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We will continue considering various kinds of meetings.
The second kind of meeting is the prayer meeting. Acts 4:24 through 31 and 12:5 and 12 are two portions in the Bible that speak of the church gathering and praying together corporately. When an important matter was encountered, they had prayer meetings. There are not as many details about the prayer meeting as there are about the bread-breaking meeting. Among the various kinds of meetings, the bread-breaking meeting has the most details. Since the prayer meeting is relatively simple, there are only a few matters for us to consider. Nevertheless, these few matters are quite important; if we neglect them, the prayer meeting will be killed and nullified.
There are four important points that we need to pay attention to in the prayer meeting.
The first point is to be in one accord. The Chinese Union Version of the Bible translates one accord as “the same heart and the same will.” This word in Greek refers to the harmony in a musical composition. The better a musical composition, the more harmonious it is. When a musical composition is performed, the pitch should be neither too high nor too low, and the tempo should be neither too fast nor too slow. If both pitch and tempo are appropriate and regulated, the musical sounds will be very harmonious. This same kind of harmony in human society can only be the result of people having the same mind and the same will, that is, of their being in one accord. Without a oneness of heart and agreement in will, it is impossible for people to be in harmony. In order to be in harmony, the heart of a people must be one, and their will must be in agreement. Hence, it is acceptable for the Chinese Union Version to translate one accord as “the same heart and the same will.” However, this is a translation based upon the meaning; it is not a literal translation.
Meeting together to pray always exceeds personal prayer in weight, value, authority, and power. There is a principle in the Bible that one chases a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight (Deut. 32:30). According to mathematics, if one person chases a thousand, two should chase two thousand. But the Bible says that one person chases a thousand and two put ten thousand to flight; this exceeds the mathematical calculation by eight thousand, which is a fourfold increase. This is the principle of a meeting. The strength in Christian meetings is increased by multiplication, not merely by addition. This also applies to prayer. Individual prayer is powerful, but corporate prayer is much more powerful.
This is the reason the Bible, especially in Acts, shows the church meeting together to pray whenever important matters were encountered. This can be compared to moving an object. Although one person may be able to move a fifty-pound object by himself, no one can move an object that weighs one thousand pounds. Even if one thousand people were to take turns pushing the object, no one would be able to move it. But if a concerted effort was made to move it together, we would not need even fifty people. We would need only ten or more people to move the object. We need to see this. Even if ten thousand people tried to move the object individually, they would not be able to do it. But if we combine our efforts, there would not be a need for ten thousand people to move the object. It could be moved by a few people working together. This is the power of corporate prayer. The Lord Jesus said that if there were two or three gathered into His name, He would be in their midst, and what they ask for in harmony will be done for them (Matt. 18:19-20). Two or three praying together is the principle of corporate prayer.
Regardless of how many of us pray together, we must be one person, not just like one person. When we pray together, we must pray as one person. A prayer meeting in which we are not in harmony, in one accord, is not effective. If we pray as many people, instead of as one person, there is no harmony, no one accord, in the prayer meeting. If there is no harmony, it would almost be better not to pray corporately because prayer in discord, without harmony, divides and kills. Such prayers are even inferior to personal prayers, because they annul prayer. Therefore, the first crucial point for the prayer meeting is to be in one accord.
Matthew 18 presents the Lord’s teaching concerning one accord in a prayer meeting. Acts 1:14 gives an example of meeting together to pray in one accord. In Acts there were about a hundred and twenty persons praying in one accord for a period of ten days. Even though one hundred and twenty were praying, in the eyes of God only one person was praying. Therefore, as a result of their prayer, the Holy Spirit descended on the day of Pentecost. This proves that one accord is the most important point concerning the prayer meeting.
The second point is to be genuine. This means that our prayers should not be feigned. We should neither feign nor make up a prayer, both of which are false and not genuine. Although we should consider others when we pray, we should not pray for others to hear; rather, we pray for the Lord to hear. If we pray for others to hear, there will definitely be the element of pretense and embellishment in our prayer. Embellishment brings in falsehood. In the prayer meeting we need to consider others’ response and feeling, and we need to learn to pray before God, as if no one else were with us. Only such prayers are without pretense and embellishment.
This is not easy, but we must practice. Although some do not weep in their personal prayer, they weep when they pray in a meeting. Their weeping is for others. There are others who weep when they pray alone, yet they are reluctant to weep when they pray in a meeting. Both their weeping and not weeping are under the influence of others; thus, they are feigned and not genuine.
Of course, sometimes when we are by ourselves before God we may cry and laugh aloud, but we should have some restraint when we pray with others. This is according to 2 Corinthians 5:13, which says, “Whether we were beside ourselves, it was to God; or whether we are sober-minded, it is for you.” However, being sober-minded is different from being pretentious. Being sober-minded is genuine, and being pretentious is false. The more genuine our prayers in the prayer meeting are, the better.
The third point is to be short. We should not be a person with a mouth that does not open or a mouth that does not shut once we begin to pray. Some people seem to have problems with their mouth in the prayer meeting. Either they cannot open their mouth to pray, or when they do open their mouth, they cannot conclude their prayer and close their mouth. Long prayers kill the spirit of the meeting, causing the spirit of the meeting to sink. Therefore, prayers must be short in the prayer meeting.
The fourth point is not to have too many subjects for prayer. In order to have a good prayer meeting, there should not be too many prayer items. The prayer meetings in our localities often commit the mistake of having a long list of prayer items. Many items on this list never change and are unnecessary. Hence, before each prayer meeting the responsible brothers should seriously consider what matters are in need of prayer. It is best to pray for only one item in every prayer meeting. Of course, this is not a rigid principle. However, we should not bring trivial matters to the prayer meeting; instead, we should pray for important matters.
In the prayer meeting we usually pray for the various meetings, the personal problems of the brothers and sisters, gospel preaching, training meetings, and so forth; we cover many items. The brothers and sisters in the prayer meeting have the ability to pray for many items. If each one prays through their list of items, the whole prayer meeting will consist of giving reports. We may pray for every item on the list, yet none of the items will be covered thoroughly.
The Bible does not record examples of prayer meetings with many subjects. In Acts 4:24-31, when the believers gathered together, they specifically prayed for the church in Jerusalem under persecution. Even though all the participants must have prayed, the focus of their prayer was to ask the Lord to strengthen the church and to stretch out His hands. After they prayed, the place in which they were gathered was shaken, proving that God had answered their specific prayer.
In chapter 12, verses 5 and 12, the church gathered together to pray fervently concerning Peter, who had been arrested by Herod, put into prison, and was about to be harmed. Their specific prayer was effective. Peter was rescued by an angel, his chains fell off, and the prison gates were opened.
Our prayer should also be specific. In a prayer meeting the responsible brothers may ask the brothers and sisters to pray specifically regarding the sickness of a certain brother so that the Lord’s will would be made known. Does the Lord want to heal this brother? What does the Lord want to do? If it is the Lord’s will to heal him, we then ask the Lord to stretch out His holy hand. It is proper and right for the whole church to beseech the Lord specifically concerning the sick brother.
The Chinese have a saying that speaks of biting off more than one can chew, which means to take on more than one can handle. If there are too many items in a prayer meeting, nothing will be accomplished. If there are too many items to pray for in every meeting, eventually everyone will be worn out, feeling as if every item is of equal importance and, consequently, does not have much meaning. As a result, they will not come to the meeting as often, and even if they come, they will seldom pray. In the end, some responsible ones, like those staging a show, will offer a few prayers to quickly conclude the meeting. There will be no burden, not to mention impact. This kind of prayer meeting is merely a meeting, without genuine prayer, and it completely misses the significance of the prayer meeting. I am afraid that this is the condition of the prayer meeting in many places. Even though this is not due to one single matter, having many common subjects for prayer is certainly a factor.
This is the reason it is best to pray for only one item in each meeting. Even if more than one item needs to be prayed for, they should be brought up one by one. We should not bring up a second item before everyone has finished praying for the first. Once the first item is thoroughly covered with prayer, the second item can be presented. This can be compared to accomplishing different tasks. It is important to finish the first task before beginning the second task. There should not be more than three items to pray for in a prayer meeting.
There must be a specific burden for prayer. The purpose of the prayer meeting is for us to come together to pray corporately for items that are too great to be borne by one person. Hence, there must be a specific burden. May the prayer meetings in every locality be adjusted according to these points. The saints must be in one accord, the feelings must be genuine, the utterances must be brief, and the subjects must be specific. We must exercise according to these four points.
The third kind of meeting is for the exercise of gifts as presented in 1 Corinthians 14:26-40. The bread-breaking meeting is a meeting of the church where all the saints function in mutuality. The prayer meeting is a meeting of the church for all the saints to function in mutuality. The meeting for exercising our gifts is also a meeting of the church for all the saints to function in mutuality. In the past we held a weekly fellowship meeting that was similar in nature to a meeting for the exercise of gifts spoken of in 1 Corinthians 14. Initially, we separated the brothers and the sisters. The brothers had their meeting, and the sisters had theirs, but later these two meetings were combined. Regardless of whether the brothers and the sisters met separately or whether their meetings were combined, the meeting was not successful. It did not have the practice of everyone exercising his gift according to 1 Corinthians 14.
Even though the church in Taipei has a bread-breaking meeting, prayer meeting, and also a ministry meeting, we do not have the kind of meeting spoken of in 1 Corinthians 14, which is for the exercise of the gifts. According to the principle of the Bible and the teaching of the New Testament, there should be many such meetings in the church, because this kind of meeting affords the saints an opportunity to supply others and receive the supply from others.
For example, the church in Taipei is always concerned about how to lead the newly baptized brothers and sisters. Many are baptized, but few remain. I feel that one of the reasons for this is that the church has no specific meeting for them to give their testimonies. They have received the Lord’s grace but are not given the opportunity to express it. Thus, they continue to hold back the grace within them. After holding back this grace for a long time, they become depressed, deadened, and cold, and they lose their freshness and vitality. Eventually, it is difficult to take them forward. Therefore, even if it is only for the sake of newly baptized brothers and sisters, there is a need for this kind of meeting for the exercise of the gifts, testimonies, and fellowshipping.
Concerning the meeting for the exercise of gifts, there are a few points that require our attention.
First, this is not a meeting for the display of gifts but for the edifying, the building up, of the church. It is not for someone to sing a spiritual song so that others will know how well he sings. No, but when a spiritual song is sung, it should be for the edification of those who are listening. We should not bring anything that cannot edify others to this meeting. This is not an exhibition or a performance but a meeting for the exercise of the gifts for mutual edification.
A more accurate translation of the word edify in the Bible is “build up.” However, being built up is slightly different than being edified. Building up includes edification, but edification may not involve building up. Edification only perfects an individual, and it does not necessarily build many individuals up together. The exercise of gifts that we are speaking of should be for mutual edification, not individual edification. Thus, the building up includes edification, but the ultimate goal is the building up of all the saints as God’s dwelling place. We must have this kind of realization concerning edification.
Second, everyone can exercise his gift. In this meeting every person has an equal opportunity to exercise his gift. The meeting should not be taken over by a few. We must bear in mind that this is not for an exhibition or a performance. On the contrary, it is for the building up of the saints. Hence, even though everyone can exercise his gift in the meeting, the principle of building should not be violated. Some brothers may be timid even though they have a gift; hence, they need some encouragement. It may be easy for other brothers to stand up and speak because they are too bold. Their boldness may issue in the exercise of a debate, not a gift. Two brothers may even debate openly until their faces are red. This is not building up. It is tearing down. We must avoid this. The principle in this meeting is that all the saints have an opportunity to exercise this gift, neither burying nor frustrating it and neither misusing nor abusing it.
Third, every gift should be exercised. Everyone can exercise his gift, and every kind of gift should be exercised. Someone may stand up to speak from the Scriptures. This is the gift of a teacher. If his expounding of the Scriptures is proper, logical, and full of light and supply, this gift should be exercised. If someone can speak in a tongue, he should speak a few sentences in the tongue by spiritual inspiration. Then another who can interpret the tongue should interpret it so that everyone can benefit spiritually. In this way the meeting will be very rich because the various gifts in the church are given the opportunity to be exercised.
Fourth, as for prophesying, the principle is that there should be only two or three, and they must speak in order. This is explicitly instructed in the Bible. There should not be too many who speak, and there should not be any confusion in the order.
Fifth, in a meeting for the exercise of gifts, sisters are not permitted to teach, that is, to preach the word. This is God’s governmental arrangement. First Corinthians 14:34 says, “The women should be silent in the churches.” This means that the sisters are not permitted to teach or preach the word as teachers. This is because the sisters, typifying the church, should stand in a position of being subject to authority and not stand in the position of teaching and instructing others as the head.
Finally, a basic principle of this meeting is that all things must be done properly and in order, without any confusion. Such a meeting should not be like a secular meeting where everyone competes to be the first to speak. If someone wants to sing, there is no need to preempt him by preaching the word, or if someone wants to preach the word, there is no need to preempt him by offering a prayer. Every person in this meeting should learn to be restrained. According to the principle in 1 Corinthians 14:29-30, we should be willing to stop as soon as another is led to speak. Even if we are speaking, we should be willing to stop if another wants to speak. All our activities should be in the principle of being led by the Spirit. If everyone keeps this principle, there will not be any striving to speak while another is speaking. Since a person is being led, we should go according to order and not cause confusion.
The fourth kind of meeting is the Bible-study meeting. In this meeting the saints gather to read the Lord’s Word. Acts 15:30-31 and Colossians 4:16 both refer to this kind of meeting. There are five points for us to consider related to the Bible-study meeting.
First, we should read together. One person should not read to the others, and neither should merely a few read to the rest. All the saints should read together. It is even better to read the portions at home before coming to the meeting.
Second, everyone should release and fellowship with others what they have gained, that is, the spiritual inspiration they have received from their reading. However, verbose and worthless words that waste people’s time should be avoided.
Third, although everyone reads together and has the opportunity to fellowship what they have gained, the meeting should still have a focus. Every kind of meeting should have a definite and clear focus. This will leave everyone with a deep impression after the meeting.
Fourth, we should avoid debates. We can study and discuss with one another in the Bible-study meeting, but we should never debate. Debating kills the spirit of the meeting and does not benefit anyone; therefore, we must try our best to avoid debating.
The greatest temptation in the Bible-study meeting is to debate. No meeting provides as much opportunity for people to debate as a Bible-study meeting. This is because there can be different views regarding the same portion of the Scriptures, and since everyone thinks that his view is better, he tries to strike down other views. This gives rise to debates. Therefore, we must be careful to restrain our views and never initiate a debate. Debates annul the purpose of the Bible-study meeting.
Fifth, there is a need for someone to “steer the helm” and to “draw the rein,” and to close the meeting. We all know what it means to steer the helm and draw the rein. Those who sail a boat need to steer the helm so that the boat does not drift randomly. Those who ride a horse must draw the rein so that the horse does not run wildly. Similarly, even though we read together in a Bible-study meeting, there is still a need for one or two experienced brothers to steer the helm and draw the rein so that the meeting does not turn or drift randomly without a goal or direction. There is also a need for someone to close the meeting and give the meeting a satisfactory conclusion.
The fifth kind of meeting is the ministry meeting. The scriptural basis for this relatively simple meeting is found in Acts 20:7. However, in this verse there was first a bread-breaking meeting and then the ministry of the word.
First, one must have a seeking heart and an open spirit in a ministry meeting. A seeking heart and an open spirit prepare a person to listen to the ministry of the Word, rather than merely attending a “Sunday service.”
There are “services” every Sunday in Christianity. The participants attend mainly for the Sunday service, not so much to listen to the ministry of the Word. Listening to the ministry of the Word is completely different from attending a Sunday service. We do not have Sunday services. The closest meeting we have to a Sunday service would be our bread-breaking meeting. However, because the words Sunday service do not appear in the Bible, we do not use the term Sunday service. We have prayer meetings, meetings for the exercise of gifts, and meetings for the ministry of the Word, but we do not have Sunday services.
The Lord’s Day morning message meeting that we have at present is nearly the same as a Sunday service. When the brothers and sisters come to the meeting, they neither open their heart nor open their spirit. They come to the meeting hall to attend a “Sunday service.” After the meeting they do not have an impression of the message they heard that day. They even say that they came to worship God, not to listen to man, sounding quite spiritual. The practice of attending a “Sunday service” is not pleasing to the Lord. If this is our condition, it may be better not to have this meeting; rather, we should change it to a gospel meeting. In any case, we must correct this practice.
There must be the feeling that we are coming to a ministry meeting to listen to the Lord’s word. The Lord’s revelation and light are in His Word; therefore, we must have a seeking heart and an open spirit in order to hear and receive the Lord’s revelation and light. This is entirely different from attending a religious Sunday service.
Second, when we come to the ministry meeting, we should always be humble and willing to be taught. If we are even a little proud, we will not receive any benefit. It will be difficult to receive any benefit if we have a critical heart concerning the speaking of others. We should not come to criticize; rather, we should come to be taught. If this is our motive, every sentence we hear will be received into our spirit and become our enlightenment and supply.
We must resolve the question of whether God is speaking among us. If God is not speaking among us, the meeting for the ministry of the Word will be completely empty and false. If, however, the ministry of the Word releases God’s speaking to the church, then all the children of God should have a respectful heart to be taught in humility. We should never criticize, discuss, or judge others casually. Rather, since God is speaking, we should have an attitude and desire to show respect and receive His word in humility. Only this type of heart can be blessed and not offend God.
The sixth kind of meeting is for the preaching of the gospel. This meeting is also very important. In particular, new believers should exercise to participate in this meeting.
All the brothers and sisters should bring people to hear the gospel. We should not merely come by ourselves, but we should try our best to bring people to hear the gospel. How do we bring people? We need to make a list of our relatives, friends, classmates, colleagues, and those who are close to us. From this list we should invite those who have never heard the gospel. Sometimes we may be unable to bring them directly; rather, we may need to use various means, such as inviting them for a meal or preparing a ride for them. We should not be discouraged if we need to invite them repeatedly. We know from experience that once a person has been invited, that invitation will influence him even if he does not come. The more he is invited, the greater the responding power within him will be. Then when he does come, he will be saved dynamically. Thus, we should never give up on those who decline our first invitation.
After bringing a person, we need to accompany him by sitting beside him. When we sit with him, we should do five things.
First, we should help him locate the Bible verses. When the speaker mentions a certain book, a certain chapter, or a certain verse, we should help him find it.
Second, we should help him find the hymn. If the hymn is written out, we should point it out to him; if the hymn is in the hymnal, we should look it up for him.
Third, we should explain the hymn. There may be some special terms in a gospel hymn; if the speaker does not explain them clearly, we should explain them to him.
Fourth, we should pray for him. While we sit with him and help him, we need to observe his condition and silently pray for him.
Fifth, we should help him receive the Lord. When the speaker asks everyone to indicate a willingness to receive the Lord, we should not leave him to his own discretion and let nature take its course. Rather, we should encourage him a little without being rude or forcing him to stand up. All these should be done appropriately and properly.
After the meeting we should contact and speak with the one we brought. If it is inconvenient to speak with him, we can ask other brothers and sisters to speak with him. In speaking with him, we need to pay attention to three things.
First, we should strengthen the message that he heard. We should not discuss another subject with him. Based on the message spoken, strengthen the meaning of the message and his response to the message.
Second, we should lead him to pray. After speaking with him for a short time, we should lead him to pray. Speaking too little does not save people, and neither does speaking too much. Sometimes we miss the opportune time for prayer because of our excessive speaking. Consequently, it is difficult for people to be saved. Therefore, after speaking with our guest, we need to lead him to pray. This prayer will often result in his salvation.
Third, we should help him to leave his name and address to facilitate further contact with him.
After the gospel meeting we should bear the responsibility to visit people.
First, we should visit according to a schedule.
Second, we should take some brothers and sisters with us. The brothers and sisters can help us to solve any problems we would be unable to solve on our own.
Third, we should continue to visit until the person we are visiting is saved, baptized, and enters into the church life. Then the church can help bear the responsibility for him. However, we often still need to be responsible to visit him for a period of time after his baptism. May we all enter into a proper practice of the bread-breaking meeting, the prayer meeting, the meeting for the exercise of gifts, the Bible-study meeting, the ministry meeting, and the gospel meeting so that the church and all the saints can be greatly blessed.
