HOME MEETINGS
AND EDIFICATION OF THE CHURCH
Read and pray: “And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.” (Acts 5:42)
THE WAY TO EQUIP OURSELVES
FOR THE HOME MEETINGS (1)
According to our studies, experience, and observation, we have discovered that home meetings are the only way to have the increase and the edification of the church. Many positive things happen in the home meetings.
In these meetings, everyone begins to be a person who seeks, serves, preaches, teaches, and spontaneously testifies of the Lord. We hope to motivate all the saints in the Lord’s recovery to have meetings in their homes.
The Greek phrase in Acts 5:42 indicates that no house was omitted. They met from house to house. We should not choose certain promising homes and then meet there. This is incorrect.
Every believer’s house is promising. We need to open our homes. We should first meet with our relatives. We do not need to meet with others at the beginning. We can start our home meeting by gathering with the members of our own family.
All of us who have wives and children can have a meeting at home. Just meet with your relatives, your wife, and your little children. By establishing a meeting, your heart will be stirred up and the flame in your heart and in your spirit will be rekindled.
First, we will be set on fire, and then our family will be set on fire. By establishing the home meeting, we will prevent many evil things from entering our homes.
Do not say that you are weak, that you cannot overcome the self, that you cannot overcome your bad temper, that you cannot control yourself, and that you cannot do this or that. Simply establish a meeting in your home.
I have seen many cases where, when a meeting is established in one’s home, the Holy Spirit brings people. Little by little, people come.
I would say that if you are Christians but do not have a home meeting, you do not meet the requirements. You may know the Bible, be spiritual, seek, and love the Lord, and so on, but if you do not open your homes, you do not meet the requirements.
Even a single sister can open her apartment for meetings. Every dwelling of the saints, whether single or with family, should be open.
You may say, “With whom shall we meet?” First with the angels, then with a believer, then with a neighbor. You should pray, strive, and even fast to find a neighbor to meet with you.
If some decide to meet with you in your home, surely there is always a way. Many people are around you day by day. Moreover, there are many relatives and friends.
Do you want to be holy? Establish a meeting at home. Do you want to be spiritual? Establish a meeting at home. Do you want to know the Bible? Nothing will compel you to seek the knowledge of the Bible more than establishing a meeting at home. The home meetings will compel you to seek proper and spiritual knowledge and even to seek knowledge to teach others; you yourself will be instructed, enlightened, and nourished.
I can recall my own story. When I began to teach others, I realized that I needed to be instructed. The right, singular, and unique step we need to take in the present recovery of the Lord is to promote the home meetings. This is the only way.
In a certain sense, for everyone to meet and have home meetings is easy, but in another sense, it is very difficult. Why? Because it is not something natural where Christians gather. It should not be done in a natural way but in a spiritual way.
Even though we have studied this subject deeply, we are still not very sure what the best way is to build up the home meetings.
We are doing our best to read, study, examine, and decide the best way to have home meetings. So far, I can tell you that to have home meetings depends absolutely on our spirit.
Those who are deeply involved in the Pentecostal movement would say, “Well, if you do not have the Holy Spirit, you simply cannot have any kind of meeting. A Christian meeting depends on the Holy Spirit.”
However, I have been in such meetings [Pentecostal] for some time and did not see that those meetings were so good or so proper. After reading the Scriptures again and again and comparing them with our experiences, we have realized that the Christians’ gathering is entirely a matter of our spirit.
If you are going to practice a certain sport, you need to use the proper members of your body. Using your ears, nose, lips, or teeth to play soccer would be foolish. You may say that you depend on the Holy Spirit, but to depend on the Holy Spirit you need the proper organ.
You cannot depend on the Holy Spirit through your mind: the mind is not the proper organ to touch the Holy Spirit. There is only one organ created by God to touch the Holy Spirit—the human spirit. Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit Himself… our spirit.” It is the Spirit with your spirit. The Spirit works, but He works through a particular organ.
For example, all the appliances in this building are operated by electricity. But electricity operates only through the wires and the switch. If the wires and switches were not installed, the electricity would not work.
The problem today is not with the Holy Spirit, because according to the full revelation of the New Testament, the Holy Spirit has been given and also poured out. The Holy Spirit is the consummation of the Triune God. He passed through incarnation, human living, crucifixion, and resurrection. Now He is the life-giving Spirit as the consummation of the Triune God.
In John 16:15 the Lord Jesus told us that all that the Father has has been given to Him. Therefore, all that He is and has is fully realized in the Spirit. Thus, the Spirit is the consummation of the Triune God, and this consummated Holy Spirit is available.
Throughout the universe, this consummated Holy Spirit is available to those who seek God, and if they open themselves, they will receive Him. Through which organ do we receive Him? Through our spirit!
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Hymn: “Worship to the Father - His Love”
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