I want you, beloved, to place yourselves with me, by faith, among the company of three thousand souls, described in Acts 2:41-4741Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. 42And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. 44And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. 46And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 47Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. (Acts 2:41‑47)-the early believers on the day of Pentecost and, again, in that of the five thousand men described in Acts 4:32-3732And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. 33And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. 34Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, 35And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. 36And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, 37Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet. (Acts 4:32‑37); and to consider how far we are practically what they were-so full of the Holy Spirit, and each heart so gone after the Lord Jesus Christ into heaven, so conscious of Himself there, on the throne (Himself our own and our blessing); as that selfishness laid aside by us, we are living down here as to Christ, alone and for His people. If we have the same objects of faith, and the same Holy Spirit as they, and yet are not like them in practice, should we not be ashamed and humble ourselves before, God? If in any measure we are selfish, or earthly minded; on lying under the power of the god of this world, does not confession become us?
Come again with me to the faithful assembly at Ephesus, as it was when Paul wrote his letter to it. Can you, can I, so drop into all the blessedness of the one Spirit and one body, brought out in the mystery as they held it (it is our own as, well as theirs), " quickened together with Christ," " raised up together," and made sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, (as Paul and they saw it), and not say. But then, how short, how very short is our walk, are our lives, of what Paul (A man of like passions with ourselves) describes in Phil. 1:19-2119For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. 21For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:19‑21) as his state in most trying circumstances; and again in chapter 3:8-16? Alas, how few, now-a-days, " hold the Head." The freshness and beauty of Paul's life, even to the end, ever brings " the Head " before me; the poor Ephesians afterward," left their first love " (Rev. 2:44Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. (Revelation 2:4)); shine as they still might and did in their duties as being a candlestick.
And is my life and yours, in body, Body and spirit, such now, down here, as that if 1 Thess. 4:13-1713But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:13‑17) were to take place to-day, none of us would have a regret to, be found as we are? Should we each say, " Oh, the grace that has prepared me individually for this, and that enables me now to say, “I am awaiting Thee, my Lord, and am ready?" To find nothing about oneself (save a mortal body), which cannot at once find its place in the light! How blessed he of whom this is true!
But further: If I place myself with you in the presence of the Christ now in heaven upon the throne (Eternal Lover of my soul, as one given to Him before the foundation of the world)-of that Anointed Man that died, for me on Calvary (the only One who ever laid down His life for me, and He the Man that is Jehovah's Fellow)-of Him who above patiently watches over me and is coming again to receive me and us to Himself, that where He is there may we be also-can I, can you, in the light brightly down-shining, say, "Lord, Thou knowest that I reckon my old self to be dead to sin and self-willed independence of God, and myself to be alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. 6) as having been crucified together with Him (v. 6), having died together with Him (v. 2, 8, 5, 8), and been buried together with Him (v. 4), sin has not dominion over me; I live to God and God alone; all my members are devoted to Him and His service alone?" And yet the power of the new nature goes far beyond this, and I am to live as one Spirit with, and a member in particular of, that body, the glorified Head of which is on God's throne in heaven (Eph. 2). Nothing to do down here save to serve the living and true God.
Brethren, myself a partaker of the benefit, I may well write to you thus; and you, through grace, co-partners of these things, may well read anything calculated to help you to understand better the humble, unselfish path of lowly dependence and obedience here below, which becomes those who are in Christ Jesus' partakers of the exceeding riches of God's grace by the Spirit. What were we in the first Adam, and what our prospect then! And the flesh is in us still, and the world around us and Satan (God's enemy and ours) watching against us hourly! And have I, have you, overcome all these things, and are we practically representing Christ down here, as He represents us up there, anchor and fore-runner fixed within the veil? If not, what deep repentance and humiliation individually become us.