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What raised the wondrous thought, or who did it suggest that we, the Church to glory brought, should with the Son be blessed to 330?
Ephesians Chapter 4, verse 8, perhaps?
All right.
Ephesians 4 and verse 7. But unto everyone of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he said, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
Descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.
And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors, and teachers, for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine but a slight of men.
And cunning craftiness, whereby they lie and wait to deceive, but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things which is the head. Even Christ, from whom all the whole, from whom the whole body fitly joined together, and compacted by that which every joint supplier, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body onto the edifying of itself in love.
This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart, who being past feeling, have given themselves over unto lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ, if so be, that ye have heard of Him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus.
That you put off concerning the former conversation, the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
Be angry and sin not, let not the sun go down upon your wrath, neither give place to the devil, but him that stole, steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands, a thing which is good, that he may have to give to him the Needham.
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Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace under the hearers, and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed under the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice, and be kind one to another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
In verse 7 to everyone of us has given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. I'll read a couple verses in Matthew 25.
For the verse 14 for the Kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants and delivered to them his goods. Under one he gave 5 talents. The talent represents a gift I believe, and he gives to 15 talents to another two.
And to another one. I just refer to this because it says each one is given according to his several ability, and each one has a different gift. Some has five talents, another two, another one. In Luke, each one receives a pound and.
They're there to travel to, to use it, but here in Matthew.
It varies and that's what we have in this verse, isn't it? Everyone has a gift.
But some have more ability to use that gift and than others. So both are true. The one is man's responsibility to to use the gift that he's been given and the other is God's sovereignty and giving it. But everyone has a gift, but some get have a greater gift than others.
You say that there is difference in the abilities given to us naturally, but here it's given for the good of the church, for the assembly, for the building up of the Saints. My ability as an athlete has nothing to do with building up the the the Saints and helping in on the the work of the Lord, but it is an ability that has been given me. But it may be something that I have to lay down for the Lord. But God does like to link up ability with gift as well.
If a man is called to be an evangelist, the Lord is going to give him ability as well, and so it's good to be exercised As to both things, I agree with what Brother Ken said that we do have natural abilities and maybe they aren't really used for the edification of the Saints of God at large.
But if a man, if a man, is called to be an evangelist, God's going to give him a good voice. If he's called to the foreign mission field, God's going to give him an iron stomach, not saying he's going to have a problem from time to time. But God does link ability and gift together in Scripture like the pounds and the talents and so on. And I believe it's good for every one of us to be exercised as to what ability God has given us and what gift He has given us, and to seek by the grace of God to use both so often, our focus especially.
In the Western world where everything is me centered and I'm #1 and I use what I have for myself, first, it's good to be exercised. Has God-given us ability? Young people, you have ability. You have energy while you're young. Be exercised to use that for more than just something that's going to last for time. Be exercised to use that ability for an energy, for God's glory and in His service.
For the blessing of others be exercised as to what gift He has given you in relationship to that ability as well, and be exercised to use it for His glory.
Said the word that's given in John 2IN connection with the the the wine Mary says to the servants whatsoever he saith to you, do it, and you might say, I don't know what ability I have whatsoever he saith to you, do it. He won't give you something you're incapable of doing. They'll give you a he'll tell you what he wants you to do, and you do it, and then in doing it you're exercising the gift.
To try to search yourself with what gift do I have? Just follow the leading of the Spirit of God and you'll you'll find out what gift you have.
The natural ability, you know, the evangelist, those who have that gift are usually people who have no trouble contacting people and speaking with people. They have a very outgoing personality. That's what we have come to see, I believe when you meet a person that is an evangelist and has that gift, you know, But then we do have, as we already pointed out.
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No longer apostles and prophets. We still have prophesying. According to First Corinthians 14. Let the prophet speak two or three. But here the prophets are those, like the apostles that were used to complete the word of God. That kind of prophecy we don't have any longer. We don't look for new revelations. It has been given. All the word of God is complete.
By the mystery committed to Paul. But we still have prophesying that is expounding previously given revelations. That's prophesying, you know, And it's very important not to be presumptuous and claim that we have new revelations. The Lord gives me to see things that others don't see. Statement that has been uttered by one that used to be with us. You're not presumption, you know.
We have all the revelations of God in the word of God, and we better familiarize ourselves with it. And then the Spirit can use it, bring it to our mind in individual contact or in the assembly. You know we are not in the day of Revelation. We have to have the Word of God hidden in our hearts and then the Spirit can use it. You know, in days of revelation when the word of God was not complete.
He spoke by revelation and but we don't have that today anymore and we don't need it because the word of God is complete. Familiarize yourself with the Word of God and then the Spirit of God can bring it to your mind in personal contact and in the assembly, and then how wonderful.
Pastors.
I believe we all are ready. At least we should be ready to admit what we need more than anything in the assemblies is pastors.
You know, pastors that really have on their heart the Saints and be concerned about their spiritual well-being pastors, overseers and elders, these are three things that go together. You know, those who have the oversight, they should also have a pastor's heart and and then teachers, you know, those who expound the scriptures, these are things that continue with us. Thank the Lord.
Evangelists, shepherds and teachers.
After verse I'll read from verse 19. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the Saints and of the household of God. Now notice and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. And that's what we have here. The foundation is.
The apostles and prophets. You get that in verse 11 of chapter four he gave some apostles and some prophets. Now those operated in the 1St century and I believe the Bible was complete in the 1St century. We don't have the apostles and prophets spoken of here any longer. W yes we do. We have it in the word of God. We have what they've given to us. And for that I want to read first John.
Chapter 4.
Very helpful to see this in first John chapter 4.
Verse 4.
John says Ye are of God little children.
And have overcome them, because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. Notice ye are of God, little children. That's the family of God. They, verse five, are of the world. That's the that's the the those that are enemies of the truth. They are of the world. Therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. So that's the ye which is all the Saints in verse four that they in verse 5.
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Which are the enemies? The false prophets in that. And then we are of God. Who's that? That's the apostles and prophets that have laid the foundation in the 1St century. We are of God. He that knoweth God heareth us. He that is not of God heareth not us. Now if the US refers to what the apostles and prophets in the 1St century gave us, we have it in the complete word of God.
We don't have apostles and prophets living now, but we have their word and so that's the standard. And we can we can compare the they of verse five, those that are Antichrist and false prophets. We can compare that by what the we are of God has given us.
Complete put of the complete Bible. So our standard today we have we are living in a day when we have the greatest advantage among the Christian community, the greatest advantage that Christians have ever had in the 1St century. They didn't have a complete Bible yet.
Some was given at one time and then another and another and so on. But the the Bible, it's so important if someone rises today up and says he's an apostle or a prophet, the the Mormons they have, they are so, so many apostles. That's all false. That's all false.
And it's so good to know that we test everything by this book. Now we don't have to look for new fresh revelations. Those that say they have a fresh revelation from God, be careful, be very careful of that. It has to be tested by the we of verse six. We are of God. That's the apostles and prophets. That is the very foundation of Christianity. It's a principle with God that he never gives fresh revelation at the end of a dispensation.
At the beginning of a dispensation he reveals his mind, gives responsibility connected with the light that has been given, and at the end of the age then he brings in judgment when man fails. And we see this all through the word of God in his dealings with man. And so it just confirms what you say, Brother Chuck the God doesn't give fresh revelation at the end of this dispensation. It is true that during a dispensation or an age there may be recovered light. We find that in connection with the dispensation of law.
There were times when.
A copy of the law was found in the trash of the temple, or read in the King's ears, or something like that, And they went back, and they acted on that which had been given us to the revealed mind of God at the beginning of the dispensation. It wasn't fresh light, it was recovered light. And we see that in the dispensation of the grace of God, what we enjoy by the grace of God as gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus, was not fresh light given in the 1800s. It was recovered light. There were men who went back to the word of God.
And in the power of the Spirit it was made good to their souls, and they began to act on that which was established in the beginning of the dispensation of the grace of God at the beginning of Christianity. But I just want to say this about these five gifts that are listed here. Couple of things. And that is an encouragement to us, and that is that they are gifts given until the Lord comes, not in the sense has been said that we have apostles and prophets living today.
In the context of what we have here, but we have their writings, as Brother Chuck has brought out, and they're going to be preserved to us until the Lord comes. We have them the preserved word of God, the foundation that has been laid, that Brother Chuck read to us in the second chapter. But then evangelists, pastors and teachers, you know, I'm to the point in my life, I'm not as old as some here, but I'm to the point in my life where I look back and I remember those who ministered to us when I was growing up and when I was younger.
They were giants in the word of God. They were stalwarts when it came to the truth, and they had tremendous ability in presenting the truth of God, both his evangelists and his teachers, and shepherding as pastors as well. But isn't it a comfort to us, brethren, to realize that while we look back, and we're thankful for that which we remember from those who have gone on before and what they have taught us in their example, and whose faith follow and so on?
It isn't it wonderful to realize that as we sit here today, God is preserving these things. These things are till we all come in the in full maturity, the Lords coming, He's going to preserve these gifts to us. But I want to say this and again for our encouragement because many of us are going to go back to very small and weak assemblies from which we came. These gifts here are not given to the local assembly, they're given to the body at large.
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We go back and we say, well, you know, there's no real manifested gift in our assembly. There's no real evangelists, no teachers. There's maybe not even we feel pastors, those who have a heart for the people of God. Like there should be, you say, how can we go on?
These gifts are given to the body at large and I just want to say this that the daily function of the local assembly does not necessarily depend upon gift. Thank God if there's local gift in the assembly and those who exercise local gift in the assembly.
But there are many little assemblies who go on in the power of the Spirit of God with the Lord in the midst, and they enjoy the truth of being gathered to the Lords name. They break bread from week to week. They meet for assembly, prayer. They meet with their bibles open to read and meditate on the word of God.
They say, well, there's no real exposition of the chapter and we come and it just we fumble and we we we we flounder around. But the Lord is there, the Spirit of God is there. The Word of God is living and powerful. And so go on, be encouraged. Even if you don't feel there's any great gift in your assembly or anything that fits into the category of evangelist pastors and teachers, we can go on by the strength in the strength of the Lord.
As I say, with he in the midst, with the power in the power of the Spirit of God, and with the living word before us, we can go on locally, in spite of the fact that there may not be any of these gifts present.
As an assembly where there is no gift, that is unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Like you say, it may not be real manifest, but brother and I have been impressed.
With the assemblies down in Bolivia, for example.
Rather than that don't have any formal education but they come together and in simplicity they look up to the Lord Jesus head and the blessing that comes out of some of those meetings where there's no focus on any brother particularly, but a real focus on the Lord Jesus. God is not limited brother and he can give us food and I fear that so often we.
Are limited in our in the blessing. That seems to be evident by because we're focusing on brethren. It doesn't come from brethren, brethren. It comes from the head in glory, the blessing. And when there is a sense of our weakness and our need and are looking up to Him, I have never seen it fail that the Lord just opens the windows of heaven.
It was mentioned, I think Saturday or was it yesterday about the Lord Jesus? When it came to feeding, the 5012 apostles didn't know what to do. They didn't have any clues to the answer, except Andrew said there's a boy here that has five loaves and two fishes. The Lord used that, and so the Lord often uses something insignificant. Our danger is to think that we're important.
And that I can expose. I can expound the word here, brother. And you just give me a little moment I'll I'll expand the word here. That's dangerous because it comes from above brethren. Notice in the verses we kind of skipped over 8-9 and ten. It shows that the gifts are given consequent on the Lord's going into death and his resurrection.
And ascension to God's right hand, and I think that's important in connection with the truth of the body of Christ. We are united to Christ in resurrection and in glory. There is a man in the glory of God. It is a very real thing. Our union, our present union with a man in the glory of God. And the blessing that there will be in these meetings in Pella does not depend on those who are sitting in the front rows here taking part.
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Depends on how much we're looking up to that man in the glory. The Lord help us, brethren. I really feel we hinder the Spirit of God sometimes by our focus on brethren.
I'd like to add, were you done? You know, OK. In Revelation 2 and three, we have a prophetic history of the church. The first three have come and gone. Then starting at Thyatira, Roman Catholicism, Sardis, the Protestant Reformation, Philadelphia. Now get this.
I'm not claiming anything for ourselves, but God did have a recovered truth, Apostolic kind of thing in Mr. Darby. He was not an apostle like Paul and the others, but he was a recovered truth of in that way and then and then Laodicea is the final nauseous condition of things that have rejected those recovered truths of the Reformation and also.
In the 1800s, I don't think you're going to really understand the scriptures correctly as far in the church period. If you don't see that in the 1800s God raised up men that were that were very, very gifted.
And they recovered the truth. I remember when I was in Texas, Brother, I think it was you. He took me down to the Dallas Theological Seminary, and there was a, I don't know if it's still this way. There was a room there that had all church truth in it. And over the door it said we owe the truth of the church to Jay and Darby. I don't know if they still have it there, but I saw it there, and they admitted that.
And they valued that now he's being spoken against. And because because they've gone back to Sardis and some of them have gone back even to Thyatira which is Romanism and but we don't have to look for fresh truth. It's been recovered that's the way of first John four and and we have their writings read them. The truth has been recovered. We don't look for fresh revelations.
It's been given to us by the secondary apostles and prophets, if I can put it that way. They were special instruments and vessels raised up of God to be used in the recovery of the truth, and we need to recognize that and esteem them for that. And as you say, value and read their writings. I'd like to just say a word about gift too in connection with what Bob said. And that is that. The other side of it is that we need to allow room for gift to be exercised.
If the body is going to be built up and edified in the way that he presents it here, in other words, and I agree whole, I don't want to take away from what Bob has said in any way, because it's certainly right that it depends. The edification and blessing of the Saints of God depends on the Lord and the work of the Spirit of God, and He can use whomsoever He will. But I do believe we need to be exercised to allow gift to operate amongst us. If I can put it very plainly like this, I want to say this as carefully as possible.
But don't put a man on the platform to preach the gospel if there's an who's not an evangelist. If there's an evangelist sitting in the audience, don't put someone on the platform to give a lecture if there's a teacher who's not a teacher if there's a teacher sitting there in the audience.
I want to say that very carefully. But I do believe, as I quoted earlier, a man's gift maketh room for him. And we need to be exercised to recognize not that the man himself is going to boast of his gift or go around saying he's an evangelist or a pastor or a teacher. He may feel that in his own soul so that he can exercise that gift before the Lord. But it is good for the as the Saints of God that we recognize those that God has given special ability and gift to, and allow it to operate for the edification and building up of the Saints. I just say that as a little balance to what you said, Bob. I hope you don't mind.
Should stress that pastors and teachers are linked together.
And I believe that's very important. If you want to be exercising the gift of pastor, you better have some teaching to present. How are you going to be of help to anybody? By bringing the truth of God before them, you know, No, I'm not saying that you always have to have these two gifts together, but they're mentioned here together because if you want to.
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Benefit be a benefit.
To your brethren. And you have to have more than have them on your heart. You have to have something to give to them. And it is with the truth of God presented that you can shepherd them. You know you feed the flock of God. That's what we are admonished in the word of God. Feed the flock of God that is among you. You know by bringing the scriptures before them, so you better know the scriptures.
Not only know them, but go on in communion with the Lord because we might have everything up here, you know, we need to have it in our hearts and have to live it. You know what harm is done many times is that our life don't back up what we're saying. You know that's harmful. You know we have to live the truth of God, but how important too that.
We need more than just having the Saints on our heart. We better have something to give them to feed them. And so the pastor and teacher here, I believe, are linked together.
That the word pastor really is a shepherd, isn't it? And the shepherd deals with souls. The teacher deals with the word. Souls need the word, so they need. That's why they're put together shepherds and teachers.
Some are more gifted.
You know, shepherding way others. I know that one teacher he might make a circuit and he he wants he wants to to set before them the the truth of the church, say. And he does this at every assembly he goes to. And I didn't like it when I went out east some years back.
Every place I went, the same brother was there and he could have said, you know, he preaches the same thing wherever I go. Well, maybe I did. I don't remember.
Uh, sometimes the teacher, especially if one is a teacher, he's he's exercised that the Saints are taught the truth of God. But then there's those that visit more in the homes and that, and that's a shepherd, isn't it? So, But as you point out, shepherds and teachers go together. One deals with the person and the other deals with the word only in the assembly meetings. You know, shepherds don't just exercise their gift in the assembly.
In personal contact and how much have we learned? In contact with brethren? one-on-one, you know. And when we visit in the homes beloved Saints of God, do we talk about the scriptures? Do we read the Scriptures? You know, that's very important to stress that we ought to. Not that we only open the Bible and always go into the Scriptures, but.
Have a big part in our visiting with one another. The scriptures ought to be before us, because the Lord is the subject of it, you know, and He is the one that we become better familiar with if we look into the word of God and expounded.
Always spoken up in There's never such a thing in Scripture. Presented, I don't believe as a pastor of a church. It is as Jim was mentioning before, it's a gift given by the Ascended Christ to the Body of Christ at large. And so a pastor who is a pastor in one place is a pastor wherever the Lord gives according to the measure.
That he gives that person to circulate in. He is responsible to use it. And each one of these gifts, evangelists, pastors, and teachers that we have in person today, are for the whole Church of God.
And there is not such a thing as was mentioning a pastor of a church. So we need to be exercised wherever we meet God's dear people.
What he has given us to help that dear brother, sister. Maybe he's not someone that meets together with us. Maybe we meet him at work.
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Be exercised in whatever way. The Lord has given you something to be a help to that brother as well. He's a member of the body of Christ just as much as the brethren we meet with, so we need to be exercised in that way. It's the universal sense here in this chapter.
There can take that fast, because the name of the season that are there in the 16th chapter of Romans could say. I command unto you Phoebe, our sister, which is a servant of the Church, which is at Saint Crea, that you receive her in the Lord has becometh Saints, and that ye assist her in whatsoever business she hath need of you. For she hath been a sucker of many, and of myself also. So a sister can take that capacity too, in a quiet way. And many times the sisters have been more of a help than many brothers. I can attest to that. I want to read.
This passage in Mr. Darby's translation and I'll point the difference out the difference. Verse 11 he has given some apostles comma not after some, but not he has given some like the King James apostles. He has given some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some shepherds and teachers. And that's where the two are put together. Now for what reason the the primary reason you don't get this into King James.
Notice the difference for the perfecting of the Saints. Now the king, James says. For the work of ministers soar. And it's different for the perfecting of the Saints. That's the basic foundation, you might say, and then it says.
With a view to the work of the ministry.
With a view to the edifying of the body of Christ, the prepositions are different.
The main the main thing that has to be done is that the Saints need to be perfected. They need to be established in foundation truth. Then they can be useful with a view to that perfecting once they're perfected. If, for instance, if someones in the meeting and he's not sure about eternal security, he needs to be instructed in the very basic truth of the gospel.
You need how can he be doing ministry?
And edify the body of Christ if he's not even sound on foundation truth. So for the perfecting of the Saints is #1, then that's with a view to secondarily a view to the work of the ministry being used in whatever way the Lord would have you as a shepherd or a teacher for deeper truths.
And then the edifying of the body of Christ, the whole body of Christ with a view to that. But you don't get that in the King James.
But the main thing?
I've been in a brothers meeting where a person wanted to break bread and they they they weren't sound on on foundation truth they they weren't sound on you know can you be saved and lost again Well I don't see I don't think a person can can worship at all if he if he's not sure if he hasn't been established.
He's not perfect in the understanding, full, full, grown, mature, and the understanding of where the gospel puts you. How can you, how can you worship God if you're doubting? Well, I did this wrong and so on, and maybe I'm not saved anymore.
So that the the the main reason for these gifts, the number one reason is the perfecting of the Saints. And once that's established, then that's for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, and that's secondary. But to to try to encourage 1 to do the work of the ministry and the edifying of the body of Christ when they're not even perfect in the truth of the gospel is a mistake.
Both to bring them into full growth. That's what is meant by the perfecting of the Saints, Not to bring them into sinless perfection, but to bring them into the enjoyment of their Christian position and their standing that they have in Christ before God. That's what it means, what is meant by the perfecting of the Saints. And you can get into that enjoyment.
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And that's the object of Christian ministry, to bring people to grow and come to a full understanding and enjoyment. Not that there aren't things that we still need to know and need to learn, but there is such a thing as being mature, a mature Christian in Christ.
And then Heinz, until I got to Darby again, until we all these things are given, until we all arrive at the unity of the faith.
And of the knowledge of the Son of God at the full grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ, in order that we may be no longer babes, tossed and carried about by every wind of that teaching which is in the sleight of men, and unprincipled cunning, with a view to systematized error. But holding the truth in love, we may grow up to him in all things, who is the head, even Christ, from whom? And so on.
It's beautiful to follow the train of thought. Sometimes we but it's it's an injurious thing. If someone has just come into the into the the place of blessing, they got to be established. They got to have a they got to be perfected in the truth and then they can be used in the ministry and the edifying of the body of Christ. I'd like to interpret myself what Chuck said. First of all I'll say that important word Amen.
But I'll add another word that's but.
You can't put perfection upon someone that's going to ask for their place at the Lords table, because there's very few of us when we first asked would have ever been received. So perfection is something now in connection with the 7th of Romans in connection with salvation. I can agree, but we need to be very careful. There are young people here that may be anticipating asking to.
And they say, oh, no, you know, I'm not any close to perfection. I don't think there's any of us here that would say that we were. So I'm interpreting what you said to include what I've just said.
That we we cannot put a standard of perfection upon a young person or a middle-aged person or an older person as a criteria for being at the Lords table. I came across something recently. A brother gave me a tract that was anticipating the the Lord's coming back 15 years ago and it made this statement and this is heresy Jesus and becoming man.
Divested himself of deity.
Now that is heresy. Now if a person believes that and doesn't understand about salvation, those are important issues that hinder someone being received. But I repeat again, maybe for the third time, perfection is not looked for in cash with being received at the Lord's table. It's what by the grace of God, each of us developed by His grace.
Either. I know he did. That's why I said I interpreted what you said. It's like it's like you're going to build a house, but you you need a good foundation on which the house is built. And if that's not there, you're you're wasting your time to build a house if it's if it's on a shaky foundation.
While I have an opportunity in in the in the the thin line between paragraphs of our brethren in the reading meeting, let me say this second Timothy, the first chapter says to stir up the gift of God. There are dear Saints of God here from their local assembly that have withdrawn their contribution from a reading meeting because they say they don't have gift.
Well, now if you visit a rest home and a person just longs to be able to walk, and we think nothing of it, but if you don't walk, your legs are going to be incapable of walking. And so if we don't take part, it should be like Moses. He wished not that his face shone.
And if you take part, you're not taking part because you think you have a gift. You may well have, but you're certainly not going to develop that gift or stir it up by sitting there and waiting for someone else that you presuppose has more knowledge or more gifts than yourself. We need to be exercised and devotedness.
00:50:03
Rather stand that there is a lot of gift that is laying dormant.
In our local assemblies, I just like to encourage young people don't be occupied so much as to what gift the Lord may have given you. Be occupied more with what Chuck was bringing out earlier. Whatsoever he says to you, do it.
My right hand is the gifted member to pick up a knife and the fork and the spoon to eat. It doesn't stop and say now, do I have the gift to do this or not. It simply obeys the head. And if the Lord lays something on your heart, dear young person, do it.
Stir up that gift that's in you. Do whatever the Lord puts on your heart, and in doing it, you may make mistakes. You may have to be helped to do it properly. But do it because there's going to be blessing if you'll just simply obey him.
As older, brothers ought not to be content to have an audience.
You know, I'm repeating, we ought not to be content to have an audience. We ought to have the desire to see people develop learning to fit in, learning to contribute, and be patient with them. They might make a statement that isn't just perfectly correct. Don't jump on them, you know, Just pray that they might develop and mature and show that they will be able to be an encouragement and a help.
In the assembly, let me repeat, don't be content in having an audience. You know the assembly is a body, and so we are ought to function as a body. And there is such a thing as development, you know, and growth, even learning to use whatever the Lord has given an individual. It might not be very clear at the beginning to a person what one has, but.
That will become evident, and it will also become evident if I attempt to do something that I have not been given of the law that will become evident. And we're willing then, and ought to be willing to accept correction, you know, and then learn to function in the place that he has given us. And, brethren, we have to be willing to accept correction, you know, and when we make a statement.
And try to do something that isn't given to us except correction. You know the fool despises correction, so we are hopefully able to encourage others to learn to fit in and develop and mature.
The Spirit and we can quench the Spirit in two ways, brethren, when the Lord tells us to say something and we don't say it.
But there's another way we can quench. The Spirit is talking too much, and that's what you're saying. Talk so much that we don't leave place for anybody else, and we need to be exercised about that too. I have to plead guilty there, brethren, because I suppose I do that too much.
Go back to stands remarks and then what Brother Heinz has just said, and I'll direct this question at rather Stan since he brought it up, but I'll be glad to hear what anyone has to say. Do any of us then ever reach full maturity, or, in the language here, perfection in that sense, this side of glory?
Last point we don't. In part the point I was trying to make. And so none of us, no matter how far along we are in the path of faith and service or in the ministry that the Lord has given us to fulfill amongst the Lords people, none of us are above. Correction, direction, instruction, help from our brethren. Doesn't matter where we are, whether we're just starting out and what we feel the Lord has for us.
Or whether we've been in the past for many years, would you say that's right, Bob, Yes, we need, we need help. And I made a sort of an outline of it which I published. But besides, that's beside the point. In later years someone said, well now brother, you've changed your views of what scripture is and so on. And he said, I reviewed the synopsis and I said, he said I have found that I have not changed my view.
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In fact, I've been greatly refreshed by rereading and enjoying what the Spirit of God gave me in the synopsis here. He was close to the 1882 That he passed away, that he was enjoying what the Spirit of God had given him in times past. And was he mature? Well, you know, just to think of what maturity means. It means a closeness to the Lord.
And.
With not that his face shown, if we can think of ourselves as having arrived, we probably haven't.
13 That was already mentioned till we all come. God is as in the picture, not those merely that are gathered to the Lords name, but to every single member of the body of Christ. And we should have the whole body of Christ before our souls as well, and a love and a desire for their prosperity, and doing anything we can to bring this about.
But it's till we all come and you were mentioning Jim and I think this is the verse that shows it, that this is something that's going to be with us until the Lord comes. When are we going to arrive at this perfection? It's the coming of the Lord. But we're going towards that now and that should be the exercise of gift is in view of that towards that point, I think many.
Raised, Armstead Berry said it is not.
Looked at so much as present or future, but as purpose.
And none of us are going to be tossed to and fro in heaven.
Nor will we.
You know what, are we going to be growing there in this sense?
You know there's going to be the sight of Jesus. An instant, glorious change.
Wonderful, the wine.
Would you say this and feel free to correct me or anyone else? Is this the closest we get to the Lords coming in Ephesians?
Yes, by that Mister Darby has it. Yes, that's when we get home. We will arrive at it.
We're already seeing a seated there heavenly places and so you don't get the Lord's coming as such brought out in Ephesians. But there is the practical as we have in this these chapters. And so it's in view of that, isn't it? We're told to occupy till he comes and so each one of us is responsible to build our to be built up on our most holy faith. And sometimes the young people might say, well what can I do in an assembly for to help.
I I say, first of all, you enjoy the Lord and your own soul, and then you share that with your brethren, and that will help build them up. And you may not be a teacher or anything like that, but you can be an encourager. And so every one of us has that capacity. We can enjoy the Lord and have as much as we want and are, as someone who said our lives show how much we want, but if we are.
Timothy was told to to.
To continue in those things that he had heard and and also to give him tenants to reading, and that his profiting might appear to all. So if I'm not, if, if, if I have no profit showing, I'm not evidently not doing what I'm supposed to be doing. That is encouraging myself in the Lord. You know, the Old Testament, the Israelites before they were to teach these things to their children. They first of all had to teach them to themselves and they had to go on in the Lord themselves.
Then they could teach them to their children. And so it begins with myself. It begins with my own heart.
And and if we want to do something to incur to up build and build up the Saints, let's build ourselves up first in our most holy faith and then share that with our brother.
Thing out which is not necessarily directly connected with Ephesians here, but there is such a thing as leadership in the assembly.
The spirit of Laodicea is democracy.
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And people's rights. There are those who lead and those who are left. All you have to do is read Talonians, those who take the lead among you also in Hebrews 13. You know Hebrews 13 speaks of remember them which have to rule over you, or those who take the lead among you who have spoken unto you the word of God.
Whose faith follow? You know, we think of Gordon Hale and others that Armstead Barry, they have fit. The scripture fits them here, right? And we have to remember what they have taught us. And then whose faith follow. But then you have in verse 17 of Hebrews, obey them that have to lead over that take the lead among you, and submit yourselves. We are not a democratic system, brethren.
Exercise of gift.
Is different than leadership in the assembly. Hopefully, those who take the lead also have the gift of a shepherd and a teacher. But we are not all leaders. They are those who lead and those who follow don't allow the democratic principle to be introduced amongst the Saints of God. And there are those who lead locally and those who lead beyond the local assembly, as we.
Have already mentioned those that have gone before that have been a real help to the Saints in the past and we can remember what they have taught us and so but there is leadership local and there is leadership beyond that. But when it comes to priesthood, every believer is a priest and to pray and to worship.
It's not the exercise of gift, it's exercising the privilege of priesthood. And every believer is a priest, and I like to encourage the young brothers especially.
What is the best or what is the best way in which you can start participating in the assembly, Pray and give thanks? That's the best way to start out. And then the Lord might in time show you that you have more to offer than just giving thanks to the Lord, and the Lord might lead you on.
Maybe as an evangelist?
Or as a teacher and shepherd. And so the point is whatever we do in Word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. That means do it for him as directed by him through the Spirit you know. And if you really want to please the Lord and not seek ourselves, that's the danger that we seek ourselves and that the flesh even comes in.
When it comes to participating in the assembly, am I trying to impress my brethren in prayer how wonderfully I can express myself? I'm not saying that we shouldn't express ourselves clearly, but we are not trying to impress anybody with our way of speaking, I hope, and that when we do pray.
Or give thanks that it is really coming from the heart expressing debt which we are in the enjoyment of and express that and then remember.
When we pray in the assembly, when we give thanks in the breaking of bread meeting.
We don't do it as individuals.
You know, and that at that time we are the mouthpiece of the assembly.
And so hopefully what we're expressing is.
Something that the others also enjoy and hopefully the spirit can lead and guide so that we don't go beyond what is.
Of the Lord.
The exercise of gifts at all. It's the exercise of priesthood.
Yeah, and we're all priests. And that's not exercising a gift, though we're talking about gift here in Ephesians 4. But.
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Praise and prayer and worship, that's the exercise of priesthood and that's wonderful. We can do that at age time. I'd like to say this, our time is slipping away and I'd like to say this, that in regard to everything that we have spoken of in this meeting and in the previous reading meetings that we have taken up in a practical way.
From this chapter, sound doctrine or sound teaching must be the basis of it. And that's why when he lists these five gifts here, he begins with the apostles and prophets. Because as you said earlier, Chuck, they laid the foundation and it says of the early believers in the Acts, they continued steadfastly and then there's a list of things they continued in and what is the first thing the apostles doctrine sound teaching. And it was the basis for everything else.
It was the basis for breaking bread. It was the basis for fellowship. It was the basis for prayer and everything we do, whether it's in the assembly, whether it's our service for Christ, our exercise of gift, or whatever it might be, brethren, it must be done on the basis of sound teaching or doctrine or otherwise. It simply becomes activity. It's a lot of activity done in Christian circles today, but it's not done on the basis of sound teaching.
And Brethren, if we don't have a basis, sound doctrine as a basis, we're going to be like those that he speaks of here that are carried to and fro with every wind of doctrine. And maybe you say, well, we come to the local assembly reading meetings, and there doesn't seem to be anybody with an ability to present the doctrines of doctrine of the portion of the book that we're taking up. But what is our responsibility if that is true? Go to some of those writings. God has raised up men to put these things down in volumes.
And I know it takes energy and exercise to pick up those volumes from the shelf and to read them. But familiarize yourself with the word of God, and then those helps that God has allowed men to to write, and you'll find that then and only then will you be established in the practical side of things. You want to exercise your gift for the edification of the body of Christ. You want to serve the Lord in an acceptable way to him so that you can hear his well done at the judgment seat of Christ.
Brother, and I can't stress this enough, the need for sound doctrine. And in Timothy, in both epistles he stresses it over and over again, but particularly in the second epistle, where there was a giving up of sound teaching and the breakdown of everything over and over again he exhorts Timothy. Thou hast fully known my doctrine and manner of life. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable. And what's the first thing it's profitable for? For doctrine. It's vital, brethren, that we have a clear understanding in our souls.
Of the fundamental doctrines and teachings of the Word of God, if our practice in Christianity is going to be acceptable to Him.
The perfecting of the Saints. That's it. That's what it's meant by the perfecting of the Saints. You got that stand? Thank you. Thank you.
Recovery ratings without a blessing.
Just as a conclusion and have other other comments to be made. I'm not trying to say that I have the last word, but I want to read the 16th verse of this chapter. It is so beautiful. And Christ in the 15th verse, Christ from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplier.
According to the effectual working.
In the measure of every part make an increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
Finished. There are pastors and teachers, not just amongst the gathered Saints.
Thank the Lord. There are those among God's people who are true shepherds and true teachers. Rejoice when you meet somebody like that. And be thankful that the Lord does take care and wants to take care of all of his people. And He has given men like that that are not aware or don't know how to practice the truth of the Church as he and His grace has given us to.
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Understand it and hopefully.
We will try to prayerfully stand behind such people that are truly shepherding God's people and teach you know, you can be thankful that there are those beyond the gathered things.
But I also recognize before we end, verses 20 and 21 very quickly. But you have not so learned Christ. If so be that you have heard him and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus. And I just thought that that would be a good thing to end with. Because all that we have, whether it be doctrine or practice, it's all embodied in a person. God has given us an object to set before us.
And it is He that gives us that that unity that the Spirit would have us to have. Amen.