SOME months ago this question was put to me: " What do you think of this faith healing?" and I was requested to give my answer in writing. And, now, if the Lord has given me to discern the truth in this matter, I desire to give to His dear ones, who may be in need of a word on this subject, the benefit of all that the Lord has given me, with the prayer that He may use it to His own glory.
The answer to this question involves three points, which to me are increasingly important, as more and more the true character of the evil which is ere long to overwhelm Christendom comes out. In Rev. 3:88I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. (Revelation 3:8) the Spirit says, " I know thy works: Behold I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it; for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name." Here we have " an open door;" a " little strength;" and the " word " and the " name " of the Lord Jesus.
This really gives the position of the faithful. remnant of the church for these days.
Firstly: the " open door." Have we seen that? And have we taken our position as to that word?
Secondly: a " little strength." Have we taken our position as to that?
To me, this involves a position outside all religious systems, and the acknowledgment of weakness and failure.
What then am I to do? The answer is in what follows. " Thou hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name." Are we doing this? Passing over verses 9 and 10 as touching other matter, we get in verse 11 a word which gives emphasis to verse 8 in a wonderful way, " Behold I come quickly, hold fast that which thou hast"-" my word" and " my name "-" that no man take thy crown." The crown is indicative of reward, simply, and the reward is gained or lost by holding fast, in the midst of weakness and failure by letting slip the word and name of the Lord Jesus. " Who hath ears to hear, let him hear! "
Now, the question at once presents itself in this form: What specific acts are we to look for, as expressed in the faithful remnant, which answer to this word, " thou hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name "? and what are we to look for as characterizing the not keeping His word, and the denial of His name? Now, as to this last, the Spirit has taken pains to inform us, in what follows, namely, in the address to Laodicea. " I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot"-lukewarmness, indifference to Christ, and as to that which is so valuable in His sight, His " word" and " name." And then verse 17, the vain boast of self-satisfaction and self-importance. " Because thou sayest, I am rich and increased in goods and have need of nothing."
Do we not see this exemplified everywhere around us? Surely, nothing but the very spirit of the thing itself could blind one's eyes to it. And this is what the Spirit said, and of which He speaks so emphatically in these verses, and which is so important a warning for us in these days.
Now, for the contrast: the specific acts characterizing the faithful remnant. Do we find these anywhere? Are there any people anywhere who are characterized by holding fast His word and His name in the midst of confessed weakness? Shall we find them by these characteristics? and in what will they express it? Let us read from Matt. 18:15-2015Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. 18Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 20For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:15‑20), where, as if providing for this very time in which we are living, we get, " Fox where two or three are gathered together in my name -gathered in His name. Now, without confining it to this, would not so assembling be specially holding fast His name?-" there am I in the midst of them."
Then, let us look at another word, so intimately connected with this, " This do in remembrance of me."
Here we get the central point, so to speak, of many words of the Lord-" Thou hast kept my word." Let me illustrate. Take the dispensation committed to Moses. What was the central point around which everything clustered? Was it not redemption by blood? The blood-shedding of the paschal lamb? Could any Israelite be said to be keeping the commandments and ordinances of the Lord while this was kept out? (See Ex. 12:1-141And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you. 3Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: 4And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. 5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: 6And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. 7And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. 8And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. 10And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; and that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire. 11And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's passover. 12For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. 13And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. 14And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever. (Exodus 12:1‑14).) The passover feast was to be " the beginning of months " and the beginning of the year to them... "And this day shall be a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generation; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever." And in Num. 9:1313But the man that is clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth to keep the passover, even the same soul shall be cut off from among his people: because he brought not the offering of the Lord in his appointed season, that man shall bear his sin. (Numbers 9:13), we get the death penalty attached to the non-observance of it. The passover feast, then, was clearly the central point around which all other services and ordinances clustered.
To begin the year without the passover, was to begin wrong. And to begin wrong was to go wrong, as one must start right in order to go right.
It was a redeemed people who were brought to God to serve Him, and the fact of that redemption by blood was of first and all importance, and not to be neglected, nor lost sight of. But we find that in this, as in everything, the Israelites were a failure, as the Books of Judges and of Kings bear witness. Now, to the point in hand. Was not the Lord's Supper, as recorded in the Gospels, given to the disciples to be the central point of this dispensation, as the passover had been of the Jews? And is it not the same practical truth, " redemption by blood," not as a yearly feast, but " as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye do spew the Lord's death till he come."
And how did the apostles understand these words, "as often," and " till he come "? They were so intimately associated in their thoughts, that we read at the close of the second chapter of Acts, " And they continued daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house " (at home). And we find, as the work spread and went on, farther down in the history, in the Acts 20:77And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. (Acts 20:7), that which seems to show that it was the settled practice of the church, under apostolic guidance, to meet for this on" the first day of the week." (Compare 1 Cor. 11:25,2625After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come. (1 Corinthians 11:25‑26).)
From these thoughts I am led to this conviction, that the faithful remnant will in these days be found holding fast these two things, in the midst of confessed weakness and failure. The word and the name of the Lord Jesus. The name, surely, carries with it the power and authority of His presence, in the midst, as a divine reality to faith. And His word brings to us, " This do in remembrance of me." His Person the rallying point; His table, the expression of obedience to His word. If this is not what is meant by the expression, " Thou hast kept my word and hast not denied my name," then, I confess, I do not know where to look for it.
If it is, and my heart bows to it, then I am prepared to detect the counterfeit; for surely Satan will have his counterfeit of this. And is not Laodicea what characterizes it? Those who see truth enough to come out of system, while they have not conscience enough to take the right ground, but setting up for themselves in independency-which is surely Satan's ground-they take just so much of the truth as suits their conscience and their pleasure, while the separation from all that is of man, and faithfulness in that which is only of the Lord, is lightly esteemed. And it is not that the faithful ones have set themselves up as being right, and would unchristianize all others. This is Satan's insinuation to blind the eyes and discourage the hearts of the simple. But it is that the faithful hear the truth, see the truth, confess the truth, and desire, while confessing weakness and failure, to walk in the truth; and have conscience enough to regard His honor, and heart enough for that which is so precious to Him; and to be willing to abide the consequences, " the little while," " till he come."
To listen to the reasonings of one's own heart, or of others, is but to be deceived by the insinuations of Satan (Prov. 28:2626He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered. (Proverbs 28:26)), and to be led astray; and the result will be to let slip His word, and deny His name, in the very presence of that stirring and awakening word, " Behold I come quickly, hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown." But, it will be said, here are persons who have come out of system, very earnest and devoted Christians, living by faith, healing the sick, casting out devils, and doing wonderful works!
Yes, and we cannot deny their christian profession, their faith-healing, nor their wonderful works; but we may ask you to apply the test of Rev. 3:7-117And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; 8I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. 9Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. 10Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. 11Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. (Revelation 3:7‑11).
We may ask, Is this position that of the faithful? Are faith-healing institutions the confession of weakness and failure? And the publishing abroad? Does not that sound more like Laodicea? And as to the Lord's table? The holding fast "His word" and "His name"? What is their position? Equivocal, to say the least. A matter. of convenience with some, or of pleasure with others-to, suit themselves wherever they can-or of indifference; or of total neglect on the part of many. And we may ask, What about that faith which publishes abroad its works, while that sweet word, the dying request of our Lord, " This do in remembrance of me," is so lightly esteemed, and manifestly trifled with?
It is not a command, but a dying request. Which, think you, should have the most power over our hearts?
See that father! He gathers his family around his dying couch. To give them a few commandments? No! not a bit; but it may be a few words of exhortation with his dying request. So the blessed Lord has put into our hands the memorials of His dying love, saying, " This do in remembrance of me." Would not regard for " His word" and " His name" lead us to carefulness as to this?
Now it is possible for us to be very faithful and obedient in works for the Lord, while we may be all wrong as to faithfulness and obedience to Him. And this is just the difference between Laodicea and Philadelphia.
Look at that son! His father on leaving home gave him his work, but he, in the spirit of independency concludes there is other work more important. He labors hard, he does his work faithfully; he is working for his father, but he is not faithful and obedient to his father. Peter's zeal for the Lord led him to cut off the ear of the high priest's servant; and in his next step, to suit his own convenience, he denied His name. Is not this just what Christendom is coming to? And if we do not wish to be left to deny His name, ought we not to inquire whether our obedience is for the Lord, or to Him? Faithfulness and obedience to Rim, leaves no room for self-will, nor self-pleasing in anything. We cannot even ask, "Lord, and what shall this man do?" but the answer comes back, " If I will... what is that to thee? Follow thou me." We see, then, that faithfulness consists, not in the amount and quality of work done, but in the " doing always those things that please him." We must begin with Himself, and go on with Himself. If we begin with ourselves, we shall go on with men in indifference as to His word and His name. C. E. H.
(To be continued.)
WE are the present companions of a rejected, absent, unworldly Christ. We recognize the world around us (which has seen and hated Him and His Father, as the Lord Himself says) as morally incurable, awaiting the judgment of His coming day. We look to meet Him in the air, when the hour of His good pleasure to that end shall come; and when that is to be we know not. And we reckon upon returning with Him, first to the execution of judgment, and then to the sharing with Him, in manifestation, the glory of His dominion in the world to come. These things form and define the proper attitude of the saints of this dispensation. It is easy to apprehend this; but to realize it we need simple energetic faith in the power of the Holy Ghost. The faith that cherishes single-heartedness to Christ, and the love for Himself that ever keeps a welcome for Him in the heart.—.1. G. B.