HOME MEETINGS
Read and pray: “Day by day continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they partook of their food with exultation and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added day by day to the church those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:46-47)
Contents
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The Only Way for the Increase and Building Up of the Church.
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The Way to Be Equipped for the Home Meetings – 1
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The Way to Be Equipped for the Home Meetings – 2
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The Way to Practice the Home Meetings
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The Way to Speak in the Home Meetings
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Speaking in Life
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Speaking the Living and Rich Word in Four Ways.
Preface
The messages contained in this book concerning the home meetings were given in Anaheim, California, in August and September of 1985. They were originally entitled “The Present Move of the Lord.”
My burden is to share with all of you concerning a very particular matter. Since the Lord began His recovery among us more than sixty years ago, we have been seeking to discover what is the proper and adequate way for the believers in Christ to meet together.
We clearly understand that the way taken by Christianity to meet together is neither according to the Bible nor very profitable. Throughout all these years, we have studied the Bible and the history of all the different Christian groups; however, we did not know what was the proper way to meet. This matter became more serious year after year.
When I went to Taiwan in the fall of 1984, I carefully reexamined the New Testament. Knowing the verses related to this matter, as soon as I gathered them together, I received a panoramic vision. I thank the Lord for opening my eyes.
THE ONLY WAY TO MEET
On the day of Pentecost, the church began with one hundred and twenty. On the very first day of the church’s life, the number of converts reached three thousand, and the next day, five thousand. They began to meet not according to the Jewish congregational way of the Old Testament, nor according to the Roman way, nor the Greek way.
Then who invented the way for the first group of Christians to meet? The Holy Spirit invented the way. We can say this because that day the one hundred and twenty were economically filled with the Holy Spirit. And without a doubt, the three thousand new converts were also filled with the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, everything they did that day was initiated by the Holy Spirit. The main thing they did was to begin meeting in the temple for the big gatherings and in homes. I like the phrases in Acts 2:46: “day by day” and “from house to house.”
It is clear that the way they met had two aspects. Perhaps at least three thousand met daily in the temple, a large place for gathering. And at the same time, they met daily in homes.
According to the Greek expression in Acts 2:46, they met from house to house. This indicates that they did not select certain homes for that purpose. They met from house to house. They included every house.
Today we should have our home meetings according to the way created and ordained by the Holy Spirit. According to our feeling we might say, “How can every brother have a meeting in his home? There are so many brothers who are weak. Oh, it would be better if we considered and selected some stronger ones.”
But we must realize that selection is not the way of the Holy Spirit; it is the human way. In Chinese this phrase means “from door to door.” This indicates that there is no selection, no omission. Whether weak or strong, old or young, well-taught or not, if you are believers, you must meet in your homes.
Do you have the boldness to do this? You say yes during the meeting, but after the meeting, perhaps some will say that there is no way to practice it. Some would say, “We selected thirty homes, but as time went on, fifteen were selected.” If you select in this way, I fear that after some time only twelve good homes for home meetings will remain.
But we must see that the principle created by the Holy Spirit and ordained by God was the meeting in two ways: congregationally and in homes, not in selected homes, but in every home. If you are Christians, if you are believers, you need to open your homes for meetings. This was the first way at the beginning of the church life.
Since the Lord has revealed this, we begin to see all the benefits of this way created and ordained by God. If a newly saved person is baptized and immediately begins to open his home for meetings, this opening of his home will encourage and sustain him. Therefore, we can see that the home meetings are the highest, the most excellent, and ultimately the only way for us to meet.
I fully realize and agree that for each believer to open his home for meetings is not an easy thing. This is because not everyone wants to take the burden to teach the divine truths or to preach the gospel. Some are not very eloquent and would never speak publicly. Others may have natural eloquence but lack spiritual knowledge and do not know the contents of the Bible.
🌿 Enjoy more:
Hymn - “Meetings”
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