Times come in which we are aware that a crisis hour has reached not only the church, but our entire walk with God. No longer is only the elementary principle of this walk being emphasized; we are building upon it. The hour has come to reach the world, but the world cannot be reached until the foundational principles have been wrought within us properly. If the seed of failure and weakness is within us, in moments of testing we will fail.
In spite of the preparation of heart that has been worked in us, a problem exists in two major areas: how do the members of the Body react to each other and how do they relate to each other?
This doesn’t seem important until one sees the difficulties a church may be having; and then he is aware that this walk has a success far above and beyond any denomination or any movement that has ever come in the history of the church because it has been based upon the Lordship of Jesus Christ, as in no other time since the early church began.
Many times people are very sensitive because they feel their ministry is not recognized or is encroached upon. Although this has been true of every movement, in this walk there is less sensitivity because the time has come in which God is searching our hearts very deeply. The one basic revelation we have is the Lordship of Jesus Christ and our bondservant relationship to Him and to each other.
The Lord has been speaking to my heart about how we relate and how we react to each other. This walk has opened the doors to you to go forth and have a ministry and a place. However, all that can be set aside if you yourselves close the doors on each other. Regardless of personality clashes, when you came into this walk you lost the right to yourself. You were brought in as a bondservant of Jesus Christ, knowing that He is Lord.
Doctrines that have flourished for a time will fail because of their basic inadequacy. A. B. Simpson brought forth the fourfold gospel: the Lord Jesus Christ is my Savior, my Healer, my Sanctifier, and my coming King. The foursquare gospel modified this concept a little: the Lord Jesus Christ is my Savior, my Healer, the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit (they accepted tongues where all the other movements did not), and the coming King. Even “the coming King” did not speak of His Lordship, but of a rapture that would snatch us up just in time. We would receive some special favor, a healing, a blessing, and a release from sin.
The message of the New Testament is that He is Lord. “Soter,” the word for Savior, is used sixteen times in the New Testament, referring to Christ. Who can count the number of times “Kurios” (Lord) is used for Christ? The fact that He is your Savior just opens the door so you can serve Him, so you can be translated out of the dominion of darkness into the Kingdom of God’s Son.
It is a change of allegiance, a change of service: you are no longer a slave of sin; you are the Lord’s bondservant. God didn’t set you free so that you could be a law unto yourself. If you say, “I have a ministry; I have a place,” you have missed the whole concept of Body ministry.
Through the years, those who thought, “I want a ministry; I want to be a healer; I want to be a great deliverer; I want to be a great preacher,” all fell by the wayside.
The ministry in the house of God who became addicted to the service of the saints, ready to wash feet and be a bondservant, endured. Those who were sensitive and thin-skinned, looking out for their own ego, were the ones who were laid on the side-line and were sidetracked by God’s dealings.
The basis of this walk is the restoration of Jesus Christ as Lord and Head of His body. We must be subservient to the point that we are absolutely submissive to Him. Although we might know how to relate to Him as Lord, we don’t know how to relate to each other until we become bond servants of Jesus Christ completely. When He has become absolute Lord we will be able to serve one another by the grace of God.
People react and their reactions are based upon their relationships with each other. When your relationship with someone is full of love and kindness, you want to embrace and love that one. When you have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ that is right, you will feel like John in the book of Revelation: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must shortly take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John.” Revelation 1:1. What happened to John? He fell down at Christ’s feet as one who was dead. Isn’t this the same John who leaned upon Christ’s bosom? Don’t be misled; that tenderness and love should never cloud the fact that John the Beloved, was a bondservant of Jesus Christ.
What is the underlying message of the book of Revelation? Why does it speak about the great victories? It is addressing the bondservants of Jesus Christ. After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind should blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads (like the custom of old in which they branded the forehead of a slave with a hot iron so that no matter where he went or what he did, it was obvious to everyone that he belonged to another man). Revelation 7:1–3.
After these things I heard, as it were, a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; because His judgments are true and righteous; for He has judged the great harlot who was corrupting the earth with her immorality, and He has avenged the blood of His bond-servants on her.” Revelation 19:1–2. The act was not just a gesture; it was for the sake of the bondservants.
In this day if you want to see Babylon destroyed and brought down, submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ a little more in your life. Do you want to be victorious? Then submit to the Lord. And a second time they said, “Hallelujah! Her smoke rises up forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, “Amen, Hallelujah!” And a voice came from the throne, saying, “Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great.” Verses 3–5.
And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. And on either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His bond-servants shall serve Him; and they shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.” Revelations 22:1–4.
Isn’t that beautiful? His name shall be upon their foreheads. The New Testament reveals that Jesus Christ is the Lord and we are His servants. Rebellion, bitterness, and criticism all are based upon the fact that you fail to understand this. He redeemed you unto Himself; you were set free from sin so that you could become the Lord’s bondservant and by love serve one another.
The Scriptures make it quite plain that this walk is not a message of free grace: freedom to do anything that is right within your own sight, anything you like or want.
We have had much liberty in this walk, but we must continually walk with care before the Lord. We are the Lord’s bond servants and the question remains: will we be submissive and serve one another and not serve our own liberties? To go even further than this, we are bondservants of the Lord Jesus Christ—not to please ourselves, but to please the Lord. Because we serve the Lord, we serve one another. There must be no self-interest, no desire within us, except to serve the Lord.
On the surface, it seems as if money would be the end of many problems. However, if you think it requires faithfulness and stewardship to stand before the Lord with little and trust Him to bring forth great things, wait until you see the stewardship required when God lays much in your hand and you are required as bondservants of the Lord to be faithful with that.
If we knew millions of dollars were coming into this walk, would we be just as faithful to bring a sacrifice offering when the Lord required it? What if there were no great need, and yet God would call upon us to come with joy and rejoicing and lay before Him everything we had—would we still do it? That would require an even greater dedication; and that is the dedication we are going to follow continually on our face desiring to be faithful stewards to see a whole generation moved by a living word from God. Only that will please the Lord. Otherwise a large amount of money would be a detrimental thing that would destroy. We cannot live our lives unto ourselves; we must be His bondservants because He is the Lord.
The Scriptures picture eternity as the worshiping bond-servants doing God’s will. And there shall no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His bond-servants shall serve Him; and they shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.… And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must shortly take place. And I John am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. And he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow-servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book: worship God.” Revelation 22:3, 4, 6, 8, 9.
At times our hearts are tender and close to weeping before the Lord, as though he were saying, “The way you relate to Me and to one another determines the way you will react to what I put you through.” The issue that will separate people from this walk is the decision: is He the Lord? are you His bondservant?
In Philippians we read that when Jesus came, He was found in the form of a bondservant. He humbled Himself and became obedient, even to death on the cross. This humility and bondservant revelation fills the New Testament. In his first epistle, James calls himself a bondservant of Jesus Christ. Peter opens His second epistle by referring to himself as a bondservant of Jesus Christ. Jude calls himself a bondservant of Jesus Christ (verse 1). In the first verse of Philippians and the first verse of Titus, Paul calls himself a bondservant of Jesus Christ. The apostle was called first to be a bondservant of Jesus Christ. He had to be Christ’s servant, his slave, owned body and soul by the Lord, with no longer any right to himself.
The nasty, grumpy reaction of sensitivity and hostility of the ministries toward each other will come to an end when they begin serving each other in the name of the Lord. You’re not doing anything for a thank-you or for the lovingkindness that will be returned to you. You are doing everything as unto the Lord. Whether anyone appreciates you or not never was the issue. You are waiting for only one word: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
Is there any other reason for serving, anything else you seek from the brethren? Shall we present medals and say, “This man served faithfully; he did me a great honor; he helped me”? We’ll praise God for it, realizing also, that it was by God’s grace he was able to do it. Appreciation and gratitude are nice—but unnecessary. If it matters whether you are appreciated or not, look to your own dedication. Search your own heart, for that motivation does not come from one who is a bondservant of the Lord Jesus Christ. You have need of knowing the sign of the awl: when man came as a voluntary slave, they pinned the lobe of his ear to the doorpost with an awl, as a sign that for the rest of his days he was a voluntary bondservant. He did not have to be—he wanted to be.
When we enter in to be His servant, we lay down all the rights to ourselves. We lay down everything within us that would seem to say, “This is my right; this is my privilege.” Those who followed the Lamb whithersoever He would go, loved not their lives unto death. They were pure in their approach to God and in the way they served Him. They were truly bondservants of God.
Whenever there is criticism, murmuring, or complaining, you are rebelling against the Lord and the way He has chosen for you to walk. That must not be. With all joyfulness we should sing the songs of the Lord. The company of His servants are the ones who will prevail. For their sakes Babylon will be brought down and God will open the doors.
One of the greatest enemies of this walk is an arrogance of spirit. Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a certain king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. And when he had begun to settle them (notice the word “slaves,” meaning men having no right to themselves), there was brought to him one who owed him ten thousand talents (now worth about ten million dollars in silver). But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. The slave therefore falling down, prostrated himself before him, saying ‘Have patience with me, and I will repay you everything.’ And the Lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. But that slave went our and found one of his fellow-slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ So his fellow-slave fell down and began to entreat him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ He was unwilling however, but went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. So when his fellow-slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. Then summoning him, his lord said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you entreated me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow-slave, even as I had mercy on you?’ And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. So shall My heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.” Matthew 18:21–35.
How do slaves treat each other? Can we prefer our brother’s place more than our own? When a brother comes in, and God begins blessing him, do we all do everything we can to stand back and help him move into the place God has for him? or are we jealous of his place?
And as Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves, and on the way He said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered up to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and will deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up.” Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee (James and John) came to Him with her sons, bowing down, and making a request of Him. And He said to her, “What do you wish?”’ She said to Him, “Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left.” But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you are asking for. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to Him, “We are able.” He said to them, “My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father.” And hearing this, the ten became indignant at the two brothers. Their very indignation was a sign of their own frustrated ambition. But Jesus called them to Himself, and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not so among you, and whoever wishes to become first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:17–28.
What will be the standards of greatness in the kingdom of God that is to come? How shall we measure a man if we cannot measure him by the world’s yardstick: his money, his degrees, his attainments, his business? Heaven’s standards appraise as greatest the man who has made himself the slave of all. The elder whom God regards as the most efficient is the one who constantly serves without recognition or praise. The faithful deacon who gives himself to long hours of labor may not be appreciated by the people, but the Lord smiles upon him.
Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time?
This is what we have need of in the Body: a set of ethics or principles showing us how to relate to one another, as the Lord has given in this message. We are raised up to serve and to be a blessing.
Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you, that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’ and shall begin to beat his fellow-slaves and eat and drink with drunkards; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know, and shall cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; weeping shall be there and the gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 24:45–51.
For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves, and entrusted his possessions to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. But he who received the one talent went away and dug in the ground, and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. And the one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, “Master, you entrusted five talents to me; see, I have gained five more talents.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master.” And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, “Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed. And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground; see, you have what is yours.” But his master answered and said to him, “You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.” For to everyone who has shall more be given, and he shall have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. And cast out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 25:14–21; 24–30.
We weren’t saved just for some lark or a special benefit for ourselves. God had a purpose for the entire human race. He’s bringing forth a people to be His own possession, a peculiar treasure in all the earth for Himself.
God has always had a possessive quality. In the Old Testament under the law, the firstborn was His. If it wasn’t given to Him. He would kill it. Later he claimed the entire tribe of Levi. When Canaan was divided, the Levites were not given a possession; they had no inheritance. The Lord had said, “I will be their possession. They will be My treasure and I will bless them.” The other tribes brought their tithes for the Levites support. The Levite had His inheritance in the Lord. He was God’s slave.
If with aggressive prayer and faith you claim the promises because the Lord has commanded it of you as His people, as His bondservants, you will possess them. If you claim something for your own interests, you will never receive it. It’s when you seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness that all the other things will be added unto you. The time has come to take the Kingdom, but His is the Kingdom; and until we see Him as Lord, we won’t see Him at all.