Thus does evil bring forth its bitter fruit ‑ the husk of outward righteousness as fair to the casual eye as the white washed sepulchres to which Jesus pointed. But they concealed a corruption and defilement as nauseous and repugnant to the All‑seeing One as ever the contents of those same whited sepulchres were to the Jews.

Like Isaiah, we see the glory of the Lord and wish straight away to be used as His messengers. Then we easily fall victims to the temptation of engaging in outward activities for their own sake rather than the inward work of the heart, to which all external things are but handmaidens. Just as a church is a shell that houses a congregation of worshippers and has no lasting value in itself, so also must the whole our earthly fellowship and service ever remain a means by which we can feed and build up each other with the realities of Divine Truth. Yet just as in a church there is an altar which symbolises the presence of God, so in every form of Christian activity and service springing from the efforts of sincere and loving hearts, there is always manifest the Spirit of Christ ‑ the material being an agent of Divine things.

The truth was announced by Paul in saying "Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands" (2 Cor.5.1 NIV). So must it be with all our fleeting arrangements and organisations, all those things which minister to the needs of the saints while in the flesh, but which must necessarily vanish away when their work has been done. Not one of these "mighty works" goes with us into the eternal light of the Divine presence ‑ their purpose will have been served, and amply served, in the ministry to the saints here below. The Church, founded at Pentecost upon a hope and conviction that had its anchor in things unseen, developed and multiplied by means of the unremitting toil of saintly men and women, who counted not their lives dear to them. They gave up and sacrificed on the altar of service and found a richer and fuller and nobler life even here amidst the imperfections of the earthly condition. Paul organised new communities of believers. Timothy set in order things that were wanting. Seven deacons administered the serving of tables (Acts 6). In all of this we do not see the frantic building‑up of a vast and imposing edifice which would absorb the thoughts and energies of all believers and dissipate those energies in a useless beating of the air. What we do see is the serious and solemn administration of a sacred trust left by the Master Himself. He knew only too well how the heart left to theorise and meditate upon His message without the broadening influence of service for others must inevitably become self‑centred and egotistic. We see thoughtful and zealous men and women full of the Spirit and of wisdom rejoicing not only a clear knowledge of the Word but also in the opportunity of exercising the effect of that knowledge by their service and activity among their brethren and neighbours. The early years of the primitive Church were years of ceaseless activity. "Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts". (Acts 2. 46 NIV). The wonderful growth of the Christian community was due as much to the burning zeal of those who went forth to propagate the new faith as to the readiness of a sin wearied world to listen with hope to the message. But in all of this the early Christians thought little of their own personal relation to the organisation they were building. It was sufficient that this marvellous fellowship which was coming into being was steadily making progress through every stratum of society. It was sufficient that the name of Jesus Christ was becoming increasingly familiar to those who met on the Sabbath day throughout all the cities of the Dispersion. It was sufficient that the words of Jesus "You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1.8 NIV) were having a glorious fulfilment. Of their own place in these things they thought not at all, but, like saints of earlier times, took joyfully the spoiling of their goods, knowing that in heaven they had a better and a more enduring substance. Let us take to ourselves the lesson they so nobly taught. Let us, in all our activities and arrangements, our organising and building, ever remember that all these 'mighty works', desirable and even necessary as they are today, are not intended to endure for all time, to be jealously guarded and handed down to posterity. They are for the needs of the moment. They enable the preaching of the Word of God and the "edifying of the Body of Christ until we all come, in the unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, to the measure of the full stature of the Anointed. Happy is the brother or sister who can touch lightly these things of this earth, realising their place in the leading of the Good Shepherd, thankful for their provision, and yet without regret on seeing them wax old and vanish away when their period of usefulness has passed. So doing, we shall not be of those who, at the end, must needs claim their wonderful works as their only recommendation for entrance into the Heavenly Kingdom. Our building must be with the gold, silver and precious stones of the eternal truths that are revealed to us by the Holy Spirit of God. Then if we have learned in Christ that the failure of all material supports and defences leaves us "strong in the Lord and in the power of his might" we shall not be of those to whom will come the sad, regretful words "I never knew you. Depart from me".

BJD