We should reject not only accusations but also burdens. For example, the responsibility of giving a message after a meeting may be a burden on a brother, preventing him from being released in the meeting. We need to give our burdens to God through prayer. No matter what kind of burden we have to bear, whether it is related to our work, our family, or our business, we should put it aside once we come to a meeting. We need to exercise not to bring any burdens to the meeting.
Criticism leaves us without spiritual inspiration and affects others. We lose our spiritual inspiration once we begin to criticize others. A criticizing spirit also affects others. Therefore, we need to reject all criticism.
If we desire to function in a meeting, on the negative side, we must learn to reject disturbing thoughts, analysis, self-consciousness, accusations, burdens, and criticism.
On the positive side, a person needs to be aggressive if he desires to function in a meeting. A passive person is unable to function in a meeting. In order to function, we must be aggressive. We gather together in order to meet. If our intention is to play basketball, we should not wait for the ball to come to us. Rather, we should actively try to catch the ball. There are five matters that require our attention if we desire to be aggressive in a meeting.
In order to be aggressive, we must have a willing heart. Our heart must be turned to the Lord, desiring to worship the Lord and to be inspired. Some believers are willing to come to a meeting, but they are not willing to function in the meeting. Because their heart is not willing, they cannot be aggressive. In order to function in a meeting, we must have a willing heart.
Since the will is the organ we use to take the initiative, it must be exercised. Even though we have a spirit within us, we are not spirits; we are human beings. Receiving spiritual inspiration is not a matter of being passive. We must exercise our will in order to receive spiritual inspiration. Once we have a sense within, we must exercise our will to function according to that inspiration.
We must believe that we will receive spiritual inspiration when our heart is turned toward God and we exercise our will to cooperate with Him. We receive inspiration by faith.
Once we take the initiative to exercise our will and have received spiritual inspiration by faith, we should express this inspiration according to our sense. We should not analyze the inspiration with our mind. Once we analyze it, the inspiration will be quenched.
We must not be afraid or timid when we speak according to the inner sense. Being afraid or timid quenches the sense of the spirit.
When we reject improper things on the negative side and exercise our will to receive spiritual inspiration by faith on the positive side, we will spontaneously be able to function in the meeting. However, there is much to consider concerning how to function in a proper way so that the meeting can be supplied. Generally speaking, the activities in a meeting do not include more than three items—selecting hymns, praying, and speaking. Let us briefly consider these three items.
This point is very obvious. In a prayer meeting we must select hymns that have the nature of prayer; in the bread-breaking meeting we must select hymns related to the Lord’s table. The hymns we select in a meeting need to match the nature of that particular meeting.
The hymns selected in a meeting should match not only the nature but also the progression of the meeting. A closing hymn should not be selected at the beginning of a meeting, nor should an opening hymn be selected at the end of a meeting. When a meeting reaches its climax, a hymn that is high in content should be selected. Sometimes there is the need to strengthen a meeting, and at other times there is the need to uplift or maintain the spirit of a meeting. The hymns we choose must always match the progression of the meeting.
For example, after singing, “Hark! ten thousand voices crying,” a table meeting may reach its climax; at this time, the spirit of the meeting needs to be maintained so that the climax is not diminished. If a brother then selects a hymn that speaks of surveying the wondrous cross, the focus of the meeting will be changed from the Lord on the throne to the Lord on the cross. Such a selection does not match the progression of the meeting, and the spirit of the meeting will be lowered rather than maintained. After singing, “Hark! ten thousand voices crying,” it is difficult to find another hymn that can maintain the spirit of a meeting. It is best to repeat a few stanzas from this hymn that are relatively high in content. In this way, we can maintain the spirit that has already been uplifted. The selection of a hymn needs to match the progression of a meeting.