THE AREA OF THE ANOINTING
A. P. Devenish
Genesis 7: 11–16; Psalm 131: 1–3; 133: 1–3; Acts 16: 6–9
It is in mind, beloved brethren, to speak on the one hand about limitation, and on the other about what God may work out within what is limited. We might say, of course, that God can do everything; He is not limited; but it does say that it is impossible God should lie (see Hebrews 6: 18); it brings out what God is morally. In Genesis Jehovah shut Noah in, involving a circumscribed area in which he was to operate, corresponding no doubt to the way the Lord Jesus operated in the allotment given to Him of the Father; it says in the beginning of Acts, “It is not yours to know times or seasons, which the Father has placed in his own authority”, (Acts 1: 7). In relation to those who sought a place on His right hand and left hand, He said, It is not mine to give. A remarkable thing that the Lord Jesus, great Person that He is, should be pleased to operate in the allotment given to Him of His Father; not in any sense resenting it, but in the unselfishness of love seeking to, as He did, fill out His wonderful mission.
So we might say the ark resting on Ararat is representative of the dispensation which is in faith, and the power is in the Spirit. The dove comes into that chapter, and here every feature of life is attracted to Noah. They all came to Noah; he is the centre, the attractive centre, not only of his immediate family but each and all the animals, and they all come to him, every bird of every wing, they all went to Noah into the ark. The Lord Jesus
became the centre of attraction in John 1. It is very interesting to see various features of life responding to Christ and moving towards Him. “Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard this from John and followed him”. He was a follower—how attractive to be a follower characteristically of Christ. “He first finds his own brother Simon”; so too he is a finder. What a fine feature of life to seek out a brother. Also he is a finder of the Messias—Andrew evidently was convicted as to who Jesus was, “We have found Messias (which being interpreted is Christ)”; perhaps a limited impression, but still an impression of Christ. And he led him to Jesus.
Can we do that? How I would love to have the ability to lead the saints to Christ—not self, but Christ! “Jesus looking at him said, Thou art Simon, the son of Jonas; thou shalt be called Cephas (which being interpreted is stone)”. Jesus sees and names what Peter would become as the product of divine workmanship. There is something stable and permanent about a stone, in direct contrast to what Simon was naturally. Is this not too a feature of life? Peter himself speaks about living stones. The whole section suggests movement in relation to.
Christ; Christ the attractive centre for our affections, everything carried through in relation to His influence and attractiveness. We never want to get away from that. We are to go forth to Him without the camp. Peter says, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast words of life eternal’ (John 6: 68). It is a wonderful thing to freshly be reminded that Christ is the great gathering centre. Paul speaks in Thessalonians of “our gathering together to him” (2 Thessalonians 2: 1)—to Him! What a day that will be! But in a sense it is to be known and enjoyed in the assembly, in the power of the Spirit.
It is a time of faith, you see; when the ark was uncovered it was a time of sight, which looks forward to the millennial day. But it is a time of faith now. The cloud received Him out of their sight, but following the reference to the Father having times and seasons in His own authority, the Lord says, “but ye will receive power, the Holy Spirit having come upon you”.
It is wonderful, I think, what can be realized through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in this time of faith, as Peter says, “whom, having not seen, ye love; on whom though not now looking, but believing, ye exult with joy unspeakable and filled with the glory”, 1 Peter 1: 8.
So it is very interesting to see that every feature of life is drawn to Christ, and every feature of life is carried through under His influence and care. I have often thought of the scripture where David says to Abiathar, “for with me thou art in safe keeping” (1 Samuel 22: 23)—
with me; he makes himself accountable. Are the saints in safe keeping in our hands? They are in safe keeping in the hands of the good Shepherd; are they in safe keeping in our hands?
There may be in the young ones an expression of life Godward. It says about the child of Jeroboam that there is found something good in him toward Jehovah the God of Israel (see 1
Kings 14: 13), something good; so he received a burial, that is, typically, he was baptised in the light of the death of Christ so that what was good would be preserved; it would not be spoiled. The truth of baptism needs to be maintained among us so that the world and its things may not be allowed. As one has said, the Red Sea was not only to be the way out of Egypt, but it hindered them from going back. You do not want that something good—and how often we have seen it—something good, some evidence of life, spoiled, not available for the service of God. How He
misses it, to see a young one going away. We feel it; we feel it as parents, and we feel it as local brethren, but God feels it. Something good; He would want us to see that it is in safe keeping, With me, David says, thou art in safe keeping.
Well, these are lovely features of life that are expressed, that Noah brings through under his influence. God says to Abraham, “Take me a heifer of three years old” (Genesis 15: 9); the heifer would be here I suppose. It says, male and female. Three years old is a mature feature of life. The heifer would represent ardent affection. Well, how little that characterises some of us, but it is to be seen; it was seen in Jesus, every subjective feature was seen in Jesus; ardent affection was seen in Him. It was seen in many others that were drawn to Him; the woman in Luke 7—ardent affection, the heifer, she loved much. The Lord said, “Seest thou this woman?” (Luke 7: 44); you see, she came under His influence and she would, I think, be in the upper room, you know; I think she would be one of the one hundred and twenty perhaps. How that feature of life, the heifer, would be seen in her; how He would value her love! How He values our love! It says the love of the most shall grow cold (see Matthew 24: 12). What is it with us? Is there ardent affection for Christ?—ardent affection.
Following the heifer is a she-goat. How often we resent the truth of separation; how we resent it and how often we are not separate. In seeking to get away from the extreme line that came amongst us, that went beyond the truth, how many of us have slipped back from the teaching of the Scriptures, and are socializing with the world and, I think, being defiled by it. A she-goat, I think, would be more than just the acceptance of the obligation to be separate; it would involve something subjective, that we not only refuse to do evil but we shrink
from evil; it would involve holiness. We not only recognize the righteous obligation, but there is something subjective worked out in our souls by the Holy Spirit that would cause us to shrink from evil and cleave to what is good. The Lord loved righteousness and He hated lawlessness. So Paul appeals to the Corinthians, “Be not diversely yoked with unbelievers; for what participation is there between righteousness and lawlessness? or what fellowship of light with darkness? and what consent of Christ with Beliar, or what part for a believer along with an unbeliever? and what agreement of God’s temple with idols? for ye are the living God’s temple, according as God has said, I will dwell among them, and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be to me a people. Wherefore come out from the midst of them, and be separated, saith the Lord, and touch not what is unclean, and I will receive you; and I will be to you for a Father, and ye shall be to me for sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty”, 2 Corinthians 6: 14–18.
How attractively the truth is presented, and yet how definite Paul is as to the truth of separation. It is not to be diluted in any way because God seeks to walk among us and He says, “I will receive you ... and ye shall be to me for sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty”. I would encourage the brethren to think of these things, what the Lord has brought through, we might say, and we are not to give it up in any sense, in any way. But it is not to be a merely mental or outward assent to the truth, but a she-goat would involve what is worked out subjectively in my soul. I believe it would be at the cross, as we tarry at the cross; the holiness of Jesus when He said, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”, Matthew 27: 46. The presence in our hearts of the Holy Spirit surely has in mind formation, so that
we shrink from what is unholy, what is defiling, nor give way to socializing with the world and adopting its things, saying, ‘Well, we are not restricted any more; no more restrictions; that is all part of the sixties’. Beloved brethren, the greatest things of God are to be enjoyed by those who are separated, separated, from what is unholy and separated to God in holy consecration, and He says, “I will receive you; and I will be to you for a Father, and ye shall be to me for sons and daughters”; it is wonderful what God would be to us.
Then, in Genesis 15, you get a ram, three years old; the Lord Jesus typically is referred to as a ram caught in a thicket in Genesis 22. The thicket, I suppose, alluding to the Roman power, looking on to when He was held, but consecrated to the will of God; He says, Not as I will, but as Thou wilt. It is wonderful to see how He was held, held by God’s will; held it may be by cruel and wicked hands and nailed to a cross, but inwardly He was the burnt-offering; He was devoted without reserve to the carrying out of God’s will. Well, something of this too is to mark us, the readiness to be devoted unreservedly to God’s will. Then I think what is progenitive is in mind, that there should be fruit. I believe there is to be fruit among us; we are to see evidences of fruit coming to light. Perhaps we are lacking in faith—how often we are lacking in faith. Lacking, too, in devotion that there may be fruitfulness, that our localities may be fruitful; that we may be setting on something in the local setting which may affect the hearts of the brethren towards God. It is wonderful to get in the company of persons whose lives are consecrated to Jesus, whose lives are consecrated to God. God’s will must cost us something: it cost Jesus so much. He shrank from going into the dreadful article of death; He shrank from being made sin; His holy soul, we might say, shrank from the terrible
prospect that was before Him, but He was held in His love for God.
Well, I just suggest these things. There is a great need to keep every lovely feature of life that comes into expression; it is a tremendous sorrow when it is lost; you know, in a sense it is something that cannot be duplicated; the variety that is here is remarkable, the variety of life that is in our local gatherings. In a sense, if a beloved brother is taken to be with the Lord that same expression of life will never be seen again. Beloved Mr. Lyon shone in his devoted love for the Lord, a feature of life, you might say, that came into expression that will never be seen again in quite the same way. So it is with every beloved brother and sister, young or old; the Lord has in mind to bring into expression a feature of life that reflects the glory of Jesus in quite an unusual way if you let yourself be amenable in the hands of the Spirit for such an expression. Well, we often admire it in one another, admire what God has done, admire what the work of God is in all its preciousness in the brethren. You know, that is our life, is it not?
our enjoyment, our inheritance.
Well, let us be like David, let us be sure that it is in safe keeping, whether in our households or in the local assembly, that because of strife and conflict these beloved young people may not be discouraged. Can we continue with what is positive though facing issues that arise among us, providing food and help for the brethren, so that these beloved young brethren will be encouraged to go on in the truth, that something attractive may be seen? They may say, Oh, I am not going out tonight; there is going to be trouble! Well, how sorrowful that is!
What a shame to those of us who are older; what a shame! How much do we value what is good, something good towards Jehovah
the God of Israel; something good has come to light; can we encourage it? Can things not become attractive among us as we make way for, and are amenable to, the Spirit? Every meeting, I think, should bear some distinctive impression of Christ.
I just refer to the Psalms. A scripture in Romans would perhaps bear on what is in mind, it says, “For I say, through the grace which has been given to me, to every one that is among you, not to have high thoughts above what he should think; but to think so as to be wise, as God has dealt to each a measure of faith” (Romans 12: 3); then it goes on to speak about having different gifts, “according to the grace which has been given to us, whether it be prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith”, and so on. There is a great need, I think, for us to function in relation to the place that God has given us. There is no value in not functioning, not coming forward in relation to what the Lord has given us, if He has given us something, which I believe He has given to each. The psalmist says, “Jehovah, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty; neither do I exercise myself in great matters, and in things too wonderful for me” (Psalm 131: 1). This is an expression of a lowly, self-judged person; he says, “Surely I have restrained and composed my soul, like a weaned child with its mother” (Psalm 131: 2). I believe there is a great need, beloved brethren, for our simply doing, by the Spirit, what is ours to do; not going outside of it, but doing what we have to do well. It says of Jesus in Mark 7: 37 that He did all things well; that is the servant’s gospel; great levitical principles come to light in Mark’s gospel; the Lord did not begin His public service until John was in prison; that is a levitical principle that Mark brings forward.
So we can spiritually fill our place and contribute to the well-being of the beloved saints.
There is no value in modesty in a false sense; Paul says, “By
God’s grace I am what I am”, 1 Corinthians 15: 10. One has said it is not low thoughts of self, but no thoughts of self; that is true humility.
There is a great need for brethren to come forward and do what the Lord has given them to do, but then not to presume to go beyond that or outside of that. Of course in this time of smallness we may be required to do the work of an evangelist; it may not have been Timothy’s gift, but in times of smallness, when there are not many available, we may need to do the work of an evangelist. I do not think Timothy would say he was an evangelist, but in simplicity it needed to be done, so he would do it. One would suggest that, within the measure that God has given us, the measure of faith, the measure of grace, we may, as Paul said to one, “Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, to the end that thou fulfil it” (Colossians 4: 17); and then to Timotheus who was a timid man, he says, “For which cause I put thee in mind to rekindle the gift of God which is in thee by the putting on of my hands” (2 Timothy 1: 6) Paul’s impress, you see, was there. In the first epistle it is related to the hands of the presbytery, the elders, but in the second epistle it is “my hands”; Paul had put his impress on Timothy, he was his beloved child; he says, “Be not ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner” (2 Timothy 1: 8), and then he says later,
“Take thy share in suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ”, 2 Timothy 2: 3. One has often wondered why he was not in the prison at Philippi, although introduced at the beginning of Acts 16; it may be he needed the exhortation to take his share in suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
There is a great need therefore for each of us to find, in our relations with the Lord, what He has given us, and by the Spirit to fill it out and to do what we have to do well. As there is no place for arrogance, or pride, or forcing ourselves
into positions that we are not equal for, so there is no place for false modesty and humility; we can just be what we are. So I believe there is need for restraint, yet there is need for liberty. If Paul was present at the Supper, as beloved Mr. Taylor said, he would wait on him to give thanks at the table. There would be restraint, restraint in the ministry meeting, the prophetic meeting for ministry, restraint, and yet liberty, sensitiveness—one sitting by has a revelation—have we ever experienced that? Perhaps not, because we have been so busy, so intent on bringing forward our carefully considered word; restraint and yet liberty. It is a wonderful thing to be in God’s house where God’s presence is; surely we need to be careful in His presence, but there is to be holy liberty. I believe, beloved brethren, we need to flow with the Spirit, if I may so speak, in all of our occasions. It does not matter if we have four scriptures and we only finish two, does it? Are we disappointed that we did not get quite through that carefully thought-out meeting? We did not get that last thought that we thought would be so beneficial to the brethren! It is so needed, beloved, that in our meetings something should happen amongst us that would quicken our affections towards Christ and towards one another, and we need to be just available and to be free, and yet careful in God’s presence, ready for a revelation to one sitting by, ready for that. How much better to make room for what the Spirit of God is doing through another— that would be for the blessing and benefit of the saints.
I read in Psalm 133 because the anointing goes to the hem of the garment. Paul says, “so also is the Christ”, alluding to the anointed system. As has been said, there would be no stray ends, it is “the hem of his garment”; everything would be gathered up, you may say, compact, and we do not want to get outside of the area of the anointing,
especially in ministry. Oh, you say, somebody said it many years ago and it must be right.
We would not in any sense discredit the reliable ministries that we have amongst us, and we should take full advantage of them, but there is something in this matter of the anointing, that we stay within the area of the anointing; we do not go outside of that. Surely we should feel if the Spirit is not with us; the Spirit is not prepared to identify Himself with any novel ministry that is outside of the anointing. How Peter, you see, carefully kept within the ministry that was given to him; the revelation that he received in Matthew 16 was, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16: 16), but Paul was the one that brought out the truth as to the Son of God. What I am suggesting is that we need to be consciously in the area of the anointing, and thus there would be a measure of power and effectiveness in service. Think of how Peter got out of the area of the anointing, got into circumstances in which in no sense could the Spirit of God be identified with him in denying the Lord. They said to him, Thou art one of them; he said, No! He denied with a curse—what testimony could he be in such circumstances? He could only acknowledge, as he did, his failure; when he was tested he was unequal to being faithful to Christ. He got outside of the anointing too when he surrendered to the Judaisers and Paul had to rebuke him. But then he is not offended, you see; he gets the gain of Paul’s rebuke and later says, “Our beloved brother Paul”. O, beloved brethren, that the relationships of the brethren may be such in brotherly confidence, respect and affection that they can stand the test of faithfulness and the brotherly affectionate side not be lost.
Well, I believe that the Lord might direct us a little in relation to remaining in the area of the anointing, that we may be concerned about this in all our activities, the anointing involving what the
Spirit can identify Himself with in a measure of power in view of results.
I read about Paul just in closing because he moves with the Spirit sensitively; it says, “and the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them”. They had “attempted to go to Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them”, and earlier it says, “having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia”. How sensitive a vessel! How sensitive Paul was to the Spirit’s current operations. It says later that they concluded “that the Lord had called us to announce to them”—that is the Macedonians—“the glad tidings” (Acts 16: 10). So I believe there is a great need, one would speak for oneself, to be sensitive to the direction of the Spirit. Why did the Spirit say, You go to Macedonia; you go into Europe? He had in mind the development of the truth in Europe. There was no Jewish synagogue, as we know, in Philippi, there was nothing to impede, in the way of prejudice, the flow of the truth as to the assembly; but it says he was “forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia”, then “the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them”—both negative; but then it says, “concluding”, spiritual conclusion—“that the Lord had called us to announce to them the glad tidings”. What a sensitive matter this is as to the direction in which the testimony was to flow, and heaven was intent in relation to this.
I do not think there is any thought of our being free-lances, you know; I do not think so. I think we need great help to be sensitive to the Spirit and to be able to come to a spiritual conclusion, involving that we are wisdom’s children, involving that we have the mind of Christ. You might say that is a very presumptuous thing to say, but I think it is in view. I would not say I have it. Paul says, “We have the mind of Christ” (see
1 Corinthians 2: 16), that is, the thinking faculty. I think the Spirit of God would help us to have that before us, that we have the mind of Christ, not my mind operating in the things of God. Paul says, “Since Jews indeed ask for signs, and Greeks seek wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews an offence, and to nations foolishness” (1 Corinthians 1: 22, 23), but then he goes on to say, “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (verse 25). I believe the Lord would help us to get to what is spiritual, a spiritual conclusion. We are wisdom’s children; we are not exactly looking for some extraordinary intervention that is going to set everything right immediately—the Jews seek a sign. If the Lord had come in in great pomp and glory into Jerusalem perhaps they would have received Him; that is what would appeal to them; to come in as a lowly Babe in Bethlehem’s manger was an offence to them. Perhaps we seek a sign, but I think there is something subjective that needs to be worked out in our souls by the Spirit, so that we can come to a spiritual conclusion as we follow the indications of the Spirit of God.
Human wisdom is no value in the things of God, no value; but Paul says, “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who has been made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and holiness, and redemption”, 1 Corinthians 1: 30. It is available to us; He has been “made to us wisdom from God”. It is a wonderful thing, you know, in our local matters to realize that Christ has been made to us wisdom from God, and He is a great spiritual resource. The cup-bearer shut him out, he forgot him, forgot Joseph, left him in prison; he received the benefits of Joseph’s service, came into the gain of the wisdom that Joseph had; but when a difficult matter came up that had to be resolved, he remembered him, he remembered his offences it says (see
Genesis 41: 9). And what happened was Joseph came out of prison. What I mean is, we may exclude the Lord Jesus, we may exclude Christ, we may exclude the wisdom that comes from God by endeavouring to work out things for ourselves in our own human ability and knowledge; and to all intents and purposes Christ is not available in His wisdom. Well, I would suggest to the brethren that there is a great need for us to see that the wisdom that is available to us in Christ is drawn upon. But then Paul has more in mind than that, he has in mind that we are wisdom’s children. You do not need direction for everything; we get indications, you get suggestions, in Acts 16, but Paul comes to a spiritual conclusion, a spiritual conclusion as one of wisdom’s children, as one who had the mind of Christ. It is something developed subjectively by the Spirit that we will be persons who would have God’s answer in view of the many things that are outstanding amongst us.
Well, one would just suggest these things that the brethren might be encouraged, that we may seek to flow along with the Spirit in all our activities, to fill out the place that has been given to us in humility, but with energy and affection, to contribute to the progress of God’s work among the brethren, and to keep in safety the precious features of life, particularly among our young brethren, that these features may not be lost to us. Would it not be something worth seeking after to have the spirit of the shepherd? You say, I would rather be a prophet, I would rather be a teacher, but I think every one of us should desire to have the spirit of a shepherd to care for the sheep. Peter was charged to shepherd the sheep and to feed the lambs; that is the charge that he was given when he was adjusted by the Lord Jesus in John 21. Well, may we be thus encouraged, beloved brethren, in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Address at Redbridge
8 December 1984