God’s Marvelous Work

God’s Marvelous Work

The most marvelous thing of all is Christ and the church—especially in the context of interdependence and co-operation—and the laws of life and growth in the body of Christ, which is the church.

The relationship between the Head and the members and the reciprocal relationship between the members is simply wonderful.

The many members are of the same spirit and mind, the same life and essence, but they have various gifts and ministries. There is something original with each one of them, and yet they follow the self-same laws of the Spirit of life. What a miracle!

It is so precious that God is able to put us together as members of the body of Christ—we who were so many and widely disparate, former sinners in the midst of this evil, divided world— and make us into one harmonious whole in contrast to what we usually see and hear all around us. It is a stark contrast to all this!

In this respect, the conferences are a constant, tremendous testimony of the great things that have already been accomplished among us, as well as a diverse and extensive labor for the continued furtherance of this same glorious work.

This means that it can easily be seen and heard by anyone who has a sense for the things of God. If you cannot perceive the wonder of all this, you are in darkness or even completely on the outside.

There are two things that may appear to contradict this unshakable truth:

1) That real members of the body say and do objectionable things. Then you are seeing only remnants of things that are gradually vanishing. The work takes time, and we are made perfect and are perfected one by one, not as a flock.

2) That afterwards it can go badly with some individuals, and it becomes evident that they, in spite of indications that they were part of this one body, were not part of it after all. They had their opportunities, but they used them badly. In this respect, the unusually great grace toward them was in vain. Had they been of us, they would have stayed with us.

However, if they are of us in spite of everything, they will come back with dividends. Then we must believe that they needed such humiliation in order to be made complete.

It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t always seem to be right. The main thing is that it is right.

The fact that it really is right—that this marvelous work is occurring and will be fully completed under a cover of reproach—will be evident on the day when the great uncovering takes place! But behold! Then it is too late for anyone else to take part in it. It is of vital importance to see it now!

Blessed is and blessed be each one who sees it now—each one who believes it, loves it, and therefore devotes himself to it!

How my heart beats for all my noble fellow workers in this godly work! It also beats for all those whose noble minds causes them to be willing to be worked on with joy and thankfulness by God and His fellow workers instead of proudly and stupidly rising up against this work.

No wonder that with this attitude, people travel from all over the country and from foreign lands for fellowship and edification, for the purpose of being worked on at the conferences!

However, the fact that a person has this attitude at all is a miracle wrought by God.

God guides everything according to His perfect laws, on the basis of His divine nature. He treats us on the basis of these laws of the Spirit of life.

We have only two things to choose between from our side: obedience to the law or transgression of the law.

Love of God causes us to keep the laws we know, and we long to know more of them so that we can also keep them.

Breaking the laws we know is ungodliness. Not seeking to know more laws is indifference, which is also part of our sinful nature.

The fact that we, in spite of a heart that desires to obey God’s laws, transgress the laws that we do not know, is unavoidable. This is not reckoned to us. In that respect we are innocent.

Growth is quite simply a matter of becoming acquainted with more laws of life and keeping them. There are innumerable examples to this end.

About the many it can unfortunately but justly be said that according to the time they should have progressed considerably further. A spiritual person is someone who, by and large, is acquainted with the laws of the Spirit of life in all areas, and who lives according to them.

It is evident that the substance of God’s kingdom is so varied and profound that not two conferences are alike. Every conference is special. The Easter conference was no exception to this.

Glory to God for everything!