When we consider the matter of meetings, it is very difficult to depart from the book of 1 Corinthians. Just in this one book meeting together is mentioned at least eight times. Chapter five, verse 4, speaks about coming together; chapter eleven refers five times (vv. 17, 18, 20, 33, 34) to coming together or meeting together; and chapter fourteen mentions this matter twice (vv. 23, 26). First Corinthians is not just a book which deals with gifts, but a book which deals with meetings. In fact, if you read the context of this book, you will see that the Apostle Paul deals with gifts just because he is dealing with the meetings. Gifts are not the main point; the meetings are. The gifts are for the meetings.
Now I would ask you to look at some verses from this book that you might obtain a proper understanding of the overall thought and intention of the author. Let us start with chapter two, verse 2: The Apostle Paul said when he came to the Corinthians that he “determined not to know anything...save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” Then in 2:4, “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power.” The King James Version capitalizes the word “Spirit,” but if you look into the Greek-English interlinear rendering of the Nestles text, you will see that it should be just “in demonstration of spirit.” This is the better rendering. The spirit to which the Apostle Paul is referring is not the Holy Spirit, but his human spirit. He came to Corinth to demonstrate his spirit. This is a most striking statement of Paul’s. He said in effect, “I was not speaking among you with enticing words from my mind, I was speaking among you with my spirit; my speaking was a demonstration of my spirit.” Suppose a philosopher with a PhD degree was speaking among us here. Immediately you could sense the mind of this man coming forth. But suppose that we had the Apostle Paul here with us. I do believe you would sense that his spirit was so strong. The more he would speak, the more his spirit would come forth. His speech would be a demonstration of spirit and of power.
Now let us look at 4:21, “What will ye? Shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?” It is indeed good that the King James Version does not render the word “spirit” here with a capital letter ‘S.’ The Apostle Paul did not ask, “Would you like me to come to you with love and a clear mind?” No, but “with love and a meek spirit, a spirit of meekness.” We must realize that the Apostle undoubtedly was one who was always in the spirit—I do not mean in the Holy Spirit, but in his regenerated, human spirit.
Now let us go on to chapter five. Have you ever been impressed with verses 3 and 4 of this chapter? These verses reveal to us how much the Apostle Paul was in the spirit. “For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that has so done this deed, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ...” It is quite interesting: when Paul was away, he still attended the meeting at Corinth! How? His spirit was there. Look into the translation of the Nestles text: it renders it in this way, “You and my spirit are assembled with the power of our Lord Jesus to deliver such a person to Satan.” You see, while Paul was away, while he was absent from them, he did two things: 1) he attended their meeting; and 2) he delivered to Satan the sinful one, whom the church would not deliver. Paul did these two things in his spirit. He did not say, “Brethren, you must realize that I am so concerned for you. I remember you all the time before the throne of God.” No, he said that when they came together, he was with them, in his spirit. He said when you come together, my spirit comes with you, and at that time I do something which you would not do. He must have been so strong in his spirit.