Address—R. Thonney
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Before reading here, perhaps it would be better to go back to the first chapter a few minutes just to brief ourselves as to the.
Theme of the book of Ephesians I think the most of us know pretty well.
The heavenly position of the Church that is brought out in Ephesians.
But I'd just like to run through chapter one just briefly again to refresh our memories.
I only feel my own soul, brethren, the need of keeping it fresh.
And its wonderful power, the truth of chapter one before my soul, because it's only in the way, it's only in the measure that I enjoy this precious truth in my heart and my soul that it's going to have practical effect on my life.
It is really impressed itself upon me as I go down to South America.
And if any of you ever were led to come down, you'd notice that I think too, brethren down there are not as well instructed as the brethren generally are up here in the States. But what little they do know, they do enjoy tremendously in their souls. And it's been really noticeable how.
That the enjoyment of these precious truths really is what affects our life.
And especially for for us who are younger in the faith.
I really feel the importance of not only understanding these things.
But to get them right down into the soul and to enjoy them there and let them sink into our lives, let them have their practical effect.
I just feel sometimes when I see younger brethren.
They probably can explain these scriptures well, but you do not see the practical effects in their lives. Why?
Why? Oh, it's from lack of getting it into the soul and enjoying it there. This is the power of separation into the Lord. It's the enjoyment of those things that God is so richly blessed us with. And until we enjoy those things in our souls, we're not going to. There's not going to be the power in spiritual walk.
You know, it seems like in these countries, United States and Canada, the emphasis from the very start as we begin school is.
On the mind to use your head, think it out for yourself.
This is stressed and it's even to abandon old thoughts that just to use your head. It's stressed and this is the main theme that guides this world is to think it out for yourself. If you don't understand it, don't accept it until you understand it. And so it makes man's mind the measure of everything that is accepted.
Well, that may be all right in scientific circles and in business circles.
It's all right. God has given us a head to use, but when we come to spiritual matters, these things that we have written in this book are written for the heart. They're not written merely for the head. This book is written for our hearts. And if we don't get it into our souls in enjoyment, it's not going to have any practical effect in our lives. And I feel in the measure that we do not live in it.
Practically, that we're really losing it, brethren, it's true.
We don't live in it. If we don't enjoy it in our souls, we're losing it.
And so we'll just briefly go over, I'm not going to read chapter one, but let's just notice a few of the tremendous spiritual blessings.
That we have been given in Christ in verse 3.
The apostle says that we have been blessed in God is blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
All spiritual blessing is ours.
You know, this is a tremendous fact to think about and to enjoy in our souls. But, you know, a verse like this, if we're geared to this world's thinking, has not much attraction to us. This world, again, is geared to think of profit and loss in a material sense. It's all materialism that guides the society that we live in.
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We don't have to be affected by it, but I must admit for myself.
Often I am too much. I am affected by this way of thinking, profit and loss when the business must be running this basis or we couldn't continue in the business. But when we come to the Word of God, we have to have our eyes open in a different direction. The eyes of our faith sharpened. All our blessing now is spiritual.
One believer may have more material possessions than another believer. That does not mean he has more blessings.
No, these are merely the things that God may place in our hands.
Are merely mercies that God has given to us to use for him in this world a brief time in view of eternity. That's all those material things are. They're not blessings. There's a common thought, and it's preached largely and christened them today, that a person who has a lot of material things has been blessed especially by God. That is not in the scope of the New Testament where we have the church mentioned.
No, that is the scope of what we have in the Old Testament, where Israel is mentioned.
Had their blessings in the earth, but all our blessings are spiritual. Can't see them. I can't show you. If you'd ask me, can you show me the forgiveness of sins that we have mentioned in verse seven? I couldn't show you a piece of paper that says my sins are forgiven. No, I could show you the word of God. That's all. But it's something that's spiritual. These blessings are spiritual. They're not seen.
And so if we're going to be geared by what controls this world, we're not going to have appreciation for the vast spiritual wealth.
There is in this chapter, well that's verse three. And then in verse four we have that we were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. Verse five, that we were predestinated and to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself. Verse six, we are accepted in the beloved verse seven, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.
Verse eight. God is abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence.
Verse nine is made known unto us the mystery of His will, and what is that will? Verse 10 is that in the dispensation of the fullness of time all things might be gathered under the headship of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in verse 11 we in Him have an inheritance.
Oh, how wonderful, the vast panorama of spiritual blessing that we have here.
Have we stopped to let it sink down into our souls? What is ours? We are the wealthiest people on the face of the earth. We may not appear so materially, but we are. And we ought to let it show that we're the wealthiest people, least spiritually on the face of this earth. Maybe I've told some of you.
Have one experience that I really enjoyed in the Dominican Republic. It's in the Caribbean Sea.
There is probably 20 assemblies in the Dominican Republic, but in this one assembly, little assembly called Michis, there's a dear old brother.
He is poor, very poor. His house at the time I visited him last consisted of a few sticks stuck in the ground in the form of a rectangle, leaving space for the doors of course, and the roof was made of banana leaves. So when it rained.
The water came through quite freely and as we sat down he invited us to a meal in his house, so we sat down at his table.
Table was rickety, and the bench, you had to be careful how you sat on it so it didn't go through to the floor. But as he sat down, the dear old brother got out his Bible. You know, he didn't have much to talk about materially. He couldn't talk too much about his house. There wasn't much else to talk about. He couldn't talk about his possessions, he was too poor. But he took this Bible in the open and began to enjoy.
Some of the rich blessing in.
Christ, that we have is our present possession.
And I tell you, a brother, in my soul, I felt as one of the richest experiences I've had, one of the poorest homes that I've been in face of the earth, but one of the richest experiences spiritually. Oh, do we know what this is, this richness to enjoy these things? These things are ours. Do we enjoy them? God has given to us.
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To enjoy right now or what is our life consist of? What is our day-to-day tone of light?
It's driving certain directions. Oh, that we might stop a little. Enjoy that rich wealth of spiritual blessing that is ours in Christ.
And then on later in this same chapter, we have the Spirit of God.
Who is the power, the earnest of our inheritance? God has said. I want you to be so sure that the whole inheritance is yours. I'm going to give you an earnest right now.
I am going to give you the my Spirit. The Spirit of God dwells in US.
Is the earnest of an our inheritance. And so this is the vast wealth of spiritual blessing that we've been brought into. This is Our Calling.
Now let's go over to Chapter 4 and we get the setting, the right setting for Chapter 4.
Starting with verse one, we'll read.
Few verses. I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace. There is one body and one spirit.
Even as ye are called in one hope of your calling.
One Lord, 1 faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, 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?
He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might feel all things. And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some pastors, and.
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.
And to 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, carried about with every wind of doctrine by the 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 the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supply at, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
Well, like we were mentioning.
Chapter one, we could say chapter 22 is the setting for verse one here when the Apostle Paul speaks of the vocation wherewith we are called. This is Our Calling vocation or calling the same word. This is Our Calling, our heavenly calling. This is the place that is ours right now. And you know a vocation or a calling is something that should occupy us.
Right now.
You know, if a person is called to be an engineer, in a natural sense, that's his calling. He occupies himself in that. If this is Our Calling, then our heavenly calling is to be occupied in it too. It's not something that we think about just when we come to meetings. It's not something that we think about just when we sit down at night for a Bible reading.
Or in the morning? No, it's something to be occupied about.
Something that should occupy us all our day long. I must confess, brethren, that I'm no example of this. And oftentimes other things come in to occupy me, other motives. But this is what should occupy us. And I say, if we are in the enjoyment of the rich heritage of spiritual blessing, there is in chapter one.
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Then this exhortation will take its effect.
If we're not, we could stand here all night long till 12 midnight and later and exhort, please leave off worldly ways. Please don't do this. And that would have absolutely no effect. Why? Because there's no enjoyment, positive enjoyment in the soul of those spiritual blessings that are ours, often given the illustration.
Simple illustration to the brethren in South America. Supposing we have a dog up here.
And this dog has a hold of a bone.
We like to pull that bone out of that dogs mouth, but that dog wants to keep its bone and he's going to fight for it.
How can we get that born away? Well, if we'd have up here a nice piece of juicy meat, throw that down on the floor, let the dog leave the bone, then sure, simple. Why? Because he's got something so much better. And this is the power of the truth, of the truth and the blessing in chapter one. If we really enjoy it in our souls, well, it's going to have power in our lives. Those things the world offers.
Are so poor.
They don't satisfy, but if we don't have the enjoyment of these things in chapter one of Ephesians, Satan has a multitude of other things to offer us and we're going to fall one or the other. We're going to fall for what he has to offer us. And so this is the spiritual battle that there is going on today and tonight even.
In this room there is a spiritual warfare going on right now.
Oh we don't see anything, but God has his angels and Satan has his demons as well. And sometimes it's by 1 means, sometimes it's by another that God that Satan tries to take away the enjoyment of these things. I still remember enjoying Ephesians one in the Dominican Republic.
In little town Rio San Juan one time.
Really enjoying with the dear breath in there.
And.
We'd enjoyed it down in Bolivia a few weeks previously, and I'd noticed how that Satan, directly after a meeting, would put something into somebody's life to try to take away the enjoyment. So I just mentioned what had happened in Bolivia, and I said to him, brethren, I know if we're really enjoying this, Satan is going to do something to try to take away the enjoyment.
After the meeting we went home. I was staying with the dear brother Santiago Caravallo. His name was and.
Dear brother, he was single at that time and he took me home. I was single too, and we slept in his house. I slept in his house and about 4:00 in the morning somebody come and pounded on his wall.
Said Santiago. Get up, get up. They robbed your store.
So said OK, I'll be up.
He got up out of bed and I thought he'd pull on his pants real fast and running off, but no. Before he even opened the door he got down on his knees and spent a little time in prayer and in LA to the store, still dark. I slipped on a few hours and about 7:00 he came back to the door.
I'm awful sorry. I had heard by that time that they had gotten away with maybe about $25.00 worth of things, which is quite a loss for those people.
And I said I'm awful sorry to hear about that lost Santiago, he said.
And he said to me, oh, brother, he says, when I think of that vast amount of spiritual blessing that we were enjoying last night, he says, that's not anything, that's nothing. That's nothing. Satan had tried to take away his enjoyment by occupying with his earthly material things. He had failed. And so I continued to enjoy. And that brother continues to grow on his soul. Oh, how astute Satan is to do this. In one way or another, he's going to do it if we're enjoying in our souls.
Be assured that he's going to do something. Try to try to take away your spiritual enjoyment.
Well, in verse one Paul addresses himself. He says I therefore the prisoner of the Lord. Paul was in prison when he wrote this epistle. He was a prisoner might say, of Rome, but he doesn't say that. He says I therefore the prisoner of the Lord.
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Oh, do we know what this is? To be prisoners of the Lord? Oh, he didn't look at Rome.
No, he looked at the Lord. The Lord had allowed what had come into his life. He had allowed every circumstance that he was.
Where he was at that time, it allowed everything and he looked at himself as a prisoner of love. Oh brethren, a prisoner cannot go about as he likes. He's at the charge of another and that other has control over him. Do we know what this means? We are not set free from sin and Satan to do what we like, what what seems good to us.
We're at the orders of another of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are prisoners of His. And if we haven't learned this truth, being prisoners of the Lord, being at His orders, then there won't be much enjoyment of these spiritual blessings that He's given for us to enjoy.
All to let his.
Love captivate our souls, brethren. This is what's going to have effect in our lives.
This is what's going to will draw us after him. It's not laying down rules and regulations. No, that will never do. It's the heart that needs to be affected. And when the heart is captivated with the love of Christ, then we're prisoners, prisoners of love. And so Paul says, I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you.
That you walk worthy of the location where with your call.
Suppose we should say, too, that the world has no use for a man who has enjoyment of heavenly things. No, they want a person who will dedicate themselves to material things, a company. They're looking for a good man. They want him to dedicate all his power and his strength to the forwarding of that business.
And you can understand their point from an earthly point of view.
And all it really sometimes burdens me a bit rather than I speak frankly, I trust.
In the Lord I speak that see so many dear young people who are gifted, but they're using all their talents, their gift, their strength is for some worldly prosperity.
And all is going to be wiped away one day very soon.
Nothing to remain.
What are your energies dedicated to? Not saying that you can't occupy in some occupation for the Lord. We ought to occupy till He comes, but oh, let it be for the Lord. Let her object be not a job or anything else. Be here below, be to please, to honor, to glorify the Lord Jesus.
And so we're exhorted to walk worthy of this vocation. We have such a high, a heavenly calling.
How isn't it worthy? Isn't it worthy of God that we walk? Worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called?
Supposing the president of the United States wanted to adopt me into his family. And let's say he did it.
There would be a way to walk worthy of being the son of a president of the president of the United States. I couldn't just walk the way I would like. I just couldn't go anywhere I'd like. No, I have to reflect. I have to remember always that I bear the honor of the President of the United States being his son now that we are sons of God that high.
We ought to walk in all the dignity that becomes us as the children of God, not in pride, but in dignity, because the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is placed upon us. We bear that name, bear it worthily in this world.
And then in verse two, he says the way it should be done, with all worldliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love. Oh, here's a verse that is really spoken to my own heart in many ways. We have quite a few words here we want to stop and meditate on a bit. That first word is loneliness. Second one is meekness.
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What are loneliness and meekness?
Loneliness is not giving offense and meekness is not taking offense in the Old Testament.
Moses was called the meekest man in all the earth. And if you look up the place, I think it's in Numbers, it's the place where Aaron and Miriam were complaining of Moses. And if you notice, Moses never answered a word in his defense. He didn't get offended by their complaints against him. The only thing Moses did was pray for his sister that had been smitten with leprosy.
So this is meekness I really feel In that same chapter, it says that he was the meekest man in all the earth. How important these two things are. Then if we're going to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called, we're called in one body, We're to reflect that wonderful truth now walking together. But all there's things in my brother that irritate me, and there's things in me that maybe irritate you.
And it takes real self-discipline. First of all, there's going to be discipline in the assembly. There is discipline in the assembly and it ought to be carried out. But the first discipline that ought to be carried out is self-discipline. And here it is.
All lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love. This takes much grace sometimes, but oh how important to do it.
If we're going to manifest that, we are one body in Christ.
This should be something that is evident as souls come in and witness are gathering together in the presence of the Lord Jesus. It should be evident that we are one body in Christ. But if these characteristics are absence.
It will not be evident. And so there's need of loneliness, not giving offense, meekness, not taking offense. Sometimes we're lowly. Maybe we don't give offense, but we take offense very easily. And maybe we're the other way around. Maybe we don't take offense, but we give offense.
I have to confess that it softened the case with myself that oh, how important to recognize this.
And then it says with long-suffering. long-suffering.
Oh, how important this word.
How long-suffering our God has been with us?
How long has He waited for some of us till we came to Him as poor lost sinners? And then how long-suffering has He been until we learn to walk in obedience, and how long-suffering He still is with many of our ways?
Now it doesn't become us to be long-suffering one with another as well.
Forbearing one another in law, forbearance, oh, that's real self-discipline to be able to forbear. But it says in love and that's an important thing. Think to see that this is divine love. It's not natural love that's spoken of here, natural love.
Or I should say, maybe the love that is expressed in this world is.
You be lovable to me and all of you, but if you do something wrong to me, I may have to return that wrong, maybe a little bit worse so you'll feel it.
Get my vengeance on you. That's the love of this world. But the love of God is different love.
It's love that loves because God is love. That's the only reason.
It doesn't love because the person is lovable.
Forbearing one another in law, forbearance, oh, that's real self-discipline to be able to forbear. But it says in love and that's an important thing. Think to see that this is divine love. It's not natural love that's spoken of here, natural love.
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Or I should say, maybe the love that is expressed in this world is.
You be lovable to me and all of you, but if you do something wrong to me, I may have to return that wrong, maybe a little bit worse so you'll feel it.
Get my vengeance on you. That's the love of this world. But the love of God is different love.
It's love that loves because God is love. That's the only reason.
It doesn't love because the person is lovable. Is there something that irritates you and your brother?
Is there something there that irritates you?
Oh, let's let this love be active. Be active. It's a love that loves with self sacrifice.
The love of this world doesn't know sacrifice, no, as long as it receives, it will love. But the love of God is love that gives. Where God so loved the world that he gave the Son of love, God loved me and gave himself for me. It's a love that gives freely of itself.
And then we have that verse three, such an important verse two, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. How important this is in our going on together as the people of God, as the body of Christ expressing unity or endeavoring to keep, says the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace.
The Spirit of God is called also the Holy Spirit.
Called the Spirit of truth in another place a spirit of life. And so the unity of the Spirit, seeking to keep the unity of the Spirit. We are all bound together by 1 Spirit. It says in First Corinthians chapter 12, Ye are all baptized into one body.
That Spirit, the Holy Spirit of God that came down on Pentecost in Acts 2.
Took those believers, about 120 of them they were before, and baptized them, made them into one body.
And then ever since that time, God has been adding Every time a person receives the Lord Jesus as his Savior, God seals that soul with his spirit, and by that spirit, that person is also united to the body of Christ. Now we are exhorted in this exhortation to keep the unity.
Endeavour. That implies something that needs to be there needs to be energy.
Endeavor to keep it. It's not something that's going to easily slide into place. No, there's going to have to be an endeavor on our part to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. How important this is to keep unity of the Spirit.
Then verse four is something that is a fact we don't really have. In verse 4-5 and six exhortation. The Lord Paul is bringing before us things that are factual. Fact says one, there is one body and one spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling.
One Lord, 1 faith, one baptism.
One God and Father of all, who is above all and through all, and in you all, I think.
You've all seen and probably heard of the three circles, one within another. Verse four we have the small inner circle. Verse five, we have a larger circle that includes all profession. And verse six, one God and Father of all, who's above all and through all we have the whole world.
Included.
And so in that circle, verse six, we have unbelievers. It's something that God recognizes. Even though a man may say he's an atheist, he is not. He doesn't believe in God at all. Still in all, he has one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all.
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He is still responsible to God.
But in that verse five, we have the circle of Christian profession. I think it's important for us to distinguish these circles. God distinguishes them. As he looks down at this world, He sees these three circles. And if we can get these three circles clear in our own mind, it's going to help in our understanding also the Word of God. So in verse five we have the 2nd circle that includes all profession.
There may be many who are not true believers at heart, but they have taken the name of Christ, they have been baptized. They are in this circle of Christian profession.
One Lord, 1 faith, one baptism. They own the Lordship of Christ, in an outward sense at least.
By that one baptism they professed the one faith. And this is important to understand, I think in connection with baptism. Baptism is identification with the Lord Jesus Christ. I think it's important we understand that baptism is not identification with some denomination or with some group of Christians. Baptism is identification with the Lord Jesus Christ.
A person who is not baptized is not identified in this.
Public, outward sense, yet with the Lord Jesus.
Like it says in First Corinthians chapter 10, Paul speaks of all our fathers were baptized in the cloud and the sea and to Moses.
What did he mean there? He means simply that before the children of Israel left the land of Egypt and crossed the Red Sea.
As they came to that Red Sea, they were still in some sense in Satan, Pharaoh's territory, where Pharaoh had authority.
And as they looked around and saw the hosts of Pharaoh coming after them, they were scared. If you would ask them, are you saved? I'm sure they would say no. They were saved from the wrath of God on the first born through the blood of the lamb in Egypt. But in the fullest sense of the word, they weren't in the enjoyment of that. It was only when they went into that Red Sea and came up on the other side and looked back and saw their enemies dead on.
Seashore that they could say in the fullest sense of the word, were saved. We're saved. And then the song of redemption came from their lips. But it says there that they were baptized into Moses so that when they got to the other side of the Red Sea, they were no longer identified with Pharaoh, no longer in Egypt's terrain.
They were no longer to own Pharaoh's authority. Now they own the authority of Moses.
And so a person who says he's a believer but doesn't want to be baptized is an effect saying I want to stay in the sphere where Satan is still God and Prince. That's an effect. What he's saying, although there are many we have to bear with them that are ignorant as to what the true signification of baptism is. But when a person is baptized, he says in effect.
I no longer recognize the authority of Satan.
In this world, I recognize the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. I've taken that position outwardly. And so this is verse five. There is one one Lord, 1 faith, one Baptist. By baptism, a person enters that 2nd circle.
But the fourth verse is the vital circle. Only those who have truly in their hearts receive the Lord Jesus as their Savior have been sealed by the Spirit of God, as it says in chapter one, and by that same Spirit united in one body are included in verse 4 where it says one there is one body and one spirit even as you're calling 1 hope of your calling.
Now let's go on to verse 7.
Rear seven, it says, But unto everyone of us is given grace, according to the measure.
Of the gift of Christ. And so we have in connection with the body of Christ, the gifts mentioned.
I think this is really important to understand and it's been a bit of a help to me to see that.
Wherever.
The gifts are mentioned. It is in connection with the body of Christ. In First Corinthians 12, we have the gifts mentioned. It's in connection with the body of Christ in first. In Romans 12, we have the gifts mentioned. It's in connection with the body of Christ. It's mentioned right there if you notice.
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And.
If we were speaking, if we had time tonight, we could speak of another.
Sphere another way, the church is looked at as the House of God, and in connection with the House of God we have offices, if we might say that.
Have elders, bishops and deacons, those who care in the assembly and the local assembly for the spiritual affairs of the brethren, and those who care for the material matters in the assembly.
The bishops and the deacons were the elders that we might say those that have oversight. We don't have official elders today because we don't have apostles to appoint them. But I think we can recognize some who are leaders who seek to be.
Guide in a spiritual sense amongst the people of God in our local assemblies.
And so it it's good to distinguish whenever you're Speaking of bishops and deacons, it's more in connection with order in the House of God, those God has put there to maintain order, but in connection with the body of Christ, we have the gifts mentioned. And so here in verse seven, it says unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
You know.
For a long time I felt as a young person.
I saw the brethren who seemed to have a real gift, maybe in preaching the gospel, maybe in teaching the Word or in pastoring, said, oh, it mustn't be nice to have a gift like that. And you know, never came to me that I ought to be exercising my own soul. The Scripture says, like in verse seven, that every one of us has been given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Some may have a greater measure than another, but every one of us who is a member of the body of Christ has a gift.
Have we been exercised about it? Oh, I think this is so important as members of the body of Christ that we be exercised.
When we come together.
In our meetings to be exercised and speak especially to the younger brethren sometimes.
It seems, and I have to confess, I had the same thought.
To for a long time I came to meeting. I had it almost settled in my mind. Well, I'm just going to sit down and and listen. There was little exercise in my own soul as to being a vessel ready for the Lord's use if you wanted to use me. And I think we all ought to come in that attitude to the meetings. I want to be ready for the Lord's use if He wants to use me in this meeting.
Where do we come down and sit down, clunk ourselves down in a chair and say, well, the older brother, they're going to take care of the whole meeting? And we just sit there kind of dead. You know, that has a deadening effect on the whole meeting. And I really feel even this applies to the sisters. The sisters, according to the Scriptures, cannot take.
Apart and lead in the assembly. They cannot speak in the assembly according to 1St Corinthians 14. But if they come with a real exercise in their souls to be an exercise before the Lord in prayer, perhaps oh how that lifts the tone of the assembly. And you know, in a body, if I'm going to split my body in two and say this side over here is going to be active and this side is not going to be active.
Well, I'm not going to even be able to get out of bed. I'm not going to be able to activate and you know.
If there is that type of attitude when they come together in our meetings, then there's going to be a deadening effect. No, there needs to be an exercise in the part of all.
To be ready for the Lord's use. He is the head. He will command. There's no brother that's going to say you do this, you do that. No, He must command. He must. He's the one that gives the gift, the Lord Jesus. And every one of us has a gift. Every one of us has a gift. Have we stopped to think of that? Are we using our gift?
Oh, I feel there's much gift amongst his brethren that's not being used.
It's being hidden in the Earth.
And all we need to be stirred up. Paul had to exhort Timothy, I exhort you there. Excuse me, I'll have to read it.
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I'll just read it, you don't have to turn to it.
Wherefore I put thee in remembrance, that thou stir up the gift of God that is in thee by the putting on my hands. Timothy had a gift, but he must have been a timid person, and Paul had to exhort him to stir up that gift. Or if we have a gift, we're not exercised in the Lord's presence as we come together.
I say tonight, let's stir up that gift that God has given it. Let's use it. Let's make ourselves ready for the masters use when we come here together as a an assembly.
And then he will drop on down because our time is going to verse 11. We have the gifts mentioned.
He gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers. We have 5 gifts mentioned here.
In the first two apostles and prophets, I'd like to read a verse in chapter 2 That clarifies their position.
Chapter 2 of Ephesians, verse 20.
Maybe we should read verse 19 to make the connection.
Now, therefore, ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the Saints and of the household of God.
And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone.
So here it speaks of the the same that we have the 1St 2 gifts in verse 11 of chapter four. We have in this verse Ephesians 220. They are the foundation. They have laid the foundation. Paul says in chapter three of first Corinthians I have laid the foundation and another.
Bill there on and so the apostles and prophets and the Scriptures, they have left us.
Have left the foundation work for the church. All building that is done should be built on the revelation that they have left us, especially the apostle Paul. This is really important, I feel because.
Sometimes there is the tendency and I think we need to keep everything in its scope. I want to say this so I won't be misunderstood, but.
I feel sometimes there's a tendency to go to the Old Testament to take scriptures, to apply directly to the church.
The Old Testament is not the writings of the apostles and prophets that we have here. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and His profitable. So the Old Testament is profitable. We cannot lay it aside. It's profitable and we ought to read it, but it doesn't apply to the church. It applies more directly to Israel. We can take principles that are found in the Old Testament and look at them in the light of.
New Testament principles of the church and we'll get light on New Testament principles and sometimes how we should act, but it's important that we realize that the church is not based on in Old Testament truth. Old Testament speaks majorly of Israel and earthly people who had earthly purposes and designs down here in this world.
That the New Testament is the Church, a heavenly body, and so the apostles and prophets the 1St 2 gifts that God has given.
Have laid the foundation and once the foundation has been laid, you know any of you who are builders, there's some builders here tonight.
Once you put the foundation, you don't go start and put in the foundation again. No, that's done. You go on with the rest of the building. And so the rest of the verse 11 speaks of three more gifts that we have today. The 1St 2 apostles and prophets we do not have today in the sense of apostles and prophets we do have.
Prophecy in Romans 12 speaking unto men to edification, exhortation and comfort, but not in the sense.
Of prophets here, Prophets here were those who lay the foundation of the church. They're gone now. They don't have them anymore. They've left us the foundation work and were to build on that foundation. But the three that we still have are the evangelists.
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Pastors and teachers, evangelists bring the material to the assembly. Pastors and teachers build that material in. And so the building continues to go on. And how important these three gifts are, the evangelists.
You know, we lose a desire to take the gospel to the last. I fear you're going to get out of focus. In our souls. There is a tendency sometimes I really feel.
To lose that focus that love of God has for lost souls. Timothy doesn't say it was an evangelist. Paul commanded him to do the work of an evangelist. Well, some of us may be evangelists here. Others, more of us than not, probably aren't evangelists. But we can all do the work of an evangelist. It's just given a tract. But not to lose that love for souls.
I heard a statement recently that a bit.
I trust the brother said it in in a right way, but I feel feel we have to be careful, he said. The trooper, our true purpose here today is not the gospel, it's the truth of the one body and manifesting that truth.
And I just fear rather than that we need to keep the truth in its focus. We cannot divide the truth of the gospel from the truth of gathering to the Lord's name.
It's one glorious whole centered in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, and so we can't lose the focus on the truth in that way. I really feel it's important that we have an active and ardent interest towards souls in the gospel.
And then the evangelist goes out to bring in the material and brings them to the assembly. This is important too. And then those patent, the teachers, pastors and teachers are the ones that build into the assembly. How important to have these pastors and teachers, all the work of a pastor. How important it is, brethren, to go after lost sheep, to bring them back.
To seek to show them their place in the assembly assembly where they can be fruitful.
And active for the Lord's glory and for the profit of other members of the body of Christ.
And the teachers are to teach us in the assembly. The assembly does not teach. It is taught by the gifts that God gives in the assembly.
And so that's important. It's not The church does not teach.
The Church is the pillar and ground of the truth, where the truth ought to be maintained, but the assembly is taught by teachers given of Christ.
And then in verse 12 on we find the purpose of all these gifts that Christ has given.
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 in the knowledge of the Son of God, and to a perfect man.
Unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, God has no other measure, no other standard than this, the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. We do not have to lower our standards because of the ruin that we that surrounds us to day. And let us know that there is tremendous ruin and let us feel that we too are part of the ruin. We're not just.
Some faithful 1 standing out here in the middle. We're part of the ruin too. Let us feel it.
But let us remember that God hasn't lowered His standards. Those same standards apply today just as much as they ever did.
Verse 14, That we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive. Oh, there's so many winds of doctrine today, brethren, how important to let these gifts be active, to put ourselves at the Lord's disposal so that.
There will be in the measure that the Lord gives us the ministry in the assembly, so that souls will not be going listening to one wind of doctrine, another wind of doctrine.
These gifts are given that we be no more children carried about with every wind of doctrine. There are dangerous doctrines today floating around and christening them. The charismatic movement is a is a powerful wind that's blowing and it's sweeping many that don't even want to go along with it, sweeping them right in if we're not founded in the truth of the that the apostles and prophets have left us the doctrine of the apostles as it says in Acts.
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We're apartment to be carried away with these winds of doctrine.
But the purpose and the supreme purpose that I wanted to really get to tonight is verse 15. But speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things which is the head even Christ. This is the purpose of supreme purpose of all ministry is to direct to Christ. He is the head you know sometimes God uses.
Some person, perhaps in our salvation he used some person. Person.
Perhaps in our spiritual life to encourage us on in the Lord's things, He's used some brother who has a real gift. And God forbid that we should despise any brother. But let us remember, brethren, that all ministry is to direct to Christ, is to make us to grow up to Christ. And sometimes there's a tendency to be looking to one brother. Problems arise in the assembly.
Immediately take counsel with one brother, another brother, another brother and we OFT times get more confused.
No, the purpose of true ministry is to make us to grow up into Christ, to be looking to Him. How important that if souls come in through our meetings that they have that sense that there is one in the midst.
And that, that one is the one that is looked to in all our activity as members of the body of Christ in part.