1. MEETING IS THE LORD’S COMMAND
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the custom with some is, but exhorting one another.” Hebrews 10:25
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together” is the Bible’s command, as well as God’s command to His children.
If we cease meeting together, we interrupt the church life, because our meeting life is the church life. Meeting is to a Christian as water is to a fish, air to a bird, and breathing to a man.
2. MEETING IS THE CHARACTERISTIC
OF CHRISTIANS
Christians, like sheep and bees,
like to flock together.
Since meeting is a demand of our inner life,
it must be our way of living.
For this reason, not only must we meet often, but we must meet to such an extent that it becomes a habit, thus producing a meeting life.
It is like the need to eat and drink daily in the human life.
3. RECEIVING THE CORPORATE GRACE IN THE MEETINGS
God’s grace to man is twofold:
The individual side—through one’s own reading of the Bible, praying, seeking, and fellowshipping with God.
The corporate side—through meeting together.
For example:
(1) Bible reading: The light we receive when we read the Bible by ourselves is limited, but in the meetings it is abundant.
(2) Prayer: Many matters that cannot be solved by individual prayers are readily solved by corporate prayers.
(3) Spiritual problems: Weaknesses and problems that are insurmountable individually are taken care of many times in the meetings.
(4) The Lord’s presence: It was during a meeting that the Lord appeared to the disciples on the night of His resurrection.
All these blessings are given to us by the Lord in the meetings and only in the meetings.
“And they were continuing steadfastly in the teaching and the fellowship of the apostles, in the breaking of bread and the prayers.” Acts 2:42
“And day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house...” Acts 2:46
“And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and bringing the good news of Jesus as the Christ.” Acts 5:42
“How I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and to teach you publicly and from house to house.” Acts 20:20
The New Testament shows us that there are two kinds of church meetings, each having its function:
1. The big meetings: educational, as in a school
(1) Releasing the truth, supplying life
(2) Expounding the Bible, teaching the truths
Goal: That all the saints may know the truths and may live in God’s New Testament economy
2. The home meetings: Home nurturing, as in a family
Method:
(1) Continuing in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship
(2) Breaking bread to remember the Lord
(3) Praying—calling on the Lord
(4) Preaching the gospel
(5) Speaking the truth
Functions:
(1) Upholding the saints—shepherding and caring for them
(2) Recovering the ones who have not been coming to the meetings—seeking and contacting them
(3) Bringing in the new ones—preaching the gospel to relatives, friends, and neighbors
Thus we can see that the home meetings are the foundation of the building of the church.
The heaven and the earth may pass away, but the home meetings must not be forsaken.