Acts 9:3
And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus:
and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
In Acts 9:6, Saul of Tarsus might have said; Lord, I am very happy to meet You, and I do hope that from now on You will be with me in all my undertakings, blessing everything that I do so that I may be prosperous in this life, not only supporting those that are dependent on me, but also that I may have much to throw into the temple treasury. Fortunately for all of us, this did not happen.
Forgetting all his own ambitions, his trade or life work, his family, and all such ties, Saul simply said, Lord, what wilt Thou have me do?
In what appears to be his first Epistle, Paul claims that he is a sent one and that this was not of his choice or ordained of men, but from Christ Jesus and the Father (Gal 1:1). Paul also claims that his message is from God by the revelation from Jesus Christ (Gal 1:11-12) and that the field of his ministry was also allotted to him from God (Gal 1:16). Paul nor any other men planned his message.
So, as an apostle, he represents the One who sent him, and during his Acts ministry, he is careful to preach none other things than what was in Moses and the prophets. By a special revelation, he discovered that he could preach to Gentiles. Later on, he received and preached The Gospel of The Dispensation of The Mystery, both as a bondservant and prisoner of Jesus Christ.
Only once does he speak of himself as being a servant (Tit. 1:1). The servant could have no ambitions of his own. He was wholly the property of his master, bound to do service and subject to every whim of the master, even unto being put to death.
In Eph. 3:1, Eph. 4:1, and 2 Tim 1:8, Paul speaks of himself as being a prisoner of Jesus Christ or of The Lord. A prisoner did not have any rights or ambitions of his own. He was subject to the captor. He could be put to death, made to work, or maybe freed. But while a prisoner, he was at the mercy of his captor. He could not plan for himself.
We mention these things to show that in this example of Paul, which we have before us, there was a total commitment to The Lord. Paul was working for The Lord; he did not expect The Lord to be his servant in any way whatsoever.
Job had the same attitude, and he said, Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him. Abraham had the same attitude when he set out from Ur of the Chaldees, not knowing where God might lead him. Every great man of the Bible, whose example we might follow, has taken the same attitude.
The Jews fell into idol worship and finally were cured of it by the great captivity, but they returned to the land and worshiped their temple. So, their case was not much better. Today, Christendom worships pictures and statues of Christ and goes its own way and does as it pleases.
There is no bargaining with God. We cannot say that we will do so and so if He will provide. Paul knew both feast and famine and want and need in his life (Phil 4:12). Phil 4:19 is written to those who had helped Paul in his time of need and to show us our God provides.
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Titus 1:15
Unto the pure all things are pure:
but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure;
but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. (Titus 1:15) They profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
We learned in school that two objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time. The above is the outworking of that truth. The man who lets his mind harbor evil thoughts will have little room in his mind for any good thoughts. Our Lord said that a fountain does not produce both bitter and sweet water. These are truths that are known to the least of men and can be applied to spiritual things.
Our Lord said, Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. And if they are looking for God, they will not see the impurities in others. We see what we are looking for. Now, the Lord did not say that the pure in heart should be saved. That is what some try to believe. The Lord was speaking about believers, but out of the believers such as were pure in heart would see God. This can bear a bit of thought. The greatest need of the believer is to know God. But he cannot come to this knowledge with his mind full of filthiness.
People are in the habit of seeing their own faults in others. To the liar, all men are liars. To the thief, all men are suspect. And so the unbeliever does not see how anybody can have faith. It is foolishness to him. Judas was so saturated with greediness that he could not see the beauty of the sacrifice of the ointment for the Lord at the supper. And the preaching of the cross is foolishness to them that perish.
When the mind and conscience are defiled, the judgment is faulty. Truth and error cannot be distinguished. Men cannot try the things that differ and hold fast to that which is good. And when their judgment cannot be relied on, they have a tendency to follow the leader. The congregations of Christendom are full of such. They can only judge a doctrine by its popularity or by the appearance of the one who promulgates it.
Now, there are great multitudes of these who are defiled in mind and conscience who profess that they know God. They sometimes are the most faithful in attending religious services. But Paul speaks of those who mind earthly things as being enemies of the cross. They cause many to turn away. It is because in works, they deny Christ. Their deeds speak louder than their words.
Yes, they deny Him in their works. And we are told that if we deny Him, He will deny us (the crown). For the unprofitable servant, there is a certain punishment to follow. There is weeping and gnashing of teeth. This principle runs through all administrations. And today, we are told that a man shall receive for the wrong that he has done.
Finally, we see that all this has to do with obedience and good works, which are expected.
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Ephesians 1:1
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,
to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
We must recognize that, in general, there are three classes of believers in the world today. We cannot realize the force of the words above, saints and faithful, unless we know this.
1. Those who have life according to John 3:16. These are children (John 1:12, margin). They have not attained an adoption or sonship. No works are ordained that they should walk in them. No such responsibilities are given to little children. So far as we know, these will be in the new earth, paradise, with Adam and others who have not been members of some family of God, either on earth or in heaven. John's Gospel was written after Israel was set aside, after their complete fall. So, these believers can have no part with Israel and her Kingdom, which has been closed to membership for over 1940 years.
2. A second class is those who imagine that The Kingdom is still open and that they are to carry out the commission of Israel in relation to the world and the nations. They practice the rituals and ordinances of Israel and pretend that they are Jews (Rev 2:9; Rev. 3:9). And the sad part is that they imagine that their Kingdom is to be in heaven, whereas Israel was never told that they would go to heaven, but that their Kingdom would be here on earth. Now, these folks are mostly believers. They have life. But their works are built of the wrong materials. They will not stand the fires of testing, for they know not, and do not, the will of God for this age. And since The Kingdom is not open to them, they must have their part with the first group, paradise, or the new earth.
3. This third class is made up of those who have heard The Gospel of The Dispensation of The Mystery and have believed it. These are divided into two groups: the saints and the faithful. Having a sonship, they have responsibility. They are created unto good works which were before ordained that they should walk in them. Those who believe but walk after their own will are saints. Those who believe and walk worthy of the calling are faithful. It is not that some may reject the truth, but they have neglected it. That is the prevailing condition in Christendom today. People who believe are all too satisfied to stay in the wilderness.
Manna did sustain life, and that was what it was for. But it was not to be compared with the milk and honey in the promised land. In fact, some of Israel would have preferred the fare in Egypt to that manna, and so they grumbled about it.
As a nation, Israel had a great commission. The Church also has a great commission. Those who learn the mysteries of their calling and do the good works associated with that calling are not only saints but faithful.
There has been some controversy about what saint and faithful mean. Some think that there are two classes: the saints and the faithful. And some think that there is only one, the faithful saints. If the latter were true, then there would be little need for the warnings and exhortations of the last three Chapters of Ephesians.
In the first place, saints are made. Upon believing, they are saved by grace through faith, nothing of themselves (lest they should boast) but a pure gift from God.
A saint is one who is sanctified or cleansed. This happens at the time of believing, not some time afterward. God does not put believers on probation for life but gives it to them at the moment of their belief.
But a faithful one is something different. Faithful means full of faith. One is not counted faithful till he has walked in the good works which were before ordained for him. In the Kingdom age, a faithful servant was one who made use of the talents or pounds that were entrusted to his care.
So here in Ephesians 1:1, we have those who have accepted The Truth of The Mystery and have believed it. And we have also those who not only believed it but worked according to it. Hence, the two classes are saints and faithful.
These two groups are mentioned in 2 Tim 2:11-12. Those who have died with Him shall live with Him some time; those who suffer or endure shall reign with Him. Those who have died with Him are the saints; those who endure or suffer are the faithful.
Again, in Phil. 3:18-19, we find the saints falling into error, making their god their belly and minding earthly things. They will suffer loss for it. But in Phil. 3:14, we find a faithful one seeking the prize of the high calling.
The last three chapters of Ephesians are taken up with instructions as to how to be faithful. The very first exhortation covers all the rest: Walk worthy. This includes such things as keeping the unity, putting off the old man with his deeds, putting on the new man, and putting away lying (the lie). Also, a 3-fold walk, in love, in light, and circumspectly. Being faithful involves the relationship of husbands and wives, parents and children, and servants and masters. Being faithful also involves being able to stand, to withstand, and when salvation has been worked out, to still stand; all this armed with the whole armor of God. This is how saints become faithful.
Remember this: A believer can do anything an unbeliever can do. He still has the old nature in him. That is why Chapter 2 of Colossians is taken up with "BEWARE." Even the apostle Paul was very concerned lest he should be unapproved (1 Cor 9:27).
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2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
In Greek, there is just one word for the phrase inspiration of God. That word means God-breathed. So Scripture is given, not just something written by man, but given to man by God. Men acted as secretaries as God dictated to them. These men did not always understand what they were writing but were faithful to obey God.
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2 Timothy 2:3
Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ
In the physical world, there is much warfare, but in the spiritual world, there is a battle going on continuously. It is just as real and grim as the physical. But in this battle, there is no possibility of a truce or armistice of any kind. It will be carried out to the bitter end for Satan and all the forces of evil. On this battleground, you do not see the casualties or hear the screams of wounded and dying men, but the consequences are so serious they will count for eternity.
The qualifications of a good soldier are set down for us in Eph. 6:10-18. Here are just a few:
1. A good soldier understands the nature of the battle. It is spiritual, not physical; therefore, he does not fight in the power of the flesh. He is strong in the Lord and in the power of His might (Eph. 6:10).
2. A good soldier knows who the enemy is. Since it is a spiritual battle, it cannot include our fellow men as enemies. The foe is described in Eph. 6:12. Some who profess to be believers spend much time contending with others understood to be believers also.
3. A good soldier is not presumptuous or foolhardy. He puts on all the armor of God (Eph. 6:11, Eph. 6:13). The armor he wears is defensive, but he knows the best defense is the offense, so he wields the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
Note also that he takes hold of the helmet of salvation. The doctrinal fact of sins forgiven remains an unalterable reality for every believer, but taking hold of the helmet suggests a practical side. Perhaps living the salvation-showing way of life is one way of putting it (Rom 12:2). If we put on the armor as we should, it will be a dead giveaway whose side we're on!
Who qualifies for such high service? No draftees here! Only enlisted personnel serve. Directions for a successful career are found only in God's Word. No physical requirements, just a submissive and obedient heart full of love and loyalty to Christ.
Since ultimate victory for Christ is sure, then there must be a great victory celebration in store for all who have fought the good fight, just as Paul and Timothy did (2 Ti 4:7-8).
We would like to take part in such a celebration, wouldn't you?
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