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We feel it's profitable to take up some verses in the 20th chapter of Acts.
Thinking of Versus 7 and on in the chapter, nothing could be time for more than just a little bit of it. But, uh.
Nice, perhaps to publicly read that.
The rest of the chapter that seems good to the present.
Access 22 Seven.
On the first day of the week.
Disciples team together to break thread. All faced, some of them ready to depart tomorrow and continue to speak until midnight.
With any light in the upper chamber where they're gathered together, and they sat in the window of certain young man named being fallen with each seat fall as long preaching. He sunk down the streets and fell down. He's very lost and taken off dead. Fall went down and fell on him and embraced him. Troubled not yourself for his life as in him.
But he therefore was come up again, and broken bread and eaten and talked a long while. He was still breaking date, and they brought the young man alive, and we're not a little confident.
We went before ship until they thought they're intending to take them all so.
When men's leadership did not be cooking and it came to my lithium.
And we failed. Then came the next day ever against heels, and the next day we arrived in OLS and carried it Providian. The next day we came to my list. Paul had determined to sail by emphasis because he would not spend time in Asia free Asians out and be at gruesome David Pentagon. And so my latest intent to call the elders of church and when they were coming to seven of them.
You know from the first day that I came in Asia, after what manner I have been with you all season.
With many peers temptations, which you could tell me by the lying wave foods. Now I kept back nothing. It's profitable to me and I showed you and I thought you publicly in the house testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greek defendants toward God, safe for our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now before I go down the spirit of Jerusalem, I'm on the Finland, so they call me there. David Cole goes in every city and found me. So nothing's moving either how I my life here and myself so I might finish my course with joining the industry which I have received the Lord Jesus sacrifice, the gospel of the grace of God. And now behold, I know that ye all among whom I have gone preaching, the human of God shall see my face no more.
Wherefore I take you to the records this day, that I am pure from the blood fall in. For I have not shown to declare you the gospel of God.
Take either for themselves as a clock over the witch holy toast may be overseas to see the 55 which he had purchased in his Golden Globes. For I know this, that after my departments the greatest world.
Both of your own self shall men arise speaking perverse things are all the way to type of acronym. Therefore watch and remember by the state of three years I see not to warn everyone. Nice day with tears now bright enough commend you to God and the word is great. Is able to build you up to give you an inheritance along all families to sanctify. I have coveted no man's silver or gold or peril yourselves. No, that he can't administer to my necessity.
With me, I have showed you all things how to so laboring the office support the leaks.
Remember the words that the Lord changed his tongue said it is more blessed to give and receive when he had not spoken to kneel down, prayed with them all, they all went sword from all to that consistency saw. And most of all for the words that you say, they should keep in Faith No More, and they accompany him in the ship.
OK.
00:05:05
My exercise present is that we might like it versus 7 through 12 and then if the Lord.
Reads in this time, perhaps to look on Converse. Umm.
We're at verse UH-25 on that seems good.
Thanks.
A little incident that we read at the beginning is.
First of all, in historical event it happened.
It's not that so much that it occupies our thoughts, I believe as we read it together, rather that there are lessons in the incident that help us. And I believe also perhaps just a little prophetic glimpse of things that we're going to occur during the period of church's history.
Not that the church is the subject of prophecy, I think we're all clear on that. But we know that God embraces giving us a.
Uh, both Revelation two and three and another little incident such as we have here, something of a little prophetic picture of things.
I would notice that when the disciples gathered together on the first day of the week at the opening of the incident.
It was with the express purpose.
Of breaking bread.
Brethren, we have that blessed privilege of gathering together for the breaking of bread. We'll notice a little later in that.
The uh.
There there are events that come in that perhaps we can learn from, but I believe this first point here is so important when we gather together.
The 1St and primary.
Exercise of those whom the Lord has gathered through the name of the Lord Jesus is the breaking of threat.
Nothing can replace that in importance.
And I believe that all other things that we might do as Christians together, including.
That wonderful privilege of preaching the gospel, everything takes second place to that first primary purpose. I know this was the meeting that they gathered together for the breaking of bread, and I believe it's important to remember that too. It wasn't the song service. It wasn't the, umm, a prayer meeting.
It wasn't a preaching meeting. I believe all those things occurred at that meeting, but with purpose for which the Saints were gathered together was to break bread. And I wonder, brethren, I don't press it, but I wondered when we come together on the Lord's Day morning, if it isn't so that we sometimes lose sight of that when we look up at the clock and it's almost 5 minutes to 12 or whatever customary time.
Our meeting is is that no one has got enough to give thanks for the bread because we do not break thread, so we break Fred even though that's our purpose in being you've got her. I don't press that blood, but I just suggested God has put this year, I believe to exercise our hearts.
Uh, we need not pretend to what we're not. That is, if our state of soul is such that it takes us until 5 minutes to 12, let's not pretend that it's anything else. But I believe we should be before the Lord as to that, are we really come together? Do we live all the week in anticipation of that blessing moment when we're going to sit down in His presence to honor Him in that way?
00:10:03
Hey brother, Armstead buried in his statement from time to time.
I wanted to get into some private meeting or conference. It may have been conference.
He said it's it's not possible to live in the world all week.
And they get expressed, trained to remember the Lord and listen. What have we been gathering up through the week? What has our lifestyle been?
As Christ in the absence of our hearts.
Are we filled with the person and the working Christ and when we come together on birthday. There's that craze that goes out. We remember him. We break the bread in his membership that I I think that's a good point that we don't really we don't break the body of Christ, but in the world and woke. It speaks of his death. How to own it is broken. Didn't know that, but he speaks of his death. I was thinking too. Is it not so that this event that we're reading here in Acts chapter.
20 and verse seven was approximately I may be brought my standing corrected about 26 years after the church's birthday and the second of acts.
And we see there that it said they in the second of Acts, they continued, did vastly on the apostles doctrine, fellowship, breaking bread, and bread breaking bread.
For that thought was breaking bread and prayers and then my chapters amidst, amidst the time of the church's birthday, the second class and the time that we're reading about here. Many things didn't come in to discourage it. Uh, there had been many things that had come in, but.
They were still going on. They came together, as it says, upon the first day of the week, and the second came together. Great. I think that's very blessed and encouraged into us too, and all that. There are many things that come in to disrupt the truth of God is to set aside that which God has instituted and bring in many thoughts. Yes, I think Brother Jim had mentioned today and he felt that there will be a testimony.
Of those gathering is precious leads are very dangerous here to stop and I believe to myself I'm firmly convinced of that about the question always arises, will I be there? Will I be there?
So we might mention that speaking to those around the house, any of the churches things believe in Christ saying well, what's all this about the first day of the week in the Old Testament we read so much about the 7th day, the 7th day. Well, it makes us a little bit in the relations chapter 3.
Verse of 24.
Galatians 324 I've been signed here right for the law of Moses that is with our schoolmaster to bring it from the court that we might be justified all in faith and schoolmen and verse 25 and then after the faith has come, we are no longer.
I'm doing the school. So the law houses has, uh, has no more direct, uh effect on this dot currently because there are ones that they.
Have in our verse here on the first day of the week and the flight was came together. Great thread. It wasn't the 7th day and they were no longer under the schoolmaster law and now I'm great.
Migraine war first day they they resurrection.
That's very important business because the first day of the week, the Lord's Day, isn't the Christian Sabbath, is it? You sometimes hear it referred to in that way, and yet I enjoy what it says in Matthew chapter 28.
And verse one, it says in the end of the Sabbath as it began to dawn towards the first day of the week. Well, this was a new beginning, wasn't it? This was the resurrection morning. It was the end of the Sabbath that had been set aside, that will be taken up, we know, again in a future day. But.
Now in Christianity, it's the first day of the week. It's that resurrection, uh, morning. And so I, I think that's important to see that it's a whole new beginning. And I think sometimes we refer, I hear those, I don't say we, but I hear those refer to the Christian Sabbath or Lord's Day as a Sabbath and feel it's a day of rest. Well, it's not, is it? Umm, we find, umm, that in Christianity, the first day of the week is the day when, as we have here, there was preaching, going on ministry, uh, activity. And so it's a day when we can, umm, set aside. I enjoy a little pamphlet, perhaps some of red, the most of red. Uh, the Lord says that we devote it to him. So I, I'd just like to echo what Matt said. It's the.
00:15:37
First day of the week is not a Christian Sabbath. It's a whole new beginning. And so they they come together on the first day of the week to break bread.
It's very touching too, to notice. I, I don't know that I noticed this until last summer where it was down in, in uh, Bolivia at the conference in Montero and one of the brethren remarked it and I guess it was amazed. I hadn't seen this before that, uh, they, they spent seven days there. Why do you think they spent seven days there?
Well, I'd like to the brother explained it this way. He said they arrived perhaps on a Monday morning and they had missed the privilege of remembering the Lord there. And so they waited monthly Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, seven days and tomorrow it says they departed. We read that right in this chapter. Tomorrow they departed, but they they stayed there just to break friends with the brethren, I believe.
And I enjoyed that. I've indebted. I don't remember what brother it was, it's a conference in Monterrey. But I I took that away as a little treasure.
Dear brother, digging in there and they, they, uh, I just got that from the Lord.
Sometimes we talk about themes at the breaking of bread, and I recognize and have enjoyed that the Lord sometimes brings a particular aspect of things before us. All the hymns seem to to suggest a certain line of things. But you know, I believe we can become too occupied with a theme such as that and forget that God has given us the theme. My Father reminds us of that in Chattem every once in a while.
That we have that thing. That is the thing. We're there to break bread. And the theme is given to us in Scripture, isn't it? It's to show forth his death. Now I, I, I with you with delight in how the Spirit of God does take and just so to speak, want him after another seems to bring before us a certain line of things, but perhaps it becomes too occupied. We gotta forget that we're there to break friends.
That's what we're there for.
I remember years ago that the notion came up, but the first time we'd get the theme of the meeting.
Well, I'm a little hilarious.
Because I think sometimes we see it the first time, it's hardly and according to the reason we're there, it may be a fine.
Uh, humor? The gospel aspect to it or, or an encouraging one for the pilgrims.
In his practice. But I don't think that's a good way to work it out, Stelara.
No, there are. It's uh, we don't exhaust it with one meeting. We haven't gone through all.
The beauty is like there are different beauties and the angles and all that.
Processing, we don't want to take away from that, but the thing that, uh, just by chance, uh, a brother is giving out of him and he may not be at all one that's been occupied. It's hard to get a good rule of it.
So we have a scripture insurance here. I don't know what is that for, because the big activity wasn't the breaking of bread, I'm sure.
Struggling, at least to the point I got it. This is a long meeting, wasn't it? So much so that mom fell out about her story out of the office. It was pro practice. That didn't take away from the reason why they came together.
Well, that wasn't the prime thought, wasn't breaking the bread, wasn't it? And then there was a discourse thing by Ivaso ready to depart on the Morrow. And I think as a marvelous lesson here in looking at the whole picture. I'm sure that's what you have in my brother did that. Are we? Are you a little more about this truth?
00:20:21
OK, look at it, see what happens.
You're dead, but he was taken up all he lives in and I believe that there's a lesson here in it. Are we willing all teaching as to the truth of God that has been revealed by the Spirit of God, a revelation of God. Are we weary of that? Are we like beautiful? Are we on a window? Are we asleep as to the truth of God? I believe the Lord has a real lesson in here in this course.
I, I remember your brother Robert Kaiser, senior Kaiser, many, many years ago during Columbus, and he expounded on these versions and gave us some lovely thoughts. And I, I wish I could remember, but I can't. But it was a very, very true picture of the church here. And I really see it. And it's, it's taking the tax those that linger.
Or pulling back. Or say, well, that's what they say. This is what we'd rather teach.
I don't know. It's what the Word of God teaches. Umm, I think so it's Utica's here, but I just think the worst Deuteronomy and we see umm.
I think Deuteronomy 25. Interesting verse there.
Concerning.
Those that linger and you know, I think I'm hearing connection. You're around 25.
Find it here and, uh, first one of the first, uh, well, I'll begin with verse 17.
I request something interesting there, he says. Remember what Amalek did unto me, by the way, when you were coming forth out of Egypt.
How we met thee, by the way, and smoked the foremost. No, no, no, that's not it. We spoke behind you. Most of these, those that were unsure, those had faltered.
There's an interesting point there, I believe it says how he, he he smoked. Even in all that were the people behind me.
Are we lingering? Are we on a window as to the truth of God. I can challenge you on that. I asked my own soul the same question or am I firmly established, but the fact that I can gather to the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ and we see the sad result. He says you and all that was people behind me when thou was sent angry.
Any beard, I think there's a, there's a lesson here for us. Uh, and I, I think of it in relation to Eunicus in his sleepy condition, he was the Lord. He'd say, well, people say to us, well, aren't they below? Yes. Could you use the laws? Did he get into a very sweet condition? He was on a fence. He was on that. Well, we say on the fence, he was on the he was, he was on the window. He wasn't, he wasn't sure he was, he was, he fell asleep.
And I think sometimes we fall asleep as to the teachings of the apostle Paul concerning the revelation that God had given.
To jump ahead, but just in connection with you, if it's in the window having been exercised by a couple of very practical points that you said, brother gorgeous. There's some very practical things in this chapter as well. And for those of us who are young, I think first of all of Utica and his name means well off and surely he was in a well off position. And we think that we sit here this afternoon of how well off we are. How the grace of God has not only reached down to us in our need of sinners, opened our eyes to see beauty in Christ, brought us to the Savior, but now has gathered up to the precious name of the Lord Jesus.
Not only put us on the beach, but as it were brought us to the end. And here we have in our hands this afternoon the Word of God. We have the Spirit of God to reveal it to us. What a position we have. We want to realize your value. What we have brethren, to be able to sit here in quietness and have the precious truth revealed it to us. Learn more of Christ and His view and see more of him. But apparently He was just didn't really value this position.
00:25:11
He wanted to look at the inside and outside at the same time. He wanted to see what was going on inside as well as enjoy what was going on in the street below. But, you know, I often think of those who find himself in this position. And what about you and I? Do we seek to go and draw them out of the window? You know, I think of sitting in a meeting like this, you know, we're never wide awake one minute and sound asleep the other. Are we? We sort of doze and our heads nod a couple of times and and then maybe after a while we we fall asleep for a few moments. And, you know, I wonder, was there not somebody there who saw you because sort of dozens off a couple of times.
And I wonder why somebody didn't drive and say, you know, you're sitting in a dangerous position. Come, come over here and sit by me. Now I know better and I I speak to my own heart. It takes real grace and real wisdom before the Lord to to encourage and and draw back. And sometimes perhaps we feel our hands are a little bit tight, but I often wonder what they're not someone who could have gone over and drawn me if it's in warned them of the dangerous position that he was in. And so I said to my own heart, if I see my brother get away.
If I see my sister get away, do I seek to encourage that one Do I seek to draw them back You never just all of a sudden leave the the assembly. It's it's a court S patriot discernment to real third being before the Lord to discern of course like that in our brethren. But do we seek to encourage them and draw them back How how different it would have been if someone had gone over here and stopped to encourage them and ask them to come and sit by his not to excuse you if it's his responsibility either because the girl replaces the responsibility on me as as an individual. So whether it's me getting away wanting the best of as they say of both worlds.
Or whether it's increasing those that we see getting into that path. We have, I believe, but a privilege too, a blessed privilege of encouragement and all how we need encouragement in these days. There's so much to discourage, so much to divide. And how we need to encourage one another is along in the pathway to say.
When I was in the Army in 1952, I can't pick it whether Charles will remember this because we were just two weeks apart facing training. They got us up real early in the morning.
And for foolish things, sometimes, they used to say.
And, uh, then they send us to class when we were good and tired in a hot building and somebody would give a lecture on field sanitation and the prevention of disease or something like that. And, uh, I'd say good. Half of us were dozing and nodding up, but there was danger in it. And, uh, they, uh, they said, I have a Sergeant standing around and taking names down of anybody, right? Charlotte would fall asleep.
That didn't happen to him, but did to me and, uh, extra duty for those who did. Well, we developed the system very quickly. We saw our buddy dozing off. We say they come, they come. And I feel that was done out of a maybe a loyalty to one another. But this work that Brother Jim is speaking about is a spiritual exercise and it's important. We haven't noticed the fact that there were many lights in the upper chamber, but.
Brethren, there's a lot of light that God has given in that upper room, and there's plenty of help. And there's good reason to keep our eyes inside the room and not out on the street below. We're called.
To a separated position as away from the world. And if we're choosing the window, it's because our hearts are are not undivided.
We have a divided heart and, uh, we need to be stirred in our souls. And I appreciate our brother's exhortation that somebody should have noticed Eunicus where he was. It's too late when you have to put somebody out of fellowship because they've fallen. I don't say that's what the fall here really brings out, but that fall can happen. It's too late then. That isn't discipline.
I think it's JMD says that's a confession, that discipline is bail. And what we need to do is to be interested enough to care about this sleepiness that overpowers us so easily and to care about those that may be having a whip, a look and they're attracted by the world. Now the word gives a little indication of that for the discerning brother or sister, and it doesn't have to be a brother that notices it.
00:30:16
In fact, uh, uh, sisters have been a great help to me in my pathway. And I thank God for discerning sisters who have noticed things and spoken to me about things and in my life. And, uh, we need to be exercised to help one another, but there are lights in that upper chamber and it is a blessed place. There's a lot of light there.
The street below is dark bread and it may look glittering when the neon lights that the world offers, but it's a dark place and we are in that lesson separated place where there are many lights in that upper chamber. Plus the fact that we have the ministry of the Apostle Paul that has gone on until the midnight hour.
One of us too, uh, thinking of calling attention to that. I think that's a verse and very precious verse. Uh, as you've already called our attention through, there were many lights in the upper chamber, but notice the end of the verse where they were gathered together.
Let me think of that Matthew 1820, where two or three are gathered together. Again, we see the gathering. It wasn't they they saw in the sense of which we're reading out of themselves.
It was gathered together and they were both lengths. There were many lights in the upper chamber where they were gathered together. It's supposed to gather again, the same thought as we have someone thought we have imagine 1820 and I believe that. And as you say, the the.
Uh, many lightens in that. And is there not much light? Uh, you say you take all the years of the ministry of those that have gone before that, that we, as we read that ministry, they direct dark thoughts. The light of that ministry directs our thoughts to Christ. That's the whole thing, isn't it? And but again, doing this sort of looking out the window and it was looking in and he, he listened and he was, he was, he became weird. He came sleeping.
Uh, and I think this is a very good, a marvelous lesson, of course, to realize that.
Having fallen into a deep sleep and has fallen long, preaching well has fallen, reaching along to us. Oh man, for 1900 years, over 1900 years. Are we listening? Do we hear what we have to say? Are we doing all the revelation of God through the apostles?
Umm, that's the purpose of interview, Sir. An object before, Yeah.
Uh, this is the first seven, my brother said. When we came together to make prayer, we came together, uh.
Brother had mentioned about the birth of the Church back in the second Catholic.
And can you confirm that, that?
3:40.
4546 Where is that brother? Chapter 246.
Back.
So they continue daily with one, of course.
They were gathered together for one person and one thought in mind will not get to work. And that's remember.
Lord, and we'll get her.
Uh, the last part of that.
Same verse.
A little out here, Brother Bob, if you will, please. We're glad that the last part of that verse with gladness and single is the part.
All right. I like to think of the singleness is the one object before us. Everybody gathers together for one purpose and that's and that's we remember going through the same.
00:35:01
There there is, uh.
A desire, the object before we have instilled a desire in each one's heart.
To do that which orders something.
To also encourage.
No. Who said maybe?
Faxman or falling away?
It seems to be the hardest job that we have.
Today.
Been trying to keep everyone in that.
And that one field, so that, uh, and and one accord.
Joseph said to his brethren, as he sent them back to tell his father that he was alive. He said to proceed if he pull not out by the way, or I think the new translation is don't quarrel by the way. Why did he say that?
Well, he knew what was in the heart of his brethren. And I believe the Lord would say that to us not to fall out. By the way, that's one of the hardest things for us is not to fall out, but if we have our eye on the word Jesus and we're truly gathered by the Holy Spirit in Christ.
Brother was disturbed not long ago, and I think rightly so because.
He heard of her brother giving up a certain line of things and and that's not fundamental, but which is important in the word of God. And I remarked to him that perhaps the Lord allowed this to test our hearts as to whether we're gathered to that doctrine or to Christ.
However important the doctrine is, is Christ is the center of our gathering. And, uh, I noticed that, uh.
Uh, the fact here the word is used in both places, both of these, uh, seventh verse and in the eighth verse is the word assembled, assembled. And that's of course reminds us of the assembly as well. Why we use the word assembly instead of church? We could use the word church, but assembly gives us the idea of it and I think that's why we use it.
But what brings us together is Christ.
And his name as our center, the Holy Spirit being the power of it. But the principle act that unites us is the breaking of bread. And it's selling. For a person to talk about being in fellowship but not breaking bread, that is the act of celibate.
We cannot be in fellowship and not break breath. We have this question recently in our own assembly whether someone could be in fellowship and not break bread with us. That's the act of breaking bread is the act of fellowship among us. There's no other fact that God has chosen. And in First Corinthians that's made very plain that the fellowship of the body of Christ is the breaking of bread.
The bread which we bring, is it not the communion, the fellowship of the body of Christ? So that that that is what unites together those who are gathered on the ground that there's one body. So if a person is able to be there and chooses not to be there, that's not being your fellowship, is it?
Enjoy this little expression in your 7th birth not to go back, but ready to depart on the moral. Paul's ministry always had that character about it didn't it always brought before us that everything was in view of the Lord's coming and I've really been impressed with that lately and I just challenge you to go through the New Testament and follow through a little part that says till I come. You find it several times through the New Testament and I've been struck in following it through to find how everything.
00:40:08
In our Christian life is to be in view of the Lord's coming, whether it's individual faithfulness, whether it's remembering the Lord Jesus in death or whether it's holding fast in revelation, whether it's reading God's word in Timothy, it's all till I come. It's all with that in view. And brethren, the privilege of remembering the Lord Jesus and his death is something we can only carry out while we're here in this scene only carry out. Isn't that striking to just to stop and think of that? That's a privilege.
Of remembering the Lord Jesus in his death is something that we can only carry out in the scene of His rejection. And you know, sometimes we think of our joy on the worthy morning as we rise up from every member of the Lord and death. We think ourselves blessed being and how it brought joy to honor. But think of his heart. Think of the joy, His joy as far seeded out as finding a few of his own gathered in a simple manner to remember Him in death.
And I know that in the coming day, all will be fullness of joy and there will be no regrets, no disappointment. But Reverend Lucia thinks that there will be just that special understanding between your heart and his, that while we were here in the scene of his rejection, you responded to his dying request. You remember him in death. You responded to that request. This too, in remembrance of me. I say again, it's something that he's given us to carry out in this team. When we're pulling, glory will be occupied with a lamb freshly exclaimed. There'll be no hindrances there. We'll have that work before us for all eternity. But here in the scene of his rejection.
He desires that we would remember him in death and we've had before the coming of the Lord and how near it is. And, uh, it wouldn't be wonderful if he just responded well before he come to that request. Just do and remember. To me, I say it brings infinite joy and the light to the heart of the Lord Jesus. Mindy, what time does the meeting finish?
4:45.
I wonder if we couldn't just, uh, notice in a few minutes that remain what the remedy was to this problem of Utica. I think we see the problem.
What is it that?
Uh is done for him.
Go down and scold him for falling out of the window.
Is that what we do? I mean, it might sound like we've been doing that this afternoon. I don't believe we have been. Have we been a drought? If we have, shame on it, but we haven't been. Uh, what was it that Paul descending fell upon him and unfolded him in his arms? That's a new translation. I like that.
He embraced it more, folded them in his eyes, and uh, what is it that's going to restore such a one? It's a fresh appreciation and getting hold of where the truth of God will get a hold of them, particularly what the apostle Paul has brought out in his ministry. I see two aspects of it. I used to think of it as one, but the first thing is life is in it.
Umm, I believe that was if we look at it typically.
The whole church really fell out of the window, didn't it? In the in the dark ages, the whole church fell out of the window. They went to sleep to Paul's doctrine. You don't find it emphasized at all. And then there came a wonderful time when the word of God was printed in in Holland and in Germany and in England and the men like Luther and Erasmus and and umm and the lifetime and.
We could name all of these great reformers, uh, resigned in the book of Romans and into Galatians and, uh, Luther's commentary on Galatians. All of that just, uh, was so refreshing to a church that had gone to sleep to the teaching of the Apostle Paul and then over 95 theses up on the church in Wittenberg. I just love to think of that and in that sense light.
Life giving truth was ministered to the Church. The just shall learn.
Thus shall lose by faith. Something else had to happen.
They had to go upstairs and break bread. They had to go back up to that upper chamber. That did not happen at the time of the Reformation. We thank God for the Reformation. Where would we be without it? We thank God for those courageous men like Martin Luther and Zwingli and others who would stand up and say, here I stand, I can do no other. God help me, I'm going to stand for the truth of the gospel. And we praise God for that. But we're also glad for the dear men of God that led them up, back upstairs to the upper room where they were able to break bread.
00:45:37
And.
98.
And.
They continued on until when?
The Daybreak. Oh, that's another script, Your brother Jim, that just gives me the assurance You didn't need to be at all apologetic about believing with all your heart there's going to be a place until the Lord comes. There was here until the Daybreak. They were together until the Daybreak. And I believe we can thank God that the Lord used men like our brother Mac Davis. A little word up at Worcester on the three men Mr. Hale used to call the three originals.
JMD uh, Mr. Wigram and beloved Brother Valid and his ministry, really, I believe, and others like them. Let them back up to the upper room where they break bread in accordance with the mind of God on the ground of the one body. And it isn't going to be long, brother. The Daybreak is coming.
All this is in relation to the apostle Paul not to fear or not said of you know, John's ministry went on 3:00 AM. But that was the revelation that was given the impossible. And it's always been interesting to me that God didn't record this record this account in connection with John or Peter or James or.
Whatever, he recorded it in commotion of the Apostle Paul, who received that marvelous revelation, who was caught up to the 3rd heaven and relayed this this message now to the sleepy church.
And you get that in the 27th of the book of Acts, I believe it's a very, very profitable chapter to read the whole chapter, long chapter, but read it sometime in view of the of the picture of the of the decline and of the of the church and how they will be brought safely home to the shores, but on broken pieces of the of the ship. But quite a chapter, isn't it? And that was way interesting. Awesome.
I want to mention what you say. What you say is a broken hole. Colossians chapter one.
There's 25.
Most of all, the last part of the birth, this sensation of God which is given to me to you to fulfill or complete the word of God and the Eucharist here in order to determine a little bit of Wi-Fi in him as there was, but it was necessary for wealth and the truth that combined grace and truth.
God is love and God is life.
But to call doc able to reserve whether or not there was light.
I wondered about the fact that it says that Paul embraced him. I mean, we might think of it that the remedy is for him to embrace Paul. But it reminds me of something when when Roy Hibbert first came to chat and I remember he brought it back saying this to him.
Right. He says what we need is for God's truth to get out the truth of the one body to get a hold of us. He said I have no doubt that the truth that you have the truth and he says what, what? And really reminded me of that several times afterwards how much it meant to him that Mister Beck said to God's truth of the one body has to get a hold of you.
And I think that's the thought here that Paul's doctrine gets a hold of us. It's not so much that we get a hold of it. The truth gets a hold of us. And it's a wonderful thing when God's truth gets ahold of it.
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A practical aspect and that connection too, uh, I think of the infinite corner where they had to act in discipline, uh, because of evil that was allowed. But when there was true attempt, then Paul said, confirm your love to us. You brought them back. You bring them back. There's been that work. And so the assembly had a responsibility.
Didn't they So when we put someone out bread. It's not to just leave them there to get rid of them as it were. I I think plain but so that there will be a work in that in their heart and conscience. There will be a work in their soul and then when we see that work to to bring them back. I think of Miriam. You know, she had to be put outside the camp for seven days and then there was a responsibility. The Lord said Jehovah said to Moses that they were responsible now to bring her back in and so I just a little.
Bit they didn't go anywhere while we were waiting for it. You know, we that's a gracious thing, but I believe it's important to remember.
You know, I was visiting a dear couple a couple of weeks ago and told me that in all the years they had been in fellowship in their particular assembly, there had been many.
Cases of discipline that they never remembered. A case of restoration. And I almost left as they told me that. Shameless. Rather shameless.
We're saying him #61.
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