Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 14:26-33
Ephesians 2:22 shows us that the church is being built together to be a dwelling place of God in spirit. The whole church gathering together is the dwelling place of God. One characteristic of God's dwelling place is the presence of His light. We know that in the temple in ancient times, there was sunlight for the outer court and light from the lampstands for the Holy Place. However, in the Holy of Holies, God manifested His own glory and radiance, and He Himself was the light. When we become God's dwelling place, there must be light among us because God manifests His glory through His dwelling place. If we meet in a proper way, we can look to God to shine forth His light among us, and we can look to Him to speak to us.
First Corinthians 14 teaches us how we should meet. Verse 26 says, "What then, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up." This means that when we meet, some will have a hymn, some will have a teaching, some will have a revelation, some will speak in tongues, and some will have interpretation of tongues. Everyone builds up the church with what they have. Therefore, before the Lord, we must have a very careful understanding of the meaning of the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will not guide those who do not have anything to say. He will not guide those who have a hymn to teach or those with revelations to interpret the tongues. The Holy Spirit does not do foolish things. Only foolish people do foolish things. The question of supply at the meeting is not settled at the time of the meeting but in our own house. What we have at home will be what we have at the meeting. What we do not have at home we will not have at the meeting. The "has" in this verse is not the result of personal preference, personal thought, or sudden emotional impulse. What a person receives as he exercises daily before God is what he "has"; they are the things that are constituted in the spirit. This spiritual accumulation is what we have, and it is what we can use to supply the need of the church in accordance with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Hence, those who have a hymn should supply the church with a hymn. Those who have a revelation should supply the church with a revelation. Those with a teaching should supply the church with a teaching. Every one supplies the need in the church with what he has, not with what he does not have. Whatever you have is what you can minister to the church. For instance, you may have a hymn that you want to sing; it keeps coming to you, and you cannot help it. This means there is music in your heart; there is a hymn in your heart. This is your hymn. You do not come to the meeting and look for a hymn. Rather, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you supply the hymn you "have" for the edification of the church. There may be a few words which have become very precious to you during the past few days. These are your words. Similarly, you may have a revelation or a teaching; you just supply the church with what you have.
Brothers and sisters, what has the Lord done or said to you these days?
First Corinthians 14:26 tells us that the Holy Spirit guides us by means of what we have, while verses 27 to 33 tell us that the guidance of the Holy Spirit is also in accord with the circumstances. For instance, the evening meeting in the church ends at nine o'clock. The Holy Spirit will not guide you to stand up and give a long talk when it is nearly nine; He will make you realize that time is running out and that you should not call a long hymn or talk too much. While you supply the church with what you have, you must also learn the lesson that "the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets." If you have something, you can bring it to the meeting, but you must consider what others have. In the meeting there may be more than twenty brothers and each one may have a hymn; you also have a hymn. When you realize that two or three have called their hymns, you no longer need to call yours. There is no need for each of the twenty or more brothers to call a hymn; if this happens, the singing will go on until midnight. This is contrary to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Lord wants us to do all things becomingly and in order (1 Cor. 14:40). What we have qualifies us to supply others, while the circumstances teach us to be guided by the Spirit. In our meetings we should observe the principle of "two or three" (1 Cor. 14:29). The Spirit will not guide us to supply what we do not have, nor will He contradict the principle of "two or three." If we have something before the Lord, we can be guided to stand up and speak. However, if other brothers have received the same thing, we should hold our peace.
There are two difficulties in the church. First, those who do not "have" think that they "have." In many instances, a child of God is not the kind of person he wants to be, yet he insists on speaking as if he were such a one. In reality, God has never said anything to him or worked in him. He has nothing within him, yet he likes to talk, and he likes to express himself. When this happens, the church is not built up. Second, some people are unwilling to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Lord may have spoken to a brother or a sister, yet he or she waits and holds back from speaking. In this way the church is deprived of the supply it deserves. If you find that you are empty inside, you should keep silent. If you know that you "have" something, you should supply the church. The Holy Spirit dispenses life to the meeting through what you have, making it possible for God's children to touch life. God may put a word within you; the same word may be in you while you are at work and while you are walking on the street. You realize that God has spoken to you. You should realize that this word is not for you alone but also for the church. When you "have" something, you should supply the church with what you have.
At the time the tabernacle was built in the Old Testament times, the people dedicated their gold and silver to God. The same is true with us today. We should give what we have. Some have a revelation, some have a teaching, and some have a hymn. Let everyone bring what he has. At the time of the building of the tabernacle, the Spirit of God gave wisdom and understanding to men to make fitting utensils out of the gold and the silver and a tabernacle from all kinds of materials. The materials themselves were offered up by the Israelites, while the completion of the tabernacle was brought about through the arrangement of the Holy Spirit. Today we bring in the materials, and the Holy Spirit arranges them. In this way, the church is built up.
In our daily walk, we should have constant communion with God and look to Him for His work in us, so that we will "have" something and be able to supply the church with what we have. We should remember that God guides us in the meeting according to what we already have — a hymn or a revelation. We must first have something that we can share with others. Since we have learned and accumulated something during our daily walk, we can be guided in the meetings and render a supply to others. What we give to the church should not be something that we come up with on the spur of the moment or something that is according to our own good idea but something we have in our daily life, that is, something God has given us during our daily life. During this time, God brings us forward in a certain way, and He makes us a certain kind of person. As a result, you supply others with what you have. Ideas do not count; doctrines are of no avail; what is of value is what we really have. If we supply the church with what we have, the church will be built up, and the brothers and sisters will receive help. If everyone supplies the church with what they have, the result will be living and rich.
Under normal circumstances in the church, the Holy Spirit will not guide a person to give what he does not have. God used an ass only to deal with Balaam (Num. 22). If we really live a life that befits the children of God, our meeting will become God's sanctuary. Let us pray that we may "have" and that we may use what we "have" to supply the church.
