Meeting Together #1 - Introduction

[00:00:00] Chapter one from verse one. Paul called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God. And sustan is our brother unto the church of God, which is at Corinth. Even them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus called saints with all that call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, their Lord and ours. Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. [00:00:35] I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus. That in everything ye were enriched in him in all utterance and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you. So that ye come behind in no gift, waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall also confirm you unto the end that ye be unreprovable in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. What a word. To the church of Corinth of all places. God is faithful through whom ye were called into the fellowship of his son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Now I beseech you, brethren, through 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 perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been signified unto me concerning you, my brethren, by them that are of the household of cloy. That there are contentions among you. Now this I mean that each one of you says, I am of Paul, and I of apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ. [00:02:08] Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were ye baptized into the name of Paul? [00:02:25] Now, if I were to ask you this evening, very simply, at the beginning of this time, why are you at Halford House? [00:02:34] Could you tell me? [00:02:38] Why are you at Halford House? Come on, someone tell me. [00:02:46] God wanted you here. That's one question. All right. Someone else. God wanted you here because I found the Lord here. You found the Lord here. Right. [00:03:01] He saved you here. Right. [00:03:05] He saved you here. Right? How many others were saved here? Put your hands up. [00:03:10] That's quite a lot. All right, then write down. Now, you're here because you were saved here. Right? [00:03:17] Alan, you were going to say something. Why are you here? You were saved here. I know, but. Come on. The Lord brought me here. Yes. Yeah, but here I found there to be more troops according to. To the gospel in the new testament. Rather than what I see in the world today. [00:03:35] What do you mean? What you see in the world? Do you mean the rest of the churches or. Yes, I see. Yes, you saw more truth. Yes. [00:03:47] Mix with his people, grow spiritually so that you can help others. Right. Good, good. Thank you. Yes, Michael. [00:04:02] Well, that's a very good reason for being here. I'm sure. And you'll get the knock knock, too. Is there anyone out there in the hall who would like to help us? [00:04:12] You found life here? Yes. [00:04:17] Suffocation. [00:04:24] Right. Anyone else out there in the hall? [00:04:30] There's any other reasons why you're here? [00:04:34] Why are you here? [00:04:37] Why are you here at Halford House? Because you belong to Christ and not to a church. Because you belong to Christ and not to a church. Yes. Yes. [00:04:50] And the other one reason I'm here is that I'm learning about myself. You're learning about yourself. Good. [00:05:00] Very good. Right. Other. [00:05:05] Come on, now. Don't be afraid to make me yes for it. The Lord wants to do something corporately, together with others, and we have an individual, personal christian. [00:05:18] Right. Right. That's an answer. Yes. [00:05:23] Home here. [00:05:27] Right. Home. [00:05:34] Right. That's a very good one. [00:05:37] Yes. [00:05:40] Yes. [00:05:42] Anything else? [00:05:44] Well, now, I think we can sum up these answers, most of which are false under just a few. I fully expected them, so I'm awfully glad you all made the boobs to start with. Now, we're all in the boat together now. [00:06:03] Now, why are we here? These are the reasons. [00:06:09] One. This is one. [00:06:13] The friendliness. [00:06:20] Right. And fellowship. [00:06:26] Now, under that title will come quite a number of the answers we've had. You are coming here because you find a friendliness and spiritual fellowship, and therefore you prefer to come here than go, say, to an anglican church up the hill or whether an assembly across the river or a free church in the centre of the town, because you get more fellowship here than there. Right. One thing, another reason for coming, which I didn't hear from anyone, but we'll put it down lest there are some who may feel it is the freedom of the spirit. [00:07:26] You see, some people say, I come to Halford House because it's less organized. I don't like the organized type of churches, too. Liturgical, too, sort of. [00:07:39] Well, someone put it suffocating. [00:07:43] I feel there's a freedom here. Of course, we've got a long way to go, but there is a freedom of the spirit there. Another thing, a third one I think we can put down, is the measure of Christ. Now, this is a very spiritual reason. [00:08:05] Measure of Christ. [00:08:07] And under that we have to put two things. [00:08:13] Amount of spiritual life and spiritual food. [00:08:33] In other words, you come here because you find more of Christ here than anywhere else. That's how you feel it's a subjective thing. Someone else might not feel it, but you feel that here in this company there is more of Christ, more spiritual life, more spiritual food. Therefore you come here. That's the basis of your gathering. You belong to this company because you feel, well, there's more of the Lord. If I find another company with more of the Lord, then how? I'm off. [00:09:08] I'm going off there, see if I can find more spiritual food or more spiritual life. I'm going to leave you and I'm off to where I find something more. That's another reason. [00:09:20] The fourth reason is because you were saved here, quite a good reason. [00:09:34] You were saved there and therefore, as you were saved there, you don't know anywhere else. You feel that's your home. [00:09:47] The last reason is the will of God. [00:09:57] Now those five reasons cover all but two of the answers we have. [00:10:05] In other words, two of the answers were correct. [00:10:10] These five cover the general reasons why people are either in this place or that place. Now, if you think of it, any of these reasons, you could be in a baptist church, a congregational church, a brethren assembly, a salvation army, the Quakers, the Pentecostals, the peculiar people, sometimes called the Plumstead peculiars or the strict Baptist or the general or the state church or anything else. Because the point is, you will go where you can get fellowship. So if there's more fellowship in St. Mary's rather than the sort of gospel hall down by the railway sidings, well, you're going to go to St. Mary's because there's more fellowship there, more friendliness there. There's a nice circle of people there and they're all very cosy and friendly and warm, and you get a certain amount of fellowship there. [00:11:06] You can take all these. Now, of course, obviously the will of God is one that we have to be careful with. Yet we can use this matter of the will of God in a very subjective way, in an altogether wrong way. In other words, our deceitful hearts can say to us something like this, I am here because it's the will of God. But when I fall out with brother so and so, it is no longer the will of God that suddenly it is discovered to stay here anymore. [00:11:35] There's a collision with someone and then immediately there is the collision. It is the will of God you discover to move on somewhere else. [00:11:44] In other words, you've got a fire escape. [00:11:48] When these get too hot, you can use the fire escape and you're out. [00:11:53] And the fire escape is the will of God. Now, I don't mean by that that it is the will of God. It's precisely what it is not. [00:12:01] But we all gloss things over with the term the will of God, you see? So that's why I say, in actual fact, if we understand, if we have, as it says in Ephesians five, if we understand what the will of the Lord is, really understand what the will of the Lord is, we're trapped. We're absolutely trapped. That we can use this matter to the will of God in a falsely subjective way, not knowing our deceitful hearts, in order to be able to get out of circumstances, of trying brothers and sisters or others that we just cannot get on with, we rather run away from them. [00:12:49] Now, I say all these points are important. It's important for us to understand, because I want to say this here and now, not one of those points preserves the unity of Christ. [00:13:04] Not one of them, not even the measure of Christ, preserves the unity of Christ. Why, of course, if you think of it theoretically, theoretically it ought to. For where there is most of the Lord, there should be the greatest appreciation for the oneness of Christ. But is that always the case? [00:13:28] Often when there is a measure of the law, we can become very superior and think that we are the elite, and our very understanding of the measure of the law makes us divisive. [00:13:42] You understand what I mean? So this is the whole point, the ground of the church, the basis for our fellowship together is the preservation of the unity of Christ, the preservation of the unity of the Spirit. And therefore, we have got to discover what is the basis of our fellowship. All these things may be right as additional things, but they are not sufficient for a basis of gathering together. [00:14:15] Why? Because, you see, will we stay together? [00:14:21] Why, within ten years, we might all have said farewell to one another on these points. [00:14:28] Certainly on the first three and the last one, we could have all said farewell to one another on this point. So I hope I make it clear. First of all, we've made our mistakes. Now. Now we are a little nearer to an understanding of what. [00:14:50] Well, at least we'll be a little more alive if we ask ourselves what is. [00:14:59] Why are we here at Halford House? [00:15:15] Our question is, why are you at Halford House? [00:15:24] What are we? [00:15:26] What are we? [00:15:31] Why do we gather together in the manner in which we do here in this company? [00:15:42] Are we absolutely clear as to what the objective of God is and what the basis upon which God commits himself, what that basis is? [00:16:02] It troubles me greatly when I hear people speaking about coming into the house of the Lord or speaking of these premises as the house of God is quite wrong. [00:16:18] This house may be a sign, the books of mortar may be a sign, but it is not the house of God, never was and never will be. [00:16:29] However precious the sign and what it signifies, the books and the mortar are not the house of God. It also troubles me very greatly when I hear people speaking of this as the fellowship. [00:16:44] Of course I do realize that it is rather hard to sort of fumble around to find some word by which we can describe the company that we're in. [00:16:56] But the fellowship is unfortunate because it is quite unbiblical. [00:17:02] The word fellowship is never used in the New Testament as the fellowship, ever. [00:17:11] That's why, for those of you who perhaps have puzzled over it, and for those of you who've never even noticed it, we do not have the definite article before the word christian fellowship. We do not call it the christian fellowship. You will see on the headed paper, you will see on the stone outside, just christian fellowship. It is not a title, it is a description. [00:17:38] It is a description, not a title. [00:17:41] So it is not the fellowship. And if only we could all be delivered from referring to it, it is much better, I think, if you want to use a good biblical word, just call it the company. [00:17:53] That's a biblical word. I'll point you to it in a moment. [00:17:56] The company, remember Peter and John, when they were released, went to their own company in Jerusalem. [00:18:07] Now it is because of this confusion that there is amongst us that we have felt, led by the Lord to embark once more upon this matter. We took it up some years ago in 1957, beginning of 1957. Now again, we want to look at the matter and trust that the Lord will use these times to get us clear, old and young, as to what the Lord's objective is and what that basis is to which he will commit himself in these days. Why has the Lord so remarkably and amazingly led us and provided for us, setting his seal upon our history in so many ways? Not that we are anything in ourselves, never tired of saying we are. We must be the biggest collection of dumb clocks in the world. Saved, saved dumplings. [00:19:15] But nevertheless, we are but a collection of fools and the Lord has done something for us. Nevertheless, we have to say we have an amazing story on the Lord's faithfulness and provision and leadership in minute ways as well as large ways. Why has the Lord so singularly committed himself? What lies at the root of it? Should we not ask ourselves what it is that the Lord is seeking to do? And why are we just another non denominational evangelical church, of which there are quite a number. [00:20:01] A kind of non denominational evangelical church with a minister who wears normal clothes and is called mister. [00:20:10] And where the assistant minister has a full time job at University College. [00:20:17] Is that the kind of group we are? Just an evangelical church like that and all? Or are we a fellowship, more informal, less organized, which is catering for the needs of lonely people in a highly urbanized society? [00:20:46] They don't get what they need in the normal evangelical church. So friendliness and fellowship, they are drawn irresistibly in this highly urbanized society. And that's what we're here for, to provide them with a cup of tea and some fellowship, a nice homeless surrounding. [00:21:09] Now don't get me wrong, there is such a thing as fellowship. Fellowship is the hallmark of the true church. [00:21:17] Yes, and love is the power of the true church, don't get me wrong. And the fact of feeling at home can be an altogether spiritual matter. Because God is at home, you are at home. [00:21:36] So let us not despise the person said, or anyone else who said, I feel at home. This is my hope. That's right, providing. [00:21:45] And it is because God is at home. We are at home. God's dwelling not in the books of mortal, not in the place, but in the company. [00:22:00] What are we? A kind of evangelistic mission seeking to reach needy men and women with an emphasis on juvenile delinquents? [00:22:13] Is that what we are? [00:22:15] A matter in which God has singularly blessed us? [00:22:20] Or are we a group of Christians, a company of Christians, emphasizing some particular aspect of truth or some particular experience of the cross or spirit that we feel to be vital? Is that what we are? [00:22:45] Or are we a group of christians who feel called together to support and uphold a particularly anointed ministry? [00:22:59] If you should feel that way about me, is that what we are? [00:23:14] So then we become a people centred in a ministry and therefore because the ministry is entrusted to one person, centered in that one person. [00:23:25] Is that what we are? Is that what we are called to? Is that what God is seeking to do with us and amongst us? What are we? Good question. [00:23:41] Now let's imagine that a leading evangelical minister or leader has approached us and is asking us a question. His question is, why do you meet separately at Halford House? [00:24:06] Why do you not join one of the sound and keen denominational churches which abound in your area? [00:24:18] Or if you do not like denominationalism, why don't you join one of the ones that is interdenominational in character and outlook? [00:24:34] Why have you two have a sepia separate entity. Why don't you throw in your lot with some other cause of God which is nearer to your way of looking? [00:24:48] All right? [00:24:50] Or if you don't like interdenominationalism, you feel that's a halfway house. Why don't you throw in your lock with a non denominational place as one in hand? [00:25:04] There's one just across your garden. Been there since 1736. [00:25:11] Oldest free church in Richmond. [00:25:13] Why don't you throw? Still sound, still keep. Why don't you throw in your lot with them? Not that we'd all be able to get in there, but still, why don't you throw in your lot there with them? [00:25:26] This is the question we are to imagine that we have been asked. Now, our leading evangelical minister, Sir Fen, says to us, if you don't like organization, why don't you join with the Quakers? [00:25:45] Why do you start some new group? [00:25:49] Or why don't you go to the open brethren and join the open brethren? [00:25:56] Aren't they the same as you? [00:25:59] No membership. [00:26:01] Now, what are we? [00:26:04] Are we an open brethren assembly who allow sisters to take part? [00:26:12] Well, are we? Now, our dear learned friend continues to ask us a few more searching questions. He says you are, whether you like it or not, an evangelical company. You may not like the name, but you are an evangelical church. [00:26:29] Why don't you join the Richmond and District Evangelistic Council? [00:26:38] Why do you stand apart? [00:26:41] And furthermore, why do you not join the World Evangelical alliance for the whole. There's the whole gamut in there from Quakers up to high church people. [00:26:53] Surely you could find your place amongst them. [00:26:57] You've only got to accept certain fundamental doctrines, which you do. [00:27:06] Why don't you belong to the World Evangelical alliance along with that naughty man, Doctor Lloyd Jones, who also doesn't belong to it. [00:27:18] How is it that you are outside the World Evangelical alliance? [00:27:25] Look, I understand you don't like the World Evangelical alliance. But what about the Fellowship of independent evangelical churches? Isn't that up your street? [00:27:35] Isn't that your cup of tea? Aren't you an independent evangelical church? [00:27:42] Or why don't you come in to the fiecker? [00:27:49] Now, do you know how you would answer them? [00:27:52] How would you answer this brother if he asked you? [00:27:58] You must understand that none of these hold water. [00:28:03] He is not going to be impressed by you saying, well, there is fellowship there. He will say, well, look, that is not the point. You go and put some fellowship in the other place. [00:28:13] He's just a selfish person sitting there. Me. Me. [00:28:17] I go there because I get fellowship. I go there because it's friendly. I go there because I get spiritual food. [00:28:24] You ought to get up and get off your seat and do something for others for a while. Provide a bit of spiritual food for some others. You see, he might say, no, it's alright. [00:28:38] Well, you were saved there. Yes, but he may say, well, that's good. The Lord overrules these mistakes. [00:28:45] You got saved there, but your place is to go into these other groups and help them. Now, here is the question. [00:28:57] Now we need to be able to answer those questions clearly. [00:29:04] What is the justification for our meeting together separately? What is the basis then of our gathering? Why are we here at Halford House? [00:29:18] As we've said, because of these reasons. Friendliness and the fellowship, the measure of Christ, the amount of spiritual life and food. [00:29:28] Because of the freedom of the spirit. [00:29:30] Because I was saved there. [00:29:34] Because I believe it is the will of God that I should be there. [00:29:38] Well, those answers may be good to us up to a point. They don't bear the searching scrutiny of the spirit of God. [00:29:51] Now, what is the problem? [00:29:55] What is the problem? Before we can answer the question why am I at Halford House? We have to look at the problem. What is the problem that we are confronted with? Well, let's try and put it as simply as we can. In the New Testament days there was not the complex and intricate problem which we face as children of God today. In the 20th century, through the preaching of the gospel, many people were saved all over Judea, Samaria and then out through the whole roman empire. [00:30:35] And as people got saved, as they were born of the spirit of God they were simply gathered together in each locality where they lived. They were simply gathered together as the family of God. You were either in the family by spiritual birth or you were not in it. It was a simple. [00:30:56] There was. Every single believer in any locality belonged to the family. There may only be two, but they were the family there. They represented the family of God in that place. There might have been only two christians to begin with in Antioch but they were the family of God in Antioch. [00:31:19] Your family may be large, you may be small. That's not the point. It's a family. [00:31:24] There may be only two of your family in Birmingham and 20 of them in Exeter. But because there's only two in Birmingham doesn't mean they're less your family. [00:31:34] They are your family. They're the only members of your family in Birmingham. There happen to be only two of them in Exeter there are 20 of them, but it's still your family. No less, no more. [00:31:50] They are your kith and kin. Now the problem is there was not the problem we face in the 20th century. In the first century. For wherever the gospel went men and women were saved with the power of the Holy Spirit and the preaching of the word of God. [00:32:06] Men and women were gathered together simply as children of God. And they were called the ecclesia, the called out ones. [00:32:15] The church of God. [00:32:18] Jew or Gentile made no difference when they became children of God whether Jew or Gentile they were now christian. [00:32:26] They weren't jewish Christians and gentile Christians. They were Christians. There was no more jew and no more gentile. Only Christians. It was as simple as that. [00:32:39] I don't know whether I make it as clear as I would like to but it doesn't matter where you went. [00:32:51] The family of God in each place consisted of those who were born of the spirit of God and excluded everyone else who wasn't. [00:33:03] And let us say this again too. In the New Testament there were never two churches in one locality. Never. [00:33:12] Hence they did not face the problem we face today. [00:33:17] There was only one church in each locality. [00:33:24] The church at Jerusalem. Though it numbered at one point at least 5000 people was never called the churches at Jerusalem. Even though they gathered from home to home to break bread. They couldn't break bread together. So they split them all up in the city in homes and there they broke bread together. [00:33:51] It was still the church at Jerusalem. [00:33:55] It never became the churches at Jerusalem. Not even at the end. Now let me just show you that from the word of God. If you look at acts, chapter two, verse 41 and 42. Acts, chapter 241 and 42 they then that received his word were baptized. And there were added unto them in that day about 3000 souls. [00:34:25] 3000 souls were added in that one day. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles teaching and fellowship in the breaking of bread. 3000. [00:34:39] And the prayers. Now there was no place in Jerusalem which could take 3000 people. No one. So if you turn over the page of verse 46 this is what it says. And day by day continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple they met all of them together in the temple forecourt. That was the only place they could get the whole lot together for the reading of the word and for prayers. But they took their. And breaking bread from home to home. They took their food with gladness and singleness of heart for the Lord's table. They broke up into groups. Now if you turn to chapter six, verse one. [00:35:24] Now in those days when the number of the disciples was multiplying verse seven and the word of God increased and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem exceedingly. And a great number. A great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. Chapter eight, verse one. [00:35:48] And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church which was in Jerusalem. Although it numbered many thousands, it was still called the church that was in Jerusalem. And all the way through the New Testament still always referred to as the church in Jerusalem. If you turn back to chapter four and verse 23, there is a very interesting side light. [00:36:14] It says a being let go. That is, Peter and John. And being let go, they came to their own company, their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said unto them. It's a very interesting phrase, their own company, because it reveals that the church in Jerusalem had been broken up into smaller groups. [00:36:39] And even Peter and John, as apostles, had their own company. So when they were released, they went directly to their own company and reported to them. Probably they were at prayer. Now that shows to us that the church at Jerusalem was never divided into churches. [00:37:04] I hope we've got that clear. [00:37:08] Whenever two churches in one locality. Now, of course, immediately this will raise problems in people's lives. What are you going to do with a city like London? What are you going to do with a city like New York? What are you going to do with a city like Tokyo or Los Angeles where you have literally something like 1011 million people? I mean, that just wasn't a New Testament problem. Now we'll wait till we come to that. [00:37:29] I quite agree with you. It's a problem. And I don't think we can be legalistic in our approach to this and just say that there must be one church for 11 million people. [00:37:39] We've got to understand the Holy Spirit is able to apply and interpret principles for the 20th century. But the principle remains one church, one place. [00:37:53] You cannot get away from that simple, all important principle. And then again, I want you to notice this. The church at Corinth might be poor spiritually, spiritually poor. It might be rent with action. [00:38:10] It might be carnal in its ways and in its. And in its character. But it was still the church at Corinth. [00:38:21] Never anywhere did it call anything else but the church at Corinth. [00:38:26] They're even called sanctified in Christ Jesus. And any people who are expressing less sanctification, I cannot imagine the church. [00:38:40] Now, what can we say about the measure of Christ's death? [00:38:48] We're not saying, of course, that the Holy Spirit is not wanting to change the whole situation. Of course he wants to change the whole situation. But we are talking about the basis upon which the Holy Ghost commits himself. [00:39:01] A very, very important thing to get clear. [00:39:05] The church of Jerusalem might be legalistic, it might be hidebound it might be lacking in full vision but it was still the church of Jerusalem. [00:39:15] Nothing less and nothing more. [00:39:18] The church at Sarata might even have a jezebel in it but it was still the church. The church at Laodano. [00:39:27] The church at Laodicea might be wealthy, knowledgeable, full of activity spiritually blind, poverty stricken and naked but it was still the church at Laodicea. [00:39:50] It was the one church. [00:39:53] And this is a very, very important point. [00:39:56] Some years ago, I did a little statement I've never forgotten. [00:40:02] It went like this. [00:40:06] Never try to understand the church through the churches but always seek to understand the churches through the church. Now, it may not mean a lot to you just now. It will perhaps later in this study. [00:40:24] But you see, the whole point is the church is one. It is absolutely one. It is indivisible because it is Christ. [00:40:35] There is only one church. The fact that a name of a locality is attached is just simply that you happen to be a resident there. Now, listen to this. When I go to New York I am not a member of the church in Richmond. Visiting the church at New York, I am. I am in the church. [00:40:54] There's only the church when I'm here. We're in the church at Richmond. When I'm in New York, I'm in the church in New York. What I'm doing when I'm in a plane, I don't know. [00:41:06] But the fact of the matter is there's only one church. It's a question of where you're resident. If you're living in Tokyo supposing everything was just in New Testament terms. Well, let's put it in New. Let's put it in New Testament terms. Let's put it like this. Supposing we all lived there. If you were in Antioch, you were in the church at Antioch. If you moved to Jerusalem, you were in the church at Jerusalem. If you moved to Ephesus, you were in the church at Ephesus. If you moved to Rome, you were in the church at Rome. Now, if you went from Jerusalem to Antioch you were just a member of the family. [00:41:43] You weren't a member of the Jerusalem church but you were a member of the family. [00:41:50] Do you understand? It wasn't so many little molecules so many little entities all with a circle around them. Local churches sort of pushed together. It was only one church. Divided just by the fact of where you live. That's all. Simple as that. The whole matter is so utterly simple once the Holy Spirit reveals it to you, it is absolute simplicity. [00:42:17] Now I'm saying, in seeking to introduce this matter this evening, we are not in the New Testament times. They did not face the complex problem that we face today in the 20th century. Why? Because there was just this one church. Maybe there were Judaizers, maybe there was nicolaitonism, maybe there were false teachers and all the rest of it. But there was only one church, just simply a question of where you live, that's all. [00:42:53] And everyone knew that. [00:42:56] So if we were supposing this place was Laodicea, and we thought, well, we'll send Alan. [00:43:06] We're going to send Alan off to Pergamos or Pergamum. [00:43:12] Well, Alan's. They receive him. He comes from the church. The church don't attend anything. The church at Laodicea is sending him to the same church. [00:43:27] It's not the pergamum church sending him, the laodicean church sending him to the pergamum church. [00:43:34] It is just the one church. Do you get it? That's all. [00:43:39] Just a question of where you live. Geographical locality, as simple as that. [00:43:46] When the believers were first gathered together, they were simply cast upon God. That's all. Didn't have any big organization. They didn't have any theological seminaries, Bible colleges or anything else. They were simply cast upon God and were taught to respond and obey the Holy Spirit so that the headship of Jesus Christ could be operative in their midst from their very first days. [00:44:12] From their very first days. So that if the apostle Paul went off and left them, they had to learn from the very beginning to look to Christ as their hidden their lord by the Holy Spirit and find out what his way was. [00:44:26] And so cast upon God, they learned to depend upon the life that was within them and all the ministries and the functions and the gifts were manifested and recognized and appointed as time went on. [00:44:52] Thus we can say that Christ continued to move and express himself through his members on earth, through his body on earth. But we have many terms for the church in the New Testament, whether it is body or members or house or temple or bride or church, it's the same thing. [00:45:19] Now, today we have a very different situation today we have a very different situation in any given locality, and especially this one. [00:45:32] Any number of churches. [00:45:38] Any number. [00:45:40] Why, do you know? I know one small danish town in the north of Jutland with 36 churches. [00:45:51] And I dare say if we would count up a few more, we'd find there's many more. [00:45:58] That's the problem we've got today. It is a far more complex problem. We have Baha, we have, in this area alone, national and state churches. We have denominational churches. We have interdenominational churches. We have non denominational churches. [00:46:20] And then we have other groups, sectarian groups. We've got exclusive groups, any number. [00:46:32] Some are existing only for the propagation of certain aspects of truth. Some are there to bring us into certain kinds of spiritual experience. [00:46:42] They call it the testimony. [00:46:46] This is the testimony we have. This is the thing we are upholding. And God has raised us to give. [00:46:58] Others look upon themselves as merely a means of reaching unsaved people. Thank God for that. But the only means of reaching unsaved people, that's all a kind of evangelistic agency. [00:47:12] And we are told that we should not desert such groups because it's a big pond in which we can fish. [00:47:25] Some are unsound and erroneous, some using the name Christian merely, merely as an appendage. For instance, Christian find Christian School of unity, School of Christianity, Christadelphism, these things using the name of Christ, when in actual fact they have no part with him at all. [00:48:02] You've got other groups that are sound but dead. [00:48:10] As soon as you step in, you feel the lifelessness of it. You'll hear a good little message. As far as soundness goes, you can't pick any holes in it, but it's lifeless. [00:48:24] Others, and let us say this, others have still got a measure of real life and real power. And that makes us more confused than ever. [00:48:35] For if they were all dead, we'd be a very simple proposition, wouldn't it? [00:48:41] But when we find some groups full of life and full of power, that is our problem. What are we to do? The Lord's still blessing, the Lord's still saving. The Lord is still educating there. There is often some fellowship there and friendliness, in varying degrees, different places. [00:49:02] What are we to do? [00:49:06] All of these groups in any given locality are built in some measure on the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, rather than the unity of the spirit. [00:49:24] Now again, later on in these studies, we will look at that so you'll understand what we are talking about. But there are two unities. There is a unity we are arriving at, we're told in Ephesians 413, till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, not the knowledge of the Son of God, but we're told in Ephesians four, the same chapter, and verse three and verse four. We're told that we are to give diligence to keep the unity of the spirit. You can't keep something you haven't got that clear. [00:49:56] You want to keep a dog, you must first have a dog, then you keep the dog. You can't keep a non existent dog, can you? You have a dog, then you keep it. Then you give diligence to keep the dog. [00:50:07] And so it is give diligence to keep the unity of the spirit. The very fact that we keep something means we've got it. We've already got it. So the unity of the spirit is something every child of God is born into, but the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the son of God is something we are progressing toward. [00:50:27] Now, nearly all these groups have made the unity of the faith the basis of fellowship. So have you seen the matter of baptism? Have you had it? You can't have fellowship. You can come to the meeting, but you can't be right here. What I mean, have you had mix? Have you had the second blessing? [00:50:49] You haven't had the second blessing. [00:50:52] We'll do our best to get you into it, but if you haven't had it, we're sorry, you're out. [00:51:00] You see what I mean? That kind of thing. [00:51:03] Do you believe this? Do you believe that you investigated us? What, exactly? [00:51:07] You can go and sit at the back, but you're not permitted to take any part or have any part in it at all until you have come into that experience or follow that method or something else. I am perhaps not putting it too clearly, but that the way most of these groups are built, they're built upon the unity of the faith. [00:51:38] And that's something none of us will ever all see eye to eye over until we're in the glory, and then we shall all see eye to eye at last. [00:51:55] Now, when we put a circle around ourselves, we have a membership, and then we give the right hand of membership. [00:52:02] Right hand of fellowship, you see? [00:52:07] And then once we get a membership, you're either in or you're out. [00:52:12] Now, many of you young ones would never have noticed that when you go to a place, but you sit in the congregation like you would sit here. You listen to the speaker, and that's all right. You don't know what lies behind it. [00:52:26] There are many places that you would not be permitted to take part at the Lord's table unless you've been confirmed. You cannot take part unless you've had a certain sentiment, however, believing they are, that's not so in every case, but in many cases, in the same with baptism, in many groups, you will not be permitted to take the Lord's table unless you've been baptized by a mercian as a believer. [00:52:54] Now, that's what we mean by all these groups being built upon the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the son of God, and not on the unity of the spirit. The fact is this. You may have only been saved an hour ago, but if you were saved an hour ago, you got the unity of the spirit. Thank God for that. You may be. Why? Spiritually, like a little baby newly born, you may be in a slap, your first yell, spiritually, but you may have only uttered one single word spiritually, but you're in the unity of the spirit because you're born into God's family. Now, the basis is simply this, that if you're in the family, you're in with us. We can't help it. We may not even like you. But what can we do? [00:53:39] I mean, if God has brought you to birth, we have to accept the facts. Do you understand? [00:53:45] So we receive one another as Christ received us. How did Christ receive me? He didn't receive me as a fully fledged, devoted servant of the Lord or something like that. No. How did he receive you? He received you as someone who was a devoted, sanctified Christian. No, he received you as a man. Miserable sinner. [00:54:14] Yes, a miserable sinner who couldn't save himself, who couldn't do a single thing for himself. God accepted you as a sinner saved by his grace. [00:54:29] That was the lowest level on which he could. He could bring us in saved by grace. [00:54:39] And now you and I are to receive one another on the common, the lowest common denominator, which is sinners saved by grace. Not just sinners. [00:54:53] Sinners saved by grace. Are you a sinner saved by grace? Well, my dear brother, my dear sister, we can't do anything about you. You and I belong together. [00:55:02] You may not like it, but we are together. [00:55:07] Because he's received me as a sinner saved by grace. He received you as a sinner saved by grace. You must accept me as a sinner saved by grace. I must accept you as a sinner saved. Not as a wonderful apostle or prophet or teacher or gifted child of God, but I must say, as Christ received me. [00:55:30] My, that undercuts a lot of the troubles we have in fellowship, doesn't it? A lot of these sort of reservations we have about one another. [00:55:42] You see, we're also adept at receiving one another on another basis. Other than to the one that Christ received us on. [00:55:52] Well I don't know who you are, what you are. There may be someone in this room. You've been a child of God for let me say, 60 years, 50 years. I don't want you to answer but there may be some here been saved 50 or 60 years. You've been a child of color all those years and you've been going on with the Lord all those years. And look here, there's someone here. Just say that, Colin. Just say a child to save. Do you know he's got as much right to be here as you have, misses hall? [00:56:28] He has, hasn't he? [00:56:32] It's not because misses hall has gone on so long with the Lord that the Lord says now she's acceptable. [00:56:39] He still accepts misses hall on the same basis the day he received her the first time. [00:56:46] So we're all together. [00:56:54] This situation we face, which I have said is so complex, is tragic because we have rent the unity of Christ by membership and by many other means. We've put little circles around certain numbers. Officers, we are the elite or we are the agreed ones on this, or we see this or we've experienced that. [00:57:14] All of you are welcome to come and sit in the museum. [00:57:18] But we are it. [00:57:26] Now if you. We're always out for an increase of our membership if you will go through the right channels. [00:57:35] I just remember when I first said I thought I was in the family of God. I remember my pastor opposed me. I was a Baptist. You approached me and said isn't it about time you joined the church? And I lived in a look of horror with which I looked at him. I said oh but Mister Serangel, I thought I was in the church. Oh of course my dear boy, you're in the church. Of course you are. But we live in the 20th century. Well I said what's that got to do with it? Well they said you see, you see we've got such amount of organisation now we've got to have it. We're living in the 20th century. Of course you're in the church, but you've got to join it. Oh, I couldn't work it out. I asked you to show me in the scriptures where you joined the church once you're in it. But he couldn't. And I naturally thought when he's my pastor he's a dear man of God, a greatly and widely used servant of the Lord. So I accepted. I went through a link. Do you know what I had to do? Two people had to come and see me at home separately, listen to my whole history. Write it all down. And they went back to the church, wed the whole thing out and the church had to vote on it. And I went in on a two thirds foot majority vote. [00:58:50] Now you all laugh, you all laugh, but that is back to you church procedure. [00:58:59] That is baptist church procedure. [00:59:03] Oh, think of it. What does the Lord think going through all that kerfuffle? Well, he means well. I received him as a sinner saved by grave. [00:59:11] Now of course they're seeking to protect themselves, you see, but nevertheless, you understand what it does. [00:59:20] It cuts out those who've been saved by God and possibly include some who are not, who are clever enough to go through the old investigation. [00:59:36] Our membership, the membership of the true church of God is the Lamb's book of life. [00:59:46] Now you see, the situation, I must say, is a hopeless one, viewed at humanly a one of a situation of hopeless division, hopeless contradiction, and in many cases hopeless rivalry. [01:00:05] Even when we sit under a banner, all one in Jesus Christ, you know very well if you've been on the inside something rival that goes on behind the banner. [01:00:18] You see, added to our confusion today is the World council of Churches and the Second Vatican Council. [01:00:32] Added to our confusion. Why? [01:00:35] Because here we have people who are not born again believers preaching and teaching the vital importance of unity. [01:00:47] Think. [01:00:48] And on the other side, we have people who are born again believers justifying the traditional divisions. [01:00:54] Think. [01:00:56] We have people who are not born again believers taking scriptures and expounding scriptures on the. I heard I must, perhaps I should. [01:01:06] But he was one of the South bank theologians, a bishop. It's enough. [01:01:13] I heard him myself. With a Bible ban. You give the most magnificent address on John 17, on ephesians four. [01:01:23] And I was sick inside because I thought if only some of our evangelical leaders could give the same message. [01:01:31] This message is amongst people, the wrong people. The right message amongst the wrong people. [01:01:39] I told you. Some of you this. Some of this, some of you this. Before then we had within this town our annual evangelical convention and a very well known brother and a blessedly used by the. [01:01:57] And what did he do? He spent the whole evening justifying the traditional divisions amongst christians. [01:02:07] This is the hopeless situation we're facing. [01:02:12] The right people justifying the traditional divisions, the wrong people preaching the vital necessity and importance of christian unity. The unity of the church here in this town. Think of it. For the first time the Roman Catholics go to the presbyterian church. Think of it. [01:02:39] Yes. Fearful. [01:02:46] And yet the true believers, what do we all do? We hide in the fact that we belong to the world evangelical alliance which justifies our divisions. [01:02:58] We're told, so long as we don't allow a middle wall of petition to go too high, that we can't shake hands over the top. [01:03:07] But this middle wall of petition that they're told not to let get too high is a middle wall that Christmas paid his blood to abolish. [01:03:22] And I for one think it's a terrible thing to talk about, allowing a middle wall to remain which has been done away by our Lord Jesus Christ at tremendous cost. [01:03:42] Well, we hide in the fact that we have united into denominational evangelistic campaign and we have things like Keswick and other things and we say, isn't that good enough? Isn't there there an expression of christian unity? But is that this is the question, dear child of God, you must ask yourself, is that biblical? [01:04:06] I want you to ask yourself the question, is it biblical? It's already well to say evidence there. But is that what the Lord really wants? That one? For one week out of a whole year we all gather together and shake hands and have a united communion service and they all go back to our various little groups. [01:04:25] Is that really what the Lord wants? Is that new Testament? [01:04:29] Now that's the problem. [01:04:32] I hope you understand the problem. [01:04:36] The answer is this. We shall be dealing with this much more fully. But here is the answer, just in a few sentences. We believe that the Lord, by the grace of God, I say we believe that the Lord will never admit defeat over his original purpose concerning his church. Let me say it again. [01:05:02] The law, we believe, will never admit defeat over his original purpose concerning his church and its expression and function on earth during this age. Let me say it again. [01:05:23] There are many evangelical scallywags who would hide in the fact that something is being done up there in the invisible ethereal realm which no one can ever see. [01:05:39] They tell us that somehow or other something's happening up there and that this church is without spot and without blemishes. My dear friend, is this holy biblical? [01:05:56] I say the Lord will never admit defeat over his original purpose concerning the church and its expression on earth during this age. [01:06:11] For the church expressed in time and locality as the workshop of God for thee, church universal and eternal. [01:06:21] And if the Lord cannot get debt, he cannot really get the materials he needs for the eternal building. [01:06:41] So we have to look at some scriptures. [01:06:44] Matthew 1618, art Peter upon. [01:06:49] Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. What does the Lord mean? What does he mean, if we look at the situation we've got today, we must say truthfully and honestly before God that the gates of hell have prevailed. [01:07:10] What did the Lord mean? [01:07:12] Does he not suggest that he will never admit defeat? [01:07:18] Never. [01:07:21] It is unbelief on our part that sides with Satan in this matter and says, it shall never be. [01:07:29] Mind you, friend, we need the spirit of faith to come upon us so that we rise up as a man and say, this thing is going to be and hell cannot stop it. [01:07:42] Why? Because our risen, glorified and thrown dead, is the one who's doing the work by the spirit. [01:07:51] That's what we stand for. [01:07:56] When the Lord says in Ephesians five and verse 27, I think it is he says this, that he might present the church to himself, a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. Has he given up this idea? [01:08:18] Is he going to let it go? [01:08:21] What about one corinthians, chapter one, verse nine? God is faithful, through whom ye were called into the fellowship of your son. Was there ever a situation more hopeless than the situation at Corinth? Was there ever a situation? If we'd been in it, we would have said, this is just so awful that God has departed. [01:08:44] Immorality, carnality, lawsuits, divisions, factions, the exercise of gifts, like so many babies. [01:08:56] So that even the unsaved people coming into their mad. [01:09:00] Don't you think if you'd been at Corinth, you would have suffered indescribably as you saw it all? Don't you think you would have been tempted to leave them altogether and start something new? [01:09:11] But what did possible Paul say, look here, those of you who say, I'm a Paul, you're the people. [01:09:17] You're the people who've seen. [01:09:20] Now, look here. You've got to leave this whip and you've got to start something again, you know, in a new way, based on the teaching the Lord's given me. [01:09:33] But he never did. Do you know what he said? He said, God is faithful through whom ye were called into the fellowship of his son. God will do it now. If God could do it with Corinth, don't you think he could do it with this mess in the 20th century? Do you think God is now unfaithful? [01:09:52] To what have you been called? To what have I been called? To what has every child of God been called? Have we been called to another fellowship? [01:10:01] Have we not all been called into the fellowship of his son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. And therefore, is it not true, just as true that God is faithful, he'll see the thing through. Isn't that so? [01:10:16] Oh, I am only just mentioning this because in the weeks we will take it up and we will look at it a little more clearly and with greater simplicity the Lord sends so beautifully. In Isaiah 46 ten, my counsel shall stand and I will perform all my good pleasure. [01:10:44] The Lord's going to do this. [01:10:48] We believe, therefore, that before the Lord Jesus comes, if only in a remnant, there will be an expression throughout the earth of his original thought and concept that his purpose in and for the church in this age will be carried by his grace to a glorious fulfillment and consummation. [01:11:20] And you know where I find my scriptural basis for that? [01:11:26] In this wonderful word in revelation 19 four. [01:11:31] Rejoice, be exceeding glad, for the marriage. Supper of the lamb is come, and the bride hath made herself ready. [01:11:47] The bride hath made herself ready. What is the point of the book of Haggai? Is it therefore, archaeologists, what is the point of that little book of haggai, that dusty little book, all about building and construction and recovery and completion of the house of God? I tell you what it's there for. It's there for us that we might understand what it means when it says, and I will shake all the nations, the seas and the dry land, and all nations and the precious things of all nations shall come. [01:12:18] And I will fill this house with glory. And the glory of the latter house shall exceed that of the former. Away with this idea in some quarters that the church is going to end up some bankrupt, vacuous, empty wreck. [01:12:37] Oh, that old counterfeit prostitute that rides on the scarlet beast. She'll end up a vacuous, empty old wick. [01:12:52] But the bride, well, not if only in a, in a remnant, a tiny remnant, if only in a tiny remnant all over the world the Lord's going to do this thing. [01:13:10] And that's why we had Zechariah. Chapter four. Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord, this great mountain, a plain before salama. And the top stones will be brought forth. The top stone is Christ. The top stones shall be brought forth with shouts of grace, grace the coming of the Lord. [01:13:32] The house absolutely built according to, according to the design so that the top stone is fitted into position. [01:13:48] Well, I think that's quite enough for this evening. [01:13:54] That means the cooperation in utter devotion and faithfulness of every child of God. [01:14:07] It means, my dear friend, that you've got to get your loyalties clear people speak a lot about loyalty. [01:14:19] Loyalty to this thing, loyalty to that thing, loyalty to this servant of the Lord, loyalty to that servant. What do they mean? [01:14:29] I have only one loyalty and it is to the Lord Jesus Christ. [01:14:35] And you know, we have got to be sons of Levi in this matter. We have to take the sword and destroy everything else in utter loyalty to him. [01:14:50] We've got to go through. [01:14:54] We've got to go through. [01:14:58] Now don't you fear because the Lord is going to go through and that's the whole point, he's going through. So don't you get frightened, as if we've got to barge away through the whole thing. Sort of like a kind of spiritual bulldozer. [01:15:17] My dear friend, what we need is faith. The Lord's done it. [01:15:22] All he needs is a people to rise up and say this thing shall be. Why? Because of the finished work of Christ, because of Pentecost it shall be. [01:15:33] And if the early church was glorious, the latter church will be more glorious not because it's more universal or more in number, but because it has cost. [01:15:50] That's what it needs. A people that will rise up in faith, say this thing shall be and it shall be because the Lord has done it, not by might nor by power, but by his spirit. He will do it. Then it's the bulldozer. Could we want a better the Holy Spirit, blessed be his name, he is the bulldozer that by the might of God he'll blast away through the lonely faith in you and me. [01:16:19] We are not trying to put over something, trying to get something done. [01:16:27] Too costly, isn't it? [01:16:29] Rather have a nice life in the country or retire to the twittering birds in the sunset and be in this business. [01:16:41] But thank God the Lord's in this thing and he's going to do it. So that's why we're here. So, my friend, the great thing is this, you rub that right out, forget it. [01:16:56] And here is the one and only, the only. [01:17:08] You are here because you are in Christ. [01:17:13] It's as simple as that. [01:17:15] And if you want in anything else, it's Christ plus Christ plus baptism, Christ plus second blessing, Christ plus tongue, Christ plus the second coming, Christ plus this experience of anything. No, you're just here because you're in grant, that's all. That's the ground. [01:17:39] You're in him and I'm in him. So we're not going to be divided, we're going to stay together. So long as you're in him and I in him and we're living here in Richmond. We're together. If you don't like me, you go live in Edinburgh. [01:17:53] That's the best way out of it. Then you can still be in Christ, but you're parted by 500 miles. [01:17:59] Here we can write nice letters to one another. [01:18:03] But while we're here in Richmond. While we're here in Richmond, you're in Christ and I'm in Christ. We're together. We've got to find a way to it. May God help us and help us to understand just a little more what this means. Shall we pray, beloved? Lord, we need thee. [01:18:29] We all need thee, Lord. [01:18:32] O, we pray that thou wouldst give us some real spiritual enlightenment as to what we're doing here. O father, only thou canst do that. Wilt thou, by thy spirit really translate into our hearts and minds the truth that we've been talking about this evening? [01:18:57] Lord, get us clear as to why we're together. Clear as to what thy objective is, Lord. Oh, help us in this thing and do it, Lord, for thy name's sake. Thou art going to we praise the Lord for art thou going to do whether with us or whether with some other company, Lord, thou going to do it in the end. Praise to thy name. [01:19:20] So, Lord, together we just bow before thee and worship thee and look to thee, Lord, that we may oh, in all that lies ahead there may be more and more for thyself in us all as we go on together. And we ask it in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. [01:19:41] Amen.