Scripture Reading:
Acts 2:46 And 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.
Matt. 18:20 For where there are two or three gathered into My name, there am I in their midst.
1 Cor. 16:19 The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca greet you much in the Lord, with the church, which is in their house.
Acts 5:42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and announcing the gospel of Jesus as the Christ.
Heb. 10:24-25 And let us consider one another so as to incite one another to love and good works, Not abandoning our own assembling together, as the custom with some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more as you see the day drawing near.
Matt. 18:19 Again, truly I say to you that if two of you are in harmony on earth concerning any matter for which they ask, it will be done for them from My Father who is in the heavens.
I. Meeting in homes is fitting to God’s New Testament economy in the New Testament—Acts 2:46; Matt. 18:20:
A. “And 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”—Acts 2:46 and note 3:
1. From house to house—or, at home; in contrast to in the temple—Acts 5:42.
2. Meeting in homes as the Christian way of meeting together is fitting to God’s New Testament economy.
3. This way differs from the Judaic way of meeting in the synagogues (6:9).
4. It became a continual and general practice in the churches (cf. Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:15; Philem. 2).
B. “For where there are two or three gathered into My name, there am I in their midst”—Matt. 18:20 and note 2:
1. Such a gathering of a few people, of two or three, implies one of the ways for the church to meet locally.
2. Such meetings of a few people must have been held in the believers’ homes, as mentioned in Acts 2:46 and 5:42, for the purpose of prayer (v. 19; Acts 12:5, 12), fellowship, the breaking of bread, teaching, or the preaching of the gospel (Acts 2:42; 5:42).
C. The church in the homes:
1. “The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca greet you much in the Lord, with the church, which is in their house”—1 Cor. 16:19.
2. “And greet the church, which is in their house. Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the firstfruits of Asia unto Christ”—Rom. 16:5.
3. “Greet the brothers in Laodicea, as well as Nymphas and the church, which is in his house”—Col. 4:15.
4. “And to Apphia the sister and to Archippus our fellow soldier and to the church, which is in your house”—Philem.2.
II. The unique way for the increase and the building up of the church—Acts 2:46-47; Rom. 16:5.
A. In the early days of the church life, the apostles built up the church very quickly, and the way of building was the small groups and home meetings—Acts 9:31.
B. The home meetings are the top way, the super way, and eventually the unique way to meet—Rom 16:5 and note 1.
C. At the very beginning the way created by the Holy Spirit and ordained by God was to meet in two ways, in the congregational way and in the home way.
D. The home meetings are the unique way for the increase and building up of the church.
III. The importance of meeting in homes—Heb. 10:24-25.
A. To build up the home meetings in every believer’s home was a brand new thing, a creative act of God, and something that He ordained.
B. Every home can be opened to become a place for meeting.
C. Once the church is built up in the homes, the homes will be transformed.
D. Once we build up the church in the believers’ homes, we will be able to spread the gospel through the homes.
E. Affording opportunities for each member to function in the meetings—Heb. 10:24-25.
F. Promoting and developing the organic gifts of each member of the Body of Christ—Rom 12:5-8, 1Pet. 4:10.
IV. The function of the home meetings—Acts 2:46-47, 42.
A. Prayer (Matt. 18:19; Acts 2:42; 12:5, 12), fellowship (2:42), breaking of bread for the remembrance of the Lord (2:46), teaching (the truth), or gospel preaching (2:42; 5:42; cf. 2:42 note 1).
B. The six commissions of the home meetings:
1. Changing our concept.
2. Striving to recover those who have not been meeting for a long time.
3. Preaching the gospel widely.
4. Keeping people coming to the meetings.
5. Strengthening the riches (content) of the home meetings.
6. Reaching God’s highest goal for the church—gain a living Body to express Him on earth.
C. The home meetings being the touchstone of the building of the church.
D. Opening the homes in four directions simultaneously.
V. The Christian way of meeting—Acts 20:20.
A. We need the big meetings and the small meetings as well.
B. Not despising the big meetings, but matching the big meetings with the small groups
C. We must labor to bring the new ones into the larger meetings of the church and help them to know the church as the Body of Christ
Excerpts from the ministry:
MEETING IN HOMES being FITTING TO GOD’S NEW TESTAMENT ECONOMY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
From House to House
The believers first met in the homes beginning on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:46). Three thousand met from house to house. The Greek text indicates that they met according to houses, which means that every house had a meeting. There was a meeting in every new believer’s house. This could only happen by the Spirit. Furthermore, there were many calling on the name of the Lord (Acts 2:21).
In the home meetings, according to Acts 2:46 and 5:42, they were preaching the gospel, teaching the truth, breaking bread to remember the Lord, and having prayers. The saints around the time of Pentecost broke bread every day, that is, they had the remembrance of the Lord by practicing the Lord’s table. The saints also prayed in their homes. Acts 12:12 tells us that when Peter was released from prison, he went to the house of Mary where a group of saints were praying.
Meeting in the believers’ homes is for all the members of Christ to function. In any big meeting it is hard for the saints to function. But in a small meeting with four or five, or two or three, even a small boy or girl could function. He or she could say, “The Lord Jesus loves me, and it is so good that I love Him.” This is a small function, but do not despise it. The new believers will function in a small way at first, but from that point, they will continue to progress in life and in function. By the functioning of all the members, the small home meetings will grow and be built up. When a new couple brings forth a little infant, they have the faith that their family will be built up. The same applies to the home meetings. We should exercise our faith and practice the home meetings with much expectation.
In Matthew 18:20, in speaking about Christian gatherings, the Lord Jesus used the number of two or three: “For where two or three are gathered together into My name, there am I in their midst.” Two or three is a precious number in the Bible, and should be the starting number of the church life. When the church becomes big through the home meetings, the big meetings will be meaningful. But when the church does not have anything and expects to have a big meeting, that big meeting may be empty. To start the church life from a small meeting of two or three is best. (The God-ordained Way to Practice the New Testament Economy, pp. 53-54)
In the Beginning, All of the Believers Meeting in Homes for the Church Life
The Bible shows us very clearly that in the beginning all the believers had the church life in their homes. In Acts, three thousand and five thousand were saved and they met from house to house. (Acts 2:41, 46; 4:4; 5:42)
Praying, breaking bread, preaching the gospel, teaching the truth, and fellowshipping, were all done in the homes (2:42, 5:42). We cannot find any verse in the Bible where the believers in the first stage of the church built a meeting hall to meet and teach. On the contrary, meeting in the homes was a continuous and universal practice in the first century (See Rom. 16:5; 1Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:15; Philem. 2). The Lord said in Matthew 18 that if a brother did not listen to the confirmation of two or three brothers, they should tell the church. This proves that these two or three are not the church. But the Bible continues to tell us that where there are two or three gathered into the Lord’s name, there the Lord will be with them (Matt. 18:20). This shows us that two or three can come together for a meeting, but they are not the church. This also proves that the church life in the beginning did not meet in a meeting hall, but in every home.
Acts 12 tells us that Peter was put in jail and that the church prayed for him earnestly (Acts 12:5). Eventually Peter was rescued out of prison by an angel and he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, where there was a considerable number assembled to pray (Acts 12:12). This was prayer in a home and also prayer in the church. They did not all meet together to pray for Peter, but met in different homes. This shows us very clearly that the church life in the beginning met in the believers’ own homes.
Hebrews 10: 25 says, “Not abandoning our own assembling together … but exhorting one another; and so much the more as you see the day drawing near.” This means that the meeting of the church in the beginning was not with just one man speaking and others listening, but with the exhorting of one another. In order to exhort one another, there must be fellowship, Bible reading, and mutual praying for one another. First Corinthians 14:23-24 says that if the whole church comes together in one place, it is better for all to prophesy. Verse 26 tells us that when the whole church comes together, it is not for one man speaking and others just listening, but “each one has.” Each one has a psalm, a teaching, a revelation, etc. When we talk about “each one has,” it means that we should have something from the Lord to share with others. This is a proof to us that the believers in the beginning had their church life in the homes. Even when they came together in one place, their meetings were not for one man speaking but rather, for mutual functioning.
In Acts 13, Paul was sent by the Spirit to preach the gospel; in chapter fourteen he came back from the trip and they all assembled together to listen to his report. In chapter twenty, Paul came to Troas and he joined the Lord’s table for the breaking of bread. If we read this carefully, we will see it was not at a place for the whole church because there was a certain one who sat in the window. This proves that this was a meeting in the home. Not only so, the meeting was not that formal like meetings today. Because Paul would continue his trip the next day, the time was limited. Therefore, he continued to speak while they broke bread until midnight. After that night, the saints continued to speak according to Paul’s words. That was a kind of mutual fellowship. From these signs, we can understand that it was not a big gathering in the meeting hall, but rather, it was in a home. This also proves that the saints in ancient times had their church life in their homes.
It is also easy for us to see other places in the Bible where the whole church met in one home as in the home of Prisca and Aquila, the home of Rufus, and the home of Philemon (Rom. 16:5; 1Cor 16:19; Col 4:15, Philem 2). Through these examples, we can see that the way we are touching today is correct. I hope all the brothers and sisters can have such a clear view. We are not changing the way randomly; it is the way ordained by God, according to the Bible, and the way we should walk. We have studied this matter thoroughly and it has proved to us that the effect of this new way is remarkable and great. Therefore, we need to make a resolution to change our old way completely. (The Proper Way for the Believers to Meet and Serve (Chinese), pp. 169-171)
THE UNIQUE WAY FOR THE INCREASE
AND THE BUILDING UP OF THE CHURCH
In the early days of the church life, the apostles built up the church very quickly,
and the way of building was the small groups and home meetings
The way to build the church may be illustrated by the building of this hall…[A] brother was directing every group. At that time we had over eighty full-timers whom this brother formed into groups. One group made the stairway, and a group of sisters sanded the handrails on the stairway. They were all grouped together to do a certain part for the building and eventually to put all the pieces together. Now we are enjoying the building.
In the early days of the church life, when the apostles were first raised up by the Lord, they built the church in this way. It was very quick. The church in Jerusalem was built up. Acts 9: 31 says, “So the church throughout the whole of Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, being built up.” In a short time they were all built up. Could we say that all the churches in the U.S.A. have been built up? You cannot say that we have been built up because we have never taken the building way. What is the building way? Small groups! Home meetings! (The Home Meetings, pp. 10-11)
The Home Meetings Being the Top Way, the Super Way,
and Eventually the Unique Way to Meet
If you are a Christian, if you are a believer, you have to open up your home for a meeting. This is the first pattern at the initiation of the church life.
Since the Lord has shown this, I have begun to see all the benefits of this God-created-and-ordained way. If a new one would believe in the Lord, be baptized, and right away begin to open up his home for meetings, this opening up of his home would encourage him and even uphold him. Therefore, we can see that the home meetings are the top way, the super way, and eventually the unique way to meet. (The Home Meetings, p. 8-9)
The Way Created by the Holy Spirit and Ordained by God was to Meet in
Two Ways, in the Congregational Way and in the Home Way
When the day of Pentecost came the church began with one hundred twenty as the initiation. Then that initiation brought in on the very first day of the church life three thousand, then on another 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 according to 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 on that day, the one hundred twenty were filled with the Holy Spirit economically. And no doubt, the three thousand new converts were also filled with the Holy Spirit. Therefore, whatever they did on that day was initiated by the Holy Spirit. The main thing they did was to begin to meet in the temple for big congregations and in the homes. I like the two phrases in Acts 2:46, “day by day” and “from house to house.” It is clear that the way they met had two sides. Perhaps at least three thousand met daily in the temple, a big meeting place. And at the same time they met day by day in the homes.
According to the Greek expression in Acts 2:46 they met from house to house. This indicates that they did not select some houses which would fit their purpose. They met from house to house. They included every house. Today we should have our home meetings entirely according to the Holy Spirit’s created and ordained way. … You have to see that the very beginning the way created by the Holy Spirit and ordained by God was to meet in two ways, in the congregational way and in the home way, not in selected homes, but in all homes. (The Home Meetings, pp. 7-8)
The Home Meetings are the Unique Way to Meet for the Increase
and Building Up of the Church
According to our study, experience, and observation, I would say that we have found that the home meetings are the unique way for the increase and building up of the church. There are many positive things that come out of the home meetings. In the home meetings, everyone becomes a seeking one, a serving one, a preaching one, a teaching one, and one that spontaneously witnesses for the Lord. We hope to encourage all the saints in the Lord’s recovery to have meetings in their homes.
The Greek phrase in Acts 5:42 indicates that not one house was missed. They met from house to house. We should not take the way of selecting some promising homes, and then having the meetings in those promising homes. This is wrong. Every home of the believers is promising. We need to open up our home. First we can meet with our folks. We do not need to meet with others first. We can initiate our home meeting by meeting with our family members. We who have wives and children all can have a home meeting. We just meet with our folks, with our wife, and with our little children. To set up a meeting will stir up our heart and will fan the flame in our heart and in our spirit. First of all, we will be burned, and then our family will be burned. To set up a home meeting will keep out many evil things from our homes. (The Home Meetings, pp. 19-20)
Are you going to be holy? Set up a home meeting. Are you going to be spiritual? Set up a home meeting. Are you going to know the Bible? Nothing will force you to seek the knowledge of the Bible more than setting up a home meeting. The home meetings will force you to seek after the proper, spiritual knowledge, and while you are seeking the knowledge for teaching others, you yourself will be taught, enlightened, and nourished. I can recall my own history. When I as trying to teach others I began to realize that I needed to be taught. The definite, single, and sole step for the Lord’s recovery to take today is to promote the home meeting. This is the unique way. (The Home Meetings, p. 20)
THE IMPORTANCE OF MEETING IN HOMES
To Build Up the Home Meetings in Every Believer’s Home Was a Brand
New Things, a Creative Act of God, and Something that He Ordained
Simply put—the first and foremost thing in our new start is to build up the home meetings in every believer’s home. This is not a matter of choice. As long as a person is a believer, even if he is the weakest, coldest, and most indifferent, backslidden person, he is our brother in the Lord. As such, we have to make the utmost effort to build up a meeting in his home. I said right from the beginning that the small group is the foundation for the building up of the church. I also told you that such a small group must be built upon the foundation of the home meetings.
The scriptural basis for the small groups and the home meetings is the expression from house to house in Acts 2:46 and 5:42. One and a half years ago, I pointed out to you emphatically that on the day of Pentecost, as soon as the church was raised up on the earth, it began to meet from house to house. That was an unprecedented move; it was something that Judaism had never done before. It was not an idea that Peter inherited from the Jewish religion. Rather, it was a brand new thing, a creative act of God, and something that He ordained. (The Ministry Magazine, Vol. 3, No. 7, p. 8)
Every Home Can be Opened to Become a Place for Meeting
Christianity has fallen prey to the wiles of Satan; it has completely overlooked the homes. In Christianity one cares only for the big meetings without any thought of the home meetings. A person in Christianity finds no vessel to hold his experience together. There is no vessel to uphold the testimony and no vessel to keep and maintain the truth. Consider Romans 16. Without a doubt, during the time of the apostles, the church was built up in the believers’ homes. We know that the book of Romans is a book dealing specifically with the spiritual life in Christ and the spiritual living in the church. At the end of this book, one entire chapter is devoted to Paul’s greeting of the saints. From his greetings, we can see that quite a number of homes were opened to the church. This shows us that the church life at the time of the apostles had a very strong home atmosphere. Under Satan’s influence, Christianity has completely annihilated this spiritual atmosphere of the homes.
This is the reason that we must endeavor with all the energy, strength, and time that the Lord has given us to recover the proper atmosphere of the homes. The first thing we must do is to make every saint’s home a place for meeting. At the present moment, many saints are burdened to open up their homes. This is a great step forward. Yet we cannot be satisfied with this initial step. We must not only open up the homes of those who are burdened, but we must also bring the meetings to the homes of those who are not burdened. We hope that every home can be opened to become a place for meeting. Each opened home means one more place for meeting. The smallest places of meeting in a church are the homes of every brother and sister in that church. (The Ministry Magazine, Vol. 3, No. 5, pp. 4-5)
Once the Church is Built Up in the Homes, the Homes Will be Transformed
We have to realize that the way the Lord is taking is to build up His church in the believers’ homes. Once the church is built up in the homes, the homes will be transformed. The husbands and the wives might have been arguing couples, but once they have meetings in their homes, they will stop their arguing. The children will also be preserved from drifting along the current of the age. In the end, the family will become proper and normal. If possible, we should compile some material to teach the brothers and sisters how they should build up their own homes. For example, we should have something to teach them how to behave as parents, children, husbands, and wives. This is scriptural. A book as spiritual as Ephesians contains teachings on being proper husbands, wives, children, parents, slaves, and masters. In the past we were somewhat negligent in this matter. All the brothers and sisters devoted their attention to the big meetings and neglected the building up of the homes. In the coming days, we hope that we can compile some messages on the building up of the homes so that every saint’s home would be a proper home. Once that happens, we can invite our relatives to the home meetings, and they will see the situation in our homes and will be touched to receive the Lord’s salvation. (The Ministry Magazine, Vol. 3, No. 5, pp. 8-9)
Once we build up the church in the believers’ homes,
we will be able to spread the gospel through the homes
Once we build up the church in the believers’ homes, we will be able to spread the gospel through the homes. All the churches that do a good job with the homes will not need to have big gospel meetings; the gospel will spread spontaneously. The home is one place that touches man’s heart. It pierces and digs deep into man’s very soul, even his very spirit. This does not mean that we cannot have big gospel meetings, but we only need such meetings a few times a year. The main emphasis with such meetings is in reaping, not sowing. The crucial thing is to build up the church in the homes and to spread the gospel through the homes. At the same time, we have to encourage the brothers and sisters to group two or three families together into small groups. In the small groups they should fellowship together and render spiritual help, nourishment, and care to one another. Then in the larger church meetings there should be the teaching of the Truth Lessons. Such teaching is mainly for everyone to learn the truth. If we build up the church in such a well-coordinated way, the Lord will greatly bless us. (The Ministry Magazine, Vol. 3, No. 5, p. 9)
Affording Opportunities for Each Member to Function in the Meetings
We must also afford opportunities for each member to function in the meeting (1 Cor. 14:26). We must set up the home meetings in such a way that every attendant, even a young child, has an equal opportunity to function. Even a young girl can call a hymn or a young boy can start the singing. (The God-ordained Way to Practice the New Testament Economy, p. 109)
Promoting and Developing the Organic Gifts
of Each Member of the Body of Christ
Then we must learn how to promote and develop, that is, to cultivate, the organic gifts of each member of the Body of Christ (Rom. 12:4-5; Eph. 4:16). All the attendants in the meeting have a gift because they are the members of Christ. Each one’s gift comes out of the divine life which he possesses. We have God’s life within us, and this life produces something organic. As an infant begins to grow, his organic function begins to be cultivated within him. Eventually he can speak, walk, and do many things. This illustrates the development of the organic gift within us. As regenerated Christians we must let the divine life develop within us, and this development produces the gift of life, the organic gift. However, the practice of Christianity kills the organic function. Christians are encouraged to sit dumbly in the meetings and are not able to function. The way of Christianity is a killing and binding way. Those in this way do not have the adequate opportunity to function.
In the proper Christian meetings we should afford everyone a sufficient time and opportunity to exercise his gifts. Even a young boy of six years of age can say, “Praise the Lord,” “Lord Jesus, I love You,” or “God is good for food.” In every home meeting, we must help all the attendants to develop their organic gifts. This requires that we be a proper pattern, an example, for them to follow. Therefore, we ourselves must forsake the old way and annul anything of organization in the meetings. From the time we first set up a meeting, we must always make it clear that everyone has to function and learn to exercise his spirit. It is remarkable that little children learn language not by being taught but by living among and listening to other speakers. The ability to learn language is born into us. In the same way, every man is born with a human spirit and can call on the name of the Lord. Therefore, we must have the confidence that even the little ones in the meetings can function. In setting up the home meetings we have no intention to organize something to build up a facade to attract people. We must simply help the new ones to meet in their homes to worship God and the Lord Jesus. (The God-ordained Way to Practice the New Testament Economy, pp. 109-110)
THE FUNCTION OF THE HOME MEETINGS
The Six Commissions of the Home Meetings
The first thing we must do is change our concept. The home meetings are not merely a method. From now on we will neither uplift the big meetings nor despise them. We will regard the big meetings and the home meetings equally. According to today’s situation, you should not consider that to recover someone, you must bring that person to the big meetings in order to be successful. Of course that is very good, but you should not require this. As long as he can come to the home meetings every week, that will be very good. First, lay this foundation in him. Second, the home meetings should strive to recover those who have not been meeting for a long time. In Taipei, there are tens of thousands of brothers and sisters who have not been meeting. The three to five thousand of you who are meeting regularly must all be in the home meetings to recover those who have not been meeting for a long time. Third, preach the gospel widely. The home gospel must go out from the homes. Even the campus work can go out from the homes. The homes are the foundation. If the homes are not strong and even you yourself need shepherding, then who can shepherd? If the home meetings are not strong, even the children’s work cannot be done. For a nation to be strong, the homes must be strong. For a church to be strong, the home meetings must be built up. The homes are the foundation, the base, of all activities. Fourth, keep the people. The home meetings must keep and uphold people and even cause people to want to come back. You have to work on the home meetings to such an extent that they have the power to attract and keep people. Fifth, you need to strengthen the riches in the home meetings. The content of the home meeting must be rich. Sixth, when the home meetings become so rich, the highest goal of expressing Christ will be attained.
The home meetings are not easy to build up. This is a great and high mountain which is not easy to climb. Beginning with changing our concept, then recovering those who have not been meeting for a long time, widely preaching the gospel, upholding, strengthening and enriching the content of the meetings, we will finally reach God’s highest goal for the church––expressing Christ. May the Lord have mercy on us. May we all pray for this matter. (On Home Meetings, pp. 20-21)
The Home Meetings Being the Touchstone of the Building of the Church
We see clearly that the building of the church if based on home meetings. Then who builds the home meetings? Not the co-workers nor the elders, but the brothers and sisters. The home meeting is the touchstone (a test for determining the quality or genuineness) of the building of the church. The church is built on this foundation.
According to the present situation, the first thing that the home meetings need to do is to restore those who have not been meeting for a long time. We hope that all the brothers and sisters will be mobilized to seek out, according to their addresses, those who have not been meeting for a long time and restore them to attend the home meetings. The second thing is to motivate every brother and sister, whether old or young, as long as he has a house, to open his house at least once every two weeks. You should have a gospel meeting in the home every other week. You need to gradually educate and enlighten people in the home meetings, providing them with the gospel materials and encouraging them to speak for the Lord and to open their homes. From house to house, every house should preach the gospel. The third thing is to do your best to keep people coming to the meetings. When a person comes, stick to that one; you must keep him. The responsibility for keeping people cannot rest on the elders, co-workers, or a few people. The responsibility for keeping the people must rest on the home meeting, that is, on all the brothers and sisters. This is a great responsibility for the home meeting. The fourth thing is to strengthen the home meetings. To have rich meetings, you must work the Lord’s word richly into the home meeting. The fifth thing is to cause the home meetings to reach God’s purpose for the church. The Lord desires to gain a living Body to express Him on the earth. (On Home Meetings, pp. 63-64)
Opening the Homes in Four Directions Simultaneously
There are four functions of the believer’s home: the first is to preach the gospel, the second is to afford a place to contact students, the third is to contact different kinds of persons, and the fourth is for the children’s work. If we want to have a strong gospel work, we need the saints to open up their homes. If there were 1000 homes in the church in Taipei open for gospel preaching, the result would be remarkable. There is an old Chinese saying: “Killing two birds with one stone.” Today we can open up our homes for doing four things simultaneously and then we will reap a big harvest from four different fields: from the homes, from the schools, from the different professions, and from the children’s work. The base is the home.
No matter how successful your campus work is, whenever there is a storm, the work will be affected. Probably the campus work will be affected by the storm, but the home is always there. The base for gospel preaching on the campus is the home; the home will not be affected. The base for preaching the gospel to your co-workers is the home; you also need to invite them to your home. A brother who is a doctor can invite doctors to his home for the gospel. A policeman who is a brother can invite other policemen to his home and the professor can do the same thing, as well as an old sister. The unit of the home is basic. If this concept can be wrought into our being, then the gospel will be successful. When all the saints can open up their homes for the gospel, there will be no trouble at all, regardless of the storm. I share this with you according to the experience we have had in the past: we need to work this out in the home, otherwise there will be no base for the gospel. If we cannot work out the home meetings then we will not have a base. If we work out the home meetings then the foundation will be firm. However, if we only care for work outside of the homes, we will not be successful, but if we care for the base then we will double our results. (The Message Abstracts of the Leading of the Different Services (Chinese), pp. 34-35)
THE CHRISTIAN WAY OF MEETING
We Need the Big Meetings and Small Meetings As Well
If we mean business with the Lord to see the real increase of the church and the building up of the church we must repudiate the Christianity way. We must get this blood out of our being. I still treasure the big meetings, but if we have only the big meetings we are like a 747 that has only one wing. How could we fly? We need the two sides. We need the big meetings and the small meetings as well. (The Home Meetings, p. 13)
According to the Scriptures, the Christian way of meeting has to be two-sided. On one side are the big meetings, and on the other side are the small group meetings. These two sides are just like the two wings of an eagle, which are the same size and are balanced.
Big meetings are for bringing in people. This was what the Lord Jesus and the apostles did; they gained many people by making use of any available time and place. Frequently this meant preaching the gospel in the synagogues on the Sabbath. The apostle Paul also did this often in Acts. Today our convenient time is the Lord’s Day. The whole world is under the influence of Christianity, and every Sunday—the day that Christians call the Lord’s Day—ninety percent of the shops, factories, schools, and offices are closed for rest. This has become the common practice over almost the whole world, including even the Communist countries. Therefore, the Lord’s Day is a day when people have leisure time. We should use this day to release the truth, just like the Lord Jesus did in preaching on the Sabbath in the synagogues. (Speaking For God, pp. 86-87)
Not Despising the Big Meetings, but Matching the Big Meetings with the Small Groups
We should not despise the big meetings, but we must match the big meetings with the small groups. We should pay sixty percent of our attention to the small meetings and only forty percent to the big meetings. But I am a little concerned that many pay eighty percent or more of their attention to the big meetings. Many, according to their concept, would say that they prefer to go to the big meetings rather than the home meetings. We need a change of concept! We need both. (The Home Meetings, p. 12, 13)
We Must Labor to Bring the New Ones into the Larger Meetings of the
Church and Help them to Know the Church as the Body of Christ
The new ones also need to be brought into the full realization of the proper church life. We must labor to bring the new ones into the larger meetings of the church and help them to know the church as the Body of Christ, the fullness of the One who fills all in all (Eph. 1:22b-23). Eventually, the new ones need to be led into prophesying in the church meetings for the building up of the Body of Christ. (The Eldership and the God-ordained Way, p. 34)
References: The God-ordained Way to Practice the New Testament Economy, chs. 5, 12; The Proper Way for the Believers to Meet and Serve (Chinese), ch. 7; The Home Meetings, chs. 1, 2; The Ministry, Vol. 3, No. 5, 7; On Home Meetings, chs. 1, 5; Talks Concerning the Church Services, ch. 5; The Message Abstracts of the Leading of the Different Services (Chinese); Preaching the Gospel on the College Campuses, ch. 2; Speaking for God, ch. 5; Fellowship Concerning the Urgent Need of the Vital Groups, ch. 5; Elders’ Training Book 9, The Eldership and the God-ordained Way (1), ch. 3.
