In the old way of meeting, we came together in the meeting hall to listen to a brother who was knowledgeable in the Bible. Since then we may have divided the large meeting into several group meetings. However, in these group meetings some of the new ones may ask questions that we are not able to answer. If we are not able to answer the new ones’ questions in a practical way, this indicates that we do not know how to meet in the group meetings. We know that we should not return to the old way of meeting, so we may eventually compromise by inviting a knowledgeable brother to come to our group meeting to take care of its needs. This brother then becomes the Bible teacher, the “pastor,” of the group meeting. On the one hand, we do have the group meetings, but on the other hand, we may still be in the old way. Although we may no longer meet under one roof but in several homes, we may still not be in the new way. We may appear to be in the new way but may still be practicing the old way.
To carry out the group meetings we need to learn how to have a practical fellowship, a mutual prayer, the care for one another, and the shepherding of the young ones. The first thing we need to care for is a practical fellowship among the attendants related to their daily life. The fellowship in the small groups should include such practical matters as the health and circumstances of the saints in the group. All the matters related to the practical life of all the persons meeting in the group should be covered in the fellowship. This kind of fellowship will spontaneously issue in prayer. According to the need, we can intercede for each other. This prayer need not be after the fellowship is over but should be mingled with the fellowship.
Then, we must practically care for the saints. We should not merely pray in spiritual terms; we must also be sent by the Lord to the needy ones. If we pray that the Lord would do something, we may be sent by Him to do it. The Lord is omnipotent, but if we do not do something practically to help the brother or sister for whom we pray, our prayer may not be answered. We may pray that the Lord meet the need of a brother who is in need of money, but the Lord may tell us that we must first meet his need from our own resources. The New Testament tells us that we need to love in practicality and not merely in word (1 John 3:16-18). We must have practical fellowship with practical prayer and practical care. Following this, some can go to visit the person for whom they have prayed. We must go to visit those who are in any suffering and participate in their suffering. This is to shepherd one another.
Our group meetings should be like this every time. This will attract people. Regardless of how strong, rich, or knowledgeable one is, he still desires help from others. Some saints feel lonely but are afraid to seek out fellowship with stronger ones. It is in the group meeting that we can render an adequate, sufficient care for the saints. It is in the group meeting that every saint’s current situation can be made known. All the attendants of a proper group meeting will be built up together. This is the practical building up of the Body of Christ. Without the group meetings, we may talk about building up but never experience it.
The practical fellowship, prayer, care, and shepherding are the basic factors of the group meetings. If we do not practice these, we will have no way to take care of every saint’s need. It would take twenty honest, diligent, knowledgeable, and capable elders to shepherd a church of two hundred saints. If they went out every day to visit and shepherd the saints, the church would be very strong. However, it is not practical to have this many full-time elders. Moreover, to care for the saints in this way is against the principle of the Body. The Body consists of all the members, and the members take care of the Body. We cannot hire others to take care of the Body. Every member should share in the care of the Body.
Hebrews 10:25 says, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the custom with some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day drawing near.” The phrase “the assembling of ourselves together” indicates that the meeting spoken of in this verse is “our” meeting. We should not forsake the group meetings, which are our meetings. The small group meetings are the meetings of the members of the Body. Without a proper practice of the group meetings, it is not possible to care for and shepherd all the saints.