The three thousand began to meet from house to house no later than the second day after their baptism. Since they had only heard one or two messages before they began to meet from house to house, they could not have spoken in the meetings according to the traditional way of the Jews. What they spoke must have been according to what they had heard from Peter. Although the gospel message Peter gave on that day contained quotations from only the Old Testament, those quotations were all related to Christ. In Acts 2 Peter spoke about Christ’s death and resurrection based on the prophecies in the Old Testament concerning Christ (vv. 25-36). I believe that after the three thousand were saved, what they spoke in their meetings from house to house was concerning these matters.

In the initial stage of the church, the first group of three thousand, after being saved and baptized, began to have small group meetings from house to house. If these three thousand people had been divided into groups of six, they would have formed five hundred groups. Acts 2:42 is actually a little window through which we can see a great number of things. First of all, in the matter of dividing into groups, there probably was not enough time for Peter or the one hundred and twenty saints to have made arrangements for the five hundred groups and to tell them what they should do. Nor was there enough time for them to have examined the three thousand people in order to determine whose homes were suitable for group meetings and whose homes were not nor to determine who was sufficiently qualified and who was not. After the three thousand had been saved, Peter probably did not know what to do with them, and even if the one hundred and twenty saints had all become his helpers, there still would not have been enough time for them to fully know all the newly saved ones. There was no way any arrangement or assignment concerning their meeting together could have been made; hence, it must have been the work of the Holy Spirit.

The record in the Bible tells us that after their baptism the early believers began to meet day by day in the temple and in their homes, from house to house. This shows us that this move was not initiated by Peter; it originated altogether from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit moved within the newly saved ones, causing them to realize that after being baptized, they could no longer behave as Jews and to realize that since they had all received the Lord Jesus and were baptized, they should meet in their own homes. Therefore, they began to meet together. It was a very spontaneous thing. No one was taking the lead; rather, it was the Holy Spirit Himself who led them.

Concerning the way to meet, last year in Taiwan the Lord showed us a clear revelation. Even among us, the elements of traditional Christianity still have not been completely purged out, just like a stream of water contaminated with sulfur. This is why we felt that we had to change the system in order to reverse our past habits. However, we realized that we cannot get rid of the big meetings, and neither can we be without the small meetings. Neither one can be dispensed with. This is similar to the fact that a 747 airplane cannot fly by relying merely on a single wing, a bird cannot fly by depending on only one wing, and even a man cannot walk with just one leg. This is why God created man with two legs and birds with two wings, and, in accordance with God’s principle, why men make airplanes with a right wing and a left wing. The traditional way of meeting as Christians is like flying with one wing only. In the big meeting every Lord’s Day, only one person speaks and the rest just listen; everyone merely attends a worship service. Consequently, there is no way to go on. The Bible reveals that in addition to the big meetings in the temple, there must be the small meetings from house to house, the group gatherings. This is what we have to see.

We are very clear that man can never create or originate anything; man can only produce something by first studying and learning about it. However, on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit truly created a new thing. When God created the heavens and the earth with all the things, He did not need to research or to improve His creation later; whatever He created was the best. No one can improve God’s creation, whether it is the heavens and the earth created by God or the features of man. Today in constructing a tall building or in paving a road, we need an architect to make designs and changes. Yet no one can alter or re-create the heavens and the earth, nor can anyone alter man’s face. If the nose of a man were moved and placed on top of his eyes or the lips were placed upon the eyebrows, would that be functional? If the ears were changed so that one ear was placed in front and the other at the back, or if the shoulders were to be of different heights, would that be practical? What God has created cannot be altered or improved by man. Therefore, for the three thousand who were saved on the day of Pentecost to have small group meetings from house to house was the creation of the Holy Spirit, and that was the best way.
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