Search
First Corinthians 14:23-26 says, “If therefore the whole church comes together in one place,...indeed God is among you...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 shows the proper situation of a normal church meeting.
Strictly speaking, the Christian life is a meeting life. Much of the grace a Christian receives is in the meetings, and much of the work the Lord does is also in the meetings. Matthew 18:20 says, “Where there are two or three gathered into My name, there am I in their midst.” Moreover, Hebrews 10:25 says, “Not abandoning our own assembling together.” Since the Christian life is a meeting life and much of the Lord’s work is carried out through the meetings, we must regard Christian meetings as an important matter.
We need to pray for the brothers and sisters in our small group meeting and visit them. It would be best if we could prepare a prayer record, with the names of the saints in our group. We should pray for at least one person each day and cover everyone in the group every week. This is worthwhile. At the same time, based on our burden, we can fellowship with them in order to gain a better understanding of their situation. Then we can pray for them to have a heart for the Lord, and we can help them fulfill their desire and goal toward the Lord. Therefore, prayer is of supreme importance, and it is very effective. In addition to praying for the saints, we can also fellowship and talk with them before and after the meetings. If the Lord leads, we can even visit them during the week. We may also write them to share what we have heard and enjoyed in the meetings, thereby keeping in touch with them. We should be diligent in these matters before the Lord. If every brother and sister is willing to do these things, they are doing a good work that is valuable in the Lord’s sight and acceptable to God.
Besides praying for and fellowshipping with the saints, in the church life we should also learn to bear responsibility for the meetings. It will be difficult for a meeting to have the rich presence of the Lord if we do not bear responsibility for the meeting by exercising our spirit and living according to the spirit. If the Holy Spirit cannot find channels in a meeting, the saints whom we bring to the meeting will not be moved or benefited. Eventually, after one or two meetings they will no longer come. This will be a big loss to them and a great loss to the church. The brothers and sisters in a small group meeting must see that they should not only pray for those in their group and fellowship with them, but they should also learn to bear responsibility along with the elders for the meetings.
In Christianity pastors and preachers take the lead and are responsible for the meetings. Everyone who has been to a “Sunday service” in the denominations knows that there are pastors who lead the meetings. Arrangements are made beforehand as to who will choose the hymns, who will lead the singing, who will be the first to pray, who will be the second to pray, and so forth. The rest of the believers are merely spectators; they watch what others do and listen to what others say, but they themselves do not bear any responsibility for the meeting. This is not scriptural. This may be practiced in a gospel meeting or a message meeting. However, to practice this in the Lord’s table, fellowship, and prayer meetings is altogether contrary to the nature of meetings as revealed in the Bible. All the saints should come together and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit for the Lord’s table, fellowship, and prayer meetings. As described in 1 Corinthians 14, some may have a psalm, a teaching, or a revelation; we should function according to the spirit so that others will see that God is indeed among us (vv. 25-26). This kind of church meeting is a meeting according to the Scriptures.
Meetings for preaching the gospel or for ministering the word may be taken care of by a few brothers. But when the whole church is gathered together for exhortation or for the exercise of gifts, all the saints should participate by following the spirit within. The brothers and sisters should follow the spirit to bear the burden and responsibility for the meeting; otherwise, it will be like coming to a hall of worship to merely attend a meeting and to let the pastors lead the meeting. We must know that if we do not bear the burden for the Lord’s table, fellowship, and prayer meetings, it will be difficult for the newly saved ones to begin a meeting.
For example, at the Lord’s table meeting, if none of the elders or responsible brothers who are sitting in the front row select a hymn, the meeting will not begin. This shows that we are not bearing the responsibility for the meeting. If the elders would not call a hymn, we would simply sit there. It is as if we are behaving as guests invited to a meal instead of cooking it. A meeting should not have to wait for a responsible brother to call a hymn before it can begin. Where does this practice come from? It comes from our unwillingness to bear responsibility for the meetings.
Never think that the first two rows are reserved for responsible brothers, elders, and deacons. When we come to a meeting to pray and worship God, we all have an equal standing; we are all brothers and sisters. Sometimes for convenience in the service, the brother who makes announcements may sit in the front, but this is not always necessary. The elders can scatter themselves among the other brothers, sitting with them before God. When it is time to begin the meeting, all the brothers should bear the responsibility for selecting hymns, thereby sharing the burden of the meeting.
If the elders and responsible brothers would not take the lead, the whole meeting will be left without anyone to bear the burden. This indicates that we have problems. According to the principle in 1 Corinthians 14, all the brothers and sisters should bear responsibility. In this way the saints who are newly saved will see that the meeting belongs to everyone and not merely to the elders or a few responsible brothers. Spontaneously, they will also pick up this responsibility. Thus, we all have a great responsibility in the meetings.
If we are in a small group meeting, we should share the burden. We should all select hymns and pray. Then all the saints who attend the meeting will realize that the meeting is not merely the responsibility of a few responsible brothers but of all the saints. Thus, it is easy to carry on the meeting in a healthy way.
How can we bear responsibility in a meeting? How can we exercise our spirit in a meeting? To bear responsibility in a meeting, we must first prepare our spirit and have fellowship with the Lord. If we do not have fellowship with the Lord before coming to a meeting, our spirit will be deadened and lack vitality. If this is the case, it will be difficult for us to bear the burden in a meeting. To bear the burden in a meeting, we must have personal fellowship with the Lord for our spirit to be uplifted.
Second, when we come to a meeting, we must learn to fully open ourselves to the Lord and to the meeting. This affords the Holy Spirit the opportunity to use us and to touch us. This also enables us to sense the atmosphere and flavor of the meeting so that we know which hymn to select and how to pray. Therefore, we must be open in the meetings and be ready to receive the burden from the Holy Spirit. Many brothers and sisters do not prepare themselves before a meeting. They do not remember that there is a meeting until ten minutes before the meeting begins. Then they hurriedly rush to the meeting without bearing any burden for the meeting, and their spirit is still closed. Then at the meeting only a few brothers will take care of the meeting to select hymns and pray; they are like priests for the church who minister on behalf of the saints. Although this is not prearranged, every attendant knows that someone will select a hymn and someone will pray; everyone else can simply sit, watch, and do nothing because a few brothers will bear the full responsibility. Since a few brothers will take the lead to select a hymn and to pray, the rest of the saints can relax and enjoy. We should never be like this. Prior to any meeting we should open our spirit. After we sit down in the meeting, we should seek the Lord as to what He desires us to do. We must touch the feeling of the Holy Spirit and receive inspiration from Him. If we are open in this way, the Holy Spirit will surely move us to receive the burden.
Third, upon entering a meeting, we must learn to touch the atmosphere, the spirit, of the meeting. Suppose a brother was taken by the Lord, and the saints are holding a memorial meeting in his home. When we enter the house, we can sense a sorrowful atmosphere; we can touch a sorrowful spirit. It would be inappropriate for us to laugh and select any hymn we please. Conversely, if we are in a wedding meeting, where the atmosphere is joyful, it would be unfitting for us to ignore the atmosphere, the spirit, of the meeting and select a hymn that asks for the Lord’s mercy.
When we come into a meeting, we should be prepared in spirit, our entire being should be open to the Lord and to the meeting, and we should exercise our spirit to touch the atmosphere of the meeting. Then we will be a channel for the Holy Spirit, and He will be able to use us as a channel to bear responsibility for the meeting.
Concerning the selection of hymns, we need a twofold knowledge. First, we need to know the hymns in their categories; second, we need to know the progression of singing in a meeting. According to categories, there are hymns on preaching the gospel, prayer, spiritual pursuit, spiritual edification, spiritual warfare, praise, bread breaking, and worship. We must be familiar with all the categories. Otherwise, we may touch the Lord’s presence and sense His glory yet select a hymn on rising up to preach the gospel. This would not be fitting, and it would not be proper. For this reason we must spend time to study our hymns.
We must also know the progression of singing in a meeting. In a table meeting the first hymn is a beginning hymn, which should be longer in order to calm the saints’ hearts and bring the saints to the Lord. Because a meeting has a beginning section, there are beginning hymns.
There are roughly ten steps in the progression of a meeting. The first step is the opening, and the second is the introduction, which brings the meeting to its subject. After an opening hymn is sung and a strong prayer is offered, the second hymn should bring the meeting to its subject. After the saints sing the introductory hymn, there should be some introductory prayers concerning the subject. The third step is the strengthening. If the meeting is still not strong after singing and prayers related to the first and second steps, there will be a need to call another hymn, a strengthening hymn. If the spirit is still not strong enough after singing the strengthening hymn and offering some strong prayers, there will be a need for the fourth step, which is the stirring up of the spirit. Sometimes the third and fourth steps transpire simultaneously.
The fifth step is the turning. For example, after the remembrance of the Lord, we need to turn to worship the Father. Sometimes the Lord’s table has not reached the point of worshipping the Father, but a brother selects Hymns, #33; sometimes a brother selects Hymns, #101 immediately after the bread and the cup have been passed. Both are inappropriate. Hence, there is the need of a sixth step for correction. Sometimes a meeting may be quite long. For example, when a great number of saints gather together, it may take a longer time for the bread and the cup to be passed. If this is the case, there may be the need to maintain the spirit through a hymn or some prayers. This is the seventh step, maintaining the spirit for the meeting. Even though we use hymns and prayers to maintain the spirit, there may still be the need to fill up the time with more prayers and singing. This is the eighth step. Then toward the end of the meeting comes the ninth step to sing a concluding hymn. Sometimes even though the meeting has ended, there is still a lingering air; thus, we may select another hymn to send the saints off. This is the tenth step. This can be compared to sending off a friend who has visited you by walking a distance with him.
We often have the sense at the end of the Lord’s table meeting that everyone wishes the meeting could continue. At such a time, without waiting for the brothers to call a hymn, everyone may spontaneously begin to sing, “Glory, honor, praise and power, / Be unto the Lamb forever! / Jesus Christ is our Redeemer, / Hallelujah! Hallelujah! / Hallelujah! Praise ye the Lord!” (Hymns, #240). In this way everyone leaves singing. This is an example of sending people off.
Just as there are ten steps for singing, there are also ten steps for prayer. Ideally, one hymn should be accompanied by one or two prayers. For example, after the first hymn a prayer should follow. After the second hymn one or two prayers should follow. After a strengthening hymn one or two prayers should be added. If a spirit-stirring hymn is called, it should be accompanied by a prayer that uplifts the spirit; in this way everyone’s spirit will be uplifted. In this case, there will be no need for turning, correcting, or maintaining the spirit. If there is still time, we can have more prayer and sing another hymn. This would be wonderful!
If we meet in this way, the brothers and sisters will enjoy coming to the meetings, because they will be inwardly touched by God and will testify that God is indeed among us in our meetings. However, if we do not know how to meet when we come together, when the Holy Spirit touches a brother, he will not move. Then the Holy Spirit will find another brother, who will also ignore Him. The Holy Spirit will then come to yet another brother, who also may not think that the meeting is his responsibility. Thus, the Holy Spirit will not be able to find a channel, and the meeting will be poor. As a result, some may then even take the opportunity to speak many strange things.
For example, a brother may begin with praises and thanksgiving, but because no one follows, another will stand up and speak something strange. If no one is willing to stop the strange speaking, he will continue; however, if the saints had followed the spirit to pray, the strange speaking would never have been released. If the brothers and sisters are not willing to bear the responsibility and no one is willing to pray, all kinds of strange speaking will find a way to come out in the meeting. We should not blame those who speak strange things. Rather, we should blame ourselves for not bearing the responsibility. If such a situation continues, many brothers and sisters may find it unbearable and stop coming to the meeting. Therefore, we must all bear responsibility in the meetings and allow the Holy Spirit to use us as channels. This is a great matter, for which we need to be cautious and pray much.
We must take the meetings seriously and not conduct ourselves according to our mood and excitement. We all need to realize that we come to a meeting to fulfill our priestly ministry, to function; we do not come to take care of our mood and excitement. If we start work at eight, we should be at our place of work exactly at eight. Likewise, whenever we come to the meeting, we must mean business. We need to diligently exercise our spirit. We should exercise our spirit when we are happy and when we are unhappy. We need to take the meeting as our responsibility. When we come to the meeting, we should function in the meeting and bear the burden of the meeting.
There are a few points that require our attention regarding our prayer in the Lord’s table meeting. First, our prayer must be related to the preceding hymn. Second, our prayer must go further and higher. It should not be lower or even parallel to the preceding one. Third, we must pay attention to the feeling of the meeting and press forward with the spirit of the meeting. Fourth, we should use utterances with poetic qualities; do not be dull or crude. Fifth, our prayer should bring the meeting to its subject. Sixth, we should avoid ritualistic formalities and instead seek to use words of revelation. When we pray in the table meeting, we must firmly grasp these six points.
