. The man should go with the woman, “It is not good that Man should be alone”, Genesis 2: 18.
ANW Does the change in the mention of the names of Aquila and Priscilla, and the order in which the apostle mentions them, denote sometimes that Priscilla may have the priority?
JT Well, I am not sure. Have you examined that Priscilla has the distinction in that sense, or are they not mentioned equally? I think they are mentioned first equally.
ANW Three times Aquila is mentioned first, and three times Priscilla is first.
Ques Would Romans 16 illustrate the idea of selecting brothers and sisters? In the list that Paul gives in his salutations there are quite a number of sisters to whom he attaches spiritual distinction as a reason for including them in the list of salutations.
JT Are they more or less? There are between twenty and thirty allusions in the chapter, as far as I remember, and the question is now how many sisters and how many brothers there are.
Rem I thought it might be significant that the only persons in the chapter referred to as labourers are sisters. He mentions Maria, and he mentions Persis, and Tryphaena and Tryphosa. All are persons who laboured in the Lord, and therefore had a distinction that entitled them to inclusion in this [p. 265] list.
JT That is good. The only thing to be added is how many sisters were there altogether?
WmH There are seven names, but there are nine sisters in all, referred to.
JT Well now, the passage in chapter 10 ought to be looked at, and it says, “A certain man in Caesarea-by name Cornelius, a centurion of the band called Italic, pious, and fearing God with all his house, both giving much alms to the people, and supplicating God continually-saw plainly in a vision, about the ninth hour of the day, an angel of God coming unto him, and saying to him, Cornelius. But he, having fixed his eyes upon him, and become full of fear, said, What is it, Lord?” We shall see that Peter uses the same term, ‘Lord’, when answering the voice from heaven, but the angel here is addressed as Lord by Cornelius. And then, “he said to him” (that is, the angel said to him), “Thy prayers and thine alms have gone up for a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa” and so forth. That is the man who is to be introduced into christianity. Cornelius is a godly man already; he has a name already in heaven. It shows that God is thinking of real conversions, persons who come into the truth, even though they may be gentiles.
FTP Is it not striking that Cornelius’ prayers and alms had gone up for a memorial, his alms apparently being acceptable, whereas the alms deeds of Dorcas are somewhat ruled out, I should like your thought as to that.
JT Just so, I think God intended that the introduction of the gentiles should represent a real work of God; the mere nominal idea of christian is of no value at all. We must have reality, and Cornelius had reality, even before the angel visited him. God was working with him.
AJG You mean there was new birth there showing [p. 266] itself.
JT I would think that. Therefore John 3 would come into it.
Ques Was there a good deal in his household? It says, “having called two of his household and a pious soldier of those who were constantly with him”. His household is under control, and with him in regard of God.
JT It shows the value of households in relation to the assembly, as we shall find later in the epistles.
GHW It says in John 3: 21, “but he that practises the truth comes to the light, that his works may be manifested that they have been wrought in God”. Would Cornelius represent that?
JT Just so. They were “wrought in God”. Cornelius was a real man. God was working with him, and it would indicate that the profession of christianity is of no value unless there is a real work accompanying it.
Ques Would the evidence of that be seen in the expression, he was “supplicating God continually”? That is not said in regard of Dorcas.
JT I think Cornelius is made much of, and he is already recognised in heaven; he had a memorial in heaven, which is a remarkable thing. I wonder of how many that could be said; that they had a memorial in heaven. His was based on his alms and good deeds and so forth, and the piety of his house.
JTJr His employment, being a centurion, did not interfere with his relations with God?
JT Very good; showing that a man might be an officer in the army and maintain his relations with God.
JH-s Would you say that what was lacking was the recognition of the presence of the Holy Spirit?
JT Well, it was lacking because he had not had the gospel preached to him. It would be there if he [p. 267] had the gospel preached to him. So this afternoon probably we shall have the remaining part of the chapter, to show what Peter did preach to him. It is also in mind to show how Peter went through the matter of the ecstasy. That is a matter which we hardly know anything of now in our day, and the question is, why should we not?
PHH Would you say something as to the vision? You have spoken of the ecstasy, but it says of Cornelius that he saw plainly in a vision. I was thinking of the word in chapter 2, about the pouring out of God’s Spirit upon all flesh; it says, “and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions”. Does that mean something specific, or does it mean that we are beginning to see things generally as they ought to be seen?
JT I would say the latter.
PHH In Revelation 1 John says, “I turned back to see the voice”.
JT Yes. What was said about the incoming of the Spirit too, and now we are going over it again. It brings out what we are saying, only that the verse quoted from Joel does not give the full thought of the book of Acts, which has more in mind than the prophet Joel. In the book of Acts it is the full thought of the Spirit coming in, and the characteristics of the Spirit coming in.
PHH Could I ask alongside of that, what importance you attach to the dreaming with dreams?
JT Well. Pharaoh and others, had visions from God through dreams. It is clearly indicated that God has a means of communicating with men through dreams. What do you say to that?
PHH Well, I am thankful for your reference, I was thinking perhaps one of the key words in Genesis is the word ‘interpretation’. God [p. 268] gives the dream, having an interpretation in mind which He will give.
JT Yes; showing that these readings of ours are valued by God, because if we are saying anything that is right, it must come from God, but the enlargement of the thing is given to us by the Spirit of God. Whatever ability we have is given to us to enlarge on things, but everything begins with God.
FC Is the full thought given in 2 Corinthians 12, “I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord”? The passage reads, “Well, it is not of profit to me to boast, for I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord, I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago, (whether in the body I know not, or out of the body I know not, God knows;) such a one caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man (whether in the body or out of the body I know not, God knows;) that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable things said which it is not allowed to man to utter. Of such a one I will boast, but of myself I will not boast, unless in my weaknesses. For if I shall desire to boast, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth; but I forbear, lest any one should think as to me above what he sees me to be, or whatever he may hear of me. And that I might not be exalted by the exceeding greatness of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn for the flesh”.
JT That is the point we want to come to; what was given to him in the flesh, to humble him. It shows how humiliation in our circumstances comes about through discipline. It comes about so that we might be better and more effective in our services. So therefore Paul says, “Most gladly therefore will I rather boast in my weaknesses, that the power of the Christ may dwell upon me”. That, of course, enters into what we are talking about, for Peter was humbled here, and he demurred to the Lord that he [p. 269] should eat anything common or unclean, as he called it. But then he says afterwards that God had showed him that no one should be called common or unclean.
SMcC This thought of ecstasy is linked with him going up to pray. In a general way would ecstasy be linked with our relations with divine Persons?
JT Quite; showing too of what value prayer is. He was hungry, he was waiting for his dinner really, and he used the time for prayer, and God seized the opportunity for the ecstasy, so that He should bring out fresh light to him, and the fresh light is this matter of the gentiles in Cornelius.
Ques Would this link with the great truth that Paul brings out in Ephesians, Jew and gentile reconciled to God in one body by the cross?
JT Very good.
Ques Should ecstasy be a commoner experience?
JT I do not know that it should. It is not viewed as common, but still it is there, and we have to admit that we do not know anything about it, at least that is so as far as I am concerned, but it may be that there is want of more waiting upon God, and perhaps even if we do not get ecstasy, we might increase our spirituality anyway. That is the great point in these meetings, to increase our spirituality, not only our instruction, but our spirituality.
AM Is Paul referring to ecstasy in 2 Corinthians 5: 13, when he says, “For whether we are beside ourselves, it is to God; or are sober, it is for you”?
JT Surely that is what we are saying, that God is the Author of everything and He has results too, in what He is doing, but if He wants a thing to be enlarged on, then He uses gift. He uses persons whom He has fitted for it; and that is what we get here in Peter. He was fitted for this matter.
FJF Does the ecstasy become the power of his [p. 270] ministry?
JT I would say so. It gives a touch to it. We were referring just now to Paul, he is a man that was in heaven. Well, that is an immense thing, for very, very few have been there. It was very exceptional; he says it was fourteen years ago, showing that it is not common.