Jottings

by J. Miller | Category: Jottings | Feb 1956

When Paul wrote to Timothy, whom he had left in Ephesus to charge certain men not to teach a different doctrine (1 Timothy 1.3), the attack of the adversary upon the church of God in Ephesus and on the churches of God in Asia was beginning to make itself felt. It will be remembered that at the time of the Lord's crucifixion Satan had asked to have the apostles that he might sift them as wheat. The Lord's words to Peter about this are-" Simon, Simon, behold, Satan asked to have you, that he might sift you as wheat: but I have made supplication for thee, that thy faith fail not; and do thou, when once thou hast turned again, stablish thy brethren" (Luke 22.31, 32). The "you" and the "thee" are important pronouns to observe. Satan sought the whole of the apostles so that he might sift them, not with the object of proving them worthy men, but to bring out of them such things as might blast their future lives of service for the Lord. The Lord, while He no doubt prayed for them each, tells Peter that He had prayed for him that his faith would not fail.

It may be that Satan had asked for certain men in the church in Ephesus, or even the whole of the elders of that church, or perhaps the whole church, that he might do the same with them as he did with the apostles. Whether this was so or not, the time of testing came. It was known to the Lord and revealed to Paul before it came, for Paul prophesied to the elders of the church in Ephesus of the trouble that lay ahead, when he said,

"Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in the which the Holy Spirit hath made you bishops (overseers, A. V.), to feed the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood (or the blood of His own). I know that after my departing grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them" (Acts 20.28-30).

By the time of the writing of 1 Timothy men had arisen from among the elders and evil doctrine was being taught. Hymenaeus and Alexander are mentioned by name in 1 Timothy 1.20, but there were others who had thrust from them faith and a good conscience and had made shipwreck concerning the faith (verse 19). The days were dark and the happenings of those times were ominous that there were worse things ahead. Paul tells Timothy that "the Spirit saith expressly, that in later times some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils (demons), through the hypocrisy of men that speak lies" (1 Timothy 4.1, 2). The lying spirits of the father of lies, the devil, found accomplices amongst the elders of the church of Ephesus, men who were out to find a place for themselves amongst those whom they led away from the faith, and this evil work was aided and abetted by the grievous wolves who crept in among the flock, and, as wolves ever act, they do not spare a flock.

What could the sheep do in such circumstances than follow the words of the apostle, when he said, "I commend you to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you the inheritance among all them that are sanctified"? (Acts 20.32). God and His word are ever the sure defence of the faithful in the most tempestuous times.

What was Timothy to do? His instruction is clear also. "Till I come, give heed to reading, to exhortation, to teaching ... Take heed to thyself, and to thy teaching. Continue in these things; for in doing this thou shalt save both thyself and them that hear thee" (1 Timothy 4.13-16).

The value of the public reading and systematic teaching of the word cannot be over-estimated, for the salvation of the lives of believers is by the receiving of the word of God (see James 1.21).

There are no doubt believers whose behaviour is worse than their doctrine, and others whose behaviour is better than their doctrine. At the same time we can never reach a point where we have reached to such perfection that the teaching of sound doctrine is unnecessary. The course of the world around us is such, that unless we are subject to the healthful teaching of God's word we shall soon give evidence that we are on the move in the present drift in which men and their teachings are swiftly moving away from God. Paul wrote to Timothy of such perilous times; "But know this, that in the last days grievous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money ... lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof ... ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy 3.1-7). Such men oppose the truth of God and all who would faithfully carry it out, as Jannes and Jambres, the Egyptian magicians, withstood Moses in that past day.

Such perilous or grievous times in which we live are described by the Greek word Chalepos, which has a variety of meanings, such as, hard, difficult, harsh, perilous, full of danger, and even means fierce, furious, ferocious. No one can deny the ferocious character of these days when they read the list of things given by Paul in the verses cited above. But such things must be hidden under the cloak of religion. There must be a form of godliness, though the power of godliness does not exist.

What a host of people come under the description of" ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth"! All true believers in Christ are united on the truth of eternal salvation, and the life which is theirs in Him is through faith alone, without any human works of merit whatever. But immediately believers pass beyond the Cross, then the divergence begins, and we see them divided into various groups and parties, and some alone, and like a huge, disintegrated and disordered mass spread out over the present wilderness, they make their way towards the heavenly country which lies ahead.

Few indeed want anything to do with the house of God or the truth thereof. They are looking forward to being in heaven, but so far as being gathered together according to the divine pattern of God's house today, which is, that all believers should first be baptized as the Lord's disciples, according to Matthew 28.18-20, and then added together, as in Acts 2.41, 47; 5.14; 11. 24, this finds no response.

It is a melancholy fact that when Open Brethren were tested fully sixty years ago on the truth of the churches of God (which are the local expressions of the house of God) and the truth of the house of God (which views all the churches of God fitly framed together), they would not have that separation from all unscriptural religious associations which the truth of the house of God demands. Many Open Brethren wished to go where they pleased and act as they pleased. In justification of their practice they pointed back to the start of the brethren movement, to events in Dublin, where believers met for mutual spiritual help, and to keep "the breaking of the bread," but there was no separation from sectarianism. They could continue to be members of sects, or to be ministers in a sect, and yet join in the meetings of the brethren. There was no separation called for, and there was no demand made that each person should be baptized (dipped) in water, according to the command of the Lord in. Matthew 28.19; such matters were left to each individual's conscience. These Open Brethren look back to Dublin and Plymouth as though what happened then and there was according to the teaching of the word. It certainly was not. Hence arose the necessity of the separation from Open Principles and Open Brethren, if the house of God were to have any place at all among God's redeemed, even if it were amongst a small remnant. May it be that that stand on divine principles which was made over sixty years ago shall be courageously maintained!

J. Miller | Feb 1956
Jottings