(Part II)
In the first part of this article, we considered the following questions concerning the conduct of assembly meetings:(1) Who is permitted to participate in such a meeting? (2) How can each brother and sister prepare for such a meeting?
(3) Is there to be a specific theme for the meeting? (4) Is a particular order to be followed? and (5) What can be done about long periods of silence during such a meeting? Three types of assembly meetings were particularly focused upon:the remembrance meeting (or Lord’s supper), prayer meeting, and meeting for ministry of the Word of God.
In this second and concluding part, three additional questions are discussed:(6) What if a particular brother does not edify the assembly by his ministry? (7) How long should a message be? and (8) How is such a meeting brought to a close?
What If There Is No Edification ?
As noted previously, according to 1 Cor. 14 the purpose of the assembly meeting is edification of the saints. But suppose a particular brother who participates rather frequently in the assembly meeting repeatedly fails to edify. Let me suggest a few things to consider in this regard.
First, the problem may be in me and not in the speaker. I may be harboring some unjudged ill feelings toward that brother that effectively blocks my spirit from receiving any ministry that the brother may give.
Second, it is well to keep in mind that the people attending an assembly meeting often cover a wide range of ages and of spiritual maturity. A brother’s ministry may be unprofitable to me because it typically covers lessons I learned long ago; but the lessons may be just what are needed by some of the younger ones present. And rather than be bored by it all, I should be praying that those to whom the message is directed will receive it and live it. Further, it will not do me any harm to challenge myself whether the truths that are being presented are as fresh, and real, and living in me as they once were. (If I find them boring, perhaps they are not as real to me as they ought to be!) And finally, if I pay close attention, I may get some pointers as to how better to present simple truths to young believers.
Third, it may be that the person is acting in the flesh and not in the Spirit, and is truly edifying nobody. If, after talking with several other brothers and sisters of all ages, I find that all are agreed that they are not edified by the brother’s ministry, it is scriptural for other brothers to go to him, in a spirit of meekness (Gal. 6:1), and tell him the problem and seek to help him to become more attuned to the leading of the Holy Spirit. "Let the prophets speak . . . and let the others judge" (1 Cor. 14:29).
How Long Should a Message Be?
The apostle Paul said, "In the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue" (1 Cor. 14:19). It is generally found that the shorter and more succinct a message is, the higher the likelihood the main points will be remembered by the hearers. The unknown tongue, while referring to a foreign, unintelligible language in the case of the Corinthians, could apply to speakers who try to cover Genesis to Revelation and all major (and some minor) doctrines in one message. In general, the messages should have one or two key themes or points to impress upon the audience, and care should be taken not to ramble all over and get off on many different tangents while trying to make those main points. Dependence on the Holy Spirit does not end with standing up to speak. There should be equal_if not greater_dependence on the Spirit while giving the message in order to stick to the main point the Spirit wants you to bring out and in order to know when to stop and sit down. Verse 30 of 1 Cor. 14 seems relevant in this regard, though it is difficult to know exactly how to carry it out in practice:"If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace." I would suggest that if the brother who is speaking continues to look to the Holy Spirit for guidance while he speaks, the Spirit will make it plain to him when he should conclude and "hold his peace" so that another brother can minister what the Spirit has given to him.
How Is an Assembly Meeting Brought to a Close?
This is perhaps the most difficult of our questions to answer. I can easily tell you from personal experience how such meetings traditionally are ended. The weekly remembrance and prayer meetings generally are announced for a specific time period (say, one hour). At the appointed time, Bibles and hymn books are put away and the Holy Spirit is dismissed, as it were.
No doubt it would be more in keeping with the character of these meetings_that is, assembly meetings with the Holy Spirit in full control_to allow more flexibility to go over the appointed hour if the Spirit so leads. If another meeting, such as Sunday school, is scheduled to start immediately after the remembrance meeting is scheduled to end, this severely limits the flexibility of letting the Spirit_rather than the clock_ bring the meeting to a close. So it would be wise to schedule a break between the two meetings if the remembrance meeting is first.
On the other hand, if several families are missing (due to bad weather, vacations, etc.) and there are only one or two brothers left, there is no reason a remembrance meeting need necessarily last a whole hour. It need not be more than the giving of thanks for the bread and wine and perhaps a hymn or two_of course, all according to the Spirit’s leading. Even when several brothers are present, allowance must be given to the Spirit to close the meeting early, perhaps to allow the assembly the final few minutes to silently meditate upon the thoughts already expressed.
In the case of an assembly meeting for ministry of the Word, the length of the meeting is defined in part by the number of prophets_that is, those who read and/or expound the Scriptures_who have spoken. "Let the prophets speak two or three" (1 Cor. 14:29). No doubt this restriction, imposed by the all-wise God, takes account of man’s inability to take in and retain more than a few main ideas in a single sitting. Even after the third speaker has sat down, allowance should still be given to the Holy Spirit to lead in additional hymns, prayers, and worship.
Conclusion
To conclude this topic, I would say that the brothers have an awesome responsibility to carry out with regard to the assembly meetings. It is not an easy thing to wait upon the Holy Spirit to lead in an assembly meeting. It is often difficult to discern the voice or prompting of the Spirit and to distinguish it from the prompting of Satan or the flesh. It is difficult to sit through long silences without doing something_anything! The sisters should not be envious of the public place given to the brothers, and should gladly support the brothers with their prayers and encouragement.
On the other hand, let us not allow the sense of this awesome responsibility, and the intense spiritual exercise required by it, to hinder us from conducting assembly meetings. A great deal of blessing and spiritual edification awaits those who desire to gather together as an assembly to wait upon the Spirit alone, letting Him draw out our prayers and praises and allowing the omniscient, all-wise God to minister to current spiritual needs of the assembly as He sees them.