QUESTION:
Matthew 18:20 and Luke 22:7-10 indicate that the Spirit of God is the divine Gatherer; He leads Christians to the place of God’s appointment. If the position of the so-called “gathered saints” is that ground, why are there so few there? Either there is a problem with the Spirit’s power to gather, or, maybe this is not the place to which He is leading people.
The problem here is that we have made the numerical size of a company of Christians the measure of their ecclesiological correctness. That is, if there are a lot of people in a certain Christian fellowship, then that must be a place to which the Spirit of God is leading people. This, however, is a wrong criterion on which to judge the true ground of gathering. Wherever did we get the idea that big was right? It is a worldly principle; we see it in every sphere of life in the world—in business, in sports, etc. However, it shouldn't have any place in the Church of God.
We do not read in Scripture that there would be large groups of faithful believers in the last days. The Bible indicates quite the opposite. In the last days of the Christian testimony we are told that evil men will increase in number—not faithful men (2 Tim. 3:13). This is the main difference between the two epistles written to Timothy. In 1 Timothy the mass in the Christian profession is seen going on well, but there were a few individuals who had turned aside into error. But in 2 Timothy (which describes the last days) it is just the reverse; the mass is seen as having gone bad and there are relatively few individuals going on faithfully. In fact, in Scripture, the only groups that are said to be large in the last days are heretical movements! For instance, 2 Peter 2:1-2 says, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who shall privily bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways.” I am not saying that all large groups of Christians today in evangelical Christendom are evil and that they teach damnable doctrines. We are simply pointing out that if large numbers are the sign of being right, then the Catholic Church would be the right place that God approves of—they have more people than any other denomination! Surely, we can’t be so naive as to think that having large numbers equates having to God's approval.
God is not as occupied with the increase of numbers as we are. Have you noticed in Scripture that when numbers are mentioned that it always says, “About three thousand,” or “about five thousand”? (Acts 2:41; 4:4) Even when counting a small number, it says, “About twelve” (Acts 19:7). God is showing us that we shouldn’t be occupied with the number of people involved in His testimony—which, by the way, was David’s sin (2 Sam. 24:1).
The often-heard remark is, “Our church is growing.” What is meant is that the number of people in that particular group is getting larger. Now, we all want to see this, but in Scripture, growth is used to denote spiritual development in the soul, not the numerical size of a group of Christians. Suppose I went to a gathering that had 50 believers who came together regularly for worship and ministry, and I saw that there was not much interest there. They were more interested in sports and their houses, etc. While I’m thankful that they were coming together, I go away saying to myself, “I wish there was a little more devotion there.” Then, after a year I come back to the same company of 50 believers, and immediately I see a marked change. They are really keen about the things of God. They are full of questions and stay around after the meetings for fellowship. Their understanding and maturity in the truth has definitely progressed. Though they have not added one person to their number, I could say that they have really grown! This is the way in which growth is spoken of in Scripture.
When we get occupied with numbers, there is always a temptation to compromise principles to bring people in. For instance, we could get more people into our meetings if we advertised that there was going to be a rock band here. But we are not going to do that because we must serve according to the principles of God’s Word if we want the Lord’s approval (2 Tim. 2:5).
I realize that I haven’t answered the question, so let’s look at some Scriptures that will do that.
Answer:
There are many thousands of people who are gathered to the Lord’s name today, but relatively speaking, they are only a few in comparison to the great mass of believers all over the world. This, however, does not mean that they are not meeting on right principles. I believe that there are at least three reasons for the smallness of this testimony.
It is a Remnant Testimony
The first reason why the “gathered saints” are relatively few in number is that it is a day of small things. Zechariah 4:9-10 says, “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. For who hath despised the day of small things?” The times in which Zechariah was called to live were remnant testimony days. At that time, the Lord had allowed His people to be carried away to Assyria (2 Kings 17:6) and to Babylon (2 Kings 24-25), and only a remnant of them had returned to the divine center in Jerusalem. One of the characteristic features of a remnant testimony is that it is “small”—most of God’s people are viewed as not being among them. We live in remnant testimony days in the Church’s history, and we cannot expect that there will be large numbers gathered to the Lord’s name in the way in which God originally intended before ruin had come in.
I believe that it is extremely important that we understand what is meant by “a remnant testimony”—so let me explain this more thoroughly. A great principle on which God acts, when that which He has committed into the hands of men in testimony fails, is that He reduces its size, strength, glory, and numbers, and carries it on thereafter in a remnant form. He does not identify Himself with that testimony in power and glory as He once did when it was first established. If He were to do that, it would appear before the world as though He condoned its fallen and corrupted state. Instead, He falls back upon His sovereign power and grace to maintain His testimony—but in a remnant form. The word “remnant” means a small part of the whole. Hence, the very nature of such a testimony is smallness in size. If all His people were there to participate in it, it wouldn’t be a remnant. God has acted on this principle in Israel in the past; He will do it again with the Jewish remnant in a coming day; and He is doing it today in the Christian testimony.
To see this principle in God’s Word more clearly, let’s turn to Deuteronomy 12:5-7; “The place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put His name there, even unto His habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come. And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks: and there ye shall eat before the Lord your God.” This clearly shows that God’s original desire for His people Israel was to gather them together for worship at this one place of His choosing, which was Jerusalem.
Now let’s turn to 1 Kings 11:9-13, “And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned away from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared to him twice, and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded. Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant. Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father’s sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son. Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David My servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen.”
Then, in verses 29-36 it says, “And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field: and Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces: And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee: (but he shall have one tribe for My servant David’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:) because that they have forsaken Me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways, to do that which is right in Mine eyes, and to keep My statutes and My judgments, as did David his father. Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David My servant’s sake, whom I chose, because he kept My commandments and My statutes: but I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes. And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David My servant may have a light alway before Me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen Me to put My name there.”
Then in chapter 12:22-24 it says, “The word of the Lord came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying, Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is from Me.”
We see from this, that although it was God’s original desire to have all His people gather at Jerusalem to offer their sacrifices (Deut. 12), since failure had come in, He would no longer continue His testimony at His divine center in the power and glory that it once had. Solomon and the children of Israel had failed and had turned from the Lord to idolatry (1 Kings 11:10-11, 33), and this led the Lord to change His ways in regard to them. He would reduce the size, power, and glory of His testimony in Israel and carry it on thereafter in a “remnant.” This is the first time in Scripture that that word is used in connection with the public testimony of God’s people. The “first-time rule” in Bible interpretation is important to observe. That is, when something is first used in Scripture, it usually gives the sense of how it will be used thereafter in other passages. Hence, we do well to pay attention to what is said here. The principle of a remnant testimony is developed in more detail in Ezra and Nehemiah, and in the writings of the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi; however, I have turned you to this passage in 1 Kings because it sets forth the principle clearly and simply.
The important thing to see here is that there was a marked change in God’s ways when failure came in. He removed ten of the tribes from the divine center and kept only “one tribe” there—a remnant. This is not a contradiction of God’s principles, but a change in His ways when wholesale failure had come in.
Now you might say, “I can see this principle in God’s dealings with Israel in the Old Testament, but can it be applied to those who live in New Testament times? Is there really such a thing as a remnant testimony in the Church?” The answer, unequivocally, is yes. You see it in the passage that we looked at in 2 Timothy 2:19-22. There, God encourages exercised believers to separate from the mixture in the house of God and to retreat to a remnant position “with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
But to see this more clearly, turn now to Revelation, chapters 2 and 3. These chapters outline the prophetic history of the Church from its early days, just after the apostles, right down to its last days. If we follow the course of things as depicted in these addresses to the seven churches, we will see a downward course in the Christian testimony, until finally, a point of no recovery is reached, and thereafter, the Lord acts on the principle of a remnant testimony.
In Ephesus, we learn that “the angel of the church” (the responsible leaders) rightly judged all that was inconsistent with the Lord. It says that they would not “bear them which are evil.” But sadly, their heart was not with Him in it (Rev. 2:2-4). In Smyrna, any further slide downward was temporarily stayed by the great persecutions that came upon the Church. The severity of the trial cast them back on the Lord. But in Pergamos, when the times of great persecution were ended, “the angel of the church” began tolerating some who held “the doctrine of Balaam,” which is worldliness and idolatry. The angel was not charged with holding these doctrines, but the Lord found fault with them because they did not denounce the evil, as did the angel at Ephesus.
In Thyatira, a worse condition prevailed; “the angel of the church” allowed the same evil doctrine and practice that was held by some in Pergamos to be taught! (Compare Rev. 2:14 with 2:20) What started out as some holding evil doctrine resulted in many teaching the evil doctrine. This shows that if the holding of evil is not judged, it will lead to the propounding of it. In Thyatira, the teaching of this evil had developed into a system of things called “Jezebel,” which surely answers to Catholicism. In the Middle Ages, that wicked system had such a tyrannical grip on the Church at large, with its strength and organization, that it controlled the angel! Those who were in the place of responsibility had failed to deal with it when they could have, and now it had grown into a monster that controlled them! (Compare Acts 27:14-15. The “Euroclydon”—a great Mediterranean wind—swept over the sailing ship, and the sailors could do nothing but “let her drive.”) The figure of “Jezebel” is aptly used here because that woman not only brought idolatry into Israel formally, but she also controlled and manipulated her husband, king Ahab.
Such being the case of the public state of the Church, where there remained no power to deal with evil, the Lord separated a remnant, saying, “But unto you I say, the rest [remnant]...” He let the mass go (Rev. 2:24). Thereafter, He worked with a remnant that would hear what the Spirit was saying to the churches. Here, we have the word “remnant” used in connection with the Christian testimony. It is significant that the Lord did not put on them “the burden” of setting right the confusion in the Christian testimony in an effort to bring the Church back to where it once was. Instead, He turned their focus forward to His coming, saying, “Hold fast till I come” (Rev. 2:25).
From that point forward, a marked change in the Lord’s ways with the church is seen. Up to this point, the voice of the Spirit was to the whole Church. “What the Spirit saith unto the churches” preceded the promise to the overcomer in the first three churches. This indicates that the reward to the overcomer was set before the whole Church because the Lord was still dealing with it at large. But now at this point, that order is reversed. The call to “hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” follows the promise to the overcomer. This is the order in the latter four churches. What the Spirit has to say in regard to Church order is no longer given to the mass—only to the overcomer. This is because it is assumed that only the overcomer will hear what the Spirit is saying—the mass is not expected to hear and repent. Paul’s prediction to Timothy that the masses would “turn away their ears from the truth” has come to pass (2 Tim. 4:2-3), and therefore, the Spirit is no longer speaking to the body at large.
Remarking on this change, J. N. Darby said that the body at large is “dropped” from this point onward, because the public mass in the Christian profession is treated as being incapable of hearing and repenting. W. Kelly said, “The Lord thenceforth puts the promise [to the overcomer] first, and this is because it is vain to expect the Church as a whole to receive it ...a remnant only, overcome, and the promise is for them; as for the others, it is all over.” As a result, the Lord no longer expected the mass of the Christian profession to hear and return to the point from which it had departed. All thought of recovering the Church at large is abandoned because it has reached a point of no recovery. This is why I do not believe that the Spirit is necessarily speaking to every person in Christendom today in regard to the truth of gathering. With most, He is letting them go their own way in regard to their ecclesiastical affiliations.
Working with a remnant testimony since that time, it has pleased the Lord to recover the truth that was lost through the church’s carelessness in the centuries before. However, He has not seen fit to recover all the truth at once. The remnant referred to in Revelation 2:24-29 refers to the Waldenses, the Albigenses, and others like them who separated from the evil of “Jezebel” in Medieval times. They were told to “hold fast” to what little truth they did have. Sometime later, leading up to the Reformation, the Lord allowed a little more truth to be recovered—such as the supremacy of the Bible and faith in Christ alone for salvation. But that movement of the Spirit was impeded by the Reformers turning to certain national governments for help against the persecutions of the church of Rome. This was tantamount to turning to the flesh for help instead of relying on the Lord (Jer. 17:5; Psa. 118:8-9; Isa. 31:1). The result was the forming of the great national churches in Christendom, and the deadness of Protestantism began, as depicted in the church at Sardis (Rev. 3:1-6).
It was not until the early 1800s that the Lord gave a full recovery of “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3). It happened when men stepped away from all formal, man-made organization in the Church. This is depicted in the Lord's address to the church at Philadelphia (Rev. 3:7-13). At this time, God established a corporate testimony to the truth of the one body. Prior to this time, the remnant had been made up of individuals who sought to go on faithfully in separation from the corruption of the Roman church. We are now in days when every man is doing that which is right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25), and most are complacent in their low state. This is depicted in the church at Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22).
The point for us to see here is that the Christian testimony has reached a point of irremediable ruin, and this has called for a change in the Lord’s ways with it. He has let go of any attempt to restore the public state of the Church and is now working in a remnant testimony.
Just as it was with Israel, to maintain a remnant testimony today to the truth of the one body, the Lord does not need to have every last Christian in the world to be gathered to His name, though it is His desire for them. As mentioned, the very meaning of the word remnant implies that not all are there. In divine prerogative and grace, God is taking one here and one there, and He is gathering them unto the Lord’s name so that this remnant testimony may be carried on. The maintaining of it is a sovereign work. This is seen in the Lord’s remark to Philadelphia; “He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth” (Rev. 3:7). No man or devil can hinder its continuance, though it might appear to carry on in much feebleness. Humbling as it may be, He does not need any one of those whom He has gathered, regardless of how gifted or spiritual they might be. If we don’t want to be there and we go away, the Lord will gather someone else so that this remnant testimony will be carried on until His coming. The fact that any are gathered in the first place is wholly a work of God; the grace that saves a soul is the same grace that gathers them unto the Lord’s name. If any of us have heard “what the Spirit saith unto the churches” and sees the truth of gathering, it is only because He has opened our ears (Prov. 20:12).
The “Brethren” Are Not God’s Remnant in Christianity
Now this might seem like I'm saying that the brethren gathered to the Lord's name are God’s remnant today—His faithful few—and all other Christians are just the failing mass. But this is a misunderstanding.
I recall brother C. E. Lunden saying that, properly speaking, all true believers among the mass of mere professors in Christendom are God's remnant in Christianity. He also said that, ecclesiastically, the gathered saints simply occupy a remnant position, in testimony, and are where all the remnant (every true believer) should be, as gathered to the Lord’s name. The gathered saints, therefore, at best, are only part of God’s remnant; they make no claim to be the remnant. They may be accused of believing that they are God’s chosen few, but these accusations are bogus.
It may be that people have thought that brethren are saying that there is ruin out there in the church denominations, but not among them, because they are doing things right. This too, is a misunderstanding. Brethren do not see themselves apart from the ruin; they fully own their part in it. They often refer to Daniel’s prayer as an example—where he owns his part in the failure in Israel (Dan. 9). The fact that we have people among us that don’t believe the very principles of our existence ecclesiastically ought to be proof enough that the brethren are in a weakened state. There is such a thing as being in a right position ecclesiastically but be in a wrong condition spiritually. This is generally the case among brethren.
The gathered saints have been set in a very privileged position in the Christian testimony, but sad to say, as a whole, they have not been faithful—and they will freely own it. So, this idea of the brethren thinking that they are God’s only faithful ones is pure fiction. They see themselves as being quite unfaithful, though extremely privileged.
Practicing Some Aspects of the Truth is Unpopular
A second reason why the “gathered saints” are relatively small in number is that they seek to practice all of the truth of God—and some of these things are not popular. Things such as worshipping in spirit and in truth without musical instrumentation (John 4:23-24; Acts 17:24-25); the sister’s place in the Church (1 Cor. 11:2-16; 14:34-40; 1 Tim. 2:9-15); corporate judgment—excommunication (1 Cor. 5:1-13), and other such truths, are not popular. Most Christians today don’t want to be connected with something that curtails their lifestyle.
God’s Hand in Governmental Dealing Has Been on Us
The third reason for the smallness of numbers among those who are gathered to the Lord’s name is that we have failed in our responsibility as gathered to the Lord’s name, and the hand of God has been upon us in a governmental way. Consequently, He has reduced us numerically in order to humble us. This, again, is to our shame. Realizing this will not make a person proud.
We have been proud that we are the ones that the Lord has gathered to His name, even though it was really the work of sovereign grace that has brought us there. This, of course, is not the spirit to have when the Christian testimony is in ruins. If we have been gathered as such, we have nothing to boast in, for it has been His grace alone that has granted such a privilege. If those whom He has gathered to His name are a testimony, they are a testimony to the fact that there is a ruin in the Christian testimony; it is certainly nothing to be proud about. As a result of our poor state, the Lord has had His hand on us, and has reduced the numbers among the gathered saints from what it once was. Let us “hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it” (Mic. 6:9).
Zephaniah 3:11-12 gives us the principle of the Lord’s governmental action. It says, “In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against Me: for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty because of My holy mountain. I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the LORD.”
Summary:
The simple answer as to why the numbers are relatively small among the “gathered saints” is:
Being that it is a remnant testimony, it is supposed to be small—it’s “the nature of the beast.” The Spirit of God is not necessarily gathering every last Christian on the earth to the Lord’s name to maintain this testimony. Through sovereign grace, He is keeping a “light” (1 Kings 11:36) on earth as to the truth of the one body in practice until the Lord comes.
Those gathered to the Lord’s name seek to practice all of the truth of God in connection with gathering together for worship and ministry, and some of those things, as we have noted, are not popular. Therefore, most Christians are not interested in identifying with this movement.
Those gathered to the Lord’s name have failed, and the hand of God has been upon them governmentally. He has reduced the numerical size of this remnant testimony to humble those connected with it.