Bible Basics Conference 2007: Things God has prepared for us

… Guten Morgen, alle. Guten Morgen. Ich möchte mit euch beginnen, von Matthew 16 zu lesen. Verset 13-18. When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist, some Elias, and others Jeremias or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. I will build my church. I'm not going to show you slides. You'll get a variety of presentations in this conference, I don't doubt. But the topic that I've been asked to present to you, I want to turn you to the scriptures. So you'll be doing the work. Because I'm going to turn you to the scriptures rather than show this subject to you in graphic form using slides. What we have just read together is the first in time specific mention in the scriptures of the church. When we have read what the New Testament has to say about the church, of course we can turn back to the Old Testament and we can find there types and shadows which we can see illustrate what the church is and what it means to Christ. But this is the first time that the scriptures mention the church. And just picking on that one phrase, there are two or three things which I think will help us with our subject, what is the church? I'm not going to answer that question in full till we get to the end of this section. I'm going to look at this passage first, then I'm going to deal with the subsidiary questions that you've got, like is it just a collection of individuals and so on, and then finally try in some measure, and it will be I'm afraid only in some measure, to answer the question what is the church? I will build my church. So that brings something before us immediately, doesn't it? It's something that Christ is doing, not something that we're doing, and that perhaps goes some way to answering the first question, is it just a collection of individuals. It's something that Christ is doing. It's something which at the time he spoke was future, not I have built, or I am building, but I will build, that's the second thing. The third thing is my church, my church, not a church or the church, but my church. Now this brings before us the very important matter of Christ and the church, and the preciousness to Christ of his church. Now we're going to hear a lot of things today. We're going to be presented with a lot of facts, with a lot of scriptural exposition, but don't let us lose the fact that the relationship between Christ and his church is a very close and a very personal one. It is a matter of love, and a matter of affection, as some of the scriptures that we're going to look at will show us. So then, is the church just a collection of individuals? When you say, if you were to ask a number of people, what is the church? You would get a variety of answers, wouldn't you? To some it would be a building, depending on where they were accustomed to go, if they were accustomed to attend a place of worship, you would get a variety of answers. Well it's an elaborate looking place, and it's got a steeple, and it's got eight bells, and it's got a nice organ, and all the rest of it. Others might say, well no, and others might associate the church with rather the people who gather inside it. No it's not the building, it's those who meet there. Well that is getting nearer to the truth, but those who truly belong to the church of Christ are no longer a collection of individuals, they are a unity. Ephesians 4 verse 4, now you've been given handouts, most of the references I'm going to make are already noted on the handouts that you've been given, and that one certainly is. Ephesians 4 verse 4, what does it say? There is one body. There is one body. Turn back to Ephesians 1 verses 22 and 23, speaking of Christ, well speaking of what God has wrought in Christ rather, and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body. The fullness of him that filleth all in all. And again in the second chapter, verses 14 and 15, for he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us, having abolished in us his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances. For to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace. So there is one body, and that body is intimately attached to Christ the head. For that see Colossians chapter 2 and verse 19, a unity. I wonder if we all have that clear in our minds. Partition is an individual matter, but as soon as we are saved, we are added to the church. We become part of that one body. Now how does that work? It means that every truly born again person living in the world today is part of the church, whether they know it or not, whether they actively attend a place of worship or not. No longer a collection of individuals, but something which Christ is building, and is still building at the present time, until the last believer is added to his assembly. No longer a collection of individuals. Now when we really get that into our heads and hearts, that I hope banishes from our minds the thought of a voluntary association. Well I go to this church because I like it, they seem to have the truth. Now that is not what we are talking about. What we are talking about is being a member of a body which Christ himself is assembling. It is not a voluntary action. Christ is building it. Now the second question is, why is it not a voluntary association? Well how does scripture look at the assembly or the church? I am using those two words interchangeably. I hope that is alright. The church, the assembly. The called out ones, the church. Why not? Well how does scripture speak of it? Scripture speaks of the assembly in three ways. It speaks of a body, and we have had some scriptures that refer to the body already. And that you can of course look at the body in two ways. There are all those who are on the earth at the present time, but in some scriptures it refers not to those who are alive and well at the present time. It refers to every member of the assembly from when it began to the time that the Lord takes it home to himself, and we will be looking at timing in a minute. A body. But there is another way that scripture speaks of the assembly, and that is as a spiritual house. Now if you still have your Bibles open at Ephesians 2, look at the end of that chapter, where he says, and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord. In whom ye also are builded together for inhabitation of God through the Spirit. A holy temple. A place where the worship of God can take place. Now that is looking at the assembly in a very different light from looking at it as a body. There are two more scriptures that refer to this aspect that I want to refer to you. Again they are all in your notes. John Timothy 3.15. But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. If we look at the church as a temple or a spiritual house, then there is certain behavior which is appropriate to that house. Now I am not proposing to go into that now, but I think you can readily see that if there is a spiritual house, there will be certain behavior which is appropriate to those who belong to it. And it was the apostles desire that his son in the faith Timothy should be fully instructed about these matters. And the Holy Spirit has seen to it that we have these scriptures recorded so that we too can learn. If we have a mind, if we have a will to learn, and this is the vital subject and it is part of what we have here today, how to behave ourselves in the assembly of the living God. There is one more in Peter, 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 5, we will read verse 4 as well. To whom coming as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious, ye also as lively stones or living stones are built up a spiritual house and holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. So the assembly is a body, it is a spiritual house. And scripture looks at it in a third way, as a bride. I am going to refer you just to two scriptures, Ephesians 5 verses 25 to 27, husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. That is the activity which is going on at the present time. Christ is sanctifying and cleansing his church with the washing of water by the word. Why because he has an object in view, one day he is going to present it to himself as a glorious church without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Now keep that in mind if you look around and you despair at what is going on among those who claim to be the people of God today, don't forget that Christ has this purpose in view and it will be fulfilled. It will be. Turn over to the other scripture, revelation that I had in mind, there are plenty more scriptures to turn to. Revelation 21 and verse 2, I saw John and I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband, and that is future. Nevertheless, there are scriptures in the Old Testament that we can turn up which help us to understand this figure of the church as a bride for Christ. Turn back to Adam in Genesis chapter 2, you remember what it says, God brought everything to Adam and he gave everything in this world, every living thing, he gave a name. But amongst all that creation, and it was perfect then, there was not found a help meet for him, nothing there with which he could have communion on the same level as himself. So God took a rib out of Adam and he called it woman. So it was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, speaking of that near relationship which is prefiguring that near relationship which is now revealed to us in the New Testament concerning Christ and his church. Or think of the last verse of Genesis chapter 4, when Rebecca is brought home to Isaac and it says, and he loved her, she became his wife, he was comforted after his mother's death. He loved her. That is only the second mention of love in the Bible. The first one is the love of Abraham for Isaac. The second is the love of Isaac for Rebecca, prefiguring, I think, the love of Christ for his church. Now I must come back to the subject. Most of what we have today is going to be concerned with the body or the spiritual health. Now I think you will see that as the lectures proceed. Some will deal with one, some will deal with the other, some may deal with both. I don't think we're going to get as far as the bride of Christ, although the last lecture of all, which is the hope of the church, that's from our side, that may go towards it. But the bride of Christ, I think, is possibly too large for us to encompass in a conference such as this. How do you become a member of the church? Well, I think if you followed what we've said so far about Christ is building it, it is not that we become a member, but that we are added. We'll put it another way then. How do we come to belong to Christ? This is the Gospel, Acts chapter 4, verse 12. Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. We read too, didn't we, in Peter we read Peter's confession, thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. And the Lord said to Peter, upon this rock, what rock was he talking about? It wasn't Peter, Peter wasn't the rock. It was the rock was what Peter had confessed concerning the person of Christ. Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God. Does everybody in this room here today confess that? That Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God. The matter of forgiveness of sins, he alone has power to forgive sins, confession, repentance. Those well-known verses in Romans 10, but they're worth turning to because they remain true no matter how often we repeat them. If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. That is the way of repentance. That is the way to receive eternal life. And if you have done that, and if you know that your sins are forgiven, then you are justified by faith and you have peace with God. Now it's people like that, that Christ is daily adding to his church, and they are added. Where's the connection? We'll turn back to Acts chapter 2, where it says, the very last, the end of the last verse of a chapter, 2 of the Acts of the Apostles, and the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. Now, I'm not going to take that subject further except to say that there is a vast difference between being a member of the assembly and enjoying its privileges. Now we're going to look in a later session at who can break bread. Now that is a different subject from the one I'm addressing at the moment. I'm addressing those who are members of the body. It may be that there are certain members of the body, and we'll hear more about that later, who are not, for whatever reason, enjoying the privileges which that would entail them as members of, entail for them as members of a spiritual house. I'll leave that to session 8, who can break bread. Why did the church start when it did? Well, I will build my church. Going back to Acts chapter 1 and verse 5. For John truly baptized with water, this verse is not in your notes. I think all the others so far have been. Acts 1 verse 5, for John truly baptized with water, but he shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence. We all know that in Acts chapter 2 the Holy Spirit came down, and the assembly was formed. And we read of it as being referred to as the assembly. And that is the first that we read in Acts chapter 2 of an assembly being seen and heard and formed here on the earth. And 1 Corinthians 12 just confirms that. 1 Corinthians 12 and it's verse 13. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. That word baptized is not water baptism. I think the word baptized literally means to be whelmed. We usually say overwhelmed, doesn't it? But it means to be whelmed, it's to be overcome. And on that day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came down. And everyone there who believed was baptized into one body. And every believer since that day has been baptized or whelmed into that body. You see the Apostle here, he's writing to Corinthians. They weren't at Pentecost, but he could write to them of the truth that they also had been baptized into that one body. And he could write that to every believer who is alive today. That is why it began the assembly when it did. How long does it go on? Well, that question isn't on the sheet, but it goes on for eternity. There isn't an ending. It will go to be with the Lord when he comes for it. The fact that it began on the day of Pentecost, that is when Christ literally began to build his church, means, of course, that the church, as we began to say, is unique. Don't run away with the idea that Old Testament saints have been or will be at some point made part of the church. If you've got an authorized version like I have, you can turn up Old Testament scripture after Old Testament scripture. And at the top, some well-meaning person has written things. See, here we are, Isaiah 44, the church comforted. I'm sorry, but it's not the church there. It's Israel. So, let's be quite clear of this wrong idea which seems to have gained ground on quite a wide scale. That the church means all believers. It doesn't. It doesn't. It means what we have been speaking about hitherto. So, to sum up then, what is the church? It's something suited to Christ. It's something which is a part of him. Bone of his bone, flesh of his flesh. Study again those closing verses in Genesis chapter 2 and think what it means. Bone of his bone, flesh of his flesh. We get that idea too in Ephesians 5 where we read of Christ tending the church and taking care of it. Something which is part of him. Something which is for his glory. Something which he will display in a coming day. He shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. No doubt that embraces all the circles of believers which have been reconciled to God through his death upon the cross. But particularly in relation to the church, I think we can think of the joy to the heart of Christ when he will see it assembled around himself there in the Father's house in a coming day. He told seven parables in Matthew 13. Parable number six is of a merchantman seeking goodly pearls. And when he had found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. This is the extent of Christ's love for the assembly. It took him to Calvary. Christ also, we read, Ephesians 5.25, loved the church and gave himself for it. If you want to show off a jewel, you put it against a dark background that its brilliance might be emphasised in the eye of the beholder. Well then, look at the church against that dark background of Christ giving himself for it at Calvary. If anybody has a question. There will be a plenary session, I think, at the end of the day for questions, but if anyone has anything burning now, any brother, please ask. Otherwise, I'll sit down and make way for, I think it's Gavin Hughes next. There is a question too. Yes, good. It's a question that I've heard many times. Is there any specific scripture which tells us that the church is comprised of those from Pentecost to the Lord's coming? Any specific Christian version of scripture, rather than a great number of scriptures that you have referred to from which we draw this conclusion in France? If there is, brother, I cannot think of it. I'd rather doubt it. You know, we tend to have to put precept on precept and line on line, don't we, to draw certain conclusions, and I'd rather think this is one of them, but we do always assume that, don't we? And some of our hymns assume it in their wording, but I cannot think of one that says that specifically, what you have just said. Please don't think that my question was heretical or anything like that. No, it wasn't. But it's, I've heard so many that question this as to why you speak of a church of the Old Testament. It's not there. No. But a lot of people think that it is. Yes. They've been misled. They've been misled. I will build my church. Now, when it ends, as I said, it doesn't end, but I think that is indicative. And if you take that together with Acts 1-5 and the rest of Acts Chapter 2, I think it is fairly conclusive as to when it began. And if we think of it as a bride, the Spirit and the bride say, come, don't they, right at the end of Revelation, the language of the Spirit and the bride. And that's their language now. Could we add to this list of verses that have in mind that the church, from the Pentecost to the Rapture, Ephesians 1, in the end, where it says that the church is the fullness of Him that fills all in all. Yes. Now, if the body is only the church at one point in time, then, well, the believers at one point in time would be the fullness of Christ as opposed to all others. So that would be one of the verses that, to me, shows that the church is really viewed there as spending a whole time period to the Rapture. Yes. Well, very good. Very good. And that is on the sheets. Ephesians 1. And wouldn't Ephesians 2-21 give us an indication also where it says, all the building put together increases to a holy temple in the Lord? That's it. That's it. Yes. Yes. Good. That sufficient? OK. …

… Acts 2.42 Acts 2.42 They continue steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine, teaching and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. Just got a little calendar to read to you. It says, Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound. They shall walk, O Lord, in the light of your countenance. Psalm 89 The gate of the court shall be a hanging of twenty cubits of blue, purple, scarlet and fine twine linen. Exodus 27 According to Numbers 10, the silver trumpets were used to call and assembly on special occasions. The joyful sound brought the people to the gate of the court surrounding the tabernacle. That's God's dwelling place. They would see the heavenly blue, the sacrificial scarlet, the royal purple, all wonderfully blended together in the purity of white linen. May we see him in his fullness today. Happy indeed are the people who heed the call to remember me. And the poem says, Assembled, Lord, at thy request, we wait thy voice to hear. O come and bless this hallowed feast in spirit now drawn near. Lovely little thought there. We know that the assembly is New Testament ground formed, as we've heard, on the day of Pentecost. But still in the Old Testament, those that trusted in God were called and these trumpets were blown. And it's a happy thought. They were called and they responded. And there's something there for us now, today, to respond to the call. You might be a believer. You might have been saved for many years and been to many meetings. But if you're like any other person, your heart will sometimes wane and grow cold. And even if in my few words this morning, it's an encouragement to us to keep getting to the meetings where the Lord is with his people. That would be a grand thing. And I speak to myself first before anybody else, but especially to younger ones. He assembles us together and we come together with Christ as the center. You don't come to the meeting to see somebody else. That would be a disappointment. Christ is the center. And that's why the simplicity of the way we seek to meet is so profound and so wonderful. We're nothing. Christ is everything. We're not left as to the method or the mode or the format as to how we meet. We don't have to worry about that. We have it in the scripture. We've got it here in Acts 2, 42. The big three, we might say. A soldier knows the big three, name, rank, and number. For us, the big three, you might say, is the reasons for coming together in Acts 2, verse 42. The apostles, doctrine, and teaching, and fellowship. Here we go. This is the sheet. The apostles are gone now. They've died. We don't have apostles, but we have the word of God. We have ministry, teaching meetings, breaking of bread, and prayer. All these bits of paper in front of me. Let's just talk. What is the most important? I think all three. I don't think one of them is the most important. I think all three are equally important. Teaching, the ministry of the word, the breaking of bread, and prayer. Have I gone through that already? I just wanted to get that point out. Not one of them is more important than the other. But I would suggest to you the breaking of bread, the Lord's Supper, is the most intimate. It should really touch and even wrench our hearts. Often we feel it doesn't, but it ought to. The sufferings of Christ. But what I wanted to just say, here we are. It's formed straight after Pentecost. So we're not left. They weren't left as to how they should meet. The instruction came very quickly in Acts 2, verse 42. And I just want to emphasize this fact. We're called out. Ecclesia, church, the assembly, we're called out. It should mark us out. We should be different. We ought to walk even as he walked. The Lord said, they are not of the world even as I am not of the world. And there's a similar Greek word in Matthew 2 and John 1. Out of and of God. And Mark 1, 20. He called them. So that emphasizes the character of these meetings. They're spiritual. They're holy. They're heavenly. We come together. Christ is the center. We're called out. We should be different. We should be marked out as being different. Easy to fail and perform. Only one assembly but expressed locally in many places. Matthew 18, 20. And it's for believers on the Lord Jesus Christ. You may come to a meeting, but do you belong to it? You need to be purchased by the blood of Christ to belong to the assembly. You belong to the Lord Jesus washed in his precious blood. And that's very important. We want to make sure every person here, even a young one, is washed in the blood of Christ. They know him. And the expression that we want to also emphasize is when you come together. That's the key. We find that in 1 Corinthians 10 and 14. As Paul was speaking to the saints there, they had many problems. Be encouraged by the Corinthians. They had heaps of problems. You say, I've got heaps of problems. They did in Corinth. And there's an answer. There's a solution to these problems. When you come together, we meet in the way that he prescribes. Not in the way we think will feel good or be more convenient. There's lots of things that we get tempted to do in the meeting that would be very convenient and organized. But it's great to have the Holy Spirit to realize that he is in the center and he is leading. When you come together is the key phrase to pick out in Corinthians. And if unbelievers come in, it says, they will be impressed. If there's a talking in a foreign tongue or in an irrational fashion, they'll say you're mad. This gives us good teaching for some of the strange things we hear today, sadly, in places where believers come together. There shouldn't be confusion. There should be clarity, simplicity, and openness. And if people come in who are not believers in Christ, they will be impressed if they hear the word of God taught and explained. And they will be affected. The spirit of God will affect them. A very important verse in the Bible, let everything be done decently and in order. 1 Corinthians 14, 26. And that's a grand verse for us at all times. We can stray. We can go off at a tangent. Let everything be done decently and in order. I think that includes even every aspect of our lives, not just when we come together. But there must be a decency and an order in the way we come together. We know there are meetings for these things, young people, mothers and toddlers, senior citizens, and so on. And they're very good. We don't see them highlighted in the New Testament as specific assembly meetings when we're called together. Acts 2.42 doesn't mention them. But it mentions these three. The apostles, doctrine and fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers. But they're all very good. And I've said they're good and most needful. But not assembly meetings. But assembly order would be quite in order where appropriate. Ladies to wear hats and all the rest of it. And that decency and order. It can't be enforced, of course, if we have mothers and toddlers in who know nothing of Christ. We want to appeal to them. It's an evangelistic meeting. We want to appeal to them. And we're told in the Scriptures, aren't we, to go out and preach the gospel. Many would prefer to go out of the walls of the place of meeting. To the fields and the highways and the byways. But where opportunity arises, true assembly worship will result in some of these. And I found that provoking to my own conscience, really. Are these things taking place that others may trust in the Lord and want to come to the meeting, to the assembly. To the locality where believers meet in simplicity with Christ as the center. Are meetings growing or are they diminishing? It's very challenging for us. We're on our knees about it. And here we have guidance as to teaching. 1 Corinthians 14 is the big chapter. You hear a lot about so-called tongues today. Get into 1 Corinthians 14. You'll get lots of answers and help there. But don't spend ages and ages debating it or contesting it. If a believer you know is serious about it, pray about it. Read through this chapter with them. Be sober. Be calm. Be confident in the Word of God in 1 Corinthians 14. But don't enter into debate. There is no debate with the Word of God. We can't go in and say it. We can't have the last word. It is His Word. 1 Corinthians 14 gives us good guidance. There's the negative side of the tongues. But then there's the teaching for edification. Improvement of the mind. That we might grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is why we come together. One of the reasons. To grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus. And we have the example in that same chapter. The breaking of bread in 1 Corinthians 11. The Lord said. Paul said about how the Lord in the same night in which he was betrayed. Took bread. The intimacy of the Lord's Supper. The very night in which he was betrayed. Just before his sufferings. Such was the intent and desire and passion of Christ. To have his own with him. With the emblems. With desire. I have desire to eat this Passover with you. I wanted to emphasize that. The passion and desire of the Lord Jesus Christ. To have his people around him. To break the bread. And if you're a young person. And you're not breaking a bread. And you ought to be. Don't hang about. If your life is right. With the Lord. Put it right. Put it right. Time's running out. The Lord might come this afternoon. In which case you'll have missed it. We'll be with him. But don't delay. Don't tarry. In terms of breaking bread. It's so intimate to Christ. Far more intimate to Christ than it is to us. With desire. With desire. I have desired. To eat this Passover with you. Psalm 50, 15 I think. Or verse 5. Gather my saints together unto me. The Lord said. The interest from his side. The desire. The intent. Gather my saints together unto me. And Genesis 48 or 49. 49. Come near to me my brethren. I pray you. Joseph said. Come near my brethren. I pray you. And that's where we are. That is from God's side. The son of God's side. They want us to be around the Lord Jesus. I hope that will provoke us. Especially if we're younger. Don't. Don't put it off. Don't wait. Don't tarry. If there's no real reason. It's nothing to do with your suitability. Because you're utterly unsuitable. As I am. It's what you are in Christ. Prayer. Many. Many guidance on prayer. Pray without ceasing. We talk about prayer as the powerhouse. Which it rightly is. We'd probably all put our hands up if we said who feels they don't pray enough. We'd all put our hands up so we won't be a waste of energy. We know it's true. But just from this day forward be encouraged by the Lord to pray more. Pray without ceasing. And we have examples in the book of Acts. We had them praying before the day of Pentecost of course. They gathered together and prayed. And then of course there was another prayer meeting. And the answer comes with a knock on the door. I say leave us alone. We're praying about something. And the answer is actually knocking on the door. So we pray and then we don't always believe or realize when God has answered. But he can answer prayer in very powerful ways. And we don't want to forget those wonderful answers to prayer. Ministry is for edification. The improvement of the heart and mind. Whatsoever things are pure and honest and just and of good report, if there be any praise, think on these things. That's what God wants for us. He wants us to come together for the improvement of the mind. Everything that's in the world around us is dirty and filthy. It defiles, it stains, it spoils. Our thought lives can be ruined or even devastated in this world if we think along things and see along things. But God wants us to come together for edification. And we'll only get that if we come together in simplicity with the Word of God to be spoken, open meetings we call them, to let the Spirit lead and be taught from the Scriptures. The Scriptures are key. The Scriptures are foundation. The big giveaway is because the devil will do everything he can to stop you and me reading our Bibles on a daily basis. The Scriptures are preeminent. He won't let up. He won't let up. We need to be praying more and looking to the Lord and opening up the Word of God. And isn't it good when we come together for ministry, for edification? Can't you think of many meetings when you've had your soul, your heart and mind refreshed and encouraged, your heart lifted, cheered, or you felt corrupted? I felt really awkward and I felt I've been shifty in the meeting because I know there's things not right and the Word of God has been spoken and it is like an arrow and it hurts. But that's what God wants. He wants to knock the rough edges off of you and me. He wants to correct us and guide us. And that's what 2 Timothy 3.16 says, that Scripture is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction. And we need that Word and it's a grand thing when we get it. But it is painful and it hurts. I don't say it with any gladness but it hurts. So don't be surprised if you feel you're squirming in your seat sometimes. My brother takes up a message. He doesn't realize you need it but God does and that's why it's good to gather to His name with a Holy Spirit to lead and control because He knows best, God the Holy Spirit. And these meetings for ministry are very important and I'm sure many of us have happy memories of such comings together, improving the mind and heart, growing in grace as we said and in the knowledge of the Lord. The breaking of bread. I've heard this expression, it's a terrible expression, isn't it? Oh they're bread breakers, they're bread breakers. People just go to the breaking of bread and they don't go to anything else. We can't do that, can we? The Lord wants us to get together as often as we can. Remembering the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Do you do that? Have you got a good reason if you don't, why you don't? If you haven't, pray about it and speak to somebody. It is so important. Why? For His sake first, not actually yours. For His, with desire. I have desired to eat this Passover with you. It magnifies His person. When we come together, even though the flesh within us might try to bring in thoughts of work or home life or somebody else or criticism, the Holy Spirit will guide us and help us to see the Lord Jesus shine before our hearts and our minds as we gather together in the midst. There am I in the midst, in the centre. He is the focal point, the hub of when we come together. If we keep that, He will bless us and He will be most gracious and lead us on. But it's to magnify His person, for touching our hearts. How sensitive the Lord Jesus is. I have desired to eat this Passover with you. It's often been said, there used to be meetings where there was plenty of tears in such a meeting. That can happen again. The Lord can do anything with us if we open ourselves up to Him. Expecting His soon return, break this bread until I come. So we look back to the cross and we look forward. The breaking of bread is also a keen reminder, not only of Calvary's cross, but of the Lord's return, which could be very soon. When we take the bread on a Sunday, we often think, this could be the last time I take this bread. And it would be a shame, it would be a pity, to go to be with the Lord and we didn't do it. You might say, well it won't matter then, but it will be real, we will see His face, we'll hear His voice, we'll see Him, we'll be in front of Him. He might say, that was a pity. It's a shame you didn't do that. It was all on account of what I did for you. It wasn't on account of what you thought of yourself. Think about these things. It gets your eyes off yourself and on Christ. Expressing the unity of the body of Christ, we being many are one bread. There is only one body. We've had this from Hugh already. The church, one body. The building and the bride. But expressed in many different places, as far as possible with like-minded Christians and other subjects might come out later, it's difficult to do these things with people who have completely different views. But I hope these aren't our views. We're not here to say this is the way so-called brethren meet. Not at all. We're here to say, this is what the scriptures say, this is what we should be doing. It's not a question of, well this is the brethren's format of meeting. Not so. This is the scripture way of meeting. And we mustn't think, well I do this, no problem, I'll just carry on. We need to be constantly searching our hearts that we're going on in His will. It's a scriptural way. And we believe this is the way, Acts 2.42, and we've seen it in all these scriptures. Wouldn't it be a pickle if we were left to decide how to meet ourselves? We hear of various things that people do when they come together. But if they're not in here, I daren't do them. It's not advisable. The scriptures are our anchor and our guide. And prayer expresses our dependence. Haven't you been to some wonderful prayer meetings? There's often tears in prayer meetings, sometimes praying for somebody that's maybe about to be taken. And we can all remember those prayer meetings. There's a few folk here that were the theme of those prayer meetings. And we've seen the Lord work. We can look back many years. Special prayer meetings often seem to be the best ones, don't they? But that's our human nature. When the going gets really tough, we have a special prayer meeting. But, you know, it'd be good to have more one-off prayer meetings, wouldn't it? I know it's a busy world. But let's never close our minds to that. Or just darting around a brother or sister's house. We should have five minutes of prayer. Can we just go up in your bedroom and have ten minutes of prayer? This is on my heart. Wouldn't that be good if our lives were marked with a bit more of that? I've said it this time. I must pop around every word of prayer. And then it doesn't happen. I should make it happen. We should be more ardent about our prayer life, shouldn't we? Single prayer. But as we come together in assembly to pray. And there was great power in the Book of Acts when they came together to pray. Prayer is powerful. We have seen it. We've seen it in the summer, didn't we? In Tunbridge, we saw prayer. We saw the wonderful outcome of many, many saints praying all over the country and abroad and seeing souls converted blatantly before our eyes. I haven't seen nine people trust the Lord before and then spoke to them and seen it for real. It was a first for me. But the bottom line is that was prayer. That had not a scrap to do with me or anybody else. That was because of prayer. And prayer is powerful. Now, the character of all these meetings should be, as we said earlier, that everything be done decently and in order. I can't say that enough. And I think about my own life and the way I carry out my life, the way I go around with my work and in my home. I feel this scripture is very, very powerful. Is there a decency and an order? But as we come together, it should be marked by this decency and order, holiness, where the Lord Jesus wants to be in our midst. That's the whole point, isn't it? He, the Son of God, in our midst. We see him by faith and we feel his presence amongst us. How often do we feel his presence? Do you feel some Sunday mornings you feel it's completely bland and dry? And we know straight away it can only be because of us, not because of him. I don't believe he will come amongst us if we were all in a dreadful spiritual state. It's quite challenging, isn't it? Many brethren have told us over the years, what are we doing on a Saturday? What are we doing on a Saturday night before the next day when the Lord's going to be in our midst? Decently and in order. Which one is the most important? Well, we've talked about it. I believe all three are just as important. But I think the breaking of bread is perhaps the most intimate. Well, we've quoted quite a few scriptures. Psalm 50 is a precious one. And I've just got a couple of points here because I'm just about inside my time as well. Straight after Pentecost, we weren't left to our own devices. The scriptures had given us the method of meeting together. We called out. I just want to emphasize that. We had called out. We had called out. The Lord Jesus said, John 17, verse 16, they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. That's an amazing scripture. It's stamping upon us what we are in Christ and should affect our habits, our lives. And if they need correcting, let's make it today. Don't dwell on your past failures. Confess them and then move on. We're not of the world. It's for people that belong to Christ, purchased by his blood. It's not right to have people coming in and taking bread and wine who know not Christ. This happens a lot, but it's not correct. It's not right. It's not orderly, is it? It's not decently in an order. I'm not criticizing. I'm just saying these things need to be set clear in our minds. We want that person with all our heart to trust in the Lord Jesus, but the Lord's Supper was for those who are not of the world. The Lord's Supper was for those that knew him and belonged to him. It's not an exclusivity. I mean, John 3.16 is quite clear. But the Lord's Table is for the Lord's people. And I hope every young person here can say, I am one of the Lords. And if you are, what about baptism and what about breaking of bread? Edification, that's why we come together. One of the reasons for the ministry. Edification, it's a big word. The improvement of the mind and the heart. Pure, precious truths from God. Heavenly food, the bread of God. Come together for edification. And we need it. And we need it to live in this world. We come together for blessing and profit. Benefit growth. Growing grace in the knowledge of the Lord. Aren't these wonderful, positive things? All the reasons we come together. There's great blessing for us. But the point I have at the end here is for the glory and praise of God the Father and the Son. There am I in the midst. That's the first reason for coming together. For the glory and praise and pleasure of God who sent his Son into this world. And for the pleasure of the Lord Jesus for him. Because he says, with desire, I have desired to eat this Passover with you. And so that is most important. And that really was the point I wanted to finish on. And to remember that invitation. Do this in remembrance of me. Do this in remembrance of me. So I hope these thoughts will be of help. If you hit me with a hard question now. I'll pass it to Michael or Nicholas here in the front. So much could be said. I feel it's been a little bit broken. But they were the main points I really wanted to put over. I did want to make young people here feel a little bit uncomfortable. If they're not breaking bread. And they should be. Because it's for the glory of Christ who hung on the cross for us. It's for the glory of God. It's for the praise of the Father. He wants us to be worshippers. And he wants us to remember him. Governor, you mentioned at the start the blowing of the silver trumpets, I think, to call the people together. And one of the things that sometimes had to be sounded was an alarm. And I've been wondering if you would allow the meeting in 1 Corinthians 5 as a sort of exceptional gathering together of the assembly for discipline in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ when you're coming together. There was a matter there of discipline and the assembly had to come together to deal with it. Now, that's not normal. But it's sad to say sometimes it's necessary. Maybe exceptional. But it's the very thing that is missing in current evangelicalism and in many fellowships around. Discipline is pretty well nonexistent. So would you allow the possibility of an assembly meeting also for discipline if necessary? Well, I'm a very small person. I don't allow or disallow in these things. But that's a very good point, isn't it, that there should be this sort of coming together to deal with matters. It reminds me of what we call a brother's meeting or a care meeting or an administration meeting. I think of that verse, let everything be done decently and in order, even the way we're dealing with administration and finances and gifts and all these sort of things. But as you importantly say, that is a very important discipline. And if we can't be open and frank and direct with one another in these things, who can be? The Lord is able to help us in those things. But they are most needful, yeah. …

… Well, good morning to you all. I'm sure David will be very pleased that it is just good morning and not good afternoon. The subject that we've got before us this morning is that of gifts. Source, use, opportunities and dangers. Obviously, we need to be clear as to what we're talking about. The gifts are special abilities given by Christ. Something extra that Christ has given members of his body to help the members of his body to carry out his work, the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. Obviously, divine power. Divine power, energized by the Holy Spirit which acts upon our souls. That spiritual gifts are more than just our natural abilities and we'll develop that point as we go on. Their source, Christ is the source of these gifts. That Ephesians 4 tells us that as a victorious risen ascended saviour, that he's conquered Satan at the cross, he's led the enemy captive, he loves the church, he loves each and every member of his body. He desires the very best for us and to help us, he has given members of his body gifts so that we can help each other. That he cares for every member of his body. And that, as again we'll see developed later, that these gifts are given so that souls might be saved. That people might be saved from the power of Satan and brought into a knowledge of the love of God. And that God's people, that through these gifts, by these gifts, that we all should be edified and nourished and perfected because that will bring glory to our Lord Jesus Christ. The origin of gifts, they're given by Christ from heaven itself. The gifts that we are blessed with, that he is giving us, come from heaven. They're heavenly. They are of another order of being than anything that might be found here upon this earth. The gifts are given according to his sovereign will. Christ gives them, the Holy Spirit distributes them and they are given according to his will. We cannot, we cannot definitely say that we want this gift. We can't go to the corner shop or Tesco's and say we'll have a bit of this and a bit of that. Christ gives them to the members of his body as he wants to and he decides and he gives them. And of course all is by grace. We don't deserve, we don't deserve anything that the Lord will give us. But by grace he gives us, to help us, to nourish us, to edify us, that we don't deserve anything from the hand of our Lord Jesus Christ. But his overarching desire is that these gifts are given so that we can support and help and encourage each other. I've written down the examples of gifts that we've got in the three main places in the New Testament. You might like to cast your eyes over those gifts and see the different character and some examples that are clearly marked out here for us. A little easy question for you is to see if you can spot any that are mentioned in all three passages. You'll see obviously some that aren't. And one of the points that we'll make again is that it would be impossible to categorise every single gift. There are many, many different gifts that the Lord gives to his assembly. With different perhaps strengths, different characterisations, different for use in different fields and in different places. But here you can see a general categorisation of the gifts that are mentioned in three places in the scriptures. It's perhaps worth mentioning that in Ephesians 4, the right hand column there, it particularly talks about people as being gifts. Where in the other two scriptures we're talking more about the gifts themselves. So what might be the purpose of the gifts that Christ has given to us? You see again from Ephesians 4 that perhaps the primary purpose is for perfecting the saints. Perfecting the saints. Now clearly we would think in our earthly capacity what a most difficult job that would be, to perfect the saints. But these gifts are given so that saints might be perfected. So that we might be in a position, a place, a standing in a state which is perfect and that we're able to use them for the glory of Christ. For the work of the ministry. Gifts are obviously given so that we can be helped but so that the saints can be ministered to. So that where we need help, where we need direction, where we might need reproof and discipline, that gifts are given so that they will help that work of the ministry. That Christ would like the body to be edified. Now the edification obviously means building up of the body. That the body might be strengthened. That it might be helped, improved, that it might be stronger. And Christ's purpose would be that the body of Christ, the members of the body of Christ might be edified. We have, we saw the gift of an evangelist in the last list. That clearly there are those that have been given that special gift. The gift of being an evangelist. One who can bring souls to our Lord Jesus Christ. That doesn't negate the fact that we're all told to tell others of what the Lord Jesus Christ has done. That we are all in a position of praying and looking for opportunities to tell others of the Lord Jesus and we should have that forever before us. But we would all agree that there are some special people that have got that particular gift of being the evangelist. We can see that when souls are saved. When the Holy Spirit is at work convicting men of their sin and their need of a saviour. That these gifts are given, their purpose is not intended to serve the world. It's not intended for the world as such. Those that are not Christians. It is intended to serve Christ. And there I think we need to pay particular attention. If we emphasize that point, that those that have gifts, that the purpose of those gifts is to glorify and serve Christ. So often we might find and think we can discern that gifts are used for the boasting and puffing up of members of the body of Christ. For bringing attention to the gifts themselves. But how important it is that we remember that these gifts are given with the purpose of serving Christ. That if we have a gift, our purpose in using them should be to serve the Lord Jesus. Not to bring attention to ourselves, but to serve him. So that the result is that God is glorified. And that would be another test for us. Is that when people might make claim of using gifts and developing those gifts, do those gifts result in bringing glory to God? That they're for profit, not for display. So often again we see around and hear around about us, where there is great emphasis laid upon those gifts of a seeming miraculous nature that we don't commonly find in the ordinary things of this world. But surely we need to be reminded of the fact that these gifts are for profit. They're supposed to profit those that hear, those that are involved. So when we come to the use and the working of these gifts, how important it is that we pay particular attention to the ministering of those gifts must flow from Christ alone. That if we look into the organisations of the church and different groups of Christians, we can see that often there is some sort of intermediary process or even a blockage that prevents the working of the gifts in the midst of Christians. That there is a direct link from Christ, who gives those gifts, distributed by the Holy Spirit to the members of the body of Christ. We know that as human beings, as being still prone to sin and error, that if anything gets in the way of the working of the Holy Spirit, then the true benefit, the full benefit of that working will not be found. It is the Holy Spirit that gives the energy and how we do need for the full working of the Holy Spirit to be found in our midst amongst Christians today. That the Holy Spirit must be given that full sway. That again, as we see the working of these gifts, we can ask ourselves our question, what is the motive for the use of those gifts? Love for the fellow saints. Is it intended? Is it worked in such a way? Is it used with such emphasis for love for fellow saints? For their benefit, for their encouragement, for their help, to support them, to show them more of the Lord Jesus Christ, to help them understand more of what the scriptures contain. And that Christ continues to give these gifts and will continue, Ephesians 4 tells us, until we all come in the unity of the faith. If we perhaps contrast for a moment, I think it's a diagram that perhaps we can think about throughout a number of these talks. We've perhaps been based in organizations and if we think of perhaps what would be considered some of the best organized companies, businesses, schools, whatever they might be in this world, there would be a hierarchical mode of organization. Now for many business and other organizations that are found, this type of organization works well. The boss is at the top, he gives his orders and commands to people underneath him, they pass down those orders to other people and then the poor workers perhaps in the shop floor or otherwise, they have got to do as they're told and carry out what the dictates are from above. You can see the little diagram there with somebody definitely on the top. We would like to have somebody who we can look up to, somebody who's our boss, sometimes we don't like doing what the boss says, but many times we do. We want to be organized, we want to have a Prime Minister, we want to have a cabinet and this is the typical organization that's found in this world. Why is it so? Well I'm sure there are many reasons as to why this is usually followed, but one of the reasons is because the man at the top, the managers so to speak, they haven't got the capacity, they haven't got the ability to be able to control and organize more than a few people that might be underneath them. In these huge companies as we drove here and passed the east side of London there with the huge towers of the great big banks, organizations that are controlling tens of thousands of people across the world, how can one boss hope to control and organize everybody in his organization? So if we think about the church, the assembly, they're made up of individuals throughout this world of many languages, tribes, tongues and nations. The Holy Spirit distributes as he will and the Holy Spirit, because obviously he is God, he is omnipotent, he is omnipresent, he is omniscient, he can control individuals as he will. There's no need for any intermediary, there's no need for it to take months for a dictate to pass from the top ranks of an organization to the very bottom, because the Holy Spirit can work directly in each one of our hearts. Now that is a most marvelous thing, it is an incredible thing, because you and I have, as we know we have direct access to God, but the Holy Spirit lives in our hearts and the Holy Spirit we can allow to fill us and the Holy Spirit should and can and wants to direct us and he can direct us to our doorsteps so to speak. He can tell us what we have to do and how important it is that we recognize that fact, that we accept that fact, that we obey that fact, that the Holy Spirit, God himself, can speak to us, he can use us and does use us and he uses us for his distinct and direct purpose. So if we look a little bit at the work of the Holy Spirit, we can perhaps, I often like to look for types in the Old Testament because it helps my simple mind, perhaps to get a simpler appreciation of what the truth is being conveyed. So we've spoke of the Holy Spirit distributing these gifts, making them effective, his direct work in us. And we can liken it to Abraham as old, we've already been directed to Abraham. But as Abraham was looking for a wife for his son Isaac, that Abraham, he owned the goods and he gave the goods to Eliezer, his servant. And Eliezer, speaking of the Holy Spirit, he went in search of that wife for Isaac and obviously found Rebekah. And he takes the gifts to Rebekah and he opens up his storehouse of gifts and he gives them to Rebekah, the picture of the church, the wife for Isaac. So we have there that simple picture of the Holy Spirit going out and giving to the church those gifts from God himself. Now, we can, there's obviously many, some different ways in which we can categorize those gifts. Simple categorization is to think of just two types. The first one, where we have the gifts that are there for awakening souls, for impressing upon individuals their need of the Savior. And those also that would bring in and gather in those into the church. The church comprised of all those that belong to our Lord Jesus Christ. Then Edwin, apologies, he's going to talk to us later over particularly the sign gifts. The sign gifts that are there to indicate the presence of God in the church that show that God is indeed acting to this world. And we said before that it's unlikely that two gifts are ever the same, exactly the same. That there are many different variations of those gifts. So in Ephesians 4, we have that the people are the gifts. That that chapter looks at only those gifts which gather and edify the church, the first category that we've looked at. That these gifts will remain because these gifts Christ has given so that the church might be encouraged and nourished and helped. It's inconceivable, isn't it? That the Lord Jesus would leave us here without gifts for himself to help us in these areas of encouragement, edification, etc. If we look down at 1 Corinthians 12. Now 1 Corinthians 12 would discuss both kinds of gifts. That we look at wisdom, knowledge and faith, how we need those three things. Wisdom, knowledge and faith. That the Holy Spirit there, we're taught, is energizing and distributing them to those as he wills. And also in 1 Corinthians 12, it shows us, indicates to us how we can distinguish between divine gifts and those of demons. Because we know that Satan is an angel of light and will always seek to counterfeit, to always mirror what the Lord Jesus is doing. In 1 Peter chapter 4, we have an indication there of that all was done coming from God. So that God might be glorified. That if the saints were to honestly wait on God, there would be more gift. Emphasize that a little bit later. And that those who have gifts, that we should serve by the ability that God has given us. Now perhaps just a few moments to sidetrack on what is clearly a very important point. That when we look at the scriptures, the scripture tells us quite plainly that all Christians are priests. That there's not an extra special category of Christians, sometimes they might not even be Christians as so called in other areas. But that all Christians are priests. That as priests, we should praise, worship, and thank God. And that all priests should serve God. That is the joy, but the responsibility of us all. To praise, worship, and thank God. Now can we perhaps just consider and think for a moment of how it must grieve God himself. When supposedly, perhaps particularly on a Lord's day, that if we had that ability to see what was going on in many places where Christians were meeting together. And we would see that in many places, that the opportunity for priests to carry out their God given service is completely denied. That there is no opportunity for those to audibly, and perhaps even silently sometimes, to praise and worship God. That God wants this from his people, perhaps above all things. That there is that opportunity for a brother here and there to stand up and simply give thanks and praise and worship him. But in many places, we would have to agree that that's denied. So priests is an area, as we're all priests, we each are given that opportunity, or should be. If we look at the work of ministry of these gifts, then only a few are ministers. That ministry should be performed by those with gifts given by Christ. Now of course we're moving into areas where there is a weakness, certainly a weakness amongst us, a weakness in the church of God. That those who are to be used by the Holy Spirit should not be chosen by men. Again, we need to think about this for a moment. I've put lately there, as you can see, those who have not been to college. How incredible it is that the church, the members of the body of Christ, that we copy the same sort of organisational system that's found in the world, and that we follow the same, perhaps we can call it training pathways, that we find in this world. That many groups of Christians would feel that only those people who have been to a theological college, who've been on special courses, would be able to use gifts. That would even be able to be heard in an assembly of his people. That most clearly is not found in the scriptures. That the Holy Spirit is active choosing whom he will for the roles and the gifts that he will. That the Holy Spirit wants to have that sway amongst his own people. That men shouldn't be the ones to choose who is going to do this and that. That training would be given, and the gift would be given by the Holy Spirit himself. That gift is more than just a natural ability. I'm sure if we were to look amongst ourselves here, then we would all have natural abilities. We would all have some things that we were naturally good at. We have that parable, don't we, where the Lord gives out the talents. That some he gave one, some he gave five, and some he gave ten to. That there are people here in our midst, and we look at them and think, what natural abilities they have. How clever they are. How able they are to do this, that, and the other. But when the Lord gives out these gifts, then he clearly takes into account the natural abilities that people have been given. But natural ability alone doesn't make one a minister of God's word. There must be a positive bestowal of a gift from Christ. That the Holy Spirit picks out, and sometimes undoubtedly he picks out the most uncredible, the ones that we wouldn't think of at all, to actually use that gift from himself. What a wonderful thing it is that we might be bereft of natural abilities. That we might be particularly weak in an area. But the Holy Spirit gives a gift to that person so that he can be glorified and the saints can be edified. So a principle scripture seems to be that we might, might not possess a natural ability. That clearly in itself is given by God. He distributes the talents. That the gift is given by the Lord to one another as he wills to be used only under his direction. And that the person who is given that gift has to be diligent. They have to use that gift. They should use it again for the glory of God. We can think of two examples amongst millions really. Paul. If we think of the natural ability that he must have had studying under Gamaliel to understand the deep theological issues. But he was given gifts. He could speak in tongues more than any of them. And we think of Peter. If we were going to choose twelve disciples, how many of the twelve that were chosen by the Lord would we have chosen looking at them? A simple fisherman fishing on the sea of Galilee. But the Lord chooses. And the Lord is sovereign in this area. So there are a number of dangers that we clearly must be aware of. Some are unfortunately all too obvious. That we might be given a gift. But that gift doesn't prevent us and doesn't stop us being influenced by our sinful nature. That flesh that's inside us. If we've been given a gift and that gift is used for the help of many, how easy it would be to be proud and boastful and to be lifted up. The gift itself doesn't present or prevent the working of our sinful nature. That the gifts can cause Christians to be boastful. The gifts themselves don't make us spiritual. Don't make us listening to what the Lord would have us to do. Directing us. Giving us an understanding of the scriptures themselves. The gift might be helps to do this and to do that for the saints. The gift doesn't make us spiritual. That it's quite easy for Christians to lose their balance. That to become lopsided Christians, if we can use such a phrase. To be overemphasizing this or neglecting completely an area of other things. And unfortunately as we know all too well, these gifts can positively bring discredit on the name of Christ in the way in which they are used. So some serious dangers that we need to be aware of. Now why do we think perhaps that we might not see the evidence of gifts in the Christian church today? Well again the reasons are fairly straightforward and obvious. And we need to look at these reasons don't we? Each one of us. And see why then? Why is it that we don't see the Holy Spirit acting in a way in which we would all like? The first reason is that we ourselves. Problems always come back to us as an individual. That if we sin, if we do things that are wrong, the Holy Spirit can't use us. Because we haven't confessed that sin. We haven't asked the Lord to forgive us on a daily basis and to make us fit and willing to be used. That sin hinders the working of the Holy Ghost. It cannot work where there's sin. And sin must be dealt with and must be forgiven. That we might neglect the Lord's discipline. The discipline of the Lord is given for us so that we might benefit in the future. That it might be harsh, we might have to go, or we might have to undergo difficulties and sorrow. But it's there to stop us doing things that we would get into for our detriment. And of course if we're not using our gift then the whole church suffers. Love for Christ wins. We might not love the Lord Jesus as much as we should. And loving Christ would mean that we would have a desire to serve him and help those that are Christians. And we might not be diligent. We might have a gift. We might have been blessed with a wonderful gift. But we're lazy. We can't be bothered. We are not in a condition. We're not in a place. We're not in such a spiritual state that the Holy Spirit can use us. And how awful that is. Then if we look at the church itself, the gifts might not be seen in an assembly because man's will is taking control. They might have put their organisation on that church. Only this person can speak in the assembly. Only this person can do this particular role. That somebody, some group of people, this is how we will organise. How terrible that is. That man thinks he will do what he wants and rejects the way in which Christ would have the assembly operate. The arrangements of man. The way in which only one person can speak. The way in which those that have gift are prevented from using their gift. Disorder. God being shut out. I wonder if we were able to see as God sees and how many places where God is shut out, not even considered, his wishes not followed. How terrible that is. There might only be a few gifts or even none in an assembly because the gifts are given to the whole church. Gifts are not given to one group of Christians or one assembly or one particular or few people. Gifts are given for the whole assembly. So in our subdivided state, we might not see the evidence of certain gifts amongst us. So we've seen that these people are given to church by Christ but they're not invested by human authority. It's not the Archbishop of Canterbury who can be there investing his bishops or other people. The intermediaries shouldn't be there. It should be the Holy Spirit acting on individuals so they can do his bidding. But the denominations way of appointing people is different from the scriptural way. That the Lord gives the gifts and that no human intervention is required. So how should gifts be used? Everyone who has received a gift should firstly suggest live close to the Lord Jesus. Now how that's true of us all. If we're living close to him, if we're following him, listening to him, being guided by him, then he will direct us in the use of that gift. We should follow Christ's directions. Christ will direct us. Sometimes we might receive help from fellow members of the body of Christ. But we should lean upon him. We should seek him only for direction. How many instances in history can we look at where people have felt the Lord calling them to do this, calling them to do that and they've been hindered by other Christians. If the Lord is telling us to use this gift, then we should listen to him and be directed by him and him alone. We know of the work in the Congo where the Westcott brothers were directed by the Lord to go out and we believe that they were, some sought to persuade them not to go. And the result of that work is millions, well not millions perhaps, but tens of thousands come to the Lord Jesus Christ. If they'd listened to other people, they wouldn't have gone. And if we listen to other people, when Christ is telling us to do something different, then the body of Christ suffers. That we should serve Christ energetically. That we shouldn't be lazy. We shouldn't be those that perhaps figurative or we can think of sleeping in bed till midday or something like that. That if he'd been given a gift, we should serve Christ energetically. We should use them responsibly. If he's given us this gift, then we are responsible for the use of that gift and we have to answer to him and be directed by him. We should use them to their full profit. Perhaps I'm sure that if we might feel that we've used them occasionally, we've perhaps used them half-heartedly, but if we use the gifts and obeyed the directing of the Holy Spirit to their full profit, then people would surely be blessed. And perhaps lastly, we should always be aware that we should keep within the limits of our gift. That how we've seen, I'm sure, those that have perhaps been given the gift of teachers and pastors in the assembly who can help guide us to a use and a knowledge of them in the assembly and then preaching the gospel. And we see that that is not their gift. And so perhaps we ought to be exercised, that we use our gift fully, responsibly, energetically as directed by the Lord, but we leave perhaps other things to those that do have the gift so that Christ might be glorified and that we all are edified. So I apologize there for going on over my brief. I think if I just finish there and let Edwin come up. …

… All right, now we're going to whiz through our topic. But you're not going to just sit there, you're going to have to look up the passages, so you can do a bit of work. Firstly, I want to speak about M&Ms. Well, really Ms, not M&Ms. So first, we should define our terms, really. What have I got up there? Yes, we want to look at sign gifts, and really we want to know what this means. You see, there are gifts and there are gifts, there's miracles and there's miracles. There are miracles which have a special significance, and then there are, I suppose, gracious interventions by God in the normal, well, normal history of the church. You've seen how God has helped you in this or that matter, and you say, well, that was a miracle. But I'm not talking about the general, gracious, and sometimes unexpected interventions of God in our lives. And these interventions, I would say, are without explanation. They're truly a work of God. It's not man's doing. We'd say that was a miracle. Someone's been very, very sick and the Lord has graciously healed them. But we're looking now at the first M, that's sign gifts, signs and wonders, revelatory gifts. And there have been periods in the Bible when there were what I call revelatory gifts, gifts which reveal something about the mind of God about a special situation or occasion. So, I don't want you coming up to me afterwards and say, oh, well, I had a miracle. I had a bad foot and it suddenly got better. I'm not talking about that kind of miracle. Now, you might think the Bible's full of miracles, but in a way, peppered throughout Scripture, there are miracles here and there. You might say creation's a miracle. Well, yes, granted. It's a divine intervention. But I'm talking about a sign miracle which has something to say, something to communicate the mind of God about a situation or a circumstance. And although the Bible, you might say, is peppered with miracles, there seem to be three periods of concentration. And you see, I've got two blanks here. And the first period of miracles really occurs at a very special time of when the children of Israel were formed into a nation and during the period of Moses's ministry and the events surrounding that. And each time there was a miracle then in the days of Moses in the Pentateuch, in the first five books of, or especially in the Exodus, especially then. The purpose of the miracle at that time was to validate the message and the testimony of Moses. So that was the first period of miracles. Then there's a sort of period of calm, not many miracles, not many interventions in a special way. And then there was a second period and that was at a low ebb in Israel's history, in their spiritual condition. And that was in the days of Elijah and they did mighty miracles. And the miracles then validated their ministry. So you've got to bear in mind that the Bible, although has miracles here and there, there are these concentrated periods. And the third one is the one that we're particularly interested in because we might say we're living in New Testament times. We're living in the times of the church and the day of grace. And the New Testament, of course, was written at the beginning of this day of grace, but it has validity for us today. And the third period takes place around the time of the Lord Jesus Christ when he came into the world. You might notice also that when he came, there was a great eruption of satanic, demonic activity. Why? The son of God was here. And so there was this opposition arose. Of course, Satan's still at work. So there were miracles in the time of Christ and in the time of his apostles. And we're going to have a look at just a few brief verses. You're going to have to check them out with me. Hebrews chapter two, verses three and four. And it speaks of the great salvation. Oh yeah, I've got it written there as well. Look at that. That's good. So you don't have to ask me what verse it was. The great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord. There you have it, the Lord. And was confirmed unto us. That's not us in this room, but that's the apostles. Unto us, by them that heard him, God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders and with diverse miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will. So those spectacular revelatory gifts, of course, they were governed by the Lord's will. It wasn't by their own will. We already learned that in the normal course of church life. It has to be by the will of the Lord, not by the will of the participants. And this verse actually confirms what the Lord said at the end of Mark's gospel. Mark chapter 16, verse 17 to 18, not by any means a disputed passage of scripture. It says this, and these signs shall follow them that believe in my name. They shall cast out devils. They shall speak with new tongues. They shall take up servants. And if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. And they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. And that after, that the special sign gifts were then to confirm the ministry of the apostles, to confirm, to demonstrate that in effect, a new way of dealing with people had begun, a new dispensation, a new administration in the ways of God's councils had been set on with the commencement of the church. It was being introduced by God, although he used men to do this. And you notice that when the Hebrew writer speaks or writes, should I say, writers normally write, when he writes, he uses the past tense. He says, let's look here, after it was, I think that's past tense, at the first spoken, that's past tense, through the Lord, it was confirmed, past tense again. So he's looking back at what was done, not what was occurring, not what was current, but what had been established by the validation of the new work that God was doing at that beginning by his apostles. God also testifying with them both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to his own will. This is a citation from Acts 5, check it out, verse 15. At the hands of the apostles, many signs and wonders were taking place among the people. For example, Tabitha died, sometimes called Dorcas. And it was, how did she get raised? They're all the brethren there, they're all mourning, they're all weeping. No, it needed an apostolic intervention in a very special way. It was the apostle Peter came and wrought a miracle by restoring her to life. And Peter sent them all out, you can read it there, and knelt down and prayed and turning to the body, he said, Tabitha arise. And she opened her eyes and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And you'll find that in, it's not referred there, but that's Acts 9.40. And Paul also wrote of Christ's miraculous accomplishments through him. I think that's in Romans 15, in fact it's verse 18 and 19. And he speaks of the power of signs and wonders and the power of the Spirit. And then in this last reference here, 2 Corinthians 12.12, the signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all patience or with all perseverance by signs and wonders and miracles. So, all these verses demonstrate to me that the original revelatory gifts, the miraculous wonders which had a significance, were to confirm the validity of the message. Having established that, having demonstrated that the Christian gospel was the, what should we say, the real McCoy. It was substantiated by these special gifts. Well, that was sufficient. They got the seal of approval by the Holy Spirit. It didn't need any more. You can read the record. You can read the reliable document. It's called the New Testament. And the record of it demonstrates that God approved of those men he sent with the gospel. Now, the next question is, let's see, press that, their role today. Well, you might say, have they got a role today? I mean, that's what I was asked to speak about, their role today. A bit difficult to speak about the role today when I've just said it was introductory. But you know, there are, Brother Jeff has explained about the role of gifts. But I'm talking about different kind of gifts. Remember, there's M&Ms, gifts, G&Gs. I don't know that you can buy those. But we're talking about the sign gifts. Are there any sign gifts today? Does God work miracles today? Well, I've said a little bit about that. God does intervene sometimes, especially on our behalf. He answers the prayers of believers. You pray. You have a problem. You pray. That's a good thing to do. But the gifts, the gift, the gift of miracles, I believe, is not present today. God works miracles. But the gift of miracles, the gift of these extraordinary revelatory things are not manifested today. And that's evident. The gifts seen in the New Testament were where an individual had a supernatural ability as a result of the Holy Spirit upon them and within them. But the gift of healing, it's clear, I would say, it began to fade even during the Apostle Paul's life in his earthly ministry. And the following examples show this. I've cited the scriptures. You can check them out. When Paul was writing to Timothy, he advised him on his health. He said, don't drink water exclusively. Use a little. Emphasize that. A little wine. He didn't say drink no wine. He's not a prohibitionist, but he says a little. Be careful. Use a little for the sake of your stomach and for your often infirmities. Yeah. And he could have said, well, look, Tim, I'm coming over. I'm going to heal you. No, he says, use this remedy. And secondly, Paul has, to Timothy chapter 4, Paul leaves Trophimus behind at Miletus. Why did he do that? He was sick. He was sick. Why did he leave him sick? He could have healed him surely. No, already this gift was departing from the church. The confirmatory proving facet of the church of these gifts had been applied to the early message of the apostles. It was no longer needed even in the apostolic period. He left him sick. And then why didn't Paul, who had raised Eutychus from the dead in Acts 20, verse 10, you know how the young man had fallen asleep because he'd preached too long. Hope no one's falling asleep, especially at the bank. I don't see anyone yet. Why didn't he heal Trophimus as he had raised Eutychus? Well, you see, this had already gone. This ability, this gift was no longer necessary. The confirmation of Paul's ministry had been seen at the beginning. And then in Philippians chapter 2, verse 27, we get another example of how Paul doesn't feel it's right to heal a fellow Christian. For indeed he, that's Epaphroditus, was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him. He didn't say I raised him from his sickness or I laid hands on him, I healed him. No, God had mercy on him and not only on him, but also on me, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. You see, Paul was concerned. He didn't have that gift anymore, although he was an apostle and he could exercise in former times, the signs of an apostle. So then the question is, does God heal today in response to prayer? I've already demonstrated that in a few words. It's important to remember that God does heal. He may use doctors, he may use medicine, but God is in control of our lives and does care for us. And he still does work in special and various ways. We do not intend to put limits on God's power. But there is biblical evidence that the gift of healing has been taken away and there are not people today who have the special power to heal in that remarkable way that was evident in the days of the New Testament. Now the next question, time runs out so quick here, is the issue of tongues. And here I've called it earthly languages. And in fact, if you check out a good Bible dictionary, you can buy them here, you'll see that and or a lexicon, you'll see that tongues is tongues is earthly languages. It's not gibberish. It might sound like gibberish. When you hear a Dutchman speak, you think, gosh, what's that? But it's still a tongue. Another Dutchman will understand it. It gets even worse when they speak Swahili. Now, the gift of tongues was the supernatural ability to speak an earthly foreign language without special training. You know, it'd be great for all those who pretend to speak in tongues as they could be missionaries in foreign lands. They needn't go to language school. But those organizations, those churches that pretend to speak in tongues often have the biggest language scores. I don't know why that is. Anyway, tongues really, it's used in the New Testament, refers either of this organ, which is moving between my lips, the tongue, or it means the sound produced by it. In other words, the language spoken. And we can look at some scriptures in Acts 2, 4, 6, and also look at verse 11 as well. It says, all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues or languages, exactly as in verse 11, as the Spirit enabled them. And when they heard this sound, the crowd came together in bewilderment because one heard them, each one heard them speaking in his own language. The gift of tongues was Spirit motivated speech in a particular language. And I think that this first section of verses demonstrates just that. But there's further information on this. The gift of tongues had a purpose. It was particularly assigned to unbelieving Israel. And you'll find that in 1 Corinthians 14, 22. If you want to know what this reference is, it relates to the former, it just shows you how language is just language. You can check that out. So tongues, it says in 1 Corinthians 14, verse 22, tongues then are assigned not to those who believe, but to unbelievers. Tongues were assigned to the Jewish nation that they were to be judged for their unbelief. And God had predicted that a long time ago in the days of Moses, Deuteronomy 28, verse 49 is a good verse to check it out. And the Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand. It was to be a judgment upon them. And Isaiah would have to prophesy along these lines as well. He would say, Isaiah 28, verse 9 through 13. And he uses this very strange language, sounds very strange in English. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little. For with stammering lips and another tongue shall he speak to this people. Check out the whole verse. I haven't quoted the whole section to you because of time. It's very interesting. There's a revised version of this verse. It's very interesting. There's a revised version of the German Elberfelder, which transliterates the Hebrew. I'm not going to attempt too much Hebrew here, but in verse 10, it says this, so it won't be German you're hearing, it'll be Germanized Hebrew. Instead of precept upon precept, precept upon precept. It has in that edition of the Elberfelder Bible. Yes, it sounds strange, doesn't it? It sounds as if you've got a stammering tongue. It sounds that you're speaking in a strange way. Well, it's just like an Englishman listening to a Dutchman. He thinks, what on earth is that? It's just with a stammering tongue. It just means nonsense. But it was still a language. It was still a tongue. It was still comprehensible to the original. And the English translators have put it right, and so do most normal German translations. It means precept upon precept, precept upon precept. And that repetitive nature means to demonstrate the effect in the ear of the sound of a foreign language. It was a judgment of God upon his people. They would hear this. Now, there are false claims today. There are some people who say they speak in the tongue of angels. Well, you know what the word angel means, don't you? You get it in evangel. You use it often. You say he's an evangelist. It means a good message, a messenger. An angel is a messenger. Well, if he speaks gibberish to you, if he says, you say, what is he saying? It means nothing. And indeed, it means nothing. It's nonsense, what I just said. It's not even a language. Well, that means if you speak in the language of angels and you speak nonsense, you're not true to what an angel is. An angel is a communicator of a divine message. What is coherent? What is comprehensible? The tongue of angels must be the most elevated and excellent of messages. And you shall call his name Jesus. What a great message that was. It wasn't unintelligible. It was intelligible. It could be understood. So, there are many false claims of people who reckon that they're speaking in the tongues of angels. Well, let us hear them speak clear and plain. The truth of God's word. Of course, many who make these false claims, they don't heed the prohibition in 1 Corinthians 14, 34-36, where there's a prohibition to women speaking in public in matters religious, making a verbal contribution in public. That's prohibited in scripture. But they will all do it. 80-90% of those congregations, women disobeying scripture. And then they say that comes from the Holy Spirit. It doesn't make sense. But there are other scriptures, you know, that entitle us to be cautious, sceptical, suspicious. 1 John chapter 4 verse 1. It says, Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirit. Someone says they speak in tongues. Someone says they raise the dead. Ask a few questions. Someone says they can heal. You say, well, let me show me the person. Look at the evidence. Believe not every spirit. Try the spirits, whether they are of God. Because many, many, a whole army of smooth talkers have gone into the world. Many false prophets have gone out into the world. That's what it says. 1 John 4 verse 1. And then there's another thing. Many people boast themselves of false gifts. They try to hype themselves up on the matter. Do you know Proverbs 25 verse 14 gives very good advice. It says, Whosoever boasts himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain. It just looks like it, but it's not real. Well, right, the last one. I'm counting on parallax to give me an extra two minutes. All right. Are you spirit filled? Are you thirsty for speaking in tongues? Are you wanting to be healing and raising the dead? You know, is that what being spirit filled is all about? Doing those things. Almost as if you're like a magician. No, I don't think being spirit filled is having a pretense of doing these things. Being spirit filled is neither a vain pretense of a sanctimonious atmosphere generating pious talk and pious movements. What is being filled by the spirit? Well, there are a number of references here. We mustn't really confuse them with these other concepts in scripture, walking by the spirit, led by the spirit, that we want to be that as well. And we haven't really time to explore the whole. But being filled, let's look at what being filled with the spirit is in Ephesians chapter five. It says there, 18 through to 21, you can read the whole section, but I'll just highlight a few words. Be not drunk with wine where is in excess, but be filled with the spirit. A man filled with wine doesn't do what he would do. He does the things, quite the contrary, he does the things he wouldn't do when he was sober. He's under the influence of alcohol. He's under the influence of another force. He manifests a different character. And so Christians have filled with the Holy Spirit, they exhibit another character and radically from different from the one that once marked them before they were indulged by the spirit of God. And when filled with the spirit, you will talk about the things of God in the language of scripture. Look at the verse 19, speaking to yourselves in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. You'll be moving along the Christian pathway with rejoicing, singing. The Christian's heart will have a tune in his soul. You'll be singing to the Lord, making melody in your heart to the Lord. You know, all people like to be happy. They want to be exhilarated with joy, to feel good, to be on top of everything. There's nothing wrong with that. God wants joyous, excited, happy and uplifted people. He wants you to be like that. He wants you to be filled with the spirit. But the problem lies in how happiness is generated. How are these things manifested? Some people think they can linger over a bottle. Sadly, some even over a narcotic. But those things don't bring you happiness. And best keep away from those things. But then what is the source of a Christian's joy? Well, Ephesians 5 tells us, says don't get drunk with wine, that's dissipation. Paul doesn't try to prove that drunkenness is incompatible with Christianity, he just commands it. He simply gives the command. Once a person became a Christian, he says goodbye to the life he once lived in drunken debauchery. The party life has no place in the believer's life. So the spirit in the bottle. If Christians are not to be drunk with wine, where do they find their joy and happiness? Well, the answer is in Ephesians. It's in Christ. Ephesians chapter 518. Do not get drunk with wine, but be filled with the spirit. Your thrills, your exhilaration, your happiness results of being filled with the Holy Spirit of God and not from being filled with wine. You might be shocked at the language of this verse. You might be shocked at the way we're expressing things. But it sounds like Paul is saying you should be drunk with the Holy Spirit. But in fact, he's not saying that. There's to be self-control, even in the matters of the spirit. But the observers, when they looked at the apostles on the day of Pentecost, they thought they were drunk. They observed that. Acts 2 verses 1 to 4, and 13 to 18. But here's the idea. Being filled with the spirit results in behavior marked by joy, boldness. Even a mild person, even a timid character can become bold and unafraid when living under the influence of the Holy Spirit. And that sounds like what happens when a person gets drunk, perhaps. But Paul is actually making contrast, not a comparison, between wine and the Holy Spirit. Wine controls a person completely and works evil in his heart and life. But when the Holy Spirit works in our lives, when he controls us completely, he empowers you to do what is marked by true righteousness and holiness. And the Spirit's influence alone provides divine fuel for a different, free, bold life lived for God's glory. Now, it says here, be filled. You'll notice Ephesians 5 has a positive command, be filled with the Spirit. What does that mean? Well, I'll tell you what it doesn't mean. It doesn't mean be indwelt by the Spirit. If you're a Christian, you're indwelt. Paul never says be baptized in the Spirit. You'd be made to drink of the one Spirit when you were converted. He doesn't say be sealed with the Spirit. When you believe the gospel of your salvation, you are sealed with the Spirit of promise. Ephesians 1 verse 13, all three events occurred the moment you truly believed the gospel of your salvation. I believe. But he says be filled. Instead, Paul's command has something else in view. And though it might sound a little odd in regular English, he's saying be continually filled, be kept filled, be kept filled with the Spirit. He's actually saying be continually letting the Spirit of God who is already in you control you. He wants us to be filled. It isn't a second work of grace. It isn't a second experience. It's a step or a step on a higher level. It's normal Christianity being led by the Spirit of God. And to be filled by the Spirit means you are continually surrendering your will, your mind, your body, your talents, your treasures, every air in your life to his control. This is very important. A Spirit-filled person submits to others. Look at the passage. The Spirit-filled wife submits to her husband. The Spirit-filled husband loves his wife. Spirit-filled children obey their parents. A Spirit-filled father doesn't provoke his children to anger. A Spirit-filled employee works diligently for his employer. And a Spirit-filled employer is fair to his employees. All these are manifestations of the Spirit-filled life. So you ask, well, is this let go and let God do something? No, there's a responsibility. And here is the responsibility, and it's allied to being filled with the Spirit. It says, let the Word of God, or rather the Word of Christ, dwell richly in you. Colossians 3.16. The effect of the Word of Christ dwelling in you is an exact parallel to what happens when you are filled with the Spirit of God. When you are filled with the Spirit. It's all there. Singing, submission, love, obedience, gentleness, good parenting, diligence, fairness, all these features, these lovely features, are found in someone who has the Word of God dwelling in them and is filled by the Spirit. They go hand in hand. And these should be manifest in our lives if we profess to be Christians. Sometimes we're looking for the spectacular. Sometimes we're looking for the super miraculous. But this thing, being filled by the Spirit, is normal Christianity. The Spirit-filled life I close is overflowing with gratitude, joy, right relationships, good behavior. Quite a contrast to those enslaved by alcohol, and quite a contrast to those who pretend to have things they don't have at all. You may not be seeking your joy in drugs or alcohol or other things, but I want to ask you, are you seeking to be filled with the Spirit of God? His resources are immediately available. They're in the book, the Bible. Read that. Be occupied with that book. Be occupied with the subject of that book, our Lord Jesus Christ. The book is full of him. And if you want to be full of Christ, you'll find that you'll be filled with the Spirit. May the Lord help you and bless you. Yeah, that's all I've got to say except an advert. The question of tongues is quite, I could have said a lot more about it, but for some it's quite an issue. Here is quite a, I would say, very comprehensive book on the subject. It deals with it and it's 3.95 if you buy it from me. Nick's offering 25% discount, and if you haven't read it then you'll be ignorant of an awful lot of matter, at least 160 pages of matter. It's well worth spending your money on that book. It's a really good book. It's called All About Speaking in Tongues. It addresses the question of tongues, but it also has side issues which are very, very informative and I believe that is the best book on the subject that you can get here today. So, I think Nick's got a pile of them, and if you haven't got the book in your library already, go buy it. If you haven't got a library, buy this as the first book in your library and keep collecting. Thank you. …

… Good afternoon, I hope you've all had a very good lunch. You know, when I saw which session I'd been asked to take, my heart sank a little, because this is known as the graveyard slot. It's when we've all had a nice lunch and our bodies just want to have a siesta. And I've never really decided whether the graveyard slot is given to the most interesting and dynamic speaker, so that everyone's kept awake, or whether it's given to the most boring, because everyone's going to go to sleep anyway and no one will notice. I'll leave you to decide afterwards. Anyway, we've had a number of subjects already this morning, and I hope already we're having a feel for the approach that we must take when looking at subjects such as this. And that is essentially that we must really set aside perhaps all our ideas of tradition, maybe those things we've been brought up with, or looking around us, we must really get back to the scriptures. And I'd like us just to, I haven't put this actual scripture on the notes, but if you turn to the very opening verse of Paul's letter to the Philippians, he writes, well it's from him and Timothy, he says, Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons. And what I think is interesting there is that a letter's written to a church, it's not addressed to the minister, or the vicar, or the pastor, but it's addressed really to everyone, it's written to the saints. And if we're a believer in the Lord Jesus and we belong to Christ, if we're members of his body, then you and me, each one, we are part of those saints in any one local church or assembly. So it's very interesting I think that the scripture, the apostles, they write firstly to the saints, that's to everyone, equally, not to any one man, minister. And then, of course, we have with the bishops and deacons. And maybe we'll just have your finger in that scripture as we proceed. We have these two words, bishops, and it's from the Greek episkopos, and elders, presbytos, aged person. Now, you may be familiar with these two words. There is a church, you might refer to the Presbyterian Church or the Episcopalian Church. And this would be an indication of perhaps their way of organization. They have in mind these bishops and elders. If we turn to Acts chapter 20, Acts chapter 20 and verse 17, we read that Paul, from Miletus, he sent to Ephesus and he called together the elders of the church. So there we have a reference to this word presbytos, aged person. So they're clearly those of some maturity in years. And in the same passage, if you look down to verse 28, he says to these elders, the Holy Ghost has made you overseers. So this verse, as well as the one in Titus, makes it clear that bishops and elders are one and the same person. And it's just a different name given. Now, it seems clear that in Jewish tradition, the Jewish congregations, they had those to whom they looked. They looked up to the elders, the elderly ones, those with maturity and experience and a measure of moral dignity. And the Jews, they had these elders. And it would seem that where Jewish folk were converted to the Lord Jesus and churches were established on the basis of what had been a Jewish area, that those same Jewish elders continued in this role. And where there was what we might say a church or assembly, which had been formed in a place which didn't have a Jewish background, but was a Gentile area, it would seem that in such cases, the elders, as there weren't any Jewish elders, the elders were appointed. And it seems that the apostle and his delegates, they appointed elders in places where the assembly was primarily a Gentile background. And I put in the second paragraph, they're always mentioned in the plural. And that comes out very clearly in the salutation to the letter to the Philippians. It's with the bishops and the deacons. So it's clear that in a church, in a local setting, there was always more than one elder. And I think if we understand that, it helps us to disabuse ourselves of the notion that the structure of a church should necessarily have one man in charge. You may say, well, you know, it doesn't really matter what name we give to that person, whether it's a minister or a vicar or a pastor or an elder. Now, I'm suggesting it's not a question of names or descriptions. It's a question of principles. And quite clearly, we don't have in the New Testament examples of, we might say, a one man ministry, but rather of a plurality. And in the case of elders, it's certainly always the case that elders and bishops were always referred to. There's always more than one, the elders and bishops. And when we've been looking at this subject of the church, I hope we learn from our brother Hugh's session that there is only one church, there's one body. And in any one place, there might be many different representations of it. But essentially, the church comprises every true believer on the Lord Jesus in any one place. Now, that being the case, the bishop, if he was such, was a bishop in a locality and therefore he was a bishop in a place. We might say a town, to make it simple. We don't get in Scripture any idea that the bishop was over a larger region than one locality, a town. So this notion that we have a bishop over a whole district and under him is another layer of administration is quite contrary to God's Word, the Bible. No, the elder, the bishop, his sphere of ministry and work was in a locality. And he was such over the whole church in that locality. And I've often wondered, you know, if we had a letter sent, such as the letter to Philippians, supposing the royal mail had a letter addressed to all the saints, let's say in Catford, all the believers on the Lord Jesus in Catford with the elders, where would the royal mail deliver such a letter? Well, sadly, because of the breakdown in Christendom, it would be an impossible task. But I hope that little question might just settle in our minds this idea that a bishop would have to exercise his work over every believer in one place, say in Catford. So there's a difficulty nowadays in seeing how this works. Nevertheless, the scriptures, if we follow them carefully, will be our guide. And then in Acts 20, 28, this verse we've already looked to, Paul says to these elders and bishops, talking about the flock, he says, over which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers. And I think that's very important that we notice this. An elder or bishop is made such by the Holy Spirit, not by men. It's not a question of going to a theological college or having any other such man-made appointment. It's something which the Holy Spirit does. So the Holy Spirit made elders and bishops such, and they were appointed either by an apostle or an apostle's delegate. So in the case of a Jewish congregation, the elders were already in place. In the case of a Gentile congregation, the bishops and elders were appointed by either an apostle or expressly at the request of an apostle. And this helps us now understand the question, are there apostles today? Well, we'll cover that question hopefully by the end of the session. We have to be careful. I would say yes, there are bishops and elders today, but they are not and cannot be appointed in the same way. We have no apostle, we have no apostles, we have no apostles' delegates, and therefore there's no one to appoint bishops and elders in the same way that they were appointed at the beginning. Another difficulty is that there is no undivided local church. In any one place, you could not see all true believers together. Sadly, we're all split up and divided amongst ourselves. So the sphere in which the bishop and elder would do his work is no longer available to him. So for that reason, we don't have in this official sense bishops and elders today, but we do have them in another sense which we'll look at very soon. So I've written that their role is an office, though not an official position. What I mean by that is if you're following the authorised version, you occasionally come across this word office, and I think in most cases the word isn't really there. It's been used by the translators because they had sort of a certain understanding or certain view, and that's the word they use. If you look at a good translation, you don't find the word office as such. I want just to get away from this idea of an official position such as we find in organisations. We've already seen that in the church, the setup is completely different from that which we have in this world, and our brother Jeff's given us a good suggestion as to why that is the case. And I think it's helpful to say that the church is not an organisation, it's an organism. And we've already seen that it's a body, it has a head, the Lord Jesus in heaven, it's a living thing, and it's comprised every true believer, and it's being added to, it's being built up. The Lord Jesus said, I will build. And so it's a body, a living thing, it's an organism, not an organisation. And therefore those that are elders and bishops, they're not really fulfilling an official position as we might give someone a place in a company, a managing director or a secretary or an office manager. It's not that idea at all. But really it's a work or an area of responsibility. And if you care to check, as I hope we will do, these references in Acts and Titus, you'll see that the scripture says, if someone desires to do the work of an elder, so it's a good thing to have that desire and to do that work. And it's a great responsibility, as Paul says, take heed therefore to yourselves, this is to the elders, and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he, the Lord Jesus, has purchased with his own blood, or with the blood of his own. God has purchased with the blood of his own. So it's a very wonderful and, it's a responsibility. An elder or bishop is not there to rule over the flock, he's not to consider those beneath him as mere minions, as we might have that manager with his workers, it's not that at all. But he's been given a responsibility to take care of, to look after and to oversee the flock. And the word is used, to shepherd, to pastor. I think that's interesting, because so often we refer to, or people refer to the pastor, as if there's only one, the pastor, the minister of the church. Well, no, scripture refers to bishops and elders, plural, whose role is to shepherd and to pastor. And, again, it's not a matter of gift, you don't have, it's not exactly akin to what our brother Jeff has brought before us, though the scripture does seem to indicate that those who are able to be elders and pastors are to be apt to teach. So one would expect it would be normal for them, perhaps, to have the gift of a teacher. And we saw that little couplet, one of the gifts is pastors and teachers. I think there'll be some overlap there, although it's a different matter. Well, bishops and elders, they must have certain qualities, they must be qualified, not with a theological degree, but if you read 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, these verses I've put down, we get this long list. Blameless, irreproachable, discreet, of good behavior, husband of one wife, sober, hospitable, not given to excess from wine, not a striker, mild, patient, and so on. Now, one thing that struck me in reading these qualities is they're not really qualities that we can say, well, these are only applicable to that upper echelon, those special people who are to be bishops or elders. We would, I would hope, we would say, well, these are qualities that any Christian should have. If, for instance, someone is not blameless, or indiscreet, or not good behavior, given to excess from wine, we'd say, well, those characteristics, they're incompatible with normal Christian life. So really, we ought to read these with a view to ourselves. Not to say, well, of course, I'm not an elder, I don't aspire to the work of an elder, and therefore I don't need to follow such exaltations. No, this is something we can each take to our own heart. What it seems to be is that to be a bishop or an elder, if you're not exhibiting normal, expected qualities of a Christian, then you're disqualified from being such. Well, certainly these are things, features which we should see in all of us. But, for instance, husband of one wife. Well, in some societies, of course, where there's polygamy, that would disqualify one from being a bishop or an elder. Hospitable. Are you hospitable? No, that's not just inviting your friends round. That's being hospitable to strangers, as well as your friends. Not given to excess from wine. Not a striker. So if you hit your wife, then you're disqualified from being an overseer. How can you shepherd the flock? How can you care for them if you don't have care for your own wife? And so on. So all these things. Not greedy for money. Conducting his own house well. Children in subjection. It's very clear that if a man doesn't have his own family in order, he can't look after his own family, how can he look after a bigger family with greater and more difficult difficulties? So these are all, we might say, well, they're common sense. But it's spiritual common sense. So we've seen that they can't now be appointed as such. There are no apostles. There are no delegates. Nor would they be in a position to care for the whole Church of God in any one locality. Because there's breakdown. So officially, we might say, no, we don't have in the same way that they did in the beginning. We don't have bishops or elders. But we have the Holy Spirit. And it was he, divine person, God himself, who made these such. The Holy Spirit made these elders to be elders. He gave them the ability and the care for souls. We have the same Holy Spirit. There's the same need. So we can say, yes, there are those for whom the Holy Spirit has qualified them to be morally and in practice a bishop or an elder. And hopefully we can look at our own Christian fellowships and we can recognize those who care for and feed the flock of God, who devote themselves to the work and have these qualities that we can recognize. So although we don't have an official appointment, we don't have those that can say, you are, you and you, you're to be a bishop of this assembly. Nevertheless, I think it would be right for us to recognize those who are older in the faith. Yes, one of the disqualifications would be not a novice, not a new Christian. No, someone that's mature in faith and has experience of the pathway and whose characteristics are not excluded from this list. Have we not such in our Christian fellowships, those in whom we have confidence, those who love us and care for us? And if need be, put us right, keep us in order. I trust we do. So in this sense, yes, we have bishops and elders today. Lastly, then we have deacons. Now this word deacon comes from the Greek diakonos, which simply means servants. And these are those who serve or work in some way, some administrative way. And this word is translated variously, servant, minister or deacon. Here again, we get this word minister, the minister of the church. And I've had people ask, are you the minister? Or I've heard people introduce themselves as I'm the minister of such and such a place. Sounds very grand, doesn't it? I'm a minister, a capital M. But what does it mean? I'm a servant. Doesn't sound quite so grand, does it? I'm just a servant. Well, we're all servants of the Lord. And there are many who serve in this way. Now, the difference between an elder and a deacon is that the former is over, oversees the church. Whereas the deacon, we might say that they're under them. They're appointed by the church to serve in some practical way. And Romans 16 refers to Phoebe, says she's a deaconess or a servant of the church. So deacons, again, it's plural, is open to both brothers and sisters. Now, all manner of work and service comes under this phrase. Whatever little work you've got to do, maybe your job is to put the chairs out. Maybe you've not even been asked to do it. You see a work and you do it. Maybe you're the one to whom all correspondence comes. Well, that's a deacon service. You might say it's an important position, but really it's a very lowly matter. It's a service. And maybe you're the treasurer. It's your role. You've been asked and entrusted with looking after the finances of the Christian fellowship. In that case, you're a deacon. You're acting as a deacon. And therefore, it's quite in order for the church to appoint such because you're doing something for them. Now, normally the work of a deacon would be local. But in some cases, it might extend a bit further afield. There may be many Christians who have recognized some who do a service which covers a wider sphere. And I think that would be in order. Interestingly, deacons are given much the same moral qualifications. And if you read the list of things which must characterize a bishop or an elder, a little bit later on, similarly or likewise, the ministers, the servants, the deacons must be, and you get an almost identical list. Not exactly the same because, of course, it's not so essential if you're doing a practical work. Some of these moral qualities of a minister are not applicable. But nevertheless, these same general characteristics of what would be deemed normal for a Christian apply. Grave, not double-tongued. You know, in the old cowboy films, the Red Indians, I'm probably not supposed to talk to them about describing that way, it's not politically correct, but the Red Indians always used to say, white man speaks with forked tongue. We know what that means. Double-tongued, not telling the truth, not trustworthy. You're never sure whether what you're hearing is the truth. Christians shouldn't be like that. No Christian should be like that. And a deacon, a servant, mustn't be like that. Again, not given to much wine. It doesn't say, you know, not to touch any. But not given to much wine. Not greedy for money. Many people, they live for work and for money. We've all got to work, we've got to earn our living, but that's not what drives us and motivates us. A Christian doesn't live in such a way. Holding the truth faithfully, without charge. Husbands of one wife, again. Conducting their house and children well. And a similar list for the women. So again, we can think, well, I don't aspire to be a great gifted person. I don't aspire to lead the church or to rule over them or to care. But I'd like to do a little bit. I'd like to do the bookstall or put the chairs down or do something practical. Well, there are still these moral qualities which are necessary. And all of us, all of us should aspire to be of service to the Lord and our brethren in some way. Well, we need to look at these qualities and challenge ourselves as to whether they're true of us. So I hope that's helpful. There was a little side question in my brief. Do we need more organisation? I've already said the church is not an organisation, it's an organism. So there's a short answer. No, we don't. We don't need more organisation. What we need is more dependence, more dependence on the Lord Jesus, more dependence on the Holy Spirit, more bowing to scripture and following its line. And if that's true, then we're giving way, we're being filled with the Holy Spirit, giving him a way to equip us. And if it's his will that he wants to equip us with those qualities and gifts and abilities that enable us to be a bishop or elder, then that's a good thing. If he equips us to serve one another and serve the Lord Jesus, then that's a good thing. So let me turn the question around. Do we need elders and deacons? Yes, we do. Do we need more organisation? No, we don't. We're not able to organise ourselves in this way. We can't appoint an elder. We're not apostles. We don't have their delegates and the sphere of their work is no longer available. But we need them. We need those to care for us, to keep us in line, to guide us, to feed us. And we certainly need those to serve us and to help one another and to serve the Lord. And there are always these moral qualities which, if we read them, we should don't look at the other person, we look at ourselves and we see whether we're being challenged as to these things. But then to finish, we're exhorted to give honour to such. If we recognise brothers amongst us who are elders, they're mature in the faith and experience, they have these moral qualities and they look after us. Do we appreciate them? Do we value them? Do we account them of double honour, especially if they're apt to teach? We should be able to recognise such. They're God-given. The Holy Spirit's made them such and we should bow to them where appropriate. And in regard to deacons, we should seek to serve one another and the Lord in this way. Oh, yes. How could I forget? Okay. I thought this list might be on the handouts, but here it is in the first half. All these books can be recommended. Of course, we have to say that the best book to read is the Bible. And any work of man is capable of failure. So don't treat any book as absolutely authoritative. But insofar as they base their writings on the Word of God, we're happy to recommend them and to encourage us to buy the prices as keen as we can manage. Church of the Living God. That's a very good overview of all these subjects that we're considering today. Similarly, God's Order. Are you a member and of what? There's a little book which covers really the first session. What is the church? How do you become a member? What is the meeting of the assembly? This is a very helpful book about Gavin's session. All about speaking in tongues. We've already had a plug for that. Office, Gift and Priesthood, I suppose, would be the book which really applies to this session. Assembly Relationships is a chapter printed out of the first book. So if you buy the first one, you don't need to buy Assembly Relationships. But it's a helpful book on a subject coming up. Beginning with Christ. It's a very good book for new believers. We've got some free copies to give away and you can give them to your young Christian friends. Unity and Authority, to cover a subject coming up. Similarly, Christ is seen in the offerings. Hope for the church and the Lord's coming. And then this Bible dictionary. We're almost sold out of the bargain value, but I'm sure we can get some more for tomorrow when we're together. And lastly, just to reiterate, we have a very good bookstall in Spanish. So for all you who speak Spanish, just wait for the translation. These books are for you. If you've got Spanish friends or you know someone that's likely to bump into a Spanish speaker, avail yourself of these very helpful books. …

… I was very glad and a little bit shocked. Very glad, because there are so many here. A little bit shocked, because when I looked around, as the children were still sitting there especially, it kind of dawned on me, and I've always been thinking of myself as a youngster, that I'm probably above average age. And that was a bit of a shock. It hasn't happened to me here for quite a while. Now, having said this, the topic we've got is something that is, I think, hopefully interesting for all, but especially for young believers. Why are there so many churches, and which one is right, if any? I suppose I've, in the draw here, I had the tough one. It's a very puzzling question. There were a number of subtitles, or sub-questions to this. I've mentioned the first two, and then number three is, well, is there a right way to go? Obviously, there are very many different ways today. Separation and unity, a paradox. And finally, the place of God's choice. Well, if there is one, where is it? Now, before I try to give an answer from the Bible to those questions, I'd just like to suggest that there are two ways of looking at the church. And we need to keep those a bit separate. They're both in the Bible, but we need to distinguish. One perspective is to look at the church from God's counsel. You might say that is, from a high mountaintop, you have God's mind, and you see the church as God sees it. And then the second question is, well, what is it like practically? And that's what we call the side of man's responsibility. Now, as to the first, these things have already come up. Brother Hugh has been talking about it and others. How does God see the church? Well, he sees it as one body, complete, no division in the body. He sees it as the fullness of Christ who fills all in all. God sees the church headed by Christ. And all these things are a fact. The other figure is the divine habitation. God sees it as a house, but as a perfect house. Not as a house where anything would need to be repaired. A house where the spirit can dwell. And God sees it as the bride of Christ. And I suggest to you that if we want to learn anything at all about the church, we need to start on that mountaintop before we come down and look round and see what man has actually done to it. Very often, and some of these things have been mentioned, it's quite the opposite. God has made one body. Men have made divisions. Men are also described as building. But when man is building, it's not necessarily perfect. It normally isn't. There's a mixture. Some bring good material. Some bring wood or hay or stubble. It's a different perspective and it's just as true. It gets so bad that when Paul writes his last letter, he doesn't call the church the house of God anymore. He talks about a great house. And in the great house, there's a mixture. Vessels to honour, vessels to dishonour. And if you go to the last book of the Bible, Revelation 2 and 3 gives you an overview of the public testimony of the church. And if you follow that, you find that it actually ends in complete indifference in the state of Laodicea. Now that is the perspective, you might say, from lower down. What has man done in terms of practical testimony? Now just one point. I thought you'd enjoy that one. Everything I said before about the divine perspective is still true. Whatever man does, however many sects man forms, the church is still one body. However insufficient the material, the doctrines that men may bring, the church is still the habitation of God in the spirit. So let's just bear that in mind. I did want you to get this picture wrong. I suppose everybody has understood that when we talk about the church, we're not talking about a physical building. But this building here is meant to illustrate something. It says there, the church is one body. But this building here is meant to illustrate something. It says there, the church is in ruins. Now how can you tell? Well, if you had the original plans of the architect, an original photo of what it looked like in the beginning, you could spot the difference. There used to be a roof. There used to be windows. There used to be a door. And that's all gone. Now, if we don't realize that the Christian testimony today is in ruins, I don't think that we will understand much about the church at all. I can't tell you how often this happens. I sometimes have seminars with believers who are interested to learn more about Christ and the church. And you tell them things and you say, well, actually there is only one church. And someone goes like, no, no, no, in my village there are ten. Then you go on and you say, well, Christ is the head of the church. And they say, no, actually my church is headed by so-and-so. And so it goes on. And you have to try and explain, actually we're talking about two different subjects. I'm talking about what the Bible says. You are talking about what people do in your village. Apparently these things are quite different. And that's what we mean when we say the church of God is in ruins. Here's some evidence. Most of these things have been mentioned before. I was quite stunned by the number. 1,500 Christian denominations. Over. And it can go down the list. The one pastor of a church concept. The membership idea of some organization. And so on and so forth. Even things are tolerated which perhaps 20, 30 years would not have been tolerated in any Christian church. But let's bear in mind, this does not mean that everything ended up differently from what God thought it would. The ruin of the testimony, the Christian testimony, hasn't come by surprise. It was predicted. And I'd like to give you some examples of this from different writers of the New Testament. And these writers have all spoken about the future. And I haven't found any who have said over the time of the Christian period, things will get better and better. What I do find is that Paul said, after my departure, grievous wolves will come, not sparing the flock. He also wrote to Timothy about the last days. And he didn't say the last days will be brighter days. He said the last days will be difficult days. Now what did Peter say? Peter said, you know, among the people of Israel, there were false prophets. And so it's going to be among Christians, there will be false teachers. We have been forewarned. Now what about John then? Well, John said, it's the last hour. And you want to know how you can tell it's the last hour? The last hour is characterized by many antichrists, many people attacking Christ, going against Christ's glory. Actually, even of the early church in Ephesus, it was said that they very soon had left their first love. And they had been in a very good condition before. And I mentioned Laodicea, complete indifference at the end. Now that has been predicted. So we shouldn't be surprised to see it happen. I'm not saying it doesn't matter. I'm not saying it shouldn't humble us. I'm just saying God knew it in advance. Now, given all the references here, David and Ruth kindly printed a handout of the complete series. So please check out the references for yourselves. Now, you might say, well, that's a little bit negative. And what do we do now? If things are in ruin, if the Christian testimony has gone away from what God has said, well, what can we do about it? Now, what I want to suggest to you, and now it's starting to become a bit more positive, is that God has a way. And however difficult the time is going to get, God will have a way for those who want to go that way. And I just want to show you the principle. If you think of these examples, think of Daniel's friends. They were youngsters. They were far away from home. And if they didn't live in a time that was a time of ruin, then I don't know who did. Nothing of what God had set up in Jerusalem was still there. The people had been led away. They were surrounded by idolatry. And they could really say, well, it doesn't work anymore, does it? We can't live our faith here in Babylon. And what did they do? They remained faithful. When the image was put up, Daniel's three friends didn't bow. Daniel himself, no longer allowed to pray. Now, how much worse can it get? And what was God's way? God had a way. It was to remain faithful. And these men have really become monuments to this fact that however bad it gets, God has a way. Think of the Jewish people after the captivity. They had been led away to Babylon, and then the 70 years were over. Now God had a way for them. I'm not saying it was an easy way, but God had one. What they had to do is go back to the place of God's choice, to Jerusalem. And they were only a minority, and yet they did exactly that. And you could give other examples. Nehemiah. Think of Timothy. You know, you find this recurring expression, but thou, O man of God. It's all the same message. God has a way, however difficult it's going to get. Now, let me just give you one or two more verses on this, that God has a way, because I think it's extremely encouraging and important. Take Jude's epistle, and what does it say? Jude talks about the complete apostasy from Christianity. And what he says in the end is this. But unto him that is able to keep you without stumbling. Did you get that? The last time, complete apostasy and without stumbling. And set you with exaltation, blameless before his glory. Now, the flip side of this is that if I go wrong, I can't blame the ruin around me. Because the word says actually, he can keep you blameless without stumbling. Now, there have of course been quite a few ideas about what we can do in the time of ruin. One idea is, well, we have to undo the ruin. That's like taking a bucket and trying to empty the River Nile. Perhaps it's a noble ambition. You can't undo the ruin of Christianity. The other natural idea is, well, compromise. If everybody does it, it's got to be all right. And I believe that that one is just as wrong. Now, what is God looking for? God is looking for faithfulness in the time of ruin. Now, I've only got ten minutes left, and I haven't told you anything about what we think that way of God is. Sometimes it may look a little bit like this picture here of the motorway spaghetti junction, where you just wonder, well, which is the way to go? Some have said, well, go with the flow. Some have said, well, you've got a choice now. Just take your pick. Some have said, start a new church. Now, I firmly believe that all of these are wrong. Now, what is God's way in the time of ruin? And perhaps this picture here conveys a little bit of it to us. Perhaps the first point in the time of ruin, after we have recognised that it is ruin, is humiliation. We've mentioned a few things where we think many believers sadly go away that is not scriptural. But really, we're not doing that to feel better about ourselves. You find that, actually, even among the men we mentioned, this was always God's way. Confession and prayer. Think of Daniel 9. We have sinned. He didn't say the others. Think of Ezra 9, Nehemiah 9. For those who were here last week, they may remember Ezekiel 9. Those who mourned about the condition. And I believe that this is the first step God wants us to go, to actually say, we haven't helped things either. But then God wants us to move on. He wants us to actually try and find out what the way is. Because there are principles laid down in the Word of God, especially for the last time. And God wants us to study those and to try and follow those. I had to look for a long time to find a picture of Jerusalem that didn't have the dome of rocks on it, because I wanted one without it. This picture is to remind you of the scripture in Deuteronomy 12, where God says to the people, actually, when you come into the land, you can't just take your pick. You can't just go where you like. I've already chosen a place. Now, there is a bit of a dilemma here, because that place is a unique place. There's only one. Now, if that means anything to us today, it means that you can't take your pick. God says there is one right way. Now, in history, how did this happen afterwards? The people had got into the land. The people fell into idolatry. The people were cast out of the land. Did that change anything about the unique place? Well, it didn't. When the captivity was over, there was only one place to go, and that was still Jerusalem. It was still the place God has chosen. It's helped me a lot that the people who went back to Jerusalem, they were a minority. Now, some could have said to them, well, what do you think of yourselves? Well, they didn't think much of themselves. They thought much of God. And they said, if God has chosen that place, that's where we'd like to be. You actually find the same. There is, again, a unique place, the place where the Lord wants his name to dwell, and that's where Christians, two or three or more, are gathered unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, that means they recognize his authority. They want him to be central, and they want him to direct. Now, you can't just say that. If we just claim we recognize his authority, but we don't at least aim at being in line with the New Testament, with the Bible, well, that would be a false claim. But the concept is still there, one place where God wants to see believers. Now, that takes us to the question, well, if that one place is there in the New Testament time, what is that place? And these two words had come up, unity and separation, and that has been a problem to some. They said, well, the people who talk very much of unity, they keep mentioning the body of Christ, and these are the same people who talk about separation, and that must be wrong. Now, is it? Let's see. There is one body, Ephesians 4 verse 4. Now, that tells us, I might say, this is the first beacon of two I want to suggest to you that show the way, the unity of the body. That tells you that you don't need to found a church. You don't need to apply somewhere to become a member, and it means that when you break bread, you break bread as a member of the brethren, yeah? Ah, somebody's awake. You break bread as a member of the body of Christ. Now, on the other hand, it says in 2 Timothy 2, depart from iniquity. So that's the second beacon, if you like, separation from evil, different types of it, moral, doctrinal associations, and it has already been mentioned that to do this, you also need, A, a personal matter, and B, you need church discipline. Now, the Bible really enjoins both. It says there is the unity. You need to act in a way that is in harmony with it. On the other hand, you are under an obligation to stay away from that which is evil. Now, is that a paradox? Well, let's just look at some examples. Coming back to the example of Ezra, you might say, well, yes, they were separate. They went away from Babylon, the seat of idolatry, of course, but where was the unity? Well, let me tell you that they were the ones who built an altar and who sacrificed the 12 he goats and the 12 bullocks. It actually says, for the whole people of Israel. I've never read of anyone in Babylon who did that there. And I dare say that the only expression of unity you could find was actually among this minority that had gone back to the place of God's choice. I want to give you a second example where you find both principles. 1 Corinthians 10, the bread which we break. There you have it again, beacon one, the one body, unity. And yet, in that very passage, it says you cannot partake of the Lord's table and of the demon's table. It says you can't be associated with a Christian fellowship and with a fellowship that is not compatible with Christian fellowship. So the two principles seem to go together, actually. And a third example is 2 Timothy 2. You find a seal there. You can check it out for yourself. The seal has two sides. The one side is God knows those who are his. It's a bit sad that we don't always, but God does. That's all who belong to the body of Christ. And then it says, as mentioned, depart from iniquity. Again, very close together, the two principles, each a beacon to guide us through. So let's just revisit the questions. First one, why are there so many churches today? Well, the simple answer is because the church is in ruins. It was never God's thought. Second question, who is right and does it matter? Well, God is right, and you and I can be right in the measure that we follow what God tells us. Is there a right way to go? Does a time come when things get so difficult that you say, no, you can't go the right way? I find that very encouraging. The Bible says no. The Bible says there always is. Number four was separation and unity. Is it a paradox? Well, I trust we've seen it isn't. These are two guiding principles which help us find our way. Finally, the place of God's choice, do you know it? We're not going to give you an address, not telling you where to go or where we think you should go. We're just trying to give you principles, and we trust that you find a place where you can say with a measure of conviction, I hope with full conviction, actually, I believe that this is the place God has shown me, and it is a place where perhaps not all is perfect. As has been said, if you find a church that's perfect, don't join it because it won't be perfect anymore. Where you have people, things won't be perfect, but I trust you'll be able to find a place where you can gather and you can say, well, I believe here's a desire to actually go that way which God has shown in his word. …

… I've been asked to speak about the relationship between assemblies, Christian assemblies, but there's a much more fundamental question than that, because there's no point in discussing church questions with you if you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. If you have not that relationship, if you've not been born again, if there's not a work of God in your soul, you're on the road to hell, and you're in for a shock. You may have a Christian upbringing, you may be going there with your eyes open, you may be from another background, these truths may be new to you, you may not know anything about it, but the end of those who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is sad. This is life eternal, the Lord Jesus said, to know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. There's one God, one true God revealed in the Bible, and there's only one Savior, there's only one mediator between God and man, God and man, the man Christ Jesus, and it's very important that you attend to the message of this prophet that God has raised up, the last true prophet. God previously spoke in many parts and in many ways unto the fathers by the prophets, people like Abraham, but he has in these last days spoken unto us. The last revelation of God is through the Lord Jesus Christ, and if you do not attend to the message that he brings to us, there's no hope for you, and there's no point even in talking about these church questions, but I'm supposing, and I do trust and pray that each one here knows the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, or if they do not yet know the Lord Jesus that they might consider his claims. He's your Lord, God has made him both Lord and Christ, he ascended from the dead, he's raised, he's glorified, he's in heaven, and he's the one who's going to come again for those who belong to him. So first of all, we need to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and have a personal experience of him in our life. I'm supposing also that you've had the privilege of Christian baptism conferred on you, and that you are at least externally identified with the profession of Christianity here in this world. And then there was another important question which two of the speakers touched on, and that's a question of the charismatic gifts. That's a big question for believers, which we all have to face. These miraculous gifts, these signed gifts, have they died out, or are they still present in the church? In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul wrote, tongues shall cease. And if we read church history, we have a pretty clear indication of when they ceased and passed out of existence. And we have to ask ourselves, is there any warrant in the word of God for these to be revived? The beginning of the Mosaic dispensation, the period when God was dealing with the children of Israel and the principle of law, Moses did signs, wonders in the land of Egypt. But you know, John the Baptist was at the end of that period of time, and specifically said of John, John did no miracle. So there are signs that are associated with the apostles, and it's a legitimate question, are we to expect these things to be continued today? You know, we see these tele-evangelists and people like Benny Hinn, they stand up and they're making people fall backwards. You know, the only people in the New Testament that I'm aware of that fell backwards in the presence of the Lord Jesus were his enemies. When they came to apprehend him in John's gospel, he said, I am he, I am the great Jehovah, I am. They all went backward and fell to the ground. People who owned his claims, who were Christians, they fell on their face. The wise men, the Magi worshipped him. Peter fell down at his feet. They bowed before him. They didn't fall backward. Or take someone like Joyce Mayer. Paul says, I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over a man. He says that the women are to keep silence in the church. How can these things be right? Okay, these may just be a more extreme manifestation of a tendency which began at the beginning of the 20th century. But we have to ask ourselves, are these things legitimate? Are they owned of God? Can God signal his approval of Pentecostals who don't even believe in the Trinity, who believe in Jesus only, who are astray, fundamentally astray doctrinally, and yet they seem to have the same manifestations amongst them as others who have a true view of Christ and of the Father and of God, the Holy Spirit. So this is a big question. And it's a question really, the cessation of the charisma or the continuation of these things in the church. That has been looked at. And then the next question coming in the order I'm indicating is, what about your ecclesiastical associations? Where you are? Ecclesia, we've talked a lot about church, about the assembly. The translation of the Greek word ecclesia, meaning a called out company. People come together in another passage in a secular context in the book of Acts, it means a lawful assembly. They could have a lawful assembly. In the Geneva Bible, the Puritan Bible, it was translated congregation. King James, for political expediency, he changed, he had the translators change the word back into an ecclesiastical word, church, which doesn't mean, I mean, it means different things to different people. You go to church, you go to the service, you go into the church, you could be going into the ministry, or you could be going into the church building. So there's an element of confusion in the word church, and we use the word church, and we use the word assembly interchangeably. But the literal translation probably would favor the use of the word assembly. So, in your own locality, where do you stand in regard to a church position, assuming that there is clear instruction in the word of God, and this is where the rubber hits the ground in your particular situation, be it Norwich, or St. Andrews, whatever your locality is, that's where the question is important to you. It's not a question of Bombay, or Tokyo, or Sydney, or Rome, or Canterbury, or Jerusalem, or Constantinople. We're talking about the assembly relationships, and this brings in the thought of the local assembly. So basically, what does the scriptures teach about the local assembly? I think the first thing we have to do is, in line with what our previous brother has said, we have to abstract ourselves from all the confusion around us and turn to the word of God, because I think we've seen that Christendom does not answer to the mind of God. If you think of the Christianity of the Middle Ages, with celibate priests distinct from the laity, forbidden to marry, taking contributes. If you think popes putting their illegitimate sons into bishoprics and archbishoprics, is according to scripture, or the idea that you can buy indulgences, pay some money over to the church so that it can build St. Peter's Basilica, and your mother, or father, or friend, or relative will get out of purgatory, this supposed intermediate place for souls, and go to heaven. As soon as money in the coffer wrings, the soul from purgatory springs. We all can see clearly that such corruptions are not according to the word of God. But as we look around us today, all the confusion, 1,500 churches and growing, and you could look up encyclopedias about differences in church doctrine and teaching and distinction. Is it according to the word of God, is the question. Some people go here, some people go there, some people go anywhere. Some people say, go nowhere. I'll just be a Christian at home, I can have fellowship in my own house. So what I'm saying is, we have to abstract our minds from anything we see around us, or anything indeed that we see. In the cycle of church history, and in the book of Ezekiel, it speaks about the pattern of the house. And Moses, in making the tabernacle, he was instructed that he was to be very careful to make all things according to the pattern. So we need to look at the pattern, and with that in view, I'd like to read from 1 Corinthians chapter 1. Verse 9 might be a starting point. God is faithful. And then, Corinthians is a book which deals with the church or assembly in a local setting. So if we want to learn about the assembly in a locality, and if we want to learn about relationships between assemblies, a study of the Corinthian epistles is a good starting point. In verse 2, Paul writes, unto the church of God which is at Corinth. Then it gives a description, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints, or saints by divine calling, with all that in every place, call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours. And then, just for completion, in 2 Corinthians chapter 1, where Paul is writing a second epistle, and in the latter part of verse 1 he says, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in Achaia. Now, the first point I want to make, and it can't be emphasized enough, and we've already had it, every figure in the New Testament which speaks of the assembly testifies of its unity. It's presented as one flock. It's presented under the figure of a house, the house of God. It's presented as the temple, a growing temple. Paul speaks of it as one new man. We've already had it brought before us in its character as the bride, the bride of Christ. It's the body of Christ. Christ is the head of the body. If there were more than one body, it would be a monstrosity. One head and one body. And yet, in men's organizations, there are so many different bodies and denominations and associations. And in the verse I've read here, God is faithful by whom you're called unto the fellowship of his son, Jesus Christ our Lord. So it's a unique fellowship. We could almost say it's an exclusive fellowship. It's the only fellowship, the one fellowship, to which all believers are called. Of course, many people believe the church is going to be complete in heaven. They don't have any doubts. You know, we all get to glory. We're all going to be together. But that's not the comparison that's presented in the scripture. In John 10, 16, the Lord says, other sheep I have which are not of this fold. That was the Jewish fold. You're speaking about believers who would come from the nations. He says, them also I must bring. And then he says, there shall be not one fold, as in the King James version, but the literal translation is there shall be one flock and one shepherd. That's what he was talking about on earth, one flock and one shepherd. And similarly in John's gospel chapter 17 and verse 20, we have the Lord's prayer, high priestly prayer. And speaking of the disciples, he says, neither pray I for these alone, but for them also who shall believe on me through their work, that they all may be one. Christ prayed for the oneness of believers. And this was a manifested unity. This was a unity that ought to have been seen. And indeed for some moments of time in the early history, the book of Acts was seen that others, that the world may believe that God has sent me. Christian unity in the world should be such that those who look on Christianity can say, yes, that points to Christ. The unity of this people points to Christ. Now, sadly, that's not the case. Our disunity is a legend to those who are outside the pale of Christianity. And in 1 Corinthians 12, 13, in the power of one spirit, we've all been baptized into one body. And there's a very interesting verse in Ephesians chapter two, where it says in verse 10, sorry, Ephesians 3 verse 10, to the intent that now, that's not future, that's just present time. That's the church's history on earth. That now onto the principality and powers in heavenly places, angelic intelligences, heavenly spectators, says should be known by the church or by the assembly, the manifold wisdom of God. And if you look at the context of the chapter and look at chapter two, it's the one new man, it's God taking Jews out of their Jewishness, Jewish believers and Gentiles from their background amongst the nations and making them one, one in Christ. So this is a unity which should be seen on earth. And indeed it was on the day of Pentecost. Remember our first speaker told us from Matthew 16, that Abraham wasn't in the church, nor John the Baptist, nor any of the old Testament saints. They were blessed and they will be blessed. And we're blessed with faithful Abraham. And they'll be in Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will sit down in the kingdom of God. They'll share in the heavenly blessedness. That's not the same thing as a church. It's the assembly. The assembly is in a special relationship to Christ and will be to all eternity. And when the Lord Jesus spoke in Matthew 16, he said on this rock, I will build my assembly. It was future. And he tells her that it would not be formed until he was glorified. It says this Holy Spirit was not yet because Jesus was not yet glorified on the day of Pentecost. There was a sign of a rushing mighty. And it came and tons of fire sat upon them, the 120 in the upper room. And it filled the whole building. The Holy Spirit took up his personal dwelling on earth just as really and truly as Christ in our incarnation came to this earth. And the Holy Spirit is present in the assembly. A divine person has taken his residence on earth. And in that connection, the assembly is the house of God. And it was formed in answer to the Lord's prophecy on the day of Pentecost. And there at Jerusalem, the believers were all together. They were all together and did all things in common. That's the assembly. And there was persecution. They spread out. After the conversion of Saul, the church had rest throughout Judea or the churches, depending on what Greek text you're from. The point is this. Local assemblies are local representations of the assembly. It's a matter of geography. As the testimony spread, as believers moved out, they were no longer all together in one place. And so other companies were formed, local congregations, local churches. But essentially, it was a question of geography. Essentially, the church of God is one according to God's mind throughout the world. So in each particular locality where the saints of God, where believers are found, they're a representation of the whole. They're a representation. They're a microcosm. They're a replica of the wider thought. And the same relationship, which applies more generally, applies locally in Corinthians. The Greek article is not there in the Greek, but you can't say a body of Christ. They are body of Christ. Characteristically, they are the body of Christ. At Corinth, the Christian company was the body of Christ, characteristically, and members in particular. So we're members one of another. Well, you tell me if I'm wrong, but as far as I can see, there's no such of a thing as membership of a local church in the New Testament scriptures. We're members of the universal church. We're members of the body of Christ. We're members one of another. We're of the house of God. And that actually sets aside man's ideas. Because even in that church, which describes itself as holy and Roman and Catholic and apostolic, and some of those things are contradiction in terms, but in the Roman Catholic church actually comes down to the parochial system. And you're in a parish church and you belong to a particular parish. You've got a parish priest and you're baptized. You go on the church register. You're a communicant. You go on the church register. For all that's posted Catholicism, it is local members. Come to the Reformation, national churches were formed. Church of England, Church of Scotland, the Lutheran Church in Germany and the various churches in the cantons of Switzerland and throughout the world. The idea of a national church. You don't read of national churches in the New Testament. And then the dissenting churches and those who came out of national churches, particular Baptist, particular membership. Almost all churches have local membership. And this is so contrary to what's found in the Word of God. So we have to see, we have to abstract ourselves from what we see around us and we have to seek to have God's mind. And then when we have that, we're able to see where our responsibilities lie. But while administration is local, we're just carrying out the mind of God in a locality, just in the same way that other believers are doing in other localities. And in the notes, which I'm not going to go into now, there's a case study of how this unity was kept up in the book of Acts between the Jews and the work in Judea. And then the Samaritans were brought in. And then with Cornelius, the Gentiles were brought in. And then there were questions that arose between the Gentiles and the Jews. And they had the meeting at Jerusalem. So it's very interesting to see the way the unity of the spirit was preserved in the early church in the book of Acts. And here we have it in first Corinthians. We've said it's the fellowship, the one fellowship, the fellowship of God's son, to which all believers have been called. And there's the assembly of God, which is at Corinth. That's a specific locality. And then there are those at Corinth. It tells us all believers at Corinth were of the assembly there. And then it winds up all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. That's other localities. All those in other places, in every place throughout the world, this was God's thought, a local assembly at Corinth. And in every place where believers were found, the letter was addressed to them also, a responsibility in localities. In the second epistle, all the saints who are in Achaia, that's the region that surrounded Corinth. So that then was how the church was in New Testament times. Someone was received at Corinth. He was received into the privileges of the assembly of God into the fellowship there. And wherever he traveled, it was the same fellowship. And they had letters. They had letters of commendation. In fact, the epistle to Romans was a letter given to the deaconess Phoebe at Corinth. So that when she was a letter rather to Rome from Corinth or from Cynthia, commending that sister to the brethren, this was the way the unity was preserved in practice. If someone was unknown and visiting a different locality or a different country, there was a letter given saying, she's of the assembly, she or he's a Christian believer, and please receive them to the privileges of the Christian assembly. Corinth, where a matter of discipline came in, and there'd been some on immorality. And Paul says, put away from among yourselves that wicked person. He was delivered onto the sphere of Satan. There was a within and without. Do you seriously believe he could have been outside of the church at Corinth and received down the road at Ephesus or Philippi? Nonsense. There was a unity of discipline. There was a unity of mind. There was a unity of judgment. If someone was outside in one place, if he was considered not fit for Christian fellowship in one place, he was considered not fit for Christian fellowship in every place. If he was received into Christian fellowship in one place, he was received into Christian fellowship everywhere. And that's how it should be today. That's how it should be amongst ourselves. But have we said, well, there's so much confusion all around us. What's the answer? We can't reconstruct the church. We can't wipe the slate clean. We can't go back to the drawing board and start all over again. We have to accept the dilapidation of the church and the ruination that has come in or the difficult conditions. And the last days, perilous times shall come. We're in them now. There's a lot of confusion in Christian circles. So what are we to do? Well, the answer is in 2 Timothy 2, which has been looked at, and there's a resource for us in Matthew 18, 20, where two or three are gathered together onto my name, there am I in the midst of them. That's a resource for us. If we want to go back to God's original ground, if we want to seek to, we can only seek to answer to the scriptures. We can't claim to be the assembly of God in any particular place. We have it in the English language too, and in French we speak about l'assemblée, and in German the Versammlung. But in English, we make a distinction. Sometimes we speak about the assembly, but it's very current amongst us to talk about the meeting, going to the meeting, and the meeting does this, or the meeting does that, or such and such a meeting. There's a slight nuance there, but the change in the language indicates that the significance and the realization that we are not the assembly of God, and we do not make any claims to be exclusively the assembly of God in any particular place. Rather, we simply gather on the ground of the church of God. We gather on that basis. We gather according to the principles. We seek to answer the truth of scripture, even if there be only two or three in a city or in a particular locality. Where two or three are gathered together in my name, we have the assurance of the presence of Christ. He says, there am I in the midst of them. We had to give a definition, I think, of what constitutes recognition of assemblies was one of the points in the program. I came across this extract from C. H. McIntosh, which I think is relevant. It says, the ground on which Christians should gather is stated in Ephesians 4, verse 4, there is one body. That is beyond the unity of the assembly. Then he says, there are three tests by which to try all who profess to be gathered on the ground of the church of God. It is not as Calvin stated, you know, where the word of God is preached and where the Christian sacraments are properly administered. Because where in the New Testament is there anything about sacraments being administered? But rather, the three points that he gives is, is the absolute authority of the word of God owned in all things? So, dear friends, are you in an environment where the absolute authority of the word of God is recognized in all things? Not just for your personal salvation, but for the way in which we come together in the church. And then, is the free action, secondly, is the free action of the Holy Spirit fully allowed in worship and ministry? If we had a system of pastors or clergymen or made an artificial distinction between clergy and laity, or if we had a worship leader with someone to direct the saints, that really is infringing on the rights of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells every believer, every believer that have believed the gospel salvation is sealed by the Holy Spirit. He leads, he guides, we have to walk in the Spirit, we had some exhortations, we have to be filled with the Spirit, we're not to quench the Spirit, and we're not to grieve the Holy Spirit. And there should not, when we come together in worship or in dependence on the Lord to speak by whom he will, there should not be any human organization. I know we have to come together at a certain time, and we have to come together in a certain place, but when we're together, we should sit quietly, patiently perhaps, prayerfully, reverently, we should be waiting on God, we should be waiting on the Holy Spirit to use a brother here or a brother there, to be a mouthpiece of the assembly, prayer, or worship, or thanksgiving, or we should be looking to the Lord to give, as we heard about the gifts, to gift someone and to use someone to exercise that gift as an evangelist, or pastor, or teacher, there are many gifts, some of them were enumerated, and we haven't time to go into them now. But this is a very important second point, is the free action of the Holy Spirit fully allowed in worship and ministry? And then the third point, something which is greatly ignored today, is the purity of the Lord's table duly maintained by godly discipline in reference to bad doctrine and evil conduct? Because we're taught doctrine and conduct are two important areas, and we can also bring in, I suppose, a third question there, that's the question of association, because a little leaven leavens the whole lump, whether it be doctrinal error, or whether it be moral evil, if these things are tolerated, then they begin to affect others also, others are leavened, are affected by what happens. So there has to be a purity in the fellowship, there has to be godly discipline, and bad doctrine and evil conduct has to be dealt with. And Macintosh went on to say, wherever you cannot find these things, it is not the church of God at all, it's not on that ground. So we have to practice these truths in order to answer to the mind of God in a local setting. The other point, and I know time is almost gone, assembly administration is local, it's always local. The matter that cropped up at Corinth was a matter for the Corinthians to deal with, and that's very much the case today, and decisions taken in one local assembly, therefore, should be respected by the other assemblies. And I'm not going to dwell on this point too much, because Brother Simon Atwood, I believe, will be dealing with the matter of discipline in the assembly. But there's perfect competence in the locality to deal with local administration. That's a point that's worth underlining. Of course, the question does arise, what constitutes locality? And we saw that in a locality, in a city or in a town, there was always the church of God there. When it comes to a district such as Galatia, the province, there were numerous assemblies, but in the scriptures, even though at Jerusalem, believers in Jerusalem, they were breaking bread from house to house, they were breaking bread at home, and there were very numerous counties, over 5,000 eventually, and growing, and it's probably impossible that physically they could have come together in one precise locality, but they met together, characteristically, they met together in fellowship with each other. And this is a point worth stressing, and a brother whose name has been mentioned by an earlier speaker has written, I think this important in connection with our subject, the idea of several independent assemblies in one city is very widely held, and perhaps increasingly held. The result, he says, is a spirit of independency which is gravely opposed to the maintenance of that fellowship into which our faithful God has called us. Referring to Corinthians, he says, the epistle is directed to every locality where there are Christians, and to all Christians in that locality, so that that which is instruction for one meeting in a city is instruction for every meeting in that city. So there's a question of unity in a city or a location. And I think also the spirit of God is perfectly competent today. Both Corinthians at Corinth and at Ephesus, the assembly was referred to as the temple of God. There was light there, and there's sufficient light from God, and there's sufficient authority in the presence of the Holy Spirit to deal with local matters, primarily in their own locality. We know, of course, that if an assembly is not prepared to function in the way of discipline or to answer to the mind of scriptures, they can be prevailed on from other believers, first and foremost, in the adjacent assemblies. But matters of administration are carried on in localities. I know that in the book of Acts that certain questions were decided at Jerusalem, but we don't have any earthly center or any earthly headquarters today. We don't go up to Jerusalem, and we don't have apostles, and we don't have elders, and we can't call an assembly of that nature together. And I very much question if any company of brethren on a national level or on whatever level you wish to have it comes together. I do not think that we could say today in the same way as it is said in Acts 15, it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us. That was a time of transition from Judaism to Christianity. Our center today is not at Jerusalem nor at any other earthly center, but our resource is in the Spirit of God and in administration in localities. So that governs and defines the relationship, the interrelationship between assemblies in various localities, because essentially they are expressions of the one assembly of God on earth, and actions taken in one should be recognized in the others. …

… Well, I suppose if there's one question that we have divided the meetings and divided Christians since Pentecost, particularly in the last few years, it has been the question, who should break bread? Or, who can break bread? And so this afternoon, in the allotted space that I have, we're going to refer as much as we can to the Word of God. Firstly, I want to suggest that every single person should break bread. Every single person should be remembering the Lord. And the reason for that is, is that God has given a commandment to everyone, to everyone in this room, to everyone in Catford, to everyone in this world, to repent and accept the work of his beloved Son. Acts 16, 31. God has commanded we should respond. But as we all know, in the world in which we live, we find, very often like Elijah, that the vast majority of our friends, or a vast majority of those that we meet with, have never responded to God's call to repent. And I'll add to what Andrew said, has everyone in this room responded to the call to repent of your sins and to believe the gospel of the Lord Jesus, and to become a saved person, a born-again person, and as we've already had before us, a member of the body of Christ. And so from a very, very wide circle of those who should break bread, we narrow it down to those who have the privilege of breaking bread, are those who have responded to the command of God, who have trusted the Lord Jesus as their Saviour, are part of the body of Christ, you are the ones that should and can break bread. I wonder if there's those here that are in this second group. You have trusted the Lord as your Saviour, you know you're born again, you know that you're part of the body, but as yet do not respond to the request of the Lord Jesus to remember him. That's the first challenge. Now of that group that should break bread, and of that second group that can break bread, we find that there are certain scriptures which teaches us that there are those who are truly born again, are on their way to heaven, and yet because of their walk, which is inconsistent with the Word of God, they are unable to remember the Lord to break bread. Now we've already quoted that 1 Corinthians chapter 5, and if you turn to the verse, 1 Corinthians 5, it is reported commonly, verse 1, that there is fornication among you, and such fornication is not so much as named amongst the Gentiles, and then in verse 13, therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person. At Corinth, there was a believer. Let us get this straight at the very beginning, that the person that we're talking about in Corinthians chapter 5 was a believer. The person that we're talking about in 1 Corinthians 5 has been with Christ for 1,900 years plus. He never stopped being a believer, and yet as he was moving through this scene, he fell into sin, a moral sin. What it was, as we could find as we read through, is obviously his father had remarried, and this, he's the father's son, was having an affair with his stepmother, and the Apostle Paul writes to him and says, this is something that ought not to be amongst the Christian company, and to put it absolutely bluntly, what Paul is saying, that sexual intercourse between the unmarried is out for the Christian company, and Paul tells them very, very straight what they should do, that that person had to be put out from amongst the company. We read the verse, he actually says, put away from among you that wicked person. In spite of the fact that he is a believer, in spite of the fact that he's going to heaven, his walk was such as it was a damage into the testimony, it was damaging to the company at Corinth, and it was not for the glory of the Lord Jesus. And so we find that there are certain people that because of their walk, they are not in a right condition to remember the Lord, to break bread. But then we move on and we find, it was very ably mentioned by Andrew, that when we come into 2nd Timothy, we find there that there were those who said that the resurrection had already passed. If the first group are ones that were morally wrong, in their walk they were wrong, in the second company we find there were those who doctrinally were wrong. They held truths about the person or the work of the Lord Jesus, which was fundamental against the Christian position. And it is quite clear that the Apostle Paul would say that these people we cannot walk with. Now you will have noticed there is a big difference between what we get in Corinthians and what we get in 2nd Timothy. In Corinthians, written in the early days of the church, it was quite possible for the little company that was at Corinth to put out the person that was walking in an immoral way. But when we get to 2nd Timothy, the church period has moved on several years, and we find that within that company there were a great deal who held defective doctrine. So what are we going to do? If I'm in a church, if I'm in an assembly where everybody else believes a truth, believes a doctrine which I consider to be wrong, if everybody in the church that I was, let's say for instance, believed that the Lord could sin, what could I do? Carry on with it? Put them all out? It would be impossible for me to put them out. And so according to 2nd Timothy, I moved out myself. The statement is given that if we purge ourselves from those that hold this evil doctrine, we shall be a vessel to honour meat for the Master's use. So we find that the second quality, the second thing that is required of those that remember the Lord is that our doctrine is pure. There may be some that will bring questions about different types of doctrine that we might have, and we don't all agree on various things. Some of us would disagree perhaps on baptism, some of us may disagree on the aspects of the Lord's coming. But the point that I think he's brought out, which is things which are fundamental. If we deny the resurrection, the Apostle Paul says in 1st Corinthians 15, we have denied the faith, and our faith is vain. And things that affect the person and the work of the Lord Jesus are absolutely fundamental and are absolutely vital as far as our Christian fellowship is concerned. And so we have those that are walking in a way which is morally wrong. And then we have those which are holding doctrines which are against the teaching of Scripture. Let us take another example. If a person said that the whole of the Word of God was not inspired by the Spirit of God, would you carry on with them? Could we carry on with them? I'm absolutely confident that if we are to obey the Word of God, we could not carry on with anybody who denied the inspiration of all the Scriptures. And there are many, many different doctrines which we would have to separate from if we are to be true to the teaching of the Word of God. But then we come to the third reason, and perhaps this is the reason that most people will say, well, I don't see it. But I personally think it is the clearest of the three. And that is the question of association with evil. In the second epistle of John, John writes to a sister and he says to her, he says, if somebody comes to your door and they bring a doctrine which is not of Christ, and you say to them, you bid them Godspeed, you say, have a good day. John says, not me, John says, you are a partaker of their evil deeds. And if we're in an assembly where there are those that hold doctrine contrary to the Word of God, if we're in an assembly where there are those who are walking morally wrong, what is our position? Do we stay in that assembly and speak against it? Is that what the scriptures would teach us? The scripture would teach us, a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. So if there's moral evil, the whole assembly becomes level. If there's doctrinal evil, the same thing applies. The statement is from 1 Corinthians and Galatians, we get the same references, a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. And if we are associated with that, we too are leavened. There is an interesting verse, and you will see on the notes, there were a number of verses that refer to this. In Haggai, there is the question asked in relation to the priest and the Haggai 2.13, the question is asked about a priest and whether it takes place in the church in something that is unclean, would he be holy and vice versa. We get there, clearly brought forth this idea that association with evil defiles. So there are three things that we should apply to ourselves and ask ourselves the question, is there in my life that which is morally wrong? We mention fornication because that is what is mentioned in 1 Corinthians but you will notice also if we read down that chapter, there are other things which we might not think are quite as bad but the word of God says they are and if we are habitually a drunkard, it is publicly known we should not be in fellowship. If we are doing something which is dishonouring to the company and the testimony, we should not be in fellowship. And if we hold doctrines which are contrary to the word of God, as I hope we have seen from 2 Timothy, we too should not be in fellowship. But then if we are associated, if we are linked with those that do such, we too should question our position of fellowship. Now on the notes it says, I believe it is important that as we have already had before us, the Apostles in Acts chapter 2, they continued steadfast in the Apostles doctrine, fellowship, prayers and the breaking of bread. Adding to these things that we have had already, I think that one of the important things, our life should be a continuous Christianity. There is no good having Christianity on the Lord's day and the rest of the week we can do as we like. And this is not something that I can judge but each one of us individually, we have to judge our own lives as to how we act during the rest of the week. Are we consistent with the truth that we have and with what we express on a Lord's day morning? Here are challenges that each one of us has to look at and has to think about. And the second and the next point was, who decides after all? I would suggest that any decisions that are made as to whether we can break bread, must come, first of all, from the Word of God. And if you are told by somebody that you are not fit to remember the Lord, let them return to the Scriptures and find the reason in the Scriptures. Because there may be many that have questions. A brother was asked a few weeks ago, which meeting or which company shall I go to? And his reply was not, come where I am. His reply was, study the Scriptures, read through the New Testament, particularly the epistles to the church, and there you will see the sort of company that we should go to. There you'll see the sort of company that the Lord would have us to be at. And when you've done that, go to that particular company. One of the problems that I feel that we have in our assemblies is that we tend to think that the breaking of bread is there for our convenience. We tend to think that if we have our friends and if our relatives come, it's much more convenient to take them along to the breaking of bread than to take them elsewhere. And I would suggest that we are having low thoughts of our Christian friends. As far as I'm concerned, if somebody before the Lord, having read through those New Testament Scriptures, come up with a conclusion that they believe that the Baptist church is the place for them, why does that change when they come on holiday to my house? If you believe that it's right at Catford to have fellowship with the company that meets here, why would that change when you went to Lowestoft? Surely what Andrew has been bringing out in relation to the assemblies and the truth of assembly being responsible together would be clearly brought out in this time. So that's all I've basically got to say. The reasons why somebody can break bread. Who can break bread? You need, first of all, to be saved. Acts 1 Corinthians 10, when we take the loaves, it's a picture, it speaks about of the one body. So the first conditions, the first thing that we can say is that you need, first of all, to be saved. Secondly, your life needs to be morally right. You need to be walking in a pathway which is right according to the Word of God. Thirdly, you need to be right in relation to the doctrines and the person of Christ. And fourthly, we should not be associated either with those that are holding evil doctrine or those who are morally wrong. Now I expect there are plenty of questions, if not about what I've said, about the connotations from what was said. Perhaps, do you want to raise them now or later? I've got a quick question. In Titus 3.10 it speaks about heretic. You have to reject him. Wouldn't you put that as another category besides the three that you've had? Titus 3.10. Isn't that an additional reason for not allowing fellowship with the Christians? Because a heretic doesn't necessarily mean a false teacher, it just means a sectarian or an opinionated person. So he may be quite sound in doctrine, he may be sound morally, and he may not be associated with false, but he may be very strongly opinionated. Now according to Titus it says you've got to reject such a person. How do you see that in your little scheme? Let's say after the first and second abomination. Well while you're talking amongst yourselves, I'll give you what I gleaned. I have a note here which says there are seven steps before excommunication. The first one is Galatians 6.1. If any man be overtaken by a fault, you it to spiritual restore. If someone has a fault, we wouldn't put them out of fellowship. The second one is 1 Thessalonians 5.14. You'll have to look that one up. The third one is 2 Thessalonians 3.6. The fourth one is 1 Timothy 5.20. And the fifth one is Titus 3.10. And then the sixth one is Matthew 18.16-18 when you take it to the assembly. So excommunication from an assembly is a very, very serious matter. And we certainly shouldn't put someone out of the assembly without very, very good reason. That probably doesn't answer your question. But put it in the box. Why didn't we speak? Okay. In 1 Corinthians we have the case of the person being put out of fellowship. But if we were to turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 7, this is what the Apostle Paul said. 2 Corinthians 7 verse 8. Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that I had done the wrong, that's the man who had sinned, nor for the cause that suffered wrong, that's his father, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you. That's the assembly at Corinth. Paul writes to them and in the end he says, he carries on. What Paul is saying in this letter, you were perfectly right when I wrote to you, you were sorrowful because I told you to put someone away. You obeyed, you put that person away, but now since that person has repented, he should be brought back into the assembly. And in this 7th chapter of 2 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul is telling them that that person should be put back, brought back and restored to the assembly. I think it is absolutely true that all discipline in the church, although primarily it's in order to maintain the holiness of the name of the Lord and his person, it's to maintain the holiness of the assembly, but it is also to restore that person and bring him back into the assembly. It's Galatians 6 verse 1. …

… Good evening. That was good tea, wasn't it? I certainly enjoyed it. I hope you did too. The subject of assembly authority and its limits sounds a bit technical to me. Perhaps it does to you. Maybe we think this sounds a bit like a Brethren mantra. Is this something that the Brethren have thought up and blown out of all perspective, made far more important than perhaps it really is? Well, I don't think so. I think as we go through the scriptures we're going to find that it's a Bible basic and that's why we've got it at the Bible basic conference. I just want though to read these verses from Matthew chapter 18 verses 15 to 20. Suffering from this parallax. Right, moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee thou has gained thy brother but if he will not hear thee then take with thee one or two more that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them tell it unto the church but if he neglect to hear the church let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask it shall be done for them of my father which is in heaven for where two or three are gathered together in or to my name there am I in the midst of them. A picture on this slide is of a group of Bhutanese believers who live in a refugee camp in eastern Nepal. They're believers on the Lord Jesus. Now the question is can they exercise assembly authority? Can we here in Catford exercise assembly responsibility? Or wherever you're from can assembly authority be exercised? Well perhaps first of all we should ask the question what is assembly authority? Authority is the right or responsibility and the power to do something. The right or responsibility and the power to do something. I think most of us would know what the word authority means but it's just there to make it clear. We've already heard what the assembly is we've seen the assembly from the point of view of what it is universally all believers on the Lord Jesus Christ and we've also thought of the assembly as it is locally. The representation of that assembly in a particular place a town a village a city. The assembly has authority from the Lord Jesus to bind or loose. We've just read that in these verses from Matthew chapter 18. And to bind or loose really means to discipline. To bind is to discipline and to loose is to release from discipline. And also we saw in verse 19 that the Lord Jesus says that if two of you shall agree on earth on touching anything that they shall ask it shall be done for them of my father which is in heaven. So it's not simply a matter that's limited to discipline. There might need to be agreement with regard to something else that should happen in a particular locality for the glory of the Lord Jesus and for the blessing of his people. And the assembly has this authority from the Lord Jesus on the principle that where two or three are gathered in my name or to my name there am I in the midst of them. It's a very important principle indeed and just one thing to be said in connection with what Andrew was saying to us a bit earlier on this afternoon we're going to see that assembly authority is something that is essentially exercised in localities by local assemblies. Let's move on then. Why is assembly authority important? And I'm particularly going to look at the matter of this question of discipline which Rusty touched on as well when he was speaking. This matter of binding and loosening which has a particular relevance to matters of discipline. And it's important because it enables the assembly to deal with sin and disorder so that these things sin and disorder do not first of all dishonor God. Now we've already had quite a few references to 1 Corinthians chapter 5 and you'll see that I've referred to some verses from 1 Corinthians chapter 5 on this slide. God must come first. We already mentioned the verse and we're going to mention it again in 1 Timothy chapter 3 verse 15 that the assembly universally is the house of God upon earth and so the local assembly should be representative of that particular truth. So when it says in 1 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 1 it is reported commonly that there is fornication among you and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles that one should have his father's wife. Do you not think that what was happening in Corinth in the local assembly in Corinth was a dishonor to God? Of course it was. I'm being checked for viruses. The second point here it spoils the assembly's witness. Just that one verse at the beginning of chapter 5 would surely bring that home to us. It is reported commonly it was known to be the case in this local assembly this assembly at Corinth that this sin was occurring among them and was carrying on and nothing was being done about it. It must have spoiled their witness. I've mentioned also verse 8 where the apostle Paul says therefore let us keep the feast. Now that's not the breaking of bread that's the feast of Christianity if you like. Not with old leaven. The old way of living. Neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness because malice and wickedness can come into relationships between believers on the Lord Jesus. But with the unleavened bread just in case anybody's unsure about this because we've mentioned this word leaven a couple of times already today. Leaven in the scriptures is always connected with what is bad, what is evil. Sin. So here in this verse we're told but with the unleavened bread without any of that leaven of sincerity and truth. Now that's good for us as believers but it's also important for our witness that believers should see these characteristics among us. Sincerity and truth. Furthermore when these things come in they defile the fellowship. This has already been mentioned in 1 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 6 we're told know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lamb. Yes this particular believer was sinning in a particular way but the fact that he was with the other believers in close fellowship surely is always the case in a local assembly meant that they would be affected defiled dirtied by his sin. And we've already seen haven't we from what we've heard already this afternoon that this question of leaven is not just a moral matter it's a doctrinal matter as well and in Galatians chapter 5 verse 9 you'll find in connection with the doctrinal error that was creeping in among the assemblies in Galatia that the apostle Paul uses the same verse or the same words know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lamb. But there's a fourth reason why we need to exercise assembly authority in matters like this that's because not to do so leaves those who have gone wrong in spiritual danger. 1 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 5 says that the apostle Paul had decided that action should be taken in this matter remember he did that in his apostolic his apostolic capacity and we've already heard that apostles we no longer have apostles with us but because of the inaction of the believers in Corinth the apostle Paul took the lead but he didn't take over from them he took the lead to encourage them to take up their responsibility and he said to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus it had in view the blessing ultimately of this particular person let's just cover a couple of those four points that I put up on the earlier slide the honor of God and the assembly's witness and it's good perhaps to remember what the apostle Paul says about the assembly in 1 Timothy chapter 3 verse 15 I've already mentioned it he says that the assembly is the house of God and in my house there's a particular order a particular way we do things generally speaking anyway now when you come to my house I hope that you will you'll fit in with our order however disorderly you may feel it to be but you know what I'm saying I hope when I go to your house that I won't say no that's not the way you should lay the table you should lay the table this way it's not my house there's a particular order to be followed the assembly is God's house and there's a particular order to be followed and furthermore it's called the pillar and ground of the truth and here we've got a light house and the reason why I've used that because that brings out the thought I think a bit of a pillar we're not used so much to having pillars today as they did at the time the apostle Paul wrote but one thing about pillars then was that on the top of a pillar was often an inscription there was a display of a statement something perhaps in tribute to an emperor or a great man here we've got a light so the assembly should be a display of God's truth and it should also be the stay the support the maintainer of God's truth we've got that as the base of the lighthouse in this picture when we see things from that point of view we see that the assembly has a very important part to play for God's glory in this world in fact I would say to you that it's the only place where God's will is going to be done in this world who else apart from Christians who else apart from those who love the Lord Jesus can be expected to be the pillar and ground of the truth and I think this brings before us our responsibility to maintain things for God in this world if we don't who will if we don't who will no one else will and going back to our earlier verses from Matthew 18 I think this will start to make us realize more and more the responsibility of practicing things according to God's word in our local assemblies if we in our local gatherings are representations of what the assembly is as a whole then don't we see our need to practice what God says in his word this has already been said quite a lot today that we're here to do what God says God speaks to us in his words we may be affected by the fashions and ideas of those around us and sadly very often we are in our minds in the background of our minds we're affected by the ideas that are all around us but really we should base everything on God's word and it's not negotiable there's not one bit we can say well that's true I believe it that's something that I'm going to do that's important but this bit well no I'm not it's all God's word so it's important we practice it where we are and that brings before us a certain dignity that we have in the local gathering where we are if you remember when Hugh spoke earlier he spoke about the Lord's words in Matthew chapter 16 there we see power there we see greatness there we see no failure the Lord Jesus says on this rock I will build my assembly he goes on to say the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it there's no failure there but in the second mention because that's the first mention as Hugh said of the assembly in the second mention of the assembly which is in Matthew chapter 18 the verses we read we see weakness we see sin we see smallness and yet the Lord Jesus still refers to it by that word assembly there may just be two or three gathered together under the name of the Lord Jesus but they have a dignity because they're gathered together by him to his name to represent him in this world where they are to be the sample to be the representation of the assembly in their place where he has arranged for them to live and furthermore there's another beautiful touch following this verse in 1 Timothy chapter 3 verse 15 that is the Lord Jesus is set before us by the apostle in verse 16 of that chapter in all the perfection of his life here in this world and sometimes we forget that the Lord Jesus has gone back on high and we are here in his place to represent God here in this world as he so perfectly represented God when he was here it's called the mystery of godliness or the mystery of piety it was seen in perfection in him when he was here in this world and now we are as it were to fill out the place which he filled where we are in our localities there are other verses here which i haven't got enough time to refer to but 1 Corinthians 14 40 is that verse which we've had before let everything be done decently and in order 1 Peter chapter 4 verse 17 refers to the assembly as the house of God again 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 5 tells us that we are a holy priesthood we're here to give praise and glory to God and 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 9 tells us we're a royal priesthood to show the excellences of our God and of our Savior to those around us yes we're here to be for the honor of God in this world and we're to be a witness to those around us but we also thought about discipline assembly authority is preserving the fellowship and restoring those who go wrong if binding does not take place if we do not exercise authority the sin or disorder will defile the fellowship and those who go wrong will not realize the seriousness of what they have done and those two references refer again to the need of that man in 1 Corinthians chapter 5 and again certain people in Thessalonica who needed discipline in order to bring home to them the seriousness of what they had done and if loosing does not take place releasing from discipline when those people repent then the assembly will lose the benefit of their fellowship they will be discouraged and there will be no testimony to the restoring grace of God we had a question earlier on from a brother concerned that we were mentioning discipline and not restoration discipline is always in view of restoration and you'll see that Paul was concerned that that man who had committed that sin in Corinth now that he had repented he would be swallowed up by his grief if he was not restored to the fellowship of the saints so we see that loosing is as important as binding well we read these verses the assembly has the authority to bind and loose and agree what should happen on other issues even when it numbers only two or three believers in a place this is the dignity we have as those who are gathered by the Lord Jesus to his name and to exercise it we must be gathered together to his name why do i emphasize this it's easy perhaps for some of us sometimes who've been brought up in in in meetings which have treasured verse 20 to say oh i gather with with believers to the name of the Lord Jesus but do we really think about what those words mean to be gathered together to his name that means to speak in complete submission to his will to be ready to hear his voice to us and to be ready to do his will yes to be living my life in accordance with his will yes it's not just a formula it's not just an outward thing it's an inner thing it's a moral thing it affects me in myself am i really when i meet with my saints gathering to the Lord Jesus with my brethren gathering to the Lord Jesus submitting to him if we are then he can be in the midst he can be in the midst he can presence himself amongst us and that's what makes it a meeting and assembly he's in the midst he's directed and as a result we can hear his voice and we can carry out his will and this is what gives it all the dignity that we've been speaking about because the Lord Jesus says that when we're like that and we take decisions then the decisions we take are recognized by heaven itself you might think boy that's a lot of authority you've got then just two or three of you can get together and make decisions and heaven recognizes them boy that's powerful it is it is powerful that shows the dignity of being gathered in this way being gathered by the Lord Jesus to his name to his name and to have him in the midst and yes it has this implication as well if the action of an assembly is recognized in heaven all local assemblies should be united in recognizing it as well if it's recognized by heaven how could any other gathering of God's people say no I'm ignoring that I'm going to look into it myself first of all no we can't possibly say that and I've given you some examples there of cases where assemblies made decisions and they were recognized by other assemblies we've already quoted the example of Phoebe she was commended to the saints in Rome they didn't have to look into her life and say now can we really receive this sister is she really serving the Lord no on the basis of what the brethren could say from centuria from the words of the apostle Paul they could receive her because they could have confidence in their brethren elsewhere another important thing about local assemblies is that they all call upon the name of the Lord you know that's a defining fact about a a local assembly it's marked by this calling upon the name of the Lord dependence on the Lord if we truly believe that we're dependent on the Lord where we gather together to his name surely we will recognize decisions that we take as led by him 2 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 10 the apostle Paul could say he had confidence he would go along with what the brethren decided in Corinth that meeting where there'd been so much disorder in the first letter the apostle Paul is saying I've got confidence now in what you're going to do I will accept the decision you make and in Galatians chapter 1 the apostle Paul looks back to his life and he says you know the meetings in Judea that I who have been an enemy of the church I was now a believer they didn't try and work out that for themselves they accepted what the brethren had had witnessed themselves further up the coast in Damascus and elsewhere where he had been received among the brethren so actions of an assembly should be recognized by other local assemblies because they are recognized in heaven now why have I got this strange picture here well it's really to emphasize this second point the assembly exercises authority within take that little house as a picture of the house of God if you like we're responsible for exercising authority within the assembly Acts chapter 6 where there was a problem between the Grecian and the Hebrew widows was dealt with by the assembly probably there were other kinds of problems going on among believers in among people in Jerusalem the assembly wasn't responsible for sorting those out and the apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 5 that you're responsible for dealing with those who are within not those who are without we've already had that point emphasized by Andrew yes people in our community may say they're Christians but we're not responsible for ordering their lives reminds me a bit of what the servants said when they discovered that tares have been so within the field of their master they wanted to pull them up but we can't put the world to right we're responsible for those who are within the assembly not for those without that's a limit on our responsibility and sadly a limit that has not been recognized down the history of the church and that's why the church has got itself involved in all sorts of things it's amazing sometimes when you hear those in organized churches spouting at great length about environmental matters and economic matters political matters and yet seemingly at a loss to be able to say anything certain about things to do with the word of god the assembly should not try to control the exercise of spiritual gifts we've already seen earlier on that the lord jesus gives the gifts he's the head of the assembly the holy spirit apportions gifts according to the direction that we might say of the lord that's in those two scripture references they're given to the whole assembly however there should be a readiness to have fellowship in service and to give and take counsel in acts chapter 13 you'll remember that there were several ministering in the assembly and the holy spirit said separate unto me paul and barnabas for the work yes that shows the lord directed by his holy spirit but it shows that the people there the brethren there they had fellowship with paul and barnabas in laying the right hand of fellowship upon them before they went out on paul's so-called first missionary journey what happened at the end of that journey the apostle paul and barnabas came back reported to the brethren all the things that the lord had enabled them to do so we must be careful to keep these things in balance the servant is responsible to the lord but he or she should serve the lord in fellowship with their brethren but the assembly should discipline those who exercise gifts and those who exercise oversight nick was speaking to us about uh such uh brethren if they go wrong you'll find that in one timothy chapter 5 verses 19 to 20 and in galatians chapter 2 verse 11 the apostle paul censured peter didn't he when peter went wrong withstood him to the face peter was a gift he was an apostle but he had to be put right when we go wrong it doesn't matter if we're gifted or not we need to be put right we don't read of assemblies exercise and authority over other assemblies if there's an issue between assemblies they should seek the lord's mind together andrew spoke of the fact that he didn't think what happened between antioch and jerusalem can be taken as a model for today they all went up to jerusalem that's true but i think it does illustrate to us that when uh two uh two assemblies have a difficulty they should try and remedy matters together in that particular case teachers have come from jerusalem to antioch they've been teaching that the gentile converts had to keep the law what did the believers in um antioch do they didn't split away from the brethren at jerusalem they sent paul and they sent paul and barnabas to um seek to um sort sort the matter out am i right or is it paul and silas silas sorry if a problem in an assembly persists it may not be possible for other assemblies to continue to have fellowship with the believers there but it would be wise for two or three assemblies that are able to take responsibility for trying to resolve the issue to do so before deciding and announcing this is the case this is the way in which matters should be dealt with things to bear in mind we need to be prayerful careful and humble when we exercise assembly authority why because we're doing it in the name of the lord jesus we cannot claim today even to be the local assembly we've already had this laid before us here in catford there are many groups of christians it's the same in ipswich it's the same in nepal believers are divided into different groups that's one of the reasons why christians haven't got the same power today they had before but we can act on the basis of god's word and for the whole of his assembly act in the interests of the whole assembly and we also ought to be prayerful and careful and humble because we can make mistakes and sadly i think all of us in this hall well nearly all of us in this hall would have to say over recent years yes we have made mistakes even though we have the holy spirit in dwellings and even though we have the word of god we have to make sure we keep close to the lord jesus because it's only as we do that that we know his mind and will this brings us back to the question of being gathered to his name and to having him in the midst of us we also ought to take responsibility for sin and disorder we've already had this chapter mentioned daniel chapter 9 daniel in all respects as far as the biblical record is concerned we don't see any sin in his life he was a sinner of course but we don't see any sin in his life and yet he took responsibility for the sin that occurred and you know in the old testament when the sin offering was offered the priest had to eat the sin offering they had to identify with the sin that had been committed they had to have a sense in their hearts of the failure that had occurred it was a sad thing in Corinth that the believers didn't realize how serious the matter was if they had done perhaps they would have acted and maybe the situation would not have been as great as it was and in revelation chapter 2 and i've over over over overgone my time so i will be very quick now revelation 2 there's this uh there's this sin in this church here and the apostle the the the john writing on behalf john the lord jesus writing by uh the apostle john says repent put the matter right you're responsible for it we should deal with local issues locally rather than at a distance but we should be willing to seek and submit to inquiry and counsel look at those new testament scriptures and you'll see they were all dealt with locally and in deuteronomy chapter 21 and chapter 13 you'll see a couple of old testament examples first of all of dealing with a matter locally and in chapter 13 of seeking or of taking counsel together in order to deal with matters we should always seek the witness of two or three before making a deliberation on a particular point where there's any doubt about it and no one should take assembly authority to himself earlier on somebody said there's no case of just one person being responsible for an assembly but there is one case but it's in reverse it's diatrophies and he's censured by the apostle john for taking the preeminent place among the believers in a particular place and uh that's a warning to us and peter says we're not to lord it over god's people we're to be in samples to the flock we're to be marked by humility and not by pride so assembly authority exercised according to god's word honors god 1 thessalonians chapter 4 verse 1 says we should please god in our local assemblies it promotes the assembly's witness in this world we're to be lights in the midst of a dark generation it preserves the fellowship ephesians chapter 4 verse verses 1 to 3 tell us to endeavor to maintain the unity of the spirit we've heard about the truth of the one body that's god's side god's made us one body but there's our practical responsibility and that's the fellowship putting the truth of the one body into practice is the matter of the fellowship and that involves our responsibility we have to endeavor to maintain that fellowship that unity needs to come out in a practical way we have to endeavor to do it and that may involve assembly authority assembly decisions it preserves the fellowship and it seeks the restoration of those who go wrong in ephesians in in hebrews chapter 12 verse 11 the writer says that no chastening is anything that we enjoy but when it takes place when we need it and it's exercised he's talking there more about the father exercising this uh this this discipline it yields what does it yield the peaceable fruits of righteousness it blesses us it's for our good it restores us and it strengthens us and it enables us to go on and be more effective for our lord's glory now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous but grievous nevertheless afterward it yielded the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby i may have spoken about assembly authority more from a disciplinary point of view but it is quite important i think we have seen earlier on that the assembly today lacks from the fact that there isn't this discipline exercise today everyone can do what they want but that's not for god's glory or for the blessing of those involved may we be able to put these things into practice …

… Hallo. Nice to be with you. My subject is the use of Old Testament times. How long have I got? Till when? Ten minutes? Oh, sorry. Okay. Okay, and I've pressed enter? You need to make a start to proceed. And I think if you stand somewhere like here, People over there can see me. Okay, that's a good thing. Could we just read, first of all, from Luke 24, the account of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. And I'd just like to refer to that as we go through this topic now and again. 24, beginning at verse 13. And it goes on to say, And it goes on to say, And beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre. And when they found not his body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre and found it, even so as the women had said. But him they saw not. And he said unto them, O fools, or foolish, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expanded unto them in all the scriptures things concerning himself. If we could just go to verse 31. The Lord broke the bread, gave it to them. It says, And their eyes were opened, and they knew him, and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us while he talked with us by the way and while he opened to us the scriptures? And then if we could just drop down to verse 44. And Jesus said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning me. Then opened he their understanding that they might understand the scriptures. I've just read that because I'd like to refer to it as we go through the topic. But the fact is the Lord appealed to all the Old Testament scriptures, the law of Moses, the prophets, the Psalms. Now a great bulk, we might say, of those scriptures are not direct prophecies at all. They're narratives of what happened to Israel, of how God dealt with his people. Genesis, we get much narrative which is historical, inspired historical account. But the Lord appealed to all these things. And so he was appealing to what we call types or figures. And he was using them to illustrate to these disciples the truth concerning himself. And that is a very wide field. It wasn't simply that he was talking about himself personally, no doubt he was. But he was talking about the things concerning himself. And that would touch upon his dealing with Israel and also his assembly, that which concerns himself so deeply, his church. And all this he was taking from the Old Testament scriptures in order to show them the truth. And until he did this, their eyes, they were shut. They didn't understand these things until the Lord himself enlightened them regarding them. Now, perhaps we should first of all look at this subject in a general way and then go into more specific detail in applying the types later in the latter half of the talk. But we might ask, what is a type exactly? We've got a definition here. A type gives a figurative illustration of something that goes beyond its own literal meaning. Now, what does that mean? Well, for instance, the Ark of the Covenant. Literally, it is simply a box made of acacia wood covered in pure gold. That's what it is literally. But as a figure, it represents the Lord Jesus in his manhood, the wood, all the lowliness of his manhood, and in the glory of his deity. But the type is a very detailed one. And in the wood, the acacia wood, which is sometimes called incorruptible wood, we get the moral glory of his humanity. And then the Ark has a place within a narrative. And the whole narrative of the tabernacle then becomes a figure of which the Ark is part of. And so we see how figures communicate the truth in as much as they illustrate doctrine and they illustrate principles of doctrine. We wouldn't go to a type to learn about something initially. The doctrine would be clearly taught us from the Word of God. But then we would find that the type would illustrate that and help us to understand it more clearly. And principles which we read of in an abstract way, not applied, simply stated, in the figures, in the types, we can see them applied in a practical way. And that helps us to understand them more clearly. Because it's often difficult to understand something which is simply told us, but not actually applied. It's more difficult for us to understand truth in the abstract, perhaps, than applied truth. And in the types, we find them applied. Now, what authority do we have for thinking that these literal Old Testament narratives can be interpreted in a figurative way? The New Testament refers to types frequently and in different ways. We have in Hebrews 9.25, the type is referred to as a figure. Perhaps we could just turn to Hebrews 9.24. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. So there we get the thought of the tabernacle. And the high priest would enter into the holy place once a year, and that would set forth a figure of the real thing. The tabernacle is a figure, but it speaks of the real thing. And the real thing is the Lord himself, our great high priest, entering into heaven. So we see that the writer of the Hebrews uses the Old Testament figures to illustrate truth which he's bringing out, doctrine which he's bringing out, and enabling us to understand. …

… Because everything we believe is based on Holy Scripture, we cannot do better, whatever the shortage of time, in reading from Scripture. So, John's Gospel, chapter 14, please. John 14, verse 1, Let not your heart be troubled, ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also. First Thessalonians, chapter 4, verse 13, 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. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For 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. For 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. Then 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. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words. Second Thessalonians, chapter 2, and verse 1. Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled. I am aware that some of you come from an extremely favoured and privileged background, in so far as you or your family were either born, or lived, or worked, or studied in the North East of England. And because of that, you have a fair understanding of the history and geography of the North East of England. Now that's particularly useful when we think of the hope of the church. Before things were as sophisticated as they are now, when people committed crimes in the Thumbland and Durham, they were put in a cell awaiting trial, and then every now and again, every three months, a travelling judge would arrive in Newcastle, and the serious cases would be brought personally before him. Travelling from somewhere down south, the judge didn't arrive all at once, and he used to pause at the very nice city of Durham. And then, in due time, he would leave Durham and would travel the 15 miles north to get to Newcastle to take over his responsibilities as the judge. Now, the judge was no mean person, and he had his own group of officials with him. But when it became the time for him to leave Durham, there was also a group of people, important people, who left the city of Newcastle, possibly the Lord Mayor, certainly the High Sheriff responsible for the law system in that part of the world, together with important city officials and freemen of the city, they would leave Newcastle upon time. Now, they timed things very nicely, and the judge and his entourage travelling north, and the Lord Mayor, the Sheriff, and the freemen of the city travelling south, they met at the highest point in between Durham and Newcastle, and a place to this day is called Sheriff Hill. Now, it's significant that God has implanted that particular incident in history. God doesn't copy men or the world, but God has graciously implanted into the geography and history of many parts of the world things that, as Paul would say, might act as types or metaphors or allegories of the truth. And I just want to take that up to use as a basis for what, in the future, in the near future, you will be studying from the scriptures that you've been allocated. The group that left Newcastle, they were not the judges, but it was their great privilege to be associated with the judge when he came officially. And because his dignity deserved it, they left the city and they went out to meet the judge at the highest point between Durham and Newcastle, and then having gone out of the city to meet him, they then came back with him. Now, that's very resonant with terms from scripture, isn't it? We read in scripture that those who are going to come with the Lord Jesus will be able to come with him when he comes in power and great glory because previous to coming with him, they've gone out to meet him. And insofar as that meeting place at the top of Sheriff Hill was the highest point in the locality, they will be coming down with the judge into the city. Furthermore, when they got to Newcastle, they met in the Guildhall and had a banquet, and then the judge set about his official business. Now, we know from scripture that Jesus is coming again. Praise the Lord for that. But we need to learn from scripture that his coming will be in two phases. The first phase of his coming will be that those who are his already will be drawn up, as we've read from Thessalonians, we will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air so that when he comes officially in power and great glory, we will be with him when he comes. Now, I don't want to anticipate too much, but if you pick up your sheets, please, and perhaps as it gets darker outside, the writing becomes clearer, and that's a scriptural principle in itself. But don't worry. The only thing to make sure is that in looking at the sheets, we are not taking account of the numbers on the slide. Those numbers are out of date, but the printed sheets are up to date. So would you please look at sheet number 90. Slide 90. Top right-hand corner of the first sheet. Hebrews 9 says, Christ came once. Thank you. Christ came once. And the verse goes on to say that he who came once for one purpose, he will come again the second time. So this is, it is quite scriptural to say that the coming of Christ in the future is a second coming. He came once to deal with our sins, and having done that perfectly once and for all, he will never need to come again to save us from the penalty of our sins. He will come again the second time for ultimate, final, complete salvation. And that verse has been quoted. But while that's plain in scripture, as we've seen from the illustration of the judge and the high sheriff in the judicial system in the northeast of England in medieval days, so in scripture, we see that his coming doesn't all happen at once. There are two phases to that second coming. And in good Bible-based judgment, we speak of those two phases as the rapture and the appearing. And we've said in the note, the rapture speaks of the coming of the Lord for his saints, his sanctified ones, as we heard yesterday. And that will be a matter of joy. His appearing, his coming with his saints, his sanctified ones, will be a matter of judgment. So the different phases of his second coming have a different character. And in this simple English language that we love so much, it lends itself to alliteration and we think of the rapture as a matter of joy and the appearing as a matter of judgment. Now, I've listed for you, and I'm not going to fall into the trap of reading them all verbatim. These notes are not for us to follow through in 30 minutes. It would take much more than that. The notes are to take home so that we can all refresh our minds on what the scripture says. And just summing up, we will find that the rapture has one character and the appearing has another character. Now, in the Old Testament, there are about 300 references to the first coming of Christ when he came to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. I don't know, I haven't counted, there must be almost as many references in the Old Testament and the New Testament to his second coming, but almost always references to the second coming of Christ in the Bible refer to his coming in power and great glory, which will be a public occasion. Every eye shall see him. Prior to that, when he comes for his own, we're going to talk a little bit about that, when he comes for his own, for you and me, believers on the Lord Jesus Christ, that will be a private occasion. John 16, the world seeth me no more. The world, the unbelieving world, don't deserve to see him in grace anymore. They refused him the first time that he came and when he comes a second time, it will not be to act in grace, it will to be act to be acting in judgment. And because of that, it has that different character. So the rapture will be private, the appearing will be public. And one more note I've made, the rapture will be something that the Lord himself, 1 Thessalonians 4, the Lord himself will perform the rapture, taking his own unto himself, but at the appearing, many of the activities in the reaping, as scripture speaks of it, will be delegated to angels. Now, another overall statement. Strictly speaking, the rapture is not a subject for prophecy. It was a personal revelation from the Lord to the Apostle Paul and he met that, he fulfilled his commission when he wrote 1 Thessalonians 4 and possibly 2 Thessalonians 2 verse 1. As far as I can see, only John 14, 1 Thessalonians 4 and possibly 2 Thessalonians 2 verse 1 refer to the appearing. Sorry, only those three scriptures refer to the rapture and all others refer to the appearing. However, just to complicate things in our study, very often in speaking about other things, even the appearing, scripture uses words which describe the character of the rapture and I will hope to refer to a couple of those. I just want to deal with one matter before question time because it is a common problem. We read in Matthew 24 verses 40 and 41, in both those verses, in referring to future events related to the coming again of the Lord Jesus, we read, one shall be taken and one left. Now, because of that, because those phrases ring a bell, apparently linking with the rapture, there are things before verse 40 and after 41 which we think, oh dear, I wouldn't like to think that the things in those verses are talking about Christians, well-meaning believers like you and me. Now, rest assured, from chapter, in chapter 24 of Matthew, from about verses 3 or 4 until about the early 40s in the verses, the scriptures there are speaking about the Jews, the nation of Israel. And then from there till about verse 30 of chapter 25, the scriptures are speaking about the Christian church, believers, you and me. And then from verses 31 to the end of chapter 25, it's talking about Gentile nations. But people have got worried because they say, oh, if that's about the rapture, that means that some are going to be taken and some are going to be left. And of course, that's the wrong impression, as we shall hope to see very, very shortly. The answer in Matthew 24 verses 40 and 41 is that after the church has gone, there will be those who in a special period are taken, but those who are taken after the rapture will be taken for judgment and those who are left will be left potentially for blessing on earth. Whereas at the rapture, those who are taken are taken for blessing and those who are left behind are left potentially for judgment. Now, I mentioned that detail, but it can be a problem. Now, a major distinction between the rapture and the appearing. The rapture, the gathering in of the Lord's own, you and me, and we'll come to see who they are in a minute, is totally a matter of privilege. Now, because the word privilege begins with P, I've listed various elements of the character of the rapture with words beginning with the letter P. Why it is I don't know about the English language, you and I must get heartily weary at times of the sort of preacher that comes along and said, I'm going to present you with a bunch of sweet peas. Well, it so happens that P is a letter where you can easily think of significant words. Now, there's nothing significant in the number 11 in this case, but I have listed for you on slides 92, 93, 94, and 95, six elements of the rapture with beginning with the letter P to remind us that the rapture is not something we will be present at because we deserve to be present. It will totally be in evidence of the love of the Lord Jesus that he has for us, and we'll come to another slight expansion of that in a few moments. But if you just look at the headings, if you're going to be given homework, you may as well be known what it is. On slide 92, bottom right hand corner of the first page, the rapture will be first of all positive. I'm not going to waste your time suggesting you study something which is questionable. It is absolutely sure because the Lord Jesus has said so, and I've given scriptures for that. Secondly, it will be permanent. Once he's come to take us to be with himself, we shall be with him forever and ever. So shall we ever be with the Lord. Number three, it will be a plenary session. Some of you in your modern jobs will have working parties and committees and groups, and you'll go on courses and all sorts of things, and sometimes you'll be in pairs or threes or groups, but every now and again you'll gather together and you'll all be there. That Victorian hymn writer who composed that lovely chorus, we'll all be there. Praise the Lord, we'll all be there. He was affirming that the rapture will be a plenary session of the Lord's people, those who are his. Now, with reference to that, I just want to emphasise a thing there. I've lost my, oh yes, slide 92, sorry. Bottom of the sheet for those who are looking at it. Plenary. Now, I read from 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. This perhaps might preserve us from needing to dwell on it too long in the question session. I'm not being flippant. I say this with total reverence. When the Lord Jesus comes to take us to be with himself, when he comes again, there will be two kind, two categories of believers. There will be those who have previously died, and there will be those who are still alive. Now, we read from 1 Thessalonians that it says, if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and we do, it's the basis of our salvation. Now, no complications, no honest questions, in simplicity, do you believe that Jesus died for you and rose again? If that is so, when the Lord Jesus comes privately for his own, in what scripture speaks about as the rupture, at that moment, you will either have died, or you will be still alive. 1 Thessalonians 4 tells us plainly, when Jesus comes again, he will raise the dead believers, he will change the living believers, and we'll be caught up together to meet him in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. No ifs, no buts. Dead believers raised, living believers changed. Now, that's what I mean when I say it will be a plenary session that no one will be missed out. Remember, the rapture is totally a matter of privilege extended to us because the Lord loves us, and to remind us that it's a privilege, these words begin with the letter P. Personal, I think we've covered that. Private, we've covered that. Now then, typographical error. Seven, pure grace and mercy. The sky, not the grave, is our goal. Alter that on your copy. Pure grace and mercy. From start to finish, and I've given scriptures, the whole journey, the Lord's preserving care is not because we deserve it, but because he loves us and will see it through. Number eight, prestissimo. My musical friends tell me that the word prestissimo means the shortest conceivable moment of time that could ever be imagined. You think of a shorter, one-syllable word meaning the same, instantaneous, I'd be glad to insert it. In your studies, think hard. A blinking of an eye is a very short space of time. The twinkling of an eye, the alter in expression in a fleeting moment is an even shorter space of time. For years, you know, I read 1 Corinthians 15, and I read it as that in the blinking of an eye, that's how I understood it. But scripture says no, it's not even that, in the twinkling of an eye. Premillennial, oh yes, we'll have to just say a little bit about that. Linking it with 10. Pardon my French. I was trying to think of a word that means there's nothing in the Bible which would prevent the rapture taking place, not only in the twinkling of an eye as to how long it takes to happen, but when it will happen. We are not told when. But there's no unfulfilled scripture that needs to be fulfilled, which means there's any cause for delay in the coming of the Lord for his own. And as I understand this nice sounding word, if you're travelling and somebody says now, be alert, be careful, watch out, because the next time you see a road off to the left, you must go there or you'll have missed the boat. We are not going to miss the rapture, that's not dependent upon us. But if you can think of a simple English word, which means it's the very next thing that's due to happen, and that will trigger off all the other matters of prophecy that scripture speaks about. Well, we need to consider that. Read the paragraph, please, between the rapture and the appearance. The reason I put that paragraph in is just to remind us that the Bible speaks of certain things that need to happen after the rapture, which will take seven years to be fulfilled. In particular, half the period between the rapture and the appearing will take three and a half years to be fulfilled. So the whole period includes seven years. Now, the Bible doesn't actually quite say that the seven year period for which we'd have to go to Daniel 9, Daniel 12, Daniel 4, 5, 6 to 11 and scriptures like that. Scripture says that once the rapture has taken place, because the church is gone, the hope realised, because the appearing is to be triggered off, I cannot see very long being spent before the events in the seven year timetable begin to start. Bible doesn't say it starts immediately after the rapture, but once the break is off, when we've gone and the Holy Spirit has been removed in his present way, I cannot see it being very long before the seven years commence. It's not the subject today, but we know certain things, terrible things will come upon the nation of Israel and at their blackest hour, when they're on the point of absolute extermination, we read Christ will appear. Now, when he appears, it will be to do many tasks and because he is coming to assert himself as the judge of all, it's related not to privilege, but to responsibility for the world at large, obviously. But even believers, our relationship with the Lord Jesus when we come with him at the appearing is determined by our life and service in this world. Now, I've got about a minute, so we'll just quickly go through. The appearing of the Lord Jesus will provide rest and relief, deliverance from his enemies. There will be retribution upon his enemies. There will be recompense, due recompense for him and those who are his and on his behalf have suffered greatly. Everything will be seen in proper perspective in their true colors. Everything will be revealed. Our relationship with Christ is testified in the scriptures listed there. There will be rewards which are then made manifest. You and I are responsible to the Lord Jesus as to how we live and work for him while we wait for the rapture. After the rapture, for us as individuals, we will be presented at the judgment seat of Christ. We will gladly agree with him in his assessment of what the Bible speaks of as deeds done in the body. Everything in our life and service, that might encourage debate. We'll leave it there for the moment. But the Lord Jesus, who says every man shall have praise of God, he will find something commendable in the life and service of every believer who has believed that he died for them and rose again. And the public occasion when he will make a public display of his assessment by the rewards he distributes to those who are his, that is a feature not of the rapture but of the appearing. David is hovering and rightly so. Please read the notes. Please study them. And if one thing needs to register with you and me, and it's related to the appearing, not the rapture, it is that when God gives us information about the future, it's with the intention that what he teaches us should regulate our life and conduct at the present time. Now that's the note on which I finished in tune with John's first epistle, chapter 3, verse 3. Because the rapture is a matter of privilege and the appearing is related to our responsibility, every time we hear prophecy, God's information about the future, history written in advance because God is in control of all things, in view of that, everyone who has this hope in him, Christ, purifies himself even as he is pure. It doesn't quite say we should purify ourselves, that is true, but what scripture says is a proper understanding of the hope of the church will purify us even as he is pure. Thank you, David. …

… Someone's written a whole book. I really need notice of the question. Was it questions? And to read it out is going to take... Can we... Yeah, this will go on to about 10 o'clock, reading this one out. In regards to gifts such as healing tongues, etc., if they died out after the Apostles, how does that match up with Mark 16, 16, 18, where whoever believes will have signs accompanying them? Surely whoever believes must apply to all believers, not just those within a specific time frame. Maybe that's an assumption either way. I would say to that. Except that Hebrews, the verse I quote in Hebrews, seems to confine it to the Apostles within a specific time frame. Also, if after the Apostles the signs wane, is there any reason why they might not return as they did after the gap between Moses and Elijah and Elisha? Well, that is a possibility that, in fact, after the Church has gone, I think there will be a revival of certain spiritual outpourings. The Spirit of God will manifest Himself in the young men and the young maidens according to the prophecy of Joel. But I don't believe that they'd be necessary today because my basic premise was that the sign gifts were given to corroborate or validate a new phase in God's dealings. And we're really at the end, the conclusion of God's dealings. One gets lost in this long enough. So we're on the second page. So 1 Corinthians 14.2. In 1 Corinthians 14.2 it speaks of those speaking in tongues, speaking not to men but to God. For no one understands Him. Surely this shows the gift of tongues as being more than a sign of validity of the Apostles' message. It would suggest it's an ongoing gift to aid our relationship with God. Really, I think that the use of that verse to say that it is a proving of speaking in tongues is not the way the Apostle Paul meant it. He is saying there that what you say, as I gave you some examples, you may remember, Remember that? Well, you say, Edwin, you're not speaking to us. It doesn't mean anything. Well, God will understand what's in your mind, but you're not speaking to us. So the gift of tongues has to be a language. Well, if I'm speaking nonsense, well, I would say God wouldn't understand nonsense. But if I speak to him in Dutch, he will understand it. Maybe the brethren here won't. But that's not the purpose of the exercise of the gift. It must always be for building up, whether it be unbelievers or believers. In fact, it's the sole rule in the assembly of God. It's the sole rule in church life that you are there for others, that you must love others, that you must do good to others, not look after yourself, which so many people like to do. They go to church because they want to get something out of it, but you never get that concept in Scripture. In the church, you have to love. 1 Corinthians 13, love seeks not its own. I suppose in marriage they say it's give and take, but really it's not, and certainly not in the assembly. It's only give, give. You're not there to take. If you get a blessing, that's fine, but that's not the purpose. So the purpose of speaking in tongues should be for the edification of those around. Only God will understand if there's no one to translate or interpret. This is my understanding of the passage. 1 Corinthians 13, verse 8 says that tongues will cease, but it also says prophecies and knowledge will cease. And as we still have those two, why would tongues have ceased earlier? Well, yes, thank you. There is a different word used in relation to the cessation, but nevertheless I would say that even with prophecies and knowledge, there's been a change in the character. There was prophetic utterances in the New Testament which were revelatory, distinctively revelatory. There are those who speak today who might have prophetic character speaking to edification. And we can just check the verse. 1 Corinthians 14, verse 3. It says, he that prophesies to men speaks for building up encouragement and consolation. So the original revelatory gifts had that threefold character. But I don't believe that the revelatory gifts, there are no fresh revelations because we have the complete Word of God today. There's no need for fresh revelation. But there may be a need for application of the mind of God from the scriptures, from the heart of God to the hearts of the listeners, whether they be saints or otherwise, particularly saints. And therefore there may be exercise of what has, in a subsidiary sense, a prophetic character. And it will be marked by those three things. So that the answer to that part of the question is that I believe the revelatory character of prophecies, prophesying and utterances of knowledge and words of wisdom, that sort of thing has ceased. But there may be an application of it in a subsidiary sense where there is no fresh manifestation of the will of God on any particular point. Because I firmly believe that in the Bibles you have in your hands, you have the complete and fullest revelation of God and his Son. I'm going to ask Rusty to come and answer a question now. It has your name on the piece of paper. So if you could briefly read it and give an answer to that question, please. Great. The question is, if someone breaks bread, then commits a sin, fornication in brackets, and is put out of fellowship, later that person repents but has to live with the consequences of their action, i.e. live with their second husband and the children of their second marriage. Is it possible for them to break bread again? I suppose the answer could be given in three points. First of all, I tried to say it this afternoon and Simon added to it, all discipline is for restoration. And so the man in 1 Corinthians 5, he's put out of fellowship. When we come to 2 Corinthians 2, Simon read the scripture up here. The Apostle Paul says, you should, the assembly, should receive him back into the assembly. And so if somebody sins, if somebody commits fornication, if they repent, the obvious thing for the assembly to do when they have repented is to receive them back into the assembly. But there is another verse that we could turn to. It's in 2 Samuel, in relation to David. You remember when David sinned, in that not only did he have Uriah the Hittite killed, but he also went into his wife, Bathsheba, and they had a son. And in relation to that, God says through the prophet Nathan, wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord to do evil in his sight? That's the first thing. The second thing, verse 10, because thou hast despised me, and in verse 14, howbeit by this deed thou hast done great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. The child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. David had obviously sinned, and the first consequence that Nathan gives is that it was against the glory of God. And when we do things wrong, as Christians, we're doing things against God. And the first thing is, as David is told, it's against God. Now David had this child, and the child, we know, it died. There is a consequences that will last of our sins. And we have to be prepared to live with those consequences. There are some sins that we can commit, and we can get away with it, and there aren't any consequences. But as we had the question here, if a person in the assembly, let's take a married man, has an affair, and the person that he's had the affair with has a child, he has to live with those consequences. You have another child. You can't just forget about it. We have to live, therefore, with the consequences of our sins. So the question could then be raised, as it's in relation to a second husband, and children of their second marriage, what can we do? Let us imagine somebody presents themselves to the Lord's table. They are remarried. They have children from the first marriage. Do we say, we cannot receive them? If they have repented, if they acknowledge that what they did was wrong, they are living every day with the consequences of what they have done wrong, would the assembly be right to receive them? Well, I will put my neck out and say the assembly would be right to receive them, but given the consequences of what they had done, given the consequences that they already have had a wife, and they now have a second wife, the verses that we read in 1 Timothy, in relation to the elders, they are told to be the husband of one wife. So I think it would be perhaps wise that that person, who is already married, who has children with his first wife, then has another wife, and has children, that although he would be received through the privileges, should necessarily take a back seat, should not be the one that does the teaching, should not be the one that takes great part in the assembly. If we are really repentant of what we have done, if we really realise some of those things which Nathan says about David, it would really have an effect upon our lives, and we would be extremely humble in our life. Does that answer the question? If it doesn't, I'll leave it there for the next question. Thank you very much, Rusty. I'm going to ask Gavin. I've got one. You have two, actually. So you should come and maybe have a look at the questions and give an answer. Thank you, Gavin. I'll try. Thank you. What does the expression the unity of the spirit exactly mean? Well, I'm sure somebody will add to what I say. They'll probably need to. But it's of God, the unity of the spirit. It's a commonness of thought and motive and action, and we're told to keep it. It can't be broken. It's there, provided by God, and we are to keep it. It can't be broken. But I don't think that's a very good answer. What could you say, Michael, for that one? Because it did have Michael's name on it as well. You forgot that question, didn't you? I tried to. Pass it on. Could I just say that in his last talk, Simon referred to that verse, so you might care to invite me on to talk about it. Time? No, I'll try. Time? The unity of the spirit. It's the spirit. The unity of the spirit produces it, doesn't it? And all I say is that I think we must, we are in debt. We are. We don't create it. We don't create it. It's brought about by the Holy Spirit, and as we're filled with the Holy Spirit, as we let the Holy Spirit direct us, it will flourish, and it will be a practical thing that we enjoy. But I do think in, let's just, it's us endeavouring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. If we're to enjoy the unity that the Holy Spirit, the unity of the spirit, the unity that he brings about, then we must, we have a responsibility to endeavour to maintain it. It involves energy on our part. In the uniting bond of peace, the verse ends with. So we see with a lot of these truths that there's God's side. It's what God provides. But there's what we also have a responsibility to put into practice. And so we can't say it's just something that's there. It's almost an abstract thing. It's there. It's got to be manifested. And the Holy Spirit is wanting to see that unity come out in a practical way, in the way in which we live together, we meet together, the way we act together. Then it will be for our blessing and for the witness to the world and for the glory of the Lord. This is the next question. Yes, please. Just very quickly, it might be good to distinguish two things, the unity of the body and the unity of the spirit. The unity of the body is what God has done, what God has made, what is there, what nobody can destroy, and it just exists. The unity of the spirit we have a responsibility to keep. And if I had to give a definition, I would say it is the unity that the spirit wants to bring about among those who form part of the one body. The second footnote is spirit with a capital S. It's not a unity of spirits or our spirit. It is a unity that the Holy Spirit produces. So it's not just agreeing with one another, but it's on a scriptural basis. Some practical tests have been mentioned in the various talks, relationship between assemblies, recognition of discipline, and all those things are part of aiming at keeping that unity. And last footnote, we must never confound the qualities that we need to keep the unity with the unity itself. As I've said, the unity of the spirit is when you're humble. Now you need to be humble to keep the unity. They're all getting down and I've got the hardest questions. Although I think the person that asked this, well I don't know who it is really. We mentioned that women's meetings and such are not in the Bible but can be good. Are they good? I feel that the person who asked that question probably knows the answer themselves. Are they good? I've not been to a women's meeting. There are those that are not happy with women's meetings and with the thought of women teaching. But then there are those that feel that they're a good idea for brothers there to teach them. That's what I've gleaned so far on the subject. Are they good? Women you could raise your hands if you think they're good. Put your money where your mouth is. Do you think they're good? I haven't been to one of course. How does it come that sisters shouldn't teach? What do we know about the daughters of, who are those daughters that prophesied? Philip. They prophesied didn't they? What else would you like to say on this subject? They weren't permitted to speak in the assembly. In the assembly, no. So they couldn't speak to the brothers in the assembly. One assumes that they weren't either relaxed when they were amongst children. That's right. It's very explicit in the assembly meetings we talked about earlier that they keep silent in the churches. Perhaps we should just mention there is a verse in Titus, is there not, about this? We could just say briefly what it says in Titus. The elder women in like manner be in deportment as becoming those who have to say to sacred things, not slanderous, not enslaved to much wine. Teachers of what is right, that they may admonish the young women to be attached to their husbands, to be attached to their children. Now that may not be an organised meeting but there is a role there for elder sisters to admonish. I think it means more practical, practical instruction, not doctrinal teaching. The word admonish there isn't teaching in the normal sense. But we do see there is a role. But it seems appropriate that it should be practised not in public but in the home circle, in the informal setting. I might be wrong. Titus chapter 2, verses 3 and 4. Can I just add a word to that? It is in Acts 21 where, verse 8, Paul entered the house of Philip the evangelist, verse 9, and the same man had four daughters which did prophesy. And then the very next verse says, We waited many days and there came down from Judea a certain prophet named Agabus. If you read on, it's Agabus that gives the prophecy that if Paul is to go up to Jerusalem he'll be bound. Now we might say, well, there were four prophetesses in the house, why didn't God use them to bring the prophecy to Paul? And the answer is that that wouldn't be appropriate. The four daughters, they prophesied, yes, but in a domestic sphere and a private sphere. Not publicly and certainly not to men. So when Paul the apostle was to be the recipient of a prophecy, it was Agabus. He came all the way from Judea. And I think that tells us something of how God provides the right messenger. I think that's a helpful thing. While I'm here, can I just answer Edwin's too? I think it's a very important question at the end of Mark about the signs that follow those that believe. You know, one of the things we must be really careful about is to have a good translation. You know, you can't rely on a paraphrase or an inaccurate translation. Another translation, it says this. These signs shall follow those that have believed. And it lists them. And it seems to me that the tense there is those that have believed. So those that were living then who had believed, certain signs should follow them. And I think that teaches us that it's limited to those believers that had believed at that time. It doesn't say will believe and all those that will believe. And then there's a question about the prophecy, knowledge, and tongues ceasing. Again, if you read a literal translation, it says that 1 Corinthians 13 verse 8. Prophecies, they shall be done away. Tongues, they shall cease. Knowledge, it shall be done away. And then it says when that which is perfect has come, that which is in part shall be done away. So there are two different words. Don't be misled by a paraphrase or an inaccurate translation. Knowledge and prophecy shall be done away. That's one Greek word. And it means to be done away by an external action. And the external action, it seems, is when that which is perfect shall come. I'm not going to get into exactly what that is. It may be when the New Testament is complete. It may be when the Lord comes. But either way, some external action causes prophecy and knowledge to be done away. Tongues, they shall cease. And that's a different word in the Greek. And it's helpful to have a translation that distinguishes different words. Tongues, they won't be done away by an external action. And the word means to fizzle out. They just fizzle out all of themselves. So it's a completely different thing. And it seems entirely consistent that tongues, the gift of healing, it just gradually fizzled out of its own accord. Whereas knowledge and prophecy, it remains until some specific thing comes in and causes it to be done away. I hope that's a helpful addition. We have a number of other questions. Hugh, you have one yourself here. If you'd like to answer, please. The question is, is there a difference between the church and the saints? Or the saints is just another way to call the church. Let me take the second bit first. No, no. Those two words are not synonymous. They do not mean the same thing. And don't run away with the idea that they do. The church, as we've been at pains to point out, is a unity, one body. The saints are a collection of individuals. Now, depending on the circumstances, depending on the message that's being conveyed, the term the saints may be used. For example, Nick read to us the opening verse of Philippians, where Paul writes to the saints. Now, why didn't he write to the assembly in Philippi? Because of the matter that he had to convey to them. It was not new doctrine. It was not things that they had not heard before. But rather, it consisted of personal matters. Christ, our example. Christ, our object. Christ, our joy. These were things for each individual in that meeting to take to their hearts and seek to put into practice those practical aspects. Later in the epistle, there is a word of mild correction to two sisters who had a difference and another brother is exhorted to help them. Now, these are individual matters. And as Simon pointed out to us in Matthew 18, there are those matters that concern individuals. If you have something against your brother, take it up with him. Don't take it straight away to the assembly. There are three steps, aren't there, in Matthew 18. And the assembly is the final one. There are differences, vital differences, between the assembly, when it meets as the assembly, and a collection of individual believers who we might refer to as the saints. So, in a word, it depends on the circumstances, which word it is appropriate to use, but the church is always unique. Just one sentence. Would you agree that in the Old Testament there were saints, but there wasn't a church? Oh, yes. Yes. So it really just means separating. There are saints in every dispensation, if I may use that word. I don't think it's been used so far. There are saints in every dispensation, but if we're talking about the saints in the world now, then they are individual saints, but they are also part of the assembly, that's all. Jeff, you have quite a number of questions. And there's only one other brother who has as many as you, which is Andrew, who might follow you, but if you'd like to look through your questions. I'll ask Andrew afterwards to come up. I'm sure, as you appreciate, we're reading these questions and trying to answer them at the same time. I'm sure you'll forgive and those will help where we might give a wrong meaning or a wrong answer. So the first question I've got here, how do we know we have a gift as opposed to a natural ability? We said that a natural ability is in essence that what God has given us also, but it's natural. A spiritual gift is something that's been added and distributed by the saint, perhaps you can see it as an extra for the benefit and for the edifying of the church. So in our daily lives, we might have natural abilities. We might be good at this, good at that, good at the other. But in the assembly circumstances, where the Holy Spirit should have his sway, then the spirit clearly distributes and acts and helps and gives those gifts, so for the benefit and for the edification and for those aspects of the building up of the church that we considered. But I think it's an important question. How do we know what that gift is? I'm sure it's a question that most of us have asked ourselves. How do we know what gift the Lord Jesus has given to us? I think if we're not sure, the first recourse is by prayer and careful bringing ourselves into the presence of the Lord is to ask the Lord whether we have this gift, to ask him to help us and reveal that to us. But I think also that our brethren can help us with this, that if we have a particular gift, I'm sure our brethren will recognise that, that they will see the working of the Holy Spirit in how we act and how we work in the assembly. And our local brethren will encourage us, and perhaps it's a word for all of us, to encourage those that we feel do have gift to use that gift, to allow opportunities for that gift to be used, particularly amongst the younger ones, so that all the saints are helped. There's another part of the question. Can a gift be given and taken away? I'm getting some prompts here. I tend to think that's the right answer, Nick. What was it? No, sorry, thank you. The answer was no. If the Lord gives something, I don't think we have any instance where he takes it away. I think that's a wonderful thing about the Lord as a giver. He's given us the Lord Jesus Christ. He doesn't take that away. He's given us free and full salvation. He doesn't take that away. When he gives, he gives us something permanently. We know that there are scriptures in 1 Timothy, 1 Peter, where Peter's encouraged not to neglect that gift, where he's encouraged to use that gift. So I feel encouraged to say no. Do all true Christians have a gift? I meant to emphasize that. I must apologize. I think if we look in two verses, 1 Corinthians 12 and verse 7, the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit with all. I think also in the other main passage, Ephesians 4, Ephesians 4, verse 7, but unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Again, I think that's truly wonderful and to be deeply appreciated. But in the church of God, amongst the saints, the Lord hasn't set up an organism whereby there's one or two people who are perhaps doing all the work, one or two people who are highly gifted. He gives to each one of us a gift or gifts that we can all use. If I can say it reverently, don't there's any unemployment in the church of God? Nobody's unemployed because we all have a gift and we're encouraged and exalted to use that gift. All priests, question mark, all should serve or have opportunity to serve. What about women? Yes, I can see where that question is coming from. We all are priests and we all should be thanking, praising, worshipping God. We all should do that in our homes, individually, in our own special circumstances. But we have from other scriptures where women should keep silent in the assembly. So all would have that priestly character. But in the assembly, when we come together, it is the brothers and men who are called upon to act audibly. And of course, we tend to forget that the sisters are praising, worshipping, thanking the Lord silently, quietly in that assembly. I think it's one of the areas where we do need to remind ourselves. We're creatures that everything that we see and hear, we think of, that comes to our attention, we seem to think as important. One of the verses, and I think many of us, I'm certainly conscious that in the half hour, we couldn't really cover everything. There was bits that we just had to leave out. First 23 of chapter 12, 1 Corinthians. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow a more abundant honor. And our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. We tend to look up to, we tend to value those things that are seen and heard. Perhaps, or do we really value those that are praying? We don't see or hear the prayers that have gone forth this weekend, in particular. Do we really value those prayers? They go, or they can go, unnoticed, and they shouldn't be. Even when it comes to, we've heard a question about teaching, and again, the sister's role. We value the word that goes out. And perhaps we might only hear of ministry, of the word, somebody speaking for half an hour a week, or a Bible reading for a little bit more. But the sisters have, I would even call it the most important role, that in the families, 24-7, the way they teach the children, the way they can encourage the husbands, the way through their lives and actions. Teaching is not just saying it, it's often very easy to say things. But it's the way we act and behave that show how the Lord would have us behave, that is far more important than somebody standing up there, I can say it sort of reverently, talking about it, doing it, seeing it in action, has a very great effect, I would suggest. I have to ask a little question there. As long as you answer it. I think you'll answer it very well. It's simply a comment, really. You speak about the sisters praying and worshipping, and we all know what that means. But is there any reason why they shouldn't say amen at the end of it? And is there any reason why we all shouldn't say amen? I've been to meetings where at the end of a prayer, at the end of the worship, all you get is... I personally very much agree with you, and I'm one of the ones who finds it difficult to do it. I was very impressed, Dilan, when I go across to centers in France in particular, occasionally just once in Germany, when it's a very... I'm sure those of you who come from those countries are very much impressed that when a brother sits down, there's a loud amen from everybody. Here, in this country, it can be a bit like a morgue. And I think we should be encouraged to do that. It's perhaps a tradition that's grown up, but a loud amen from everybody. I think the last question here, if male and female are priests and saints, what gifts do females receive that they can use in the assembly? Especially when it has been taught today that sisters are to remain quiet in the assembly. I think I've perhaps covered some of that in my previous comments. But there is a tremendous work for the sisters to do in the assembly. But we shouldn't just feel, perhaps particularly when we're young, that because somebody stands up there, that that's the only action that's taking place. And that perhaps the obvious gifts in the assembly, we could almost go through the list I have and look at them and see which ones the sisters could do. The teaching of the children. Certainly, whether it's in the Sunday school or whether on other occasions. There's certainly... I know us brothers value the help of our wives, and particularly putting us straight and sorting us out when perhaps what we say doesn't match up with our actions. There, we've mentioned the gift of helps. The sisters can certainly help and do help, perhaps in many more ways than the brothers. And we must value that. It's very, very important. I hope, I think, that's all. Could I perhaps ask a question? In 1 Corinthians 14, verse 1, it talks about earnestly desiring the spiritual gifts. So is there, in some sense, if we desire a spiritual gift, then the Lord will give it to us? Is there some activity in attaining this gift? Yes, thank you. Do you mean 1 Corinthians 12, verse 31? That covets earnestly the best gifts. I suppose that backs up what is said in 14.1 as well. Yes, and again, it's another thing I sort of wish I had time to say. There is a responsibility there, isn't there? Covet earnestly the best gifts. That there is that diligent exercise, which I think you said, Philip, of wanting to help, wanting to edify and encourage the saints, that there is an exercise to be had on our part that we should ask the Lord and that we should take this action to covet the best gifts. Can I just say something? Yes, sure. You touched on it just at the end there, but gifts are a means to an end, aren't they? A gift is given in order to fulfil a need. And so perhaps we shouldn't be so worried about what gift we've got, but the Lord should show us the need and that he will meet that need and perhaps he'll meet us if we supply the gift. And of course, the poor man, he was saying, the first thing he said was, Lord, what would I have me to do? And the gifts followed, didn't they? The Lord had a task for him. He was an apostle. And so the gifts were supplied. But the first thing is the need, isn't it? That's the important thing. Yes, thanks very much, Philip. Just on this question of gifts, in Proverbs 18, Proverbs 18, verse 16 says, A man's gift makes a room for him and bringeth him before great men. We don't really have to do anything if we've got a gift. We just have to be in the pathway that the Lord would have us. And then it will be clear to see what it is. Yes, cleaving closer to the Lord. Andrew, if you'd like to come up and ask your question, and then following on, Michael has a couple of questions as well. I did think when it came to answering these questions that there should have been a panel up at the front here, and I'm even more convinced of it now. The first question which I want to deal with is, to my mind, fairly straightforward. It's, is the Passover the same as the Lord's Supper? And if not, what is the relationship? And there is a citation at the top to introduce the question from Luke chapter 22, where the Lord Jesus says, With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. If we're looking historically at the Passover and the Lord's Supper, they're not the same. And I think the verses in Luke 22 properly divided and properly understood will bring this up. The Passover was the last of a Jewish supper, of a Jewish institution, which the Lord physically and literally partook of. He sat down with the twelve, he sat down and the twelve apostles with him. And he desired to actually commemorate the coming of the children of Israel out of Egypt by keeping the Passover. And from verses 14 to 17 of Luke 22, we find that he's doing exactly that. Then verse 19 through to verse 20 introduces what we speak of as the Lord's Supper, where he took the bread. And we've spoken a good deal about the breaking of bread. And it may not be intelligible to people outside of certain circles. The breaking of bread, we're not just talking about partaking of bread as a common meal. We're talking of remembering the Lord, remembering in his death, what's called elsewhere the communion service, sometimes the Eucharist, and so on, the Last Supper, the Lord's Supper. But the Lord Jesus, in Luke's Gospel, certainly chapter 22, distinguishes. After the Passover, he took the bread, he took the bread in the Christian sense, he gave thanks, he broke it. And this occasion he didn't partake of it himself. He gave it on to the disciples. And the significance is, this is my body which is given for you, this do in remembrance of me. So we call the Lord to mind in his death, in participating in breaking bread, and partaking of it together. And in like manner, the cup, the wine, the communion, after supper, this cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is shed for you. And there's further instruction about the Lord's Supper in 1 Corinthians chapter 11, and about the Lord's Table in 1 Corinthians 10. The Passover was on an annual cycle of the seven feasts of Jehovah relating to Judaism. The Lord's Supper is the standing institution of Christianity, and the two are distinguished. Of course, there is a spiritual significance to the Passover, and that's given to us in 1 Corinthians chapter 5, where it says in verse 7, Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. And that's Christ's death in its sacrificial character. It shows that his death, his suffering, his passion is the anti-type of the Passover lamb whose blood was shed in Egypt, and the blood poured on the doorposts and the lintel. The lamb roast with fire speaks of his suffering. How truly the Lord suffered for us on the cross of Calvary. Not real sufferings, but he suffered in his soul, and he suffered abandonment by God, and he suffered penally, and he suffered substitutionally. He suffered vicariously. He suffered on behalf of others. He suffered for sins not his own. He suffered for us. He was sacrificed for us. He stood in our place and bore God's judgment against sin. And that's the true meaning of the Passover. And then it says, therefore let us keep the feast in verse 8 of 1 Corinthians 5. That's the feast of unleavened bread. And it means if we have a proper appreciation of the death of Christ, it will, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, have an effect on our lives. It will lead meditation on Christ's sufferings. Being taken up with Christ when we come together on the Lord's day to remember him in his death will produce an effect in our lives more even than listening to a sermon, even if it's a good sermon, because we'll be drawn into the very presence of Christ. We'll know something of the reality of his presence in the midst. He came into the midst of the disciples in resurrection. He showed them his hands and his feet. He showed them Thomas the Mark's on his side. Thomas, presented with this evidence in front of his eyes, he exclaimed, My Lord and my God! He'd seen him die on the cross. He had the intelligence of it, even though they forsook him and fled. They knew he wasn't just a phantom. And they knew that he wasn't resuscitated from the dead. They knew he'd been in the grave three days. The disciples knew the physical reality of his death. It wasn't that he went into a swoon and revived himself. He was dead. He was dead, Christ. And he was buried. And the Roman soldiers were there. They came to put a spear in him, to put him to death. To hasten the death, because it was a high feast for the Jews. It was a holy day. And they marveled that he was dead already. Those were the enemies of Christ. They weren't Christians making up some sort of a story to deceive the world. That was the Roman Empire. That was the judicial executioners. They satisfied themselves that Christ had died. The truth of Christianity is, Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. He was buried and he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. As we have a sense of that, as we meditate upon that, as we keep the feast in that way, contemplating Christ in his sufferings, it says it will... We keep the feast then in response of unleavened bread. As Simon has referred, there will not be malice and wickedness. There will be sincerity and truth, because there will be a response in our life. So, the Passover and the Lord's Supper are completely distinct as to their actual physical accomplishment. But as to their significance, they both point to the death of Christ. So that was the first question. Next is one in three parts. What if an assembly takes a wrong decision? Were they not gathered to the Lord's name? And what if they insist on a decision that was wrong? Brackets on Scriptural. Question mark. What if an assembly takes a wrong decision? So, I think in the government of God, actually, we suffer, the believers suffer, the assemblies suffer. Sometimes they suffer for many years. So, those who are in a position to make decisions that are going to affect the saints in their own locality and in other localities should seek to be very sure that they have the Lord's mind. And that there's adequate testimony, whatever the problem is, that there's sufficient witness, that there are two or three witnesses, that the facts are verified, that the matter has gone into, that there should not be haste, there should not be precipitation, but there should be a waiting on the Lord, and they should be fully persuaded in their own minds and to as great an extent as possible that there should be unanimity and that the matter should be clear, otherwise there can be severe repercussions. So, if an assembly takes a wrong decision, others are going to be affected. That's clear. But, and this impinges somewhat on what Simon was speaking about in regard to binding and loosing an assembly and so he may want to come in on it. The assembly, no assembly, no company of believers is infallible and an assembly can make a mistake and making a wrong decision does not mean that they were not gathered to the Lord's name. It's very possible to be gathered to the Lord's name and such is our weak condition and we have the flesh in us and it's very possible that an assembly can come and has come to a wrong decision but it's not an indication thereby that they were not gathered to the Lord's name. If they insist on a decision that was wrong or unscriptural, others can bring wise counsel, maybe those spiritual brothers or sisters maybe I should add who can remonstrate, who can correspond, who can approach an assembly and to seek to act on their conscience to point out the error of the decision they've made. Adjacent assemblies can also become involved certainly in the principle of the Old Testament the city that is nearest to the slain man would indicate that those in the general vicinity rather than assemblies at a distance should in the first instance take matters up. If after much patience and deliberation and contact nothing can be done to adjust or overrule or correct a wrong decision it then is going to raise a question eventually if that gathering can be recognized as properly gathered to the Lord's name and it may well be that it will cease to be recognized by the other assemblies. Did you want to add anything on that Simon? Okay. Fine for you to say it's fine. The other question is about the relationship between assemblies. How can we tell which groups of assemblies are recognized as assemblies and who recognizes assemblies? Well I would say in the first instance that our Lord Jesus Christ recognizes assemblies. He recognizes those who are truly gathered to his name. In the book of Revelation there are lots of prophetic books in chapters 2 and 3. We have the son of man in the midst of the candlesticks referring to individual assemblies in seven localities in Asia Minor now although there is a prophetic significance to it given a prophetic outline of the church's history on earth. Nevertheless, there were seven actually existing assemblies in those geographical locations Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos and so on right through to Philadelphia and Laodicea. The Lord recognized them and owned them as being such. We should seek to see things from his point of view and from his mind. There are certain difficulties of course because of the broken state of things in which we are found and because of all the ruin and confusion that is around us. I think how can we tell that groups of Christians are gathered as assemblies? I think it really comes down to whether they fulfill the scriptural criteria that I mentioned this afternoon the ground in which they should gather the recognition that there is one body. In other words, are they gathered to the Lord's name? Are they gathered in unity? Do they recognize the essential unity of the assembly of God? Those other tests I mentioned, is the authority of the word of God owned in all things? Is there liberty for the Holy Spirit to act by whom he will in worship and in ministry? Is there that dependence on the Lord the Spirit? Then the matters that Rusty particularly brought before us, the purity of the Lord's table duly maintained godly discipline in regard to bad doctrine, evil conduct and false associations because evil communications, corrupt good manners, a little leaven, leavens the whole lump. So, we've got to see that what purports or claims to be gathered on the ground of the assembly as an expression of God's church that the reality is there that the spiritual reality is present and if that is so believers and those who have any spiritual discernment can see and can indicate and can assure themselves that that's a company that is properly gathered to Christ's name and in this regard it's probably good you know that there's two or three, it's not an individual judgment but two or three brothers can recognize believers meeting together as such or there may be assemblies in the vicinity, in the general area that can indicate that they're satisfied that believers are meeting according to the scripture and for them recognition. Michael, would you lastly like to answer the questions you had there? Yeah, I'll be very brief. It's getting late. Just two footnotes and then the two questions. The first footnote is that if you believe there are dinosaurs today then you need to show me the dinosaur. Now why am I saying that? I believe that if you believe there is a certain spiritual gift today the onus is on you to show it to me. I remember once saying that to believers, there were about 200 of them who had come out of Pentecostalism and I asked them can you show me one who has that gift? And they said actually no we can't. It's easy really. The second footnote is just on this point of recognition. This morning when I saw Philip I recognized him. Now which may surprise you that I recognize someone. Now the fact that I recognized him didn't make him Philip but he looked like Philip and I recognized that. And in that sense we recognize assemblies. That doesn't make them assemblies but if they follow the New Testament pattern we say oh yeah that looks like an assembly. Now here's a question that's a very short one. What does paradox mean? I was very encouraged by that question because it shows that some of the younger ones have been listening. A very short answer. A paradox is a red elephant. And I say well that doesn't work. It's either red or it's an elephant. Well exactly that's a paradox. It's something that the Greek philosophers were very keen on. I'll just tell you about one. They said if you have a runner in the stadium who tries to cross the stadium he will never get to the other end. And you know why? Because before he can cross it he has to cross the first half. And then before he crosses the second half he has to cross half of that. And before he crosses the last quarter he has to cross half of that. And so it goes on. So he can never reach the end. Well the mathematician solved that. Because it's possible to have an infinite sum of numbers which gets more and smaller and the outcome is still finite. So a paradox is something that doesn't ring right. It seems it's counterintuitive. It's not good to explain with another difficult word. It doesn't seem to work. It seems a contradiction. And it gives me a chance to say just one point that I forgot. When we said God wants both. The unity and the separation. I didn't give you the reason for the second. Because some might think well are you people really so much better than everybody else that you need to separate? And my answer to that is Numbers chapter 5. God says there are certain categories of people, lepers and so on they mustn't be in the camp. And then he gives the reason and the reason is not that he says because my people is so much better than everybody else. The reason is remove them out of the camp in the midst of which I dwell. It's not because of us. It's because of the Lord. So much on the paradox. Last question. God's church in ruins? Surely not. Christ says he will build his church. Can't be can't be a ruin that there can't be ruin in his work. Clarity please. Well what does a pound coin look like? Are you telling me there's the head of the queen on it? I'll disagree. I'll say it looks more like a palm tree. Well that's because here we're looking at one side of the coin and I was looking at the other side of the coin. That's why we had this slide which said you can look at the church from two sides. One is God's perspective and one is the practical condition of the Christian testimony. What man has done. I'll just give you some examples to think about. When the church started in the early book of the Acts it says they were all one heart and one soul. It said that no unbeliever would have dared to come among them pretending to be a Christian. And you find features of that early church. Andrew mentioned the assemblies in different localities walking together. There was the cooperation between the different different believers in different places. There was a display of love. There was unity. And all of that. Now that has changed hasn't it? It's like that picture we saw with the ruin where the roof was gone and the windows and so forth. So just compare what happened in the early beginning and compare the practical state now and that's what we mean by ruin. Perhaps we should say the ruin of the Christian testimony. That which is visible. And that Christian testimony will even continue after the rapture. And then it will get even worse. And at that point in time it develops into this terrible system that is called Babylon. And that is no longer compared to a bride but to a harlot. And that shows really how far the Christian testimony has gone and will go away from what it was originally. So short answer. Two sides of the coin. Because this was my question. I was going to ask this. I know that this expression that church is in ruins dates back to the time that the brethren came to exist. I think it was, I hesitate to say it was Mr. Darwin who used the expression. But I have very sympathy with the asker of the question that you had. Christ is building his church. He's not building a ruin. He's adding to his church. He's not adding to a ruin. This is my understanding of it. I fully share that understanding. As God looks down from heaven and he looks on the church and he looks on his people surely he doesn't see a ruin. He sees a perfect church. Now when you said it perhaps would be better to use the expression the Christian testimony is in ruins I would fully agree with that. And I think it might be better to say or more exactly to say that the church is in ruins. But simply to say a dogmatic statement that the church is in ruins I have some question. I've heard people say things like the body of Christ is divided. Well I don't see that in the Bible. So I agree with that statement. I'd be careful on the other hand to say it's just the professing church. It's true believers excluded. Let me just ask you if that includes true believers. Alright. So already we agree it is not only the professors after the rapture but it is all those who profess to be Christians who constitute the Christian testimony and the picture they give is very different from the picture they gave in the beginning. You might say in the beginning there was congruence, there was harmony between God's view and the practical state. And that lasted for Acts 2 and 3 and 4 there was opposition from outside and in 5 it was gone. In 5 the problem started, Acts 5 and they continued in Acts 7 and since then it has not become better. I don't want to make a man in particular not an appreciated writer, an offender for a word. I think we know what we mean. From God's perspective it's perfect. But the church in Laodicea is still called the church and that speaks of the Christian testimony that remains even after the true believers are gone. And so far I think that expression still conveys what has been happening, a sad departure from what God wanted. Again later on in the second chapter it says the chief of the fathers went to the house of the Lord which is at Jerusalem offered freely for the house of God to stand up in its place. So there seems to be this dual aspect where one is on the side of man's responsibility, that's in ruins but nevertheless that's the place where God had put his name and in his eyes that house is there in all its perfection, in all its glory. But as Michael put it, it's man's responsibility on one side and how God views his work on the other. And maybe it's more accurate to speak of it as the testimony to that house. And I think in 1 Timothy when Paul speaks of the great house he's not saying the church of God has become a great house, he's saying that the Christian profession is right now a great house and in it there's that which is defined there's that which is not defined but there is also that which is of Christ and the two they are seeking to go on in faith if the true is seeking to go on in faith it cannot go on with that which is false. I'm very grateful for all the questions that have been asked and all the answers that have been given. I'm sure you have many more questions. There will be another opportunity tomorrow but today we must now draw to a close. Can I suggest before we close we've just seen hymn number 389. …

… I have handed the questions that we have to the speakers, and I don't know who would like to take up the first question. I think that's Brother Ernie. And there are other questions still coming, but if you'd like to take... I'm very grateful I've been given the easy one. What is pre-millennial? The short answer is before the millennium, but I think it warrants a little bit longer answer than that. Old Testament and New Testament affirm again and again that there is a period of peace and prosperity coming into the world. For instance, in Isaiah 32, a king shall reign in righteousness. Act 1731, God has appointed a day in which he will rule the world in righteousness by that man whom he has ordained, whereof he has given assurance unto all, in that he has raised him from the dead. Now, there's only one place in the Bible that I'm aware of that details how long that period of blessing will be, and that is Revelation 20 verses 4 to 6. Six times over, you get the phrase, a thousand years, the thousand years, a thousand years, the thousand years. In other words, it's a period that will last a thousand years, a full cycle of time, and it's not just any old thousand years, it's a particular thousand years, and it's the thousand years where Christ will reign and rule the world in righteousness. And the term pre-millennial just means that things that will happen before the millennium, the thousand years reign of Christ begins. If there's time, more could be added later. Keeping to this afternoon's speakers, Paul Raymond, I wonder if Paul will begin with your text. I have a question here. What sort of scriptural descriptions are there for interpreting the Old Testament scriptures as types? What is to stop an interpreter reading everything as a type in the way he wants? I suppose, in one sense, there's nothing to stop them if that is what happens. But, as we said, we can only understand the types as the Lord himself reveals them to us. It's through the Lord that we understand the types. And a type doesn't stand alone, as it were. We read, don't we, that no scripture is of any private interpretation. In other words, you cannot take a scripture on its own, out of the context of scripture, and say, this means that, because it fits in with the whole of scripture. And so, if we claim that one scripture means something, we must have evidence from the body of scripture that that is so. And so, the interpretation of a type, it must illustrate, as we've said, a principle of scripture or a doctrine. Well, if somebody is trying to propagate a peculiar doctrine through a type, and is not able to back it up from scripture, then I think that would be rejected. But my own feeling is that if somebody presents the interpretation of a type, and it commends itself to your soul, I think you hear the Lord's voice speaking to your own heart. And the truth commends itself to the believer. We have an unction from the Holy One, we read. If we're walking closely with the Lord, we can instinctively know that that's his voice. Yes, that is true. I mean, for instance, Jeff, yesterday, he applied a type in a certain way, which I'd never thought of before. That the spirit, Eliezer the servant, gives gifts to Rebecca. And he compared that to the Lord Jesus, the ascended Christ, giving gifts to men, to the church. And I'd never thought of that, but it commended itself. And the whole type also, in the context of the type, it commends itself. Because those gifts, Rebecca didn't, as it were, put the earrings on and put the bracelets on and stand in front of the mirror admiring herself. Those gifts led her to desire Isaac. She got the gifts, and what did they do? They made her want to have Isaac for herself. And that is the whole object of the gift. It's not to glorify self, but it's to make us desire the one who gave them. So immediately, that interpretation commended itself. And I think, without being able to, as it were, give ourselves any rules as to how we can determine whether this is right or that is right, I think we live in an age, not of law, but of grace. And through the grace of the Lord Jesus, I think we can understand the words. And if a prophet speaks, then, as the scripture says, let the rest judge what he says from the word of God itself. The first question states as follows. If you doubt your salvation, can you be truly saved? If you have always believed, how do you know you have done it properly if sometimes you have doubts? Why can the gospel message move you sometimes and other times it cannot soften you? Basically, if you have doubts as to your eternal salvation. This is something that I guess each one of us, even the old boys on the front row here, would all have said at one time in our lives, we would have had doubts. Because Satan would put doubts into our mind as to whether we are really following the Lord Jesus, whether we are really Christians. But I just want to base the argument upon what the word of God says. And quite clearly, in John 3, it says, He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life. If that's what you believe, if you believe in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, you have everlasting life. It doesn't matter what you think or what you feel. The fact is, if you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and if you have believed on the Lord Jesus, that he died upon Calvary's cross for your sins, you have everlasting life. And not only do you have everlasting life, but you are justified. God has completely wiped the slate, completely removed every sin that you've ever done. But not only are you justified, just as if you've never sinned, he's also given you righteousness. And so further on in Romans, it says, Who is there that shall lay any charge against one of God's elect? Is there anybody who can lay a charge against a Christian? The answer is given, no, God has justified you. So if you put your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus, as a child, and you doubt it, that's perhaps a good sign. Because Satan is tempting you. Those that don't doubt their salvation, those that never query it, ought to be the ones that ought to be more concerned. If you're concerned about your salvation, stop relying on what you have done and rely a little bit more upon what the Lord Jesus has done. And the next question. How do we continually get our first love for Christ back? The Ephesians, we know, the church in Ephesus, when the Apostle Paul wrote to them, they were a very high and a very good church. There was much order, there was much that he could commend in the epistle to the Ephesians. And yet we know that when John wrote several years later, he could say to that church many good things, but the one thing that he said about them is they had left their first love. And you know, this is not something, again, it's something that affects each one of us. At times we can be really on fire for the Lord Jesus, and then we find at other times there is that which comes in which hinders us. And we don't feel that joy for the Lord. We don't want to get up and read his word in the morning. When it comes round to the prayer meeting and the Bible reading, we're not so keen. Well, there is a verse that I think is well worth turning to, if I can find it, in Psalm 50 something. Psalm 51. You remember this is a psalm, and it's one of those grand occasions when the title is very helpful for explaining the psalm. And of course the title of the psalms, as we know, are part of the scriptures. And it says to the chief musician, a psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him after he had gone into Bathsheba. It was mentioned yesterday, the sin of David to Bathsheba. And David in this psalm, he acknowledges his transgressions in verse 3. In verse 7 he says, purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean. But in verse 12 he says, restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. And perhaps one of the reasons why our keenness, our first love for the Lord Jesus has waned, is because in our lives there's that which we need to repent from. And perhaps there's things that have come into our lives. I'm not suggesting for one moment there would be anything as bad as what David did in relation to Bathsheba. But perhaps there's just something small that comes in. Perhaps we've got an interest which is not really connected with the things of the Lord. Perhaps our time is being occupied with other things. Perhaps decent things, but they're becoming more ingrained in our lives. You know, if we want to really know the joy of the salvation of the Lord, some of these things we've got to challenge ourselves and say, am I really doing this for the Lord or is this something for myself? And this verse has been a help to many in the past. David could say, restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. And indeed the way in which he had it restored was he looked back over his life, he confessed the wrongs and he was ready to go on and serve the Lord. The question is, if decisions are to be made by the whole assembly, what is the scriptural basis for brothers' meetings? And I hope the other brothers will be preparing a helpful addition to my comments. I think firstly I would reiterate really the statement made in the question that matters are for the whole assembly. I don't think it would ever be right to say that an assembly decision is a decision made only by the brothers. However, I think it's a matter of, in one respect, eldership. Now, I trust that what was clear yesterday is that we cannot have recognized elders in the sense that there are those who are specifically appointed by the apostles or the delegates. And for the other reason that any assembly of Christians in any one place can't claim to be the whole assembly in that locality. And therefore there's a practical limitation or difficulty in calling all the elders together. Nevertheless, on the same basis that simply because it's no longer possible for us to gather together the entire church in any one place, that's no reason for us to say, well, we can't meet together at all. And we recognize there's a scriptural principle and whatever the limitations practically nowadays, we still come together on the basis and the ground of the one body. But confessing that we're only a representation of it. So I think we have to bear that in mind that though the elders as such in the way that we see them in the New Testament can't be called together, nevertheless, the response to the limitations of today should not be, well, we cannot have such a meeting of such character at all. And I think when brothers come together, it's with a view to coming together in the character of elders. And I hope it was clear that there are those for whom the Holy Spirit has made such. Those who are godly, experienced in the pathway, can give wise counsel and who can shepherd and look over the flock. And therefore, it's appropriate that such should be able to come together. And it's clear from the scripture that the elders were brothers only. It was to the brothers exclusively, not including the sisters, to whom such a role was given. And so in that capacity, I would say it's scriptural for brothers only to come together to discuss matters of discipline, perhaps. And sadly, in many cases of discipline, there are facts and details which must be brought to light, which is not a good thing if such matters were discussed too openly. If everyone in the assembly was made party to these details, it wouldn't be a very happy thing. For the person concerned, if there's repentance and sorrow, it's best that such details are able to be forgiven and forgotten. And the fewer people that know about them, the better. Because we're all human and we know what gossips we tend to be and little things are said and things get out of hand. So I suggest there's a very good practical reason why, in some cases, the discussion of matters should be necessarily limited. And in practice, this means that we have brothers' meetings to take up such matters. Now, I don't say it's exactly... We can't say they're meetings of elders because it's appropriate that brothers who are not exactly recognized as elders may be present. It may be appropriate that they're not present. But, you know, the brothers that come together are not exactly equivalent to elders. But in any case, what they are not is the whole assembly. And if a matter needs to be gone into and a decision needs to be made, they cannot make an assembly decision. They may be able to examine the facts and be able to then come back to the assembly and say, well, we've looked into the matter and this seems to be the problem and together we feel this is the way forward. And the assembly must be involved in any act. It must be an act of the whole assembly. And obviously, at such a meeting, the sisters would be present, they would be party to the facts of the matter and would be able to give a moral consent, knowing the facts, they should be able to agree with and submit to the judgment come to. But, obviously, it wouldn't be appropriate in an assembly meeting of that nature for sisters to have an audible part. So, you know, in brothers meeting together, in a practical way, it's just a way of working these things out. I don't know, that's really the best way I can respond to such a question. But I'm sure the other brothers have some helpful additions to make. Maybe I should come up and ask them. Well, brothers meetings and elders in the church may be a question for some, but it seems that those that have eldership qualities, which are moral qualities, they're the ones that we would expect to take the lead among God's people. In the assembly or even in deliberation, they're the ones that we would expect to take the lead among God's people. In the assembly or even in deliberations concerning practical matters and issues of discipline or happier issues. But, although they may take the lead, Peter speaks of them as in his epistle, in a special way. It may be good just to see what an elder, how he functions. 1 Peter 5, it says, The elders which are among you, verse 3, neither as being lords over God's heritage. So I deduce from such expressions that those that take the lead among God's people are not the lords or the masters, but the servants. And so those that occupy themselves with matters, local, administrative, are but servants and not the leading functionaries in the local church. And that's always important to bear in mind in our considerations. There are times when matters affect the whole company and it's good then to declare it to everyone so that everyone shares. But the detail, as Nick has been saying, of matters of discipline, it can be very unedifying, very defiling, and it's not appropriate to broaden the matter. So it's sometimes best that those in whom the local believers have confidence accept the conclusions that are arrived at on certain matters. But in the general way, I think the spending of money may be committed to the responsibility of some, but that information is good to be shared among all. And so that's quite a prickly issue. For example, if money is spent and the rest of the Assembly doesn't know what's happening to it, well, people will get upset, understandably. And if there are changes of the meeting times as well, to make sure that everyone knows that the meeting has changed for the time it's going to be held. Otherwise, there'll be another prickly issue. But in every case, it demonstrates, these two examples, that those that make these determinations must do it in fellowship with the brothers and sisters, and that they are always servants of their brethren. We are never masters of our brothers. For the Lord said in Matthew 23, Call no man master, for one is your master, even Christ, and all of you are brethren, all of you are brothers. There's an egalitarian principle which should affect every detail of the Christian community and Assembly. I hope that helps. We do have an example in Scripture of a problem that arises. In Antioch, there were those who went down from Jerusalem to Antioch and they were bringing false doctrine with them. They were saying that the Gentiles should be brought under the law. And this caused the brethren of Antioch great concern. And so they sent a delegation down to Jerusalem to bring the matter before the brethren of Jerusalem. And it says in Acts 15, verse 4, When they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, of the Assembly, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them. And then there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees, which believed, saying that it was needful to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses. And then, verse 6, And the apostles and elders came together to consider the matter. So it wasn't primarily considered by the whole Assembly. There were those, as has been said, who have a responsible position in the Assembly, who are men who are esteemed because of their godliness. They came together to consider the matter. And then, after they had reached an agreement, they put it to the Assembly. Peter stands up. He gives his conclusion. He concludes in verse 21, For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day. Verse 22, Then pleased it the apostles and elders with the whole Assembly. So there was agreement. The decision was brought to the Assembly. The Assembly was of one mind. They agreed, and therefore the letters were sent and the matter was resolved. But to be a brother is not a qualification to be at any meeting in itself. Are there any more questions? If so, please give them to David, and I'll bring them forward. Thank you. Thank you, Paul, for mentioning one of the three examples I had in mind. These are not exactly brothers' meetings, but perhaps indications. Act 6, there was a question of distributing funds. And what is done is they look for seven men, perhaps what you would call deacon service, and they look after this matter. In Acts 4, you have Barnabas. He sells a field. He takes the money and he lays it down at the feet of the apostles. And the third example, the brothers, apostles, elders, who came together in Acts 15. So I think even though these are not exactly brothers' meetings, these are indications that such matters were dealt with by brothers at the time. Now, one question was handed to me, and I've lost it now. I think it was handed to me on the basis that it was in Spanish. And what it said was, what is the marriage supper of the Lamb? And of what does it consist? And when does it take place? I'll just give you a thought or two very briefly, and perhaps others have more on this. We just read in Revelation 19, where the expression occurs, verse 9. Revelation 19, verse 9, and he says to me, write, blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. So first question, when does this happen? Supposedly, the safe answer is between the rapture and the appearing of Christ. The sequence of events in Revelation is that you have the Christian testimony on the earth, chapters 2 and 3. As of chapter 4, the church is found in heaven. As of chapter 6, the judgments of the seven-year tribulation fall upon the earth. And then you come to chapter 19, chapter 19, and it says in verse 1. Well, let's start in in verse yeah, right, verse 1. And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven saying, Alleluia, salvation and glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God. For true and righteous are his judgments, for he has judged the great whore which did corrupt the earth and her fornication and has avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. That's the response, Alleluia. And then it says in verse 6 in the end, Alleluia for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Now those two things suggest to me and I'm happy to hear the views of others that the marriage supper of the Lamb is presented as occurring just before the appearing of Christ. Now why? Well, A, because the false church system, Babylon, is judged. And then you have the marriage supper of the Lamb. B, because it says the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. So it is really at the introduction of the kingdom. And actually the next thing you read then is in verse 11 So you find that the marriage supper of the Lamb is followed in this report here immediately by the appearing. So, in brief, rapture, tribulation period, judgment of Babylon, marriage supper of the Lamb, appearing, millennium, eternal state. The only addition I would make is that after our responsible life and service are over at the rapture and before appearing with the Lord at his appearing there is not only the marriage supper of the Lamb there is the personal interview with the Lord Jesus by the believers. Now, I cannot imagine that our gracious Lord would do any other than interview us, give us his views on everything we've ever done before we sit down with him at the marriage supper of the Lamb. By the time we are at the marriage supper of the Lamb there'll be no doubt on our consciences at all we will be at rest in his presence enjoying the presentation as the bride to him before the kingdom commences. So, I thoroughly agree with Michael. One more thought. Just before I was married I was told what it would cost me. In modern currency I was told it would be 75p for the ceremony and then my wages for life. And there is a relation between the Lord or the church as the bride and the church as a wife. Now, in this life it's common to say bride for a day a wife for life. But the things that are said about the church as a wife are related to the responsibility so that triggers off in our minds from this afternoon anyway that that's related to the appearing. The thought of the bride and the enjoyment of his love is an eternal thought. So, the eternal, the spiritual is always better than the natural. So, if in this life it's a bride for a day and a wife for life in spiritual terms for the church it's a wife for a thousand years and a bride for eternity. Could we draw a conclusion by saying good evening. After we close we have some instructions please for tea. First of all, if we can move the chairs obviously from here back to their normal place. And then again the normal instructions please through this door. Tea is served in the back room and to come back out this way. And again cold drinks are available at the back and avail yourselves of those. As I said, brief announcements and then if we can proceed immediately after Hugh has closed the conference. Thank you very much. …