Profitable Christian Meetings

This OP concerns some important characteristics of good Christian gatherings. I will draw both from the Bible and from personal and corporate experience to pass on to interested parties various "best practices" if you will, of good Christian meetings.This may be considered a continuation of some discussion about spiritual gifts I was having on another thread. Perhaps Bible Study is a good place for the thread.

My comments on profitable Christian meetings will probably not follow an order, but be miscellaneous and accumulative.First I would say every believer in Jesus Christ should feel free to have a meeting of other believers in their home. The concept of Christians gathering in these days really should be renewed.I do not say every meeting in a home of a Christian is a church. But I do suggest a believer should not feel his apartment or home or house cannot be regular place for a few fellow believers to gather for a Christ centered meeting.Two or three brothers or sisters in Jesus Christ can have a most profitable time gathering regularly in the home of a Christian. The gathering is not for gossip. But Jesus Christ and should be the center.Because we tend to drift into loose talk and gossip, it is good to let the time be of specific length. When the prayer or singing or teaching and fellowship have taken place for a given duration of time, it is good to disperse. This way the blessing will not dissipate into worldly chatter, spiritual death spreading, and other forms of natural talkativeness that may quench the Holy Spirit.This is not a legal matter. It is a good principle. "We start at this time. We fellowship for this amount of time. We say goodbye for another good meeting on another day."

I said that every Christian should feel qualified to have a small gathering in their home. Your home is the sphere of your sovereignty. You ought not feel you need "permission" to have fellow believers or seeking people in your home for a Christ centered meeting.A small group meeting is somewhat like a meeting of a jury. I mean each person should feel free to contribute. Some direction may be set by a responsible person. But aside from some minimal setting of the direction of the meeting, each one should feel free to contribute something spiritually edifying to the meeting.Here is where all have to learn neither to be over domineering or too shy. To think you have nothing to say is one extreme. To demand the floor over much with a long winded talk also is not good.We should show our love for one another by allowing others to enter in to the speaking.In the next post I will address something Faith was concerned about. I think Faith expressed concern about everyone speaking. If all things are done in good order, it is profitable that each Christian have something profitable to speak as long as it is Christ honoring and refreshing to the spiritual sense of all participating.Even to say " Lord Jesus, we thank you tonight." or "I ask for prayer for a certain matter. I trust the Lord to help." is edifying. Even to say "Amen, and Praise the Lord Jesus" with the outflow of the Holy Spirit is building and edifying and encouraging to all who hear.

No one should feel under pressure. No one should feel there is a LEGAL obligation to speak.Here is what Paul wrote: Grasp the tone here. Christians come together and all CAN prophesy - one by one.To prophesy here is to speak on behalf of God. This does not mean it has to be supernatural prediction of future events. It means to speak spiritual encouragement with some amount of truth from God's word. All, one by one, brothers and sisters, should be encourated to utter something which convey's God to people and even into people. " You CAN ... ALL ... prophesy ONE BY ONE " So where are we ? I said every Christian should feel he or she needs no "permission" to have a home meeting of a few others for enjoying the Holy Spirit.And speaking for God is encouraged but not legally demanded. Some people are naturally talkative. They have to learn to show love to others by curtailing their excessive habit to dominate.Others are naturally quiet and let others do all the talking. These must show their love for others by speaking up for the Lord Jesus.Eloquence is not what is sought but spiritual refreshment and honesty.
Some people are very eloquent. Others are not. It is not what we are naturally that edifies. It is what we are under the leading of the Holy Spirit. We may have to deny what we are naturally and go against our tendency.Are you use to dominating conversation, hogging the floor, with long stories? You have to show your love to the others by getting to the point. Hopefully that will be a point centered of Jesus Christ. Speak while you have the flow of the Spirit. When the Spirit stops flowing, you stop and give someone else a chance.Are you use to sitting silent and letting others do all the talking? You have to go against yourself. If you are experiencing the Lord Jesus, you will want to overflow and tell someone. You should not quench the Spirit or stop the flowing out of the Spirit. Speak up. Get to the point. Speak something profitable of the truth and of your experience of Christ.All can speak for God one by one. This habit is more profitable then week after week sitting in the pew to hear an eloquent sermon from the same person all the time.If a Christian leader is wise, he or she will teach others to speak up for God one by one so that all may learn and all may be encouraged. Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

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I have been at churches before where weekly small group studies were encouraged and I have attended a few. There are certainly pros and cons to such a meeting. I have a few questions.

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When the Apostle Paul says "... all may LEARN and all may be encouraged" this precludes that there will be room for learning.
There are pros and cons. But with repetition and practice "all" will learn.Week by week the saints will learn. And prayer FOR the meeting certainly will help them to improve. So you should not be discouraged if there are some cons for awhile.God is less concerned for our mistakes then we think. But if meeting by meeting we show our love for the Lord and for one another, we will learn and grow. Then there will be more pros then cons eventually.

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Show us Biblical support for such meetings so that we can stay properly focused in Bible Study.

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Quite so. Start here: It is the principle that should be grasped here rather than too legalistically adhering to the specifics. "EACH ONE HAS ..." What does each one have ? Something of the word of God and of the flowing out of the Holy Spirit, each one should come prepared to HAVE for the meeting.In the Old Testament feasts of Deuteronomy God said that the people were not to appear before the Lord empty. They were to bring the top tenth of what they produced on the Good Land. And they were to come to the Feasts WITH something of the top portion of what they produced.The New Testament parallel is that as we enjoy and experience Jesus Christ through the week, we do not come to the Christian meeting EMPTY-HANDED. We should bring a praise, a teaching, a Psalm, a word of encouragement, a praise, a tongue or interpretation, a teaching, a song, even a prayer.We should not appear as if we have NOTHING. We should not come before the Lord empty handed. This does not mean we all have to be continuously victorious spiritual giants. Even if you ask the brothers and sisters for PRAYER for a need, you can still do so in a Christ honoring way.The meeting is a feasting together. And like the Old Testament the saints should not arrive at the meeting with nothing, empty-handed.Again: This is the picture in the OT. And the caption under the picture for the New Testament believers is First Corinthians 14. Each one has. Each one comes with something edifying for the gathering. We should not come empty.What do we bring? We bring our enjoyment of Jesus Christ.The good land of Canaan is like Christ our Promised Land. And as they labored on the land to bring firstfruits to the feast, the Christians labor on experiencing Jesus Christ to bring the top portion of their enjoyment to the Christian meeting.Exodus 23 goes on in verse 16: Our experience of Jesus through each day is our laboring on Jesus as our Promised Land. All of our experience we cannot bring. But the top portion, the firstfruits of our enjoyment of Christ, we should bring to the Christian meeting. We should not show up empty handed.All may learn that this is the way. When all gathered begin to learn not to arrive at the meeting with no enjoyment of the experience of Christ to share, there will be far more pros then cons.Cont. below

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At my last church, the only time believers got together was to watch the Super Bowl.

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This is a waste of time. And this is not a gathering in the name of the Lord Jesus. This is a gathering in the name of a worldly sport and accomplishes zero for God's purposes.This is not a Christian meeting really. It may be some Christians together to watch a football game. But Christ is not the center. And no one will receive spiritual building up by such a gathering.This is for the flesh.

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Do you feel football can be included in the meeting? Jar would be happy to make a beer run if he decides to attend.

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We need to be recovered as Christians from a time wasting gathering like this.
This is a meeting like the worship of the golden calf.I do not suggest that you go out of your way to condemn those who have not yet realized that they are just in the flesh by coming together for a Super Bowl watching.I simply encourage you to have a small meeting in your home. You will get more enjoyment for your spirit in a small gathering to exalt Jesus and get into the Word of God. You do not have to go tell all those believers that they were in the flesh and condemn them.Just, in the future, be an example and instead of gathering to the Super Bowl, gather around the exhaust-less rich and wonderful Jesus Christ. That will be a memorial in eternity for God's will.Don't go back and condemn people. Be a quiet example of a more profitable way for Christians to come together to build one another up in the Faith.If you want to go to a Super Bowl watching, that is up to you. Jesus is in you and will go with you. But don't pretend that this is a Christian meeting centered upon Him.

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Are non believers welcome at the meetings? Will they feel safe or will they feel like they are attending a multi level marketing presentation?

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Unbelievers can and should be invited for the presentation of the Gospel.
After a few have gained experience in meeting together in love, they may acquire the skill of inviting a unbelieving seeking person for the purpose of helping them to believe.The subject matter of the meeting then must be considered in light of the fact that an unbeliever is there. The Lord will give you wisdom if you pray with the regular participants about the matter.

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In Paul's words I don't hear the idea that everyone has to speak something, just that those who have a prophecy are to be orderly about it and not all speak at the same time; but somehow I keep hearing you using "one by one" to mean everybody must eventually say something.

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To say "HAS to speak" is asking for trouble. To say "ALL can prophesy" is his tone. If it takes time for some to learn to be brave to speak up, those who are more accustomed to speaking must patiently bear with them in love.

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Am I mishearing you?

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Paul's desire was that speaking for the Lord would be the customary practice, even more so than speaking in tongues. The Apostle Paul wants the saints to earnestly desire to be able to speak forth from God - to prophesy. The Apostle Paul has given a word of balancing so that the speaking in tongues would not be wild and excessive causing confusion and befuddling visitors. What he says is - Do not FORBID it. But earnestly desire rather that intelligible words would be spoken, ministering to the hearers something that all can understand.He does not forbid tongue speaking. But he recommends that we especially seek the gift to speak intelligible words. Even FIVE words he would rather speak to build up the attendants of the meeting rather than a thousand words in an unknown tongue. Do not forbid tongue speaking.
But the Apostle would rather speak FIVE intelligible words to instruct others rather than an avalanche of ten thousand mysterious sounds in a tongue.Can you get the burden here? All things are to be ordely. All things are to be done in love. Do not legalistically forbid tongues OR insist no one leaves without speaking.There is balance in Paul's instructions. Five words of prophesy to instruct are more valuable than many many words in tongues.Paul says he PREFERS that the skill to prophesy would be learned and developed by the saints. 1.) Don't FORBID speaking in tongues.
2.) But more so, prophesy.
3.) To prophesy is greater and more profitable than speaking in tongues.Can you get the tone and balance of Paul's fellowship ? He spends practically all of chapter 14 pulling the believers back from the confusing and excessive over use of public tongue speaking.He encourages that words exalting the Lord and ministering spiritual instruction are of more usefulness to BUILDING UP. All can prophesy, one by one.Paul compares the profit of prophesying intelligibly over the speaking in tongues, to the Christian meeting. The relative value of prophesying is compared to the value of tongue speaking in the church meeting.Even FIVE WORDS to instruct, like " Amen! Hallalujah! Jesus is Lord! " is intelligible and of more profit then a long tongue speaking with no interpretation.
We have to get the overall burden of Paul in these chapters.When he says "IF ALL PROPHESY" it suggests that the best meeting is that all prophesy one by one (31).The problem may be that some Christians regard to prophesy as predict only, in a supernatural way of foretelling the future. However, to prophesy is to speak words from God and imparting God's presence to people, mainly for encouragement to turn to God.We see that in Acts 15:32. It does not say that Judas and Silas predicted some future event. It does not say that they foretold some future event. But speaking they encouraged and confirmed the believers.We should drop the notion that to prophesy is to only miraculously foretell some future event.

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I do believe Paul meant "prophecy" as a direct supernaturally imparted word from God which in those days before the New Testament was written was how God led the Church.

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When Paul says that the spirits of the prophets is subject to the prophets I am sure he means that this prophesying is not a "Thus Says the Lord ..." kind of speaking the Old Testament prophets practiced.Any kind of performance that one is beside himself and cannot control himself is most often phony. To prophesy one by one is orderly and not choatic as if everyone is supernaturally carried away. This may not be the typical chaotic performance one sees at a Pentecostal meeting. This may not be what you see at a Binny Hinn revival meeting with people falling all over the place displaying near hysteria and lack of self control.But this is the biblical practice of an orderly speaking in the meeting one by one for mutual encouragement and learning. Even to speak FIVE WORDS of a Christ centered nature is profitable.The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. The prophet has self control. He or she may know how to hold their peace and speak in turn. The prophet knows when enough is enough and to give someone else a turn. He has self control. He does not necessarily wait for an inspiration to FALL upon him to suddenly shout "Thus Says the Lord - My people San Francisco will fall into the ocean ... !"This is usually performance and play acting done in some charismatic and/or Pentecostal meetings. The spirit of the prophets is SUBJECT to the prophets. And "self control" is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22,23)

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The principle of orderliness applies in any case, but since we no longer have supernaturally imparted revelation as they did I'm not even sure the passage should be taken to apply to us.

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I have tried to explain that prophesying here, as Judas and Silas did, was not a miraculous matter. And to speak encouragement spiritual words bringing people to God is needed in the church age.I stop here and continue in another post.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

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As I said, I didn't hear "HAS to speak" in Paul's words, only in yours.
  —Faith

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What I hope you should have heard was that love, forbearance, and patience encourages prophesying without being legal.I just came from the Saturday night small group meeting at the home of one of the couples in the church life. There were about nine to twelve brothers and sisters in the meeting.After arriving and singing, we ate a meal together. Each one is encouraged to bring something for the corporate meal. There is of course fellowship during the meal. And afterwords we have a time to get into the word of God and practice to speak forth for the Lord to one another - to prophesy.As I recall, I heard from everyone in that section of the meeting except for perhaps two people. No one condemned those from whom we did not hear a prophesy.As long as we speak in singing or in prayer or in praise, that is healthy also.
As long as we hear a few words either addressed to all present or addressed to a smaller number sitting aside for more personal fellowship, that is also good.When Paul says we cannot say Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit, that is positive speaking forth to the hearers for their blessing. When we gather together it is profitable even to proclaim for all or someone to hear "Jesus is Lord" . That person cannot say that Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit.So why not encourage even new believers to come and proclaim "Jesus is Lord" ? . Paul said even five words could instruct and build up one another if spoken from the spirit with a heart attuned to God.What I hope you hear is not that we act as "speaking police" and legally burden the participants with a demand. But we certainly foster an atmosphere where all are opened to one another in love and all are encouraged to prophesy and to speak forth from the Holy Spirit.Now if we go back to First Corinthians 12:1-3 you will notice that Paul was concerned that the Christians would not be DUMB. He strongly indicates that idolatry of various forms can render people dumb, unwilling to speak. The worshiping of dumb idols tends to render the worshiper dumb also. Christians coming together should exalt Christ and not be dumb. They should not appear before the Lord empty.I have no heart to argue over this legally. It is a matter of fostering an atmosphere where all believers are encouraged to speak forth from the Spirit of God in them. Even to say "Jesus is Lord! Praise our Lord Jesus! Lord Jesus, we love you" is life imparting to the gathering.When you enter into some places the atmosphere seems designed to put a hush over everyone present. The very architecture of some places seems to impose an intimidating silence over all who enter. "I dare not speak. This is a solemn place, I must be DUMB because of the solemnity of the atmosphere."Today the Lord is recovering the fostering of an atmosphere among Christians to utter and speak and prophesy. Of course it is not speaking anything for the sake of breaking the silence. It is to speak in the Holy Spirit.No one can say "Jesus is Lord" except in the Holy Spirit. And if the participants want to affirm themselves that they are in touch with the Holy Spirit they may proclaim Jesus is Lord. Jesus is our Lord! Praise our Lord Jesus!.There is nothing miraculous here. But there is something very valuable and building up as it ministers the facts of the universe; the truth of the world - Jesus Christ IS Lord.So I think you should not be overly concerned when I speak of the encouragement to speak and to prophesy. I don't think you should assume legalism is in play here. Rather encouragement abounds here.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

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And it still sounds to me like that's what you're saying. Not that all must speak on demand of course, but that you do expect "all" eventually to be able to prophesy.

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We have seen the tremendous profit, in the local churches, in having "all saints speaking" meetings. It was the desire of Paul that the Corinthian saints seek to speak forth God in prophesying: Love and prophesying are emphasized here. It is not just prophesying which Paul encourages. It is to pursue love, (which he elaborated on in the previous chapter 13), and the earnest desire to prophesy. I would hope that you would read " ... especially" as a qualifier on what the believers should desire. So in the local churches we earnestly and especially, in love, foster a meeting atmosphere that encourages Christians to SPEAK UP for the Lord. That is even to speak divine life out from within their spirit.Notice that in chapter 13 the speaking apart from divine life is compared to a lifeless tinkling cymbal or a lifeless noisy brass instrument: That means a sound without life. We Christians have the divine life of God. Our speaking should be from the Spirit of divine life within our innermost being. And love for God and for the brethren is the expression of divine life. We know we have passed out of death into life because we love the brethren. Brotherly love is an indication of divine life dwelling in us. Love is an expression of divine life. My fellowship about speaking in the meeting is not without love, hence it is not a police like legalism void of brotherly love.Perhaps you read about all saints prophesying and cautions arise in your mind. "Oh no. Here we go. The speaking police insist that I have to utter something in the gathering."You should not have this fear. Chapter 14 is not devoid of chapter 13's emphasis on growing up and having love, which is the outflow of the divine life within. We do not force people to speak. We foster an atmosphere where they need not be dumb but utter even a few words to impart life to themselves and the hearers. Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

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But "all" can only refer to those who have the gift, not all in the congregation.
Scripture itself tells us that ALL don't prophesy and didn't then, as it was a special gift and only some had that gift. "Do all prophesy?" Paul asks elsewhere, "Do all speak in tongues?" No, God gifts individuals as He wills and it's never ALL who receive a particular gift. Now, again, perhaps you don't mean to imply this, but it sounds like it.

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This is true that he does say that. But rather than get too introspective about what my gift is, I should "make mention that His name is exalted." (Isaiah 12:4) One of the problems with charismatic meetings is that there is over introspection about who has what gift. We do not have to spend that much energy to discern if a believer has a certain gift. How about we make mention that Jesus is Lord? How about we praise the Lord without worrying if we have the gift of prophesy or not ?In the previous chapter Paul said that when he was a child he thought like a child. But when he became a man he put away childish things.As divine life grows in the believers we may be less self conscious about the particular identifiable spiritual gift, as if we need to carefully catalog every action in the gathering.We would not want a saint to be dumb because they are afraid that they may not have the "gift of prophesy". The main gift is Jesus Christ Himself. If we are in love we may earnestly desire to speak forth Jesus Christ. We can speak forth God - and make mention that His name is exalted. We can all at least say five words to impart life into the gathering.The tendency in degraded Christianity is usually the opposite today. The participants come after a long week of working. They expect not to have to say anything. They come to sit passively in the pew to be entertained by a good choir and hear an eloquent sermon from a clergyman.The result is that after years and years, the members do not function and the Body seems to have atrophy. If only your finger can move and your whole body is paralyzed that is sad and abnormal.The Lord is recovering the normal function of the members of the Body. And a big part of this recovery is the encouragement for all to prophesy. And by that I mean to speak forth the Lord, to speak the Lord into people, to speak out the Lord and to speak from the Lord to one another in love.Not any kind of speaking is acceptable in the meeting. But the Apostle said we may LEARN. So we should not quickly be too judgmental, but be patient - meeting after meeting. The saints will LEARN love, LEARN to speak what is truthful and healthy in terms of teaching.I realize that there are differences between a testimony, a teaching, and perhaps a prophesy. I realize that there is a word of knowledge and a word of wisdom. We need not be too overly self conscious about how to catagorize the function that is being exercised.Rather than be too speculative - "Is that a prophesy or is that a word of wisdom or is that a word of knowledge? Which charismatic gift is that? Which slot do we put that in and say this person has THIS gift and this person has THAT gift ??"All we really need to discern is whether Christ is the focus and center. We need to sense the love and taste the spiritual life. We do not need to compartmentalize overly, categorize overly, label overmuch.We give room for the LEARNING of the saints. And seek to build up one another in love and in spiritual life as functioning members of the Lord's Body.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

There is much ground in the New Testament to view prophets as not restricted to supernatural prediction. We see that to speak encouraging and confirming words in the Holy Spirit is also a function of the NT prophets.Here are example of both kinds of prophets from the book of Acts:1.) A FORETELLING We may consider this something of miraculous prediction. But here is another instance when prophets performed a vital function to simply speak non-miraculous words of encouragement to the weak saints.2.) EXHORTING AND ENCOURAGING These "prophets," Judas and Silas, speak much when they prophesied, in the way of exhortation and confirming. There were no "Thus Saith the Lords" probably. There were no predictions of a miraculous nature. They did speak much. They strengthened the believers in Antioch. Acts points out that they were "prophets". Acts points out that they were ALSO ... prophets. The word also probably points to Paul and Barnabus who were were told were prophets back in chapter 13. So we have strong ground to consider the exercise of being a prophet in the church meeting certainly includes speaking words of exhortation and uplifting to confirm and strengthen believers. So we need not consider the only kind of New Testament prophet is one who miraculously predicts things.Barnabas, Paul, Judas, and Silas spoke many words in prophesy to encourage Christians.The Apostle Paul says all things (including all kinds of SPEAKING) in the meeting of Christians should be done for building up. It is secondary that we be able to identify exactly what kind of gift is being exercised that we may pigeon hole it in a specific charismatic category.If it is a building up speaking, a building up release of life into the meeting, that is the most important thing to know. Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

I will set aside the troublesome words prophecy and prophets for the moment. I will simply refer to speaking.There is speaking in praise.
There is speaking in prayer.
There is speaking in singing and reciting the words of the song as poetry.For now let us put aside the problematic term and say a bit more about "speaking". Every Christian should feel he or she has the perfect sovereignty and right to open their home for a regular meeting. This is quite healthy spiritually.Such a small home meeting should have SPEAKING in the Holy Spirit. What can we speak? Paul says "Speaking to one another in Psalms ..." .We all know where the Psalms are in the Bible. There is no need to speak to one another the entire Psalm. To speak to one another a portion of a Psalm is good. Suppose you come together in the living room. Someone says "The Lord is my light and salvation. Whom shall I fear?" That is a portion of a Psalm.Then someone else continues "The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid." We are speaking to one another verses of encouragement from the Psalms. This is good.Now, when Paul wrote this the only Scripture they had was the Old Testament. But the same principle should apply to the New Testament. That is we can SPEAK to one another portions or whole New Testament verses as well as Psalms.Paul also says speaking to one another in HYMNS. After you sing a hymn you man SPEAK the hymn. You favorite lines you can SPEAK forth with the release of the spirit. Let us say after singing or even before singing or just as a poem one speaks from the Hymn "Just as I am". "Lord I come to you JUST AS I AM. Oh Lamb of God, I COME." Then another person replies "Amen Lord! We ALL come!" Then another replies - "Praise the Lord. We Come, We Come" .Then two at a time look at the line together and proclaim "Oh LAMB OF GOD, We COME !!" Then someone offers a short prayer saying they THANK the Lord that He is the Lamb of God. "Lord Jesus, WE COME! Lord Jesus WE COME!" proclaim the few people in the room.This is SPEAKING to one another is Psalms and Hymns. There are spiritual songs. Good healthy spiritual songs can be spoken as well. This kind of speaking out causes the saints to be filled in spirit. And this kind of speaking also comes from the overflow of the Holy Spirit in our born again human spirit. And it builds up the participants in the meeting. The very speaking and hearing imparts life and builds up the believers.Paul also mentions "Giving thanks" . When you gather together with worldly people you can see how prone everyone is to complaining. The fallen man is always complaining and finding fault. The small gathering of Christians in the home should have much giving of thanks. Giving of thanks is edifying and strengthens faith. When we offer "the sacrifice of praise" giving THANKS for all things, in spite of many troubles, our own faith is empowered. And others are empowered. The meeting will be filled with the glory of God simply by the much thanksgiving.Circumstances may be difficult. But we stand in faith and give thanks. We speak to one another in thanksgiving. Such offering of praise and thanksgiving will also cause us to be filled in spirit with the Holy Spirit.As you can see the Apostle left us much to SPEAK in the gatherings. And we should feel 100% qualified to open our homes for meetings of this kind of speaking. By practice and repetition we will LEARN. We may start with a meeting of two. We may add a third person and a fourth.

Speaking is Psalms.
Speaking in Hymns.
Speaking in Spiritual Songs.
Singing.
Giving thanks for all things. A one half hour meeting of these things will help us to grow and also to be built up together in Christ. Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

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Profitable Christian meetings might jeopardize your tax-exempt status, Jaywill.

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Loss of tax exempt status is not what we fear. To miss the move of the Holy Spirit is more our fear. Should Christians let fear of tax policy govern their cooperation with God ? Jesus said that we cannot serve God and mammon. And we ought not to try to serve mammon first and God second.The anxiety over tax status cannot overrule the local church concerning gaining a profit for the Lord's interest. Jesus said to seek FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness. And then all things will be added to us. This is not all things we may want but all things that God deems that we need. We include God in our reasoning process. We do not exclude God in our reasoning. We include God's Person, God's power, and God's faithfulness WITHIN [edited] our reasoning and consideration of things. At each stage of our thinking things out, we church-ing people include the reality of God and His faithfulness and love in our analysis.The profitable meeting is needed by Him for His eternal purpose. It is not simply for man's neediness. He will take care of His need for His people to come together for vitality and benefit. Tax policy will not halt His move through the earth.Some of us will overcome the fear of tax policy dictating how we can minister to the need of God in His will. Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

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The idea of a spiritually focused meeting like that is very appealing to me as long as it truly is spontaneous and guided by the Spirit. We don't need to call it anything in particular like "prophecy."

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Two people can have a spiritually focused gathering. Two or three gather together in His name are promised His presence.TWO ... or THREE. So be encouraged that one can first meet in focus with himself and the Lord Jesus. Then one other person can be added and you have TWO.You may have a focused meeting with your self and the Lord Jesus. And latter you may add one other person for a focused meeting with two. We call this a vital group meeting.

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I have no way to have such a group. I haven't even been to the church I consider mine for a long time, for many reasons.

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I understand. This is one problem in the modern Christian mindset. We often do not consider that the Christian life should start from home. We very easily assume spirituality only starts by "going to church". We should consider that the spiritual life begins at home. And it is nourished in the home.No pastor, no elder, even no apostle can usurp your authority over what goes on in your home. The lines of influence of offices of a church do not extend to an indefinite length. Your home and the homes of each Christian are the domain of spiritual nurture as well as the larger gathering.

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I'm pretty much a recluse and there are many reasons for that, including physical problems that make it hard to get out. Also this church I belong to rejects the idea of small groups as too easily promoting heresy. I think that's a mistake but the church itself is better than others in other ways.

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I understand the concern. However, where I meet no one would ever imply that you have no right to have a home meeting. We remain in the teaching and the fellowship of the apostles.If we would depart from the teaching and fellowship of the apostles then there may be cause for concern. However, that concern still does not trump a Christians right to gather in his or her home for a meeting for mutuality and profit.Isn't there quite a lot of teaching and prayer two people can do without getting into major doctrines which are controversial? The needs to pray do not always involve teaching at all. But to pray is vital and profitable.There is much enjoyment of Christ that can be had without having to define doctrines all the time.

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I have my Bibles and a large collection of Christian literature, and I listen to local Christian radio which is unusually good I think at programming the best preachers around the nation and the world, including my own pastor; but I also listen to Sermon Audio where all of these same preachers and others can be found. So I'm never at a loss for good teaching, though I do miss Christian fellowship. The thing is I can't say I actually had much fellowship IN the church anyway.

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I am glad you are getting some nourishment in the spirit from these things.
Praise the Lord.

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My own place isn't really available for meetings, too much clutter that's accumulated -- that I'm trying slowly to dispose of. Only three functioning chairs too, but also I don't know where the Christians would come from if I did get the place in shape for such a gathering. I've often prayed for a meeting to be started somewhere in this apartment complex but it hasn't happened.

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This is not "THOU SHALT HAVE A HOME MEETING!" This is simply some encouragement that it is profitable to gather in your home. And maybe our fellowship is an answer to prayer. I am glad that you do receive some spiritual nourishment from the sources you have. And your coming to the forum gives a Christian like me some benefit from what you have received.In a sense, our fellowship over this medium is kind of a small gathering in your home and in mine. But face to face is also good.

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So this discussion is academic for me at the moment.

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OK. I'll try to remember this. But I would say that a home meeting is just one kind of profitable Christian meeting. And a larger meeting should also be profitable.I would encourage you not to be discouraged about petitioning the Lord Jesus for the possibility of having such a meeting, if not at your home perhaps at another's whose place you both decide is more suitable.But if TWO brothers really love the Lord Jesus, the clutter around the room should not be so much of a factor that it forbids them to meet. Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

Two sisters is fine. However, if it were me I would make sure that both are able to participate. I would not advise you meet if only one is available. That is unless some other participant is there.That is if you are of the opposite sex. If you are a sister yourself then of course there is no problem is one sister comes.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.

Another passage on speaking is Colossians 3:16. Ephesian 5:19 said "Speaking to one another ..." . Colossians 3:16 said "teaching and admonishing one another ..." Colossians 3:16 mentions " ... the word of Christ" which would of course mean the New Testament. But we can consider the whole Bible as "the word of Christ" because Christ is God incarnate.We should not underestimate what rich content for a Christian meeting is furnish by the word of Christ, by the word of God.Today's degraded Christianity depends entirely too much on gimmicks, entertainment, and preoccupations with artistic performances of different kinds. These things replace Christ and often quench the Holy Spirit. These things often exalt something other than God. Colossians speaks of a teaching and admonishing out of the word of Christ which is dwelling in the speakers richly. This does not mean simply they have memorized many verses. Rather the words of Christ have had a dwelling place in their daily living. The words of Christ have a place in their hearts richly supplying us with nourishment to our innermost spiritual being.Then when we come together, the rich word of Christ that we have live through we speak out in the Holy Spirit - teaching and admonishing one another. Needless to say the psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs should be songs centered upon and exalting God and Christ.The participants in the meeting may also READ aloud together and in turns "the word of Christ". Paul told Timothy to attend to the public reading of the Scripture. This implies reading of the Scriptures together. And this reading should be done with a praising and prayerful spirit so that the very breath (so to speak) of God is inhaled. The living God breaths His essence into the word of God. So we should read together to breath in the Spirit of God, as thought of as inhaling the breath of God. All Scripture is "God breathed". So the reading together of the Scripture and of "the word of Christ" with the exercise of the praying innermost being is extremely profitable to the meeting.It is not the volume of verses one has remembered in the mind, which is that profitable. But it is the inhaling of the divine life breathed into the Scripture, the "God breathed" essence of the word which is profitable. ALL Scripture is profitable when taken as the breath of God - We can come together to READ aloud the Scripture as breathing in God.
We can EQUIP ourselves with the rich Spirit filled word of Christ.
The word of God is not only the living breath of God but the feeding milk of God to nourish for spiritual growth.So Peter says to LONG FOR that word of God as a babe longs for milk for feeding. Here it is the FOOD of the word of God which is emphasized. Even TASTING the living God deep within is mentioned. We know how to TASTE the Spirit of God when we pray. We should also TASTE the Spirit of God when we read aloud the Scripture. If we do not know that well how to TASTE God, then we should mix our reading of Scripture WITH prayer.I will speak about mixing the word of God with prayer latter.But you can see that gimmicks and entertainment are not needed in a Christian meeting. We are not coming together to feed the flesh or the natural man. We are coming together to feed the spiritual man and to "eat" the words of God.Jeremiah said he found the words of God and did EAT them. God's word were "eaten". He said he found God's word and ATE God's words. And Peter said to long for the word of God as a babe longs for milk. And Peter says we should have TASTED God. That is tasted that the Lord of GOOD. God is good for food. God's word is good for nourishment, for growth and for making the man of God equipped for every good work.The word of God therefore is profitable to read in the Spirit with and exercised regenerated spirit by Christians when we come together. Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.Edited by jaywill, : No reason given.