Search for a Scripturally Gathered Assembly: A Profile of a Scriptural Assembly
Stanley Bruce Anstey
Table of Contents
A Prefatory Note
The subject of what entails a Scriptural assembly was originally taken up by the author in a series of addresses in Tacoma, Washington (January 2010). It was not possible at that time to be as thorough as one would have liked, due to the medium of public addresses. Hence, this publication has afforded the author an opportunity to expand on his remarks somewhat and thus treat the subject more fully.
It is our sincere desire that the points covered in this book will be “light in the darkness” for all who are searching for the truth on this subject (Psa. 112:4). Our prayer is that the reader would gain a better understanding of the truth of the Church and of the practical arrangements involved in a Scripturally gathered assembly, and it would result in a willingness to put these things into practise.
It should be understood by all, however, that there is a cost involved in practising these truths. Every Christian who would take up with these principles needs to be prepared to endure the “reproach” that comes with it (Heb. 13:13). The Lord values each and every Christian who has paid a price for the truth, and He will reward them accordingly in the coming day. “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” (Rev. 3:11).
It is out of deep love and affection for the Church of God at large, and a desire to be a help to all true Christians, that this present publication is sent forth.
March 2010
Introduction
If a fellow Christian came to you and told you that he was looking for a good “Bible-based” church to attend—and he was genuinely seeking God’s will in the matter—what would you say to him? This is a searching question. First of all, I think I would commend him for having such an exercise, because most Christians today, it seems, are unconcerned about where or how God would have them to meet together for worship and ministry. To come in contact with a person who was concerned about it is quite rare indeed, but it certainly is a good and healthy exercise for all Christians to have.
In trying to help a person who is genuinely seeking the will of God in this matter, I would avoid, as much as possible, putting down the various Christian denominations and groups in Christendom. This tends to put people on the defensive, and it can get them into an argumentative frame of mind—and we all know that very little that is profitable is conveyed in an argument.
Many Christian leaders would tell such a person, “Go to the church of your choice.” This, I believe, is a mistake, because it gets a person thinking on a wrong line. Hearing such a comment, he might ask himself, "What kind of a church fellowship would I like?" Or, "What kind of a church group would I do best in?" I don’t feel right about telling my friend to pick a church that he likes, because it makes the matter a choice of the individual, and I don’t see in the Word of God that it is a matter of our choice. God has a simple pattern in His Word as to how He would have Christians to meet together for worship and ministry; the choice is really not left up to us at all. It is God’s way for Christian worship and ministry that our friend should be seeking; therefore, I could not, with a good conscience, tell him to go out and choose a Christian church fellowship that merely pleased him.
Nor would I say to my friend, “Oh, come with us because we do it the right way.” I wouldn’t do that because I want him to get the truth from God directly so that he would not just be following me. If I, or anyone else, coerced him—regardless of how sincere our motives may be—when a time of testing came as to holding and walking in the truth of how Christians should gather for worship and ministry, he would likely let go of it, because at the bottom of it, it was just me who had convinced him of it. I wouldn’t want anyone to go away saying, “Bruce says this ... ” and “Bruce believes that ... ”—as if that were the standard. Even if what I told him was the truth, I don’t think that it would be a lasting work in his soul if he didn’t get it from God.
The Two Great Resources of the Christian
Therefore, I would say, as the Apostle Paul said to the Ephesian elders, “Now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the Word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified” (Acts 20:32). There are two things in this verse that I would draw his attention to:
• Commending a person “to God,” which implies going to Him directly in prayer and seeking His will in the matter.
• Commending a person “to the Word of His grace,” which is, of course, would be consulting the Holy Scriptures for light and guidance.
Prayer and the Word of God, therefore, are the two great resources that we have to guide and instruct us in the path of faith. It’s true that the Lord may use a human instrument to help us in the truth (Acts 8:31), but ultimately we need to get it from Him. God wants us to have the “truth” in our “inward parts”—then we’ll really have it, and we won’t let go of it later (Psa. 51:6). The Lord warned that if we don’t learn the truth rightly, it could be taken away from us. He said, “Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have” (Luke 8:18). This shows that those who merely know the truth in an intellectual way, but have not really made it their own, could have it taken away. Therefore, I would encourage my friend to get it from the Lord—then he’d really have it. When testing and trial comes, he will hold fast those things and will not be moved from them, because he has bought the truth and will not sell it (Prov. 23:23).
Willingness to Do God’s Will
Another thing I would emphasize to my seeking friend is that searching for the truth is a rewarding exercise. God will not disappoint us if we are genuinely committed to doing His will. The Lord said, “If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine” (John 7:17). The condition placed on this promise is that we must be willing to “do” His will. It is not enough that we would want to know God’s will; we need to be willing to do His will. In one sense, I suppose that everybody wants to know God’s will, but doing it is another thing.
This means that we need to have a pre-disposition of heart that we will do God’s will—whatever it may be—even if it runs in collision with our personal desires and ideas. This is a great point to reach in our souls—being willing to do His will, even if it hurts. The Lord will guide this kind of a person into the truth. “The meek will He guide in judgment: and the meek will He teach His way” (Psa. 25)
Having an Understanding of the Times
Another thing I would tell my friend is that we need to have an understanding of the times. In 1 Timothy 4:1-2, Paul said, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.’’ He wanted Timothy to know that there was a time coming when those in the Christian profession would turn away their ears from hearing the truth (2 Tim. 4:3-4). We don’t have to be a genius to know that we live in those times; one look around at things in Christianity today should convince us.
My point in mentioning this to my friend is that he needs to know that there has been much departure from the truth of God in the Christian profession in this present day. As a result, very little of what passes as Christianity today resembles the Christianity that we read of in the Bible. Therefore, it would be of little use for him to look at the present state of disordered Christendom to find the truth.
This means that we need to understand where we are in Church history. It’s kind of like going into a big shopping mall. The first thing you come across upon entering the mall is a directory, which will have a map of all the stores in the mall and paths to show the way to get to them. At the bottom of the map there will be a star with the words written, “YOU ARE HERE.” In these big malls you have to get your bearings as to where you are before you can determine where you want to go. And it’s the same when it comes to the confusion in the house of God today—we need to know where we are before we can know where we need to go.
To this end, Paul said to Timothy, “This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes” (2 Timothy 1:15). He wanted Timothy to know the character of the day in which he was called to serve the Lord. Some Christians, even in those early times, did not want what Paul taught—and especially so when it came to the truth of the Church and its practical arrangements for worship and ministry. It is equally important for us to know the day in which we live. We are not in Pentecostal times, or even in times of great revival, as in the 1800s when there was a great interest in the truth. We are living in “the last days” (2 Tim. 3:1-8) when everything is upside down in the Christian profession, and there is much departure from the truth everywhere—both in principle and in practice. If there were Christians who didn't want what Paul taught in that day, we can be sure that there are many more in these last days who do not want it. He, and the Apostle Peter, said that the mass of the Christian profession in the last days would turn away their ears from the truth (2 Tim. 4:2-4; 2 Peter 2:1-2).
Separation in the House of God
I would hasten to tell my seeking friend that he need not despair on account of the great departure and confusion in Christendom, because God has anticipated the ruin and has graciously made a provision for such a day in what could be called, “the relief epistles.” These are the “second” epistles in our Bibles—2 Corinthians, 2 Thessalonians, 2 Timothy, etc. These epistles deal with the ruin that has come into the Christian profession and order the believer’s path in relation to it. There are two things in particular that are prominent in each of these “second” epistles:
• Failure in the Christian testimony in one way or another.
• The need to separate oneself from the error that has come in.
This means that we need to recognize the departure in the house of God for what it is, and separate from it. In doing that, God will give us light for the next step in the path. A passage from one of the “second” epistles that I would direct my friend to is 2 Timothy 2:19-22. “Let every one who names the name of the Lord withdraw from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also wooden and earthen; and some to honour and some to dishonour. If therefore one shall have purified himself from these, in separating himself from them, he shall be a vessel to honour, sanctified, serviceable to the Master, prepared for every good work. But youthful lusts flee, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, with those that call upon the Lord out of a pure heart.” Note the order here; the exercise is first to separate from everything in the great house (the Christian profession) that is inconsistent with the Lord, and then we will be given light in the path to find “those” with whom we can walk and have fellowship, who “call upon the Lord out of a pure heart.” This order is found throughout Scripture—separating first from what we know to be wrong, and then, finding the right path that is according to the truth (Isa. 1:16-17; Psa. 34:14; Rom. 12:9; 13:12; 1 Peter 3:11; 3 John 11).
Therefore, I would encourage my friend to act on the light that he has, and separate from what he sees in the churches that is inconsistent with the Word of God, and the Lord will give him further light in the path. Abraham passed through similar exercises when he “went out, not knowing whither he went” (Heb. 11:8). When he answered the call of God, and made that step, God guided him to the place where He wanted him to be. However, he would not have been guided to that place if he had not taken that first step.
A Return to First Principles in the Word
Another passage from one of the “second” epistles that I would direct my friend to is 2 John 6-7. It gives us another important guiding principle for these days. It says, “And this is love, that we walk after His commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.” The point here is that in days of departure, when there are “many deceivers” out there, the thing to do is to get back to what is “from the beginning.” We need to get back to first principles in the Word and have them as our guide. It would be hopeless to look anywhere else.
Because there has been a great departure from the Word of God in the Christian world, I would encourage my friend to sweep every pre-conceived idea he may have off the board, and “start from scratch” in his search for a Scripturally gathered assembly. Nor do I believe that “church-hopping” is the way for a person to be led in this exercise; he would probably get more confused than ever. The way to search for the truth on this subject is by going to the Word of God itself and learning what God has to say about it. I would, therefore, encourage my friend to search the Scriptures. This is a search that must be carried out on our knees in dependence on the Lord.
Two Parts to the Subject of Gathering Together for Worship and Ministry
I believe that searching for a Scripturally gathered assembly is a two-fold exercise. First, we need to see the pattern for a local assembly in the Word of God, and then secondly, we need to understand something of the Spirit’s work in gathering Christians together to where the truth of the assembly is practiced. The pattern for a Christian assembly is found predominantly in 1st Corinthians, as far as its order is concerned, but a number of other epistles in the New Testament, such as 1st Timothy and Hebrews, are helpful too. There are also many instructive illustrations in the book of the Acts.
As a means of helping a searching person for the truth on this subject, in Part One of this book, we will look into the Scriptures to see God’s pattern for Christians meeting together for worship and ministry. In Part Two, we will consider the Spirit’s work in leading exercised Christians to the place where the truth of the assembly is practiced.
A Profile of a Scriptural Assembly
For an introductory verse regarding the pattern for a Scriptural assembly, turn with me to Ezekiel 43:10: “Thou son of man, show the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern.” I refer to this verse for its typical or figurative meaning. Ezekiel had been given “the pattern” for God’s house in the preceding chapters (40-42), and now he was to give it to the children of Israel. The purpose of this was to cause them to see how far off they had gotten from God’s mind and ideal, and that they would be “ashamed [confounded] of their iniquities” in departing from God’s order for Judaic worship. Similarly, if we saw the simple pattern in God’s Word as to how Christians are to truly meet together for worship and ministry, we would be quite amazed at how far off Christendom in general has gotten from God’s order. We might well ask, “Where have all these things that we take for granted in Christendom come from, when there is not a hint of it in the Scriptures?” We are referring to the sectarian names, the magnificent cathedrals, the clergy as distinct from the laity, the robes on the Ministers and choir members, the steeples and crosses on the buildings, the prearranged worship services, the orchestras, the pre-written prayers, the women preaching in the pulpits, the tithing, the seminaries, etc. Again, we ask, "Where have all these things come from?"
It was not enough that Ezekiel should “show” the people the pattern of the house, the Lord wanted the people to “measure” it for themselves. This is a good and healthy exercise for each seeker of the truth. It’s one thing to have someone tell us about the Scriptural pattern for Christian worship in the Word of God, and in that way to have it shown to us. But we also need to have a personal acquaintance with it by getting involved in the study of those things for ourselves. In this way, we measure it for ourselves, and thus have a better understanding of it. We will then have something to follow as a pattern in our search for a Scriptural assembly.
Ten Salient Features
A person might feel a little overwhelmed as to where he ought to start in this search in the Bible, the Word of God. This is understandable. To help our readers “cut to the chase” in this rather monumental task, the following pages in Part One present ten salient features that mark a Scriptural assembly. Then, in Part Two, two more features are given, presenting the truth of gathering, from God's side.
Number One: A Scriptural Assembly Will Meet Simply in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ
The first prominent feature of a Scripturally gathered assembly is that it will meet simply in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Matthew 18:20, the Lord said, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” He said this to His disciples in view of the Church being formed on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Then later, after the Church was formed, we read in 1 Corinthians 5:4, “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ ... ” These two passages indicate that the will of God for the Church when it gathers together for worship, ministry, and administrative actions, is that it should do so in "the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." A Scripturally gathered assembly today will observe this and will keep itself free of sectarian and denominational names, because all such titles divide the Church outwardly into sections which denies the truth that it is the “one body” of Christ (Rom. 12:5; 1 Cor. 12:12-13; Eph. 4:4). More will be said about the Church expressing the unity of the body of Christ in chapter nine.
Meeting in the Lord's name does not mean that a Christian assembly should put up a sign at its meeting place stating the words, "THE LORD JESUS CHRIST," and call the church gathering by that name. Such would be using the Lord's name as a sectarian title, which Scripture decries (1 Cor. 1:12). We do not read in the Bible that the early Church took any name other than the Lord's, and that only informally; they had no formal title.
The Name of Christ is the Christian’s Gathering Center For Worship and Ministry
Scripture tells us that God thinks so much of His Son that He has set the highest value on His name. “God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9-11). This being so, God has made Christ’s name the CENTER to which He would have Christians gather (Matt. 18:20; 1 Cor. 5:4).
As mentioned already, when believers in the Bible met together for worship and ministry, they did so simply as members of the body of Christ (1 Cor. 10:16-17). When the erring Corinthians tried to rally themselves in divisions under the names of certain gifted men or Church leaders, it was denounced as being “carnal” (1 Cor. 1:10-13; 3:4). Such sectarian party lines in the early Church were decried—and they still should be today.
What must angels think, knowing and delighting in the exalted name of Jesus, when they see Christians coming together for worship on earth bearing all sorts of denominational and non-denominational names? God sets the highest value on the name of His Son, but we hear men saying that it doesn't really matter what name you bear as long as we all believe in the Lord. We ask, “What authority from Scripture do Christian organizations have for naming their church fellowships on national lines (i.e. the Church of England), ordinances (i.e. Baptist), forms of Church government (i.e. Episcopal, Presbyterian, Congregationalist), or gifted men (i.e. Martin Luther—Lutheran, Menno Simons—Mennonite)?” The sects that we see in Christendom today with their many names may well have been formed with good intentions, but they have no Scriptural basis.
The name of Christ is supreme in heaven. When we get there, there won’t be a sign put up for the Baptists and another for the Pentecostals, etc. All such denominational names will fall at once, and Christ’s name will stand supreme. A point that many Christians miss is that God would have it to be so now among Christians on earth! We know this because the Lord taught His disciples to pray, “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). The Lord commended the assembly in Philadelphia because it did not deny His name (Rev. 3:8), and an assembly that does that today will also have His approval. Therefore, a Scriptural assembly will disown all other names, which only tend to displace Christ’s peerless name, and it will meet simply in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It will have no formal title.
Christians, accustomed to traditional church order, might think it a bit strange for an assembly not to have a denominational name. But it is a Scriptural thing. The believers at Antioch were simply called “Christians” (Acts 11:26), which means, “Christ’s ones.” They didn't take that name formally; they were actually called that by the world. To take a name as an ecclesiastical “handle” denies “that worthy name” (James 2:7).
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Summary: A Scripturally gathered assembly will keep itself free from all sectarian names and will meet simply in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Number Two: A Scriptural Assembly Will Meet According to Principles That Are Separate and Distinct From Judaism
The second outstanding feature that will mark a Scripturally gathered assembly is that it will be free from all Judaistic principles and practices in its worship and ministry. The reason for this is that the Church is a new departure in the ways of God, and being such, it is not an extension of Judaism in a new form. The Church is a heavenly company of believers, having heavenly hopes and a heavenly destiny—and it also has a heavenly character of worship. Israel, on the other hand, had an God-ordained earthly religion (Judaism) because they are an earthly people having earthly hopes and an earthly destiny. Being such, Israel's way of approaching God in worship in Judaism is entirely different from the new and living way in Christianity (Heb. 10:19-22). To mix the two orders of worship is to misunderstand God's distinctive purpose in each (Heb. 13:10), and it results in confusion, spoiling both (Luke 5:36-39).
The first mention of the Church is when the Lord announced to His disciples, “I will build My Church” (Matt. 16:18). The fact that He said, “I will ... ” shows that it was not even in existence at that time. It is an entirely new thing altogether that did not begin until the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit of God came down and united the believers together to Christ in heaven.
One great key to understanding what the Church is, is to see that it forms no part of the Old Testament revelation. Christ and His Church is God’s great “mystery” (Eph. 5:32). A mystery, in the Biblical use of the word, does not mean something mysterious and hard to understand, but a “secret” that God has kept hidden from before the world was made (Rom. 16:25; Eph. 3:4-6; Col. 1:26-27). This great secret revealed in Christianity is that when Israel’s Messiah (Christ) would reign over all the works of His hands, as promised in the Old Testament, He would have a complement at His side—the Church, His body and bride. God’s purpose is to glorify Christ in the world to come in two spheres (heaven and earth) through this specially formed heavenly vessel of testimony—the Church. Today God is gathering the material that will compose that special vessel by the call of the gospel. Believers from among the Jews and Gentiles are being saved and made part of this new heavenly company. This secret is something that was not revealed in the Old Testament, but was hidden in the heart of God (Eph. 3:9; Col. 1:26). Those in other ages knew nothing of it, for it did not even begin until the day of Pentecost.
Therefore, when looking into God’s Word for the pattern for a Scriptural assembly, we must look at the New Testament—and particularly, the epistles. First Corinthians and 1 Timothy are especially helpful. The book of the Acts also has many practical illustrations of the truth of the Church. Seeing then that the truth of the Church is not in the Old Testament, we shouldn’t turn to it to learn how the Church should meet for worship and ministry. This is an extremely important point; it is something that most Christians have misunderstood.
We are not saying that Christians shouldn’t read the Old Testament. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). “Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Rom. 15:4). Even though the Old Testament was not written to us as Christians directly, it was written “for” us. There is much instruction in it as to the moral ways of God with men. But it is of utmost importance for us to see that, apart from moral issues (for they never change with God) the way Christians are to read and apply the Old Testament is for its typical meaning. The things that are recorded in the Old Testament Scriptures are types and figures for us as Christians (1 Cor. 10:11; Heb. 8:5; 9:9, 23-24; 10:1; 11:19; 1 Cor. 9:9-10; Gal. 4:24; Rom. 4:23; 5:14).
Judaism is Not A Pattern For Christian Worship
Unfortunately, the churches in Christendom have ignored the plain teaching of Scripture that says that the tabernacle is a figure of the true sanctuary into which Christians now have access by the Spirit (Heb. 9:8-9, 23-24). Instead, they have used the Old Testament tabernacle and temple as a pattern for their churches. They have borrowed many things in a literal sense from that Judaic order for their places of worship and religious services. In doing so, the figurative meaning of those things has been lost from sight.
The following is a list of some of the things that the Church has borrowed from Judaism.
• The use of literal temples and cathedrals for places of worship.
• A special caste of men who officiate on behalf of the congregation.
• The use of musical instruments to aid worship.
• The use of a choir.
• The use of incense to create a spiritual atmosphere.
• The use of religious robes on the “Ministers” and choir members.
• The use of a literal (non-sacrificial) altar.
• The practice of tithing.
• The observance of holy days and religious festivals.
• A registry of names of the congregation.
It is true that many of these Judaic things have been altered somewhat to fit into a Christian context, but they still have the trappings of Judaism. This kind of Jewish influence of principles and practices has permeated the Church. Much of it has been around in Christianity for so long that it has become accepted by the masses as God’s ideal. Most think that it is good to have this Judeo-Christian mixture. Covenant Theology (an erroneous system of Bible interpretation that promotes this melding of what Judaic and Christian) is prevalent in Christendom. Unfortunately, mixing these two distinct orders of approach to God has destroyed the distinctness of each, and what has resulted from the mixture is neither Jewish nor Christian.
Two Contrasting Orders
As mentioned earlier, Judaism and Christianity are contrasting orders of approach to God, and God does not intend for them to be mixed together. Judaism is an earthly way of approaching God in worship for an earthly people with earthly hopes, and an earthly inheritance (Heb. 9:1). Christianity, on the other hand, is a heavenly order of worship for a heavenly people who have heavenly hopes, and a heavenly inheritance and destiny (Heb. 3:1; Col. 1:5; Phil. 3:20; 1 Peter 1:4). We are not saying that one is bad and the other is good. They are both God-ordained ways of approaching Him in worship. The point is that they are not to be mixed.
God’s dealings with Israel nationally are in abeyance at this time (Rom. 9-11). During this present period of grace, He is visiting the Gentiles “to take out of them a people for His name” who would compose His new vessel of testimony—the Church (Acts 15:14). Being a new and heavenly company, the Church has an entirely different order of worship, which is in keeping with its heavenly calling. It does not need the forms and ritual that marks Judaism to worship God.
The Transition From Judaism to Christianity
Let’s look at some passages that indicate the transition from Judaism to Christianity. Turn first of all to Luke 5:36-39; “And He spake also a parable unto them; no man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved. No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.” The Lord indicated here that there was a new order coming in, and it was not to be mixed with the old, otherwise both would be spoiled. The main point to see in this parable is that the new order was not an extension of the old order in Judaism, but an entirely new thing that required an entirely new setting. Verse 39 shows that it would take those who have been accustomed to the old order some time for them to appreciate the new. Being affectionately attached to that outward order of worship in Judaism, which appeals to the natural senses, a person does not let go of it easily.
In John 4:21-24, we get a little more. “Woman, believe Me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth.” The Lord mentions three significant things here that would mark the change from the old order of worship in Judaism to the new order in Christianity.
• There would be a new place of worship that was neither in “this mountain” (Gerizim), nor in “Jerusalem.” Hebrews 8:2; 9:11, 23-24; and 10:19-22 indicate that it is in the heavenly sanctuary in the immediate presence of God—though it is not mentioned here. Hence, there would be a cessation of an earthly geographic center for worship.
• There was a new revelation of the Person worshipped. In Judaism God was worshipped as Jehovah, but now in Christianity He is to be worshipped as “the Father” of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a more intimate relationship.
• There would be a new character of worship. The worship in Judaism was earthly and tangible, carried out through a system of rituals and ceremonies, but the new order of approach to God in Christianity would be purely a spiritual thing. Believers would now worship the Father in “spirit” and according to the new revelation of “truth.”
In Christianity, we offer up “spiritual sacrifices” which are aided by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 2:5; Phil. 3:3) in contrast to “carnal ordinances” of the Judaic order (Heb. 9:10). And we do it in the immediate presence of God (Heb. 10:19). This is a blessing that Israel did not have. Since Christians are to worship “in spirit and in truth,” we can sit quietly in a chair, and there could be produced in our souls and spirits true praise to God the Father by the Holy Spirit. This is true heavenly worship. In heaven there will be no need for outward mechanical things in the worship of God, as in Judaism. Christianity has no need for those things, for we can worship God by the Spirit in that heavenly way now (Phil. 3:3).
Jewish worship appeals to the senses, being an earthly and sensual means of approaching God. It is stimulated by:
• Sight—i.e. the grandeur of the temple (1 Kings 10:4-5; Mark 13:1; Luke 21:5).
• Smell—i. e. the burning incense that made a compelling atmosphere (Ex. 30:34-38).
• Taste—i.e. eating the sacrifices (Deut. 14:26).
• Hearing—i.e. beautiful music produced by the orchestra and accompaniment of the choir (1 Chron. 25:1, 3, 6-7).
• Touch—i.e. participating in the offerings in a physical way, i.e. dancing and lifting up hands (2 Sam. 6:13-14; 1 Kings 8:22).
It is significant that we do not find anywhere in the book of the Acts, or in the epistles, that Christians worshipped the Lord using rituals and outward mechanical means, such as musical instruments. The only two instruments that Christians are found using in worship in Scripture are their “hearts” (Col. 3:16; Eph. 5:19) and their “lips” (Hebrews 13:15).
The outline of the gospel of Matthew indicates this same dispensational transition from Judaism to Christianity. This is seen in the symbolic actions and parabolic teachings of the Lord. This gospel was written specifically to the Jews with these things in view, because they naturally would have a difficulty with this change in the ways of God. The gospel records the guilt of the Jews in rejecting their Messiah. The Spirit of God, who knew God’s ways from eternity, foresaw Christ’s rejection by the people and wrote the gospel with a dispensational order in mind. The many pictures presented to us in the gospel show that when the people would reject the Lord, God would set the nation aside for a time, and reach out to the Gentiles and bring them into blessing in the Church. This did not happen during the Lord’s lifetime, but the outline of the gospel indicates that there would be a new departure in the ways of God to Christianity.
In chapter 4, the Lord went forth to announce to the nation that He would set up “the kingdom of heaven” in power, and bring in the great blessings promised by the prophets. In chapters 5-7, He taught the moral standards of the kingdom in His “Sermon on the Mount.” Chapters 8-9 present twelve incidents where the Lord demonstrates “the powers of the world to come” (Heb. 6:5), confirming His power to bring in the kingdom as promised by the prophets. In chapter 10 the Lord sent out the apostles to preach the gospel of the kingdom and call the nation to receive its King. In the next two chapters (11-12), the Spirit of God gives the results of the message; both John the Baptist and the Lord are rejected by the common people in Galilee (chap. 11) and the leaders of the nation in Judea (chap. 12). The latter committed the unpardonable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, sealing the nation’s doom.
This being the case, the Lord made several symbolic actions in the 12th and 13th chapters to indicate that His links with the nation would be severed, and it would be temporarily set aside in God’s governmental dealings. This setting aside historically took place in Acts 7 when the leaders of the nation (the Sanhedrin) stoned Stephen as a formal answer to having Christ reign over them (Luke 19:14). It is indicated at this point in Matthew’s gospel by the following things:
First, there were two incidents where the Lord and His disciples seemingly desecrated the Sabbath—eating corn and healing a person (Matt. 12:1-13). Since the nation had rejected Him, the covenant the Lord had with the nation was broken. Hence, the Sabbath which was the seal of that relationship (Ex. 31:12-17), no longer had its claims. The Lord’s actions on the Sabbath demonstrated this fact.
Then, from that time forward, the Lord would no longer lift up His voice in the streets to preach the glad tidings of the kingdom (Matt. 12:14-21). This was because the kingdom in its power and glory would no longer, be offered to the nation. Hereafter, the kingdom is not said to be “at hand,” as was the case in the earlier chapters. In keeping with this the Lord charged His disciples to “not make Him known” from that time forward (Matt. 12:16; 16:20; 17:9).
Furthermore, the Lord refused to give the people any further signs of His Messiahship (Matt. 12:38-45). He told them that their unbelief was so deep it would eventually manifest itself in the nation receiving the Antichrist, and that their last state would be worse than the first (the idolatry of their pre-Babylonian captivity idolatry).
The Lord then proceeded to refuse the claims of His mother and His brethren. This, too, was a symbolic action that indicated the severing of His natural ties with the nation (Matt. 12:46-50).
Finally, the Lord went “out of the house” where He had been teaching the people (Matt. 13:1). This again symbolized the break with the nation.
Then in chapters 12-16, the Lord withdrew from the mass of the people (chap. 12:15; 13:1; 13:53; 14:13; 15:21; 15:29; 16:4). This again, is indicative of the fact that He would disassociate Himself from the nation.
With the Lord being rejected, “the kingdom of heaven,” as presented by the Old Testament prophets, would be postponed. But God never goes back on His promises; therefore, the literal fulfillment of the blessings of the kingdom to Israel would be held in abeyance until a later time.
When the nation rejected the Lord as its Messiah, God began to work in a new direction—toward the Gentiles. This movement in the ways of God is again depicted by the symbolic actions of the Lord. After going out of the house, He took up a position “by the seaside” (Matt. 13:1). The sea in Scripture speaks of the Gentiles (Psa. 65:7; Isa. 17:12; Rev. 17:15; Acts 10:6). This indicates that God would “visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for His name” (Acts 15:14). He would do this through the call of the gospel of the grace of God. This new departure is recorded in the book of the Acts from chapters 8-28, and it is still being carried on today.
The new departure in the ways of God is prefigured in the Lord’s ministry in Matthew’s gospel in four ways:
• Firstly, the Lord indicated that there would be a new way of divine working—sowing the seed of the Word of God in the hearts of men, and thus producing a new crop for God that would bear fruit (Matt. 13:1-9, 18-23). He would no longer look for fruit from God’s husbandry after the old order.
• Secondly, the Lord adopted a new method of teaching—by “parables” (Matt. 13:13, 34-35). In the first twelve chapters He did not use parables to instruct the people. He spoke plainly to them. But now, because of the hardness of the hearts of the unbelieving Jews, the truth would be hidden from them as to God’s present dealings. The apostles and those with believing hearts were given the interpretations.
• Thirdly, the Lord told His disciples that there would be a new meaning to the kingdom of heaven. There would now be a mystical side to it (Matt. 13:11). The “mysteries” concerning the kingdom would be explained to them in the following chapters.
• Fourthly, there would be new revelations in connection with the new mystery phase of the kingdom, wherein certain things that were “kept secret” from the foundation of the world would be disclosed (Matt. 13:35).
It is significant that, in withdrawing from the people publicly, the Lord waited until He reached the outermost part of land—“the coast of Caesarea Philippi”—to introduce the truth of the Church (Matt. 16:13-20). This, again, points to the fact that He wanted the Church to be something distinct from Israel. It is clear, therefore, from the whole tenor of these chapters in Matthew’s gospel that God intends for the Church to be entirely separate and distinct from Judaism.
The New and Living Way—Inside the Veil and Outside the Camp
Hebrews 10:19-20 indicates this same point. It says, “Having therefore, brethren, boldness for entering into the holy of holies by the blood of Jesus, the new and living way which He has dedicated for us ... ” This shows that the Christian’s place of worship is inside the veil of the true “holiest of all”—God’s immediate presence in the heavenly sanctuary (Heb. 8:2; 9:8; 10:19). We can now come with “boldness” into the presence of God with our worship and thanksgiving because Christ’s finished work has put away sin (judicially) from before God (Heb. 9:26-28). It has taken away the guilt of sins from our consciences (Heb. 10:1-18). Thus, it has fitted us for God’s presence, giving us a purged conscience that has resulted in perfect peace; and perfect peace gives holy boldness to “enter” the holiest.
There are two things to note in this verse. Firstly, the Christian way of approach to God, now that redemption has been accomplished, is a “new” way. It is not a changed or altered way, but an entirely new way. If Israel’s way of approach to God in worship is to be the pattern for Christian worship, then our worship could not be called new. Secondly, it is a “living” way. This means that a person must have a new life to be able to participate in this new worship. This was not the case in Judaism. A person could participate and enjoy the worship in Judaism—the music, the taste of the sacrifices, and the finery of the temple, etc.—and not even have a new life! In Christianity, a person needs to be born again and sealed with the Holy Spirit to be a true worshipper.
A little further on in Hebrews 13:9-10 it says, “Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.” It could not be clearer than this; God does not want a mixture of the two orders of worship. Anything that would encourage a mixture is a “strange” doctrine. The Lord would have us to be established in what “grace” has brought to us in Christianity, and not with “meats”—a reference to the outward order of rituals and ceremonies in Judaism. He says, “We have an altar.” He is not speaking of something literal here, but of what an altar represents figuratively—i.e. a system of approach to God. But note: the writer says that those who “serve the tabernacle” (the Judaic order) should not be involved in using this Christian altar because God does not want the two orders to be mixed.
Pass on now to verses 13-16 in this same chapter (Hebrews 13); “Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp bearing His reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come. By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name. But to do good and to communicate [out of your substance] forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” This is really the sum of the whole epistle. The burden throughout has been to show Jewish converts that the Christian approach to God is actually a contrast to the Judaic way, and that God had given them something better in Christianity. After many points are made to this end, the conclusion of the whole matter is that the believer is to leave that Judaic order altogether because it has been set aside presently, and the Lord is outside of it. Hence, the Christian’s place of worship is inside the veil in spirit (Heb. 10:19), but outside the camp as to ecclesiastical position (Heb. 13:13).
The call, therefore, is to leave “the camp.” This is a term that stands for Judaism and all its related principles and practices. A Jew would have no difficulty understanding what this term meant, since it was used in the Old Testament in connection with Israel. The great point of the epistle is that the Judaic way of approaching God is to be left behind for true Christian worship. In fact, it is to be left wherever it is found—whether in formal Judaism or in any quasi-Judeo Christian form in Christendom. This is a very applicable exhortation for us today; we are called to leave “the camp” wherever we see it, whether it is in the Jewish synagogues or in the man-made denominational churches of Christendom, because Biblical Christianity is not a rehash of Judaism.
Verses 14-15 indicate that in Christianity we have no geographical headquarters on earth—“we have no continuing city.” We seek a heavenly city to come, because we are a heavenly people with a heavenly destiny. While we wait for it to come, we can offer our spiritual sacrifices of praise to God.
Again, we are not saying that the Judaic order of worship is evil. How could it possibly be evil? It was set up and ordained of God. When Israel will be restored and blessed in their land in a coming day (in the Millennium), they will worship God in that Judaic order (Ezek. 43-46). And it will be right and proper for them to do it. Our point here is that these two distinctly different orders of approach to God are not to be mixed in some Judeo-Christian worship, which is neither Jewish nor Christian.
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Summary: A Scriptural assembly will be free of the trappings of Judaism. It will not have a cathedral to meet in, or an orchestra with an attending choir, etc., to aid the worship. It will gather in simplicity without the marks of organized earthly religion. Hymns will be sung a cappella, and those who pray or minister the Word will not be from a specially ordained caste.
Number Three: The Lord's Rightful Place in Leading the Meetings by the Holy Spirit
Let’s turn again to Matthew 18:20, but this time to focus on a different part of the verse. “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” The point we want to emphasize now is the fact that the Lord is “in the midst” of a Scripturally gathered assembly. The Lord made an incredible promise here! He promised to actually be in the midst of those gathered to His name. He is not speaking of being there physically, but in spirit.
It only follows that if He who is the Head of the Church is in the midst of the assembly, so gathered by the Spirit unto His name, that He should be the One to lead the meetings. Hebrews 2:12 Confirms this; it says that the Lord is “in the midst of the assembly”—and He is there to lead the praise of His people. His great Agent for guiding all the proceedings in the assembly is the Holy Spirit. Hence, a Scripturally gathered assembly will not have an man set up in the midst to conduct the meetings—i.e. a clergyman (a so-called Priest, Pastor, or Minister). To set up a human president to lead the proceedings in the assembly—regardless of how godly and gifted the man may be—is a denial of that Christ is there to lead by the Spirit.
First Corinthians 12:7-11 Says, “The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal [for the profit of all]. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: but all these worketh [operates] that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will.” This passage indicates that the Spirit of God not only gives spiritual gifts to the members of the body of Christ, but He also directs the operation of those gifts in the assembly. If the Spirit of God is given the liberty in the assembly meetings, the Lord will lead by the Spirit one here and one there in the offering of a word of praise or ministry. In chapter 14:26-40 we see this in action, indicated by the word “let.” This little word is used 12 Times in these few verses that describe the proceedings of an assembly meeting for ministry. It is an exhortation to the saints to allow the Lord to lead by the Spirit the various members of His body who are present in the meeting in worship and ministry.
The Position of a Clergyman in the Church Is Not Found in Scripture
Sad to say, most church organizations have an ordained clergyman to lead the services. Different names are given to this man-made position in the Church; he could be called a “Priest,” or a “Minister,” or a “Pastor,” depending on what sector of the Christian world he is from. Regardless of what school an ordained Pastor or Minister might come from, the whole concept of a clergyman presiding in an assembly of Christians is a human invention, and is not found in the Word of God. W. T. P. Wolston said, “The idea is in men’s heads but not in Scripture.”
Some might object to this, and say, “But we read of pastors in the Bible.” Yes, this is true, a pastor is a person who has been given a gift for shepherding the flock of God. It is one of many gifts Christ gives to the Church to help the members of the body grow (Eph. 4:11-13). It is what the denominational churches have termed “Pastor” that we object to. They have made the gift of a pastor into something that is not found in Scripture. They have taken a Scriptural term and have attached it to an unscriptural position in the Church. And what is so confusing about it is that a person may occupy that position and not even have the gift of a pastor! He might have the gift of an evangelist, or a teacher, or some other gift, and yet bear the title of “Pastor.” And why appoint this one gift in the body of Christ to this position?
To set up a man to conduct assembly meetings is really a practical denial of the headship of Christ. C. H. Mackintosh said, “If Jesus is in our midst, why should we think of setting up a human president? Why not unanimously and heartily allow Him to take the president’s seat, and bow to Him in all things? Why set up human authority in any shape or form in the house of God? It may be said by the advocates of human authority, ‘How could an assembly ever get on without some human presidency? Would it not lead to all sorts of human confusion? Would it not open the door for everyone to intrude himself upon the assembly, quite irrespective of gift or qualification?’ Our answer is a very simple one. Jesus is all-sufficient. We can trust Him to keep order in His house. We feel ourselves far safer in His gracious and powerful hands than in the hands of the most attractive human president.”
What sorrowful confusion has come into the house of God as a result of setting a clergyman in the midst to lead the proceedings of the assembly. This human arrangement has displaced the simplicity of divine order. It is such an accepted thing in Christendom that people don’t think twice about this man-made position in the Church. It is so widespread that it can be seen from St. Peters in Rome right down to the smallest evangelical chapel. What is so serious about this is that it interferes with the presidency of the Holy Spirit in the assembly. The notion of the clergyman is, “dispensationally, a sin against the Holy Ghost” (J. N. Darby).
The Lord’s addresses to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 indicate that this practice has been in the Church for a long, long time. This is indicated in those whom the Lord calls “the Nicolaitans” (Rev. 2:6, 15). Respected expositors identify these as evil workers who undermined apostolic order in the churches by introducing the clergy/laity system. This can be seen from the meaning of the name the Lord gives them. “Nico” means “to rule,” and “laitan” means “the people,” which is the root word from which “laity” is derived. The thing we need to see here is that this man-made order is something that the Lord “hates.” Seeing that this intrusion on God’s order is something that is unscriptural and hateful to the Lord, it surely would be something that a Scripturally gathered assembly would reject.
Ordination
The practice in Christendom of choosing a so-called “Pastor” is also something that is not found in Scripture. We refer to the process in which a clergyman comes to preside in a local church. The usual procedure is that the would-be “Pastor” or “Minister” is invited to a particular church where he is given an opportunity to prove himself by giving a couple of sermons. If his preaching is acceptable to the congregation, they will vote him to be their “Pastor.” Yet in Scripture we find that there is not one local assembly that chose a pastor to lead the assembly! Neither did an apostle, at any time, nominate a pastor to preside in a local assembly of Christians. We ask, “Where has this practice come from?”
Furthermore, there is not one person in the Bible who was ordained by men to preach the gospel or to minister the truth to the Church! If it were God’s will for the Church to do so, He would have instructed us about it in His Word—but there is not a hint of it. The only persons in the Bible who were ordained were elders, and they were never chosen by a local assembly, but by an apostle or a delegate from an apostle (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5). Ordination practiced in denominational churches today involves the laying on of hands by those who supposedly have some spiritual power to confer something to a person. But it is an assumption to think that ordination comes through the laying on of hands. In each case where elders were ordained in the Bible, there is no mention that hands were ever laid on them! W. Kelly said, “I have no doubt that the Spirit of God knew the superstition that would be attached to it in later years of Church history, so He took care never to connect laying on of hands with ordaining elders. ...My assertion is that in this very matter of ordination, Christendom has missed God’s mind and will; and is ignorantly, but not without sin, fighting for an order of its own, which is mere disorder.” T. MacMillian, who went through the ordination process before he learned the truth, said, “They laid their empty hands on my empty head.”
As we have seen from the Scriptures quoted thus far, the role of conducting worship and ministry in the assembly belongs to the Holy Spirit, not to some human president—regardless of how gifted and knowledgeable he may be. If God committed the work of creating the universe to the Holy Spirit (Job 26:13; 33:4; Psa. 104:30), surely He should be able to lead a few Christians gathered together in an assembly for worship and ministry! WhatScripture demands of us is that there would be faith in the Spirit’s power and presence, proved by leaving Him His due right to employ whom He pleases to speak in the meetings. From the moment the Spirit of God was sent into the world at Pentecost, we look in vain in the New Testament for any Church president except that of the sovereign guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is clear, therefore, that a Scriptural assembly will not have a human president to conduct the meetings, but it will allow the Lord to lead by the Spirit.
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Summary: A Scripturally gathered assembly will be free of clericalism in every shape and form, because having a man to preside in a congregation of Christians is unscriptural. Meetings in a Scriptural assembly will be governed by the Lord leading the proceedings by the Holy Spirit. Various members of Christ’s body will offer prayer, praise, or ministry in the meetings, as led by the Spirit, without having a human president presiding.
Number Four: A Scriptural Assembly Will Recognize the Priesthood of All Believers and Allow Them to Function As Led by the Spirit
Thus far, we have seen that a Scripturally gathered assembly will be free of sectarianism, Judaism, and clericalism. Now let’s look at another feature closely connected to the previous point—a Scriptural assembly will recognize the true priesthood of all believers. Since such an assembly will give Christ His rightful place of leading and guiding the proceedings in the meetings, there will be liberty for the priests in the assembly to function, as led by the Spirit of God.
There are two public spheres in the Church: the sphere of priesthood and the sphere of gift. Priesthood has to do with the privilege of approaching God with prayer and praise. The word “priest” means, “one who offers.” The Bible teaches that all Christians are priests. First Peter 2:5 says, “Ye also, as lively [living] stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” And in Revelation 1:5-6, it says, “To Him who loves us, and has washed us from our sins in His blood, and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father: to Him be the glory and the might to the ages of ages. Amen.”
Again, in Hebrews 10:19-22, it says, “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having an high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” The fact that it says that the Lord is “a High Priest” implies that there is a company of priests under Him. He would not preside as a “high” priest if there were no priests under Him. Similarly, a person would not be called a leader of some company or group if there were not those whom he led. This exhortation, therefore, encourages us to draw near to God and exercise our priestly privileges.
He speaks of two things that made the sons of Aaron priests according to the Judaic order (Ex. 29; Lev. 8). As Christians, we have these things in their realities. As a result, we are constituted “priests unto God” (Rev. 1:6).
• “Bodies washed”—This is figurative of our new birth (John 13:10).
• “Hearts sprinkled”—This is figurative of the finished work of Christ applied in faith to a believer, whereby his conscience is purged (Heb. 9:14).
But there is something more that is needed to make us function as priests in the presence of God. He also speaks of:
• “A true heart”—This is a reference to a heart that has judged itself (1 Cor. 11:28, 31). A heart full of guile that covers its true state is not a true and honest heart.
• “Full assurance of faith”—This is not referring to the assurance of salvation, but the confidence that we have to approach God in faith because we have judged ourselves.
Hence, the first two things make us priests, but the second two make us priestly. One has to do with what we are positionally; the other has to do with our state. It is one thing to be a priest and another to be in a priestly state. This may be why there are occasions when only a few brothers exercise their priesthood audibly in a meeting—the others may not be in a priestly state. The answer is not to set up a caste of men to do the public praying and praising of God, but to judge ourselves so that the Spirit of God will be free to lead us in the meetings.
The possibility of priests not being in a priestly state is illustrated in 2 Chronicles 29:34. It says, “But the priests were too few, so that they could not flay all the burnt offerings: wherefore their brethren the Levites did help them, till the work was ended, and until the other priests had sanctified themselves: for the Levites were more upright in heart to sanctify themselves than the priests.” It was not that there weren't enough priests, but that there weren’t enough “sanctified” priests. Many of them were not in a right state to handle the sacrifices because they had not sanctified themselves.
In the meetings, brothers are to exercise their priesthood in public prayer as mouthpieces for the assembly. In many churches today this privilege has been limited to a special class of persons, but it is not the Scriptural order. The Apostle Paul said, “I will that the men pray everywhere” (1 Tim. 2:8). The word, “everywhere,” of course, includes the assembly. And again, in 1 Corinthians 14:15-19 he alludes to praying publicly in the assembly. To assert such a class and impose it on the assembly is to deny that all believers are priests. In effect, it obliterates the privilege in Christianity of coming boldly into the holiest (God’s immediate presence) and restores Judaism where the saints approach God from a distance through an intermediary caste of men.
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Summary: A Scriptural assembly will allow liberty for the priests to pray and praise God publicly, as led by the Spirit.
Number Five: A Scriptural Assembly Will Recognize the Spiritual Gifts in Its Midst and Will Allow Them to Be Exercised, As Led by the Holy Spirit
The second public sphere in the assembly is that of gift. This is the sphere where ministry is given in the way of teaching and exhortation. Priesthood has to do with spiritual things being ministered from man to God; whereas the exercise of gift has to do with spiritual things being ministered from God to man, in the way of truth from His Word. A Scriptural assembly will recognize the spiritual gifts in its midst and will allow them to be exercised, as led by the Spirit.
The Bible teaches that all believers have had a spiritual gift communicated to them when they are saved and sealed with the Holy Spirit. 1 Peter 4:10 says, “As every man hath received the [a] gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles [utterances] of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” And in Ephesians 4:7, it says, “Unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 12:7 says, “The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal [for the profit of all].” The distribution of gifts is illustrated in a parable of the Lord in Matthew 25:15, “Unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability.” The words “every man” (in the KJV) in these verses might be construed to mean that only the men have been given a spiritual gift. However, that phrase should be translated “each” (J. N. Darby Translation), which is generic, and therefore would include both brothers and sisters.
It is important to understand that these gifts are not natural gifts that we might have—such as musical or artistic talent, or natural strength, etc.—but spiritual capabilities given to us to enable us to fill our place in the body. We mention this because many Christians are confused about this. They think that a person’s natural ability is their spiritual gift in the body of Christ. From this comes the idea that a Christian should play professional sports or pursue a professional music career as an entertainer, because they have natural abilities. Christians today are encouraged to pursue worldly endeavours because of their natural abilities, but it only entangles them in the world and nullifies their Christian testimony. J. N. Darby said, “It is wholly a false principle that natural gifts are a reason for using them. I may have amazing strength or speed in running; I knock a man down with one, and win a prize cup with another. Music may be a more refined thing, but the principle is the same. This point I believe to be now of utmost importance. Christians have lost their moral influence by bringing in nature and the world as harmless. All things are lawful to me, but as I said, you cannot mix flesh and Spirit.”
Ministry is the Exercise of Our Gift
Gifts, in Scripture, are “spiritual manifestations” in the body of Christ and are given for the spiritual edification of the members of the body (1 Cor. 12:1; 14:1). Ministry is simply the exercise of a person’s gift (1 Peter 4:10-11). Some people talk about being “called to the ministry.” We know what they mean; they feel led to pursue the occupation of a clergyman, and enroll in a seminary to be trained for that position in a church denomination. But in the Scriptural sense of the word, we have all been “called to the ministry.” Since we all have a gift, we all should be ministering in one way or another.
Sad to say, many Christians today have been led to believe that the preacher is the only one in their Church group who has a spiritual gift. Therefore, they haven’t even considered what their gift may be. But in normal Christianity, each member of the body of Christ has something to do. There are to be no drones in God’s beehive. The Lord said, “To every man his work” (Mark 13:34). He would have us all to be exercised about what we should be doing for Him. On our part, there needs to be:
1. Discovery of our gift. This will become evident through devotion to the Lord. J. N. Darby said, “If there were more devotion, there would be more gift among us.” He didn’t mean that spiritual gifts are given as a result of a person’s devotion to the Lord, but that if there were more devotion in our lives, our spiritual gift would become evident.
2. Diligence to learn the truth. This is also important, because we need to have some spiritual substance to communicate to others when exercising our gift. A person may have the gift of a teacher, but if he hasn’t been instructed in the truth, he will not be of much help.
3. Development of our gift. We need to have faith to go forward and exercise our gift in the opportunities given to us, so that it develops and our effectiveness in service increases.
4. Dependence on the Lord in exercising our gift. The exercise of our gift needs to be carried out under the Lordship of Christ and under His guidance and direction—in where to go and what to do and say.
Paul said to Timothy: “I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands” (2 Tim. 1:6). This shows that we need to be stirred up in regard to the use of our gift. Archippus was rebuked for not fulfilling his ministry (Col. 4:17). If we are young, we should not be overly occupied with finding out what our gift is, but simply seek to do what comes into our hand. In time, it will be evident what our gift is. We can go to the Lord with the simple prayer of Saul of Tarsus, “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?” (Acts 9: 6; 22:10) There is much to do in His vineyard, and He has something for each of us to do. Scripture says, “Let us occupy ourselves in service” (Rom. 12:7). The Levites—the servants in the tabernacle—were to go to Aaron, the high priest and he would appoint to every man “his service” and “his burden” (Num. 4:19). Similarly, if we go to the Lord, our High Priest, He will give us our “work” and our “burden” (Gal. 6:4-5).
It is also important to understand that not all of the gifts are for ministering the Word. Some gifts are not to be exercised publicly at all. Romans 12:4-8 indicates this: “As we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office [function]: so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; or ministry [service], 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 sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.” There are seven gifts listed here, but the last three are of a private nature, and have nothing to do with ministering the Word publicly, and therefore wouldn’t be exercised in the assembly meetings.
The Free Action of the Gifts in the Assembly
It is also important to see that all such gifts do not reside in one person. Scripture says, “For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another ... ” (1 Cor. 12:8-10). A man may have more than one gift, but it is clear from this passage that he will not possess all the gifts. Therefore, the assembly will need participation from all who have a gift for ministering the Word if it is going to get the benefit of the gifts in its midst. Unfortunately, the clergy system is just about everywhere in Christendom. We refer to the setting up of a man to carry on the ministry of the Word in the assembly—i.e. a Priest, a Pastor or a Minister. This pre-empts the free exercise of the gifts, as led by the Spirit. The whole idea of “one-man ministry” is not found in the Bible. As we have noted, the Bible teaches that all the brothers who have a gift for ministering the Word should have liberty in the assembly to exercise their gift as led by the Spirit.
Nor is there any mention in the Scriptures of a person needing to go to a seminary to be trained before he can use his gift in the assembly. The very passage we quoted in 1 Peter 4:10-11 indicates this. It says, “As every man hath received a gift, even so minister the same one to another” (1 Peter 4:10). It doesn’t say, “If one has a gift, let him go to a seminary, and then minister...” It simply says that if he has a gift, “even so minister” with that gift. This shows that the possession of a spiritual gift to minister the Word is a person’s warrant to use it.
Again, it says, “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it in the ability which God giveth” (1 Peter 4:11). Notice again, there is no mention of him going to school and then letting him speak in the assembly. The simple order in Scripture is, “When ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying” (1 Cor. 14:26). If we have a “doctrine [teaching],” etc., let it be done to the edifying of the assembly. This is God’s order for ministry in the Church. It is how the Church was taught and edified in its early days, and it is our model for ministry today.
God’s order for ministry, of course, must be done under the control and leading of the Holy Spirit. If we are not subject to the Spirit, we could very easily turn the meetings into a free-for-all. This was happening at Corinth and it needed to be regulated (1 Cor. 14:26). The Apostle indicates that if a person persistently acts in the flesh in the sphere of ministry, the assembly has recourse in exercising judgment in regard to him (1 Cor. 14:29). More will be said on this later. The point to get here is that the answer for fleshly action in public ministry is not to establish a system that pre-empts people from speaking unless they have been approved by the system—i.e. the clergy/laity system. Where the Holy Spirit is depended on, and free to act in the assembly, He will call forth and energize the spiritual gifts that are there, and they will function in teaching and exhortation for the edification of all. The assembly does not need eloquence; it needs edification. “Five words” as led by the Spirit can be used in the assembly for lasting profit, more than a great display of eloquence (1 Cor. 14:19).
Since we no longer have apostles in the Church, the main gifts for ministering the Word today are: evangelists, pastors [shepherds], teachers, and prophets (Eph. 4:11; Acts 13:1). We see all four of these gifts in action in Acts 11:19-30.
An Evangelist
“Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the Word to none but unto the Jews only. And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians [Greeks], preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord” (Acts 11:19-21).
Evangelists are the heralds of the glad tidings—the gospel. It is unlikely that all of these people who were scattered abroad in this persecution were evangelists, but they all helped in spreading the gospel. This shows that we can all “do the work of an evangelist,” even if we don’t have the gift of an evangelist (2 Tim. 4:5).
Those who do have a specific gift for preaching and sharing the gospel will go out with the Word as directed by the Lord (Mark 16:15; Acts 8:5). The sphere of the evangelist’s service is predominantly in the world. He should be like a compass, having one foot firmly established in the assembly and the other reaching out to lost souls in the world. All his work should be carried out with the assembly in view. Paul indicates this in saying, “That they who are of the nations should be joint heirs, and a joint body, and joint partakers of His promise in Christ Jesus by the glad tidings” (Eph. 3:6). We see from this that gospel truth and assembly truth are inseparably linked. The material that the Church, the body of Christ, is composed of is gathered in “by the gospel.” God intends that when a person is saved, he would be found, thereafter, functioning in the body as God has set him.
The “great stones” that were brought for the purpose of building the temple (1 Kings 5) were not only cut from the place where they were found; they were brought to the temple site and fitted into the house (1 Kings 6). To get the stones out of the pit was not an end in itself. Similarly, the living stones that compose God’s house today have been saved for the purpose of functioning in the assembly for His glory. The evangelist should work with this in view. Wanting souls to be saved without seeing them functioning in their place in the body is falling short of God’s purpose for them.
This work of an evangelist, of course, must be carried out in communion with the Lord Jesus—“the Lord of the harvest” (Matt. 9:38). It should be done out of love for Christ and love for souls. The old adage—“What comes from the heart goes to the heart”—is surely needed in this work. When souls are saved, a Spirit-led evangelist will not tell his converts to go to the church of their choice, as is often done. Instead, he will show them that, having believed on the Lord Jesus, and consequently having been sealed with the Holy Spirit, they are already in the Church. And that what they need to do is to continue “stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in [the] prayers” (Acts 2:42). This is what the early Church did. The four things mentioned in this verse have been called “the four anchors of assembly life.” If one or more of these anchors are missing in our Christian lives, we will drift onto the rocks and make shipwreck (Acts 27:29; 1 Tim. 1:19).
A Pastor
Being guided to an assembly on Scriptural ground, the new convert will need spiritual help in moral and practical issues in his life. To help him in this, God has given another gift to the Church—a pastor (shepherd). This is illustrated in the next series of verses in Acts 11. “Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the Church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch. Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord, for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith” (vss. 22-24). While Barnabas is also called an apostle (Acts 14:14) it is evident that he had the gift of shepherding God’s people. His work in Antioch illustrates this.
The pastor’s burden is to help the members of Christ’s body in their walk with the Lord. He particularly has the care of the newborn babes in Christ at heart, and will look after them and will see to it that none go astray. And if any do, he will go after them to recover them. This is a much-needed gift today when there is so much failure in the Church.
The pastor (shepherd) will have a sympathetic heart and will administer comfort to the flock in times of sorrow and affliction. He will feel the trials and problems that the Lord’s people are going through, and will carry their sorrows on his heart, and will offer counsel and encouragement. He may have to give correction where one has gone wrong, but he will do it faithfully and lovingly (Prov. 27:6).
A pastor’s work is largely private in character, but he can and will teach and apply the truth to souls in public meetings. This is seen in Barnabas helping Saul in the teaching of the saints in the assembly at Antioch (Acts 11:26). This gift takes the most wisdom of all the gifts to exercise. If a pastor is not careful, and he gets out of communion with the Lord, he could lead the saints after himself and not Christ (Acts 20:30). This is an ever-present danger for pastors. It is essential, therefore, that he be found in communion with the Lord at all times (John15:4).
A Teacher
In the next couple of verses in Acts 11 we see the gift of a teacher in exercise. “Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul: and when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the Church [assembly], and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch” (vss. 25-26). The teacher’s work is to help the saints understand the truth of God. The truth, when properly understood, occupies the soul with Christ.
A teacher is one who enjoys the truth and loves to help others enjoy it too. Since Christ is the center and theme of all Scripture, the teacher’s main desire is to help the saints to know Him and the ways of God better. A Spirit-led teacher will exalt Christ and unfold the glories of His Person and work. He will labour to “rightly divide the Word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15), pointing out various distinctions and shades of meaning, which will help believers have a better understanding of the revelation of God. One distinguishing mark of a teacher is that he is able to say the same thing in a half dozen different ways until his audience gets a hold of the particular concept he is seeking to present. He has the natural ability to explain his thoughts clearly and a spiritual gift from the Lord that compliments his abilities. These two things can be seen in the parable of the talents. The man gave "talents" (figurative of a spiritual gift) to every man "according to his several ability" (Matt. 25:15). See also 1 Peter 4:10-11. If he uses his gift and ability rightly and in dependence on the Lord, the saints will be taught much truth.
A teacher may also be called upon to meet erroneous teachings, if they should arise in the assembly. He will, if necessary, expose false and evil doctrines in order to safeguard the flock. This is an unhappy aspect of his work, but it is needed when the truth is under attack (Gal. 2:4-5).
Before a teacher can truly be effective, he must first be taught the truth himself. This will take time and diligence in private study, “fully following up” on the various lines of truth in Scripture (1 Tim. 4:6). Teaching requires not only learning the truth but also knowing how to set it forth clearly and orderly, so that the saints can take it in and profit from it. We see this in Paul’s exhortation to Timothy: “Have an outline of sound words” (2 Tim. 1:13). This was not an exhortation to Timothy to learn the truth of Paul’s doctrine, for Timothy had done that already (2 Tim. 3:10), but to have the truth of God in an orderly way for the purpose of keeping it (2 Tim. 1:14) and disseminating it (2 Tim. 2:2). This shows that the teacher must not only know the truth; he must have it in an outline form so that he can “systematically delineate” its various tenets to others (J. N. Darby Translation footnote on 2 Timothy 1:13). For this reason alone, this gift requires more time in preparation than the other gifts, that it might reach its maximum effectiveness.
Teachers, pastors, and prophets will work together profitably in the assembly, when directed by the Spirit. This is seen in the fact already mentioned—both Barnabas and Saul taught the assembly in Antioch. The teacher will lay out the truth, and the prophets and pastors will give the practical application of those truths in the various situations of life. The harmony of the gifts, working toward one common goal, is seen in Ephesians 4:11-14: “He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; 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, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 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.” Notice how closely pastors and teachers are linked in this passage, as indicated by the absence of the word “some” in the text between these two gifts. It could be that one man is both a pastor and a teacher, but usually they are seen as separate gifts (1 Cor. 12:28).
The object of the gifts is to help the members of the body to grow to the point where they can participate in “the work of the ministry.” If the gifts are effective, the saints will be built up in the most holy faith (Jude 20), and they, in turn, will be able to contribute in the ministry. The ministry of all pastors and teachers should have this in “view.” In a sense, they “work themselves out of a job,” and thereafter, are able to move on to other places where there is a need for teaching and shepherding.
A Prophet
In the last part of Acts 11, we see prophets at work. “And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Ceasar. Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judea: which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul” (vss. 27-30). There are two aspects to this gift’s use: to foretell, and to tell forth. We see Agabus acting in the first capacity—fortelling certain events that shortly were to come to pass. This aspect of prophecy is not seen in the Church today—though there are some who might pretend to have this ability. The other aspect of prophecy—telling forth the mind of God for the occasion—is encouraged in the local assembly (1 Cor. 14:1). It is a very needed ministry. The three-fold object of this kind of prophetic ministry is:
• “Edification”—the building up of the saints in the most holy faith (Jude 20). If the saints are deficient in some point of doctrine in the Christian faith, ministry of this kind will meet that need. It is for our understanding.
• “Exhortation”—the stirring up of the saints in some aspect of Christian practice. If the saints are lacking in some practical area of their lives, this will meet that need (Hagg. 1:13-14). It is for our consciences.
• “Comfort”—the cheering up of the saints. This is ministry that encourages the saints to go on in the path of faith. It is for our hearts (Ruth 2:13 – J. N. Darby Trans.).
A prophet, in this sense, labours to improve the state of the saints, whereby their communion with the Lord is deepened. His ministry deals with the hearts and consciences of the Lord’s people, and on occasion, he may address things they may not want to hear (Acts 21:10-14).
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Summary: A Scriptural assembly will recognize the spiritual gifts in its midst, and will allow them to be exercised, as led by the Holy Spirit. Where He is depended on, and free to act in the assembly, He will call forth and energize the spiritual gifts that are present, and they will function in teaching and exhortation for the edification of all.
Number Six: A Scriptural Assembly Will Recognize the Distinct Roles of Brothers and Sisters in the House of God
Another outstanding feature that will mark a Scripturally gathered assembly is that the roles marked out in the Word of God for the brothers and the sisters will be carried out practically.
Though it is common practice today in the Church at large, Scripture does not advocate a “one-role-fits-all” position in the house of God for brothers and sisters, 1 Timothy 2:8-16 indicates that in Christianity the brothers and the sisters have distinct and complementing roles. It says, “I will therefore that [the] men pray everywhere [place], lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. In like manner also, that [the] women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. Let the woman learn in silence [quietness] with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence [quietness]. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.”
The epistles of Paul to Timothy view the Church as “the house of God” (1 Tim. 3:15). This aspect of the Church sees the saints in their public responsibility before the world as a witness for God as a Saviour-God (1 Tim. 1:1; 2:3). As God’s vessel of testimony, Christians are to display the true character of God before the world; hence, holiness and order are to be seen in them. The world should be able to look at the house of God and know God. The great aim of the epistle, therefore, is to give instruction as to the proper order of God’s house.
This order is to be seen not only when the saints are assembled together in meetings, but at all times, whether at home, or at work, or when we are assembled together for worship and ministry. This is because we are constituted the house of God, and as such, we are that at all times (Heb. 3:6; 1 Peter 2:5). 1 Timothy 2:11-12 Says that the sisters are to be in “silence” (the KJV) in the house of God, but it should be translated “quietness.” If it were silence, then Paul is telling us that the sisters are never to speak anywhere, because we in the house of God at all times.
A careful study of Scripture will indicate that the men have the responsibility of the public, verbal testimony in the house of God, and the women are to give support to that testimony by their deportment and demeanor. Hence, all public action in the house is to be carried on by the brothers.
As to the sphere of priesthood, the sisters are not told to exercise their priesthood (audibly) publicly, as are the brothers. Paul says, “I will that the men pray everywhere” (1 Tim. 2:8). "Everywhere" would include the public forum. It is significant that this is not said of the women; they are to pray, but it does not say that they are to do it "everywhere." 1 Corinthians 11 indicates that the sisters should pray and prophesy (vs. 5), but this is outside the assembly meetings. This can be seen by the fact that the directions for conduct when the saints “come together in assembly” begin in that epistle at chapter 11:17, and continue through to the end of chapter 14. Verse 17 marks the beginning of a new section of the epistle that deals with issues having to do with the saints when they are in assembly. Sisters are mentioned “praying or prophesying” before the Apostle speaks of that sphere of the assembly.
As to the sphere of ministry of the Word in the assembly, 1 Corinthians 14:29 says, “Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the others judge.” Note: it doesn’t say, “Let the prophetesses speak ... ” (i.e. 2 Chron. 34:22; Rev. 2:20). And then in verses 34-35, Paul comes out definitely, saying, “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.” The word “silence” here is a different word than that used in 1 Timothy 2:11-12, and is properly translated, as silence. The sphere Paul is speaking of in 1 Corinthians 14 is the public meetings of the assembly, not general conduct in the house of God as in 1 Timothy.
It seems that the Apostle anticipated people wanting to challenge this, so he adds, “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord” (vs. 37). Furthermore, at the beginning of the epistle, Paul said that the instructions throughout the epistle were for “all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Cor. 1:2). Hence, these things were for all Christian assemblies—not just the assembly in Corinth.
As to the sphere of assembly administration, Scripture says, “The apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter” (Acts 15:6). There is mention of sisters and young people in these meetings. 1 Timothy 3:2 Confirms this, stating that an overseer was to be “the husband of one wife,” likewise, a deacon (1 Tim. 3:11-12). Since only a man could be a “husband,” it is clear that this work of administrative responsibility in the assembly is not to be carried on by sisters.
A Sister’s Ministry
While sisters are not to be involved in public action and the administrative affairs in the house of God, there is much that they are to do. The service that sisters are to render is important and invaluable. The things they are given to do in the house of God are mostly things that brothers couldn’t do; they can minister in situations where it would be out of place for a brother.
Firstly, Scripture says, “I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide [rule] the house” (1 Tim. 5:14). To raise a family for the glory of God is a noble work. Hannah is an example of a sister’s exercise behind the raising of a godly son (1 Sam. 1-2). Note: Paul says she is to “rule the house,” not her husband.
Titus 2:3-5, says, “The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things [what is right]; that they may teach the younger women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient [subject] to their own husbands, that the Word of God be not blasphemed.” This is another important work sisters can do, that brothers would not be able to do with any effectiveness and propriety.
If a sister is not married, or old enough to teach the younger sisters, she still can be “a servant of the assembly” (Rom. 16:1). There are many things connected with assembly life that a sister can do that can be a real help to the saints—i.e. helping mothers who are burdened with young children, helping older sisters who can’t get around as easily any more, etc. These are good works. Phebe was known for being “a helper of many.” Perhaps she had the gift of “helps” (1 Cor. 12:28).
Philip had four daughters who prophesied (Acts 21:8-9). This shows that there is a need for sisters—even younger sisters—to minister help and comfort from the Word to others. But notice, they didn’t teach the brothers. This is seen in the fact that when Paul needed a word spoken to him, God did not use one of the Philip’s daughters to do it, though Paul was right there in Philip’s house. He brought in a brother who was a prophet to speak to him (Acts 21:10-14). This is in keeping with 1 Timothy 2:11-12.
Priscilla and Aquila are a model couple in regard to the roles of the brothers and sisters in the house of God. They are mentioned six times in Scripture. Three times Aquila is mentioned first, and three times Priscilla is put first. It is significant and instructive that he is mentioned first when it had to do with public responsibility and teaching (Acts 18:2, 24-28; 1 Cor. 16:19). When it had to do with domestic responsibilities, she is mentioned first (Acts 18:18; Rom. 16:3-4; 2 Tim. 4:19). There is much to learn from this. For instance, when teaching Apollos “the way of God more perfectly,” Priscilla let her husband take the lead in this work (Acts 18:24-28). Thus, she was in her proper place according to the due order of God’s house. Another point that is worth considering is that each time they are mentioned in Scripture they are always seen together; they worked as a team in the service for the Lord. This is commendable. Compare 1 Corinthians 9:5.
Head Coverings
The passage already alluded to in 1 Corinthians 11 indicates that the sisters in a Scripturally gathered assembly will also wear head coverings when divine and Scriptural topics are in discussion. This will not only be in assembly meetings, but anytime the Scriptures are opened, for, as already mentioned, instructions as to their use are found in that same chapter before what is specific to assembly meetings is taken up.
The acts of uncovering the heads of brothers and of covering the heads of sisters are a practical demonstration of the principles involved in the confession of Christianity. The Apostle says, “I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God” (vs. 3). Since this is so, the men are to uncover their heads when they are involved in spiritual activities, i.e. “praying or prophesying.” By doing this, they are acknowledging that all glory belongs to Christ, “forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God” (vs. 7a). This act glorifies Christ and should be undertaken with this in view.
Likewise, the woman in Christianity represents the glory of man. He says, “Woman is man’s glory. For man is not of woman, but woman of man. For also man was not created for the sake of the woman, but woman for the sake of the man. Therefore ought the woman to have authority (a token of authority) on her head” (vss. 7b-10). The woman’s hair represents the natural glory of the first man. This being the case, the woman’s hair should be covered when she is involved in spiritual activity. When sisters wear a head covering, they are telling out the fact that they do not recognize the first man as having any place in Christianity (Phil. 3:3; Col. 2:11-12). It has nothing to do with husbands and wives. The article “the” before “man” and “woman” in the passage (in the KJV) is not in the original Greek text because it is referring to men and women generically. The confession involved in the act of covering a woman’s head should be seen as a privilege, not a duty. When a sister understands the principle involved, she should be glad to have a token on her head.
To clarify a point of misunderstanding, it is noteworthy that there are two different words used for a “covering” in 1 Corinthians 11. The Spirit of God purposely uses two different words in the original language to distinguish them. The word in the Greek for “covering,” in verses 4-6, is “katakalupo.” It indicates an artificial covering, such as a hat, a scarf, or a mantilla. But an altogether different word for “covering” is used in verse 15—“peribolaiou.” This refers to a woman’s hair that God has given her to cover her head. A woman’s hair is a veil (or covering) that enhances her natural beauty. However, the Apostle’s point in this passage is that since the woman’s head represents the glory of man, her natural covering of hair is to be covered with an artificial covering. As mentioned, this act signifies a practical confession that we, as Christians, do not recognize or give place to the first man in divine things.
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Summary: A Scripturally gathered assembly will recognize and follow the distinct roles of the brothers and sisters, even if it is not popular in Christendom.
Number Seven: A Scriptural Assembly Will Have Those Who Function in Oversight
As mentioned, in a Scriptural assembly there will be liberty for various brothers to exercise their priesthood and gift, but we must not think that such an assembly has no government. Scripture indicates that there is such a thing as rule (administrative leading) in the Church. A Scripturally gathered assembly will have those who will take the lead administratively to insure that holiness and order are maintained, but this will not be in any formal way.
The Lord’s normal means of guiding a local assembly in its administrative responsibilities is through those who “take the lead” (1 Thess. 5:12-13; Heb. 13:7, 17, 24; 1 Cor. 16:15-18; 1 Tim. 5:17 – J. N. Darby Trans.). This phrase in the KJV has been translated, “Them that have the rule over you,” but it is a little misleading, and makes us think that there is a special caste of men who are “over” the flock—i.e. the clergy. It is a clear proof that the KJV has been in the hands of the ecclesiastics who influenced the translators somewhat. (The use of the word “bishop” in the text is another example. It should be translated, “overseer” or “oversight.”)
Taking “the lead” in this capacity does not refer to leading in public teaching or preaching but to the administrative affairs of the assembly. To confuse these two things is to misunderstand the difference between gift and office, which are two distinct spheres in the house of God. Some of those who “take the lead” may not teach publicly at all, but it is very good and helpful when they can (1 Tim. 5:17). These men should know the principles of the Word of God and be able to lay them out so that the assembly might understand the course of action that God would have it to take in a particular matter (Titus 1:9). These men do not appoint themselves to this role, nor are they appointed by the assembly—as is the case so often in the Church today—but they are raised up by the Holy Spirit for this work (Acts 20:28). The assembly will know them by their devoted care of the saints, their knowledge of Scriptural principles, and their judgment being sound.
There are three words used in the epistles to describe these responsible leaders in the local assembly.
• Firstly, “elders” (Presbuteroi). This refers to those advanced in age—it implies maturity and experience. However, not all aged men in the assembly necessarily function in the role of leaders (1 Tim. 5:1; Titus 2:1-2).
• Secondly, “bishops [overseers]” (Episkopoi). This refers to the work that they do—shepherding the flock (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2), watching over souls (Heb. 13:17), and giving admonition (1 Thess. 5:12).
• Thirdly, they are called “guides [leaders]” (Hegoumenos). This refers to their spiritual capacity to lead and guide the saints.
These are not three different positions in the assembly but three aspects of one work that these men do. This can be seen in how the Spirit of God uses the terms inter-changeably—see Acts 20:17 with 20:28, and Titus 1:5 with 1:7. In the book of Revelation those in this role are referred to as “stars” and also as “the angel of the [local] church” (Rev. 1-3). As “stars” they are to bear witness to the truth of God (the principles of His Word) as light bearers in the local assembly, providing light on various subjects that the assembly might be confronted with. This is illustrated in Acts 15. After hearing of the problem that was troubling the assembly, Peter and James gave spiritual light on the matter. James applied a principle from the Word of God and gave his judgment as to what he believed the Lord would have them to do (vss. 15-21). As “the angel of the church,” they act as messengers to carry out the mind of God in the assembly in the performance of the thing. This is also illustrated in verses 23-29.
As mentioned, there is no official appointment of elders/overseers/guides to this work today, as there was in the early Church (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5), because there are no apostles (or delegates from apostles) on earth to ordain them. This does not mean that the work of oversight cannot go on. The Spirit of God is still raising up godly men to exercise oversight in Scriptural assemblies (Acts 20:28). These surely would be those whom an apostle would ordain if he were here today.
In Paul’s farewell address to the Ephesian elders, he gives a description of the character and work of an elder/overseer/guide, using himself as an example (Acts 20:17-35). First, he outlines what they are to be:
• Consistent (vs. 18).
• Humble (vs. 19).
• Compassionate (vs. 19).
• Persevering (vs. 19).
• Faithful (vs. 20).
• Committed (vss. 21-24).
• Energetic (vss. 24-27).
And then he outlines what they are to do:
• Shepherd the flock (vs. 28). This would involve being a model to the saints (1 Peter 5:3), teaching them (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:9), guiding/counselling them, etc. (Heb. 13:17).
• Watch against two ever present dangers—wolves entering in and men arising and drawing away disciples (vss. 29-31).
• Use the resources God has given for that work—prayer and the Word of God (vs. 32).
• Have a ministry of giving (vss. 33-35).
The Maintenance of Holiness and Order
The purpose of Church government is to maintain holiness and order in the house of God. This predominantly has to do with two things:
• Care in what comes into the assembly. This involves reception principles.
• Care of what (or who) is in the assembly. This involves Church discipline, if need be.
Reception Principles
Care for the Lord’s glory, in regard to what we bring into fellowship, is something that is almost non-existent in Christendom today. Nevertheless, the Bible teaches that the assembly must be careful not to bring someone into fellowship who may be involved in evil; whether it is moral, doctrinal, or ecclesiastical. The principle is simple. If a local assembly is responsible to judge evil in its midst by excommunicating evil-doers (1 Cor. 5:12), then it naturally follows that it must be careful what or who it brings into its midst.
It has been rightly said that the local assembly is not to have an open fellowship, nor is it to have a closed fellowship, but rather, a guarded fellowship. The assembly is to receive to the Lord’s Table every member of the body of Christ whom Scriptural discipline does not prohibit. While every Christian has a title to be at the Lord’s Table, every Christian does not necessarily have the privilege to be there, because his privilege may be forfeited by his engagement in some evil.
Who Decides Who Should Be In Fellowship?
It is important to understand that the brethren in the local assembly do not decide what is suitable to the Lord’s Table and what is not—the Word of God does. This is because it is not their table: it is “the Lord’s table” (1 Cor. 10:21). Personal preferences of those in the assembly have nothing to do with reception; the Word of God decides all. If there is no Scriptural reason why a person should be refused, the person is received. If a believer has been baptized, is sound in the faith, and is godly in walk, there is no reason why he should be refused. Knowledge of Scripture is not a criterion. A person may be a simple believer, but Scripture says, “Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations” (Rom. 14:1).
However, whether one is sound in the faith and godly in walk often cannot be determined immediately. The greater the confusion from which a person comes within the Christian testimony or in the world, the more difficult it may be to determine. If this is the case, then wisdom would dictate that the assembly should ask the person desiring to be in fellowship to wait. This does not mean that the assembly is saying that the person is connected with evil. He could be, but they simply do not know, and they should wait until they are satisfied that he is not; because they are ultimately responsible to God for whom they bring into fellowship. Scripture says, “Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins” (1 Tim. 5:22). This verse is speaking of personal fellowship on an individual basis, but the principle is broad enough to guide the saints in collective assembly fellowship at the Lord's table. It should not offend a mature and godly believer who desires to come into fellowship, for certainly, no godly Christian would expect the assembly to violate a principle of Scripture. In fact, it should give him confidence that he is coming into a company of Christians where there is a concern for the Lord’s glory and the purity of the assembly.
Are Personal Testimonies Enough?
Another principle that the assembly, functioning Scripturally, will use is that it will not do anything in the mouth of one witness. Things having to do with the assembly must be done according to the principle: “In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word [matter] be established” (2 Cor. 13:1). Compare also John 8:17 and Deuteronomy 19:15. Accordingly, the assembly is not to receive persons on the basis of their own testimony. Naturally, people give a good report of themselves, as the Scripture says, “All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes” (Prov. 16:2). And again, “He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory” (John 7:18). This is why a person desiring to come into fellowship may be asked to wait until others in the assembly have gotten to know him or her, so that it can receive him on the basis of the testimony of others.
This is a principle that runs throughout Scripture. Even the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory, submitted to this principle when He presented Himself to the Jews as their Messiah. He said, “If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true [valid]” (John 5:31). He then proceeded to give four other witnesses who testified as to who He was: John the Baptist, His works, His Father, and the Scriptures (John 5:32-39). While having many witnesses to authenticate His Messiahship, the Lord warned the Jews that there was a day coming when the nation would receive a false messiah (the Antichrist) without witnesses. He said, “Another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive” (John 5:43). Thus, the Lord denounced the practice of receiving someone on the grounds of his or her personal testimony alone.
Acts 9:26-29 gives us an example of the carefulness the early Church had in receiving someone into fellowship. When Saul of Tarsus got saved, he desired to come into fellowship with the saints at Jerusalem, but was refused. Even though everything he may have said to the brethren in Jerusalem about his personal life was true, still he was not received on his own testimony. It was not until Barnabas took Saul and brought him to the brethren, and testified of Saul’s faith and character—so that there was the testimony of two men—that they received him. Thereafter, “he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem” (Acts 9:28).
The Test of a Person's Profession
Another principle in receiving is that there is such a thing as putting a person’s profession to the test. If a man says that he is a Christian, he is to prove it by departing from all known sin. Second Timothy 2:19 says, “Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” (See also Revelation 2:2 and 1 John 4:1.) If a person will not depart from iniquity, he is not true to his confession. This is especially important in a day of ruin in the Christian testimony where all kinds of evil doctrine and practice abound.
If a person holds bad doctrine, it is clear that the assembly is not to receive him, for it will be in fellowship with the evil teaching. (Compare 2 John 9-11.) We do not speak of differences people may have on topics such as baptism but of things that touch the foundations of the Christian faith. Scripture says, “Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God” (Rom. 15:5-7). If a person who held some evil teaching were received, how could the assembly “with one mind and one mouth glorify God?” They would be speaking one thing, and this person would be speaking another. It would be confusion. The Apostle Paul said to the Corinthians, “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Cor. 1:10).
Ecclesiastical Associations
With ecclesiastical evil, patience and discernment are required in perceiving it in a person. There is a difference between someone being associated with clerical error out of ignorance and someone actively upholding and promoting it. A believer, who is ignorant of God’s Scriptural order for Christian worship and ministry, may come to the assembly from a man-made denomination that practices a clerical order of things and want to break bread at the Lord’s Table. Even though he may be associated with ecclesiastical error, he is not at that point, in ecclesiastical evil. And if such a person is known to be godly in walk and sound in doctrine, there should be no hindrance to allowing him to break bread, even though he has not formally severed his association with that denomination.
The great question is, “When does ignorance of ecclesiastical association become ecclesiastical evil?” We believe the answer is when the person’s will is involved. To ascertain this requires priestly discernment on the part of the assembly. In such cases, the assembly needs to be much cast on the Lord to know His mind in the matter. Under normal conditions, the brethren should allow him to break bread, trusting that God has been working in his heart—and that he will, after being at the Lord’s supper, leave that ground he has been on formerly, and continue with those gathered to the Lord’s name.
This principle is seen in 2 Chronicles 30-31. Hezekiah called the people of Judah, and those from the departed ten tribes, to come to the divine center in Jerusalem and partake of the Passover. He did not insist on them destroying their idols before they came. After they did come, and enjoyed the Passover in Jerusalem, they went home and destroyed their idols and images. (We are not insinuating that the man-made denominations in Christendom are akin with idolatry. We are only speaking of the principle of a person disconnecting himself from prior religious error.) The interesting thing to note here is that Hezekiah had not told them to do it! It was a response from their hearts that came purely from their being in the Lord’s presence in Jerusalem. However, if a person wants to continue to go to both places regularly, it should not be permitted. J. N. Darby remarked, “Difference in ecclesiastical views is not a sufficient reason for shutting out a soul. But if one wanted to be one day among the brethren, the next day among the sects, I should not allow it, and would not receive such a person; for, instead of using the liberty which belongs to him to enjoy the spiritual communion of the children of God, he puts forward the pretension to change the order of the house of God, and to perpetuate the separation of Christians.” It is clear that such a person is not being honest with either position. He also said that as looseness and corruption in the Christian testimony rises, it will become increasingly more difficult to practice this principle. More discernment will be needed as the days grow darker. In our day this principle is seldom acted on.
The Occasional Visitor
W. Potter said, “I am not happy in having to think at times the Table of the Lord is made, as it were, a convenience. For instance, those with us have relatives visiting them; they are members of some denomination, but come with their relatives to the meeting, and desire to partake with us of the Supper ‘simply as Christians.’ It has seemed to me that an upright conscience and integrity would take them to their church. They simply come for the occasion because they do not care to break away from the friends for the time being. In this I am not happy.
“It has seemed to me that in such cases our responsibility is not to refuse them, but to put before them why we are thus gathered, that our position is a practical protest against the unscripturalness of denominations, and that they, in partaking with us of the Supper in that act, for the time, are identifying themselves with us in this position, which is a protest against that with which they are connected and are confessedly upholding. Are they willing, even for the time being, to identify themselves with us? Where souls are exercised, it is another matter, and it seems to me one would feel quite free in sitting at the Table with them.
“Is not exercise of soul the important thing? Hence no one rule can be laid down. It would surely not be of the Lord to require of a godly, exercised soul connected with any of the, what we may call, orthodox denominations, that he sever his connection with his church, before we allow him to participate with us at the Table. To do this, it seems to me, is to practically deny the ground upon which we are gathered.
“As to those meetings professedly gathered to the Lord’s name, I believe it to be quite another matter. They are professedly gathered to His name, and should know why they are in separation from us and we from them. Should any of them desire to partake of the Table with us, their reasons for this should be inquired into and action taken according to what is found. There is always more intelligence with them, as to divine truth than with those saints in the denominations, and I believe, generally speaking, that they are not as ignorant of the causes of the divisions among us as some of them would sometimes have us think.”
In Israel there were “porters” and “doorkeepers” who watched the gates and kept the doors of God’s house (1 Chron. 9:17-27). Their duty was to let in such as should come in and to refuse admittance to those who should be kept out. Likewise today in a Scriptural assembly there will be this kind of care.
Another Old Testament type illustrates this care in receiving. When the city of Jerusalem, the divine centre on earth where the Lord had put His name, was re-built in the days of Nehemiah, there was great danger from the enemies around them. Consequently, they did not open the gates to allow persons into the city until “the sun was hot [literally ‘midday’]” (Neh. 7:1-3). They made sure there was no trace of darkness around before they received persons into the city. Until that time, those wanting to come in had to “stand by” (wait). As the darkness in Christendom increases in these last days, care of this kind will be needed in receiving.
Church Discipline
A Scriptural assembly will also exercise discipline when it is necessary. If the elders who watch over the flock see a person become defective in some way, they will act to correct it (Heb. 13:17). This will be done for the Lord’s glory, but also out of love for the individual going astray. They will feel responsible to act in this regard because they know that the Word of God says, “If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; if thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not He that pondereth the heart consider it? And He that keepeth thy soul, doth not He know it? And shall not He render to every man according to his works?” (Prov. 24:11-2) As watchmen upon the wall, they are responsible to “blow the trumpet” to sound a warning in regard to the danger they see. By doing it, they deliver their own souls, for God holds them responsible (Ezek. 33:1-6; Heb. 13:17).
There are three main areas of concern where an individual may become defective. In each case, those who care for the flock and are responsible to maintain holiness and order in the house of God will try to deal with the problem before it gets out of hand. If they can correct the course a person is pursuing before it reaches a point where the assembly must put him away from the fellowship, they have done a good work and have delivered that person from much trouble and sorrow in his or her life (James 5:19-20). This can be done by anyone who cares for the person, but the elders/overseers are firstly responsible in this work. Therefore, they will take certain preliminary actions toward the erring person, depending on the kind of course the person is on. This shows that the greater part of all Church discipline is to be exercised toward a person when he or she is still in fellowship.
The following scenarios give the general procedure. This is admittedly difficult to delineate because these things cannot be regimented and dealt with as though we were consulting a manual or textbook; each case must be handled on its own merit, and no two cases are identical. Scripture assumes that those who do this work are spiritual persons who will handle these cases with “spiritual” discernment (Gal. 6:1; 1 Cor. 2:15).
A Worldly Person—(Defective in Walk)
This would include a large number of moral disorders that a person could get into (1 Cor. 5:11, etc.):
• Those who care for the flock will attempt to “restore” the person overtaken in a fault in the spirit of meekness by going to him with the Word of God (Gal. 6:1; John 13:14). They will seek to reach the person’s heart and conscience in a gentle and caring way in an effort to turn him away from the course he or she may be on.
• If this does not reach the person, the next step will be to “warn” the person in a private rebuke (1 Thess. 5:14). This would be more firm and direct.
• If the person persists in his or her course, but is not in any particular sin that would demand excommunication, those who take the lead in the assembly might encourage the saints to “withdraw” from the person that his conscience may be reached, so that he might judge himself (2 Thess. 3:6-15).
• If a particular sin becomes manifest that requires excommunication, the assembly will have to act in making a binding judgment to “put away” that person from among themselves (Matt. 18:18-20; 1 Cor. 5:11-13).
A Heterodox Person—(Defective in Doctrine)
This would be a situation where a person adopts erroneous doctrines that are heterodox (1 Tim. 4:1; 2 John 9):
• Those responsible in the assembly will attempt to correct the individual as to his error and “enjoin” him to teach no other doctrine than what is orthodox (1 Tim. 1:3).
• If the person insists on teaching his erroneous ideas in the assembly, the assembly is responsible to “judge” his teachings, and call for him to be silent in the meetings (1 Cor. 14:29). This could be called the discipline of silence.
• If the person’s doctrines are blasphemous in nature, touching the Person and work of Christ, the assembly is to excommunicate him. The Apostle Paul did this to Hymenaeus and Alexander, delivering them to Satan that they might be “taught by discipline not to blaspheme” (1 Tim. 1:20). The assembly cannot directly deliver one to Satan as an apostle could do, but it can put him out of its fellowship, where God judges.
• If the saints come in contact with such a person in the Christian profession at large, they are to “withdraw” from such who have erroneous teachings that overthrow the faith of the saints (2 Tim. 2:16-19).
A Divisive Person—(Heretical in Spirit)
This is a person who creates a rift in the assembly, having a party spirit in some cause. This is more of an ecclesiastical evil and usually is the most difficult of all evils to detect. J. N. Darby said, “Ecclesiastical wickedness is always the worst.” Since this is detrimental to the health of the assembly, it must be dealt with.
• The brethren are to identify and “avoid” those who cause divisions and offences in the gathering (Rom. 16:17-18). Note: it is not, “Mark them which follow in divisions,” but those who “cause” divisions. This means that we must distinguish between the leaders and the led when a party spirit arises in an assembly.
• Those who press issues that divide the saints often do it by leading a rebellion against those who take the lead in the assembly. Such who sin by bringing unfounded accusations against an elder, the assembly is to “rebuke before all” (1 Tim. 5:19-20). A public rebuke is in order when someone divides the saints along party lines (Gal. 2:12-14).
• If the person continues to force his issues and divide the flock, the assembly has grounds to excommunicate him. Sowing discord among the brethren is an “abomination” to the Lord (Prov. 6:16-19), and something that is abominable to the Lord should not be in fellowship at His table. Therefore, the person is to be put away.
• If any in the assembly come across a leader of a party who has been put out of fellowship, or has gone out with his party, they are to “admonish” him once and again (Titus 3:10). If there is any further encounter with him, they are to “have done with” him, because he is perverted (Titus 3:10).
Three Reasons for Excommunication
There are three main reasons why the assembly must put away evil persons.
1) The Lord's Glory—The assembly must be careful not to allow the Lord’s name to be associated with evil before the world. When the Corinthians acted for the Lord’s glory and put out the immoral person from their midst, the Apostle Paul wrote commending them, saying, “Behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge!” (2 Cor. 7:11) They acted with vehement zeal and revenge for the Lord’s glory.
2) Holiness in the Assembly Must Be Maintained—There are two reasons for this. Firstly, the assembly is God’s dwelling place (Eph. 2:22). It must be kept as a fit place for His holy presence. The Lord dwells in the midst of His people gathered to His name (Matt. 18:20), and therefore the assembly is to keep evil out of its midst so that it remains a fit place for His presence. “Holiness becometh Thine house, O LORD, forever,” is a principle that is true in every dispensation (Psa. 93:5). “He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within My house” (Psa. 101:7; 1 Corinthians 3:17; Num. 5:1-4). The second reason is the leavening character of sin. Scripture teaches that association with evil defiles. The Apostle Paul said, “Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump” (1 Cor. 5:6-8; Gal. 5:9-12). If the assembly did not put away evil from its midst, it would not be long before others were affected by it, because “evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Cor. 15:33).
3) The Correction and Restoration of the Offender—The assembly action of putting someone out of fellowship should also have the good of the erring person in view. He is put out and not socialized with, so that he might be broken down in repentance and restored to the Lord. “I have written unto you, if anyone called a brother be a fornicator, or avaricious, or idolater, or abusive, or a drunkard, or rapacious, not to mix with him; with such a one not even to eat” (1 Cor. 5:11). This refers to not even eating a common meal with the person. When the person is repentant and has judged his sin, the assembly is to receive him back into fellowship. The Apostle Paul said, “Sufficient to such an man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him” (2 Cor. 2:6-8). This is an administrative action of the assembly in loosing (Matt. 18:18).
The Proper Attitude of the Assembly
In Excommunicating
The assembly should always take the matter up as their sin. Their attitude in excommunicating someone should be that of mourning—owning they have failed in not being able reach him when he was on a course toward the sin. This is what the Corinthians had not done. Paul said to them, “Ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you” (1 Cor. 5:2). Each one in the assembly should search his heart asking himself, “What could I have done that might have stopped this person from falling?” We must see that we have had a part in it, in that we have not shepherded the person properly, or that we have not prayed for that person enough, etc. This is what is referred to as eating the sin offering (Lev. 6:26).
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Summary: A Scripturally gathered assembly will have those who will take the lead administratively to insure that holiness and order are maintained.
Number Eight: A Scriptural Assembly Will Have aVariety of Meetings As Did theEarly Church
The exhortation in Scripture is not to forsake “the assembling of ourselves together” (Heb. 10:25). In searching the book of the Acts and the epistles, we see that the early Church “continued stedfastly” in assembling together in a variety of meetings (Acts 2:42). A Scriptural assembly today, under normal conditions, will have a full menu of meetings too. These meetings fall into two categories:
• Assembly meetings.
• Meetings of the assembly.
“Assembly meetings” are meetings where the Lord is in the midst, in a collective sense (Matt. 18:20), leading and guiding the proceedings by the Holy Spirit—whether in worship, prayer, ministry, or for binding administrative judgments. In these meetings nothing is pre-arranged as to who will do what; all is left to the Lord to guide in the spirit of holy spontaneity.
“Meetings of the assembly,” on the other hand, are occasions when the saints gather together for ministry, for fellowship and encouragement, where the responsibility is given to a brother who has some gift for preaching or ministering the Word to conduct the meeting. He is responsible to the Lord and the assembly to preach and teach according to the Scriptures and to use the time for the spiritual profit and encouragement of the saints thus gathered. It is not that these meetings are of lesser importance but that the character of them is altogether different.
Assembly Meetings
The Breaking of Bread
This meeting is regarded as being the chief assembly meeting. It is also called “the Lord’s supper” (1 Cor. 11:20).
• In the gospels the supper was instituted (Luke 22:19-20).
• In the Acts it was celebrated (Acts 2:42; 20:6-7).
• In the epistle to the Corinthians it is expounded (1 Cor. 10:16-17; 11:23-26).
The purpose of the Lord’s Supper is simply to remember Him in His death as He has requested—“this do in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19). We do not come to the Lord’s Supper to remember our sins; we come to remember Him. It is not a command, but it takes the power of a command over a heart that loves Him. Affection for Christ will cause the believer to respond to this request. The breaking of bread is not called a worship meeting, but remembering the sufferings of the Lord in His death cannot but call forth worship from the hearts of the saints gathered to partake of the supper. When the Lord instituted it, they did three things:
• They gave thanks (Matt. 26:26-27).
• They referenced the Scriptures (Psa. 113-118 – Matt. 26:30 margin).
• They sang a hymn (Matt. 26:30).
We learn from this that reading pertinent Scriptures, singing hymns, and giving thanks have their place in the breaking of bread.
We learn from Acts 20:6-7 and 1 Corinthians 16:2 That it was the habit of the disciples in the early Church to come together on the first day of the week to “break bread” and to make a “collection.” Hebrews 13:15-16 links the sacrifice of praise with the sacrifice out of our material substance, and thus suggests to the spiritual mind that they are to be done together at the supper as part of the worship.
Christians gathering together on “the first day of the week” was not something that was just done in Corinth and Troas; it was what “the disciples” of the Lord did universally. It indicates the specified time when the Church should break bread. Note: it was not done on the first Lord’s day of every month, or each quarter of the year—as is the practice in many Christian circles today—but a weekly custom on the resurrection day. They did not come together to meet the Apostle Paul or to hear a sermon, but to break bread.
The manner in which the supper is to be eaten is in a state of having judged ourselves. The Apostle Paul said, “Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup” (1 Cor. 11:28). Thus it is to be eaten in a holy and reverent manner. He warns that if we eat it without judging ourselves, we could incur the governmental judgment of the Lord in our lives—citing examples such as sickness, and even death (1 Cor. 11:27-34). If partaking of the Lord’s Supper depended on our personal worthiness, no one on earth could partake of the emblems, for no one is worthy in himself. We are only worthy because of what Christ has done in His finished work on the cross. He has fitted us for the presence of God by what He accomplished in redemption.
As in all assembly meetings, the Lord is in the midst to guide the proceedings by the Spirit. A Scripturally gathered assembly will not have an elder or a man appointed to conduct the service. In coming together and waiting on the Lord, He will lead a brother here and another brother there to offer thanksgiving and praise as the mouthpiece of the assembly. All will be carried on spontaneously, as the Spirit leads.
Another aspect of truth, subsidiary to the central feature of remembrance set forth in the Lord’s Supper is that the “bread which we break” represents the mystical body of Christ (Rom. 12:4-5; 1 Cor. 12:12-13; Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18). First Corinthians 11:23-26 refers to the Lord’s personal body in which He accomplished redemption on the cross. In eating the bread at the supper in this aspect, we have fellowship with Him in what He accomplished in His body for the glory of God. But 1 Corinthians 10:15-17 refers to His mystical body composed of many members (1 Cor. 12:12-13). By partaking of the bread in this aspect we express “fellowship” with each other as members of that “one body.”
Since the act of breaking bread expresses that we are “members one of another” in the one body, only those who are proven members in the body of Christ should partake of the bread. Therefore, the meeting for the breaking of bread in a Scriptural assembly will not have an open communion, nor will it have a closed, but rather, a guarded communion in regards to who may partake, as mentioned earlier. A Scriptural assembly will receive to the Lord’s Table only those who are sound in doctrine and godly in walk.
The Prayer Meeting
In this meeting, the local assembly comes before “the throne of grace” (Heb. 4:16) in a collective sense—in united prayer. We can pray at home privately and receive answers to prayer, if they are according to God’s will, but there is nothing like prayers at the prayer meeting. It is absolutely vital for the Church to express its dependence and its needs to the Lord in this way. An assembly that does not have a regular prayer meeting cannot expect to prosper spiritually. Therefore, stated times for collective prayer are vital and essential for every assembly. From the numerous references in the book of the Acts, we can see that the early Church had such meetings, and the Church today should have them too (Acts 2:42; 4:23-33; 12:12-17; 13:3, etc.).
The prayer meeting is the time when felt needs and weaknesses are expressed, and where answers to prayer requests are expected. It is not a time for long rambling prayers, or worse yet, teaching the saints on our knees. What characterized the prayer meetings in Scripture is definiteness. They generally had some specific request or need that they brought to the Lord in prayer. And they were thoroughly in agreement in what they asked for, praying with “one accord.” We are encouraged to “come boldly” before the throne of grace and make our “requests” (Heb. 4:16; Phil. 4:6). In this meeting the brothers who pray audibly act as the mouthpiece of all who are there on that occasion. They bring the concerns of those in the assembly to the Head of the Church. There is no need for a prayer leader (Nehemiah 11:17), for the Holy Spirit is to preside in this meeting, and He will lead brothers to audibly express the concerns of the assembly to the Lord.
The prayer meeting has been nicknamed, “The Thermometer Meeting,” because the general temperature or state of those in a particular gathering can often be discerned by their interest and attendance to this meeting. The tone of this meeting is a manifestation of the spiritual condition of the assembly as a whole.
The Open Meeting
This is a meeting for ministry from the Word of God (1 Cor. 14:26-33). Since the Lord is in the midst, and leading by the Spirit in this assembly meeting, He will lead two or three brothers to minister something from the Scriptures that will be for the profit of the assembly. Scripture says, “Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other[s] judge.” Those who act as prophets in this meeting are to speak for the “edification, and exhortation, and comfort” of the others assembled on that particular occasion (1 Cor. 14:3).
Since the meeting is open to the leading of the Spirit to use whomsoever “He will” (1 Cor. 12:11), some have mistaken this meeting to be a time for the flesh to have liberty in divine things and thus occupy the time unprofitably. This was the problem in Corinth. They abused this meeting and turned it into a free-for-all (vs. 26). It seems that everyone had something that they wanted to “show and tell,” whether it edified the assembly or not. They were so eager to speak that they were tripping over each other. Some wanted to use their gift of tongues, but they had no interpreter to bring what was said into the common language of those in the assembly. The result was that no one profited from it.
This needed to be regulated. This is what the Apostle did in writing to them. He shows that ministry in the meetings is to be done in an orderly manner. “If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace [be silent]” (vs. 30). In other words, they were not to interrupt one another, but wait until the first speaker was finished before the next brother spoke. All things were to be done decently and in order (vs. 40). He tells us that if a person persists in speaking with little or no profit, the assembly has recourse in that it can “judge” that person’s ministry and have him silenced (vs. 29).
In this passage (1 Corinthians 14) the Apostle states three things that are to regulate ministry in the assembly meetings:
• We are to give place to the leading of the Spirit, which is implied in the word “let”—8 times (vss. 26-30):
• The prophets are to use self-control over their own “spirits” (vs. 32).
• The assembly is to exercise administrative judgment of silence on those who are not subject to the leading of the Spirit, and who will not control their own spirits (vs. 29).
A Meeting for Disciplinary Action
In a perfect world there would be no need for this meeting, but as long as the Church is on earth, and we have the flesh in us, there will be outbreaks of sin in the saints, if they neglect to judge themselves. Hence, there will be a need for disciplinary actions by the assembly on those who do not control the impulses of the flesh in their lives.
When an assembly makes a binding decision to silence a brother, or excommunicate someone (Matt. 18:18-20), it must be done in assembly when the saints “are gathered together” and the Lord is in the midst (1 Cor. 5:4). This action may be against any manner of sin that a person could be charged with. This action is not done by a group of brothers, or elders, apart from the assembly, but by the assembly when it is gathered together (Acts 15:22). A meeting for disciplinary action is usually appended to the breaking of bread meeting because the breaking of bread is where the oneness of the body and the fellowship at the Lord’s Table is expressed. Since the person is “put away” from among the fellowship of the saints at the Lord’s Table, it is fitting that it would be appended to the breaking of bread meeting (1 Cor. 5:12-13).
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Looking over these assembly meetings that Scripture presents, and then at the denominational fellowships in Christendom, we see that the Church today does not even have these meetings in its services—at least with any kind of regularity. The main kind of a meeting we see today is what is often called “family worship,” where people gather to hear a sermon and to praise the Lord. If the Lord’s Supper is kept, it is usually done once a month or once every quarter—and it is barely recognizable from what we read of in Scripture. For instance, the loaf of bread, which is an emblem of the one body of Christ, is usually replaced with wafers. Also, if prayer meetings are held in the mid-week, there is an appointed prayer-leader. Open meetings are unheard of, and so are meetings for disciplinary action and excommunication.
Meetings of the Assembly
The meetings in this second category have a different character from those which we have called “assembly meetings.” The main difference is that these meetings are carried on by responsible, gifted brothers, rather than being under the direct spontaneous leading of the Spirit. This does not mean that the Spirit of God is not needed or depended upon in these meetings; those who speak should be “filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:17) and “led by the Spirit” (Rom. 8:14).
A Reading Meeting
The essentials for a Bible reading meeting are mentioned in 1 Timothy 4:13, where it says, “Till I come, give attendance to reading [the readings], to exhortation, to doctrine.” The “reading” that Paul speaks of here is not personal and private reading of Scripture or ministry, but that of public readings of Scripture when the saints are gathered together (J. N. Darby Trans. footnote). It was the custom of the early Church to come together to hear the Scriptures read. It was a practise of the Jews in the synagogues (Acts 13:15) which was carried on (rightly) in Christianity. The fact that Paul included “exhortation” and “teaching” in 1 Timothy 4:13 indicates that after the Scriptures were read aloud, there was opportunity for any who had a gift for exhorting or expounding the truth, to make comments for the spiritual help and understanding of the saints. This is what a Bible reading meeting is. The Scriptures which they read were the Old Testament, but as time went by and the epistles were written, they too would be included in these readings (Col. 4:16; 1 Thess. 5:27).
This was done in the early Church because most in that day did not have a copy of the Scriptures. It was a way for all such to hear the Word of God and get some helpful ministry. Also, many back then were illiterate, and could not read even if they had a copy of the Scriptures. Furthermore, these occasions promote fellowship. “They continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship” (Acts 2:42). The Bible reading meeting is still a wonderful means of learning the truth.
Paul encouraged Timothy to attend those reading meetings and to use the opportunity to exercise his gift in exhortation and teaching. He told him that he definitely had a gift for it, and therefore, he should not neglect to use it. He also reminded him that he had the support of his older brethren (“the elderhood”) who had recognized his gift and had given him the right hand of fellowship in the use of it (vs. 14). We should not encourage someone in this way if he does not have a gift for ministering the Word. The person could embarrass himself, and there would be little spiritual profit for the saints. While the meeting should be used for those who can teach, if there are none present with a distinctive gift for teaching, the saints can still be fed. If various brothers in a gathering express what they do understand in connection with the passage in dependence on the Lord, He will give the saints something, because God always blesses the reading of His Word (Rev. 1:3).
Since the reading meeting today is usually carried on after the character of an “assembly meeting,” some have thought that it could be included in the first category—and maybe it should be—but brethren in the 1800s carried it on as a time for exposition by gifted brothers, where questions and answers had a large part.
An Address
An example of this meeting is found in Acts 20:7. It says, “Paul preached [discoursed] unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech [discourse] until midnight.” When the occasion arises, and there is a brother present who is gifted in ministering the Word of God, the assembly may take advantage of the opportunity and ask him to have an address. He will take up a subject that the Lord has laid on his heart that would be a help to the saints in their understanding of the truth once delivered to the saints (2 Peter 1:12; Jude 3). Or, the meeting might take the character of exhortation and encouragement. If the brother is in that area for any length of time, and the saints desire it, he might have a series of addresses on a subject.
A Gospel Meeting
This is a meeting that is usually not carried on under the responsibility of the assembly, though it would have something to say about it if it were in a hall that belonged to the assembly. We would link the Sunday School with this kind of meeting.
The purpose of the gospel meeting is quite obvious—it is to preach the gospel. In the book of the Acts we see the Apostle Paul preaching the gospel to the lost; in the epistle to the Romans he speaks of announcing it to believers (Rom. 1:15). Hence, there is a place for both in the Scriptures. We might wonder why we would announce it to believers. But it is important in helping the saints to get grounded in the truth of the gospel and its related blessings. When it is announced to the saints, it would take more of an expounding character, rather than a beseeching character. This was the purpose of Paul in writing to the Romans. A gospel meeting can be carried on almost anywhere.
• In Acts 10:23-24 it was in a home.
• In Acts 13:14-43 it was in a synagogue.
• In Acts 16:25-34 it was in a jail.
• In Acts 17:22-34 it was in the open air.
A Meeting to Report Missionary Labours
An example of this meeting is found in Acts 14:27. “When they were come, and had gathered the church [assembly] together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how He had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles.” This meeting gives the saints an opportunity to hear what the Lord has been doing in foreign fields. It is not for labourers to boast of what they are doing for the Lord (2 Kings 10:16), but to rehearse what God is doing in saving souls and gathering them unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
A brother who labours in a foreign land may pass through an area, and the assembly may take the opportunity to have him give a report of the work in that land. He might put up a map or show some pictures of the work in that particular area where he and others have been serving. The main purpose of this meeting is to encourage the local saints to pray for the work in various places. Hearing of it in this way enables the saints to pray more intelligently. It also gives them an opportunity to have practical fellowship with the work in a monetary way. The result of such a meeting “caused great joy unto all the brethren” (Acts 15:3).
A Care Meeting
This meeting is different in character from all other meetings. The meetings mentioned thus far are for the assembly as a whole, but this meeting is not. It is a private meeting for the elders and responsible brethren in regard to the administrative cares of the assembly (Gal. 2:2 – “privately”).
Acts 15:6; 20:18; and 21:18 indicate that it is quite acceptable for responsible brethren to meet apart from the assembly to address administrative concerns. These references are not exactly a model for a care meeting; they were apostolic councils, which included brethren from different localities. Nevertheless, they do give the principles for such a meeting. A care meeting, as we know it, is purely for local brethren.
It is not a “brothers” meeting, as it is often called, but a “care” meeting, because this meeting is not necessarily for all the brothers in an local assembly. Scripture says, “The apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter” (Acts 15:6). It does not mention younger brothers, new converts, or sisters. Those who are not established in the faith could easily be stumbled when they see “war in the gates” (Ex. 13:17-18; Judg. 5:8). Moreover, the young in the faith have not had their consciences sufficiently enlightened in Scriptural principles to be able to form an accurate, spiritual judgment, and therefore would not be needed in such a meeting. As they get a little older, they can come and learn how things are to be handled by observing the experienced older brethren.
While the brothers in the care meeting may arrive at a Scriptural course of action that the assembly should take in an issue that it may be faced with, they do not do anything apart from the assembly (Acts 15:22).
A Fellowship Meeting (Love Feast)
This is a meeting that is centered around fellowship. Jude speaks of it as, “Your feasts of charity [love feasts]” (Jude 12). Peter also alludes to it (2 Peter 2:13). It is a time for the saints to be together for a common meal to promote fellowship.
The early Church considered fellowship important and continued “stedfastly” in it (Acts 2:42). Fellowship strengthens our bonds in Christ and encourages us in the path of faith. Let us note that Christian fellowship is fellowship in regard to what we have in common as Christians—Christ. Sometimes we get together for sports and recreation without reference to the Lord, and imagine that it is Christian fellowship. It is really natural fellowship done with Christians, and there is nothing wrong with it, but the essence of Christian fellowship is to have fellowship over Christian things.
The Corinthians had merged this meeting with the Lord’s supper, and had turned it into something that was a dishonour to the Lord (1 Cor. 11:20-22). They were also eating their love feasts observing class distinctions in society, which was not to be done in the fellowship of the Lord’s people. Hence, the Apostle gave correction to this disorder in his remarks.
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Summary: Under normal conditions, a Scriptural assembly will have a variety of meetings to meet the needs of the brethren in the local assembly. Note that there is no mention in Scripture of healing meetings, tongues meetings, or testimonial meetings. These meetings are found in the Church today, and may be interesting, but they are not found in the Word of God, and therefore will not be found in a Scriptural assembly.
Number Nine: A Scriptural Assembly Will Meet on the Ground of the One Body and Will Practice That Truth With Other Assemblies That Are Similarly Gathered
In looking for a Scriptural Church gathering, we also need to see that an assembly that meets according to the Word of God is not an “island” all by itself in the sea of Christian profession. There is no such thing in Scripture as a local assembly being independent—functioning autonomously. A Scriptural assembly will be gathered on the ground of the “one body” of Christ, and will practice that truth with other assemblies that are similarly gathered on that ground (1 Cor. 12:12-27; Eph. 4:1-4).
Sad to say, the Church has long departed from this. Rather than meeting on the ground of the one body, it meets on various party lines according to:
• National distinctions—i.e. the Church of England, the Church of Scotland, Dutch Reformed, etc.
• Certain ordinances and doctrines—i.e. Baptist, Anabaptist, etc.
• Forms of Church government—i.e. Episcopal (rule through a system of bishops), Presbyterian (rule through a system of elders and ministers), Congregationalist (rule through the vote of the congregation), etc.
• Gifted men—i.e. Luther (Lutheran), Menno Simons (Mennonite), John Wesley (Wesleyan-Methodist), etc.
These sectarian parties make Church fellowship something that is either broader than that which Scripture indicates, or something that is narrower than what Scripture indicates. For instance, the national churches accept into their fellowships all who are of a certain nation, regardless of whether they are saved or not. A person is christened at birth and made part of that church organization. But the Bible indicates that the Church is only composed of true believers, and “the Lord’s Table” (a symbol of the true ground of Christian fellowship where the Lord’s authority is recognized) is only for the members of Christ’s body (1 Cor. 10:16-17). Infants and mere professing believers (not born of God) do not have a place in this communion. On the other hand, the evangelical churches narrow church fellowship to something less than the members of the body of Christ. It is not enough that a person is a Christian; he must be a member of that particular church organization. This is sectarianism. If one desires to be part of their church functions, he has to join that church fellowship officially, but in doing so, he cuts himself off from other Christians in other church fellowships. For if a person chooses to become a Baptist, then he cannot be a Presbyterian. His fellowship and church activity is restricted to the Baptists. However, such a ground is narrower than the body of Christ. Both of these principles of gathering are not according to the truth of the one body.
Most Christians will acknowledge the truth of the “one body,” but unfortunately, they see it merely as a theological doctrine that has no practical ramifications in the lives of Christians in their ecclesiology. This, however, is a mistake. Scripture indicates that God desires that the truth of the one body should be practiced in the way in which Christians meet for worship, ministry, and fellowship, and also inter-communion with other assemblies of Christians similarly gathered. A Scripturally gathered assembly, therefore, will seek to express the unity of the body of Christ in a practical way.
God’s Desire for a Visible Unity.Among His People
We know from the Word of God that God desires to “gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad,” that there would be “one flock” and “one Shepherd” (John 11:51-52; 10:16). Before going to the cross, the Lord prayed to that end saying, “Holy Father, keep through Thine own Name those whom Thou hast given Me, that they may be one, as We are.” And again, “That they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me” (John 17:11, 21). While these verses in John’s gospel do not directly speak of the truth of the oneness of the body of Christ, but rather of the oneness in the family, they show that God’s desire for His people is that they would be found together in a visible unity on earth.
Let’s turn again to that verse in Matthew 18:20, which we have looked at a number of times already, but this time to focus on a different part of the verse. “For where two or three are gathered together unto My Name, there am I in the midst.” The point we emphasize now is that the Lord desires that His people would not only be “gathered” where He was in the midst, but that they would be “gathered together.” He desired that all whom the Spirit of God would gather unto His name, wherever they may be on earth, would be “together.” He couldn’t have meant that they should all be gathered together in one geographical place (as it was in Judaism—at Jerusalem), but that they would act together in the various localities where the Spirit has gathered them, so as to give a universal expression to the fact that they are one. His desire is that there would be one universal fellowship of the saints on earth—that to which all Christians are called (1 Cor. 1:9).
Now someone might think that we are seeing more in this word “together” than what is intended, and it’s true that if we had only this verse (Matt. 18:20) on the subject of gathering, they might have grounds to say it. But when we turn to the book of the Acts and to the epistles, and we interpret this Scripture in the light of the whole tenor of the Christian revelation, we can see that the Lord was indicating the truth of the Church’s oneness. It is only hinted at here in Matthew 18 because the disciples did not have the Spirit yet, and they wouldn’t be able to take it in (John 14:25-26; 16:12). The Lord did this on many occasions in His ministry, giving but the seed of a truth and leaving it to be developed through the apostles when the Spirit came.
We learn from John 10:16 that the Lord did not want His people to be found in a number of independent flocks, but that there would be “one flock,” regardless of where they may be found spread over the earth. There would be many gatherings, but only one flock—one universal fellowship of saints on earth. It was not God’s thought that fellowship would be merely a local thing, confined to a single company of believers in a city or town. As the gospel reached other lands and many were converted, there would naturally be many gatherings spread over the earth, but the Lord intended that they would still be one in fellowship and testimony.
Walking Worthy of Our Calling is to Express Practically That We Are “One Body”
The epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians, especially, open up the truth of the “great mystery” of Christ and the Church, which is His body. The first practical exhortation in the epistle to the Ephesians is to “walk worthy of the vocation” wherewith they had been called (Eph. 4:1). And how, we may ask, are the members of the body to “walk worthy?” Some might say that they are to do it by living uprightly as good citizens in the community, but that is not the point of this passage of Scripture. Christians, of course, should be concerned about walking uprightly before the world, but the context of the passage indicates that the exhortation to “walk worthy” of our calling is in view of the revelation of the mystery of Christ and His Church—the body, which Paul has presented in chapter 3. While enjoining the saints to walk worthy of their calling, he adds, “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love; using diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace. There is one body” (Eph. 4:2-4). It is clear, therefore, that the Church is to walk worthy of its calling by putting into practice the truth that it is “one body.”
We are not called to keep the unity of the body, but rather, “the unity of the Spirit.” There is no exhortation in Scripture for Christians to keep the unity of the body because it is a vital thing that God Himself keeps. It is what He formed at Pentecost, uniting the members of the body together to Christ the Head in heaven by the indwelling Spirit—of which we are now a part through the sealing of the Spirit (Eph. 1:13). No power or enemy can break the unity of the body; it is as strong as our bonds in Christ in salvation. "The unity of the Spirit," however, is a practical unity among believers that we are responsible to keep, and it is our privilege to do so. What then is the unity of the Spirit? F. G. Patterson said, “Keeping the unity of the Spirit is to endeavor to keep in practice that which exists in fact.” And what exists in fact? The passage goes on to tell us—“there is one body.” Another has said that the unity of the Spirit is “that which the Spirit is forming to give true expression to the truth of the one body.” We conclude, therefore, that Christians are to walk worthy of their calling by putting into practice the truth that they are “one body.” This is the Church’s first great collective responsibility. And it is the mind of God that this unity should be expressed universally—wherever the body is on the earth. This unity could not be merely a local thing because the body is not local.
To aid the members of the body of Christ in walking together in practical unity, Ephesians 4 goes on to tell us that Christ, the ascended Head of the body, has made full provision for the members to that end (Eph. 4:7-16). He has given “gifts” to the Church for the purpose of helping the saints understand their privileges and responsibilities in the body, so that they would walk worthy of their calling.
The “One Body” in Practice
We see in Scripture a number of ways in which the body of Christ is to manifest its unity. It can be seen in the following things:
The Breaking of Bread
The simplest way believers can express that they are part of the “one body” is in partaking of the “one loaf” in the breaking of bread. By partaking of the loaf in the Lord’s Supper we are confessing the fact that we are members of that “one body.” Paul said, “The bread which we break, is it not the communion [fellowship] of the body of Christ. For we being many are one loaf, one body: for we all partake of that one loaf” (1 Cor. 10:16-17). There may be a loaf eaten in many assemblies wherever saints are found on earth, but Scripture views all the assemblies as partaking of “one loaf.” Paul said, “We”—including himself with the Corinthians, even though they were in different localities. This shows that the act of breaking bread is a confession of the worldwide fact that all the saints are part of that “one body.”
Assembly Order
When we look more closely at the epistle to the Corinthians, we see this truth worked out in the practical circumstances of assembly life. We see that Paul sought to maintain uniformity in doctrine and practice in all the assemblies worldwide (1 Cor. 1:2; 4:17; 7:17; 11:16; 14:33-34; 16:1). His great burden was that all the assemblies would walk together, and thus have one singular testimony before the world. When we look at the early Church we find this unity in practice.
There was one common standard of doctrine and practice for every assembly. Paul could say, “ ... as I teach everywhere in every assembly” (1 Cor. 4:17).
There was one common standard for conduct, regardless of the culture. Paul could say, “Thus I ordain in all the assemblies” (1 Cor. 7:17).
There was one common way of recognizing the headship in praying or prophesying, expressed in the use of headcoverings. In this regard Paul could say, “We have no such custom, nor the assemblies of God.” They had no such thought or custom that people would do otherwise (1 Cor. 11:16).
There was one order for ministry in the assemblies. The Spirit of God was there in the midst using the gifts that were present in each local assembly for the edification of all. In outlining that order, Paul said, “As in all the assemblies of the saints” (1 Cor. 14:33).
There was one common use for the funds accumulated in their collections—the interests of Christ and His body. Paul said again, “ ... as I have given order to the assemblies” (1 Cor. 16:1). Walking together in one fellowship, they recognized the needs of one another and sought to meet them on a universal basis (1 Cor. 16:3; Rom. 15:25-26).
The Formation of New Gatherings
In the case of new converts and the formation of new gatherings on that one ground of fellowship, we find that when the Spirit of God began a work in some, He was careful to link them together with others on the same ground so that “the unity of the Spirit” would be kept. It says of the Thessalonian believers, “For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God which in Judea are in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess. 2:14). It was not that the assemblies in Judea were more important and that the other assemblies were to follow them. It was simply that the Spirit had begun His work of gathering souls to the name of the Lord Jesus first in Judea, and as others were saved, they were linked in practical fellowship to what the Spirit of God had already begun.
In the book of the Acts we see the various local assemblies walking together practically so as to give expression to the truth that they are one body. It is seen in Acts 8:4-24. Many in Samaria had come to believe on the Lord Jesus through Philip’s preaching, yet the Spirit of God did not own them as being on the ground of the assembly until they had received the Spirit and had practical fellowship with those whom He had already gathered unto the name of the Lord Jesus in Jerusalem. In seeking to keep “the unity of the Spirit,” two representatives came down from Jerusalem and laid hands on those in Samaria (an expression of practical fellowship—Gal. 2:9), whereby the Spirit of God identified Himself with them. C. H. Brown said, “God did not permit the Samaritans to get official recognition as belonging to the Church [assembly] until they got it from these emissaries that came down from Jerusalem.” Great care was taken by the Spirit of God to link these believers “together” with those in Jerusalem so that there would be one practical expression of the “one body” on earth, even though this truth had not yet been revealed.
When the Apostle Paul came across a group of believers at Ephesus (Acts 19:1-6) who were unaware of others with whom God had worked, he found that the Spirit of God had not owned them as being on the divine ground of the assembly. They were not recognized as being on the ground of the “one body” until they had the Spirit and had practical fellowship (the laying on of hands) with those whom the Spirit had already gathered. In reference to this group of believers C. H. Brown also said, “They needed something. They had to be brought into the same unity that already existed. They could not be owned as occupying a different ground to the rest of them. Paul could not say, ‘You folks are not on the same ground as the folks up at Antioch, or at Jerusalem, but you have a lot of truth, and I will just go on with you.’ Oh no. He is going to see that they are brought onto the same ground as the rest. They were brought into the same thing that had been formed before they ever heard of it.” Again we see in this the care and wisdom of God in maintaining “the unity of the Spirit” so that there would be one practical expression of the truth of the “one body.”
It is noteworthy that the believers in Samaria (Acts 8), Antioch (Act 11), and Ephesus (Acts 19), were not called an “assembly” until after they were linked “together” in practical fellowship with the apostles and the brethren already gathered on the ground of the assembly. Prior to it they are merely spoken of as believers or disciples in a certain place. After they were brought into fellowship with the apostles and the brethren on the ground of the assembly, we find them called “the assembly” at such and such a place (Acts 9:31; 11:26; 20:17).
Moreover, whenever Scripture speaks of the church in a place (a city or town), it never speaks of it as the churches (plural) of such and such a place, but simply “the church (singular) of God which is at Corinth,” etc. Even though there were many gatherings in a particular city, such as Corinth, they were always referred to as being one assembly (1 Cor. 1:2, etc.). This is because the Church in any one locality is to be visibly one in testimony. Scripture does, however, speak of “churches” when it refers to provinces, because a province is made up of many towns or localities (Gal. 1:2, 22; Rev. 1:11).
Matters of Inter-Assembly Fellowship
We see the “one body” in practice in administrative affairs concerning inter-assembly fellowship. The Church in Scripture used “letters of commendation” (Acts 18:24-28; Rom. 16:1; 2 Cor. 3:1-3). These letters were written from one local assembly to another, commending a person or persons to the practical fellowship of the assembly to which they were going. This letter was not to ask the brethren in the locality where the person was going to receive him or her into fellowship; the letter announced that the person was already in fellowship, and that the assembly to which he was going should receive him as such. This is because once a person is in fellowship in one locality, he is in fellowship with the saints that are on that ground universally. Since all administrative matters having to do with the assembly are to be done “in the mouth of two or three witnesses” (2 Cor. 13:1), two or three brothers of the local assembly from which the person comes should sign the letter.
Matters of Assembly Discipline
The “one body” in practice is also seen in inter-assembly matters having to do with discipline and excommunication. Even though there may be many miles between assemblies, they are seen as all being on one ground and in one fellowship; and therefore they recognize one another’s administrative acts of binding and loosing. They are made in the various local gatherings as actions made in the name of the Lord but are bowed to by all the assemblies on the ground of the one body. Each local assembly’s competency to act on behalf of the body at large comes from the fact that the Lord is in their midst sanctioning its actions (Matt. 18:18-20).
In 1 Corinthians 12:27, Paul indicates that the assembly at Corinth was the local representative of the body at large. This would be true of all local assemblies, whether it was Corinth, Ephesus, etc. It indicates that their actions administratively would affect the saints at large. Unfortunately, the KJV says, “Now ye are the body of Christ.” This is misleading, and might cause someone to think that the body of Christ was only at Corinth—as if they were the only ones in the body, or that each local assembly was the body of Christ. The body of Christ, of course, embraces all Christians on the face of the earth. It should read, “Now ye are Christ’s body, and members in particular.” This more accurately conveys the thought. Notice he says, not “we,” but “ye ... .” He was speaking about the local assembly at Corinth. They were surely not the whole body, but they were of Christ’s body—that is, part of the whole. Hamilton Smith illustrates this point by asking us to suppose that a general, addressing a local company of soldiers, might say, “Remember men, you are Coldstream Guards.” He would not say, “You are the Coldstream Guards,” because they do not form the whole regiment. The absence of the article “the” in the correct translation conveys the true thought that the Corinthians were the local expression of the body of Christ at large. This made them competent to act on behalf of the body at large in administrative affairs.
If one local assembly should make a binding decision in putting someone away from the fellowship, the body at large acts in fellowship with that local assembly and recognizes the action, so that the person “put away” is regarded as “without” in other gatherings too—not just in the locality where he resides. We see this in 1 Corinthians 5:13, where the local assembly at Corinth was to put away that wicked person from their midst. But 2 Corinthians 2:6 tells us that the “rebuke” or “censure” made by the Corinthian assembly was “inflicted by the many.” “The many” here refers to the body at large—the mass of the saints universally (J. N. Darby’s Translation footnote). Hence the offender is made to feel the rebuke by more than just his local assembly. We do not say that the man in question actually went to other localities and felt the rebuke from them, but that the carrying out of the action is expressed universally by the body at large. If a person were to be put out of the fellowship in a particular locality, he was regarded as out of fellowship everywhere on earth, because what is done in the name of the Lord in one local assembly affects the whole in practice.
Matthew 18:18 confirms this. The Lord said, “Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth. ... ” He did not specify where on earth because the assembly’s actions are not confined to any one locality. Though a decision may be made in a certain locality, it is made on behalf of the body at large and is binding all over the earth. There is no such thing in Scripture as making a binding decision that only applies to a certain locality. In this verse, the Lord is simply saying that if the assembly makes a decision in His name, He will recognize it. If heaven recognizes it, then all on earth should recognize it too. All on the ground of the Church of God are to recognize that action and bow to it. By doing this, the assembly at large expresses the truth that it is “one body.”
Likewise, when it comes to loosing a binding action, the local assembly where the action was made lifts the censure and (administratively) forgives the repentant person, and the body at large follows, expressing that forgiveness also. This is borne out in Paul’s remarks in 2 Corinthians 2:7-11. While Paul had authority to act apostolically in this matter, if need be, he chose to wait until the local assembly at Corinth acted, so as to keep “the unity of the Spirit.” He said, “To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also.”
Paul went on to say, “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us” (2 Cor 2:11). He didn’t say, “Get an advantage of you”—which would be the Corinthians; he said, “Us.” This indicates the saints at large in the “one body.” Paul knew that Satan was seeking to divide the assemblies in their universal testimony of the one body, and this delicate inter-assembly matter was where he would work. Therefore, Paul—as representing the saints abroad—indicates how we are to act in these matters of loosing an assembly judgment. Even though he (and perhaps others) knew that the man was repentant and should be restored to fellowship, he didn’t go ahead of the local assembly at Corinth and act independently in the matter—though, being an apostle, he had authority to do so. Instead, he waited for the Corinthians to act in the matter first; then he and the rest of the saints abroad would follow it. We are taught by his example that we are not to act independently but in concert with the local assembly that makes the action.
We see an example of this in Acts 15, when trouble arose among the saints at Antioch on account of Judaizing teachers from Jerusalem disturbing the saints with their doctrine of mixing law and grace. Again, we learn some valuable lessons as to how God would have us to deal with inter-assembly problems. The first thing we find is that they determined to take the problem up with those at Jerusalem. Now we may think that the reason why they took the matter to Jerusalem was because it was God’s center for dealing with assembly problems, as if it were the one central place on earth (a headquarters) to which the assemblies were to take their problems. But the assembly at Antioch did not go to Jerusalem because they felt unqualified to handle the problem. If it were simply a case where they wanted an apostolic judgment in the matter, they could have appealed to the apostles Paul and Barnabas who were there with them at Antioch. Who but the Apostle Paul was more qualified to handle matters touching law and grace? While it’s true that they valued the insight of the apostles and leaders at Jerusalem and desired their judgment in the matter, there was a deeper reason why they took it there; it was to “keep the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace.” The fact is that the Judaizing teachers that were troubling the saints at Antioch had come out from Jerusalem (vs. 24). So as not to break the practical unity between the two assemblies, the brethren at Antioch would not deal with the problem independently, but rather took it to its source. This shows that Scripture does not support the idea of assemblies acting autonomously.
It teaches us that if ones from a certain local assembly visit another assembly and do wrong there, so that it requires correction or disciplinary action, that that gathering is not to act independently by making a binding action. They are to bring it to the local assembly from which the troublemakers came, so that they can deal with it. Thus “the unity of the Spirit” would be kept in the uniting bond of peace.
It is noteworthy that when they went up to Jerusalem with this matter, and stopped at various assemblies along the way, they did not upset those gatherings by spreading the problem among them. They only spoke of things that would cause “great joy” among the saints, though they were, no doubt, deeply burdened about the matter that struck at the heart of the Christian’s standing in grace. This teaches us the importance of not spreading local assembly problems needlessly. Our adversary, the devil, could get a hold of it and use it to cause trouble among the saints.
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Summary: A Scripturally gathered assembly is not autonomous, but functions in fellowship with all other assemblies on the true ground of the Church, because it meets on the ground of the “one body.” Walking together in practical oneness, and thus expressing the truth of the “one body,” the world should see the various gatherings of Christians in the world as “the epistle of Christ” (2 Cor. 3:3). Note: the word “epistle” is singular; it is not “epistles,” as many people mis-quote it. This points to the oneness that should exist in the Church’s testimony.
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Today, on account of the irremediable ruin that has come into Christendom, it is not possible to practice the truth of the “one body” with the whole Church. Most members of the body of Christ do not even know about God’s order for Christiansmeeting together for worship and ministry on the ground of the one body. They are quite happy to remain in their various denominational and non-denominational church groups in the divided state of Christendom. Therefore, it is simply impossible to practice the truth of the one body with the whole Church today.
When this comes home to a person for the first time, it can be devastating. We might be inclined to throw up our hands in frustration and give up. But there is no need for us to despair. God has fully anticipated the ruined state that would develop in the Church and has made provision for these days of failure, so that Christians who are exercised about this truth are able to practice it. In the tenth and final point of our profile of a Scripturally gathered assembly we learn that the truth of the one body can be practised today, albeit in a remnant testimony only.
Number Ten: A Scriptural Assembly in a Day of Ruin Will Bear the Characteristics of a Remnant
Many of the New Testament writers speak of the ruin of the Christian testimony in the last days. When such a state of hopeless disarray exists, we cannot expect to see the whole Church of God practicing the truth. But this does not mean that those who desire to practice it cannot; all the truth of God can still be practiced in its entirety today. God has anticipated this day and has made a provision for those who are exercised in what could be called “a remnant testimony.”
The Principle of a Remnant Testimony
The thought of a “remnant” in Scripture comes out when the mass of God’s people have corrupted themselves. A great principle on which God acts, when that which He has committed into the hands of men in testimony fails, is that He reduces its size, strength, glory, and numbers, and carries it on thereafter in a remnant form. After separating a remnant to Himself, the Lord lets the mass go its way to follow its corrupted principles and practices. It doesn’t mean that He ceases to love those who are connected with various unscriptural practices, but that He does not identify with them in a corporate sense. If He were to identify with the corrupted state of the mass, it would appear before the world as though He condoned the fallen state of His people. Instead, He falls back upon His sovereign power and grace to maintain a remnant testimony to the truth, and works with it. God has acted on the principle of a remnant testimony in Israel in the past, when the mass had given themselves over to idolatry. He will do it again with the Jewish remnant in a coming day when the mass of the nation will receive the Antichrist. And He is doing it today in the Christian testimony when the mass has departed from the truth.
The word “remnant” means a part of what remains of the whole. The remnant in Christianity is really all true believers amidst the mass of lifeless professors, but on account of the ruin, we cannot expect that they will all be involved in a remnant testimony.
The Remnant in Israel
In the case of Israel, the Lord’s great desire was that all of the children of Israel would be together in one place to offer their sacrifices and worship. He placed “His Name” and “His habitation” there, and said to His people, “Thither shalt thou come” (Deut. 12:1-16; 16:16). The place, we know, was Jerusalem (1 Kings 8:1, 29; 9:3; 11:32; 14:21; 15:4; 2 Kings 21:4, 7; Psa. 132:13-14). This was the Lord’s great desire for all of the children of Israel whom He had redeemed out of Egypt.
As their history in the land unfolds, we find that the children of Israel forsook the Lord and worshipped the gods of the heathen nations. This was true of the king as well as the people (1 Kings 11:9-11, 33). Thus, the nation corrupted itself and failed to maintain a true testimony before the world of the one true God. As a consequence, the Lord removed many of His people (the mass) from being connected with His testimony in Jerusalem. He caused ten of the tribes of Israel to be taken away (1 Kings 11:29-36). When king Rehoboam attempted to recover them, the Lord intervened through a prophet and told him to desist, because it was “from the Lord” that the ten tribes should be carried away (1 Kings 12:15, 24). It was a governmental action of God.
Since Israel had given themselves over to the worship of the gods of the heathen, the Lord could no longer associate Himself with them in power and glory as He had done during the reigns of David and Solomon. The nations around Israel would have received a false testimony of Jehovah. The ways of God were such that He would carry on His testimony in Israel thereafter in a “remnant” (1 Kings 12:23). He caused “one tribe” to remain and be “a light” before Him (1 Kings 11:13, 29-36; 12:20).
The people under the rebellious leader (Jeroboam) were led into division. Going up to Jerusalem (God’s center for sacrifice and worship) had the effect of uniting the tribes of Israel (1 Kings 12:27). Jeroboam established other places of worship of his own devising, so that the people would be gathered after him in division (1 Kings 12:25-33). Thus, he solidified the division in Israel, which remained throughout their history. It was “a great sin” (2 Kings 17:21), and will not be healed until after the Lord comes—His appearing (Ezek. 37:15-28; Isa. 11:13).
From that time forward, God chose to have only a remnant testimony in Israel. At that time “Lo-ammi” (meaning “not My people”) was written over the ten tribes (Hos. 1:9). Thus, He outwardly disassociated himself from them in their departure from Jerusalem. Throughout the history of the ten tribes we find that God would not identify Himself publicly with their position. On more than one occasion we are reminded of the solemn fact that “the Lord is not with Israel [the ten tribes]” (2 Chron. 25:7). He would not identify Himself with them, because in doing so, He would be condoning their position in separation (2 Chron. 13:12; 2 Kings 17:20-21). While the Lord did not identify Himself outwardly with their divided position, He still worked in mercy among them with prophets and manifestations of His power in grace. Prophets such as Elijah sought to call them to return to the Lord at Jerusalem, and a few did return (2 Chron. 11:13-17; 30:11). The Lord still loved and cared for them, but He could not outwardly identify with them in their divided position.
The Remnant of Jews in the Great Tribulation
When we look into the prophetic Scriptures we find that the Lord will deal with the Jews on this very same principle. In the Great Tribulation, the mass of the nation will enter into a covenant with the Beast and accept the idolatry that he and the Antichrist will introduce. As a result, the nation will be thoroughly corrupted (Rev. 13:11-18; Matt. 12:43-45). When the mass of the Jews are sunk in idolatry, the Lord will not openly identify Himself with them in their wicked alliance (Isa. 18:4). The reason will be the same—so as not to give a wrong impression to the world. He will separate a remnant (Isa. 66:2) and give the mass over to the idolatry that they desire (Psa. 106:15). During that time, God will maintain a remnant testimony amidst the great apostasy. “Many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken. Bind up the testimony, seal the law among My disciples” (Isa 8:11-18; Isa. 10:21-22; 11:11; Joel 2:32; 3:1-2; Mic. 4:7; Zeph. 3:13). In spite of the appearance of the Lord giving up His professing people, He will deal with the remnant and will bring to pass His purposes for the nation in regard to the kingdom.
Remnant Testimony in the Christian Profession
The word “remnant” is not just found in the Old Testament, as some have imagined; it is also found in the New Testament in connection with the Christian testimony (Rev. 2:24).
Revelation 2–3 gives us an outline of the prophetic history of the Church from its early days, just after the apostles, right down to its last days. Following the course of things as depicted in these addresses to the seven churches, we see a downward course in the Christian testimony, until finally, a point of no recovery is reached, and thereafter the Lord acts on the principle of a remnant testimony.
In Ephesus, we learn that “the angel of the church” (the responsible leaders) rightly judged all that was inconsistent with the Lord. It says that they would not “bear them which are evil.” But sadly, their heart was not with the Lord in it (Rev. 2:2-4).
In Smyrna, any further slide downward was temporarily stayed by the great persecutions that came over the Church. The severity of the trial cast them back on the Lord.
In Pergamos, when the times of great persecution were ended, “the angel of the church” began tolerating some who held “the doctrine of Balaam,” which is worldliness and idolatry. The angel also tolerated them that had “the doctrine of the Nicolaitans,” which is clericalism (see page 39). The angel was not charged with holding these doctrines, but the Lord found fault with them because they did not denounce the evil, as did the angel at Ephesus.
In Thyatira, a worse condition prevailed. “The angel of the church” allowed the same evil doctrine and practice that was held by some in Pergamos to be taught! (Compare Rev. 2:14 with 2:20) What started out as some holding evil doctrine resulted in many teaching the evil doctrine. This shows that if the holding of evil is not judged, it will lead to the propounding of it. In Thyatira, the teaching of this evil had developed into a system of things called “Jezebel,” which surely answers to Catholicism. In the Middle Ages, that wicked system had such a tyrannical grip on the Church at large, with its strength and organization, that it controlled the angel! Those who were in the place of responsibility had failed to deal with it when they could have, and now it had grown into a monster that controlled them! (Compare Acts 27:14-15. The “Euroclydon”—a great Mediterranean wind—swept over the sailing ship, and the sailors could do nothing but “let her drive.”) The figure of “Jezebel” is aptly used here because that woman not only brought idolatry into Israel formally, but she also controlled and manipulated her husband, king Ahab.
Such being the case of the public state of the Church, where there remained no power to deal with evil, the Lord separated a remnant, saying, “But unto you I say, the rest [remnant]...” (Rev. 2:24), and thereafter let the mass go. Here, we have the word “remnant” used in connection with the Christian testimony. From that time, the Lord worked with a remnant that would hear what the Spirit said to the churches. It is significant that He did not put on them “the burden” of setting right the confusion in the Christian testimony in an attempt to bring it back to where it once was. Instead, He turned their focus forward to His coming, saying, “Hold fast till I come” (Rev. 2:25).
From that point forward, a marked change in the Lord’s ways with the Church is seen. Up to this point, the voice of the Spirit was to the whole Church. “What the Spirit saith unto the churches” preceded the promise to the overcomer in the first three churches. In the first three churches the reward to the overcomer was set before the whole Church, because the Lord was still dealing with it at large, to bring it, if possible, back to its point of departure. But from this point onward that order is reversed. The call to “hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” follows the promise to the overcomer. This is the order in the latter four churches. This means that what the Spirit has to say is no longer given to the mass, because the mass is not expected to hear; only a remnant will hear and respond. Paul’s prediction to Timothy that the masses would “turn away their ears from the truth” has come to pass (2 Tim. 4:2-4), and therefore the Spirit is no longer speaking to the body at large in regard to Church truth.
Remarking on this change, J. N. Darby said that the body at large is “dropped” from this point onward because the public mass in the Christian profession is treated as being incapable of hearing and repenting. W. Kelly said, “The Lord thenceforth puts the promise [to the overcomer] first, and this is because it is vain to expect the Church as a whole to receive it ...a remnant only, overcome, and the promise is for them; as for the others, it is all over.” As a result, all thought of recovering the Church at large is abandoned because it has reached a point of no recovery. In keeping with this, the Spirit of God is not necessarily speaking to every person in Christendom today in regard to the truth of gathering. With most, He is letting them go their own way in regard to their ecclesiastical affiliations.
Working with a remnant testimony from that time, the Lord has recovered the truth that was lost through the Church’s carelessness in the centuries before. However, He has not seen fit to recover all the truth at once. The remnant referred to in Revelation 2:24-29 are the Waldenses, and others like them who separated from the evil of “Jezebel” in Medieval times. They were told to “hold fast” to what little truth they did have. Sometime later, leading up to the Reformation, the Lord allowed a little more truth to be recovered—such as the supremacy of the Bible and faith in Christ alone for salvation. But that movement of the Spirit was impeded by the Reformers turning to certain national governments for help against the persecutions of the Church of Rome. This was tantamount to turning to the flesh and the world for help instead of relying on the Lord (Jer. 17:5; Psa. 118:8-9; Isa. 31:1). The result was the formation of the great national churches in Christendom, and the deadness of Protestantism began, as depicted in the church at Sardis (Rev. 3:1-6).
It was not until the early 1800s that the Lord gave a full recovery of the truth. It happened when men stepped away from all formal, man-made organization in the Church. This is depicted in the Lord’s address to the church at Philadelphia (Rev. 3:7-13). At this time, God established a corporate testimony to the truth of the one body. Prior to this time, the remnant had been individuals who sought to go on faithfully in separation from the corruption of the Roman Church. We are now in days when every man is doing that which is right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25), and most are complacent in their low state. This is depicted in the church at Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22).
The point for us to see here is that the Christian testimony has reached a point of irremediable ruin, and this has called for a change in the Lord’s ways with it. He has let go of any attempt to restore the public state of the Church at large and is working now in a remnant testimony. Those gathered to the Lord’s name are not exactly the remnant. Properly speaking, all true believers among the mass of mere professors in Christendom are that, but ecclesiastically, they occupy a remnant position in testimony, and are where the remnant (all true believers) should be, as gathered to the Lord’s name.
As it was in Israel, to maintain a remnant testimony today to the truth of the one body, the Lord does not need every Christian in the world gathered to His name, though it is His desire for them (1 Tim. 2:4). As mentioned, the very meaning of the word “remnant” implies that not all are there. In divine prerogative and grace, God is taking one here and one there, and He is gathering them to the Lord’s name so that this remnant testimony may be carried on.
Second Timothy 2:19-22
The word “remnant” is not used in 2 Timothy 2:19-22, but this passage does give the principle of it. It focuses on the exercises we need to have to be led to a remnant position in a day when the Christian testimony is in disarray. Paul laid out the path for Timothy, and for us. He said, “Let every one who names the name of the Lord withdraw from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also wooden and earthen; and some to honour and some to dishonour. If therefore one shall have purified himself from these, in separating himself from them, he shall be a vessel to honour, sanctified, serviceable to the Master, prepared for every good work. But youthful lusts flee, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, with those that call upon the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Tim. 2:19-22).
It has often been said that this passage is the charter for the believer in a day of ruin and failure. The ruined condition of the Christian profession is likened to “a great house.” The house is seen in disorder and characterized by a mixture of things in it—some honourable and some dishonourable. The vessels of “gold and silver” would speak of true believers, and the “wooden and earthen” vessels of false professors. They are seen as all mixed together. Since association with evil defiles (1 Cor. 15:33; 1 Tim. 5:22; Haggai. 2:10-14; Deut. 7:1-4; Josh. 23:11-13; 1 Kings 11:1-8, etc.), the vessels of gold and silver are seen as defiled by their association with the wood and earthen vessels. The defilement may emanate from association either with the persons themselves or their erroneous principles and practices—whether it is doctrinal, moral, or ecclesiastical.
When the Apostle referred to the vessels “to honour” and “to dishonour,” it appears that he is indicating the state of the vessels. While all who are mere professors in the house are surely vessels to dishonour, not all true believers may be in honour either. If believers are not going on well with the Lord they could also be classified as vessels to dishonor. Even fewer still are the vessels to honor that are sanctified.
The point is not to be a vessel “to honour” merely, but to be a “sanctified” vessel “to honour.” This involves the purging of oneself from the mixture by separation. These verses clearly teach that it is impossible for us to be a sanctified vessel if we remain in fellowship with the corruption in the house. The mere association with the evil doctrine and practice is enough to taint us, even if we personally do not hold or practice the evil. Therefore, the great exercise for the believer desiring to be faithful is to “withdraw” himself from the unrighteousness and iniquity in the house by separating from the mixture. Thus, he becomes a “sanctified” vessel to honour. It is a separation that is to be practiced in the house of God. The believer is not called to leave the house, for this would mean to abandon the Christian profession altogether, but to separate from the disorder there. (Compare Proverbs 25:24.) Nor is he called to “purge” the house of all that dishonours the Lord, but rather to “purge” himself from the mixture in the house.
“From These” and “With Them”
The exercise is twofold: first to dissociate, and then to associate. This is indicated in the words, “from these” (vs. 21), and “with them” (vs. 22). The believer is to separate from the mixture in the house, and follow “with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” This order is consistent throughout Scripture (Isa. 1:16-17; Rom. 12:9; 13:12; Psa. 34:14; 3 John 11). Scholars tell us that “from these” is in the genitive plural in the Greek, which means that it is broad in application and could include persons, principles, and things—i.e. the whole mixed state of things in the house. It means that the faithful believer is to disassociate himself from all that is contrary to the truth of God, from all that denies what the true Church is under Christ the Head, and from all that denies the Holy Spirit His true place as Guide. By doing this, the believer becomes a “sanctified” vessel “to honour.”
This means that we will have to separate from some true believers who are unconcerned about their association with the error and confusion. If true believers are content to go on in fellowship with the confusion, we have no choice but to separate from them too. This is a painful thing, and a real test of our willingness to act on the principles of Scripture. Since it is true believers that we are separating from, we should feel it deeply. Nevertheless, the Lord’s call has precedence over love for brethren. In fact, the proof of our love for our brethren will be seen in our obedience to God. “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep His commandments” (1 John 5:2). Notwithstanding, let us be on guard against an attitude of thinking that we are better or more spiritual than those from whom we separate. The right spirit in purging oneself from the mixture of vessels in the house involves self-judgment, not self-righteousness.
When the believer has done this, then the Lord will guide him into fellowship “with them” where he can practice all the truth of God—such as the truth of the one body in practice—albeit, this will be in a remnant. Notice also that the exercise of dissociating oneself is pressed on us first. The path of associating “with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” will not be found until we have acted on the light that we have in separating from what we know is inconsistent with the Scriptures in the house. It is only then that the Lord will give us further light.
Associating “with them” shows that the answer to the hopeless confusion in the house is not going off into isolation. We may be tempted to throw up our hands in frustration and resign ourselves to going on just as individuals, but separation should not lead to isolation. Verse 22 shows that the Lord will provide some with whom we can walk and practice the truth. It will not be with all the members of the body, but there will be some—a remnant testimony. If a person is truly exercised, we believe that the Lord will direct him in the path. Notice also, it does not say, “Follow ... them,” for that would be merely following men. It says, “Follow ... with them,” which implies that they also are following, and that we are to join “with them” in following the Lord and the principles of His Word.
Christians Scripturally Gathered to the Lord's NameAre Not God’s Remnant in Christianity
We must not take from this that Christians Scripturally gathered to the Lord's name are God's remnant today. Properly speaking, all true believers among the mass of mere professors in Christendom are God's remnant today. Those Scripturally gathered simply occupy a remnant position in testimony, and are where all the remnant (all true believers) should be, as gathered to the Lord’s name. Hence, it is a testimony to Scriptural gathering, and should bear the marks of a remnant testimony.
The General Characteristics of a Remnant
Under normal conditions, in a day of ruin, if the state of those in a Scripturally gathered assembly is good, they will bear the same characteristics that the remnant in the book of Ezra had. Some of these characteristics are as follows:
They Felt and Confessed the Common Failure of The People of God—Daniel 9:3-19; Ezra 9-10:1
The exercises of the remnant that returned to Jerusalem in the book of Ezra started with the prayer and humiliation of Daniel. Deuteronomy 30:1-6 and 1 Kings 8:46-50 state that when the people of God have failed and their enemies have carried them away captive, that if they prayed in true repentance, God would effect deliverance and a return to their land. Daniel prayed this prayer and God kept His promise. He sovereignly caused a return of a remnant of Jews to Jerusalem (Ezra 1).
Similarly, those in Scripturally gathered assemblies will own their part in the sad and God-dishonouring confusion that exists in the Christian profession. They will confess that they have failed along with all the people of God and have contributed to the ruin and common failure in Christendom. They will not lift themselves up as being better than other Christians, but will be marked by true humiliation (Isa. 66:2).
They Extricated Themselves From the Confusion In Babylon by Separating From it—Ezra 2:1-60
Jews from all walks of life were exercised to return to Jerusalem—priests, Levites, singers, servants, etc. They “went up out” of Babylon and separated from it. Nobody coerced them to do this; it was a personal exercise on the part of the people. It was likely an emotional and painful thing, because it meant a farewell to many of their brethren who chose to stay in Babylon.
Similarly, those who have been Scripturally gathered to the Lord’s name will have passed through these same exercises, and will have separated from the confusion in the great house of Christian profession—of which Babylon is a type (2 Tim. 2:19-22). They have not left the house of Christian profession, but have sought to return to first principles in the Word of God as to gathering.
They Made No Claim to Having Powers hat Were Forfeited in Previous Failure—Ezra 2:61-63
The Jews who returned to Jerusalem acknowledged that they were but a remnant of God’s people, and therefore they made no pretension to have powers that the nation once had in its earlier days. They did not have the Shekinah glory cloud (Ex. 13:21-22; 2 Chron. 5:13-14; Ezek. 8:4), nor did they have the “Urim and Thummim” (Ex. 28:30; Ezra 2:63). These symbols of power were now gone, and it cast them on the Lord for help.
Similarly, those gathered to the Lord’s name do not claim to have apostolic miracles and signs, and powers of ordination, as the Church once had in its early days. Nor do they pretend to have great gifts; at best they have only “a little power” (Rev. 3:8). They recognize that they are in a “day of small things” (Zech. 4:10).
They Freely Gave Their Possessions to the Cause Of Furthering that Remnant Testimony—Ezra 2:64-70
The reality of the people’s faith in the book of Ezra was proved by their willingness to “freely” give their possessions in support of the testimony in a monetary way. Each “gave after their ability.”
Likewise, those in a Scripturally gathered assembly should give out of their possessions that which will support the cause of Christ and the remnant testimony that they are identified with (Compare 2 Cor. 8:11-12).
They Sought to Act in Practical Unity in All Matters—Ezra 3
The remnant in Ezra acted together “as one man” in everything they did (vs. 1), not just in their worship, but also in their service for the Lord and their practical fellowship with one another.
• They gathered “together” (vs. 1).
• They laboured “together” (vs. 9).
• They sang “together” (vs. 11).
Similarly, those who are connected with the remnant testimony today should be marked by seeking to keep “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). It may be done in much weakness, but it is their aim and desire.
They Followed the Word of God In Everything They Did—Ezra 3
The remnant in Ezra was careful to follow the Word of God for everything they did in worship and service. Several times it says, “As it is written” (chap. 3:2, 4).
Likewise, the remnant testimony in Christianity should be marked by carefully following the Word of God in all things having to do with worship and service. We may not always have a specific verse for everything, but we should have a Scriptural principle to guide us.
They Experienced Opposition On Account of the Ground They Took In Separation From The Corruption In the Land—Ezra 4
The remnant in Ezra had “adversaries.” These were people in the land who were opposed to the position the faithful Jews took at Jerusalem in separation from the mixed religious principles that were being practiced around them.
Likewise, those who meet in the name of the Lord Jesus “without the camp” will experience “reproach;” it is part of being identified with such a testimony (Heb. 13:13; Rev. 3:9). The strongest objection to meeting on Scriptural principles for worship and ministry usually comes from those who profess to know the Lord.
They Had a Powerful Prophetic Ministry In Their Midst—Ezra 5
God raised up prophets in the midst of the remnant in Ezra to strengthen and encourage the people to continue in the work that they were doing for the Lord. They were used much of the Lord. “Haggai” addressed the moral state of the people, so that their lives would be found pleasing to the Lord. “Zechariah” turned the hearts of the people to the future—to the coming of the Lord when the kingdom would be established in power and glory.
Similarly, the Lord will use men to minister the Word of God to strengthen and edify those in that remnant position in Christianity today. These may be local brethren (1 Cor. 16:15-18; 1 Tim. 5:17), or those who visit from other assemblies (Acts 14:21-22; 1 Cor. 16:10-12).
They Did Not Pretend To Be All the People of God, But Owned That They Were Merely a Remnant—Ezra 6:16-22
The remnant in Ezra went on humbly with their worship and service. They did not pretend to be all Israel, but did offer a sin-offering for all 12 tribes of Israel. By doing this, they owned their part in the failure of the nation. It is significant, however, that they ate the Passover only with those who had separated from the defilement in the land.
Similarly, those today gathered to the Lord’s name do not pretend to be the Church of God in its entirety, nor do they think that they are God's remnant today. They recognize that they are but a few, and freely own their part in the public failure of the Church. However, they only eat the Lord’s Supper (the antitype of the Passover) with those who have separated themselves from defilement—moral, spiritual, and ecclesiastical.
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These are some of the salient features that mark a Scripturally gathered assembly. However, this will only be so when the state of the people is good and they are walking with the Lord. It is possible to be in a right position (ecclesiastically) but in a wrong condition (spiritually). The book of Malachi illustrates this. The Jews in that day had returned to God’s center (Jerusalem), but they were clearly in a wrong state of soul. Therefore, assuming that assemblies gathered to the Lord’s name are in a reasonably good state, these features seen in the remnant in Ezra will be seen in them
The Spirit's Work in Gathering Christians Together for Worship and Ministry
As mentioned at the beginning of the book, the subject of searching for a Bible-based assembly is two-fold. Firstly, we need to see the pattern for a local assembly in the Word of God, so that we know what to look for. We have attempted to do this in Part One. But there is another side to it—the Spirit’s work in gathering Christians together to the place where the truth of the assembly is practiced and the Lord is in the midst. In Part Two we will consider this side of the subject.
The good thing we can tell the honest seeker is that, in spite of all the confusion in the Christian testimony, God is on his or her side. He has a divine Gatherer who will lead exercised persons through the tangled mess in Christendom to the place where the Lord is in the midst. John 16:13 says, “When He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth.” In saying, “all truth,” the Lord was including Church truth (ecclesiology). Hence, this is a promise that can be claimed today by every person desiring to be guided in this matter.
It is important to understand this side of God’s work in gathering Christians. We mention this because a group of Christians could go out and follow each of the ten points given in the pattern for a Scriptural assembly in Part One, and it couldbe a mere imitation. The Spirit of God must be the Author of such a work.
Number Eleven: God Has a Gathering Center on Earth for Christians
Taking things up from this side, a great point to see is that God has a gathering center on earth in Christianity. The Scriptures indicate that He has a place—an ecclesiastical ground—where He would have Christians gather for worship and ministry. This gathering Center is Christ Himself.
The Promise of a Gathering Place in Christianity
Matthew 18:20, which we have referred to a number of times already, indicates this. It says, “For where two or three are gathered together in [unto] My name, there am I in the midst of them.” "Where" in this verse indicates that there is a place of divine appointment where God is gathering Christians together unto the Lord's name. As mentioned, this place of gathering in Christianity is not a literal geographic center, but a spiritual ground involving Scriptural principles having to do with how Christians meet together for worship and ministry. Those on that ground are not gathered to principles, but to the name of a Person—the Lord Jesus Christ—who is in the midst of them.
This gathering center is a place of the Lord’s choosing where He has set His name and where He gathers believers. Note: this verse does not say “wherever”—as some Christians would like to read it (i.e. Phillips Modern English Version). “Wherever,” makes it a place of our choosing, but “where”—which is what Scripture says—makes it a place of His choosing. This is why it is often called, “the place of His appointment.” Many think that Matthew 18:20 is simply saying that whenever and wherever Christians get together—whether it is at a local coffee shop, or for some recreational purpose, etc.—they have the collective presence of the Lord with them. Now it is true that when Christians get together for whatever purpose they have in mind, that the Lord’s presence is with them as individuals, for He said, “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:20). And, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5). But that is not what Matthew 18:20 is speaking about. There is a difference in Scripture between the Lord’s presence with His people as individuals, and the Lord’s presence with a company of believers collectively, as gathered in assembly for worship, ministry, and to make binding administrative actions. This latter collective thing (binding and loosing) is what Matthew 18 is referring to.
Context is everything in Bible interpretation. If we look at Matthew 18, we’ll see in the verses leading up to verse 20 that the Lord was speaking of “the assembly” in its administrative capacity in making binding actions. The chapter has to do with the authority the local assembly has for such actions, because the Lord Himself is in the midst. The Lord is there in the midst sanctioning the ground on which they meet as gathered to His name, and therefore their administrative actions. Having said that, we hasten to say that the Lord’s presence in the midst of those whom He has gathered does not sanction their state—for it may be low—but rather the ground on which they meet. This is important to note.
The Upper Room
Luke 22:7-10 establishes this same point; there was a place “where” the Lord wanted His own to meet with Him—the “upper room.” He was about to institute the Lord’s Supper—the breaking of bread (Luke 22:19-20; 1 Cor. 10:16-17; 11:23-26)—and He desired that His disciples would do so in the place of His choosing. There were many rooms in Jerusalem that night in which the feast was kept, but there was only one room where the Lord was present—the place that He had appointed for His disciples to meet with Him. Similarly, Christendom is in disarray, and as a result, there are many places where Christians meet today, but the Lord is not in every place in this collective sense to sanction the ground upon which they meet. If He were, He would be sanctioning the divided state in the public testimony of the Church. More will be said about this as we proceed.
Philadelphia
The Lord’s addresses to the seven churches in Asia confirm the same point (Rev. 2-3). If we go back over the Lord’s remarks to these churches, we can see that there is an ecclesiastical ground—a corporate testimony on earth—with which He approves. We cannot but think that this is where the Lord would want us to be, and where the Spirit of God would lead exercised believers.
As mentioned earlier, these addresses present a prophetic history of the Church. Each assembly, taken consecutively, represents a stage through which the Church at large would pass in history. It is significant that the Lord’s coming is mentioned in each of the last four churches, but it is not found in the first three. This indicates that what existed historically in the first three periods has passed off the scene, but what is presented in the last four churches continues until the Lord comes. The last four churches are: Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. They set forth four existing conditions in the public testimony of the Church today.
The assembly at “Thyatira” represents a powerful system that arose in the Church around 580 A.D. known as Catholicism (Rev. 2:18-29). It depicts the period when this ecclesiastical system ruled the Church and the world (in Europe). The word “Thyatira” means, “continual sacrifice,” and refers to the Catholic Mass. “Jezebel” represents the wicked teaching of Catholicism. She called herself “a prophetess” and assumed a role in the Church that God had never given to her. She began to “teach and to seduce” her subjects with her evil doctrines and practices. The Catholic system legislated its dogmas and forced them on the Christian profession and the world.
Since the Lord’s coming is mentioned in His remarks to Thyatira (Rev. 2:25), we are to understand that what this church represents will continue until He comes—the Rapture. It will actually continue on after the Rapture until the middle of the seven-year tribulation period—under the figure of Mystery Babylon (Rev. 17). This great ecclesiastical system is easily identified in the world today.
The assembly in “Sardis” represents Protestantism, which began in 1529 A.D. (Rev. 3:1-6). The word “Sardis” means “those escaping” and signifies what happened at that time. Just as Jehu of old was used to break the hold that Jezebel had on the kingdom in Israel (2 Kings 9-10), God raised up the reformers and used them to break the power of Romanism. It allowed many of the saints to escape from its clutches. The two chief things that the reformers insisted on were the supremacy of the Bible over the Church and that salvation was by faith alone.
It is significant that the Lord said to this assembly, “I have not found thy works complete.” What began in the power of the Spirit lapsed into cold, formal, dead orthodoxy. The reformers turned to the State for protection from the persecution of the Church of Rome and established the great national churches in Protestantism that still exist today. The assembly at Sardis represents the condition of things in Christendom after the impulse of the Reformation had passed. It is a description of what the reformers fell into—Protestantism. Sad to say, the reformers came out of Romanism, but unfortunately Romanism did not altogether come out of them. Hence, the Protestant churches have a lot of Romish principles and practices.
Again, the Lord’s coming is mentioned in Sardis. It is actually His Appearing, which occurs after the Great Tribulation (Rev. 3:3). It means that Protestantism will continue until the Rapture, and beyond it. The religion of Christianity, as far as outward Church practice is concerned, will be destroyed in the middle of the prophetic week, but the lifeless professors connected with it will continue on to be judged at the Appearing of Christ. Like Thyatira, what Sardis represents in the Christian world is also easily identifiable today in the great national Protestant churches and the dissenting church organizations that have come out of them.
The assembly in “Philadelphia” represents a movement in the Church that began in 1827 A.D (Rev. 3:7-13). “Philadelphia” means “brotherly love” and signifies the happy state of a remnant testimony of believers who were exercised to return to first principles in regard to assembly order and practice.
In each of the previous churches, the Lord described Himself according to one of the features which John had seen in chapter 1. But in addressing this church He presents Himself in an entirely new way; this signifies a new departure. Heretofore, there had been a remnant of faithful believers who walked alone as individuals (Rev. 2:24-25; Rev. 3:4), but at this time, the Lord brought into existence a remnant testimony in a corporate sense.
The Lord presents Himself to this church in a three-fold way. In apprehending Him in these characteristics, three great things resulted at that time.
First, the Lord said, “He that is holy, He that is true.” Exercised Christians saw the Lord in His true character and understood that to have fellowship with Him, holiness and truth were required of them. This led them through various exercises in regard to separation from evil. It resulted in them breaking all unequal yokes—secular and ecclesiastical (2 Tim. 2:19-22).
Secondly, the Lord presents Himself as having “the key of David.” This is a reference to the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah of Israel (Isa. 22:22). They are prophecies connected with the promises made to David regarding Christ who would come out of his lineage to reign in His kingdom. At that time, the Lord opened to the saints an understanding of prophetic subjects. There resulted a general awakening and interest in prophecy in the Christian profession. In learning prophetic subjects, they discovered that the Church had no part in the future earthly blessings of Israel but had its own distinct and heavenly blessings. They were given to see the true nature and calling of the Church, as well as its practical arrangements for worship and ministry while on earth. The full revelation of Christian truth that was once delivered to the saints (Jude 3) was recovered at this time—including the truth of the Lord’s coming (the Rapture).
Thirdly, the Lord presents Himself to this church as “He who opens and no man shall shut, and shuts and no man shall open.” This points us to the fact that what happened at that time was a sovereign movement of God, that no man or devil could stop. Apprehending this, gave those connected with this testimony the courage to meet together for worship and ministry according to the simplicity of Scripture, and there was no man that could forbid it (compare Acts 28:31).
It is significant that this church is marked by having “a little power.” They had the same spiritual power that the early Church had (Acts 4:33), but it was “little.” Hence, this revival was not a large-scale movement in the world. It had no great worldly status, as did the Catholic Church and the churches of Protestantism. Keeping His “Word” also marked this church. Historically, those connected with this movement were known for being students of the Scriptures (Acts 17:11). This church is also marked by not denying His “name.” They forsook all denominational names and titles and were happy to meet simply in His name alone (Matt. 18:20).
They are commended for keeping the Word of His “patience,” which is an aspect of the truth that has to do with the hope of the Lord’s coming (vs. 10). Keeping it (not just knowing it) made them heavenly strangers in this world. Hence, as pilgrims they did not involve themselves with the political affairs of the world. The Lord promises this church that He would come “quickly” (vs. 11). This refers to the imminence of His coming, which was particularly before them.
The Lord warned the Philadelphians of the danger of letting go of what they had been given, and consequently losing their “crown” (vs. 11). A Philadelphian’s ever-present danger is surrendering the truth that God had given him. Even so, this is exactly what has happened with some who have been connected with this movement. They have given up bits and pieces of the truth recovered in this period and have been drawn away and scattered into divisions among brethren and into the denominational churches.
It is significant that Philadelphia is the only one of the four churches that goes on to the end that the Lord finds nothing to judge. Unlike the other churches, there is not one word of condemnation given to them. They are not called to “repent,” as was the case with the other churches, because they were already in a state of repentance. They felt the broken and ruined state of the Church at large and confessed their part in its public failure (compare Daniel 9; Ezra 9; Nehemiah 9). It is clear, therefore, that this is a corporate testimony that the Lord approves of. It is obvious that this is the ecclesiastical position where the Lord wants us to be.
Since the Lord mentions His coming for those in Philadelphia, we know that what this church represents goes on to the Rapture. We can rejoice that there is some ecclesiastical position out there in Christendom existing today that meets the Lord’s approval. However, since this testimony bears a remnant character, it is not easily identified in Christendom, as are Thyatira and Sardis. It may take some exercise and a little searching to find it.
Laodicea
The assembly at “Laodicea” represents a condition in the Church that grew out of what took place in Philadelphia (Rev. 3:14-22). This began in the latter half of the 19th century. What is described in Laodicea answers to the Church’s testimony in its closing days. “Laodicea” means, “the rights of the people,” and it denotes the modern democratic ideas that have influenced the Church in these last days. The forming of independent churches that choose their elders and nominate their Pastors characterizes this last period. The result is that many so-called “evangelical” churches have sprung up in Christendom.
Laodicea is descriptive of a sector in the Christian testimony that is characterized by self-sufficient greatness that imagines itself to be endowed with spiritual riches and powers, but really is “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” Instead of the Lord assessing the state of the assembly in Laodicea, as He does with the previous churches, the Laodiceans put Him outside their door and assumed His place and assessed their own condition as being right and good! This is quite incredible. The state of those in Laodicea was “lukewarm” and so obnoxious to the Lord that He announced that He was “about to spue” it out of His mouth. This will occur at His coming—the Rapture.
Laodiceanism is having Philadelphian light and truth but without the power of it in our walk. It is the holding of truth recovered in Philadelphian times (or parts thereof) nominally or intellectually, but without it having any moral bearing on one’s life. For example, most evangelical Christians believe in the truth of the Lord’s coming (the Rapture) at any moment, but with many, it has had little or no practical effect on their personal lives. As a result, instead of it making the Church more pilgrim-like in character, the Church has become worldlier than ever.
This church is marked by gross indifference to the claims of Christ. It is portrayed as a Christless church having put the Lord of glory outside of its door. It’s hard to believe that they had the audacity to excommunicate the Head of the Church—at least in practice! Such is the pitiful condition that marks modern Christendom in these last days. This is the solemn picture in which chapter 3 closes, and with it, the Church’s history on earth.
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Looking over what these four churches represent, we see that there is only one corporate testimony of the four of which the Lord approves. If He has chosen to put His name somewhere on earth, and He is gathering Christians there (Matt. 18:20), Philadelphia would have to be it. We cannot think that the Spirit of God would lead people anywhere but to that which meets the Lord’s approval. The personal exercise of every Christian should be to be identified with what Philadelphia represents, though it may be carried on in much weakness.
The last two churches describe ecclesiastical sectors in Christendom, but they also describe two spiritual states in the Church. It is possible, therefore, to be connected with Philadelphia’s ecclesiastical position but be in a Laodicean state. The book of Malachi illustrates this point. The people in that day were in a right position (at Jerusalem) but in a wrong condition (spiritually). Therefore, the moment we think that we are Philadelphia, we prove that we are Laodicea. True Philadelphians are not occupied with themselves and their testimony; they are occupied with the Lord and trying to please Him.
The One Gathering Center in the Old Testament Is a Type of the One Gathering Center In Christianity
The truth of God having one divine gathering center can be traced through the Old Testament. We cannot think that the divine center of gathering in the Old Testament has no counterpart in the New Testament. In fact, His center in the Old Testament is actually a type of His gathering center in Christianity.
Abraham on One of the Mountains of Moriah
The truth of a divine gathering center is first seen in Genesis 22. God had a specific “place” where He wanted Abraham to offer up His son Isaac for a burnt offering. It is significant that it was not any place in Moriah, but on “one of the mountains” to which God would direct him (vs. 2). He didn't say to Abraham, "Go to a mountain of your choice...." It was not a question of Abraham choosing the place, but God. It was the very place that the Lord chose to have His people to gather for their worship in the land of Canaan many years later (Deut. 12:5-7; 2 Chron. 6:6; Psa. 78:68; Psa. 132:13). Jerusalem was built there, and the temple was erected on that spot (2 Chron. 3:1; 5:13-14). It was the very place where God’s Son would become a sin offering and accomplish redemption through His work on the cross (Luke 9:31; Matt. 20:18-19). It appears that God had His eye on that place from the moment He laid the foundations of the earth. The place that God chose (Jerusalem) is a type of His gathering place in Christianity.
The fact that God said to Abraham, “Which I will tell thee of ... ” indicates that there would be a need for divine guidance to find “the place.” Notice also: there was seeing the place afar off (vs. 4), which would imply apprehending the truth of the one gathering center. And then there was going there (vs. 9); this implies the exercises of heart in regard to being led to the place. Abraham had the eye to see the place, and he also had the energy to seek and find it. God desires that we would have both. This means that being led to the place of God’s appointment is not a mere intellectual exercise.
In going to this place to “worship,” Abraham left the “young men” behind with the “ass.” This tells us that the energy of nature (the young men) must be put in the place of the flesh (the asses). These things need to be out of the way when seeking to be guided by the Lord. Personal preferences and natural likes and dislikes have nothing to do with it. It also tells us that in going to “the place,” we may have to leave friends and acquaintances behind who do not see what we see in the place.
How many mountains were there in “the land of Moriah?” We don’t know, but we do know that God had “one” and only one in mind to which Abraham was to go. There was only one mountain that had “a ram caught in the thicket by its horns”—a type of Christ (vs. 13). If Abraham had gone to any other mountain in Moriah, he would not have seen this incredible sight. When Abraham got there, he “lifted up his eyes” and saw the ram (vs. 13). If he hadn’t done this, he would have missed this sight, even though he was at the place. This would tell us that it’s possible to be where the Lord is in the midst, but miss the object to which the Spirit of God would focus our hearts’ attention—Christ in the midst.
The Gathering Center is a Person
The next reference in Scripture to God having a gathering center is found in Genesis 49:10. “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be.” “Shiloh” is a reference to Christ. It means “peacemaker” or “man of peace” and refers to Him who is “the Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6).
This prophecy indicates that “Judah” (the Jews) would retain its place in the land “until” Christ came, and then after that the “sceptre” would depart from them. This happened when Titus and the Romans conquered the land and scattered the Jews (70 AD). The prophecy goes on to say that after that “Shiloh” would become the gathering Center of all nations. This will happen in the Millennium (Zech. 2:11; Psa. 47:9). The word, “people,” in this verse, should be translated “peoples” (plural), which refers to the Gentile nations being gathered to Him.
The great point to see in this prophecy is that God’s gathering center is not only a geographical place on earth; it is also a Person—the Lord Himself. Hence, in these first two references to God’s gathering center in Scripture, we learn that He has a PLACE to which He has chosen to gather His people for worship (Gen. 22), and there is a divine PERSON who is there in the midst—the Lord (Gen. 49).
The One Place Foretold in Deuteronomy 12
When the children of Israel entered the land of Canaan to dwell there, the Lord told them that He had a place which He had chosen for them to bring their offerings and worship. He marked out the place for David by causing fire to fall from heaven on the spot (1 Chron. 21:22–22:1). The place was Jerusalem (2 Chron. 3:1; 6:6).
It is significant that the characteristics that marked the place of God’s appointment in the Old Testament are the same in principle of the place of the Lord’s appointment in Christianity. Some of these corresponding features are:
• Jerusalem was the place that the Lord had “chosen” for Israel to gather—the people did not choose it (Deut. 12:5; 2 Chron. 6:6). Similarly, the ground the Lord has chosen in Christianity for Christians to meet together is not wherever they choose to meet, but “where” He has chosen (Matt. 18:20; Luke 22:7-10).
• Jerusalem was the place where the Lord put His name (Deut. 12:5, 11). Similarly, the Lord has set His name as the center of gathering today—“where two or three are gathered together unto My name” (Matt. 18:20).
• Jerusalem was the place where the Lord’s presence would be known—it was “His habitation” (Deut. 12:5). Similarly, the Lord’s presence sanctions the ground upon which Christians are gathered by the Spirit, and He is there “in the midst” (Matt. 18:20).
• Jerusalem was the place where the Israelites were to offer their sacrifices to God, and not in any other place (Deut. 12:6, 11-14; Lev. 17:1-9). Similarly, Christians should meet together to break bread and worship only at the place of the Lord’s choosing.
• Jerusalem was the place where the Israelites were to have happy fellowship with their brethren (Deut. 12:7, 12, 18; 14:26). Similarly, the center of gathering today is a place for not only worship and ministry, but also fellowship (Acts 2:42).
• Jerusalem was the place where Israel held their yearly feasts (Deut. 16:2, 6, 11, 15-16). Similarly, all assembly meetings are to be held on the same ground of gathering.
• Jerusalem was the place where administrative binding decisions were made (Deut. 17:8-13). Similarly, those at the center of gathering in Christianity have authority to act in the Lord’s name in making binding decisions (Matt. 18:18-20; 1 Cor. 5:4).
• Jerusalem was the place where the Israelites brought their tithes. These were gifts to the Lord (Deut. 26). Similarly, the “collections” of the saints are to be made on the first day of the week and included in the worship offered to the Lord (1 Cor. 16:1-2; Heb. 13:15-16).
• Jerusalem was the place where Israel was to gather to hear and learn the truth of God’s Word (Deut. 31:11-13). Similarly, the Lord would have believers to be together to learn “the apostles doctrine” at the place of His appointment (Acts 2:42).
• Jerusalem was the place where prayer was made (1 Kings 8:28-29). Similarly, in Christianity we have prayer meetings at the place of His appointment (Acts 2:42; 4:23-31).
It is significant that these characteristics that marked the place of God’s appointment in the Old Testament are the same, in principle, that mark the place of the Lord’s appointment in Christianity (Matt. 18:20). It is also remarkable that in all of the many references in Deuteronomy to this “place,” there is no mention of where it was. As Israel’s history unfolds in the pages of the Word of God, we learn that it was Jerusalem (Psa. 132:13; 1 Kings 11:13, 32, 36; 14:21; 15:4; 2 Chron. 6:6, etc.). It is not mentioned in Deuteronomy because the Lord wanted His people to be exercised about seeking it when they got into the land (Deut. 12:5 – “seek”). This suggests that to traffic in truth before we are prepared to walk in it tends to make it merely an intellectual exercise, and the Lord does not want that.
Shiloh and Jerusalem
When the children of Israel came into the land of Canaan, God allowed them to make the town of “Shiloh” their center (Josh. 18:1). It was a place of the people’s choosing; Scripture does not say that the Lord chose Shiloh (1 Kings 8:16). The reference in Genesis 49:10 may have caused them to think that the center was to be in the town of Shiloh. However, Jacob was speaking of a Person—not a location in the land.
The Lord bore with it and allowed them to have Shiloh (the town) as their center. It was given to them provisionally to bring out the state of the people—similar to the Lord allowing the people to choose King Saul. Israel needed to learn some lessons in regard to these things and in themselves, and God used Shiloh to do that. When their center was at that place, everything went wrong, and they failed in every way. Consequently, God allowed the ark to be carried away by their enemies (1 Sam. 4:10-11). The Lord “forsook” Shiloh, which was in “the tribe of Ephraim” (Jer. 7:12; Psa. 78:60, 67), and then when David came on the scene, He chose “the tribe of Judah” and “mount Zion” (Psa. 78:68-69).
This happened as a result of certain exercises that David went through in regard to the place of the Lord’s choosing (Psa. 132). God marked it out for him by causing “fire” to fall from heaven on the spot where he made a burnt offering. It was a sign that the Lord accepted his offering, and by it he discerned that it was the place where the house of the Lord was to be built (1 Chron. 21:26-27; 22:1). When David brought the ark to that place and his son (Solomon) built the temple there, God again identified that spot as being the place of His choosing by causing “fire” to fall from heaven a second time (2 Chron. 7:1), and the Shekinah glory cloud, that signified the Lord's presence, rested there (2 Chron. 5:13-14). It was the Lord's authorization of the place which He had chosen to gather His people for sacrifices and worship.
The Revolt Against the One Center in Jerusalem
Not long after God established Jerusalem as the place of His appointment, there was an attack on the truth of the one center of gathering in Israel. As mentioned earlier, the enemy came in and took ten of the twelve tribes away from the center under the revolt of Jeroboam (1 Kings 11-12). There was fault on both sides, but that did not justify the division. It shows us that the enemy has a particular hatred for this truth, and it is no different today.
To solidify the split, Jeroboam established two false centers: one near Jerusalem (in Bethel) and the other far from Jerusalem (in Dan). He ordained a feast in those false centers “like unto” that which was in Jerusalem to give it a semblance of God’s true order (1 Kings 12:32). This was done to quiet the consciences of those who worshipped at the new centers. But it was something that “he had devised of his own heart” (1 Kings 12:33).
People might eat the Passover in Bethel or in Dan, and call it the Passover, and it may have looked like the Passover in Jerusalem. Those who kept it in those false centers may have sincerely believed that it was the Passover. They may even have mocked the truth of there being one center in Israel by saying that those in Jerusalem were proud and arrogant, and were making high claims. But the truth of the matter is that there remained only one center in Israel that the Lord owned with His presence—Jerusalem.
The Time of Hezekiah
Even when it was late in Israel’s history, and there had been much failure on the part of the people, in Hezekiah’s day, God still owned Jerusalem as His one center of gathering. Things had not changed even though it was many years later. This shows that the passage of time does not alter God’s principles of gathering.
When Hezekiah and those with him in Jerusalem kept the Passover, they sent messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel reminding them that God wanted them to keep the feast at Jerusalem, but most of them rejected it (2 Chron. 30). But it didn’t change the truth of the one center. Nevertheless, some from a few of the tribes “humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem” (vs. 11). This shows that the point of departure is the point of restoration and that humbling oneself is needed to make this moral journey to the center.
The One Gathering Center During the Millennium
In a coming day, when Israel will be restored and brought back to their land, the Lord Himself again will be the gathering center in Jerusalem. “Unto Him shall the gathering of the peoples be” (Gen. 49:10; Psa. 50:5; Psa. 99:1-2; Ezek. 43:5; 48:35; Zeph. 3:5, etc.). During the Millennium it will be God’s earthly center for His earthly people.
The Lord’s Table
“The Lord’s table” (1 Cor. 10:21) is a symbolic term that signifies the ground of fellowship upon which God would gather the members of Christ’s body for worship and ministry. A table in Scripture symbolizes fellowship; in this case it is the fellowship to which all Christians are called (1 Cor. 1:9), where the Lord’s authority is recognized and bowed to. This is why it is called the “Lord’s” Table. It is not identical to “the Lord’s Supper” (1 Cor. 11:20), though it is often confused with it. Christians will use the two terms inter-changeably—not realizing that they are two different things. The Lord’s Supper is a literal ordinance that Christians partake of in the breaking of bread, whereas the Lord’s Table denotes the ground of the spiritual principles on which the Lord gathers Christians to His name, where His authority is recognized in their midst.
It is not correct, therefore, to say that we come to the Lord’s Table on the Lord’s day. If we have been received into fellowship at the Lord’s Table, we are there 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Under normal conditions, we come to the Lord’s Table once, but we partake of the Lord’s Supper at a specific hour on the Lord’s day. Therefore, neither would it be accurate to say, “Brother so and so stood up at the Lord’s Table to give thanks ... ” We know what is meant, but it would be more correct to say that he stood up at the Lord’s Supper to give thanks for the emblems. The Lord’s Table is not a literal table that brethren set in the middle of a room upon which the emblems for the breaking of bread are set. Nor should we think that the Lord’s Table is a mystical thing in heaven that all Christians are at. It is, rather, symbolic of the true ground of gathering on earth where the Lord gathers believers. All Christians should be at the Lord’s Table, but because of the confusion and great scattering of believers in Christendom, relatively few are there.
When a person is received into fellowship, he is received to “the Lord’s Table” wherein he has the privilege of eating “the Lord’s Supper.” If a person is “put away” under an administrative act of judgment by the assembly (1 Cor. 5:13), he is put away from the Lord’s Table, not merely the Lord’s Supper. That is, he is put outside the fellowship of the saints gathered to the Lord’s name as a whole, which would include the privilege of partaking of the Supper. Some think that the eating mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5:11 ("with such a one not to eat") is referring to eating the Lord’s Supper. Hence, they conclude that we are not to break bread with the person who has been put out, but we can have fellowship with him otherwise. This is essentially putting a person away from the Lord's Supper but not the Lord's Table, which Scripture does not teach. Scripture says that the putting away is to be "from among yourselves"—which is broader than the fellowship at the Supper. The eating that the Apostle is referring to is any kind of eating—that in the breaking of bread or at a common meal in our homes. The J. N. Darby Translation says, “Not to mix with him; with such a one not even to eat”—which is a symbol of social fellowship.
Scripture is clear that there is one Lord’s Table—there is no mention of the Lord having many “tables.” The saints gathered to the Lord’s name at the Lord’s Table may break bread in many places around the world, but it is one table—one ground of fellowship. The Lord only owns one ground of fellowship to which Christians are gathered in this world.
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In reviewing these Scriptures, we would have to conclude that the Lord’s presence (in the collective sense in which we have been speaking) could only be in one place in Christendom. And if this is true, then He couldn’t be in every place where Christians gather—even though Christians may be well meaning in their gathering together. It is quite simple; if the Lord gave His presence to the many places where Christians meet (as in Matthew 18:20), He would be condoning those false positions. If the Spirit of God has led Christians to form various fellowships apart from one another, then He is the Author of the God-dishonouring divisions in Christendom! This couldn’t be so. The respected Bible teacher, Mr. W. Potter, said, “Suppose the Lord gave His presence now to the different denominations, what would He be doing? He would be sanctioning what is contrary to Him. He can’t do that.” He also said, “You don’t mean to imply that the Lord is not in the midst of any others in the same sense? Decidedly He is not.
Number Twelve: There Is a Divine Gatherer Who LeadsExercised Christians to the Center
Matthew 18:20, Luke 22:7-20, and Revelation 3:7-13 have shown us that God has a place—an ecclesiological ground of gathering principles upon which He would have Christians to meet for worship, ministry, and fellowship. The Apostle Paul called it, "the Lord’s Table" (1 Cor. 10:21). This term, as we have mentioned earlier, symbolizes a fellowship (of which a table speaks) which the Lord has formed, and to which He has called all Christians (1 Cor. 1:9), where His authority is recognized and bowed to in administrative matters (Matt. 18:18-19; 1 Cor. 5:4). These same three Scriptures (Matt. 18:20, Luke 22:7-20, and Rev. 3:7-13) also indicate that there is a divine Gatherer (the Holy Spirit) who leads exercised believers to that place of His appointment. This should be a great encouragement to every person who is seeking to find the place where the Lord is in the midst. If we are truly and honestly seeking God’s way, the Spirit of God will guide us to the divine Center—Christ in the midst. Let us go back over these three passages again to see this.
Matthew 18:20
Let us turn again to Matthew 18:20 and focus on another part of the verse: “Where two or three are gathered together...” The Spirit is not directly mentioned in this passage, but it is clear from these words that He is the power behind believers being gathered to the Lord’s name. The Lord did not say, “Where two or three come together,” or “meet together,” as some modern translations render it. “Are gathered” is a passive voice in the original Greek, and this points to the fact that there has been a power outside of the people themselves that has been involved in their meeting together on that ground. This shows that the divine ground of gathering is not a voluntary association of believers. It’s true that there should be personal exercise and energy on the part of those who are gathered by the Spirit to be found there at the place where Christ is in the midst, but ultimately, He is the One who gathers.
Hamilton Smith said, “To use a simple illustration, I see a basket of fruit on the table. How did it get there? It was gathered together; it did not get there by its own efforts. The word for ‘gathered together’ in the Greek is ‘sunago’ which literally means ‘to lead together,’ and could be translated, ‘are guided together’—all of which suggests a Gatherer.”
J. N. Darby said, “He [Christ] is the only centre of gathering. Men may make confederations amongst themselves, having many things for their object or aim, but the communion of saints cannot be known unless each line converges towards the living Centre. The Holy Ghost does not gather saints around mere views, however true they may be, upon that which the Church is, upon that which it has been, or that which it may be on earth, but He always gathers them around that blessed Person, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. ‘Where two or three are gathered together in [unto] My name, there am I in the midst of them.’”
Luke 22:7-10
Luke 22:7-10 supports the fact that there is a divine Gatherer. It says, “When ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in.” The Spirit of God is seen here in the figure of “a man” bearing a pitcher of water. Many times in Scripture the Spirit of God is seen as an unnamed man working behind the scenes. This is because it is not the object of the Spirit of God to draw attention to Himself (John 16:13-14), and it’s the reason why He is not directly mentioned in Matthew 18:20. He does not take a place of prominence in Christianity, but He works behind the scenes guiding exercised souls to that Scriptural ground where Christ is in the midst of those thus gathered. In this case, He led the disciples to the place of the Lord’s appointment where they could be with Him for the supper. “Water” in Scripture often signifies the Word of God (Eph. 5:26; John 15:3). Thus, we learn that the Spirit of God uses the principles of the Word of God to guide believers to the place of the Lord’s appointment.
Matthew 18:20 emphasizes God’s sovereign work in our being gathered by the Spirit, but Luke 22:8-12 focuses more on what is required of us in being guided by the Spirit to the place:
• Firstly, we need to have a sincere desire to know where the place of His appointment is. This is illustrated in Peter and John inquiring of the Lord, “Where wilt thou that we prepare?”
• Secondly, there needs to be the energy of faith to go into the city and be exercised about being led to the place. This is illustrated in the words, “And they went ... ” (vs. 13).
• Thirdly, there is the exercise of climbing the stairs of separation to the “upper room” (vs. 12). This would imply leaving behind every connection with the world—both secular and religious.
• Fourthly, having been directed to the place of His appointment, there is the exercise of making “ready” (vs. 12). This would refer to our need of being in a spiritual state of soul suited to His presence. We make ready our souls through self-judgment (1 Cor. 11:28).
Revelation 2-3
These two chapters also imply the work of the Spirit of God in guiding us in the path in regard to the truth of the Church. It is seen in the words, “What the Spirit saith to the churches”—mentioned seven times in those chapters (chap. 2:7; 2:11; 2:17; 2:29; 3:6; 3:13; 3:22). The Spirit of God is speaking in the Christian profession, and He will be on earth doing that until the Lord comes. Our responsibility is to “hear” His voice and follow His directions. If we are sensitive to His leading, He will bring us to an understanding of the Church. The Spirit of God will guide a prayerful Christian.
Who else could the Lord entrust with the gathering of His people together unto His name but the Spirit of God! The best-intentioned men have sought to gather the Lord’s people together and have made a thorough mess of it. Being ignorant of the truth of gathering in the Scriptures, they have shunted them into denominational sects and groups and have encouraged them to go to “the church of their choice.” The result is that Christians have been scattered in a thousand directions. This surely is not the work of the Holy Spirit.
God Uses Human Instruments
The Spirit may use a human instrument in this work of guiding believers in the way of the truth. He may allow someone who knows the truth of gathering to pass that truth on to a person who is seeking the place, and thus instruct him in “the way of God more perfectly” (Acts 18:24-26). In this regard, we want to be ready instruments in the hand of the Lord, “prepared unto every good work” (2 Tim. 2:21, 24-26).
All of the truth is for all of the Church. We are to make it available to every seeker. We should be “ready always to give an answer to every man” who asks “a reason of the hope” that is in us (1 Peter 3:15). But we need to be careful in this work. We are not to try to do the Spirit of God’s work in gathering Christians to the Lord’s name. W. T. P. Wolston warned, “Don't pitchfork your converts into the assembly.” We need to be in communion with the Lord as to when and how we give the truth of gathering to someone. By indiscriminately spreading the truth of the assembly to everyone we meet, we might inadvertently give what is “holy unto the dogs” and cast “pearls” before “swine” (Matt. 7:6). A “swine” in Scripture is often used to describe a false professor. A “pearl” in Scripture refers to the assembly (Matt. 13:45-46). And this truth is exclusively Church property. Truth concerning the assembly must be disseminated carefully.
One reason we should be careful in this matter is that it's possible to force the truth on people when they are not ready for it. Sometimes we can be too eager to give people the truth of the assembly that it turns into an argument. We need to give them time to consider it, and pray that the Lord will lead them. J. N. Darby said that he had never tried to coerce anyone into the path that he was walking (being gathered to the Lord’s name) who had not the faith or the conviction for it. May we be guided by the Lord in this service.
God’s Center of Gathering on Earth Today
So then, is there a divine center of gathering for Christians on earth? Yes, Scripture teaches that there is. Where is it then? Now that is for each Christian to search out and find. The Lord said, “Seek, and ye shall find” (Luke 11:9). God wants us to be exercised about it and to seek the Lord for guidance, just as Peter and John did when they asked the Lord “where” He wanted them to be (Luke 22:9). “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter” (Prov. 25:2). The answer as to who has the Lord’s Table is—the Lord! It is His Table, and He is leading exercised believers to it.
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Having completed our profile of a Scripturally gathered assembly, our wish is to place it in the hands of those who are truly exercised about these things, and have the Lord guide them to the place of His appointment, so that they might know the joy of His presence in the midst of those whom He has gathered to His name.