Combined bread-breaking meeting on September 30 (Lord's Day), 9:30. a.m. at hall 1. ... to have a spiritual atmosphere f
The gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole inhabited earth for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come
Sep 23, 2018
Announcement Items 1. Combined bread-breaking meeting on September 30 (Lord's Day), 9:30 a.m. at hall 1. 2. Combined prayer meeting on October 2 (Tuesday), 8:00 p.m. at hall 1 3. Pursuit for this week: Line 1 - HWMR Week 15- Hebrews as an Exposition of Leviticus Line 2 - Bible-reading The Gospel of Luke, chapter 3 Life-study of Luke, message 7, 8, 9 4. Video training on the Crystallization-study of Leviticus (part 2) at hall 1 Because of typhoon, the session last September 15 (Saturday) was cancelled. The adjusted schedule is as follows: Message 4, 5 TODAY, 5:00-9:00 p.m. Message 6 September 29 (Saturday), 7:30 p.m. Message 7, 8. September 30 (Lord's Day), 5:00-9:00 p.m. Note: 1. This training is also being conducted in other halls and districts. 2. There will be no PSRP meeting for the duration of the video training. 5. District coordinators' meeting on October 14 (Lord's Day), 6:30 p.m. at hall 3.
6. Perfecting Training for Elders and Responsible Ones (PTERO) Date: October 26 (Friday) to 28 (Lord's Day) Venue: Grand Convention Center of Cebu 7. Young people's stay-in video training Date: October 31 (Wednesday) to November 3 (Saturday) Venue: hall 1 Registration fee: Php 400 Registration deadline: October 21 (Lord's Day)
Prayer items 1. For the video trainings that the training atmosphere may be uplifted that the Lord's up-to-date speaking may grow and be prevailing 2. For the various needs in the construction of hall 2 to be met in a timely way. 3. For the more than 300 trainees in the 64th term of the Full-time Training in Malabon that they may be perfected in the aspects of life, truth, character, and service that they may become healthy, functioning members of the Body of Christ 4. For the Lord's speaking and the brothers' blending in the PTERO. 5. For the unhindered advancement of Lord's move outside the Philippines (Germany, Asia, Papua New Guinea, Africa, the Middle East).
SMALL GROUP GATHERINGS BEING IN THE NATURE OF HOME NURTURING Small group gatherings are in the nature of home nurturing. The number of people who can gather in a home is usually not very large, and it is always sweet to get together. Therefore, we have a burden to establish the small group gatherings. We should learn from the Lord’s way and have a maximum of twelve in a group. When there are more than twelve in a group, they should be divided into two groups. Since the number of people in a small group gathering is small, the nature of the meeting should be to nurture the saints. Rather than emphasizing the truth, the focus should be on nourishing, fellowshipping, shepherding, supporting, caring, and bearing one another. Both educational and nurturing meetings are necessary.
Small Groups for Nourishing The Bread-breaking Meeting The small group gatherings are related to the aspect of nurturing in the homes. Acts 2:42 speaks of “the breaking of bread” and “prayers,” and verse 46 says that the believers practiced “breaking bread from house to house.” This clearly shows that the bread-breaking meetings can be held in our homes. Thus, we would like to practice the breaking of bread in small groups in our homes. This is something worth our study and consideration. If there are only seven or eight who meet regularly in a small group, it will not be very easy to have a spiritual atmosphere for the breaking of bread. Therefore, we should consider combining four or five small groups in the same neighborhood for the breaking of bread. A combined gathering would have about twenty to thirty people, and it would not be too difficult to hold the meeting in a saint’s living room. Based on our experience of many years, however, we also realize that the saints will lack an opportunity to meet other saints if we break bread in small groups throughout the year. After much consideration, we feel that we should have a joint meeting to break the bread in each of the district meeting halls on the first Lord’s Day of every month. This will give the saints a chance to meet each other and to have an enlarged fellowship once a month. The breaking of bread can be on both a smaller scale in the small group gatherings and on a larger scale in the district halls. Furthermore, the atmosphere of a Lord’s table meeting with twenty to thirty people cannot be
compared to the rich and uplifted atmosphere of a larger meeting of the saints. Prayer Meetings Regarding prayer meetings, the church cannot be without prayer. The prayer meetings should be held in small groups, just like the Lord’s table meetings. They should be held in small groups throughout the year so that people will not have to go to the meeting halls. According to the Bible, every local church needs four kinds of meetings. First, the church needs a meeting to supply life by releasing the truth. Second, there is a need for a meeting to teach the truth by expounding the Scriptures. Third, we need to meet to break bread to remember the Lord and to worship the Father. Fourth, we need to meet to pray, telling God of our needs and praying to execute His will on the earth. These four meetings are indispensable. Small Group Gatherings and Preaching the Gospel in the Homes A small group should gather once a week in the homes, and we also need to preach the gospel in our homes. Strictly speaking, every brother and sister, whether strong or weak, progressing or backsliding, should preach the gospel in their home. We should keep the principle of preaching the gospel in our own homes and not ask others to preach for us. We all know that the best-tasting rice is the rice that we have cooked for ourselves. Even if we do not know how to “cook,” it only takes a little practice. Therefore, we encourage the brothers and sisters to open their homes. Every household should preach the gospel. Sometimes the wife can preach the gospel, the husband can give a testimony, and the children can strengthen the words of their parents. Sometimes the children can preach the gospel, the mother can give a testimony, and the father can strengthen the words of the children and the mother. It is very meaningful when the whole family rises up and preaches the gospel. Some recently recovered saints, who used to be unwilling to meet, are taking the lead in this kind of family gospel meeting. In addition to the aforementioned meetings, we suggest having a small group gathering every other week and a family gospel meeting in the intervening weeks. In this way we will have five kinds of meetings.
(Crucial Words of Leading in the Lord's Recovery, Book 4: The Increase and Spread of the Church, ch8, pp 121-125)
