We will continue reading The Advance of the Lord’s Recovery Today for the churches in Anaheim, Cypress, and Orange. Detailed information including the full reading schedule is available at churchinanaheim.org/gowreading/.
This week we will be reading The Advance of the Lord’s Recovery Today, Chapter 9. This book is available for purchase from Living Stream Ministry. You can also read it online at ministrybooks.org.
In The Advance of the Lord’s Recovery Today Chapter 9 there is particular and detailed fellowship concerning the group gatherings. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider for inciting to love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the custom with some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day drawing near.” These verses do not refer to big meetings, but to group meetings, in which we can consider one another and exhort one another, inciting one another to love and good works. The group meetings occupy about eighty percent of the practical church life. If there are no group meetings in our local church, our church life cannot be that practical, strong, and living.
The living contents of the groups meetings should be full of the riches of Christ, and they should be composed of four basic factors—the Word, the Spirit, praying, and singing. In the group meetings there is also learning and teaching the truth and the experience of life mutually. Concerning the teaching of truth in mutuality, everyone has an equal opportunity to speak, to fellowship, to ask questions, and to answer others’ questions. Eventually, all these short answers added together equal a complete teaching of a certain truth. Therefore, year-round many truths will be spontaneously covered. The group meetings are also for us to participate in the fellowship, interceding, and mutual care with the saints. Among the members of a group meeting there will be thorough, loving, and mutual shepherding.
The saints need to be perfected by the gifts. Paul cherished the Thessalonians as a nursing mother and entreated and consoled them as a father. Paul told the Ephesian elders to remember how he had labored among them for three years, day and night, doing much to perfect the saints publicly and from house to house. If the co-workers work as Paul worked, the saints will be properly raised up through their instruction, teaching, charge, warning, and admonishing. Then the church life will be strong.
Quote on p. 166, “The truths which I have fellowshipped in this book have to get into us. These points are very new, so we must get into them and practice them. Then we will enjoy Christ, experience Christ, and gain Christ more and more. As a result, we will have the growth in Christ for the building up of the organic Body of Christ.”
Week 32: January 20th through January 26th
If you have any questions or comments contact us at: gowreading@gmail.com.