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PAULINE FEATURES

JT In our reading at Wellesley Hall last evening we had these scriptures read. Numbers 15 forms a link as helping us in right proportions in the assembly, balance first and then the proportions suited to our service Godward, there is rising measure of the oil and wine according to the size of the offering made to God. The passage in Acts affords instruction for the assembly viewed in its Pauline feature. The metropolitan relation was directly under apostolic control. Nations maintain catholicity but with local furnishings and service Godward. The kind of material indicated in this man is one who has intelligence. He heard Paul speaking — this arrested him. Paul, “fixing his eyes on him, and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, Rise up straight upon thy feet”. The apostle saw there was something there, the root of the matter, assembly material from the Pauline standpoint. He stood on his own feet by faith, in intelligence and faith, he had balance, he was able to stand on his own feet, the power of God bringing in this material. In type the development of this is in the offerer (verse 3), “a burnt-offering ... a sweet odour to Jehovah”. This is what is contemplated — how to offer in a balanced proportionate way.

Ques What are Pauline features?

JT Non-metropolitan, the gospel is preached in localities, churches formed, each with its own hands and feet. It is important not to be insular, or isolated in thought and unduly local. “Thus I ordain in all the assemblies” 1 Corinthians 7:17 universally. The Thessalonians became imitators of the assemblies of God in Judaea.

Ques According to the size of your offering?

JT Your offering is your measure — if a lamb let ^[p. 44] the accompanying elements be in proportion. A brother speaks eloquently of the Lord Jesus but has he got the proportion of fine flour with him, the beautiful humanity of Christ? Is there spiritual dignity in the man? Is the wine in proportion that appeals to God? We might not be offering these accompaniments. God is not pleased with that. All sweet savour offerings are assumed to be rich, voluntary offerings, vows, set feasts, etc., this is not a wilderness matter but in the land. We should be exercised that these should come into evidence. A man who can stand on his own feet is not a party man, he thinks of God. “I speak as to intelligent persons”, 1 Corinthians 10:15 initially of that type. There is faith there, can we discern it? Paul fixed his eyes on him.

FI Though the man stands on his own feet that which is available for offering is found in the inheritance.

JT The land is given, “whither I bring you” (verse 18). It is here a principle of gift like the inheritance in the saints. Materials for the oblation were not obtainable in the wilderness.

Ques What is the heave-offering?

JT Something spontaneous, it waves, moves, catches entirely the eye of God. The heave-offering is from the heart going spontaneously up to God. This chapter was written for us, it is one of the instances where the Old Testament becomes New Testament, so that our service Godward should become proportionate — not learn from others. I may speak eloquently in the assembly and yet be minus the nature of our Lord Jesus Christ. What I speak in the assembly I must be always. “Let the word of the Christ dwell in you richly ... . And everything, whatever ye may do in word or in deed, do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus”. Colossians 3:17. We have much more than that. It would never do for a man to speak intelligently in the meeting and outside assume a natural man’s ways. It is not ^[p. 45] proportionate. We get material for the assembly from Paul’s ministry. He “heard Paul speaking”. Paul saw something in him that would qualify him for the assembly. He had faith. “Thou art Peter”. Matthew 16:18. The Lord saw that in him. The question is whether you are able to profit by the speaking of a spiritual person. We learn from one another. Paul was peculiarly well worth listening to, this man valued spiritual speaking. He would take character from that.

FI The man in Acts 3 — Peter had to take hold of him.

JT Apostolic support was in evidence there, this man stands up himself, we hear no more of him. The epistle to the Romans teaches this. A man thinks of himself so as to be wise, an initial thought. A christian takes his own measure and does not go beyond it, not to think highly — God is the God of measure, this applies in the universe and in all God’s operations, the tabernacle, etc., the assembly should be marked by this. Your estimate of yourself should be just. You may be raised beyond this in the assembly. It was never intended the service of God should be ready-made, e.g., the hymn-book, phraseology — I use it as it fits me. Better not speak at all if I have not proportion. In the large number of people in the wilderness the models would be the lovers of God. Caleb and Joshua would be representative of those. “Aaron ... I know that he can speak well”. Exodus 4:14. Not only that but a brother beloved. He goes to meet you, his speaking will be attractive. Aaron spoke to them and they looked towards the wilderness, showing the power of his speaking. It is remarkable how God leaves all the rebellion (the conditions of christendom) and inserts this chapter as His own thoughts about the people. The assembly is something different. God introduces this beautiful thought which should take form in the assembly. Fine flour ^[p. 46] in proportion, oil and wine, not a sentimentalist, not a religionist. It is all in proportion.

Ques What did you mean by ready-made?

JT The hymn-book is ready-made, a provision for the saints, to be used by spiritual people. You ought to be in the thing that is expressed in the hymn, a sweet savour to God. He is quick to see if you are out of proportion. What you have taken in by exercise of what has been presented to you of Christ, and “the sojourner” likewise — as ye do so shall he do — no difference. One rule prevails in the assembly. It is a great matter to see what the rule is, a spiritual matter, governed by the light that governs any phase of it, whether the Lord is worshipped or the Father, i.e., the phase of the assembly referring to the Father — there is to be no deviation from that. Irregularity robs of the sweet savour. If you are addressing the Father you are governed by the light which governs that. Christ is the Minister of the sanctuary, He has the Father in mind (verses 14,15), “As ye do, so shall he do ... one statute for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you, an everlasting statute ... before Jehovah. One law and one ordinance”.

Ques Who is the stranger?

JT That would cover the material brought in by the apostle Paul. There was the universal custom, and strangers became merged in Israel’s customs. No longer strangers and foreigners but fellow-citizens with the saints. One observes great irregularity in the meeting, saints are robbed, and God is robbed of what the assembly should yield to Him. As the gifts are listened to we arrive at “the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, at the full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fulness of the Christ” Ephesians 4:13, that comes out in the assembly. The fulness of the Christ is what He is as Man before God. There is spiritual confusion if we have different ^[p. 47] laws or standards. Observe the rule, the ordinance and the law that is the ground of the assembly. If Christward we are speaking to the Lord, but if it is the time for the Father the great feature of the assembly is speaking to the Father. The Lord is in the midst alongside of us. Christward would be a question of the state of the saints. The covenant is a closing thought with the saints, let it have its full force with us, give it scope, the Lord is the Mediator of it. There is a difference between that and the Minister of the sanctuary. The Mediator links on with the Apostle, makes the truth effective. Moses is always the mediator, the minister is Aaron — he carries the thing on and sustains what is set up. The worship of God is sustained by the Minister of the sanctuary. Deuteronomy 26 merges in the idea of the priest himself.

Ques Is He Minister of the sanctuary to the Lord or to the Father?

JT Hebrews is very initial as to the saints, God and His people, not the Father. “Not ashamed to call them brethren” Hebrews 2:11 comes near it. The point in Hebrews is to get you to go in at all. “I will declare thy name to my brethren”. Hebrews 2:12. This is on the ground of the relation to the Father although not mentioned. Hebrews contemplates the wilderness, Ephesians the land. The ark is a military thought in that relation. An Israel goes over first. It is the power of Christ holding back the force of death. “The old corn”. Joshua 5:11. Christ is indigenous to the land — a humanity which never left heaven — stored corn hardly understood amongst us — the Father and Son. The Minister of the sanctuary is official, things must be done holily to make room for love — ability to be quiet and to stand spiritually on new ground. David and Solomon, Father and Son. Link on Joshua with Chronicles — we bridge all that distance by the Spirit and reach the Father and the Son. Not only risen but exalted.

^[p. 48] the assembly is on heavenly ground. The gospel in Romans is on resurrection ground, in Ephesians it is quite different. The Father’s house is a future thing and the land is a present thing. The holiest is a wilderness thought, properly of individual application. You understand the Minister of the sanctuary and follow His guidance. As you enter once you never forget it — you are intelligently free before God. The Father’s house is a wider thought and has many abodes. The Father’s house is a future thought but we touch His presence now. It is a hard thing to be quiet spiritually, not naturally, to sit still and see what God has in the company. We are naturally restless. Some are quiet by disposition but this is of no value to God. We must learn to be quiet spiritually, all the faculties under control, then governed by principles which govern the position.

Verse 20, “dough” is something unusual in Scripture. In the heave-offering the first of your dough, this word is to call attention to something merging in a cake — a whole thing, not a slice, seen here before it is baked, it is wrought, ground, kneaded. All alludes to what we have. We arrive at a peaceful, restful state of one whole, one church, one body. Three-tenth parts of flour, half a hin of oil, etc., for a bullock, and so on. There is variation all round, they are proportionate right through.

Ques In the assembly should we be exclusively occupied with the Lord Himself?

JT If we are, it shows we have not risen to the full thought of the assembly, there is irregularity, a want of seeing we are on new ground. We need instruction. The apostle said, “For this cause I bow my knees”, Ephesians 3:14 etc.

FI We should always have the Lord before us but should speak of Him as well as to Him.

JT It is very sweet to hear a person with a keen ^[p. 49] appreciation of Christ as the Lamb, His intrinsic value.

Ques What about worship by the Spirit?

JT The Spirit of God is the power for worship, not outward form or human sentimentality or religious feeling. In John 4 the Spirit is in contrast to the letter — the spirit of worship — not the letter, or the place or building, or choir — all these are shut out by the thought of the Spirit. Hannah’s song is called a prayer and there is not a word of prayer in it, Mary drew from her remarks. The Old Testament scriptures furnish the spirit of worship, that you present to God after the breaking of bread, what is within your soul and spirit. Being beside yourself is over against sobriety, in 2 Corinthians 5 it is not out of order, it is abstraction from natural conditions — filled to all the fulness of God, a divine thought of manhood, which we are all to arrive at.

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