THE WORKINGS OF GOD

Acts 18:9,10; 1 Corinthians 1:1,2; 6:11,19,20

I have an impression of the apostle Paul never losing sight of the workings of God in Corinth. Paul spent eighteen months there; it must have been a very toilsome and difficult situation to be in. Yet there was confirmation to the apostle in the Lord appearing in the vision, telling him to speak and be not silent, because “I have much people in this city”. The Lord did not tell him about all the things that were going on there; He just said “I have much people in this city”. Think of the potential there was in that place.

When Paul eventually wrote his epistle, he never lost sight of what was there of the work of God, hence the reference to “the assembly of God which is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints”. Paul always had in mind what God was doing in the place, involving, I believe, households and individuals. As you go on through the early chapters of the first epistle, you begin to wonder how the apostle could possibly have used such dignified language in the light of the things that were going on there. Persons had come straight out of heathendom, out of darkness, where moral principles had been overthrown, and yet in the midst of that morass of evil and darkness, God could say “I have much people in this city”. It is clear that Paul had God’s view of His people in spite of prevailing circumstances. How wonderful!

In chapter 6, the apostle had a lot of corrective things to say to the Corinthian saints, and yet in saying them, he always had in mind what God was working out in that place. In this first epistle, the brethren in Corinth were involved in all kinds of things, and yet Paul could write “And these things were some of you; but ye have been washed, but ye have been sanctified, but ye have been justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God”. How wonderful it was that he could write that. Persons were being extricated from immorality and darkness, for these things were extant there. Certain things in Corinth were being addressed which were universally known about, but through all these trying and difficult matters, the substantiality of the work of God is taken account of. What a basis to build on, what a powerful demonstration of divine grace and love working in the place where there was so much darkness. Paul was able to write “ye have been washed”. This must involve the death of Christ. Think of the way Paul was to write later, “Do ye not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have of God; and ye are not your own? for ye have been bought with a price”.

I am linking this in my mind with what we read on Lord’s day about the eunuch in Acts 8. He asked ‘How should I be able to understand unless someone guides me’, (Acts 8:31). The Holy Spirit had clearly effected something in him, so Philip unfolded to him what the scriptures meant, how things had been fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Himself, how the great divine plan had been set on, and persons were being secured for “my assembly”. But Paul goes on to ask “Do ye not know that … ye are not your own? for ye have been bought with a price”. How much do we really understand of what we have been cleansed from, what we have been brought into? What cost has been involved so that persons can be set together in assembly conditions – walking in the light of the assembly, persons who had been cleansed, bought and are suitable to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Many things that Paul had to write in this chapter are sobering and serious, addressing very negative matters, but these persons were being cleared; all the staining was removed. They were being set up as the boards of the tabernacle were set up, as a dwelling place for God. Do we value the work of God in each other to this extent, that we are persons who have been set apart? We are not our own. We must be careful what we do with our bodies, careful about all we do, where we go, what we say, even what we see and hear. These things are very testing, very negative in one sense and very challenging, hence the reminder by the apostle that they had been bought with a price, and they were not their own.

Let us take these things to ourselves. We have much exercise among us at the present time relating to our young brethren. These things we are speaking of need to be understood by them, but let us all understand them and pass on something of the joy that was in that eunuch’s heart when “he went on his way rejoicing”. Think of how he was able to apprehend the work of Christ in all its glory. I got an impression from the hymn that we sang at the Lord’s supper:-

‘The grace that sets our souls on high,

And love that brings us nearer still?’ (Hymn 116)

Think of the wonder of the workings of God in the hearts of persons, persons like us who are introduced into an area where we are brought nearer still, to be nearer to God Himself as in the presence of Christ. This is not just open to certain individuals, dear brethren; this is open to us all. Despite all that was there of darkness and degradation in Corinth, God’s work was proceeding, and the apostle was reminding them that they belonged to Someone else now. Then it says in that hymn:-

‘Absorbed in favour all divine

Conferred on those of high estate’.

This is not about the accolades of this world, not even a knighthood for these persons of high estate. Like the eunuch, they are introduced into an area where they have something incomparable conferred on them; the wonder and glory of sonship. Can we rise in our practical lives, dear brethren, to the level of sons, and live in a way which is acceptable to God. No wonder the heavens could be opened on Christ when the Father said “This is my beloved Son, in whom I have found my delight”, Matt.3:17. What a standard! We are not our own. We cannot do what we like, we cannot please ourselves. We cannot become independent. We need to understand that we belong to Another and are introduced into a holy area of things. The Hebrew saints are addressed as “holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling”, Heb.3:1. If this is true of us, and I am sure it is, we can touch and enjoy holy things because we are made suitable to them, we are amongst those of ‘high estate’.

Let us lift up our hearts and minds, and understand what God has done in taking us from the dunghill and placing us among princes and nobles, (1 Sam.2:8). These are wonderful things, dear brethren. May we be helped to dwell on them, and may the Lord help us to rise to these great thoughts. We also sang in that hymn:-

‘How may we rise to Thy vast thoughts,

Or apprehend Thy sovereign will’.

These are things which God means us to enjoy, and has given us His Spirit to enter into them. May we be encouraged to do so, for His name’s sake.

Word in a meeting for ministry, Aberdeen

14 January 2014

G. Coull