My burden is to share with you all on a very particular matter. Since the Lord began His recovery among us over sixty years ago, we have been seeking to find out what is the right way and the proper way for the believers in Christ to meet. We were clear that the way Christianity takes to meet together was not according to the Bible and it was not so profitable. Throughout all the years we studied the Bible, and we studied the history of all the different Christian groups, yet we did not know what would be the right way to meet. This question had become more serious year after year. When I went to Taiwan in the fall of 1984, I went through the New Testament thoroughly once more. I know where the verses are concerning this problem, so I put them all together and had a bird’s-eye view. I thank the Lord that He has opened up my eyes.
When the day of Pentecost came the church began with one hundred twenty as the initiation. Then that initiation brought in on the very first day of the church life three thousand, then on another day five thousand. They began to meet not according to the Jewish congregational way of the Old Testament, nor according to the Roman way, nor according to the Greek way. Then who invented the way for the first group of Christians to meet? The Holy Spirit invented the way. We can say this because on that day, the one hundred twenty were filled with the Holy Spirit economically. And no doubt, the three thousand new converts were also filled with the Holy Spirit. Therefore, whatever they did on that day was initiated by the Holy Spirit. The main thing they did was to begin to meet in the temple for big congregations and in the homes. I like the two phrases in Acts 2:46, “day by day” and “from house to house.” It is clear that the way they met had two sides. Perhaps at least three thousand met daily in the temple, a big meeting place. And at the same time they met day by day in the homes.
According to the Greek expression in Acts 2:46 they met from house to house. This indicates that they did not select some houses which would fit their purpose. They met from house to house. They included every house. Today we should have our home meetings entirely according to the Holy Spirit’s created and ordained way. According to our feeling we may say, “How could every brother have a meeting in his home? There are so many weaker ones. Oh, we had better consider and select some stronger ones.” But we must realize that selecting is not the Holy Spirit’s way—it is the human way. In Chinese this phrase means door after door. This indicates no selection, no missing. Whether you are weak or strong, whether old or young, whether knowledgeable or unknowledgeable, as long as you are a believer you meet in your home. Do you dare do this? You say yes in the meeting, but after the meeting, some may say there is no way to practice this. Some would say, “We selected thirty homes, but eventually fifteen have been sifted.” If you would select in this way I am afraid that after another period of time only twelve homes would be left which are good for the home meetings. But you have to see that at the very beginning the way created by the Holy Spirit and ordained by God was to meet in two ways, in the congregational way and in the home way, not in selected homes, but in all homes. If you are a Christian, if you are a believer, you have to open up your home for meeting. This is the first pattern at the initiation of the church life.
Since the Lord has shown this, I have begun to see all the benefits of this God-created-and-ordained way. If a new one would believe in the Lord, be baptized, and right away begin to open up his home for meetings, this opening up of his home would encourage him and even uphold him. Therefore, we can see that the home meetings are the top way, the super way, and eventually the unique way to meet.
I fully realize and agree that to have every believer open up his home for meetings is not an easy thing. This is because not everyone would pick up the burden to teach the divine truths or to preach the gospel. Some are not so eloquent and would never speak openly. Others have natural eloquence, but they do not have the spiritual knowledge and do not know the contents of the Bible.