FOR ALL ARE THY SERVANTS

"One is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren." This is the underlying principle of much of our ecclesial life. It is a reason for our having no clergy, no priests, no separate section of each ecclesia with some separate authority reserved unto itself. The ecclesia is a visible body of Christ-part of a greater and more complete body it is true-but in its own way a body of Christ. Thus Christ is the Head and we are fellow-members: Christ is the Master and we are fellow-servants. All authority and power are in his hands.

This should be a cause for great rejoicing, ecclesial life should pulsate with the life and energy of its Head and Heart, and there should be none of the causes for dismay which befall those who put their trust in princes and in the son of man rather than in the Son of man. We have no mortal-and therefore uncertain -leadership, but the Son of God himself who adds to the church daily such as should be saved.

There should be no happier or more closely knit community than a band of brothers in the Lord. Has he not spoken to them through a life in the recorded scriptures of truth ? Is he not the vigilant and all-powerful Son of God who walks among the candlesticks both knowing and desiring to be known ? Can we not cry to him in time of need ? Or offer thanks and prayers in constant praise ? Should it not be noticeable to others with less acquaintance with the ways of God that "these men are the servants of the Most High God" ? An ecclesia aware of its calling and not simply of its tradition or antiquity is a tree of the Lord in the wilderness of the world.
Let us see to it that this unique privilege remains with us and that we do not lose it by abuse or neglect. Occasionally it is possible to mistake human leadership for his and mortal counsel for the divine. It happens in our individual lives and we are equally susceptible to it in our ecclesial existence.

Take three ways in which we can fail our Master.
There is failure by the few. The ecclesial officeholders can mistake their calling by assuming an authority which is not theirs. If for a moment we imagine that there is power in us whereby the ecclesia can be brought to heel or made to respond to our behests, we are missing the mark. We have no personal authority, only personal responsibility. Let us remember that the ecclesia are not our servants but His; that we are not masters, there is but One. As the ecclesia is responsible to Christ, so are we. Should ours be a great task then we should regard it as a great service and take heed that the lurking self-esteem and love of power which reside in most of us do not transform our service into an abuse of office. Furthermore, any mistakenly assumed authority by one or several brethren is a wedge driven between one section of the community and another. Such ways have led to the formation of a clergy and a laity.

Then there is the failure of all. When an ecclesia forgets that the power resides in Christ and that he is the source of all authority, and of itself opens and closes the doors of membership and fellowship without prayerfully seeking guidance and blessing in the ways of the revealed mode of behaviour in the scriptures, then the ecclesia has become a master and not a family of servants. Occasionally an ecclesia assumes the role of adviser and prophet to the whole brotherhood, wagging a warning forefinger or shaking a solemn head. The danger here, of course, lies in an ecclesia assuming that it has some vested authority of itself when it has not. True enough, there are occasions, though they are rare, when an ecclesia may render such a service to the brotherhood: but let it be a service. We have existed for more than a century without bringing into being an inter-ecclesial authority which would rapidly have become an over-ecclesial authority. The ecclesia's authority is its faith and service in the name of Christ. Our common bond is our common faith in him.

Then there is the failure of neglect. Perhaps this is the greatest weakness. There are men who love power but there are more who neglect responsibility: there are ecclesias now and again which would like to assume a role of leadership but there are more gently idling in the rocking-chair. The vitality of the first century ecclesias did not lie in the gifts of the Spirit sent to witness and to assist, but in the powerful conviction that they had a living Head personally drawing the whole body to himself. Should common suffering come, did not he suffer ? Should powerful witness be possible, then they were convinced of the power of his resurrection.

Can we recapture some of the sense of oneness and communal life which those early brethren enjoyed ? Circumstances will never-probably never-be just like those of the first century, but our strength lies in identical things. Let us remember the price of our unity. "He is our peace"-personal, ecclesial, communal, as well as between Jew and Gentile-but that peace flows from the Tree. Let us hold fast to the word by which we have come to know him and daily bring forth its treasures for our delight. Let us learn to pray. This is not a plea for prayer-meetings or special devotional services, but an appeal for true prayer and devotion in those very services which are the life-stream of our ecclesial life. The most casual reading of the Acts of the Apostles reveals that there was prayer everywhere-the upper room, Pentecost, in the temple, when the council had reproved the apostles, when choosing the brethren for ecclesial welfare, when dying, on conversion, at the bedside of the dead, in Caesarea, in Joppa, when Peter was in prison, when sending Paul and Barnabas to preach the word, in all the new ecclesias, in prison, on the shore, at sea- prayer, brethren, the sure sign of dependence upon the Head. The wonder in the Acts of the Apostles is that they found it necessary to pray at a time when the Holy Spirit was active in ways unknown today. Can we exist with less ? "They met constantly to hear the apostles preach, and to share the common life, to break bread, and to pray." There is no other recipe than that for ecclesial happiness and strength.

Such service depends upon coming together with one accord. Such service depends upon the individual servants. Each must meet in worship. The ecclesial engine must not simply tick over; it must be a force to take us forward.

Let each servant ask himself: What service do I render to my Master in our communal life ? My contributions of labour, money, attendance, fellowship and help to my spiritual family, my prayers at home for the needs of all-are these as active and full as they might be ? Am I afraid to invite friends along and if so why ? Have I some secret shame of the ecclesia ? If so, is there a sound reason for it and can I serve to put it right ? Do I bring light or darkness to the ecclesia when I am present-at the Breaking of Bread, Word-of-Life service, Bible Class and business meeting ? Are my brethren richer or poorer by my presence-or absence ? Do I bind together or break asunder ? Am I a servant or a tiny self-important master ?

Brethren, our opportunities are great. We of all men have the seeds of eternal happiness; let us bear witness to it both within and toward those who are outside the door. Let us show toward those who wander in darkness the compassion we have experienced in Christ. Those simple touches of courtesy and understanding coupled with the message we give can be marks of difference in this world of self-interest. The cleanliness and order of our meeting rooms should witness to our concern to do what we can to make our worship easier: we do not want palaces or temples, neither do we want prisons or institutions.

Our responsibilities are great. Let us rise to them, laying a good foundation for the generations that shall follow, if he wills it, praying always: "Let thy work appear unto thy children, and thy glory unto their children."

Above all, let us see Him present always-and that to bless. Then shall we cry from the heart: "Praise, O ye servants of the Lord." And the reply will be certain: "Where I am, there shall also my servant be." 