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Scripture Reading: Heb. 10:24-25; 2 Tim. 2:2; Eph. 4:11-12
In this chapter we want to have more fellowship concerning the group meetings.
Hebrews 10:24-25, 2 Timothy 2:2, and Ephesians 4:11-12 tell us a lot. Through these three portions of the Word, we can pick up some realization of the purpose of the group meetings.
Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “Let us consider one another so as to incite one another to love and good works, not abandoning our own assembling together, as the custom with some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more as you see the day drawing near.” If we are going to be serious students of the Scriptures, we must analyze the language according to the grammatical construction. Many Christians are too light in considering the holy Word. Lawyers are very serious in reading the law. The nine members of the United States Supreme Court study the law by analyzing it thoroughly. We must be just as thorough in studying God’s Word.
In verse 24 incite is an infinitive, to is a preposition, and love is a noun. We consider one another so as to incite to love and to good works. Verse 25 does not say, “Do not abandon.” It says, “Not abandoning.” This indicates that this verse is not a new sentence. If we are going to understand verse 25, we must go back to what it modifies. Not abandoning is an adverbial phrase modifying let us consider in verse 24. The way to consider one another is to assemble ourselves together. We must not abandon the meetings of the church.
Second Timothy 2:2 says, “The things which you have heard from me through many witnesses, these commit to faithful men, who will be competent to teach others also.” The things Timothy heard from Paul were healthy words (1:13). Timothy was to commit these healthy words to faithful men. The word commit does not only mean to give something to someone but also implies much training. At Mount Sinai God not only gave the law but also committed the law to the children of Israel. This was His training them.
Ephesians 4:11-12 says, “He Himself gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as shepherds and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry, unto the building up of the Body of Christ.” The ascended Head, Christ, who is now in the heavens, gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as shepherds and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints. This perfecting is unto something, which means that it results in something. It is unto the work of the ministry, that is, unto the building up of the Body of Christ.
We go to the sinners to bring the gospel to them and infuse them with Christ. Then these sinners become children of God and members of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12, 27; Eph. 5:30). We offer them to God, and they become the sacrifices in our priesthood (Rom. 15:16). Through our preaching, through our priesthood of the gospel, they are regenerated, converted from sinners to sons of God, and these sons of God are the many brothers of Christ. His many brothers are His many members, who compose His organic Body. This is the first step of the God-ordained way.
We have to consider the new believers as our babes. We have to feed them. As newborn babes, they desire the milk of the word that they may grow unto salvation (1 Pet. 2:2). For their initial salvation they needed to believe. But now for their continuous salvation they need growth. They grow by being fed. We, the New Testament priests, have to take the responsibility to go back to their homes to have home meetings with them just for feeding them, like a nursing mother feeding her little babe for a certain period of time.
In today’s society mothers take care of their babies at home for a few years. Then when they are about three or four years of age, they are considered as preschool children. Right after this they will be in kindergarten. From kindergarten they progress through elementary, junior high, high school, and college. These are the stages for their perfecting. For anyone to become a proper person, there is the need of perfecting. In the United States one cannot do much with only a high school education. He must at least have a trade. If possible, it is better for a person to get a four-year college education. Better still, he could go to graduate school for two years to get a master’s degree. Even this is not as good as studying a few more years in order to earn a Ph.D. This is considered the peak of a proper education in the United States.
It is necessary to be properly educated. Using the biblical terminology, this means the growing saints have to be perfected. Previously they were sinners, but through our visiting them with the gospel, they opened up their hearts and were infused with Christ through the holy Word. He got into them, and they were regenerated. Regeneration transfers sinners out of Adam and into Christ. In Adam they were fallen sinners. Now they have been transferred through regeneration into Christ. In Christ they are no longer sinners, but they are the sons of God, the children of God, the many brothers of the firstborn Son of God, Christ (Rom. 8:16, 29; Heb. 2:12).
These new brothers of Christ are also the members of His mystical, organic Body. Still, they are infants. They do not yet know how to eat, so we have to feed them. After we baptize them into the Triune God, we have to go back to their homes as soon as possible. If we invite them to come to a meeting, they may be unable because they are infants. We have to go to their homes to have home meetings with them. This practice is seen in the book of Acts. After the three thousand were saved on the day of Pentecost, they began to meet in their homes immediately (2:41-42, 46). The purpose of their meeting in the homes was so that they could be fed. This continued among them for a period of time (vv. 46-47; 5:42).
In each of the local churches there should be some advanced ones who have been perfected by the gifted persons. Now they should continue the perfecting through their fellowship with the newly saved ones. Actually, all the saints in a local church should speak a heavenly language that newborn babes can learn to speak. We all know that every child in any home picks up the language of that home.
When I came to this country, I noticed that different regions had different expressions. They all spoke English, but they had different ways of expressing the English language. The first time I was invited to Tyler, Texas, I heard the expression y’all. I did not realize what y’all meant. Later, I found out that it was the Texan way to say “you all.” Language is very contagious. What our babes will speak depends on what we speak.
How can we incite one another without speaking? If we come to the meeting and sit silently, will this be an inciting? Inciting surely requires our speaking. One may say, “Did you read the Bible this morning?” Even this much speaking will incite the hearers. They may go back home with a burden to rise up early in the morning to read the Bible. When we all speak in a meeting, we consider that a good meeting. If we do not participate in speaking in a particular meeting, we may feel that the meeting was not so good.
Now we need to consider the way to have a group meeting. Ephesians 5:18 tells us to be filled in spirit. We believers who love the Lord Jesus, who are seeking His purpose, and who are burdened for His recovery should be persons filled in our spirit all day long. We should be filled with the Triune God, who is today the all-inclusive Spirit to us. When we are filled within, surely we will utter something out from our spirit. Ephesians 5 tells us to be filled, speaking and singing. Our speaking and singing are not in common language. We may speak or sing a psalm, which is a long piece of poetry. It may be like Psalm 119, which has one hundred seventy-six verses. There are twenty-two sections with eight verses in each section. Twenty-two is the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. Each section of Psalm 119 is according to a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. We may speak or sing a hymn, which is somewhat shorter than a psalm, or we may speak or sing a spiritual song, which is shorter still.
We need to speak and sing these psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs long before coming to the meeting. Even in our home it is very good to be speaking and singing. The husband may say, “This is my story, this is my song, / Praising my Savior...” Then the wife may respond with, “All the day long” (see Hymns, #308). Or she may say, “I have passed the riven veil, / Here the glories never fail.” Then the husband responds with, “Hallelujah! Hallelujah! / I am living in the presence of the King” (see Hymns, #551). If we are filled in spirit, we will have something to utter. The small group meeting may begin at 7:30 P.M., but if a couple begins to sing at dinnertime, around 6:00 P.M., the small group meeting will have already begun. Such a meeting can continue as they drive together to the meeting with the other saints.
If I go to the meeting place and no one else has arrived, I should not sit quietly and wait for others to arrive. I should begin to speak, pray, or sing. At least I have an angel with me, so I am not alone. The Bible says clearly that when Peter was released from prison and went to Mary’s home, some there thought it was his angel (Acts 12:15). The Lord Jesus said that even the little ones in the kingdom have angels (Matt. 18:10). The group meeting can be started very spontaneously by speaking, praising, or singing.
The New Testament does not give us the details of the group meetings, but in the verses we have mentioned, there are some small “windows” into the practice of the group meetings. These will help us to see what happened in the ancient days in the group meetings. By considering the Word, we can see that there was much fellowship, interceding for one another, mutual care, and shepherding. The fellowship brings the awareness of one another’s condition and situation. This will lead into prayer for one another. This will then cause us to go to one another to render a mutual care. Through the fellowship we may find out that a brother has been in an automobile accident. This leads us to pray for him and his family. Then we may consider his financial needs and be burdened to care for his health needs. All of this should not be in a formal way. It should be a spontaneous issue of the Spirit. I hope that from now on we can have all our group meetings in such an organic way.
For the perfecting of the saints, there is the need of teaching in the group meetings, and in the group meetings all are teachers. There should not be a particular teacher. Even one who was saved two weeks ago can be a little teacher. After there has been some fellowship, interceding, mutual care, and shepherding with the exercise of the spirit in the small group meeting, a brother may suddenly ask a question. He may ask what God’s dispensing is. All the eyes may turn to the oldest one in the meeting, but it may be better for one who has been recently saved to answer the brother. This gives him the opportunity to speak. This newly saved one may say, “God’s dispensing is for Him to distribute Himself into our spirit.” Suppose such a one has been saved for only one or two months. Everyone would be encouraged by his speaking. It is much better if six or seven speak for a few minutes than if one person speaks for a longer time. This kind of teaching is rich and all-inclusive. Its many aspects are much better than a meeting where only one is speaking. If everyone speaks, all the saints will be happy, and all will learn. This is the way for all to be perfected. If there is someone there who is really high in spiritual knowledge and in the experience of life, he may give a conclusion of perhaps ten minutes.
If the saints will come to this kind of meeting forty-five times a year, much teaching will be gained by all. The new ones will be perfected in this way. Furthermore, because this is a group meeting, many things will be worked out. This kind of practice is the proper way to fellowship, to intercede, to give mutual care, to shepherd, and also to perfect one another by the mutual teaching.
If we are experiencing the riches of such a meeting, we may pick up a burden to take the first step of the God-ordained way to go out to visit others. Then we must take care of the new ones whom we gain. This means the group meeting will carry on the church service. Eventually, this will make the small group meeting just a miniature of the church life.
