Basic Word How To Meet

    HOW TO MEET

                                                WITH A PROPER LIFE IN SPIRIT

 When we consider the matter of meetings, it is very difficult to depart from the book of 1 Corinthians. Just in this one book meeting together is mentioned at least eight times. Verse 4 of chapter 5 speaks about coming together; chapter 11 refers five times (vv. 17-18, 20, 33-34) to coming together, or meeting together; and chapter 14 mentions this matter twice (vv. 23, 26). First Corinthians is not just a book which deals with gifts but a book which deals with meetings. In fact, if you read the context of this book, you will see that the apostle Paul deals with gifts just because he is dealing with the meetings. Gifts are not the main point; the meetings are. The gifts are for the meetings.

                                                DEMONSTRATING THE SPIRIT

Now I would ask you to look at some verses from this book so that you might obtain a proper understanding of the overall thought and intention of the author. Let us start with 2:2: The apostle Paul said that when he came to the Corinthians, he “did not determine to know anything...except Jesus Christ, and this One crucified.” Then in verse 4 he said, “My speech and my proclamation were not in persuasive words of wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.” Suppose a philosopher with a Ph.D. degree was speaking among us here. Immediately you could sense the mind of this man coming forth. But suppose that we had the apostle Paul here with us. I do believe you would sense that his spirit was so strong. The more he would speak, the more the Spirit would come forth from his spirit. His speech would be a demonstration of the Spirit and of power. The apostle’s speech and preaching were not from his mind with words of speculation but from his spirit with the release and exhibition of the Spirit and, hence, of power.

                                                         STRONG IN SPIRIT

Now let us look at 4:21: “What do you want? Should I come to you with a rod or in love and a spirit of meekness?” The apostle Paul did not ask, “Should I come to you in love and a clear mind?” No, but “in love and a spirit of meekness.” We must realize that the apostle undoubtedly was one who was always in the spirit—I do not mean in the Holy Spirit, but in his regenerated human spirit.

 Now let us go on to chapter 5. Have you ever been impressed with verses 3 and 4 of this chapter? These verses reveal to us how much the apostle Paul was in the spirit. “I, on my part, though being absent in the body but present in the spirit, have already judged, as if being present, him who has thus done this, in the name of our Lord Jesus, when you and my spirit have been assembled, with the power of our Lord Jesus.” It is quite interesting: when Paul was away, he still attended the meeting at Corinth. How? His spirit was there. Look at verses 4 and 5: “When you and my spirit have been assembled, with the power of our Lord Jesus, to deliver such a one to Satan.” You see, while Paul was away, while he was absent from them, he did two things: (1) he attended their meeting, and (2) he delivered to Satan the sinful one, whom the church would not deliver. Paul did these two things in his spirit. He did not say, “Brothers, you must realize that I am so concerned for you. I remember you all the time before the throne of God.” No, he said that when they came together, he was with them, in his spirit. He said, when you come together, my spirit comes with you, and at that time I do something which you would not do. He must have been so strong in his spirit.

                                              ONE WITH THE LORD IN SPIRIT

Now let us go on to chapter 7. I am so happy that we have such a chapter as this in the Bible. Let us firstly read verse 10: “To the married I charge, not I but the Lord.” What does this mean? Is this the apostle Paul commanding, or is it the Lord? The meaning is this: when I command, the Lord commands with me; the Lord commands in my commanding. Do you think that if Paul commanded by the exercise of his mind or emotion he could say, “Not I but the Lord”? It must be that he commanded in the spirit. “He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit” (6:17). He was one with the Lord in his spirit; so when he commanded in his spirit, he could say, “Not I but the Lord.” When I command in my spirit, the Lord commands with me, for I am one spirit with the Lord.

Now let us read 7:12: “To the rest I say, I, not the Lord.” If I were there, I would say, “Brother Paul, if it is not the Lord who is speaking, you should not speak.” But Paul said clearly and definitely, “I say, I, not the Lord.” Would you dare to say this? Would you dare to say, “I am going to speak something to you, not the Lord.” Paul makes it clear that the word he is about to speak is not spoken by the Lord, but by himself. But I would ask you, do you take the word which he goes on to speak as of Paul or as of the Lord? I believe you take that word as of the Lord, and I do too.ut I am one with the Lord; so whatever my opinion is must be the Lord’s opinion too.” If this one chapter was not in the Bible, and what we are saying here was something of our speaking, all Christianity would rise up and accuse us of heresy. They would say, “If you do not have the commandment of the Lord, you must wait till you have the inspiration.”  But here is a man who tells us clearly that he does not have the

Let us go on to verse 25. “Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord, but I give my opinion.” Paul had no commandment of the Lord, yet he gave his opinion “as one who has been shown mercy by the Lord to be faithful.” He was saying in effect, “I do not have the commandment of the Lord, but I have an opinion as one who has been shown mercy by the Lord to be faithful. So within my opinion, there must be something of the Lord’s opinion. I have no commandment from the Lord, but I am one with the Lord; so whatever my opinion is must be the Lord’s opinion too.” If this one chapter was not in the Bible, and what we are saying here was something of our speaking, all Christianity would rise up and accuse us of heresy. They would say, “If you do not have the commandment of the Lord, you must wait till you have the inspiration.”  But here is a man who tells us clearly that he does not have the commandment of the Lord, yet he speaks. What kind of teaching is this.

                                                       TRUE SPIRITUALITY

Let us go on now to verse 40: “She is more blessed if she so remains, according to my opinion; but I think that I also have the Spirit of God.” This means that Paul not only had an opinion, but he also had the Spirit of God. But notice that he said, “I think that I also have the Spirit of God.” He did not say that he was certain he had the Spirit of God. If the apostle Paul were here, I would check with him: “Paul, tell me, do you have the Spirit of God or not?” The apostle Paul did prophesy in this chapter, and at the end of this long prophecy of forty verses, he says, “This is my opinion, and I think that I also have the Spirit of God.” Sometimes I would like to hear a brother in the meeting prophesy for fifteen minutes and at the conclusion say, “Suppose that I stand up to speak, and after speaking, a brother asks whether or not I am in the Spirit. If I answer, “Yes, brother, I am in the Spirit,” be assured that I am not in the Spirit. But if I answer, “Brother, I dare not say that I am in the Spirit—I just feel that I must utter something; it may only be my opinion, but I think I have at least a little of the Spirit of God,” I tell you, if I could answer in this way, I am a real and spiritual prophet. What is involved here is the principle of incarnation. While Jesus was on this earth, He acted as a human being: He was so human, yet God was with Him, God was in Him, God was one with Him. The same principle of incarnation has been applied to us. Christ has been incarnated into all of us: He dwells in our spirit, and we are one spirit with Him. It is rather difficult for me to tell you whether it is only I who am speaking, or that when I am speaking it is also He speaking in me. I have no assurance whether I am speaking in the Spirit; yet as one who has been shown mercy by the Lord to be faithful, I have confidence that He is one with me so that when I speak, it may be that He speaks too. This is real spirituality.

SOWING SPIRITUAL THINGS

Now go back to 9:11: “If we have sown to you the spiritual things...” This word spiritual things is the same word used in 12:1 and 14:1 for “spiritual gifts.” The apostle Paul is saying that he has sown something spiritual. What was it? Spiritual gifts? Spiritual knowledge? We must realize that the spiritual thing sown by the apostle Paul was Christ. Why? Because according to 2:2, the apostle said that he did not determine to know anything among them except Christ. This proves that what the apostle sowed was none other than Christ.