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We have covered four points concerning how to meet. We will continue with two more points.
After touching the feeling of a meeting, we should learn to function in the meeting. We should not come to a meeting merely to listen to a message or to watch others worship; instead, we should come to meet in mutuality. Everyone bears the responsibility for a meeting. For this reason, as we touch the feeling of a meeting, we should learn to fulfill our obligation to function in the meeting.
There are several points we should pay attention to in order to function in a meeting.
Before functioning in a meeting, we must first reject every improper thing. If we do not reject these things, they will distract us and hinder our functioning in the meeting. Improper things can be grouped into six categories.
If we come to a meeting with disturbing and troubling thoughts, we will be unable to function. Therefore, we must reject all disturbing thoughts in order to function in a meeting. There are three points we should pay attention to related to disturbing thoughts.
We should not receive any news before a meeting; otherwise, we will have disturbing thoughts during the meeting. When I first learned this lesson approximately twenty years ago, I would not touch any practical affairs half an hour before a meeting. I would put aside any letters or telegrams and read them only after the meeting. Reading letters or telegrams before a meeting can give us disturbing thoughts that we will be unable to drop, even when we are in the meeting. This will damage our functioning in the meeting. Hence, we must learn not to receive any news before a meeting. Regardless of how important a matter may be, it should wait until after a meeting.
Not only should we not allow ourselves to be disturbed, but we should also not cause others to be disturbed. Before a meeting we should not receive any news, and we should not share any news with others. We should wait until after a meeting before we speak to others about any news. This is very important. We need to learn not to spread any news when we see one another before a meeting. Even if it is very important, we should wait until the meeting is over.
We should not bring any matters that are outside of a meeting into the meeting. Since we desire to meet, we should meet in a proper way. We should not bring any matters related to our family, job, school, health, children, or relatives to a meeting. We should completely forget every matter, even if it is important. We need to have faith and believe that everything is in God’s hands. It is useless to worry in a meeting because worrying only distracts and troubles us during the meeting. Therefore, we must learn not to worry about things that are outside of the meeting.
In order to function in a meeting, we should reject disturbing thoughts, and we should not analyze. Once we touch the atmosphere of a meeting and receive spiritual inspiration, we should function immediately. Consideration or analysis merely quenches the inspiration.
We should have spiritual awareness, a sense of the spirit, during a meeting. We should not be self-conscious. Self-consciousness is being shy. It is a fear of being laughed at, saying something inaccurate, praying in an improper tone, or other such things. Such a feeling of fear is produced when a person is self-conscious. We must learn to reject self-consciousness in the meeting. Our spiritual sense in a meeting must be very keen, but we must utterly reject self-consciousness.
Satan often accuses us in our conscience when we come to a meeting, saying that our condition is improper because we have failed in this or that. We must reject all such accusations. We must also reject his accusations against others. When Satan accuses us, he either reminds us of our own failures so that we are unable to rise, or he reminds us of others’ mistakes so that we condemn them during the meeting. We need to believe in the Lord’s forgiveness, and we also need to forgive others. All our wrongdoings have been cleansed by the Lord’s blood. Since He has forgiven us, we should also forgive others. If we do not reject this twofold accusation of Satan, we cannot receive spiritual inspiration in a meeting.
We should reject not only accusations but also burdens. For example, the responsibility of giving a message after a meeting may be a burden on a brother, preventing him from being released in the meeting. We need to give our burdens to God through prayer. No matter what kind of burden we have to bear, whether it is related to our work, our family, or our business, we should put it aside once we come to a meeting. We need to exercise not to bring any burdens to the meeting.
Criticism leaves us without spiritual inspiration and affects others. We lose our spiritual inspiration once we begin to criticize others. A criticizing spirit also affects others. Therefore, we need to reject all criticism.
If we desire to function in a meeting, on the negative side, we must learn to reject disturbing thoughts, analysis, self-consciousness, accusations, burdens, and criticism.
On the positive side, a person needs to be aggressive if he desires to function in a meeting. A passive person is unable to function in a meeting. In order to function, we must be aggressive. We gather together in order to meet. If our intention is to play basketball, we should not wait for the ball to come to us. Rather, we should actively try to catch the ball. There are five matters that require our attention if we desire to be aggressive in a meeting.
In order to be aggressive, we must have a willing heart. Our heart must be turned to the Lord, desiring to worship the Lord and to be inspired. Some believers are willing to come to a meeting, but they are not willing to function in the meeting. Because their heart is not willing, they cannot be aggressive. In order to function in a meeting, we must have a willing heart.
Since the will is the organ we use to take the initiative, it must be exercised. Even though we have a spirit within us, we are not spirits; we are human beings. Receiving spiritual inspiration is not a matter of being passive. We must exercise our will in order to receive spiritual inspiration. Once we have a sense within, we must exercise our will to function according to that inspiration.
We must believe that we will receive spiritual inspiration when our heart is turned toward God and we exercise our will to cooperate with Him. We receive inspiration by faith.
Once we take the initiative to exercise our will and have received spiritual inspiration by faith, we should express this inspiration according to our sense. We should not analyze the inspiration with our mind. Once we analyze it, the inspiration will be quenched.
We must not be afraid or timid when we speak according to the inner sense. Being afraid or timid quenches the sense of the spirit.
When we reject improper things on the negative side and exercise our will to receive spiritual inspiration by faith on the positive side, we will spontaneously be able to function in the meeting. However, there is much to consider concerning how to function in a proper way so that the meeting can be supplied. Generally speaking, the activities in a meeting do not include more than three items—selecting hymns, praying, and speaking. Let us briefly consider these three items.
This point is very obvious. In a prayer meeting we must select hymns that have the nature of prayer; in the bread-breaking meeting we must select hymns related to the Lord’s table. The hymns we select in a meeting need to match the nature of that particular meeting.
The hymns selected in a meeting should match not only the nature but also the progression of the meeting. A closing hymn should not be selected at the beginning of a meeting, nor should an opening hymn be selected at the end of a meeting. When a meeting reaches its climax, a hymn that is high in content should be selected. Sometimes there is the need to strengthen a meeting, and at other times there is the need to uplift or maintain the spirit of a meeting. The hymns we choose must always match the progression of the meeting.
For example, after singing, “Hark! ten thousand voices crying,” a table meeting may reach its climax; at this time the spirit of the meeting needs to be maintained so that the climax is not diminished. If a brother then selects a hymn that speaks of surveying the wondrous cross, the focus of the meeting will be changed from the Lord on the throne to the Lord on the cross. Such a selection does not match the progression of the meeting, and the spirit of the meeting will be lowered rather than maintained. After singing, “Hark! ten thousand voices crying,” it is difficult to find another hymn that can maintain the spirit of a meeting. It is best to repeat a few stanzas from this hymn that are relatively high in content. In this way we can maintain the spirit that has already been uplifted. The selection of a hymn needs to match the progression of a meeting.
We must select hymns according to the sense in our spirit. We cannot rely merely on our mind. We should not mechanically consider the nature of a meeting, or even the stage of the meeting, and then flip through our hymnal to find a suitable hymn. Hymns that are selected in such a dead way will not be according to the spirit of the meeting. We must select hymns according to the sense in our spirit. When selecting a hymn, we need to touch our spirit to see if there is an inward confirmation. There must be an inward response so that when we sing the hymn, we will be inspired.
After selecting a hymn, we need to consider how to call out the hymn number. We should not call a hymn too loudly, too softly, or so fast that others are unable to hear the hymn that has been called. Rather, we should call a hymn number slowly and clearly. When some brothers call a hymn, it is like a gust of wind that passes by so quickly that other people do not know which hymn number was called. Other brothers call hymns in a manner that can be compared to a loud clap of thunder; it frightens people and causes them to lose their spiritual inspiration. Still others call hymns with a voice that is so quiet that even those sitting next to them have difficulty hearing the number. This also disturbs the spirit of the meeting. Because the spirit of the meeting is quite tender and can easily be disturbed, all the activities in the meeting must be refined. We must call a hymn clearly and slowly. Our voice should neither be too loud nor too soft. People must be able to hear us clearly and not be disturbed. We should not think that these are trivial matters. These matters have much impact on a meeting.
Our prayers, just as our selection of hymns, should match the nature of a meeting. If a sister begins to pray for her son, crying bitterly with tears, this will greatly affect the feeling of the meeting. This is because her prayer does not match the nature of the meeting.
The bread-breaking meeting has two sections. The first section is for remembering the Lord, and the second section is for worshipping the Father. After the bread and the cup have been passed around, someone may pray long-windedly concerning the Lord’s humbling Himself to be born in a manger and His dying on the cross. Because such prayer does not follow the progression of the meeting, even though it may match the nature of the meeting, it disturbs the entire meeting. For this reason our prayers must follow the progression of the meeting.
It is normal for our prayers to be according to the sense in our spirit.
Our voice should not be too soft when we pray. It is difficult to hear some people when they pray, even if we strain to listen. For this reason we should not spare our throat and hurt the ears of the brothers and sisters when we pray. At the same time, we should not yell and shout like thunder when we pray. Such ear-quivering prayers make people feel uncomfortable. The tone of our voice in prayer must be moderate, neither too high nor too low, and the pronunciation should be clear.
We should use simple words in our prayer, and our sentences should be short, not long.
We should pray with the exercise of our spirit so that our spirit comes out and releases the spirit of others.
When we pray, our sentences should be brief and our prayer should be brief. Long prayers often kill a meeting. C. H. Mackintosh said that long prayers torture the children of God. He would ask others not to punish the brothers and sisters by long prayers. D. L. Moody was in a meeting where a sister was praying nonstop, exhausting the endurance of the brothers and sisters. He stood up and wisely recommended that while the sister was still praying, they should sing a hymn. We all need to avoid long prayers in the meeting.
When praying in a meeting, we must consider the response of others. If there is not a response of Amen, we should stop our prayer. A lack of Amens means that others are not responding. Why should we continue praying if they are not responding? We should always consider the response of others to our prayer. We should stop praying when the spirit of others does not follow.
Concerning the activities in the meeting, there is also speaking in addition to selecting hymns and praying. Speaking includes testifying, exhorting, and releasing the light we have received from the Bible. In principle, the points that apply to selecting hymns and praying also apply to speaking.
When we speak in a meeting, we should follow the nature of the meeting; otherwise, our speaking can interrupt the atmosphere and even kill the spirit of the meeting.
Our speaking in a meeting must match the progression. In our speaking we must take care of this point.
Although our speaking must also follow the nature and take care of the progression of a meeting, we must speak according to the sense in our spirit, not merely according to dead knowledge.
If there is a need to read a portion from the Bible, only the verses that are appropriate should be read. Reading an entire chapter or a few chapters can be as unbearable as long prayers. By reading only succinct portions, we can save time and not consume people’s energy. Our Bible reading needs to be brief.
When speaking in a meeting, we need to be brief, succinct, and focused. When some brothers stand up to speak, they speak about everything from atomic bombs to missiles, changing subjects without any inward restraint. Speaking in an unfocused way disturbs the meeting and must be avoided.
We should not be too bold and arrogant, nor should we be afraid when we speak. We need to be calm, not nervous, anxious, timid, or frightened. Being frightened and nervous can weaken the spirit.
We should also pay attention to our voice when we speak. Our voice must be clear and audible so that it can easily be heard and understood by everyone. A soft and muffled voice is not only difficult to understand, but it can also cause the atmosphere of the meeting to sink.
The most important point related to speaking is to exercise our spirit so that it can be released. We should not be like a robot, speaking only from our throat and mind but not from our spirit. Our spirit is released when our whole being is exercised. Once the spirit comes out, we will have a feeling when we open our mouth to speak, and when people hear us, they will be moved. This requires much practice.
We must also consider the feeling and response of others when we speak. If we continue speaking, even though some saints have fallen asleep during our speaking, we disregard the response of the saints. If the saints fall asleep when we are speaking, we can either stop speaking and immediately sit down, or we can change our manner of speaking. This requires our attention and practice.
We must also take care of the time when we speak in a meeting. We should not speak for half an hour or an hour as it pleases us. We must take care of the time.
There should not be pretense in the activities in a meeting. For example, it is pretentious to cry when we have no feeling to cry. To pretend in a meeting is very ugly. All the activities in a meeting must be genuine.
We should not imitate the behavior of other people in a meeting. More than a decade ago, a group of young sisters in Tsingtao tried to imitate an elderly sister who often coughed when speaking the truth. These young sisters imitated her coughing. This imitation made people very uncomfortable. Imitation, however, may not be intentional. It is unavoidable to be influenced by other people after being with them for a long period of time. For example, the brothers and sisters who meet with us pray in a tone that is completely different from believers in the denominations. This is an understandable influence, not an imitation. We need to be careful not to imitate others intentionally. All our activity in a meeting must be genuine.
When functioning in a meeting, we also need to learn the lesson of submission.
In a meeting the responsible brothers may give advice in any of three points.
The responsible brothers bear the responsibility to remind the brothers and sisters to raise their voice when they speak too softly.
The responsible brothers should tell the saints who speak too long to be brief or to finish their speaking soon.
The responsible brothers should also remind the saints to adjust their speaking when their speaking is not appropriate or is cumbersome and repetitive.
We should submit ourselves to the advice of the responsible brothers in all the activities in a meeting, especially when we speak. Their feeling often represents the feeling of the brothers and sisters.
According to 1 Corinthians 14:30, “If something is revealed to another sitting by, the first should be silent.” This is being submissive to the spiritual inspiration of others. In this way the order in a meeting is maintained without confusion.
In order to function properly in the meeting, we must also know the hymns. If we do not know the hymns, we will be unable to select them in a meeting. In order to know the hymns and to select appropriate hymns in a meeting, we must pay attention to five points.
We need to know the categories of the hymns. For example, some hymns are for the gospel, some are for edification, and others are for worship.
Although there are many hymns in the same category, they may not all have the same subject. For example, the subject of some gospel hymns is vanity, and the subject of other gospel hymns is the cross of the Lord Jesus. Some of the hymns on remembering the Lord have the Lord’s glory as their subject, and others in the same category focus on the Lord’s suffering. For this reason we need to know the subject of the hymns as well as their categories.
Some hymns may be in the same category and of the same subject but have a different feeling. Every hymn has its feeling. For example, “It passeth knowledge, that dear love of Thine” (Hymns, #154) is a hymn for remembering the Lord and has the Lord’s love as its subject. The feeling of this hymn is fine, sweet, and tender. The feeling of other hymns may not be as fine as this one, even though their subject is the Lord’s love. Some hymns have a fine feeling and are also poetic. Other hymns, however, may not be poetic. In learning the hymns, we need to know their categories and subject so that we can further distinguish them according to their feeling.
To know the hymns by their nature, subject, and feeling is one thing, but to select hymns in the meeting is another. When we select hymns in a meeting, we must match the progression of the meeting. For example, because it is not easy to have an uplifted spirit at the beginning of a meeting, we should not begin the meeting with “Hark! ten thousand voices crying.” Hence, our selecting of hymns must match the progression of a meeting.
Memorizing the number and the first line of the hymns enables us to select hymns in a meeting according to spiritual inspiration. We may have spiritual inspiration and know which hymn to select but forget the hymn number. As a result, the atmosphere of the meeting may change by the time we find the hymn, or someone may grasp the opportunity and call another hymn. This is often a loss to the meeting. For this reason we need to be familiar with and memorize the number and the first line of the hymns so that we can select the proper hymns when there is a need.
We need to spend time to practice these points. Otherwise, our meetings will not be strong. Let me repeat: our meetings are not a Sunday service. In Christianity and in the Catholic Church, the Sunday service is altogether for the pastors and the priests, who undertake all the activities. Our meetings, on the contrary, are for the brothers and sisters to coordinate with one another and to function together. This applies to prayer meetings, bread-breaking meetings, Bible-study meetings, and fellowship meetings in which we exercise our gifts. The meeting for the ministry of the word is the only exception. Hence, we all need to practice the skills for meeting. If we are not strong in these skills, the meetings will be poor, weak, dead, and depressed. In order to have meetings that are lively and rich, every brother and sister must know how to meet and must possess the skills for meeting. May the Lord bless us in this matter.
