ABIDING WITH THE LORD
A. B. Parker
I had the sense that the Lord brought this passage of Scripture to my attention today and I therefore venture to speak of it. It has occurred to me that Saul of Tarsus may be spoken of as the New Testament counterpart of Mephibosheth, who referred to himself as a dead dog.
Saul, who also is Paul, said that he was the first of sinners. Both had a tremendous sense of having the mercy of God shown them. Paul spoke about himself as seeing himself as God had seen him.
It says of Barnabas that he was a good man; indeed he was a prince having been given a title by the apostles—son of consolation. We may wonder what need there would be for consolation at the beginning when the twelve apostles were present and there was such unity and unselfishness amongst the disciples. But in the presence of all that Barnabas rose to the dignity of being called a son of consolation. Why? Perhaps because he took on the ministry.
He certainly took on the spirit and character of the dispensation. He sold his lands,
coming into the full light of God’s mind for the Levites. No sacrifice would be too great; he was wholeheartedly in the good of the heavenly inheritance. He brought the money he received for his property and laid it at the feet of the apostles. He contributed to the existing oneness. Later, he is referred to as an apostle—“the apostles Barnabas and Paul”, Acts 14: 14.
Truly, he was a prince.
In Acts 13: 1, it says, “Now there were in Antioch, in the assembly which was there, prophets and teachers—Barnabas ...”. Barnabas is named first. Earlier, he had gone to search out Saul of Tarsus to bring him to Antioch. Why did he do that? I believe he realized that he faced a very difficult situation there at Antioch. Some may say, Why? Things were prospering; people were getting blessing in multitudes. Yes, but who were they? They were Gentiles; persons who, in practice and general manner of life, had been far off from God without any knowledge of the truth. Think of such persons being brought, through the glad tidings, into the assembly! What a vibrantly happy people they would be! But think of the teaching they would need! It says later that for a whole year they were taught. So you can see how Barnabas felt he needed help in this. It is evident that he realized that here was a situation with which he could not cope alone, and so he went to search out Saul. But before he went, he exhorted these new disciples “with purpose of heart to abide with the Lord”. That is a very remarkable expression. He knew that teaching was needed, but, firstly, they were to come to know the One in whom they had believed—not only objectively, but experimentally, through abiding with Him. One of the sweetest stories in the Old Testament is of a young woman who clave to Naomi, a godly woman who had brought to her the knowledge of God. It says that she clave to Naomi, and that she lodged with Naomi. It implies a very close relationship; it is a heart matter—with purpose of heart. I would suggest that if we abide with the Lord He will see to it that we will find direction from Him as to what we should do in times of crisis.
Naomi said to Ruth, “Shall I not seek rest for thee?” (Ruth 3: 1). And the Lord Jesus said,
“Where I am, there also shall be my servant”, John 12: 26. Beloved brethren, we want to be with Him.
Well, this was a difficult situation which faced Barnabas. This crowd of buoyant, freshly converted persons had left the things to which they had been accustomed. They needed teaching; they needed food; they needed encouragement; they needed to be built up; they needed to be told about the inheritance. And, dear brethren, we need all these things, but we need teaching—and to appropriate teaching. For many years many of us had good teaching; we thought we were in the good of what was ministered, but later, very quickly we were diverted from the good teaching. Beloved brethren, we need to abide with the Teacher! “They said to him, Rabbi (which ... signifies Teacher), where abidest thou? He says to them, Come and see”, John 1: 38. It is not alone a question of how much we know, or how well we may quote Scripture; that has its place; but behind it all there is the need for having purpose of heart to abide with the Lord. Barnabas could not have served those hew converts better than to exhort them to abide with the Lord. It is the only way to be kept from stumbling; “But to him that is able to keep you without stumbling”, Jude 24. One would just seek to strengthen the confidence of the brethren in this personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, that we may take in right teaching, and live it.
After this whole year of teaching at Antioch these two ministering brothers were taken away from the brethren in Antioch to serve elsewhere. Would the instructed ones they left behind go on in fidelity? If they remembered the exhortation of Barnabas to abide with the Lord, they would be true to what they had been taught. We hear of serious decline when Paul left Corinth, but there is no intimation that it was so at Antioch. The Lord can have confidence in His people if they are abiding with Him.
But one more comment on Saul of Tarsus—in Acts 13: 1, where we have the list of those who were ministering to the Lord and fasting, Saul’s name appears last. That was after he had been teaching with Barnabas for a whole year. But that was the way he served. He did not complain that his name was last. He said that he was least of all the apostles. He was so like Mephibosheth—“Let Ziba take all”, 2 Samuel 19: 30.
Well, dear brethren, that is just what one had in mind. My concern for myself and for my brethren is that in these difficult days we may be kept abiding with the Lord. It requires purpose of heart, but He will see to it that what is approved of Him will be preserved and kept in the way everlasting—in the way of righteousness. May we all be: kept thus, for His name’s sake.
Word in meeting for ministry, Brooklyn, N.Y.
12 February 1980