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When we meet in the smaller “classes,” we should spend time to strengthen the saints’ knowledge of the Lord and the Father. We should use the first three weeks to fellowship about knowing the Lord and the fourth week to focus on knowing the Father. There are many crucial points related to knowing the Lord, but in the first year we should present only a brief outline. More details can be added in subsequent years. For example, there are fine points concerning the Lord being the seed of a woman, being Emmanuel, and being born of a woman. If we focus on these additional points in a gradual way, the brothers and sisters will be greatly helped to know the Lord. There are not as many crucial points related to the Father, so we do not need to devote as much time for fellowship concerning them.
Meeting in small classes has numerous advantages. For example, in the past the saints did not have the time to digest the message that was given in a meeting. Consequently, the message did not have much impact. Now that we are meeting in small groups, the saints can pray and digest the message, and this will leave a solid impression in their spirit.
Another benefit is that the brothers and sisters have more contact with one another. In the past the saints came to the meeting to listen to messages or to break the bread, and even though the number in a district was small, there was little opportunity for mutual fellowship. In our pursuing in the small classes, there is more contact between the saints, and this contact is more spontaneous and practical. In short, the saints are receiving much spiritual help in this fellowship. We must continue in this way by the Lord’s grace.
We should use no more than two-thirds or three-fifths of the meeting time for the release of a message, with the remainder of the time being for fellowship among the saints. This is a way for everyone to serve in the church. Without this practice of pursuing in classes, only the speaking brother who gives a message and a small number of brothers and sisters who help in ushering and other practical matters have an opportunity to serve.
Since we began the practice of pursuing and fellowshipping in classes, all the saints are learning how to serve. In particular, after gaining some understanding of the Lord’s Word, they have an opportunity to function by ministering the Lord’s word in their speaking to one another. In this way all the saints receive benefit. This is far better than leading the saints to serve in just ushering and cleaning.
If the brothers and sisters in each district receive this kind of leading, they will be able to do the same thing when they are led by the Lord to move to another place. This is a totally different situation from what we have seen in the past. For example, a new believer no longer comes to a meeting just to sit and listen to a message, which only makes him feel as if he has no function. Our concepts are being changed because the saints now see that everyone can speak for the Lord.
There are two categories of speaking among human beings. Everyone has the capacity for the first kind of speaking, which is ordinary speaking. Unless a person is physically dumb, everyone has the capacity for ordinary speech. The second kind of speaking is related to a more formal speaking, especially public speaking to others. Not everyone can do this. These two kinds of speaking can be seen in the spiritual realm. Every child of God can speak some spiritual words, explain a little about the Bible, share something concerning God’s grace, utter words of praise to God, or give a brief testimony for the Lord. It is not right if a brother or a sister cannot speak something for the Lord after being saved for a few years; this is equivalent to being spiritually dumb. Every believer should be able to open his mouth to speak for God and to testify for God, even if he does not have the capacity to give a message.
Among God’s children, God has appointed some to speak the word. These, however, are not the only ones who can speak, because every child of God is able to speak something. In order to speak, we do not need to ask for a special portion of grace. As long as we stand in our position as a child of God, we can speak for God. If we have received some training and perfecting before the Lord and have some knowledge of spiritual things and some understanding of the Bible, we can also speak for God in the way of ministry. We must change our concept of sitting and waiting for a “pastor” to give a sermon; this is a concept in Christianity. If we are perfected to speak as children of God, we can bring other saints into this exercise wherever we are or wherever we move to. This will have a far-reaching impact.
This kind of practice cannot be done properly within a short period of time. The way that we have received from the Lord is a new way, a way that we have never taken previously. We are learning one step at a time and making improvements as we go. We do not even know the extent of what we should learn because we do not know how the Lord will lead us. We have to set our heart on praying faithfully for these matters every day and every week, seeking to become clear concerning the Lord’s leading.
We are not taking this way simply to be different. Instead, we are dropping the ways of Christianity because religious rituals put believers into bondage and hinder the Lord’s grace from being released. Many brothers and sisters have been enlivened in their spirits, even though we have been practicing this way for only a short time. We will continue to seek the Lord’s leading as we go forward.
In our classes we should be flexible and avoid rigidity. We do not have to do things the same way every time; rather, we should consider what to do based on who is present. During the message time we should consider who is present, especially those who do not come regularly. In our time of fellowship we can set aside some time to care for them, but we do not have to spend all our time with one person because this may cause him to feel as if he is being pressured.
If a crucial point is mentioned, everyone can pray together. Those who are more exercised should pray first, because their prayer can open up others’ spirits and bring in an atmosphere of prayer. When we fellowship with a saint who does not meet regularly, we may be able to lead him to pray, but we should not force him. If he does not know how to pray, we can lead him to pray sentence by sentence. We can say, “Brother, what if I pray a sentence, and you repeat after me?” Perhaps, in this way he will be enlivened. This is the same as leading a person to pray after preaching the gospel to him. Anyone who prays is likely to be enlivened. Initially, a saint who feels that he does not know how to pray or that his prayer is inadequate will hesitate to open his mouth. But if we can help him open his mouth to pray, he will become bolder. Gradually, he will be able to pray by himself and will be blessed a great deal.
After helping him in a wise and gentle manner, we should introduce him to the other saints, telling them, for example, the year that he was baptized. This can be compared to blood circulating in our body. If our blood is blocked in a certain place, various diseases will develop. With this kind of fellowship there will be a flow among the saints, and many diseases will be eliminated spontaneously. This practice, though seemingly trivial, will have a great impact. If we help a brother just a little, he will come back, and when he comes back, he will bring others with him. This shows that he was helped and that he wants to help others.
We must also pay attention to individual differences. We cannot have a rigid plan to do something for the first five minutes and then something else for the next five minutes. We must be flexible and make adjustments according to the actual situation. If the saints are more advanced, our fellowship should be more advanced. If the saints are new believers, we should adjust our fellowship to their level but still be a little more advanced in our speaking. This can be compared to teaching. When a teacher speaks to his students, his lessons should be according to their level of comprehension, but they should also be slightly more advanced so that the students will be interested in advancing further.
We should not have a fixed way to practice in the small classes, thinking that someone should first give a message and that we should then pray. Once we have such a concept, we will have no way to progress. We should regard our meeting in the small classes as an experiment. We should also be watchful because none of us fully knows what to do. We are learning while doing.
I am concerned that this fellowship will become mere talk; that is, we may be idealistic yet impractical. Therefore, we should practice with the brothers and sisters in a blended way and fellowship together after our class times. Such fellowship will bring out many things that will improve our times together. The saints should have a learning spirit and an opportunity to learn. If they receive any benefit in the fellowship and sharing, we should encourage them to practice it. In this way they will receive much more than they would from merely listening to a message. If we have this attitude and spirit, I believe that we will learn a great deal.
We should also improve the way that we give messages. The main points of a message must be clear, and the messages must be educational. Every time we speak, there should be several clear and understandable points. Whenever we speak, the saints should be touched and educated in spiritual matters. A spiritual sense and some spiritual knowledge should be imparted into the saints. It is not difficult for brothers to speak for a long time, especially those who have been giving messages, but now that we are meeting in smaller groups, the messages need to be shortened. The brothers need more training so that they can cover the main points in a shorter time but still impart something spiritual into the saints.
Everyone who bears responsibility in a class must exercise his spirit regularly. This will strengthen, enliven, and enable his spirit to be easily released. It is not enough to merely be open; he must also be able to release his spirit. He cannot perform. If he does not exercise his spirit to fellowship with the Lord regularly, his exercise in the class will only be a performance.
We must practice to fellowship with the Lord in our spirit even in the midst of our busy schedules. Everyone is busy with many things. According to our experience, it is very difficult to set aside half an hour each day to pray. Sisters are busy from morning until evening taking care of their families, and brothers have difficult situations and work-related matters that often overwhelm them. Although we all desire to set aside time to contact the Lord, it is not easy. We can solve this problem by setting aside a little time to contact the Lord every day and by practicing to contact the Lord when we are busy doing practical things. For example, when we are riding the bus to work, or when we are waiting for something, we should do our best to ignore the outward environment and focus on fellowshipping with the Lord. We can practice being joined to the Lord in our office or in other places.
The way to practice this is by speaking to the Lord. When we have a little time, we should fellowship with Him. This is not a small thing. In terms of bodily exercise, it may seem as if we have no opportunity to exercise, but actually we do many physical things every day that we do not notice. For example, a person who has been sick and in bed for a long time will have a difficult time walking long distances when he gets out of bed, because he has not been “practicing” to walk. However, before he was sick, he had no difficulty walking. This shows that we should not belittle the routine walking that we do every day. Even household chores, such as wiping the chairs and tables, involve physical activity. Of course, it is best if we can devote some time specifically to physical exercise, but if our time or circumstances do not allow this, we can still sweep the floor, clean the windows, or make our beds. These activities are beneficial to the body.
The same principle applies to spiritual things. It is good to set aside some time every day to exercise our spirit in fellowship with the Lord. However, if this is too difficult because of time and circumstances, we must still find other opportunities to exercise. We should learn to exercise our spirit in every circumstance. We must remember that we belong to the Lord and that the Lord is dwelling in our spirit, which is the Holy of Holies. Thus, our fellowship with the Lord need not be limited by circumstances related to time or space.
Some brothers and sisters desire to be free of every earthly entanglement so that they can fully concentrate on praying and contacting the Lord. This reflects a desire to seek spiritual cultivation by leaving the secular world and “going to the mountains.” This never works. In church history there have been groups of ascetic monks who left the secular world to live the life of a hermit in the wilderness or on a mountain. They devoted themselves solely to prayer and to seeking the Lord. It is quite strange, however, that none of these had any spiritual descendants, and their history did not last very long.
We should not think that we are unable to contact the Lord because we are busy with work. We must believe that the Lord’s arrangement is the best environment for us to be built up. Many sisters say that if they were single, they would be like Mary. This is a simplistic thought, because being like Mary does not depend upon a sister’s marital status. On the contrary, even in the midst of a busy schedule, involving taking care of her husband and children, it is possible for a sister to contact the Lord and receive some perfecting. Sometimes even a maid, who quits as soon as she is trained to do household chores, can be used by the Lord to perfect a sister. Similarly, when a situation arises that prevents us from fellowshipping with the Lord at a set time, the difficulties and hardships can still be an opportunity for us to have real fellowship with the Lord.
In order to perfect and help the brothers and sisters, a living in fellowship with the Lord must become part of our very being. We can only perfect others according to what we are. A person can only perfect someone to be like him; anything other than this involves acting. We can encourage the brothers and sisters only with what we have learned. What we present to others should come out of our actual living before the Lord. If we learn this way and live this way, we will be able to lead the brothers and sisters in the same way. If we only pretend to be spiritual, our work will never be spiritual. A senior brother once said, “Our work can never surpass what we are,” and I can fully confirm this word. Our work and our leading can never surpass our living and our learning. We can only supply others according to what we have learned and how we live.
Although there are certain skills involved in leading others, the most fundamental point is that we need to exercise to live before the Lord. The Chinese have a good proverb, which says, “What is inward is reflected on the outward.” The Lord Jesus said something even better: “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt. 12:34). This means that what we are within will be manifested without. We cannot hide what we are, even if we try. When the Lord Jesus was on the earth, His glory was revealed even though it was concealed behind the veil of His flesh and even though He did not seek to reveal it. When a person moves a glass of water that is filled to the brim, some water will spill over. The Lord was filled with God’s riches and glory to such an extent that whenever He moved or did anything, His glory was manifested. Everyone He contacted sensed the glory of His divine life.
When we exercise to contact God, we will be able to supply the saints. The basic requirement for supplying others is our fellowship with the Lord. If we are filled with the Lord inwardly, our spirit will be living and fresh, and there will be no barrier between the Lord and us. Thus, whenever we are with the brothers and sisters, we will be able to contact them in spirit. It is not enough for our spirit to be released; our spirit needs to be released in order to supply others. We should take every opportunity to pray and praise; we should also speak and supply others. We need to have such a spirit, a spirit that is fresh, living, strong, open, and easily released.
We need to exercise our spirit in order for its function to be strengthened, just as we need to exercise our physical body in order to strengthen our body. This is a principle in the Bible. Luke 8:18 says, “Whoever has, it shall be given to him, and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him.” The more we exercise our spirit, the stronger our spirit will become and the richer its function will be. In contrast, the less we exercise, the weaker we will become. I hope that all the responsible brothers will fellowship with the Lord more and exercise more.
All the brothers and sisters should function and supply others according to their respective portions. We need to consider the condition of those who are in the meeting. If a brother who seldom comes to the meeting is present, we should show concern for him. If a brother is absent several times, we should visit him and invite him to come again. When he comes to the meeting, we should speak a few words of concern and greeting, and after the meeting we can walk with him to the street. Sometimes because of this simple care, the Lord will lead him to come to the meeting the following week. This can be compared to the circulation of blood in the body. Even a small amount of blood circulation can have a great influence and prevent a serious illness. If we function to care for people, we will become living and be able to supply others. Hence, we should not think that we are unable to do anything because we are not a leading one. There are many things that we can do.
In the small classes everyone can be a supplier. Sometimes the prayer of a brother is a little weak, but it is still possible to add to and strengthen his prayer; there is no need to correct him. This will be a helpful demonstration to him, and unconsciously, he will learn something. The fellowship in the class should not fill the time to the point that the saints are unresponsive; everyone should endeavor to add something according to their portion. In this way there will be a rich supply.
Sometimes after the fellowship there may still be a need to strengthen the crucial points. When someone brings out a crucial point and we have a feeling to follow him, we should strengthen the point. We need to learn to coordinate to the point that we are speaking as one person. A basketball player needs training in both personal skills and in coordination with others. Basketball is not a game for individuals; it is a team sport. Similarly, our priestly service is not a matter of individual service; it is a matter of corporate service. A basketball team passes the ball around, and in our meetings we should mutually coordinate in this way.
The only way to bear this burden is to bear it together. We should labor together. When everyone is serving to carry this burden, the burden will not be too heavy for anyone. Once the weight of a heavy load is distributed among those who are bearing the burden, the weight will not be heavy for just a few. The more we share the burden together, the lighter it will be. We need to coordinate in matters related to the word, to prayer, and to fellowship. These may seem like small, trivial matters, but the success of our practice depends on these details. If we take care of these details, our classes will be profitable.
Concerning the small classes, we must pay attention to three crucial points. First, in regard to the message, the speaker must be very exercised and should not speak in a routine manner. Second, the ones bearing responsibility in the classes must be flexible, not rigid. Third, the saints should cooperate in a good way. If we can take care of these three points, the classes will be effective, and as a result, many brothers and sisters will be supported and built up.
We need to treat this matter seriously; it is not something that we have done before. The brothers who have been speaking for the past eight or ten years should not think that they have experience in this new way. Please do not have this concept. Our spirit must be living and fresh; we must absolutely have a sense of newness and have genuine fellowship with the saints. Formerly, the entire time of our message meeting was devoted to the message; now at least one-third of the time must be devoted to fellowship among the saints. We must have a new beginning. The brothers must take the lead not only to practice and to pray but also to do it well and to do it thoroughly. If we cannot do it well, there will be no change.
Although the time devoted to the classes is not that long, we cannot afford to let the time slip away. We should grasp the opportunity to fellowship with the saints who do not meet regularly. However, we should not do anything impulsively; instead, we should prepare by having fellowship with the Lord and by seeking to advance in what we do in the meeting. We should not think that we are too busy to consider such things. We should exercise and prepare during the week. On our way to work we can consider these matters. After work, while walking on the street, we can consider them. Perhaps the Lord will give us a feeling that a certain aspect in the previous meeting was somewhat weak and that we need to fellowship with others about it. There are many lessons that we can learn from taking this way.
Concerning the bread-breaking meeting, I will share some feelings and thoughts based on my observation. First, the saints are strong and living in spirit, and they are even vying for opportunities to pray and fellowship. This is very good. However, the saints do not coordinate with one another in their speaking because of a lack of training. This situation can be compared to a car that is running at full speed but without a definite direction. Even though the meeting is very rich, the riches are displayed as if they are separate items on a grocery stand, which have not been coordinated together to produce a fully satisfying meal. For example, one person may share about being a priest, another about the Holy of Holies, and still another about the throne. Others share about living water and grace and still others share about eternity, the ancient times, and the Alpha and the Omega. We not only pray in this way, but we also sing in this way. I simply want to point out the fact that we need more exercise. With more exercise we will become more coordinated, and our “driving” will become more focused.
In the bread-breaking meeting we must pay attention to our worship of the Lord and of the Father. Many saints do not know how to apply their knowledge of the Lord and of the Father in prayer and praise. When we gain some knowledge of the Lord, we should be able to apply it in the bread-breaking meeting. Our prayers should speak of the eternal nature of the Lord because we have knowledge of the Lord in this aspect and some consciousness of it as we are breaking the bread. The Lord is eternal, and when we touch Him, what He gives is eternal and what He works into us is also eternal. The Lord’s forgiveness of sins is eternal, His redemption is eternal, the life He gives is eternal, His presence within us is eternal, and His leading in us is eternal. Although we live in time and space, eventually time and space will end, but the Lord is eternal.
Therefore, we need to know the truth related to the Lord. Our knowing cannot be entirely subjective according to our feeling, experience, or standing; we need to know the objective truths concerning the Lord Himself. The material for our classes provides us with this objective knowledge. Any believer, however, who has some genuine, objective knowledge of the Lord, must also have some subjective experience of Him in relation to these truths so that the truths can be applied. When the brothers speak of knowing the Lord, they are presenting objective truths. In the classes, however, the saints need to be given some explanation and demonstration so that they can apply these truths in their daily exercise.
We should follow this principle in every meeting, whether it is a big meeting in the meeting hall or in a small meeting in the districts. We need to lead the saints but avoid giving too much correction. Too much correction affects the spirits of the saints, and it truly does not matter if the saints make some small mistakes. This does not mean that we should not be aware of the situation but only that our adjustments should be slight. If the spirits of the saints are living, we will move past any mistakes and make progress.
