Search
In the previous lesson we covered the importance of meeting, the benefit of meeting, and the result of not meeting. In this lesson we will consider how to meet.
Although meeting is a spiritual matter, there is still the need of teaching and leading. Many matters related to life require teaching. Teaching, however, is futile if there is no life. But life without teaching and training will be useless. For example, in order for us to speak a human language, we need the human life. However, we will still be unable to speak any language without learning and practice. This principle applies to meeting. A person who is not saved cannot meet because he does not have the life of God. Believers have the life of God; this life requires us to meet and gives us the ability to meet. However, we still need to learn many techniques related to how to meet in order to be skillful in our meeting. Therefore, it is necessary that we be taught.
When we consider the condition of our meetings, we realize that thirty years ago we were like children playing. Although the Lord’s mercy was upon us in our childishness and brought us through, we wasted some of our time and energy. After many years we can now say that we have discovered some ways and secrets concerning how to meet. In order to meet we must have a seeking heart and a strong spirit. We also need the presence of the Holy Spirit by the Lord’s mercy and blessing. These are crucial matters. In addition, we need to carefully consider the techniques of meeting, which are definitely related to ushering in spiritual blessing. We must pay attention to all these matters.
What is the purpose of meeting? What is its significance? The general concept concerning Christian gatherings is that church members sit in a chapel, listen to the preaching of a pastor, and sing some hymns. After this the pastor will stretch out his hands to give a benediction, and everyone goes home. This is the concept most people have concerning Christian meetings. But we are not speaking of this kind of meeting. Our meeting is by no means a so-called Sunday service. There are four aspects to the purpose of our meetings.
The first aspect of the purpose of meeting is toward God. This can be summarized as worship. Worshipping God involves four points.
We need to sing hymns in the meeting. Once a person is saved, he needs to learn to sing hymns. Some may have learned music in school and, therefore, have some knowledge concerning singing; this is convenient. But even with this knowledge concerning singing, we still need to adjust our attitude when we sing. Whereas we learned to appreciate music artistically, now we should sing hymns with a heart to praise. The brothers and sisters who have not learned music need to learn a little concerning music. Hence, sometimes it is necessary to teach the brothers and sisters before or after the meetings how to sing hymns.
Singing hymns is closely related to meeting. If the singing is poor, our spirit often cannot be uplifted. If the singing is good, our spirit will be easily uplifted. Sometimes a hymn is begun in a key that is too high for people to follow; at other times the key is so low that it is difficult for people to breathe. Sometimes the singing is so fast that it is difficult for people to keep up; at other times it is so slow that it puts people to sleep. This requires our attention and learning.
We need to praise God in the meetings. We praise God with prayers, not with hymns. Good praises are often needed in the meeting. This is not petitioning, asking, begging, or even thanking. This is praising God mainly for His doings and His virtues. We should read the words of praise in the Bible and apply them frequently in the meeting.
In the meeting we also need to give thanks to God for His grace and for the works of grace He accomplished for us. Whereas the objects of our praise are God’s doings and His virtues, the objects of our thanksgiving are God’s grace and His works of grace.
We also need quiet moments to meditate during the meetings. In particular, this applies to the bread-breaking meeting; the brothers and sisters should exercise to be calm and consider the Lord Himself. Even the prayer meeting needs this.
The brothers and sisters should always consider the Lord quietly before a meeting begins. We should not talk and disturb the spirit of worship. This requires much exercise. We need a kind of contemplation to consider the Lord and His doings.
These four points constitute our worship to God. In the meetings we should sing hymns to God, offer prayers of praise to God for His doing and His virtues, and thank Him for His grace and works of grace. We also need to be calm before God to consider His person and His doings.
The second aspect of the purpose of meeting is toward man. This is for edification. We attend meetings not only to worship God but also to edify others. We must not think that as a new believer we are unable to edify others. As long as we have spiritual inspiration, the testimony of our salvation experience can edify others, inwardly refreshing them and thereby enlivening them. No matter how young or weak we may be, our attending of the meetings should be to edify others. There are two points related to edifying others.
Our edification of others is to release and refresh their spirit. For example, we may select a hymn that causes the spirit of the believers to be released and refreshed when they sing. We may offer a prayer of praise that releases and refreshes the spirit of the meeting. Giving thanks to the Lord, reading a few verses from the Scriptures, or speaking a few words may release and refresh others’ stale spirit. In principle, our edifying others in a meeting should release and refresh their spirit.
To release and refresh others’ spirit is on the negative side. There is also a positive side in the edification of others, that is, to minister life and light. Whether we speak a few words, offer a prayer, or share a testimony, we should minister Christ and the divine life to others. We also need to minister light. Whether we give a message, read a portion from the Bible with some speaking, or share a testimony, others should be enlightened. This is the second point in the edification of others.
Third, we also take care of ourselves in the meetings. The meetings are for our spiritual growth. Whenever we attend a meeting, we should have the intention of being built up. This aspect includes three points.
This point is very broad. A meeting should always result in experiencing a certain amount of being built up. We may not know how to deal with our conscience, but through a testimony we are enlightened and learn how to deal with our conscience. We may not know how to walk by the Spirit, but a brother’s testimony of how he was led by the Lord to walk by the Spirit may deeply impress us, and we desire also to live by the Spirit. In this way we are built up and established in the divine life. The enlightenment and supply from the meeting can release us from being entangled by sin, the world, and the flesh, and it can resolve any problem we may have related to prayer or reading the Bible. The more help we receive in the meetings concerning the spiritual life, the more we are built up in life.
A strong Christian not only needs to grow in life but also needs to know the truth. Truths such as the ground of the church and the way of the church are very important. It is a pity that some brothers and sisters who love the Lord, are zealous, and pursue the Lord are not clear concerning these truths. There is a group of Christians who advocate the universal church because they have not seen the practical aspect of the church being the church in a locality. It is not easy to find the universal church in the Bible, but the local churches can be found in many portions of the Scriptures. There is the church in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1), the church in Antioch (13:1), the church in Ephesus (Rev. 2:1), the church in Smyrna (v. 8), and the churches in Asia (1:4). These are local churches. We acknowledge that the Body of Christ is universal, but the churches we contact on the earth today are local churches. Without the local churches we have no way to touch the universal church. This is related to the knowledge of the truth.
The Bible also clearly presents matters such as Christian conduct, marriage, family, management of finances, and occupations. We should know these matters. Such knowledge should not be pursued merely on our own. We need to come to the meetings and receive help from others. The more we come to the meetings, the clearer will be our knowledge of the truth. In the meetings we can be built up in our knowledge of the truth.
A proper Christian should also be active in service, actively coordinating with the brothers and sisters. Christians are priests who serve before God. Thus, the more we meet, the more we should serve. The more we meet, the more we grow in life and know the truth. We can be built up in these three matters in and through the meetings.
In every Christian meeting we worship God, edify others, are built up, and shame God’s enemy, the devil. This is the fourth aspect of the purpose of our meetings. If we do not meet, we lose the opportunity to shame the devil. The meetings are the greatest shame to the devil. This is the reason he does not like Christians to meet. Whereas the positive side of Christian meetings is to receive grace, the negative side is to put Satan to shame. Putting Satan to shame involves two points.
Christian meetings are for the display of God’s grace. The displaying of God’s grace is a shame to Satan. For example, a brother may stand up in a meeting and testify that he used to live in sin; he was bound by sin because he played mah-jongg and indulged in dancing. But now God has forgiven and saved him, “the foremost of sinners.” Another sister may testify of how she was saved from worshipping the devil and how after hearing the gospel, she went home and burned all her idols. These testimonies display God’s grace. The displaying of God’s grace is a shame to the devil.
Christian meetings are also an exhibition of Christ’s victory. Whenever we gather together, we exhibit Christ’s victory. We can exhibit the victory of the Lord Jesus in the meeting by speaking of the Lord in our practical living. This is also a great shame to the devil.
This does not mean that we come to the meeting in order to curse the devil. Some people continually curse Satan in their prayers, saying, “Lord, curse Satan and bind him.” This kind of cursing is not very effective. We need to display God’s grace to us and exhibit Christ’s victorious work upon us. Such a display and exhibition are a shame to the devil.
Christian meetings glorify God and shame the devil. Thus, we do not meet merely to attend a so-called Sunday service; rather, we meet to worship God, edify others, be built up, and shame the devil. These are great and important matters.
Having covered the purpose of meeting, let us now consider our preparation before a meeting. We should prepare ourselves before every meeting in order to be ready. There are also four aspects to our preparation — toward God, toward man, toward ourselves, and toward the devil.
Before coming to a meeting, we need to come before God to deal with our offenses and mistakes and with any condemnation in our conscience. These need to be dealt with by the Lord’s blood one by one. When the sense of condemnation in our conscience is cleared, the barrier between God and us is removed. We should not come to a meeting with a barrier between God and us. If we do, we will bring burden and death to the meeting. Therefore, before every meeting we must come before God and have a thorough dealing. Through prayer and confession we should ask for forgiveness and cleansing by the Lord’s blood. We should comply with whatever God requires of us, and we should remove whatever He wants us to remove. We must remove all the barriers in order to commune with God freely. If we do this, we will be a benefit to the meeting, and we will benefit from the meeting.
When we prepare for a meeting, we need to have a desire to minister and help others in the meeting. It is not right for us to have an indifferent and nonchalant attitude. We should care for others and be willing to be used by the Lord to supply and help others.
We must remember that whoever supplies others will be supplied, and whoever helps others will be helped. The more we supply others, the more we are supplied, and the more we help others, the more we are helped. If we stop supplying others and have no desire to help, we will not receive much supply or help.
Even if we were saved yesterday, we should prepare ourselves in this way. We should not think that we cannot offer any help because we do not know anything and cannot do anything. This concept must be changed. No matter who we are, by the Lord’s mercy our attitude must be that we are pleased to allow God’s grace to flow through us so that others may be supplied and helped. We need to prepare in such a way before the meeting.
In preparing for a meeting we need to be ready to receive grace, light, supply, and help. This is toward ourselves. Before coming to a meeting, we should prepare ourselves to receive grace, light, supply, and help in the meeting.
Toward the devil, our preparation is to reject. We reject distractions, hindrances, and a closed mouth. The devil has a powerful scheme, which is to keep our mouth closed. He may let us come to a meeting but try to forbid us from opening our mouth. We should reject his attempt to keep our mouth closed. Some brothers and sisters are kept quiet by the devil because they do not see through his scheme. From the beginning to the end of the year they never open their mouths in a meeting; hence, they cannot supply others or be supplied by others.
We need to prepare ourselves before every meeting, saying, “I want to open my mouth. I will not let Satan keep my mouth closed. Lord, cast out the demon of dumbness from me!” Especially the brothers and sisters who are particularly timid and shy should prepare in this way. In 1 Corinthians 12:1-3 Paul says that the Corinthian believers once served dumb idols, but now they served a God who speaks. When we served dumb idols, we were possessed by a demon of dumbness and were dumb, but now we are serving a speaking God. His inspiration reaches us, causing us to open our mouth and speak. Therefore, when we come to a meeting, we should reject Satan’s scheme to keep our mouth closed.
The most important thing in a meeting is to touch the feeling and the atmosphere of the meeting. What are the feeling and atmosphere of a meeting? For example, in a wedding meeting everyone is joyful, and we touch a joyful atmosphere as soon as we enter the meeting. In a funeral meeting, on the contrary, we sense an atmosphere and feeling of grief. These two examples clearly show that the atmosphere of a meeting is something concrete. As long as we have feeling, we should be able to sense the atmosphere.
Every meeting has its own feeling and atmosphere, and we need to learn to touch and take care of this atmosphere. It would be insensible for us to begin weeping when we enter a wedding meeting or for us to sit in a funeral meeting looking cheerful. We should never disregard the feeling and the atmosphere of a meeting.
Although most meetings do not have such a distinct feeling and atmosphere, there is always a feeling and atmosphere in a meeting. No meeting is without a feeling or atmosphere. Therefore, if we want to have a good meeting, we need to learn to touch the feeling and atmosphere of the meeting.
In order to touch the atmosphere of a meeting, we need to pay attention to the following points.
The feeling of a meeting is a spiritual fact. When we touch this spiritual fact, the feeling of the meeting is produced. Thus, in order to touch the feeling of a meeting, we need to learn to touch the spiritual facts. In a wedding meeting, for example, everyone is happy because someone is getting married, and there is the fact of happiness. When we touch this fact in a wedding meeting, we are happy. This is the feeling of the meeting. Another example is a funeral meeting. In a funeral meeting everyone is grieving, and there is the fact of grief. Touching this fact in a funeral meeting causes us to have a feeling of grief. This is the feeling of the meeting. The feeling of a meeting is a spiritual fact, and when the spiritual fact touches man’s inward feelings, the feeling of the meeting is produced. We must touch the spiritual fact before we can touch the feeling of a meeting.
In order to touch the feeling of a meeting, our spiritual sense must be keen. It is difficult for a person with a dull spiritual sense to touch the feeling of a meeting. For example, a child can run into a wedding meeting crying, even though joy is the fact in the meeting. A child can also scream and yell happily in a funeral meeting when everyone is grieving. This is because his inward feelings have not been exercised and are muddled. In order to touch the fact of a meeting, our inward sense must be keen, not dull. This keenness depends on our daily exercise.
Our spirit is deeper than our mind, emotion, and will. If we normally do everything by our mind, emotion, and will and disregard the feeling in our spirit, the sense of our spirit will not be developed. Consequently, the sense of our spirit will not be so keen, and it will lose its function when we are in a meeting. However, if we exercise the sense of our spirit for every matter in our daily life, our spirit will be very keen and able to touch the fact of a meeting once we enter the meeting.
This is similar to learning music. Because a person has been learning music consistently, his ears become very sharp and can distinguish a note that is either sharp or flat. There are also people whose eyes are trained to accurately determine the size of a piece of land without measuring it. This is because they have been trained in their daily living.
Hence, after we are saved, we not only need to love the Lord and follow Him; we also need to exercise the sense in our spirit so that it can be keen. In this way it will be easy for us to touch the spiritual fact of a meeting and sense the atmosphere in our spirit.
Daily exercise of the sense in our spirit is not enough. Before coming to a meeting, we need to fellowship with the Lord in prayer to deal with everything between Him and us. This is dealing with our spirit. Then our spirit will be enlivened and uplifted. Once our spirit is enlivened, uplifted, and refreshed, the feeling in our spirit will be keen, and we can easily touch the feeling of the meeting. Because some people still have many barriers between them and the Lord, they cannot sense the atmosphere of the meeting. Their spirit is dull and numb. Therefore, such dealing is very important before a meeting.
Now we will consider several aspects of how we should conduct ourselves in a meeting.
When we come to a meeting, we must first put aside our personal feelings. If we have lost our temper before a meeting, we should put aside our anger when we come to the meeting. Otherwise, we will be fully occupied with our feelings throughout the meeting. A brother may be provoked to anger by his wife and then bring his anger to a meeting. Then when he prays in the meeting, his anger can be sensed in his prayer. He does not care for the nature or the atmosphere of the meeting. His only concern is that his wife has provoked him, and his prayer in the meeting is used as an outlet.
Besides this negative example, there are also positive examples. A brother is filled with light and joy through reading the Bible at home and is singing Hallelujahs before a meeting. At the meeting he excitedly speaks of the light he received at home, disregarding the atmosphere of the meeting. This shows that he has not put aside his personal feeling; thus, he cannot touch the atmosphere of the meeting.
This does not only apply to the meetings. Although someone may speak with us for five minutes, and we nod our head in agreement, we may not hear a word of what he said. This is because we did not put aside our personal thoughts. If we are anxiously waiting for an opportunity to speak, we will not hear what others have to say. In order to hear what others are saying and realize what they mean, we must put aside our personal thoughts. In the same way, in order to touch the feeling of a meeting, we must put aside our personal feelings. Whether we are angry or happy, we need to put aside our feelings. Only in this way can we touch the feeling of a meeting.
A closed person can never touch the feeling of a meeting. Some people come to a meeting with a closed spirit. They come as spectators to watch others perform. They criticize when others perform poorly and applaud when they perform well. Such behavior is from a closed spirit. We must not be like this. When we come to a meeting, we must open our spirit and be prepared to receive the leading of the Holy Spirit.
When we put aside our personal feelings and open our spirit, we are qualified to exercise our spirit and touch the feeling of a meeting. Once we touch the feeling of a meeting, we should function accordingly.
It is very important that we be able to touch the feeling of a meeting. If we cannot touch the feeling, we cannot enter into the flow of the meeting and be mingled with the meeting. Since our gathering together is the meeting, we cannot have a personal agenda; rather, we should all move together. Hence, we must touch the atmosphere of a meeting and enter into the flow of the meeting.
There is a progression in all meetings: a beginning, a process, and an end. A person who knows how to meet knows the purpose of meeting, prepares himself before a meeting, can sense the feeling of a meeting, and knows the progression of a meeting. There are many points to be considered concerning how a meeting begins, the steps it passes through, and how it ends.
Strictly speaking, a good meeting progresses through eight steps. It may be acceptable for a meeting not to pass through two or three of these steps; however, not passing through more than two or three of these steps will result in a poor meeting. We cannot have a meeting that has a beginning and an end but only a brief progression in between.
Let us briefly explain the eight steps through which a meeting progresses.
The opening of a meeting is to begin the meeting. It is not easy to begin a meeting; in fact, the most difficult part of a meeting is the beginning. If the opening is strong, the whole meeting will be strong. If the opening is weak, it will be difficult to strengthen the meeting later. Sometimes a person selects an “inappropriate” hymn at the beginning and kills the entire meeting. If another person adds a deadening prayer, the meeting will be “put in a coffin.” Hence, it is not easy to begin a meeting.
In order to have a good opening, we must accurately touch the feeling of the meeting. Once we touch the feeling, it is easier to begin the meeting. We can begin by selecting an appropriate hymn, offering a prayer, or speaking a few words. Some people are very good at opening a meeting, and the meeting is lively from the beginning. Other people, on the contrary, seem to have the “capability” of deadening any meeting they begin. This is like selecting Hymns, #183, “Come, let us join our cheerful songs,” or Hymns, #127, “Hark! ten thousand voices crying,” in a funeral meeting. The meeting will be ruined if it is opened in this way. This is the same as singing Hymns, #974, “He looked for a city and lived in a tent,” at the beginning of a wedding meeting; this is basically a wrong opening. A wrong opening deadens the entire meeting. The opening of a meeting is very important and requires much practice.
No meeting is without a subject or purpose. Once a meeting has begun, we need to lead it to the subject according to the feeling of the meeting. The introduction must be done through prayer, speaking, or singing. For example, at a meeting we may sense that the feeling of the brothers and sisters is that the Lord is in glory; hence, this is the feeling and subject of the meeting. We should rise up to offer a prayer, speak a few words, or select an appropriate hymn in order to lead everyone to the subject. This is the introduction.
After the meeting is led to its subject, the spirit of the meeting may not be strong; thus, it may require some strengthening. Strengthening the spirit of a meeting also requires some skill. Selecting a hymn, offering a prayer, or speaking a few words are the ways to strengthen the spirit of a meeting.
If the spirit of a meeting is not high enough after strengthening, it needs to be uplifted. This also requires some skill. The means to uplift the spirit of a meeting is also by singing, prayer, or speaking.
When, through strengthening and uplifting, the spirit of a meeting reaches a peak, we should maintain it at this peak for a while. Sometimes after reaching the peak, a meeting goes down too quickly because of a lack in maintaining the spirit of the meeting. As a result, the meeting is not very rich. Thus, maintaining the spirit of a meeting is also very necessary.
The spirit of a meeting is seldom maintained by speaking. This is because speaking does not have much function in this step. Because it is difficult to select a fitting hymn, it is also difficult to maintain the spirit by singing. The most effective way to maintain the spirit of a meeting is for a few brothers and sisters to offer prayers with a strong spirit. I have been in several meetings when some brothers and sisters prayed one after another and thereby maintained the spirit of the meeting. Such meetings edify the spirit of the saints.
Sometimes although everything is accomplished in a meeting, there is still time left because it is too early to end the meeting. The remaining time should be filled with singing, prayer, or speaking. Filling the time is similar to maintaining the spirit of a meeting, but there is a slight difference. Maintaining the spirit is keeping the spirit of a meeting at the peak after the peak has been reached. However, if a meeting does not have a peak, or if it is somewhat flat, and if it is not time for the meeting to end, there is the need to fill the time. The requirement for filling the time is not that high, but we should avoid routine practices. In filling the time there should be the addition of a spiritual atmosphere and flavor to the meeting.
The ending is to end a meeting. There is much involved in ending a meeting. We have many meetings that have a good opening but a poor ending. Ending can be compared to tying a knot. When we travel, we tie our luggage with a knot at the end of the rope after everything is bundled up. If the knot is not tied securely, the luggage will open up when it is being transported. A meeting that progresses through all the steps but has a weak ending will leave the saints without a solid feeling. In contrast, a meeting that is flat and weak in its progression but nevertheless has a strong ending will leave the saints with a good taste. The ending of a meeting is very important. Those who learn to take the lead in the meeting must learn this matter so that the meeting can end in a strong way.
We can end a meeting with a hymn or with some speaking, but the best way to end a meeting is through prayer. This does not mean that a meeting must always end with prayer. From our experience, however, we know that prayer is the best way to end a meeting. A meeting that does not end with prayer may cause the saints to feel that the meeting has not ended.
Sending off is derived from Genesis 18 where Abraham sent Jehovah off. Sending off expresses the lingering riches of a meeting. There is the need of sending off when a rich meeting produces a lingering atmosphere. For example, when we sense such a lingering atmosphere, we can stand up and share a few words, even though a brother has already ended the meeting with prayer. This kind of sending off leaves the saints full of a pleasant taste. Instead of speaking a word, we may offer another prayer. Seemingly this is repetitious, but it is not. This is sending off, which strengthens the lingering air of a meeting.
It is also appropriate to send off with a short hymn. For example, after the bread-breaking meeting has ended, we may still sing the last stanza of Hymns, #33, “Loving Father, now before Thee / We will ever praise Thy love.” This is a sending off.
These are the eight steps in the progression of a meeting. It may not be necessary for a meeting to progress through the steps of maintaining the spirit, filling the time, and sending off. Even the uplifting step may not be necessary. The remaining four steps, however, are necessary in every meeting. Every meeting should have an opening, an introduction, a strengthening, and an ending.
A new believer may not be able to take care of these steps of progression in a meeting, but he needs to know these steps. Gradually, he should learn to take care of these steps in a meeting. We should bring all our meetings through this progression. This is not a law; rather, this is a spontaneous progression. After a meeting begins, there is an introduction, then strengthening, uplifting, and maintaining the spirit. If there is still more time before the meeting should end, there is the need to fill the time before the ending. If there is a lingering air after the ending, there is a need for sending off. A meeting with these steps of progression is rich and supplying.
Apart from these eight steps of progression, there are two supplementary steps.
Correcting is to correct the selection of a wrong hymn. For example, a hymn on prayer may be selected in a bread-breaking meeting, a hymn to praise the Lord may be selected after we have begun to worship the Father, or a hymn to praise the Lord’s glory may be selected while we are remembering the Lord’s suffering. These hymns do not match the atmosphere of the meeting; rather, they distract the spirit of the meeting and must therefore be corrected. Sometimes we may wait until the hymn is sung and then select another hymn. Or we may immediately select another hymn, but this must be done carefully. The person being corrected may be offended if this is not handled properly. Any correction should be done gently. We must be skillful in correcting.
Turning is to turn the subject of the meeting. For example, although the feeling of a meeting may obviously be the Lord’s suffering on the cross, a brother calls Hymns, #127, which is on the Lord’s exaltation. Singing this hymn cannot uplift people’s spirit. A brother follows with a prayer, but the spirit is still not uplifted. Another brother may select a hymn on the Lord’s love, but this still cannot move the spirit of the saints. However, when the subject is returned to the Lord’s suffering, the spirit of the brothers and sisters is released through singing a hymn and prayers. This is because the feeling of the meeting was on the Lord’s suffering. There was thus the need for turning.
Although there is the need for correcting and turning, they should not be practiced in a light way. If we do not know how to correct properly, we should not correct. If we do not know how to turn the subject in a suitable way, we should not do it. We need to have some confidence before correcting and turning. We should also be gentle and not harsh in order to avoid hurting others.
