THE INTRODUCTION OF THE GOSPEL AMONG THE GENTILES (4)
[p. 318] THE INTRODUCTION OF THE GOSPEL AMONG THE GENTILES (4)
JT I think you had something in mind this morning, Mr. N. that you wanted to raise?
HFN Yes. It was in regard, first, to the question of a servant going on his own initiative, as illustrated by Peter in chapter 9, “Now it came to pass that Peter, passing through all quarters, descended also to the saints who inhabited Lydda”. Then, secondly, how the brethren at Joppa sent for Peter, as it says, “But Lydda being near to Joppa, the disciples having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, beseeching him”. That is also seen in what comes out in our chapter, namely, the man of Macedonia beseeching them and saying, “Pass over ... and help us”. Then, thirdly, in the scripture before us this morning, we have how the living voice of the Spirit in the assembly says, “Separate me now Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them”. It has been an exercise in the minds of the brethren that we might get the balance between the thought of invitation, and then moving on our own volition, and then the direct voice of the Spirit in the assembly. I feel we should all be very grateful if you would give us some help on that.
JT The principal point in your inquiry really is that many of our brethren in this country are moved by invitation in their service. It came to me that this should come up at this time because we have here in verse 6, “having passed through Phrygia and the Galatian country, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia, having come down to Mysia, they attempted to go to Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them;
[p. 319] and having passed by Mysia, they descended to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: There was a certain Macedonian man, standing and beseeching him, and saying, Pass over into Macedonia and help us”. Here we have the voice of this Macedonian man, and an invitation to Paul to go to Macedonia and help. “And when he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go forth to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to announce to them the glad tidings”. So that Paul clearly accepts the invitation. At the same time the Spirit of God had to say to it, according to the earlier verses, in that Paul was “forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia”. Then it goes on to say, “having come down to Mysia, they attempted to go to Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them”. That is to say, while the idea of invitation is here, we have also to reckon with the Spirit of God, or the Spirit of Jesus, or with the Lord Himself. Here it is the Spirit of Jesus. We have to reckon with divine Persons before we can accept an invitation.
FJF Does that mean you could not answer just at once, if you were asked?
JT Just so, I think I mentioned this morning that the question was raised at Rochester in May as to our special meetings there. We were speaking on this same point, and someone enquired, Why did you come to Rochester? I said I came by invitation, and, of course, the suggestion in the inquiry was that I went to Rochester because I was invited. But then I remarked further that I enquired from the Lord about it, so as to be sure that there was such a thing as a commandment or commission for me to go. That is the way the thing presents itself to me. Whilst we may be invited, and thankful for the invitation, yet we may have to wait on the Lord and see what His mind will [p. 320] be.
EuR It says in regard of Macedonia in verse 10: “Concluding that the Lord had called us to announce to them the glad tidings”.
JT The word ‘concluding’ is used; that is, the Lord is kept in mind, and hence one would decide where he should go in the Lord’s service according to the Lord’s mind. Verse 10 suggests that, “And when he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go forth to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to announce to them the glad tidings”. Therefore there was a commission.
LES Would it fit in with the word in Isaiah 6: “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? And I said, Here am I; send me. And he said, Go”.
JT Well, there is a good example of it. That is, the idea of a servant would be that he would desire to go, but then he would wait for the sending.
Ques Would the “concluding”, that the apostle refers to, suggest that he took into account all the circumstances?
JT I would think so. His mind was on the whole matter. The circumstances laid things on his mind, because he was minded to go before, but the Spirit of Jesus did not suffer him, and that was final. He did not ask to go further on that line. Therefore, when the invitation from Macedonia came to him, the whole matter was raised again, and therefore he did not need to stop any further on this point. The time had now come for the entrance of the truth into Europe, which is a great matter, much greater than that he should go into Macedonia. The fact of the matter is that the assembly ever since has been drawn from Europe and its outgoings.
CMM Might a servant, as directed of the Lord, go on occasion without an invitation?
JT I think he might. He might have it laid on his mind; the Lord might lay it so on his mind [p. 321] that He wanted him to go to a certain place. We have many illustrations of that from brethren who have been in the Lord’s service. At the same time the idea of the commission is right; I am sure of that.
Ques Is that seen in Philip in Acts 8? He is called from Samaria to go down to Gaza. It says, “But the angel of the Lord spoke to Philip”, (that is, when he was in Samaria), “saying, Rise up and go southward on the way which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza; the same is desert. And he rose up and went. And lo, an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a man in power under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to worship at Jerusalem, was returning and sitting in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Esaias. And the Spirit said to Philip, Approach and join this chariot. And Philip, running up, heard him reading the prophet Esaias, and said, Dost thou then know what thou art reading of?” (verses 26 - 30).
JT That brings out first, that the angel of the Lord speaks to him and then, the Spirit’s word to him, to approach and join the chariot. There is thus a commandment from the Spirit.
RWS A brother might get two or three invitations for the same time. Would he have to consider them before the Lord and not necessarily accept the first invitation?
JT I think so. But the real difficulty is in brethren taking on too much and staying too long in any given place, and forgetting the home front and what is needed there.
FCH Does the fact that the vision was at Troas enter into it at all? Does that stand in relation to the truth of the assembly in some way, having in mind what is said of Troas in Acts 20, that it was where they came together to break bread?
JT [p. 322] At the end of their seven days at Troas they arrived at the first day of the week. That is the time when the breaking of bread should take place and we should begin again, because the first day of the week, and the breaking of bread entering into it, has in view the service of God, so that we begin with the breaking of bread. The number of brothers that were accompanying Paul is given in that chapter, and then it says the apostle discoursed to them. That is, it was on his own initiative, but evidently he felt there was a need of instruction as to the Lord’s supper before the Lord’s supper should be begun. That is how the matter stands in that chapter.
FCH So that the truth of the assembly should always be in our minds in regard of service?
JT Quite so; the truth of the Lord’s supper, involving the assembly, because the Lord’s supper is in the assembly. We are not going to reach chapter 20 at this session, and therefore we might touch on it a little, for it is the very heart of the book. It begins with love, and there is love in the middle and love at the end. It is the very heart of the book, and the apostle, of his own volition, at that time, discoursed to the saints, as if he knew there was need of adjustment as to the Lord’s supper. That, of course, would warrant one giving a word without having a command, as it were, if he felt that there was the need of it. It was imminent that the Lord’s supper should take place, but then was the real state there? Were the conditions there to proceed with the Lord’s supper? Apparently they were not, and that, of course, warranted Paul in giving the discourse that is mentioned.
FJF Would it be right to do so now?
JT If there is a low state in a meeting and if you belong to the meeting or were there and felt that there was a low state or something that had to [p. 323] be corrected, it would be quite right so say something about it, to give a word to bear on it. Because it is the time of the Lord’s supper and it would be evident that we should proceed with it. We do not need to ask a command, because the Lord’s supper is there, and the Lord’s supper is to be celebrated on the first day of the week.
PJB Do you mean giving a word before the breaking of bread?
JT Yes, evidently Paul did. There was a condition that was not suitable for the breaking of bread, as might happen at any time.
FJF How would you be able to discern that?
JT By spirituality, and the Lord would help you. The idea of eldership has already come in in chapter 14 here, and it is in the plural. It is not simply one elder of an assembly, but elders, and therefore they would be concerned about the condition of the meeting, in view of the breaking of bread. If things were not right he would have something to say about that. If he were an elder he would be entitled to do it.
Ques Might that come in where there was a known state of division amongst the brethren, which would hinder them rightly partaking of the Supper?
JT That is just what I would say.
HS Would the previous seven days enter into that? It says, “We came to them to Troas in five days, where we spent seven days. And the first day of the week, we being assembled to break bread”. Would Paul become acquainted, during those seven days, with the conditions in the locality?
JT Well, if you assume that. Very likely he did, but we had better not go in for assumptions just now, we had better go by facts. The fact is that the time for the breaking of bread had come, and it was the first day of the week. The disciples were already assembled. It is not simply that they were gathered together; the word ‘assembled’ is used. Therefore the assembly position is assumed; although we might say it is anticipating, yet I think what we are saying now as to the Lord’s supper is of first-rate importance. We may not touch on it again at this time.
Rem I think what you are saying is very important, because there have been known instances where such conditions prevailed, and it was often said you could break bread with persons you could not shake hands with, as though accepting that situation.
JT It may be mentioned that not very long ago the idea of shutting up a meeting or closing it up, because the condition for the breaking of bread was not there, was often alluded to. But what has more recently been seen is that the matter should be dealt with at once. If there is anything wrong it should be dealt with at once; why not? You must get witnesses, so that “in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every matter be established”, 2 Corinthians 13: 1. I believe that is the Lord’s mind about it. We are not to leave it shut up, as it were, but to deal with the matter according to the facts. While there was nothing wrong, as far as we can see, in the meeting at Troas, yet, at the same time the apostle was there, an apostle having authority, the Spirit of God in power was with him, and what he would do in ministry was quite in order. He would discern the state of the meeting, and it may be assumed that the seven days entered into that, but anyway it was a question of an apostle’s judgment, and he discoursed for a long time, as if there was more wrong in the place than had been discerned. Then much more happened; that is, the fall of Eutychus and his recovery; so that love entered into the matter, at the centre of the chapter. Love is active at the beginning of the chapter and it was active at the centre and it was active at the end, as anybody who looks at the chapter would see. The point was, I [p. 325] think, that the apostle Paul was right in discerning that there was something wrong, although he does not say so. But he discoursed, and discoursed at length, and the matter came right and then they broke bread. They did not break bread till then; until after the boy was recovered and brought up. Then they spoke long, as if there was conversation about the matter, and then he went away; and they were not a little comforted. It is as if the whole matter was settled, as it were, with profit.
Rem Love at the beginning of the chapter and in the middle was on the part of Paul, but at the end of the chapter it is on the part of the brethren.
JT Very good. It is a beautiful chapter at the end, because their love for Paul came out in a striking way. It is a beautiful passage.
AJG It says, “Having said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And they all wept sore; and falling upon the neck of Paul they ardently kissed him, specially pained by the word which he had said, that they would no more see his face. And they went down with him to the ship”.
JT So that we may say this is a finished matter. Chapter 20 is a finished matter, happily finished. And now we can come back to chapter 16, verse 6, in relation to this matter of coming into Europe. I think we stopped there. It is a time of the ministry coming into Europe; that is to say: the gospel, or the truth of the assembly, being introduced into Europe and it stays there now; it is there yet. So that Asia is out of the question now, and China is out of the question; it is a question now of Europe and its outgoings. We may as well understand that, and then act upon it, because it is how the truth of the assembly stands, that material is drawn from Europe in a literal sense.
[p. 326] Ques Would it be right to say that the testimony had previously reached Europe seeing that there were believers in Rome at this time, although apparently not having assembly status?
JT Well, this particular passage is really the one that may be taken to depict the entrance into Europe of the gospel and the assembly. I believe that is the way it should be taken. And then we are told, in verse 11, “Having sailed therefore away from Troas, we went in a straight course to Samothracia, and on the morrow to Neapolis, and thence to Philippi, which is the first city of that part of Macedonia, a colony”. That is another point to notice. “And we were staying in that city certain days. And on the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where it was the custom for prayer to be, and we sat down and spoke to the women”. Now this brings up the whole question that we had yesterday morning, women themselves engaged in prayer, in the city of Philippi, where we have Lydia, and all that enters into that. So that there were happy conditions for the introduction of the gospel into Europe, and it was established as in Europe, and has remained there still.
Ques Is there a delightfully unofficial side to Paul in this passage? I was thinking of his being an apostle and a commissioned man, and later it says the woman with the spirit of Python “followed Paul and us”, giving him his distinctive place, and yet his entry into Philippi seems to be on a very lowly basis, he was linking on with the women who were assembled for prayer.
JT Well, very good; but what about the women? They are very important. Lydia is one of the most remarkable women we have. The Lord had to do with her heart, in opening it, and she attended to the things spoken by Paul. It was a real transaction, and I would think it would be well for us to [p. 327] dwell upon this in thinking of what we have had already as to women. Why not stress the idea of the place women may have under these circumstances? Even although Paul was there yet the Lord was acting of Himself to open her heart to attend to the things spoken by Paul. Paul was the man God was using; at the same time Lydia was a very important sister, as the whole chapter shows. Paul and the others came to Lydia according to the end of the chapter, showing how important she was. And this, of course, adds to what we have said about women not being excluded from meetings, that they have a first-rate importance.
JTJr The man was seen in the vision, but what he sees immediately is women.
JT Just so.
JPH Is it your mind that all the saints, sisters as well as brothers, should come under teaching?
JT Well, quite so.
JPH I was thinking of divine Persons being engaged in teaching. We have the teaching of the Lord and the teaching of the Spirit, as well as the teaching of Paul.
JT I think the women are of first-rate importance. They are the mothers of the whole human race; they are the mothers of the saints. Why should they not be instructed? It is of prime importance that they should be properly taught, and bring their children up properly; and be able even to prophesy if necessary, because women are said to prophesy. The four daughters of Philip are said to prophesy.
AED Is that the bearing of the word, “pass over into Macedonia and help us”? The “us” including the women.
JT Very good.
[p. 328] AJG Was it these women that the Lord was using in the first place to undermine the power of the Roman Empire as seen in this colony?
JT Quite so. That brings up the whole question of the empires, spoken of in Daniel, and that we are already under one of them, because Rome still exists. Of course, we pray for the authorities, in that sense, but then what is prominent, of course, is the idea of the women and their importance in the service.
WC Do we get the thought of spiritual instinct both in Rhoda and in Lydia? Rhoda recognised Peter’s voice, and now Lydia is really recognising the Lord’s voice through Paul. And then in Dorcas there is one who was adjusted. I was thinking of what you were saying about sisters, not only what is general in the women, but there are three named sisters in the passages referred to.
JT I think all that is most suggestive, and only adds to what we had yesterday as to women and their place. They are not to be segregated from brothers in the ministry, but they have their own place. Without the women we should be seriously at a disadvantage in any meeting of brothers only.
SMcC It says here of Lydia, “Whose heart the Lord opened to attend to the things spoken by Paul”-not just to hear, but to attend. Is that not important with the sisters?
JT Quite so, I am sure you think it is important in your own wife, as all of us do of our wives. It is of prime importance that they should be instructed in every thing that is available in the ministry, to be with the brethren in the ministry.
Ques Would Lydia’s being a seller of purple, have its own significance; purple being the ruling gentile colour? It is thought to be the colour which the ruling Caesars wore, and Lydia would be accustomed to the idea of rule in that [p. 329] way.
JT I do not think there is anything of importance in the colours of an emperor or in what he wears. What is, I think, more important is that she was a seller. She accomplished something; she was practical.
AM What would be involved in the idea of her being a worshipper; it says she worshipped God. Does she link on with the woman in John 4, where the thought of worship is introduced?
JT Well, it would be a question as to whether worship here, in her case, is quite as strong and full as that. I think it would mean that she was a person who believed, perhaps a Jewess who believed. She was just a believer, the same as the eunuch. It says of him that he went up to Jerusalem to worship; I mean to say, the idea has a common or general significance, I do not think you could assume that Lydia was a worshipper as the woman of Samaria was, to whom the Lord spoke. The Lord did not speak of the woman of Samaria really; he spoke of worship, and that the Father sought worshippers. Although she introduced the idea of worship, yet the Lord entered into it in a full way, and He said the Father seeks worshippers to worship Him in spirit and in truth. So that we have the full idea of worship in John 4, but I doubt whether it is here.
GCS Would her worshipping God be in contrast to the idolatry that marked Rome?
JT It would be, but I do not think there is much in bringing Rome into it. It is a question of what would belong to a young believer like Lydia.
FW Is it to be recognised that a godly woman has influence? In the beginning of verse 15, it says, “She besought us”, but in the end of the verse, “She constrained us”.
JT That is good. She constrained them to come to her house, which is a very important, practical [p. 330] thing. She opened her door to the servants of the Lord, to give them shelter and comfort and the like.
Ques Is it not significant that in the Philippian epistle the apostle refers to women who contended along with him in the glad tidings, and also apparently the only corrective note in that epistle is to two sisters to be “of the same mind in the Lord”?
JT Yes, the word ‘women’ may not be there; although the word used is feminine, but anyway the stress is not on the idea of women.
EuR Priscilla had part with Aquila in unfolding to Apollos “the way of God more exactly”, Acts 18: 26.
JT Quite so. She is spoken of as often as her husband. They are spoken of six times altogether but they are both included each time, so that it would look as if Priscilla was equally important with her husband in the sense of teaching.
FJF I would like to ask whether it would be right for sisters to meet in prayer; for instance, in the house privately?
JT It is often done, as far as I know, with children and the like. Why not? We are enjoined to pray without ceasing, and that is not specially to men, although it says men are to lift up holy hands without wrath or reasoning, but there is no reason why women should not pray together too, and I am sure they do.
AH-n Were you going to say something more about verse 15?
JT Nothing beyond what it says: “When she had been baptised” (that is, Lydia) “and her house, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and abide there. And she constrained us”. That is to say, she opened her house to the servants of the Lord. It is a great matter to exercise hospitality to the Lord’s [p. 331] servants.
AH-n I was wondering about the statement “If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord”.
JT That is a very important word, of course. Being faithful to the Lord was obviously necessary, if the apostles were to go in there. If they judged that she was faithful to the Lord then she says they should come into her house, and she opened her house to them.
JGH Would faithfulness to the Lord involve the reception of Paul’s ministry?
JT It would, indeed.
JH Would you say not only the reception of the truth but giving heed to it? She attended to the things spoken by Paul.
JT Quite so. That is very important.
AJG Would you say something as to the fact that on the entrance of the testimony into Europe, houses begin to acquire importance? There are two houses mentioned in this chapter, Lydia’s and the jailor’s; and houses are mentioned in Corinthians too.
JT Very important; we should not pass that over. They seem to come into the thought of the assembly, for the house yields to the assembly. The bearing of the house is to the assembly, and the children are brought up with a view to that.
APB Is there an opportunity for parents to teach their children the truth in the households in a conversational way?
JT Quite so; and see that they go to the meetings too. If parents have influence with them, they see that they do not fail to attend the meetings.
SMcC Both houses are marked by hospitality. Is it not a great matter that room should be made for the Lord’s people and His servants, in our houses?
JT Just so; we all know that, I am sure; for the last few days we all know how important the [p. 332] housing of those who are visiting here, in London, is, and how much was felt about that; and how many have been housed, too, and well cared for, on the principle of hospitality.
Ques Is the word ‘abide’ there important, suggesting that Paul would have a permanent place there?
JT That is to say she would not say ‘for a week-end’. Sometimes we are invited for a weekend, which means Saturday and Sunday, whereas she did not mean that: she meant abide there, stay as long as you wish. I think that is a very good thought, that she said to them, “Abide here”, as it were, stay as long as you wish. I value you because you are the Lords’ servants; I receive you as the Lord. As Paul said to Philemon: “Receive him as me”.
PL “If a son of peace be there, ... in the same house abide”, Luke 10: 6, 7.
JT Very good. I think this matter of hospitality is of prime importance.
AJG And so we are not to be unmindful to entertain strangers.
Rem Rahab received the spies into her house in the light of Jehovah, and it had far-reaching results.
JT Very good. She hid them under the flax.
Ques Our houses should be held in that way?
JT That is just the point in all our remarks just now, that our houses are to be open to the saints to use wisely. And, as I was saying, not simply for a week-end but in the full sense of hospitality for the servant to stay longer if needed.
PL And impartially? Gaius, the host of the assembly as well as of Paul (Romans 16: 23).
JT Well now, we might proceed a little further, to the sorrowful conditions that happened next; only in a certain sense they are glorious. (Verses 16 - 25 read.) We can see from the facts stated here [p. 333] how important they are and how they bore on the faithfulness of the ministers, Paul and Silas. Silas has taken the place of Barnabas, and so he is Paul’s companion there. Then, as we would have noticed, they turned the prison into a praise meeting. That is, the service of God was carried on in the prison, showing how victorious the testimony had become. It was a real victory; not only were these men sufferers, real sufferers, but they were suffering joyfully, and praising at the same time; so that God’s service was carried on in the prison. It is one of the most glorious passages we can find in the history of the testimony, in the service of the gospel.
SMcC Is that what happened on the ‘Queen Elizabeth’ that the service of God, I mean in principle, was taken on?
JT Just so. As it is now, we can travel on the Atlantic, or the Pacific, and have meetings and the service of God, except the breaking of bread, of course.
Ques Would you say that the singing would be part of the preaching of the word in the open air?
JT I do not think there is much in that. I think what tells on people’s minds is the truth, the actual truth of the gospel, presented in power. I doubt that there is very much in prayers or praise meetings in the service of God in the gospel. I think the power is in the word of God. “Preach the word”. If there is to be preaching, preach it; if there is to be a testimony rendered, let it be preached.
EuR This seems to be on a very high level; it seems to be the same word as in Hebrews 2: 12: “In the midst of the assembly will I sing thy praises” (or “praise thee with singing” according to the note), also in Matthew 26: 30, “Having sung a hymn, they went out to the mount of Olives”.
JT That is very good.
[p. 334] Ques Sometimes at a gospel meeting the word is apparently with power, and after the closing prayer the company will sit on. Should the preacher give an additional word, or does it give the opportunity for others to pray in relation to the distinct power of the Spirit which is felt at that moment?
JT I would like to hear how Paul did the thing. I think if we count on the preaching, God will bless the word. It is a question of the word, “Preach the word”, it says. I am very doubtful about carrying on certain services after the preaching is over. If we have been invited to preach the gospel, then we should preach it; but carrying on after that is questionable, to my mind.
PL It says, after the preaching at Athens, “Thus Paul went out of their midst”, Acts 17: 33.
JT Very good. That is the idea. Why should we continue on with after-services? I am very doubtful about it. We may think we get results but I think the results that stand are by the word of God, “Preach the word”.
EuR If there has been power with the word, that will remain with souls.
JT Quite so.
JTJr When Peter’s preaching in Acts 2 was finished, then the conviction evidently came amongst the hearers, and they turned to Peter and the other apostles and asked what to do. Peter’s preaching is therefore a model as well as Paul’s.
JRUB Would it be right for a servant, after completing the service, to leave souls to the local brethren who are there to help?
JT Well, there is considerable question about that, I think we should go back to the example that Peter set, and that we are just reminded of. That is to say, first of all, he preached, and preached wonderfully, and at length; he presented the truth, standing up with the eleven, we are told. That is [p. 335] another thing, that if we are preaching in the open, we should have all the witnesses we can get with us to confirm what we are saying, and then the next thing is, those who were convicted said to Peter and the other apostles, not to Peter only but to Peter and the other apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” and Peter replies, “Repent, and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit”, and so forth; Acts 2: 38, I believe that is the order of the thing. It is a question of the continuance of the preaching, the insistence of it; the preaching of the word, so that people should be definitely presented with the truth of the gospel. It is not simply asking them, ‘Are you saved?’ and all that, and singing hymns; I doubt very much the importance or point of it. It is a question of the truth. “Preach the word”.
ECM It speaks in Mark about the Lord working with them. Do we see something of that here in this chapter 16?
JT Quite so. If the Lord does not do the work there will not be anything done. At the same time He uses His servants, and they are to know what to do, following how He did the thing, and how Paul did it. So that the great stress is on the word, the preaching of the word.
RH Is it suitable for sisters to accompany those who preach in the open air?
JT Quite suitable; they confirm what is said.
JEB “The Lord gives the word: great the host of the publishers”, Psalm 68: 11. The word publishers is in the feminine.
JT Very good.
Rem I am glad you have stressed that. One has felt sometimes that the open-air preaching would be much more effective if there were more witnesses.
JT [p. 336] I am sure what you say is right. The more witnesses the better. There were eleven who stood up with Peter. It says, “Peter, standing up with the eleven”, and that is a principle. So that the more witnesses we have, the more we may hope for results. But then as to the indoor preaching, and, of course, we are including that in what we are saying, we must not be dismayed or discouraged because the results are so little, because even if there is only one that is saved, it is worth the while, one sinner that repenteth. There is joy in heaven, showing that heaven is in accord with all that is going on, and there is joy there over one sinner that repenteth.
Ques Would the great thing be to have the word faithfully preached and leave results with God?
JT Well, quite. If we can move about and ask souls as to the truth, good and well; the more witnesses we have the better.
Ques Is the character of the preaching in the open air different from what it is in the halls?
JT There cannot be much difference. It is preaching the gospel, that is the point; the preaching of the gospel or the preaching of the word, I think the preaching of the word now is a more suitable expression. In a day of small things, it is more suitable to carry on what Paul says to Timothy, “Preach the word”. We have changed our notices in some places to that effect.
Ques Would you say the arranging of an open-air preaching lies with a gifted man, or gifted men, rather than a meeting arranging to have open-air preaching?
JT Well, I think that is right. It would be much more effective and more a testimony, if someone is there able to preach, because preaching is according to being sent. “How shall they preach unless they have been sent?” Romans 10: 15. If we are not sent we have no power to preach, no [p. 337] authority to preach. Therefore if we can get a brother with ability to preach in the open air, good; we may hope for something.
FJF The Lord did a lot of individual work, did He not, too; speaking to one soul?
JT Quite so. Very good.
LES Does not Paul furnish a model in the next chapter, at Mars Hill?
JT Yes. He secured two people, did he not?
LES Yes, a man and a woman.
JT Very good. That is a good matter; to get a man and a woman is something done. The position, of course, was very important, in the outward sense, Mars Hill, but there were a man and a woman as the result and that was something.
WBH “And others with them”.
JT Just so.
WBH Would that contribute to the thought of the assembly, the man and the woman?
JT Very good; it is assembly material, and, as has just been remarked, “others with them”.
EH In the singing and the praising there seems to have been no result with the prisoners; the jailor was moved by the earthquake.
JT Quite so; but still, there was something for God in the singing and the prayers too, and that is a prime matter. The earthquake affected the man, but that was not all; the earthquake was only a sign. The testimony really was what Paul and Silas said to him. It says, “the jailor being awakened out of his sleep, and seeing the doors of the prison opened, having drawn a sword was going to kill himself, thinking the prisoners had fled. But Paul called out with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm, for we are all here. And having asked for lights, he rushed in, and, trembling, fell down before Paul and Silas. And leading them out said. Sirs, what must I do that I may be saved? And they said, Believe [p. 338] on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house”.
Now we are to notice all these items; first of all, Paul cried with a loud voice, he was sincere in the thing. The earthquake did its own work, it was a sign. That is what that was; it was a sign of power; but the words of Paul were, “Do thyself no harm”. That was grace. It was pure grace and showed that he was sympathetic with the man, “Do thyself no harm, for we are all here”. They had not fled; they did not want to rush away, to get out of his way; they just were there. They were conscious that they were in the Lord’s service, and would behave properly in it. Then he asked for lights. Now notice, he does not ask for a light. That has often been pointed out, but there are lights, more than one light. There might thus be an opportunity for more than one brother to enlighten him, and there were two. Then the next thing is, he leads them out and said, “Sirs”. Notice, he is respectful to them, although they were his prisoners, “What must I do that I may be saved?” And then they said to him, “Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house”. The pronoun thou shows how intent they were to get at his soul, to get at the man himself. It is “thou and thy house”. So that in result the man is thoroughly in line with those that are seeking to serve the Lord in the matter. He is thoroughly in line, and, of course, he would be, for it would be in Paul and Silas’ mind that he might become part of the assembly; he is assembly material.
Ques While the earthquake had had its part, is the thought really that they were secured by the word?
JT Secured too by the sympathies of the servants when they said, “Do thyself no harm”. It shows that there was [p. 339] sympathy there.
WBH Would those men in that way exemplify what salvation is?
JT Quite so. He would come into the circle of salvation.
JSE Is there need for a little more of this feature of sympathy when we are preaching? It is a great matter to get down to people where they are, sympathising with them, rather than classifying them apart from ourselves.
JT Quite so. Paul and Silas were not thinking of themselves; they were thinking of the jailor. “Do thyself no harm”. They have sympathy with him.
ETS Do you think Paul learnt that from the Lord Jesus in the way He spoke to him, saying, “It is hard for thee to kick against goads”? Acts 26: 14. Would that be grace there?
JT Very good. And again, another thing about Paul is, that he had to go to the city and be told what to do. They told the jailor what to do here. First they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house. And they spoke to him the word of the Lord”. It does not say what word it was, or how much, but it was the word of the Lord. It was what he needed to do to be saved. And so we may proceed now to see what he did, “And he took them the same hour of the night and washed them from their stripes; and was baptised, he and all his straightway. And having brought them into his house he laid the table for them”. That is to say he is now in accord with Lydia, in that his house is hospitable too, “He laid the table for them, and rejoiced with all his house, having believed in God”. So that it is a clear case of a complete work-a fine piece of work finished. Many times things are not finished, but this is a fine piece of work finished.
FCH Would “believing in God” have the sense that the man realised that God was presented to him [p. 340] in a Man, and would it also go on to the greatness of the fact that the very Man in whom God was presented to him was none less than God?
JT Very good.
Ques Should brothers know how to lay the table?
JT It was very good that he could do it. We spoke yesterday about Aeneas; he was to make his bed for himself; and why should not a man know how to lay the table? I am sure there are very few brothers here now, who do not, because help is scarce. It is hard to get help and I suppose all of us know something about laying the table, if we invite a brother to our house, to lay the table for him. It is the idea of a man being effective in this sense, that he desires to be hospitable to those to whom he owes so much, that is to say, to the servants of the Lord; and we owe much to all the servants of the Lord.
HB-n So that that household became a real support to the testimony?
JT That is the idea. And so it goes on, “And when it was day, the praetors sent the lictors, saying, Let those men go. And the jailor reported these words to Paul”, and so forth. And then it says, “and having brought them out, asked them to go out of the city”. Then it says, “having gone out of the prison, they came to Lydia”. We now come back to the real sister here in the place, the one that characterised the whole place. Her heart had been opened by the Lord to attend to the things spoken by Paul, and now we have in verse 40, “having gone out of the prison, they came to Lydia; and having seen the brethren, they exhorted them and went away”. Now, someone was saying, what shall we do after? Well, Paul and Silas went away. The time had come for them to go away, and they went [p. 341] away. But then they came to Lydia; they had that in mind.
FJF Would these households be like the garrisons that David put throughout all the land of Syria? It says in 2 Samuel 8: 5, “And the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, and David smote of the Syrians twenty-two thousand men. And David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus; and the Syrians became servants to David, and brought gifts. And Jehovah preserved David whithersoever he went”.
JT Just so. That is a beautiful passage; it is a gospel passage. The garrisons would be like Lydia’s house.