Having
seen that the first sphere in which the Cross has its
expression in its various relationships is the Church, we
now come to its place in the nations of the world. It
must be recognized at the outset that, in the intention
of God, the Cross does not pass THROUGH the Church
to the nations, but takes the Church with it there. It is
not the Cross in the nations as something preached apart
from the Church, but the Church in the nations as the
embodiment of the Cross. This cannot be represented in
one diagram, therefore it has to be stated.
It is
true that the Apostles preached among the nations Christ
crucified and risen, but as a rule and a principle they
did not do this single handed. The Lord's principle of a
minimum of two was adhered to as closely and continuously
as possible, and on the few occasions when an Apostle was
isolated and alone there was usually hold up and threat
either to ministry or life. This corporate principle of
going forth as on "Body" ground, with the
Church behind, and the Church implied in more than one
being together, indicated that the Lord's required means
is that which represents Christ corporate. Two is
regarded in the Bible as the number which implies
adequate testimony. This is easily verifiable by a glance
at the way in which two were joined by God so frequently,
and that "in the mouth of two witnesses"
everything shall be established. Now, then, the Lord had
said "this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached
in the whole world FOR A TESTIMONY... and then...
the end...." The Church is the vessel of witness or
testimony, hence the minimum is two. The principle is to
have a corporate expression or representation of Christ
in every nation. The deepest meaning of
"evangelize" is to bring to, not only to
proclaim. It is inherent in the Word, and it means - to
bring Christ to the nations. "This good news of the
realm and reign (of God through Christ) must be set in
the nations for a testimony"; that would be the
meaning of the statement. It is in keeping with all the
fundamental principles of Divine revelation.
(1) "The Earth Is The Lord's"
But the
earth has become overrun and possessed by that which is
inimical to God. He has been driven out, and a usurper
has occupied the throne here. That is both stated and
illustrated many times in Scripture.
After
the flood, when the earth appeared as a purged and
renewed thing, Noah and the nucleus of that new creation
built an altar and consecrated the earth to God in that
way; in effect saying, "The earth is the
Lord's." The testimony was locally represented; a
universal right locally established in a corporate
company by what symbolized the Cross. When David was
driven from his rightful place by the usurper Absalom, he
sent Zadok back with the ark. Zadok and Abiathar were
there with the testimony to the fact that David's
rightful place was THERE, where the testimony was.
The Church, with the testimony of Jesus, is to be
representatively holding the earth for its rightful Lord.
(2) "All Things Have Been
Created... Unto Him''
The
nations are Christ's inheritance. "Ask of
Me, and I will give Thee the nations for Thine
inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy
possession." The Church is the company in which
Christ is establishing His right by taking an earnest of
the inheritance. The nations may not be saved in this
dispensation, but they will yield a token, and in that
"people out of the nations for His name" (Acts
15:14) they declare that all is His by right. It is
something, even if there are no mass movements, just to
hold the ground for Christ. This will indicate the place
of the Cross, for it was by the Cross that He cast out
the prince of this world. It was by the Cross that He
established His moral right to it. It was because of the
Cross that He was given "all authority in heaven and
on earth," and received "the name which is
above every name." Only in the virtue of Calvary's
triumph shall we be able to hold our ground in this sin -
and devil - ridden world.
Then, if
this is true and the corporate principle is the effectual
one, the one object of Satan, in order to frustrate the
end and spoil the testimony, will be to break up the
corporate life. Satan will never stop until he has done
all that he can to divide the last two who are
spiritually related in the testimony of Jesus. This will
necessitate a deep work of the Cross in those concerned,
so that "the prince of this world will have nothing
in them." Humility, meekness, self-emptying, and
deep devotion to the Lord's honor are fruits of the
Cross. We cannot meet and counter Satan with doctrine,
technique, phraseology and slogans about Satan being a
defeated foe. He must meet crucified men and women who
have given Christ a lot of room. You will see the
corporate action of the Church in the Book of the Acts. A
'Church' in the nations which is not crucified to the
world is a help to Satan, but a crucified company is a
great menace to his kingdom.