EXTRACTS

As the Lord’s word here was read in the assemblies, the thought of personality would arise in their minds. What have we here in Ephesus? What have you in Smyrna? What reaction is there in those leading persons in your meeting from the knowledge that their names are written in heaven? What correspondence is there? There must be a correspondence, if things are right, between what we are in heaven and what we are down here. The Lord might even suggest—but He does not here—Why is it that you at Ephesus have turned away from Paul?

Paul says, “all who are in Asia”—think of that, even before the apostle’s death—“have turned away from me”. There is no change in heaven’s attitude towards Paul; why this change in Asia? Paul says to the Galatians, “I bear you witness that, if possible, plucking out your own eyes ye would have given them to me”, Galatians 4: 15. Why the change? The change is not in me, he says, the change is in you. So it is with us; we are tested by our view, our estimate, of those whom heaven respects and loves. You do not want to be out of accord with heaven as to any brother.

The Lord in speaking of personality, is bringing Himself to their attention, “I Jesus”. The idea of His personality should permeate all these assemblies; but some in them had turned away from Paul, having left their first love. Why did they leave their first love? They lost admiration of Jesus—that is why; their eyes became blurred, their affections became dull. He was not to them what He used to be. But He says, I am the same, there is not a whit of change in Me, the change is in you. “The root and the offspring of David”—think of who it is, towards whom you are growing cold—it is towards Me. How commonly it occurs, alas, amongst us! Our love for Christ grows cold, and we show it by turning away from, or otherwise ill-treating, one of His servants. There is no change in Me, the Lord says; I am still thinking of you; “... have sent mine angel to testify these things to you in the assemblies. I am the root and offspring of David, the bright and morning star”.

J. Taylor (Vol. 46, pp.4, 5)

Rem. The line you are speaking of would encourage all to participate in the work of the Lord and the service of the saints, in however small a measure, and it leads on from that—“and for all manner of measure and size” as if to indicate that there is room for all in the service.

JT Yes, “all measure of capacity and size”. Well, an aged brother, of course, ought to have both capacity and size. God is the God of measure, according to Corinthians, and the Levite here is to be versed in that so that he knows what is needed. When Paul was taken there must have been a great sense of loss in the spiritual, a great void. What they must have felt at Philippi when they heard the apostle was gone! What a capacity there was with him! He said to Timothy, ‘Bring the cloak’ (2 Timothy 4: 13); that would be his capacity, his size, his measure—Timothy would be reminded of what was needed, and, being a humble brother, he would say to himself, ‘I can never fill that’. But the more you accept your measure, the more the Lord helps you.

FSM As to the “nail in a sure place”, it says, “They shall hang upon him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons”, Isaiah 22: 24. Does not that encourage us that in the work of the service all the vessels, whether small or great, can hang on Him and prove the sufficiency of Christ in the assembly?

JT A very good thought. So that, if the older brothers are removed, as they are constantly being, we ought to feel it. Young men have to think of measure what was our brother’s measure? Well, that has to be met, for the void is there. There is a continual moving up, so to speak.

J. Taylor (Vol. 84, pp.249, 250)

The church as a whole has ceased to be a candle-stick. If the church does not give light, it is of no use for the end God intended. But the great thing is not to give up the divine idea.

Philadelphia is this: I will not give it up; I shall stick to it through thick and thin! “Thou ... has kept my word, and hast not denied my name”. In Philadelphia we get the revelation of what is according to the mind of the Lord, and, without assuming to be anything, I, at any rate, want to answer to it. In the darkest day in Israel faith erected an altar of twelve stones. It is a great offence to me to hear a man say, All is gone. Has the word gone? Has the Spirit gone? These are the questions I ask myself.

F. E. Raven (Vol. 9, p.263).

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