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65. The Starlings

5th November 2007 by Arthur Eedle

Have you ever seen an aerial display by the Red Arrows?  Their nine aircraft are the pride of the Royal Air Force, based at Scampton near Lincoln. The pilots receive special training to fly in close formation and perform amazing feats.

The Red Arrows are renowned throughout the world as ambassadors for both the Royal Air Force and the United Kingdom. Since the Team was officially formed in 1965, the Red Arrows have completed over 4,000 displays in 52 countries.

When watching a display one is inclined to think that they are one, not nine, because they operate as though there was just one person controlling the flight. In essence this is so, because the Flight Commander is in charge of the whole exercise. This is just one of the wonders of modern technology, whereby mankind can display its ability to create and to operate.

Have you ever been to an Orchestral Concert? Have you been amazed at how each member of the Orchestra has learned to play in concert with all the others, with the Conductor acting as the “Mind” to control the progress of the music?  Here again, human beings have been able to work together as one and produce something that is beautiful.

Have you ever watched an Autumn display of starlings?  Once summer is over, and all the fledglings have grown into adulthood, they begin their aerial displays. We are privileged, living in the country, to observe this each year. Standing outside our house we might suddenly hear a strange noise, as ten thousand starlings fly low over the rooftop and land in the field, where they proceed to peck into the ground to find wireworms. The field seems to be alive with a dense mass of black, and you can hear them chattering as they move about. Hence the group name is a “murmuration” of starlings. Then, just as suddenly, they are off, flying as a cloud, wheeling about as though they had but one mind. Watching carefully, one is able to see that the whole flock suddenly stops flapping wings to glide, and then starts up again. If the Red Arrows, and Orchestras, represent something of the ultimate in human ability, the starlings certainly take one’s breath away.

Sometimes as many as a million starlings have been observed in formation. The group often breaks up to form several groups, and then re-combines to form a cloud so dense that some have called it the “black sun.”  One has to ask the obvious question. How did these birds learn to fly so perfectly in dense formation and perform aerobatics that make you gasp in wonder?  Remember, most of them were inside an egg only a few months before!  How can so many birds behave as though they had one mind?

Have you watched any of the “Life on Earth” films made by David Attenborough?  We remember the one that showed underwater events in the world of sea creatures. The particular shot that remains so clearly in mind was of a huge shoal of small fish swimming in formation, rotating around a central point, and behaving in similar fashion to the starlings. At the time I tried to get some estimate of the numbers involved, but it was almost impossible. Perhaps there were ten thousands, like the birds.

Have you ever lived in Equatorial Africa?  Have you ever watched the safari ants?  When we lived in Kenya for a few years we learned about the life of these ants. When a colony gets too large, it breaks up, and a major portion moves away to find new ground. The manner in which the ants march is a wonder to behold. There are two varieties of safari ants, the ordinary small ones, and the larger warriors. These warriors form the two sides of a roadway in which all the other ants march relentlessly to their new home. If a house gets in the way, they don’t change direction but climb the wall, cross the roof, down the other side, and then onwards. If a rabbit gets in the way, the unfortunate creature is eaten alive by the warriors, as we observed one morning when our pet rabbit lay dead in its run.

Now these ants are blind!  Who taught them to behave as they do?  As many as twenty million ants can be on the move at one time. We have watched them cross a stream. The warriors cling to each other, gradually making a bridge to the other side, and then the whole army crosses. When complete, the “bridge ants” pull up on the other side and continue their journey. It is important not to stand in the path of safari ants!!

I could mention other wild life marvels, like the Wildebeest migration on the Masai Mara plains, in the foothills ofMount Kilimanjaro, where upwards of half a million animals travel relentlessly on their trek each year. Or the lemmings, who migrate for the same reason as the safari ants. The Walt Disney film “White Wilderness” did them a great dis-service by fabricating a mass suicide, which in fact never happens.

Enough has been said to create the necessary backcloth to the main thrust of this number. Our theme is that of One Mind.  Remembering the wildlife stories, let us turn to Ephesians 4, and see what Paul had to say about the Body of Christ.

“He (Christ) gave some Apostles, some Prophets, some Evangelists, some Pastors and Teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of ministry, to build up the Body of Christ until we all arrive at the unity of the faith, and the full-knowledge of the Son of God, an adult man, at the measure of the stature of thefulness of Christ.”  (Eph.4:11-13)

The parabolic figure of a full-grown man gives us the impression of One Mind, (the Mind of Christ) controlling the movements and actions of every part of the Body. This must be the goal that God has set, and to which He has been, and still is, constantly at work. No church on earth is able to fulfil these verses in Ephesians, because we are all operating “in part” just now. Paul spoke about this “partial” state in 1st Corinthians. “We know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect (lit. full-grown, adult) is come, that which is in part shall be abolished. . . . At present we see as in a mirror and are perplexed, but then face to face. Just now I know in part, but then I shall fully-know, even as I was fully-known.”  (1 Cor,13:9-10, 12)

A day will come when the Body of Christ, in resurrection, will be able to operate like the starlings. However, there is no possibility of such miraculous activity before resurrection. Whatever we achieve now, will always be “in part.”  But when I speak of resurrection I am looking towards that day when the dead in Christ shall arise, and those of us who are alive and remain shall be changed into His likeness. It could happen at any time now, but we don’t know the day or the hour because we cannot know who is going to be the last human being to be part of the Body of Christ. God has a chosen number in mind, and He alone knows those who are His.

What therefore can be achieved “in part” now, in our earthly pilgrimage? Let’s have a look at a few examples.

In 1 Cor.14:15 Paul said that he had experienced “singing in the spirit.”  Over the years since 1960 there have been many occasions when a company of believers has waited upon the Lord for direction, or for worship, and someone began singing, usually in an unknown language. Then a few others would find themselves joining the song, completely unknown to the congregation, and it would spread as the Holy Spirit brought a unified activity to the group. Those who have witnessed this phenomenon have said how wonderful it was, with its harmonies, its swell and its hush, until everyone stopped at the same moment.  Surely this must be an example of “starling behaviour”, given by the Spirit of the Lord, as a token of what is to come.  The 24 elders of Revelation 5:8, who sing a new song, will surely all be singing together, not individually, creating a cacophony, but a beautiful harmony and melody.

Another example which comes to mind is taken from H.A.Baker’s book, “Visions beyond the veil.”  Baker ministered inChina before the 2nd World War, taking in orphan children and caring for them, and talking to them about the Lord Jesus.  Many of these youngsters were soundly converted, and also baptised in the holy spirit. Baker records how, on many occasions, a company of them would be “snatched away” in a vision. Now many people have recorded visions they have received, but I have never read any other account of where a company of people were all witnessing the same vision at the same time, as were these children. Baker sat and watched incredulously as he saw them behave as though they were all together in another land . On one occasion, as it turned out,  they were picking fruits from trees in the New Jerusalem, and he saw them putting some in their pockets, “to bring back for Pastor and his wife to enjoy.”  When the vision was over, they were dismayed to find nothing in their pockets!  Here then is another example of a token given by the Lord to show us a glimpse of the wonders of the age to come.

Church life can be very rewarding, especially when it is organised in the best possible Scriptural manner. However, because we are all human, and subject to natural tendencies, Pastors, Ministers, and Clergy have a tendency to place limitations on their flocks which prevent some of these token glimpses from occurring. Whenever we join a church, we are usually required to subscribe to a certain form of teaching, dogma, or tradition, which is not found in other churches, and sometimes not even found in the Bible! This constitutes the “blinkering” of God’s people, preventing them from walking freely as the Holy Spirit leads.  If someone joins the congregation who maintains the freedom of the Spirit, it often causes problems, because the rest of the people are not used to that freedom, and feel unsafe.

Jesus’ words to the woman at the well may help us here. “Woman, believe me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. . . . True worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father seeks such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:21-24)  Are we seeing here a directive away from organised religion into a freedom where the Holy Spirit conducts God’s people in small companies, in families, and sometimes even alone?  This may be an unpopular suggestion, but I’ll leave it with you to think over.

There is one other passage in John where the same sentiment is expressed, though almost lost in translation. Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus. “Do not marvel because I said to you, you must be born again. The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you know not whence it comes or whither it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”  (John 3:7-8)  Without wanting to split hairs, I find myself saying that I usuallycan tell where the wind is coming from, and where it’s going, so what did the Lord mean here?  Could it be that another form of translation is needed?  First of all, we find that the Greek word for wind is PNEUMA. But it is also the word for Spirit.  Can we say, “The Spirit blows where it wills”?  But the Spirit doesn’t “blow”. However, the Greek word here is PNEO, from which PNEUMA is derived. Strictly speaking it mean “breathes”, not blows. So we get “The Spirit breathes where He wills.” That makes more sense. What about “hearing the sound”?  The word for “sound” is PHONEE, usually used of VOICE.  Now we have the rest of the verse as follows – “You hear His voice, but you know not whence He comes, or whither He goes.”  I think that is very helpful. We have no idea “where” the Holy Spirit is working, but when He speaks to us, we know He is near.

“So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”  Doesn’t this suggest that members of the Body of Christ are meant to be free of any religious shackles?  I am reminded of the words given by the Holy Spirit to Edgar Parkyns at the Exeter Conference in December 1967. The ministry of the Crucified is a ministry of healing and of giving sight to the blind, and yet each one of you must come as that one alone, not as a crowd but as one, and the favour of the Lord God  shall be placed upon your spirit, and you shall discover  where you have failed your God, and where was the controversy between you and the Spirit of the Lord.  

Please do not misunderstand me. I am not advocating that Christians should leave their churches. I am saying that Pastors and Ministers should be teaching their flocks how to be free in the spirit, and how to walk obediently to the heavenly vision, rather than to look to human leadership for all their directions. As Paul said, “There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk, not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Rom.8:1)

Many tens of thousands of Christians are leaving their churches today, not because they are backsliding, or because they are giving up their faith, but because they find no possibility to learn more of the Lord, and be led by His Holy Spirit where they have been attending. This is called a sad decline by many Church leaders, but could it be that the Holy Spirit is making known to them the necessity of “walking in the spirit”, and if church life stifles that, there is only one other choice, and that is to leave, however painful a wrench it may be. We have read the testimonies of very many of those who have had to take this step, and quite the preponderance of them are finding new freedom and deeper commitment, whereby the Holy Spirit is guiding them in a manner never before experienced. Is this a relatively new move of the Spirit, preparing His people for the coming day of resurrection?

In that Day, when faith is turned to sight, we shall indeed be as the Starlings, acting with One Mind, the Mind of Christ, and God will have a new work for us to do, a corporate work to declare the majesty of God to the rest of the world, and bring about that blessed condition where there will be “multitudes in the valley of decision.” (Joel 3:14) May the Lord fulfil His good pleasure, “to sum up all in the Christ, those in heaven and those upon the earth, in Him,” (Eph.1:10), and cause “every knee to bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God.” (Phil.2:11)  “The earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 2:14)

Filed Under: The Wellspring

About Arthur Eedle

Arthur was born in 1931, and became a Christian in 1948. At London University he gained a 2nd honours degree in Physics. He went on to get a Teaching Diploma, and throughout his career life taught physics in England, Kenya, and Hong Kong. Coupled with his love of science, he was a keen student of Greek and Hebrew, and gave many lectures on Biblical subjects. Read more

The Wellspring

1. God’s Megaphone

1st September 2001 By Arthur Eedle

2. Suicide

1st October 2001 By Arthur Eedle

3. Petra

12th October 2001 By Arthur Eedle

4. Two different Gods?

20th October 2001 By Arthur Eedle

5. I AM

23rd October 2001 By Arthur Eedle

6. “Not I but Christ”

25th October 2001 By Arthur Eedle

7. How I Love Your Law!

27th October 2001 By Arthur Eedle

8. The Jewish Problem

2nd November 2001 By Arthur Eedle

9. The Evaluation of Coincidence

15th November 2001 By Arthur Eedle

10. Gracious Uncertainty

30th April 2002 By Arthur Eedle

11. Jasper & Sardius

8th May 2002 By Arthur Eedle

12. Antithesis

19th May 2002 By Arthur Eedle

12a. The Essential Role of Free Will in Universal Reconciliation

17th June 2002 By Arthur Eedle

13. The Importance of Earnest

10th August 2002 By Arthur Eedle

14. The Millennium

14th August 2002 By Arthur Eedle

15. Cancer – A Personal Testimony

17th December 2002 By Arthur Eedle

16. C.S.Lewis on the New Year

1st January 2003 By Arthur Eedle

17. Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow

5th January 2003 By Arthur Eedle

18. Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)

12th January 2003 By Arthur Eedle

19. “The Intolerable Compliment”

12th January 2003 By Arthur Eedle

20. The Power and Practice of the Truth

22nd February 2003 By Arthur Eedle

21. The Power and Practice of the Lie

1st March 2003 By Arthur Eedle

22. The Use and Abuse of Power

8th March 2003 By Arthur Eedle

23. What on earth is happening?

29th July 2003 By Arthur Eedle

23a. A reply to “What on earth is happening?”

4th August 2003 By Arthur Eedle

24. Equality

17th August 2003 By Arthur Eedle

25. Paul to the “Ephesians”

31st August 2003 By Arthur Eedle

26. Mystery

3rd September 2003 By Arthur Eedle

27. Ephesians 1:15-23

10th September 2003 By Arthur Eedle

28. Ephesians 2:1-10

27th September 2003 By Arthur Eedle

29. Ephesians 2:11-22

6th October 2003 By Arthur Eedle

30. Cain and Abel

19th January 2004 By Arthur Eedle

31. Laying the Foundation of the Lord’s House

1st February 2004 By Arthur Eedle

32. Tomorrow’s Bread

22nd February 2004 By Arthur Eedle

33. Grace Parables

27th February 2004 By Arthur Eedle

34. The Responsibility Factor

5th March 2004 By Arthur Eedle

35a. Our Wilderness Journey. Part 1

13th March 2004 By Arthur Eedle

35b. Our Wilderness Journey. Part 2

14th March 2004 By Arthur Eedle

36. Genetic Modification in the Bible

20th March 2004 By Arthur Eedle

37. Arthur’s Testimony

28th March 2004 By Arthur Eedle

38. Identified with Christ

31st March 2004 By Arthur Eedle

39. It Would Have Been Better…

6th April 2004 By Arthur Eedle

40a. Friday’s Man was nailed upon a Cross

9th April 2004 By Arthur Eedle

40b. Sunday’s Man was nowhere to be found

11th April 2004 By Arthur Eedle

41. Jeremiah’s Cryptogram

11th May 2004 By Arthur Eedle

43. The Gospel of Humanism

14th August 2004 By Arthur Eedle

44. Cosmetic Christianity

5th September 2004 By Arthur Eedle

45. EXPERIENCE versus KNOWLEDGE

6th September 2004 By Arthur Eedle

46. “Just a wearyin’ for you”

13th September 2004 By Arthur Eedle

47. Islam by ex-Muslims

24th September 2004 By Arthur Eedle

48. Six Particular Men

9th April 2006 By Arthur Eedle

49. Ten “Everlasting” wonders in Isaiah

13th April 2006 By Arthur Eedle

50a. Missing the Mark. Part 1

18th April 2006 By Arthur Eedle

50b. Missing the Mark. Part 2

21st April 2006 By Arthur Eedle

51. The Mark of the Beast

29th April 2006 By Arthur Eedle

52. Irreducible Complexity

2nd May 2006 By Arthur Eedle

53. No historical Jesus?

4th July 2006 By Arthur Eedle

54. The Power of God’s Spoken Word

17th March 2007 By Arthur Eedle

55. God’s chosen fast

19th April 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56a. Resurrection and the Change – Part 1

1st May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56b. Resurrection and the Change – Part 2

7th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56c. Resurrection and the Change – Part 3

10th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56d. Resurrection and the Change – Part 4

12th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56e. Resurrection and the Change – Part 5

13th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56f. Resurrection and the Change – Part 6

14th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56g. Resurrection and the Change – Part 7

15th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56h. Resurrection and the Change – Part 8

16th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56i. Resurrection and the Change – Part 9

17th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56j. Resurrection and the Change – Part 10

18th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56k. Resurrection and the Change – Part 11

21st May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56l. Resurrection and the Change – Part 12

22nd May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56m. Resurrection and the Change – Part 13

23rd May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56n. Resurrection and the Change – Part 14

24th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56o. Resurrection and the Change – Part 15

25th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56p. Resurrection and the Change – Part 16

27th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57a. Before He Comes – Part 1

31st May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57b. Before He Comes – Part 2

8th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57c. Before He Comes – Part 3

10th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57d. Before He Comes – Part 4

11th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57e. Before He Comes – Part 5

12th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57f. Before He Comes – Part 6

13th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57g. Before He Comes – Part 7

14th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57h. Before He Comes – Part 8

18th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57i. Before He Comes – Part 9

19th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57j. Before He Comes – Part 10

24th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57k. Before He Comes – Part 11

29th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57l. Before He Comes – Part 12

30th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57m. Before He Comes – Part 13

3rd July 2007 By Arthur Eedle

58. Free Will Versus God’s Sovereignty

28th August 2007 By Arthur Eedle

59. Rules of Engagement

10th October 2007 By Arthur Eedle

60. Cameo. Part 1

15th October 2007 By Arthur Eedle

61. Cameo. Part 2

18th October 2007 By Arthur Eedle

62. Cameo. Part 3

26th October 2007 By Arthur Eedle

63. Cameo. Part 4

28th October 2007 By Arthur Eedle

64. In His Hands

1st November 2007 By Arthur Eedle

65. The Starlings

5th November 2007 By Arthur Eedle

66. “Dead Truth”

13th November 2007 By Arthur Eedle

67. “Dead Sin”

18th November 2007 By Arthur Eedle

68. “Dead Faith” and “Dead Works”

2nd December 2007 By Arthur Eedle

69. “Dead Worship”

18th December 2007 By Arthur Eedle

70. A Pseudo-Bunyan Author

19th March 2008 By Arthur Eedle

Article Series

  • All our Yesterdays (30)
  • Before He comes (13)
  • God's Spoken Word (37)
  • Mysteries of Science & Faith (8)
  • New Series (101)
  • Newsletter (2)
  • Original Series (109)
  • Prophecy considerations (5)
  • Recognising the Hand of Judgment (33)
  • Resurrection and Change (16)
  • Seekers Corner (14)
  • Simple Statements on Serious Subjects (6)
  • The City of God (18)
  • The Millennial Octave (23)
  • The Restitution Times (22)
  • The Song of Solomon (6)
  • The Standard (19)
  • The Wayside Pulpit (107)
  • The Wayside Pulpit 2015 (96)
  • The Wellspring (101)
  • The Wellspring 2017 (55)

Index of Topics

Arthur & Rosalind Eedle's Personal Testimonies Discipleship Expository Items Good and Evil Human Pre-Existance Jane Leade. Philadelphian Numerology in the Bible Quotations from other Authors Resurrection and the Change Ron Wyatt. Archaeology Science Topics The Kingdom of God the Millennium and the Return of Christ The Sabbath Day Universal Reconcilliation

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