MINISTRY MEETING
(i) STRETCHING OUT
Iain Mitchell
A very simple impression, confirmed somewhat by what we sang in the hymn, as to what Paul says as to “stretching out”. In our hymn we sang as to our pathway in the wilderness and in one sense we can see that that is true. Our pathway is our life here going about doing our daily tasks, but in another sense we are in something which is mapped out for us by divine Persons Themselves in relation to what They might have in mind for us. I recall that when one and another is taken it is said that the work of the Lord is finished in him or her, which would imply that while we are here there is a work that is going on, there is a work that is developing. I feel often for myself that days go by and spiritually I might not have made any progress but then we know also days that go by and we are thankful that we have made some progress. It led me to read these scriptures which have been before me over the last few days as to what Paul says about obtaining this prize and being in possession of it. He says, “Not that I have already obtained the prize”, but it is something that he is looking for. You might think that someone like Paul had so much experience, what he went through in his life, what he experienced with God, that he would have already obtained possession, but no. So much more is it for us then to reach out in our wilderness pathway here, “Not that I have already obtained the prize, or am already perfected; but I pursue”. In one sense we are not like the children of Israel wandering; they were led by Jehovah in a pillar of a cloud and in a pillar of fire, but there was that time of wandering. In a sense we are not like that, we know what it is that we are stretching out for, so the test for all of us is, are we stretching out for it? Do I stretch out? I humbly have to say that many times I do not, but do we reach out for what is in the second scripture, where I read, “our commonwealth has its existence in the heavens”. What a wonderful commonwealth we have. It has often been said that if I have an inheritance in a foreign country I would want to find out as much as I possibly could about that inheritance. We have a commonwealth which is so rich that even the tiniest glimpse of it thrills our hearts. May it be that we stretch out to gain more of the reality of our commonwealth in the heavens. As we have often said, it is not there in the heavens waiting for when we get to heaven, it is available to us now. It is there and it will be there when we are with the Lord, but the wonderful thing about Christianity, as we very well know in this room, is that what is available to us, is available to us now. We are given a little power and the help of the Spirit in order to reach out for these things. “Our commonwealth has its existence in the heavens, from which also we await the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour” – how we await Him!
I think the reference to ‘Saviour’ here refers to the way that the Lord Jesus is Saviour all the way through right to the end, past the article of death, which may be before us, or especially the Lord’s coming for us, He is the Saviour all the way through. He will “transform our body of humiliation into conformity to his body of glory”. Think of that! He already has that body of glory: He was here on the earth, He took a body here and as passing through death, remaining a Man forever, He is in that wonderful condition now, but we will not see Him in the conditions in which we are now, and part of His work as Saviour is to “transform our body of humiliation into conformity to his body of glory, according to the working of the power which he has even to subdue all things to himself”. What things will be subdued! There will be many things subdued so that all things will come into conformity with Him, but may it be for the present time, while we are waiting for that time, may we wait for it more, be more conscious of it, but while we are waiting in the present time may we just be encouraged to stretch out. We are in the wilderness, we are in the present condition and we suffer in it to that extent, but we have more of a guide than the children of Israel had in this wonderful dispensation that we are in – we have the guide of the Holy Spirit, the guide of the Lord Jesus, He will be there with us. He is here with us now, and He will be there to guide us all the way through. May these words just encourage us.