YP Address—W. Coleman
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Let's sing together, hymn #256 please.
Pray for.
You.
Hey, Cortana, Play.
Well, through the kindness of the Lord, the Spirit of God seems to have taken us in our readings to some very, very high and exalted places. And but the fact is, if the Lord leaves us here very long, as in a few days, we're going to have to go back to our places and get back to work and all the rest of it.
So.
This fourth verse is really kind of the what I had on my heart this afternoon is really a prayer. Lord, keep us cleaving.
I think that we're all very, very conscious of a very significant giving up and of letting things slide. There has been, there's been a lot of.
Solution creep. Robert and I were just talking about it. In his industry, he has a different term for it. We we call it solution creep, where what used to be standard is worn out somehow and we've perverted it, messed with it.
Tinkered with it, tried to fix it, and didn't quite fix it right, And so on. And there's been a lot of carnage as a result of it. Divine standards can't be played with like we have a tendency to do. Keep us, Lord, oh keep us cleaving to thyself and still believing. It's not adhering to a set of doctrines that is what we need. But it's Himself and His truth. Let's pray.
Lord Jesus, we appeal to Thee this afternoon.
As we are so thankful for this little Oasis in the wilderness, in the desert, and we're thankful for what our hearts and minds have been able to enjoy and to look forward. Lord Jesus, to thee, in seeing thee being with thee, reigning with thee.
Being there for thy delight through all eternity, but administrating with thee even we just think of these.
Things that are just so far beyond our our present scope of things here as we trudge along in the wilderness. But we thank Thee for lifting up our hearts and our minds to eternal realities, and that we pray now that Thou would give us a prophetic word.
We feel the need of it.
Speaker and audience alike, we trust and we trust, Lord Jesus, that Thy Spirit would find fertile ground in each one of our hearts to address.
Things that are needed and how we might go back to our places and to contribute.
To one another and live for thy glory in regards to the local assemblies where we come from.
We express our need to Thee in this regard. Thou knowest, Lord Jesus, our deep need, and so we do commit it to Thee. We ask Thee for guidance as we go through Thy precious word, for clear thoughts and for clear delivery and for hearing here. We ask it in Thy name, Lord Jesus, and for Thy glory and our benefit. Amen.
00:05:03
Let's start Revelation chapter 3.
I just want to, just for the sake of reference, read the address to Philadelphia.
Just to remind our hearts.
Of what the Lord has done.
For himself and for his people, and to the Angel of the church in Philadelphia, right these things say, if 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. I know thy works, and behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it.
For thou hast a little strength, and has kept my word.
And has not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie. And I will make them to come and to worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee because.
Thou hast kept the word of my patience.
Do you have any sense that the Lord Jesus, in penning this by the Spirit of God, has some appreciation for keeping the word of His patience?
He's patiently waiting for what we've been reading about.
And these are things that we ought to keep, but involves a lot more than that. 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. Behold, I come quickly.
Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out. And I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God. And I will write upon him my new name. And he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Let's go back to verse 11.
Behold, I come quickly, hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Is there anyone here that is concerned about making it faithful to the end?
You can put up your hand if you like, although it's not a classroom but the.
I think I speak probably for all that we have some concern, I'm sure, about remaining faithful until the end.
I am. I was just looking at a Scripture. I think it's Ezekiel 47, where an Angel went out under instruction to put a mark on the forehead of all those that sighed for the abominations that were being done in Jerusalem. And they had an exercise about it and they longed for righteousness.
And then the Angel went out and slew everyone else.
I'm not going to say anymore about that.
Other than, do you have any concern about holding fast until he come?
I do.
Well, Philadelphia is in regard really to keeping the word of his patience, kept keeping his word, verse 8 and not denying his precious name. May the Lord give us grace for the little bit of time that remains. You know most of us here. I certainly can. I can remember times of being in assembly meetings at home and our little assembly back in Richmond where?
Every reading meeting was just a feast.
Older brethren working together so beautifully and expounding the Word of God.
That's where some of us grew up under those circumstances. We rejoiced in it and we, to be really honest, we look at things now and we open up our purse and see what we have to contribute and.
It's it's a concern. I like to speak to that preparedness.
In a little bit.
00:10:02
Now can you really with any confidence?
Say that you'll be kept. I'd like to say that yes, you can. Jude, the book of Jude.
And two verses few verses should be able to solve this once and for all, if it's not already solved in your own mind.
Jude.
Verse 20 Now Jude has been speaking about the the apostasy that is coming in and.
These are very, very strong words in the book of Jude and so.
In verse 20 But ye beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life, and of some having compassion, making a difference, and others.
Save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garments spotted by the flesh.
Now unto him that is able to keep you, not from falling, that would be apostasy, but from stumbling.
Now unto him.
That is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy. To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever.
This is a guarantee.
But notice there is one that is promising to keep. But there's another part to the equation, he says. I want you to keep yourself in the love of God. This is a keeping that the Lord wants you and I to participate intelligently in.
If we consider the sovereignty of God.
And if we think it's sufficient that we get home into the into the presence of the Lord, with the embers burning off our feet as we're raptured up into the presence of the Lord, if that's good enough for you, that is not what this is talking about.
And you know this matter of justice.
Being comforting ourselves that we're going to, we're going to somehow get to heaven with what we know We're going to get to heaven because we believe in eternal security, don't we?
But we live just like any other man or woman of the world.
Don't expect to be kept practically in this world. The Lord Jesus, as we know, has got our salvation. He has mean he is going to maintain it because he lives in the presence of God, because he lives in the presence of God. Now I live and you too. But we desire something greater than that we desire.
To honor His blessed name, we desire to keep all of His word.
And until he comes and so.
First Peter chapter one also gives us another very happy.
Verse first Peter one.
First Peter, Second Peter. There we go again. Second Peter, chapter one, verse 10. Wherefore the brethren give diligence. Give diligence to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you shall never fall. No, you'll never stumble.
For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly, unto the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Give diligence.
And so we've had much before us of what we are destined for and the place of the Church of God in during the Millennium and through eternity, and it thrills our hearts. But can I say that that these things should be a motivation for us to go back to our places?
And let's get serious. Let's get serious about maintaining.
What the Lord has put in our hands and given us and so.
00:15:04
With that, I would like to.
Let's go to Ephesians chapter 4.
I hesitate because I have a notebook here and I have a lot of scriptures that I would like to mention.
I have too many.
But we're just going to go right to it. What I had here, Ephesians chapter 4.
And so in the beginning of this 4th chapter we we have the statement that there is one body, one spirit and one hope and so on. And then these eternal realities. And in the 4th chapter we are.
Exhorted to walk worthy of these these absolutes, these truths that.
Are so precious. It's just a divine reality. There is one body, one spirit.
Let's read from verse 7. But.
Unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
I want to just flag something here to everyone of us, man, woman and child, those that are saved, sealed with the Spirit of God.
Have been given a gift.
And to everyone of us has given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Not only have we been given a gift, but we have been given grace to fulfill that gift.
I might as well tell you that my burden, my concern is that.
Having for myself, it's a it's been an exercise for me. I have been in an assembly whether it has been a lot of gift.
And I think last year I may have said, I know, I said because it bothered me after.
That sometimes I'm working late and I'm all stressed out and, you know, I didn't get much time to read the Scriptures. And it's Wednesday night and there's a prayer meeting and a Bible study.
But, and I said these words and you'll, I apologize, Bruce, but I said, you know, Bruce is there, it'll be all right, or some other brothers there, it'll be fine. You know, there's a couple of visiting brothers. They're pretty good. You know, it's, it's fine.
It's, and I mentioned at that time that this is the, this is the really the, the what facilitates clergy.
It facilitates. Just hand it off to Bob or Bill or whoever it is.
And you and I, brother and sister, have all been given gift or gifts from the Lord. We've also been given grace so that we can exercise those gifts.
My question that I want to bring before you today is, are we exercising those gifts?
And why should we exercise those gifts? Well, let's read on.
Wherefore, he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts to men. There is a giver who has given gifts to men and women. Here it's just the the redeemed scene as men. But I believe it involves the sisters too. And so he has given.
Gifts, and He is the one.
Who has given himself on the cross to redeem us. He has left us here in this wilderness.
He has formed us into one body with Himself as the head up there, exalted and glorified, and we his members here on the earth, and He's given us gifts so that we can function properly as a body for His own glory. Now that's one great reason that we should be zealous about.
Exercising our gift.
It's because there's a giver who has given the gift. It's a gift. What a great thing. Now he ascended. What is it that he also descended first in the lower parts of the earth. He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.
00:20:13
And he gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers. Why did he do this?
For the perfecting of the Saints. For the work of the ministry.
For the edifying of the body of Christ.
He has a purpose. Now, as you read verse 12, is there any need along those lines of these things that the Lord has identified here in the local assembly where you are?
Is there a need of perfect perfecting the Saints, Of maturing the Saints?
You know, well, that's the Lord's business to do that. Yes, it is. But he wants to use the members of his body. You know, we, we speak a lot about the one body.
In Korea, the open brethren call the Saints that are gathered the Lord's name, the one body, Christians.
Somebody mentioned about one placers.
I don't know talk about that over there that much, but one bodies. And so it's just funny how these terms are taken. But in any case, it's a very, very practical thing. These are just not theories that bounce around in the ether. No, these are practical truths. There is one body and we are all members of that one body, and it is expected that we function.
Together for the benefit of one another and for the glory of the Lord and.
I, I, I, you know what we've been making some disclaimers. That's the word. I've heard a number of disclaimers here in the addresses don't want to offend anybody and we're we're almost being politically correct and I I get it. We're living in days where to proclaim the truth of God is dangerous. You need a car out there to get you out of town before.
The posse comes after you. Well, I trust that's not the case here at all, but there is a hint of it when we're making disclaimers.
And so the I, I again, I'm going to make a disclaimer, I, I don't want to.
Be hard on anyone at all, because as I do it, as dear brother Norman Clark used to say back home.
Is when you point out like that something in your brethren, you have these other three fingers that just point back and such is the case. And it's really very much in my case I I feel.
The edge of what I'm saying.
And you'll forgive me if you, if I hope, if you feel in some areas I'm being a bit of a hypocrite.
I want to draw attention to this so that we can labor together.
For His glory we don't have a lot of time left for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ, until 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 Christ. And so, just because it's a day of ruin, it doesn't mean the gifts can't function anymore.
These gifts are to go on until the Lord comes where they're not going to be needed anymore.
And so I, I don't know that the, even the concept, I shouldn't even use that word. I'm sorry, I apologize. The truth of the one body of Christ really is something that is functioning in the glory because we're all there together as one. We think of the members of the body here looking up to their head. We're here functioning for him in an environment where he is chosen.
In the in the in the Church of God to use those members.
To edify and to build it up, and so it has a limited scope until.
And so we're looking here at the purpose of gift. I'd like to read a little more 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 by speaking the truth. And love may grow up into him in all things, which is ahead, even Christ, from whom the whole body.
00:25:07
Fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplier.
According to the effectual, working in a measure of every part maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of its self in love. You know, I find these verses invigorating and thrilling, and I confess to be a bit of a dreamer. And I like to visualize the local assemblies functioning like this.
In love growing up and expanding, not not wearing out and grinding the wheels off and having.
All the difficulties that we often do.
And so maybe this is a little bit idealistic.
Robert shakes his head. He says, no, it's not idealistic. Thank you very much. I appreciate that. Well, the scriptures tell us that this is not idealistic. This is a this is a reality. And we should really come to expect that God is as good as his word. But as we said before, we must function and participate with God in this. I learned this from my first wife as she was dying.
The doctor came to her and he was talking to her about death and things like that.
And she's smiling there, with her Bible in her hand.
And I guess he wasn't getting quite the right response. Maybe she felt she wasn't taking it seriously and so she said to him.
I realize that the Lord is allowing me to die. I realize that it's it's over.
I want to participate with my Savior in my death.
And I have to say, I've never forgotten those words. It is made a deep, deep impression on my soul.
And she did. She participated with the Lord in her own death.
Well, I've thought about that a lot and I felt the Lord has asked me a question. Are you willing to participate with me?
And what I want you to do, because to be real honest with you, when she breathes her last breath and I mark that pulse going down to zero, I wanted to step into the flame and go up.
And as I left the Hospice and went away.
I really felt the Lord saying to me, I have something else for you to do.
And her words wrung in my ears, participating with him in that. And this is the only way that you and I are going to fill our place in the body.
And but notice again I really want to.
Flag this and I'm going to do it more.
Verse 16. From whom the whole body fitly joined together, and compacted by that which every joint supplier, or every joint of supply. Every member of the body of Christ is a joint of supply.
And so there are no, as God has designed our bodies, there are no redundant organs that just don't do anything, that have no purpose. You know, we used to think they were, well, you're, we'll just cut them out. Then you find out that you got some problems after that. And they figured, well, we shouldn't do that. Maybe we should leave the body as God designed it. You know, the only things that are in your body.
That really shouldn't be there. Generally tumors or something like that.
Let's not act like tumors, let's fill our function in the body of Christ for His own glory, in love to Him. We've had a little sight of this Blessed One in these last few days, and it's somewhat of a romantic sight, isn't it? That's our man, our man, our Lord Jesus Christ.
But presently he is our man.
And we're going to meet him.
And we see him coming, and we should be in the place like one of old who put a veil upon her on her head, and sprang off the camel to meet him.
And so it's in that spirit of anticipation that we need to be going forward.
And so everyone.
Every joint of supply. And so there's no place really to get off the wagon, so to speak, and just kind of be along somehow in the undercarriage for the ride.
00:30:14
No, we are to be functioning together. We really are, and I believe this is what we are suffering from.
In the little assembly back in Richmond, I got a text from a dear brother there.
I think there was three brothers at the remembrance of the Lord, and his text was precious remembrance of the Lord.
Yes, it's weak.
And where our hearts may get cast down about it, we think of those that are carried away captive, willing captives, and what is left. And it's difficult.
But that He is there and that's why we carry on. We exercise our gifts because He's given them from His own hand. He has given a gift to you and to me.
And so we have looked at this matter of the purpose of these gifts, what they are for. I'd like to just quickly go to Romans chapter 12.
You know, in Ephesians, I think we see that the gifts are more persons that are are given to the body for a for a purpose of building it up and helping it.
But those persons, and maybe I've been confusing this in my comments, but but those persons have been also given a gift.
And you know, a young brother said to me.
And we weren't talking about this, it just came up, he said I don't think that. And he said it to me the first day of conference, he said. I don't really think that we need to be in a desperate rush to figure out what our gift is.
I agree.
So does that negate what I'm saying? No, when it comes to the gift that the Lord has given us.
We are going to discover what it is as we go out in love and obedience to Him, just doing His will.
And it will become very apparent. And so when you say as a person who's been in the path for quite some time, I don't know what my gift is, I don't have a gift.
That's unscriptural, but I can understand not knowing what your gift is.
Distinctly.
But can we be busy with what the Lord wants us to do? I believe that very, very quickly we will find out that He is directing us in a certain way and we need to move along with that. We may find that we may have more than one gift. We tend to put things in boxes because we're humans and we do that. We like boxes.
And.
We we we tend to limit ourselves.
And so we say sometimes practically, well, there's no gift in that assembly. Well, then there's no Saints in that assembly. We need to give our heads a shake. I'm sorry there may not be any gift exercising itself.
In this assembly or that assembly?
But there is gift there, and it needs to be exercised in obedience and love to the Lord.
And so the problem is that we have been allowing a form of clergy and I'm sorry, again, disclosure or disclaimer, I don't want to offend anybody. That's not my purpose.
But if we have been relying on other brethren to carry the ball, so to speak, to carry the meetings, and then all of a sudden various things come along and take them away.
And now there's a famine.
What happened?
Either I was prevented from developing my gift that could be never given place for it. Although I questioned that why is it that gift is only to be exercised in the local assembly. It should be exercised all the time.
Remember, the gift is for the entire body, not just for the local assembly.
00:35:04
So Romans chapter 12.
This is a very this it's a mention of gift and I'm going to read it here.
Verse 5 So we being many, are one body in Christ, and everyone members of another, having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophecy according to the proportion of faith or ministry, Let us wait on our ministering, or he that teacheth on teaching, or he that exhorteth on exhortation.
He that giveth, let him do it with simplicity. He that ruleth with diligence. He that showeth mercy with cheerfulness, and so on. What I enjoy so much about this 12Th chapter on the subject of gift is that it comes from the place of being in awe.
And it comes from the place of giving a doxology of praise to the Lord for His awesome wisdom in Chapter 11 and so in Chapter 11.
I'm racing against time again.
It he says verse 32. No sorry verse 33.
Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out.
Who hath known the mind of the Lord? Who hath been his counselor? Who hath first given to him? And it shall be recompense to him again. For of him and through him and to Him are all things to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
And then he says, I beseech you, therefore you can't separate these two chapters. I know the translators put those those chapter breaks in. We're thankful for them, but this one gets in the way. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
May I say that our difficulty may very well come right down to this.
We're not offering our bodies as a living sacrifice.
He gave everything for us.
Are we giving everything for him?
Well, it says it's our reasonable service or it's our intelligence service. We should be able to do the math as worshippers and realize who this person is that we belong to. I was thinking about it as some of the things that were came before our hearts and minds just.
Stress the limits of our minds and our hearts that we've had in these readings.
And I thought to myself in sorrow, how I spend much of my time.
When this is where it's going.
And we're going to be in that glory, having the glory of God.
And having that person before us without a veil, the king in all his beauty, without a veil is seen, Sammy Rutherford said. Anyway, that's where I think the gift, the exercise of gift needs to come from, from a place of worship. Worship precedes service.
Someone said it very well, that's a could be quoted, should be quoted about how that when our state of soul gets a little weak and forgive me for not being able to quote it, but our worship lags.
And then we bolster up service, but there's not a lot of energy to keep that going too long. And so the service goes too. And then there's a flat line.
How many of you?
Am I pretty much like that?
You know these are real questions.
This is a challenge for your heart and for mind, your conscience and mind. First Corinthians, chapter 12.
Verse four. There are diversities or distinctions of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are distinctions of administrations or services of the same Lord, and there are diversities or distinctions of operations, but the same God, which worketh all, and all but the manifestation of the Spirit.
Is given to some of us to profit with all.
00:40:05
That's a bad translation, isn't it?
The manifestation of the spirit is to is given to each or actually the new translation. I didn't bring it up here. I didn't bring my handbook, didn't bring my new translation. But I do have a device, but it takes too long for me because I'm old to find the new translation on it. So you can look that up. It's very plain. It's to each, to everyone.
And it's for profit. That's what you've been given a gift for is for profit.
And I'm not going to suggest what your gift is. No one should be doing that. If there were an apostle here today, he could maybe certify it. But that that's not the case.
And so let's give in to every man to profit with all. Now let's go to verse 11. But all these worketh that one and self same Spirit dividing to every man severally as he will. We exercise our gifts independence upon the Lord Jesus Christ as led by the Spirit of God.
The Spirit of God as we know and I'm I'm just singing to the choir, I realize, but.
The Spirit of God is that divine person that dwells within us and is the power for exercising our gifts.
And he is the one who's able to direct.
I have to tell you that.
These addresses at a conference like this for me are very, very difficult because I'm a hell. I don't know if I have 5 smooth stones in my pocket, but I have a couple and then I have some rather rough ones and I of course go for the smooth stones once they're well worked over and often times like.
Today the Lord or the Spirit of God directs no, no, no, take this other one.
It's not ready, Lord.
Take that one. And so I beg your forgiveness for the lack of preparedness, because I want to talk about preparedness too.
And but that's just how it is. The Spirit of God is.
Is competent to direct.
The use of the gift and we can depend upon him for it. Let us not claim no gift. And it doesn't mean that gift is always public speaking. There is no gift of public speaking. Now there are those that may speak publicly that have very little ability for it, I can tell you.
That just for your encouragement that I used to stutter so bad.
That I remember in about grade five or six, you know, I used to have to read down and you got your reader and it's coming down toward me and you have to read your little portion. Well, I started reading my portion and I said, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. The first word was what? But I couldn't get that out. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. And every, the whole class is looking at me and I actually passed out.
And from that time on, and you may laugh, but it's not funny.
It really is not because what that develops in your soul and it's a soul thing. It's not really with me. It was not really a physical thing. It was a soul thing. I had fears that in in speaking.
And speaking publicly, Come on. But coming up to some friends at school?
And it was terribly embarrassing, but it got it got really deep in my soul.
Well, I can just, I just want to mention this to you just for the sake of encouragement.
That some of you know Norman Berry.
I love that brother. He's a Canadian man. He was a Canadian and he came to Vancouver, the meeting rooms in Vancouver in those days and he.
We're in a prayer meeting for the gospel. And I, by this time I had learned to pray with my face down. And if I took a deep breath and then exhaled and began to talk, I could talk and get going. But it's a terrible thing. So face down dark, it's all good. So going up the stairs and he turned on to me and said, young man, you will open the gospel meeting tonight.
00:45:09
The Lord needed to come right there.
But the Lord didn't come right then. You know this. We talked about the mercy.
Of the coming of the Lord. That would have been a mercy, but so.
I I said to the Lord, Lord, I know that these dear brethren here love me.
And they all would like to hear me do this. I know I can't, but Lord please just help me to get through this. So somehow I managed to go up and I gave out to him. I didn't stutter to do the hymn.
And then you know, you have to pray.
And I was able to pray and never stutter.
And I don't know what came over me other than he that directs.
And a scripture came before me. So I read the scripture.
And made a little feeble comment and sat down. And I've never studied since.
So I just want to say to you that he that directs the gift, the Spirit of God that lives within us is one of the persons of the Godhead.
We talk about the love of the Father, the love of the Lord Jesus Christ, but the Spirit of God that lives within you loves you, and that loving Spirit wants to use you through a gift that He has given you.
But all these worketh that one and self same spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.
This is this is awesome. These are facts. These are not theories. These are facts and we can practice the truth of God. You know, it's a, it's a solemn thing that everything that we have been given to hold in terms of doctrine, truth of God is God is designed to be practiced. Let us not divorce what we hold in our minds from what we practice.
Well, I have now 9 minutes left and I would like to give some a few comments.
OK, Second Kings chapter 4.
I'd like to make a few practical comments just about some very downward things as to how we function and just some helps because.
I don't know if if have you ever been in a situation like this? Let's read this and maybe you can tell me. I have Second Kings chapter 4 verse 38. Elijah came again to Gilgal and there was a dearth in the land. That's a famine. And the sons of the prophets were sitting before him. And he said unto the servant said on the great pot and seed pottage for the sons of the prophets.
Now.
That is such a difficult time. It's a famine and there's no food. But they've all come together and they they're expecting to eat. And we're going to use this as a, as a, as a symbol or as a type, as a little picture, word picture of what we might experience in the local assembly. And So what does the prophet do? He says set on the great pot and seed pottage for the sons of the prophets.
Problem is they don't have anything.
Now, how many times have you come? We're going to have an open meeting.
We don't have any.
But we sat on the great pot anyway.
You know you can do something else.
And you know, we've done it at home, I'm sorry to say. We don't put on the great pot anymore. We don't announce.
A open meeting.
And not complaining against anybody because I'm responsible for that.
This is called a famine. This is called a dearth.
Well, the Lord knows about this. Verse 42 And there came a man from bail, Shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the first fruits, 20 loaves of barley, full ears of corn, the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people that they may eat. And his servator that was probably Gehazi, said, What should I set this before 100 men? And he said, again, Give you the people that they may eat. It reminds me of the Lord.
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When he's got all these people there, he's ministered to him and then he says to disciple.
Give them to eat.
We don't have anything.
Ah, the Lord sent a little boy who prepared. I love that.
A little boy prepared. What did he do? He prepared a little lunch for himself. Actually, if you looked at it was a pretty big lunch.
You know, even though it was meager for all this multitude of people, but.
It's kind of the same. Give the people that they may eat, thus saith the Lord, they shall eat and shall leave thereof. So he said it before them, and they did eat and left thereof according to the word of the Lord. Doesn't say 12 baskets here, but it's kind of a similar scenario.
And that is what we can expect from the Lord, but he wants to use prepared souls.
Now there's a bit of a wrench gets thrown into the works here. Let's go back and you notice I skipped some verses. Let's go back and read those verses.
They're a little bit rude really, but verse 39 and one went out into the field to gather herbs. Now those who are familiar with the the types of Scripture would know that the field is a type of this world. It's a type. It's a picture of 1 going out into the world, bringing in worldly principles into the.
Assembly reading meeting, we're going to look at as a picture of that.
One went out into the field to gather herbs. He found a wild vine. Wow. www.whatever. Or you know, the Christian bookstore or whatever it is, and gathered thereof. Wild gourds. His lap full. You know they were easy to get.
You know, Dollar 99 on sale.
Four ways to to.
Make your marriage more happy and let's bring that to the meeting. You know, four ways to whatever 12 steps for this.
And he wild gerdes, and he came and shred them into the pot of pottage, for they knew them not.
You know it's he shred them in and you couldn't really figure out what was what. You know what this man did. You know what these were? Darby calls them a call. I can't even say the word. You could look it up, call a synth or something like that. But I looked it up and forgive me for this, but.
It's a laxative.
And it's a very powerful laxative.
140th of an ounce is considered a dose to completely clean your system up.
So this well meaning brother goes out into the field and gathers these gourds, these things, and they're apparently like a lemon and he shred them in the pot, a whole lot of them.
Well, it's no wonder that the brethren cried out. Ah.
They said, O thou man of God, there is death in the thought.
We don't need to use too much imagination here. This would have been absolutely horrible. That's what happens. This is a type of very. It's a well, it's a powerful type of a principle warning us. Don't do this. Be careful where you gather.
To bring into the assembly. Should you gather? Should you prepare?
Yes.
We're not going to turn to it, but in the book of Ruth.
Boaz said to Ruth. Don't go and gather in any other field. You know there was only one field that had a Boaz in it.
His authority?
And his person was there actually in our time is gone. I book of Ruth. I'm going to just this one thing there that is just so precious to me.
Chapter 2, Verse 19 Our mother-in-law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned today?
Where wrought us thou, blessed be he that to take knowledge of thee. And she showed her mother-in-law with whom she had wrought, and she said.
The man's name with whom I wrought today is bars.
That, to me is just absolutely profound.
Can you admit?
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The blessedness of being gathered to the Lord's name on the ground of the one body, to be gathered where He is in the midst, and to be ministered to by Him. I wish I could spend some time here. I can't. Our time is gone. These clocks are a problem. But.
Maybe that's not the problem.
Anyway, there are I wanted to share that with with you that there are resources.
There are helps these days.
One of the things, you know, we're all different, but a wide margin Bible has been such a help to me. I have a mind like a sieve. I don't retain things. I try to write everything down. I try to get things down into an outline like Paul told Timothy, and I try to get them in my Bible. We need to have easy ways for us these days when we're so busy to recall.
And to capture and to store.
Be very careful where you're going out gathering.
You have BTP online resources now.
That are very very easy to navigate. You really don't need to go anywhere else.
We you have healing.org.
We have recorded ministry.com.
Whose faith follow? Are you all using these resources?
Are you filling your mind with these things? Do you have online Bible running in your on your iPhone or have you got something else? Don't bring that something else and shred it into the pot.
We need pure food and pure resources. May the Lord help us. We must exercise our gifts.
In obedience to Him, the question is, what have we got?
We don't have a lot of time. Let's go get it. It's it's going to take time. And if the Lord leaves us here, let's be diligent, let's go deep, let's get what we can and let's share it.
Let's get our egos out of the way and use it. We've been at home.
Doing YouTube videos, you can go to recordedministry.com, you'll get a link there or you can go straight to YouTube and and just type in recorded ministry and you'll come up with.
Some videos and they can be a help to you. There's one video I'm going to suggest before we close and that is our brother Bruce here gave an address on.
The four evidences of the nearness of the Lord's coming.
And.
That I was there. But I've watched the video many times and it's it's becoming more and more precious to me. Brethren, we're almost there.
Probably today.
But if not, let's go home in the power of the Spirit and do what we should do.
He'll give us the strength and the love and the power for it. Let's pray our God and our loving Father.
We thank Thee for all that thou hast done. We thank thee for the privilege of being here these few days and to be with those of like precious faith, to be over thy precious word, to be in a place and in a situation where all the truth of God can be preached, can be taught.
Without apology.
And we're sorry for our apologies.
Lord, please help us to be faithful to Thee. We thank Thee for all that Thou has given. We thank Thee for the gifts that thou has given to each one of us. Help us to go forward in obedience to Thee, to exercise those gifts for the benefit of our dear brothers and sisters in Christ and for Thy name's sake. Lord Jesus, we do give thee thanks. We depend upon the Lord Jesus. We long to see Thee even today.
Amen.