If we are those who experience the dispensing of the divine Trinity corporately by living in the church, we shall function in the church meetings. The proper church life depends on the proper church meetings. A proper church meeting must be unique in two things-in mutuality and in speaking. This means that whenever we come together, we should have speaking in mutuality, not the speaking of only one or two. Every saint should have the equal right and opportunity to speak concerning Christ, to speak for Christ and to speak forth Christ. For example, we may tell the saints how we have received the Lord as our life in our daily living. Relying on others to speak, to pray, and to call hymns is a tradition that kills the church life, for it annuls the function of the members of the Body of Christ. Instead of following the traditional practice, we all should function in the church meetings in the way of mutuality. This will edify, improve, and develop the functioning ability of all the attendants of the church meetings.
In every meeting of the church we should keep the principle of mutuality. According to the New Testament, the Christian meeting is altogether a meeting in mutuality. In 1 Corinthians 14:26 one has a psalm, another has a teaching, another has a revelation, another has a tongue, and another has an interpretation. All these are in mutuality. There is not simply one or a few who function; on the contrary, all function in mutuality. Hebrews 10:25 encourages us not to stay away from the meetings but to be “exhorting one another.” This indicates that the Christian meetings should be in mutuality. Mutuality is a basic principle of the church meetings. A church meeting that does not involve mutuality is wrong. In our meetings the speaking of the divine Word should be mutual, not individual. Mutuality, not individuality, should be prevailing.
The way to meet by mutuality in speaking is the way God invented and ordained. This is God’s created way, and no one can improve it. Therefore, we must turn from the traditional practice of having only one or a few speakers and recover the Lord’s ordained way of mutuality. We need to fully come back to the God-invented and God-ordained way to meet.
Even when the whole church meets together we must practice mutuality. First Corinthians 14:26 indicates that when the whole church comes together in one place, we should practice mutuality. Mutuality in speaking is clearly revealed in 1 Corinthians 14. There is not a hint in the New Testament that in a church meeting there should be just one or two persons speaking. The church meeting must be open to all attendants so that all may function.
In 1 Corinthians 14:26 Paul says, “Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.” In this verse the word “has” is very important. According to Paul, whenever we come together to meet, we should have something. Paul does not say “shall have” or “should have”; he speaks in the present tense to denote the fact and says that each one of us has something. Furthermore, he does not say that just a few have, that many have, or that most have; he says that “each one has” something. He then mentions five things in the following sequence: a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, an interpretation. This list is not all-inclusive; it is illustrative.
In 14:26 Paul first mentions a psalm, which is somewhat equivalent to a hymn and is for praising the Lord. The fact that Paul mentions a psalm first indicates that in the meetings of the church praising the Lord must be primary.
After saying, “Each one has a psalm,” Paul goes on to mention a teaching, a revelation, a tongue, and an interpretation. The teachings must be according to the teachings of the apostles. In the church meetings we need a word of teaching. This teaching should minister Christ with the church as His Body.
Whereas one has a teaching, another has a revelation. A revelation must show something which has been hidden but is now revealed. Such a revelation should be centered on Christ as the mystery of God and the church as the mystery of Christ, not on other things. In the church meetings a teaching comes from a teacher, and a revelation comes from a prophet.
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