Concerning the proper way of meeting for believers, there are five passages in the New Testament that are the strongest and can afford us the practical help. The first passage is Matthew 18:20. Here the Lord said, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am in their midst.” This is the first time the Bible speaks about the meeting of the believers. The Lord mentioned only two or three. This is what we call a small group meeting. The second passage is Acts 5:42. Here it says, “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.” On the day of Pentecost, three thousand were saved. Not only did they have a large gathering in the temple, but they also had small meetings in people’s homes. Every household was preaching the gospel, speaking the teachings of the apostles, bringing people to know Christ and pursue after Christ, having the breaking of bread to remember the Lord, and having prayers.
The third passage is Acts 20:7 where it says that when Paul was staying in Troas for seven days, on the first day of the week they gathered together to break bread. Because Paul had to start his journey the next day, he spoke to them even until midnight. After the breaking of bread, he conversed again with the believers for a considerable time (v. 11). This must have been the meeting for the whole church in Troas rather than a small group meeting.
The fourth passage is 1 Corinthians 14:23, where it says, “If...the whole church comes together in one place.” Although the New Testament shows us from the beginning that the meeting of the believers was based on small groups and homes, yet here in 1 Corinthians 14 it tells us that sometimes the whole church also gathers together. Verse 26 continues, “What is it then, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.” Therefore, the church meets regularly in homes and in small groups. Sometimes the believers also need to come together, not to listen to one speaker, but to allow everyone to function, for each one to present his portion of supply.
The last passage is Hebrews 10:25 where it says, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the custom with some is, but exhorting one another.” This word was spoken to the Hebrew believers who were originally in Judaism and had Judaic meetings. Now that they had become Christians, they had their own meetings, which were the church meetings. These church meetings, regardless of whether they are small group meetings or large gatherings, are not one-sided, with one person speaking and the rest listening, but mutual, with each one exhorting the others.
These five portions of the Scriptures show us definitely the way of meeting for the New Testament believers. First, the basic meetings are home meetings and small group meetings. Second, as needed, the whole church may gather together. Third, regardless of whether it is a home meeting, a small group meeting, or a large meeting, it is absolutely not a one-sided speaking, but speaking in mutuality and with one another. When the Apostle Paul spoke concerning the whole church coming together, he even used the expression “each one.” This shows that each one should have a supply, and each one can have a supply. This is the principle of the believers’ meeting. This principle completely nullifies the existing way of meeting practiced by every denomination and sect in Christianity. Some of you were in Christianity and clearly know the situation among them. Was there a time when the pastor and the congregation spoke mutually? It has always been the pastor alone speaking and the congregation listening. From the viewpoint of history, people like to have only large gatherings, which are usually one-sided, with one person speaking and the rest listening. This is the practice of the nations. The meeting of the believers, however, is not like this; it is with mutuality and speaking one to another. Only by taking this way can we be delivered from the way of meeting of the nations. Otherwise, we are merely following the customs of the nations. It is not that we did not see this light in the past. We did see it, but we did not know how to practice it; therefore, we did not make a special effort to carry it out. For this reason, until today the meetings are still one-sided, for the most part, and short of mutuality. The way of meeting by following the customs of the nations to speak in a one-sided way is absolutely natural. When people attend such meetings, they always wait to listen to others. No one has the thought that they need to speak. Even if they would like to speak, they do not know what to speak and do not have the boldness to speak.