The Church of God/Synopsis
SYNOPSIS.
LECTURE I.
ONE BODY.
Difference of God’s dealings with His people in the past and present dispensations; Adam; Abraham; Israel as a nation; death and resurrection of Christ introduce a new thing; the body composed of Jew and Gentile; the cross, showing the complete ruin of man, removes the barrier to God’s free action; God’s thoughts set upon the glory of His Son; first shadow of the Church’s union with Christ precedes the entrance of sin; Ephes. i. is then adduced to show that God develops His counsels of grace before mentioning man’s sin; the cross not merely meets the desperate need of man, but unites in one body Jew and Gentile; a new man thus created; a habitation in which God could dwell; Christ, God’s true temple while on earth; the truth of the one body claims the attention of all Christians; human and divine relationships; Satan’s grand object to hinder the present operation of God in the saints; and succeeds at man’s weak point in that man likes to be something; and so easily falls a prey to the working of the enemy; the glory of Christ’s Person as maintained by the Holy Ghost, the mainspring of the life and conversation of a Christian man; difficulties met with in reasoning about the Church on Old Testament analogy; Christ Head of His body in resurrection; consequently the body is heavenly as in the Head; “Christian” means more than “Saint;” bearing of the Gospels and Epistles on the one body; servants and children; a Jew could never have put the Old and New Testaments together; the cross the foundation of a new revelation; what is the unity of the Spirit? Christians act on this unity only when gathered to the name of Christ; God’s grace in reviving this truth in view of the Lord’s speedy coming; exhortation to younger brethren and sisters; the word of God the only standard ; “the world,” and “within and without;” my place as a Christian; separation; conclusion.
LECTURE II.
ONE SPIRIT.
Personality of the Holy Ghost; work of the Holy Ghost in former dispensations; Jewish and Gentile view of Christ; disappointment of Jewish hopes; Holy Ghost sent down from heaven is, next to Christ, the central truth of the New Testament; disciples prepared for the doctrine of the Spirit; Holy Ghost not merely a power, a Person; why He cannot be known by the world; the Holy Ghost sent by the Father in Christ’s name, and sent by Christ from the Father; God glorified in exalting the Man Christ Jesus; the righteousness of God; Peter’s boldness by reason of a purged conscience in the Trinity, subordination of Persons unscriptural; the double relation of the Holy Ghost—to the world and to the saints; communication of risen life by the Holy Ghost; Holy Ghost on earth in the absence of Christ; miraculous tokens of the Spirit’s presence at the outset; grieving the Spirit; the testimony of the Acts to the working of the Holy Ghost; the teaching of the Epistles as to His presence both in the individual and in the Church; the opening of 1st Corinthians shows the perpetuity of the Holy Ghost’s action in the Church so long as it is here below; reason for the discontinuance of miracles; God’s wisdom in withholding them now; the Spirit the pledge of God’s delight in the work of His Son: Christ’s twofold reception of the Holy Ghost; practical importance of these truths; how the Holy Ghost works in the assembly; duty of a Christian to be where the Holy Ghost is owned; why the Church is so weak; owning the Holy Ghost does not hinder individual ministry; true reason of meeting is to please the Lord Jesus; charge of bigotry weighed; why ask people to come with me, while I do not go with them? search the word of God for yourself; conclusion.
LECTURE III.
THE ASSEMBLY, AND MINISTRY.
Assembly and ministry alike flow from the accomplished work of Christ; “Assembly,” rather than “Church;” the Rock upon which it is built; Christ the Son of the living God; building of the assembly future in Matt, xvi; the baptism of the Spirit; consideration of the term “invisible Church;” no church till the death of Christ; the congregation of Jehovah; position of “such as should be saved;” critical remarks upon Acts ix, 31; authority for the same; the case of the trespassing brother; grace in action instead of law; a mistake often made about what love is; the ordering of the assembly by the Holy Ghost; tests—not as to who are Christians, but what is of the Holy Ghost; two things maintained by the Holy Ghost—the glory of Christ as to His Person, and the Lordship of Christ as to His place; assembly not dependent upon age or country; the infant Church at Corinth; their new-born exuberance; how to use a gift; the meaning of the term “prophesying;” all to be done to edifying; a revelation not possible now; the canon of Scripture closed; the presence of the Holy Ghost in the assembly; a member of the Church of God a member everywhere; difference between a Church and the Church; letters of commendation; our duty not to form a new Church, but to cleave to the old; Jesus in the midst; where were you last Lord’s Day? how God can bless even Roman Catholics; what the faithful are to do who meet on God’s principles; unintelligence of those who have never felt the cost of separation from the ruin around; duty of a Christian in the event of an assembly departing from the word of God; action to be taken slowly, and with much waiting on the Lord; Ministry; the Lord calls, sends, and controls, not the assembly; preachers sent by men an usurpation of the Lord’s prerogative; the case of Philip; Paul and Apollos; difference of judgment recorded without censure; case of Barnabas and Saul; co-operation in ministry allowed so long as there is no bondage; subjection to chief men; review of the two lines of truth sketched; fluctuation in the Church, none in Christ; conclusion.
LECTURE IV.
WORSHIP, BREAKING OF BREAD, AND PRAYER.
What is worship? state of soul needed for worship; sin and shame of man’s interference with the worship of God; our privilege to say “We know;” man, unless horn of God, incapable of worshipping Him; the great principle of worship shown in the word to the Samaritan woman under the law God hid Himself; under grace He revealed Himself three things necessary to worship; where ought men to worship? God’s title of Father not made known to Israel God the Father in quest of worshippers; the Jewish lamp replaced by the brightness of the Father’s glory do not forget that our Father is also our God what am I to do if asked to join in worship? fleshly worship suits a fleshly state what happens when Christian worship is unknown or forgotten; preaching the Gospel not to be confounded with worship; worship founded on Christ (dead, risen, and ascended), and carried on by the power of the Holy Ghost position of the unbelievers present where the assembly is gathered; who can sing, and say Amen; how many may take active part in the assembly; on giving out hymns criticism breaking bread; the Lord’s Supper characteristics of the first day of the week; prime object of the Sapper is to remember the Lord’s death when should the bread be broken? strangeness of procedure to those habituated to rigid forms; thoughts sometimes expressed by those who have broken bread what happened among the Corinthians through not duly apprehending the character of the Lord’s Sup- per the practice of appointing particular officials considered; the character of the Supper impugned if any official be appointed by man to administer it the Supper leaves no room for human display what is the meaning of 1 Cor. xi, 29? the Lord’s Supper a sweet privilege as well as a solemn duty for all His own Prayer—Scripture does not speak of a “gift of prayer;” the apostle lays down as a rule, that men pray everywhere; conclusion.
LECTURE V.
GIFTS AND LOCAL CHARGES.
Dryness of subject unless connection seen with Christ; gifts are for the glory of Christ, not the aggrandisement of men indifference to this a deep dishonour done to Him; “gifts of the Lord,” not “gifts of the Spirit;” gifts consequent upon the ascension of Christ contraband ministry; “He descended first;” “He ascended that He might fill all things;” the world can admire Christ and Christianity if altered to suit the age’s taste; Christ, only as risen, the Church’s Head; gifts in Ephesians and Corinthians compared; gifts in Corinthians became a snare, those in Ephesians are for perfecting; “apostles and prophets;” not prophets and apostles; character of ministry in the Church quite distinct from that which obtained while the Lord was on earth; the mission of the twelve to Israel; earthly glory of Messiah fades and is eclipsed by heavenly glory; who laid hands on the apostles? Saul’s call when going, not to, but from Jerusalem; Paul a sample of one whom the Lord calls to be a minister; how God has made the great apostle the witness of non-succession; the service of tables; as far as the New Testament speaks, no one was ever ordained by man to preach the gospel; Acts xiii; Archbishop Potter on Church Government; the separation of Barnabas and Saul by the Holy Ghost for special work; if Paul and Barnabas were ordained in the current sense, then the lesser ordained the greater; what this laying on of hands signified; the silence of Scripture respecting the laying of hands on presbyters; the absolute necessity of having a real commission from the Lord, in order to appoint to office; Christendom while fighting for its own order has missed God’s; qualification for eldership; an unruly house a disqualification for eldership; the word of God nowhere hints at the continuance of an ordaining power; the case of Titus; man’s ordination puts one off the ground of faith in, and deference to, the word of God; foolishness of making a bad imitation of what was written exclusively to Timothy or Titus; elders never mentioned as giving gifts; deprecation of the thought that the Holy Ghost can be conveyed by ordination; how to judge of the possession of a gift; gifts to be proved by their power, according to the word of God; gifts sooner or later, sure to be recognised; difficulties of one who has used a gift for a livelihood; dissent is religious radicalism; the value of the word of God for guidance as to ministry and Church office; persons having qualification for eldership may still be found; but no power to ordain them as such; Scripture has provided for this defective condition of the Church; exhortation to esteem those who labour; elders not mentioned in the Corinthian and Thessalonian assemblies; but those who possessed spiritual power in guiding and directing, found in both; no new invention needed to meet the difficulties of the day; fulness of blessing in Christ for the Church now as in Pentecostal times; plenty of room in an assembly for numerous gifts; gifts always sure, because Christ is the Head and source of supply; conclusion. Note on Acts xiv, 23.
LECTURE VI.
THE RESOURCE OF THE FAITHFUL IN THE RUINS OF CHRISTENDOM.
Solemnity of the subject; Christ’s words of light require no tapers of man to make them more distinct; dishonour to the name of Jesus in Christendom; difference between owning the ruin and endeavouring to reinstate the Church; the Church of God the greatest work, next to the cross, that God has ever wrought on the earth; to slight it is worse than any evil of former days; the days of Noah followed by the flood, and the days of Lot followed by the destruction of Sodom, types of the day when the Son of Man shall be revealed; Christendom’s danger seen in Rom. xi; its non-continuance in God’s goodness; its excision; its apostacy apparent from the first; the man of sin, and the man of righteousness; Antichrist; Cain, Balaam, Core; he who defends Christendom, gives the Lord the lie; deprecation of the apology, that the Lord will set all right; unsparing judgment His action when He comes; the Lord’s provision for the faithful in the dark day; the Lord’s own weight of authority attached to “two or three” gathered to His name; no wonder men shrink from Church discipline, seeing how it has been abused; the duty of a believer, to renounce every tie not connected with Christ; which is best, your rules or God’s word? how is it that the doctrines of men have taken the place of the word of God? electing a minister, wholly at variance with Scripture; evils resulting from the dissenting and parochial systems; advice to saints taking their place with the “two or three,” how to detect and exclude what is not of God; the great house, and who to separate from; “He that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey;” “The Christian World,” or evil with the name of Christ attached to it; trusting the Lord for eternal life, and denying Him for a bit of bread; what to flee and what to follow (2 Tim. ii.); Christ addresses Himself to hearts, grieved at the dishonour done to His grace and truth; illustration of a rightly and wrongly constituted assembly; Christ the centre and rallying point; no ground for fear, if the Lord be the helper; conclusion.