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.
All-inclusively it was
the proclamation and affirmation of a fact. That fact was
- and is
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.
It burst the old
moulds, "wine-skins" of tradition, worn out
systems, man-made orders and forms.
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?
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.