by T. Austin-Sparks

Chapter 1 - The Release of the Lord and the Testimony of Jesus

The book which is known to us as "The Acts of the Apostles," and sometimes "The Acts of the Holy Spirit," might truly be named

"The Release of Jesus Christ."

Luke introduces it with the observation that he had earlier written the beginnings of the acts and teaching of Jesus; implying that continuation is now his object and purpose. But what a change! The former bounded and limited by time and space. At best a few square miles of Syrian soil, and for the most part Omnipresence in chains, except for a few breakings through of power at a distance. Then almost entirely to a people of one nation and tongue. Then by outward urge, persuasion and encouragement He had His wishes carried out. Then to the dull minds of the spiritually unquickened He gave His spiritual treasures; explanations and reasons being necessary to confidence. Then a non-committal necessity laid upon Him in the nature of a very slow disillusionment as to what form the end of that phase would take, because of the controlling personal interests, even in the inner circle. Pride, ambition, doubt, malice, self-assertiveness, self-confidence, self-realisation, self-defence, like barbed wires circling Him around and wounding whenever He sought to move forward. Ever conscious from the beginning that world-dominion was His as "Heir of all things," yet now, not a place to lay His head, and to be "crucified through weakness."

Yes, what a change! Now He has shaken off all His chains. Time and space no longer have any power over Him. Geography, the material things, Satan, demons, men, nations, thrones, all have been fully stripped off by Him. Now by an inward dynamic, in spite of every threat and peril men and women are moving out in every direction with a passion for the glory of His Name. Now, not as an historic figure, "Known after the flesh," but by an inward revelation of transcendent magnitude He is known after the spirit. Now, the once dreaded, unacceptable, offending Cross is all their glory. Now suffering reproach has supplanted pride; selfless disinterested sacrifice takes the place of ambition; a mighty energising faith - not their own - has destroyed doubt; they lay down their own lives gladly and suffer the loss of all things for that Name.

In one strategic stroke He begins with a multitude representing "every nation under heaven." See how this fire spreads without artificial and forced agencies.

In the year 33 A.D., a few Galilean fishermen were seeking liberty of speech in Jerusalem, and were hardly handled as men poor and ignorant.

In the year Paul died, how did the matter stand? There were churches in Jerusalem, Nazareth, Caesarea, in all Syria, Antioch, Ephesus, Galatia, Sardis, Laodicea, in all the towns on the west coast throughout lesser Asia, in Philippi, Thessalonica, Athens, Corinth, Rome, Alexandria, in the chief cities of the islands and the mainland of Greece, and the western Roman Colonies.

A sad comparison.

There are some significant absences from this record of conquests. We never read of organising a missionary campaign. There is no indication of a missionary society or department existing as a phase or department of the Church. The Church was world-wide in nature, vision, and vocation.

Such things as deputations, lecturers and lectures, exhibitions, appeals, advertisements, etc., with all their cost and expenditure of time, money, energy, all to try and get Christians interested in the souls of the unsaved - even if only to the measure of a sixpence (what an indictment of the "church"!) are never hinted at. Any reporting of what God had done in the regions beyond was never by way of propaganda or advocacy. Statistics as mental stimulants; pathetic, tragic, sensational stories as emotional stimulants; urge and drive as volitional stimulants had no place here, so far as we can discern. The thing was of the spirit not firstly of the soul. The latter is undoubtedly the reason for a tremendous amount of the weakness and breakdown today. Speaking generally, this whole matter of the world-mission of the Church is on pre-resurrection ground today. The Lord is not straightened in Himself, but He is straightened in His people.

When, on the one hand, there is a need of workers and almost half the human race without the Knowledge of Christ; and on the other hand workers ready to go forth and no means to send them: when a third condition, almost more tragic abounds, as it does, that of the spiritual breakdown of many who do go, so that "converts" are not really and genuinely born from above with the Spirit of sonship becoming truly resident within; demon powers persisting in dominion and challenge; a policy of a slow absorption of "Christianity," through education, familiarisation, etc., as a compromise between the failure in genuine regeneration and an honest acknowledgment of the same with its practical implications: to say nothing of those who return home with lost assurance; surely all this stands in direct contrariness over against the spirit and experience of the New Testament. It is not difficult to go on at great length in making distinctions between the two standards, the New Testament's and that largely existing today, but the more important thing is to display the secrets of that former glory.

We are convinced that He Who is "The same yesterday, today, and for ever," can and desires to have His work on the same plane to the end of the age, and we are persuaded that He is yet going to do something of the same kind. Here then begins an inquiry into the nature of the work of the Risen Lord in "The Church which is His Body." We ask first of all, is there any phrase which embodys in itself the conception, the motive, and the dynamic of this spontaneous world-conquest in its outbreak?

We think that there is such a phrase and that it is this:

"The Testimony of Jesus."

This accounts for everything when possessing as it possessed them. Let us look it up.

"Who bare witness of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ." - Rev. 1:2.
"I was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus." - Rev. 1:9.
"I saw underneath the altar the souls of them that had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held." - Rev. 6:9.
"And the dragon waxed wroth with the woman and went away to make war with the rest of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and hold the testimony of Jesus." - Rev. 12:17.
"I am a fellow servant with Thee and with Thy brethren that hold the testimony of Jesus." - Rev. 19:10.
"And I saw the souls of them that had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus." - Rev. 20:4.
"Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you." - 1 Cor. 1:6.
"They will not receive Thy testimony concerning me." - Acts 22:18.
"Our testimony unto you was believed." - 2 Thess. 1:10.
"Be not ashamed of the testimony of our Lord." - 2 Tim. 1:8.
"Ye shall be my witnesses" - Acts 1:8. (same word in the Greek as testimony).
"Must one be ordained to be a witness with us." - Acts 1:22.
"God raised him up, whereof we are witnesses." - Acts 2:32.
"Raised from the dead, whereof we are witnesses." - Acts 3:13.
"Not to all the peoples, but unto witnesses." - Acts 10:41.
"With great power gave the Apostles their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus." - Acts 4:33.
"And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony." - Rev. 12:11.

The New Testament read in the light of these passages shows very clearly that the remarkable story which it recounts is the story of a testimony. It remains for us to ask what this testimony was. To clear the way for the positive answer we must say something as to what this "testimony" was not.

1. "TheTestimony of Jesus" was not a teaching!

There is nothing in the whole story upon which to rest an argument or affirmation that the Apostles went out to the world with "The teaching of Jesus." They were not propagating new doctrines or a system of truth. The teaching resulted from the acceptance of the testimony, the expounding of its content, and was kept for believers only. It was a result not a cause. The most they ever did was to substantiate their testimony from the scriptures, and affirm certain facts concerning the Person of Christ.

2. "The Testimony of Jesus" was not a new religion!

"Christianity" was not set over against or along side of other religions and made "comparative." It was some time before some of the Apostles themselves realised the implications of their testimony in the matter of their being emancipated from Judaism. Great as the change was they did not realise that they had changed their religion. They found themselves out and committed against their own prejudices, and had to do their thinking and discussing after the thing had become a fact in embarrassing experience. See Peter in the house of Cornelius, and the events of Acts 10, 11,15, etc.

3. "The Testimony of Jesus" was not a new "movement"!

No plans were laid. There was no policy. Organisation was entirely absent, and any which subsequently had to be admitted was forced upon them by the embarrassment of the very vitality of things, and then it was of the simplest.

A thought-out campaign did not exist. To set up, launch, form, bring into being, or found a new society, sect, "church," community was not in mind. They did not set out for such, and although their testimony gave distinctiveness to all who believed, and outsiders labelled them and misinterpreted their motive and purpose the distinguishing feature was life.

What then was "The Testimony of Jesus"?

All-inclusively it was the proclamation and affirmation of a fact. That fact was - and is

The Universal Sovereignty and Lordship of Jesus Christ as the Son of God established and vindicated by the resurrection from the dead.

This testimony had two sides. The objective and historic fact, of which they had had many infallible proofs, had become demonstrated in the power of that resurrection by the Holy Spirit in "The Church which is His Body" - in all its members and in all its activities. That life which in Him had conquered sin, death, hell and Satan, and carried Him from "The lowest part" to the "far above all heavens" had been implanted in them by the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven.

The testimony of Jesus then is that Jesus lives triumphant universally, and the Church is the "Pillar" (or monument) of that truth. It is His resurrection Body possessed of His risen life and administered by the Holy Ghost as the repository of that life.

The testimony of Jesus is in effect a life - His life. Not a mode of life, but a vital infinite force, indestructible, irresistible, incorruptible: a vital force mediated to the dead wherever there is a readiness and willingness to believe on the Lord Jesus.

It burst the old moulds, "wine-skins" of tradition, worn out systems, man-made orders and forms.

It sets aside even those things which were once raised up and greatly used by God, but which have ceased to be living, and are only past history. Even Judaism ceases to count here. It liberates captives, and a word spoken by its power is as an irresistible challenge to "let my people go." Lazarus must come forth when He, "The Resurrection and the Life," commands through His Church. This life issuing forth from the Risen Lord as within "The Body" by the Eternal Spirit is the compelling power to the world-mission and testimony of Jesus.

There is no precedent in the New Testament for appealing for workers or missionaries. This is at best a sorry alternative or necessity. When the Holy Spirit is really in possession and the life is manifested then He takes the initiative in all work and workers, saying "Separate me.... unto the work whereto I have called them."

Great emphasis is laid in the New Testament upon receiving the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the universally Sovereign Lord - "The Heir of all things." His mission is world-wide, cosmic. To have Him Lord within must inevitably result at once in world-vision, world-passion, world-vocation. It cannot be otherwise. Then what is the matter that this thing is not spontaneous with so many? Why do not the Lord's people spread the Testimony by simply talking out of a full heart? Is this also the indictment of Acts 19:2-5?

Is the cost a deterrent by which the Spirit is quenched? It will cost. To no place did the New Testament witnesses go with the "Testimony" but what the enemy - the dragon - made war. It was up to him to do so then for he stood to be a very great loser. It was the battle for dominion. This was his unwilling compliment, his unintentional congratulation. They represented something and possessed something which made hell angry and afraid.

The Lord's purpose and method in this age is to bring into resurrection union with Himself two or three in every place and add unto them such as are being saved. It is an accretion of life, not enticement, "attraction," advertisement. Here again the Holy Spirit takes the initiative when a true testimony is borne.

The greatest need of the hour is a revitalising of the Lord's people with His Risen Life by the Holy Spirit. May they soon see it and come to the place where everything - tradition, system, common acceptances, forms and moulds, prejudices, personal interests, reputation, prestige, compromise, the opinions of others, policy, etc., will be sacrificed, if needs be, for LIFE, and the true and living Testimony of Jesus. So shall He find His release again and scatter the fire anew.




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