God is Spirit (Jn 4:24). He exists in a realm which is not
physical. It is a “place” which is outside of space and time.
It is a spiritual dimension. Since His resurrection from the
grave and His coming in the Holy Spirit (Jn 14:28), Jesus
too lives in this spiritual sphere. Although He is certainly
present in this world right now, His presence among us
and within us is not physical, but spiritual.
Furthermore, we too, after we are born again, become
spiritual creatures (Jn 3:6). Having been “born of the
Spirit” we have entered into this new realm which is not
earthly or physical, but spiritual. This spiritual “place” is
somewhere where a believer can go and in which they can
live. Since we have this new spiritual capacity, we can enter
the sphere where God is and have contact and communion
with Him.
If we wish to experience the presence of God, we must
enter into this spiritual realm where He is. Although God
can be observed in His creation and by His visible acts,
including miracles, healings, etc., He cannot be actually
known personally except in this spiritual dimension. For
example, the children of Israel saw God’s “acts” since they
witnessed them during their exit from Egypt and their
journeys through the wilderness. Through these signs,
they learned a little bit about God. But Moses was privileged
to know Him intimately. He knew His “ways” since
he spent time in God’s presence (Ps 103:7). We read that the
Lord spoke to Moses “face to face, as a man speaks to his
friend” (Ex 33:11).
The realm of the “Spirit” is the only place where God
is knowable. There is a great tendency among human
beings to think that He can be found through some series
of formulas, teachings or practices. Others imagine that He
can be found in some kind of cathedral, temple or religious
building. Yet, this is not true. Jesus Himself explained this
to the woman He encountered at Jacob’s well (Jn 4:21-24).
She wondered about the correct location to worship. In her
mind she was perplexed about which physical place or
doctrinal position was proper to please the Most High.
But Jesus told her that a change had taken place. A
new era had dawned. Through the work of Christ, human
beings were no longer confined to the physical plane but
would, and in fact should, contact God in a new way and
in a new position. From now on, true worshippers must
worship God “in spirit and truth.”
Jesus explained that the presence of God cannot be
found anymore in “Jerusalem” or on “this mountain.” This
means that today entering into the spirit is not a question
of location, practice, doctrine, creed or artifice. Entering
into the spirit does not depend upon being in a certain
place (a religious building for example) or upon where we
stand concerning a series of Bible doctrines. Being in the
spirit is a question of actually entering into the presence of
God which is in the Spirit.
Being “in the spirit” does not signify that we have
some special kind of emotional experience. It does not
mean that we are overcome by ecstasy, joy or physical sensation.
It is not a result of working up some kind of feeling
by loud singing, dancing, clapping, shouting, etc. Instead it
means that we are entering the presence of God in our spirit.
It means that we are in spiritual communion with Jesus.
Although God can and sometimes does give us pleasant
emotions when we are in His presence which we might
begin to associate with this experience, such feelings are
not a dependable sign that we have arrived. They are not
what we should seek.
Being “in the spirit” does not signify that we are in a
certain mood or that we are being carried along with the
emotion of a particular situation or event. It does not mean
that our feelings are aroused or that we are somehow stimulated
by our surroundings or by being together with a
group. It does not imply that we are simply in harmony
with others around us or with our environment. Being in
the spirit simply means that, due to our openness to Jesus,
we have entered into the realm where He is and are in communion
with Him. This experience may or may not come
with any specific sensations or feelings.
Being “in the spirit” also is not a rational, logical, intellectual
phenomenon. It does not depend upon our being
“right” about many things. To arrive at this experience,
does not require that we study, memorize and analyze various
doctrines and Bible passages. It does not depend upon
our understanding. Although, when we are in the spirit,
God does speak to us and we may receive much enlightenment
in our mind, entering into His presence is not a mental
exercise.
The key to being able to enter into the presence of God
and remain in His presence is that our hearts and lives are
yielded completely to Him. Instead of our mind and emotions,
our will is the important ingredient here. When our
entire being is submitted to the control of the Holy Spirit,
when our soul and body are His, when we do not have
secret barriers, resistances, fears and sins, then we can easily
and frequently enter into the Spirit. We can live in God’s
presence.
As we come to a place in our Christian experience
where we have given our entire life completely to Jesus,
walking in the spirit becomes easier. When we are confident
of God’s love for us and so entrust ourselves totally to
His leadership and care, when our faith is such that we are
ready for Him to do anything He wishes within us and
through us, then entering into and living in the Spirit is
easy and natural. Unless and until every believer arrives at
a point of complete submission of their will to Jesus, they
will have trouble entering into and remaining in the presence
of God.
So we understand that there is a specific “realm” or
sphere in which God dwells and into which we can enter
and even live. This is like a kind of “fourth dimension.” It
is the place the Bible calls being “in the Spirit” (Rm 8:9).
This is where the reality of God is and where God becomes
real to us.
We will not have space to examine in great detail what
it means to be “in the spirit” in this volume. Therefore, I
would like to again encourage any readers who are unsure
about what this signifies to read my previous book entitled
From Glory to Glory, especially the section about the dividing
of the soul and the spirit. There you will find two entire
chapters devoted to this important subject.

THE EXPERIENCE OF THE CHURCH

All of this has a very real application to our present
topic: the experience of the church. The church too is a spiritual
being. She also exists in the spiritual plane or realm.
Although there is a physical manifestation of the church in
the tangible world in which we live, the reality of, or the
experience of the church is only in the Holy Spirit.
Yes, since believers have physical bodies, the church
does appear in the natural world. What her members say
and do has an effect here on this earth. But the source of
her life and inspiration is spiritual. In essence she truly
belongs to another realm. The natural part of her that
appears physically today, i.e. the natural bodies of the
members, will soon pass away and be replaced with a spiritual
one with corresponds to her true nature.
Therefore, in order to be of value in God’s kingdom,
all the words and actions of this spiritual being must originate
in the Spirit. The source of her speaking and doing
must emanate from the presence of her invisible Head.
Anything which has its origin in the natural, earthly realm
is of no value in promoting the eternal purposes of God.
Only that which springs from her communion with Jesus
in the spirit will stand the test of judgment Day.

THE CORPORATE EXPERIENCE

As we have been discussing, it is possible and even
necessary for every believer to know, enter into and even
live in the Spirit. But even more than that, it is possible for
believers to enter into the Spirit together. When two or
more Christians enter into the presence of God collectively,
then this is the experience of genuine church (Mt 18:20).
This is the substance of what the true church is. When
believers succeed in opening their hearts to God when they
are with one another, they can enter into His presence corporately.
They can be “raised...up together and made...[to]
sit together in the heavenly places” (Eph 2:6).
This fact is critical. The only place where the reality of
Christ is, is in the spirit. So too, the only place where we
can know the reality of His bride, the church, is also in the
spirit. This reality is simply not found in any other place.
Those who are in the spirit are being guided by and
filled with the Holy Spirit. It is this leadership and sustenance
which produces the church. This is the essence of the
one true church.
It might be that some Christians are meeting together.
They might sing songs. Perhaps they pray and preach. It is
possible that they have some kinds of “ministries,” such as
outreaches to the poor, youth groups, a choir or any number
of other activities which are frequently associated with
“a church.” But if these things are not the result of the guidance
of the Holy Spirit, if they are not being sustained by
the real presence of God, if they are not truly an expression
of the Divine Life, then they are not really church. They are
only a human imitation.
I do not mean to offend anyone by saying this. It is
only that I have a yearning within me for all of God’s children
to experience His fullness. It is so important for every
believer to know both the reality of God’s presence and the
wonderful experience of the true church. To know this, we
must know where to look. We must know how to arrive at
the destination which we are seeking. We must enter into
the Holy Spirit, into the very presence of God together.
Today, there are many, many merely human substitutes.
There is so much which is being done in Jesus’ name
which seems good. There is a great plethora of Christian
activity which is being hailed as “a work of God.” So many
of these things may appear to be “scriptural” from an
earthly point of view. They may seem to be right and good.
Yet literally millions of believers all over the world are
walking away from their “Sunday morning services”
unsatisfied. Their spirits have not been truly nourished.
While the leadership and even those around them might
proclaim that this is the will of God, countless numbers of
believers are still going hungry and thirsty for more of the
reality of Christ.
This is simply because they are looking in the wrong
place. They are seeking the solution in the wrong realm.
They go from church to church, ministry to ministry, looking
for a “church home” – somewhere that makes them
feel right and satisfied. But the solution to this is not in a
new place, a new preacher or a new practice or creed. The
answer is in the spirit. The realization of their desires is in
this other dimension: the very presence of God Himself.
How much believers need to learn to live and walk in
the spirit! What a great necessity there is today for believers
to apprehend how to enter into the presence of God
together! How enormous is the urgency for Christians to
know how to meet together, being led by and filled with
the Holy Spirit! We must enter into the spirit when we are
together so that we can experience the reality of the church.
When we are in Him, and only when we are in Him,
will we be satisfied. This is because all that He is is only
available to us, individually and corporately, when we are
in this invisible, spiritual dimension.
Such a corporate or “together” entrance into the Holy
Spirit can be effected by two or three believers. For exam-
ple, whenever we are with other Christians and all are
walking in the spirit, there will be the sweetness of spiritual
communion. Spontaneously, we will be sharing with the
others what we have been seeing, hearing and knowing
about our God.
This is almost automatic. When the others are open to
the Lord and we are also, this flow of life from one to
another is natural and instinctive. No one has to organize
anything. Such things do not need to be pre-planned.
When we are walking in the flow of Divine Life, when others
around us are also open to this same flow, spiritual
communion with them is spontaneous.
When two or three are together, they can pray, they
can sing, they can share the wonderful things which God
has done for them, they can minister their portion of Jesus
to the others. Such spiritual encounters can happen any
place and at any time. The only requirement is that the participants
be in the Holy Spirit.
On the other hand, it is possible and even common for
believers to get together and never enter this realm. They
might eat a meal together, play some sports and even
engage in interesting conversation. They may even sing,
pray and listen to some discourse about a biblical subject.
But if they fail to enter into the presence of God together,
all this has no eternal value. They have not experienced the
one true church. This failure is because they remained in
the natural, physical, soulish realm. They did not succeed
in entering into the Holy Spirit.

JESUS CAN LEAD OUR MEETINGS

One important key to enjoying spiritual meetings
when we gather with a group of Christians is that Jesus can
lead our meetings. He can actually conduct our corporate
activities just as a conductor might direct a symphony
orchestra. This experience is not meant to be something
which happens once in a while, but something which
should be a normal and constant part of our church experience.
When we and others with whom we are meeting are
in the presence of God, we can sense His directions. In the
Spirit, we discern when He wishes us to speak, sing, pray
or even to be quiet. In our spirit we realize what it is that
Jesus is doing and saying at any particular time. In this
way, we can flow along with what He is wanting, harmonizing
with the will of God moment by moment.
Such direction by Jesus in our Christian gatherings is
essential. Without it, we are only left with human guidance.
When we fail to enter into the spiritual dimension
and discern the authority and leadership of the Holy Spirit,
we can only employ natural techniques to conduct our
meetings. Although we might seem to approximate the
spiritual reality, such church experiences are ultimately
unsatisfying and useless. Truly, “the flesh profits nothing”
(Jn 6:63).
Today, Jesus is invisible yet He is very real. Although
He is intangible in the natural, physical realm, He is abundantly
perceptible when we enter into the Spirit. When He
does come to our Christian gatherings, He does not come
to watch or to be entertained. Neither is He intending to sit
in the “back pew” to make sure we are doing things correctly.
Instead, He comes into our midst as our Leader and
King. He comes not to watch but to lead. His role is not to
observe, but to guide and direct everything.
When we succeed in entering into His presence and
thus allow Him to fulfill His role in our midst, these meetings
will be extremely satisfying. He knows the need of
every member. He understands how to minister to every
heart. So, when He is the leader, He can inspire someone or
other to speak, pray, prophecy or even sing to minister to
these needs. Probably He has prepared these people
beforehand to fulfill this very task.
Only God knows what is in every soul. Only He
understands the aches, the needs, or even the joys which
are there. Therefore, when He is orchestrating all that is
said and done, true spiritual ministry is effected. Human
needs of every variety are truly being met. This truth
applies to our worshipping and/or singing as well as to
any preaching, teaching or other ministry which occurs.
For example, each one can have a psalm, hymn or song.
When a person is inspired by the Spirit to suggest a song
or to begin singing, then singing it will be an anointed,
spiritual experience. It will be a blessing to all. It will be
something which Jesus has chosen, with words which will
meet some needs and an anointing which will uplift every
spirit.
We read: “How is it then, brethren? Whenever you
come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has
a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all
things be done for edification” (I Cor 14:26).
If, on the other hand, people merely call out their
favorite tune or someone selects everything in advance, the
opportunity for Jesus to lead is diminished. Consequently,
the blessing also becomes less or even nonexistent. The
more we can succeed in allowing Jesus to lead us when we
meet, the more blessed and uplifted our experience will be.
The same thing is true concerning any preaching or
teaching. No one should be dominating every meeting
with their eloquence and gift. There must be room for all to
have a chance to contribute. We read: “For you can all
prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be
encouraged” (I Cor 14:31). The word “prophesy” here
means “to speak for God,” which can include preaching
and teaching as well as ministering “prophetically.”
No one man has all revelation. No one besides Jesus
Christ has all the gifts and ministries. God has designed
the body so that members are dependent upon one another.
The portion of every member is required so that the
whole can be edified. Therefore, when two or three or even
more are together in the presence of the Lord, there should
be opportunity for each one, guided by the Holy Spirit, to
minister their portion of Jesus with the rest.
As the Spirit of Jesus moves among the members of
His body, He will lead one or the other to minister according
to his or her gift, ministry or revelation. Following the
direction of the Holy Spirit, each “joint” of supply (Eph
4:16) can be used to edify the others.
Here there should be no confusion. Everything should
occur “decently and in order” (I Cor 14:40). Since there is
one Head which is directing the activities of the various
members, a divine harmony is seen. When Jesus is the
author, then there is a supernatural synchronization of
everything which occurs. Although the Director is invisible,
when all the members enter into the spiritual realm
where He is, then everything is done in an orderly manner.

THE LOCUSTS HAVE NO KING

There is an interesting verse in Proverbs which speaks
to this subject. We read: “The locusts have no king, yet they
all advance in ranks” (Pr 30:27). These swarms of insects
have no visible leader, but they move together in harmony
as if they did. There is some invisible impulse which is
guiding them. In the same way, the Leader of the body of
Christ is not seen by human eyes today. But, if and when
the members of His body move and minister following the
leading of His Spirit, and they are tuned in to His authority,
then there is a wonderful harmony seen. There is nothing
contradictory or discordant. There is no need for
believers to be competing to be seen or heard.
We are taught that each one can “prophesy” or contribute
their portion. “But if anything is revealed to another
who sits by, let the first keep silent” (I Cor 14:30). You
see, when the Spirit of God is leading a meeting, then
everyone must be sensitive to His every direction. No one
can dominate the others, using the time for only their revelation
and ministry, but always must be ready to yield to
someone else who takes up the thread of the revelation
which God is giving and contributes his portion also.
There is no need for human organization. There is no
requirement to plan and program everything in advance.
There is no necessity for someone or some group of men to
try to control the rest. In fact, such efforts will be shown on
judgment day to have been a great hindrance to God’s
work. Jesus is infinitely capable of leading His church in
her meetings. It is only essential for every member to learn
to enter into and be led by the Holy Spirit. It is necessary
for each one to be moved by God’s eternal Life. When the
members are directed by the one Head, then all their movements
and ministries are in harmony with each other.
A person who is moved by the Spirit in a gathering of
believers should minister or speak “as the oracles of God”
(I Pet 4:11). They should be careful, according to their spiritual
maturity, not to include any fleshly opinions, ideas or
directions. They should only minister according to the proportion
of their faith (Rm 12:6). Further, they should be vigilant
not to continue on talking or singing when the Holy
Spirit has already moved on.
It is very common for someone, when they feel the
attention of the group upon them, to become enamored
with a feeling of importance. It is easy for the flesh to be
stimulated when we are used by God. Consequently, it is
not infrequent for different members of the body to go
beyond what God wishes to say and continue rambling on,
enjoying the limelight. This is detrimental to all.
On the other hand, sometimes it is hard for a more
timid member to say anything. Perhaps he or she is naturally
disposed to be reticent or shy. Such members need to
be encouraged to contribute what they feel the Lord is giving
them. They need to be taught that their part, be it ever
so small, is something of value to all.
If and when the stronger members of the body dominate
any and all gatherings with their gifts and ministries,
it is almost impossible for the weaker ones to grow in sharing
their portions. Therefore, the stronger ones should be
very sensitive to give the weaker members an opportunity
to function in the meetings.

BUT SOME ARE BLESSED IN OTHER PLACES

Some Christians will no doubt dispute the necessity to
meet in the manner which we have been describing. They
may argue that they and others have certainly been blessed
and received ministry in meetings which were structured
and organized. Perhaps a “one man ministry” situation has
brought them some spiritual benefit. These meetings did
not match the “body” experience which we have been
describing, yet they were beneficial.
In no way would I dispute such an assertion. God certainly
is not confined to any particular way or formula. The
“way” we meet is not the key. In many locations where
believers get together, there is, from time to time, some
opening for the Holy Spirit to work and move. We are not
insisting that unless things are done according to a certain
pattern, God will not be present. On the contrary, He will
work in and through the organizations of man as much as
He can. Since He loves all of His people, He will use every
opening and opportunity which presents itself to edify
them.
Of course, we must insist upon the truth that all ministry
of any eternal value is done in the Spirit. But it is true
that sometimes, in various circumstances, “organized”
groups of Christians do succeed in entering. To some
degree or another, they manage to allow the Lord to lead
them. Perhaps the pastor or preacher has received a message
from God. Possibly the leaders of the worship know
how to flow along with the Holy Spirit. These and other
situations can provide some amount of spiritual ministry.
The following truth is extremely important: To the degree
that any group of Christians succeeds in entering the presence
of God together, to that degree they experience the
one true church. To the extent that they manage to submit
to the leadership of Jesus together, to that extent they will
know the spiritual reality of His presence. If and when
someone is ministering something which they received
from God and following His guidance, the others will be
benefitted. Any gathering of believers, anywhere, can enter
into and know these blessings.
What we are seeking here, however, is how to maximize
this experience. Instead of these blessings being sporadic
and unpredictable, we want to know them all the
time. In the place of merely stumbling occasionally into
God’s presence, perhaps not knowing how we got in or
why we stepped out, we need to understand how to enjoy
this continually. We wish to maximize our experience of
the Holy Spirit.
In order to accomplish this, one thing we must do is to
remove all the hindrances. Any merely human obstacles
must be discarded. For example, human organization will
surely limit the ability of Jesus to lead. Pre-planned, formulated
“worship” will inhibit this also. The dominating of
the meetings by one man and ministry, no matter how
anointed he may be, will at best be only a very partial manifestation
of the body of Christ. All the merely traditional,
religious props which might substitute for, or interfere
with, the true reality of Jesus’ presence must go! In this
way, we can open up the opportunity for our true Head to
take His place among us.

REMOVING OBSTACLES NOT ENOUGH

Nevertheless, we are not insisting that merely removing
obstacles will be sufficient. Much more than this is
involved. We must also succeed in entering into the presence
of God. We must actually be in the Spirit. We must
truly submit to the leadership of Jesus. If we do not, then
simply meeting together in an informal manner, without
all sorts of religious props and formulas, will not benefit
us. Jesus is not attracted to some kind of “anti-religious”
stand which we might take.
Here too, we will encounter a question of how much a
group actually does enter into the Spirit. This will depend
upon the individuals involved. It will vary according to the
spiritual state of the participants. If these believers are
walking with Jesus, if they are obeying Him in their daily
lives, if they have no barriers and hindrances to His
authority, then their corporate experience will be wonderfully
enhanced.
But, if and when the participants do not enjoy a genuinely
spiritual walk, if the members are soulish, self-centered,
stubborn, proud and resistant to God, then the gatherings
will also suffer because of this lack. Merely “meeting
in homes” or “coming out of dead religion” will not
compensate for this deficiency. Once again, I would like to
repeat: to the degree any gathering of believers succeeds in
entering the presence of Jesus and discerning His leadership,
to that degree they will be blessed with the experience
of the one true church. Conversely, to the degree that
they fail to enter in and miss the leadership of their Head,
their church experience will suffer.
Through approximately thirty years of witnessing
“home church” and other sorts of informal gatherings, we
have enjoyed many wonderful experiences. We have been
privileged to know many meetings which were led by and
filled with the Holy Spirit. These God-filled meetings have
given us a burning desire to have even more and for others
also to enjoy this blessing. It has given us a taste of the genuine
house of God.
Yet, through the years, we have also seen many
“home” meetings which were devoid of the presence of
God. They weren’t stiff, religious and formal, but they
weren’t blessed either. While the participants had perhaps
succeeded in coming out of what they termed “the religious
system” this seems to be as far as they got. They had
not managed to come into anything more valid and real.
In many of these cases I suspect that the cause of the
deficiency was that the individual members were not truly
submitted to Jesus in their daily lives. They did not know
how to, and so were not walking in the spirit, day by day.
Perhaps they prided themselves that they had escaped
some kind of ineffective, formal religion, but they failed to
enter in to the spiritual realm, the Spirit, where the reality
of the one true church is. Perhaps they had left Egypt, but
they had never crossed over the Jordan and entered into
the promised land.

ANOTHER ARGUMENT

Perhaps some may argue that many, if not most
Christians are not mature enough to meet without human
structure. They may assert that a majority of believers do
not know how to enter into and live in the spirit, let alone
meet together in this way. Therefore, they conclude that
such spiritual meetings will not work. They believe that
man must take a hand in these things and provide some
structure and organization.
It is unfortunately true that many believers are not
spiritual people. Only a few succeed in entering into the
Spirit frequently and even fewer live in this spiritual state.
But there is a good solution for this. Instead of providing a
human, superficial structure to compensate for the problem,
we must seek God for how to resolve the lack. We
must be able to lead others into a relationship with Jesus
Christ which is truly spiritual.
Those who know the secrets of a genuinely spiritual
life, must hear from God about how to minister this reality
to others. They must pray, seeking the face of the Lord, to
have an anointing and the necessary wisdom to lead others
into the presence of God also. They need to become servants
of these others, showing them through their words
and actions a “more excellent way.”
One of the best ways to teach someone something is
by showing them an example. In English there is an expression:
“A picture is worth a thousand words.” If a group of
believers, be it large or small, can begin to enjoy the kind of
truly spiritual worship we have been describing, then others
visiting the meeting can see for themselves how such a
thing could work. They can witness firsthand the possibility
of the Head leading His body. Such a dramatic witness
is much more powerful than a book full of teaching.
It should make a tremendous impression on us that
God, our Father, is seeking such spiritual worship. He is
actually looking diligently for men and women who will
worship Him in this way which we have described. We
read: “...for the Father is seeking such to worship Him” (Jn
4:23).
If this is something which is important to Him, if this
is something which is on His heart, then shouldn’t we too
be seeking it? Should not we also devote our time and
attention or even our lives and ministry to this end? If
something is important to God, is it not reasonable that it
should be important to us also? No doubt the answer must
be a resounding “Yes!”

MATURITY BRINGS RESPONSIBILITY

It is only natural that in any gathering of believers
there will be a difference in the level of spiritual growth
among them. There will be those who are more mature and
those who have little spiritual maturity. While they are
meeting together, there will those who are more sensitive
to the leading of the Holy Spirit and those who have less
discernment. One consequence of this is that mistakes will
be made. Once in a while, someone will miss the guidance
of God. They may speak from their own heart or experience
and not be led by the Spirit.
This then is where those who have more maturity
have a part to play. Those who have true maturity and
keen spiritual discernment must know how to keep the
meetings on the Holy Spirit track. When someone goes
astray and begins taking up a lot of time with something
which is not flowing from heaven, they must gently, with
much love and kindness, guide the process back into the
Spirit. Their responsibility before God is to exercise a sort
of “oversight,” a kind of spiritual watchfulness so that the
authority of Jesus will be maintained.
I am not saying that these more mature believers have
their own authority. They are not to be in control of the
meetings. Yet there are always some who are more sensitive
to the Holy Spirit than others who do not have the
same growth in Life. It is essential that the authority of the
Head be maintained. When it is not, then the entire meeting
will descend from the heavens to the earth, from the
spiritual to the natural. So those who have this maturity
become responsible to help guide those who may not possess
equal discernment to stay in the Spirit.
For example: let us suppose someone new comes into
a meeting. Perhaps they have no clue about only following
the leading of the Holy Spirit. So, at an opportune moment,
they begin to speak. Perhaps they give their testimony or
some other thing. It is good that they have an opportunity.
No one should be cut off quickly. But if someone begins to
wander endlessly around some subject which is not
springing from the Holy Spirit and therefore is not edifying
to all, this must not be allowed to continue. The authority
of the Holy Spirit must be maintained if we are to enjoy
truly spiritual meetings.
So, someone with discernment can, in a natural and
inoffensive manner, turn the direction of the meeting back
to the Spirit. Occasionally, they might need to say something
like: “I believe that we have missed where the Lord
would have us be at this moment. Let us pray together and
try to see what God would say or do now.” Jesus can show
them how to, in a kind and gentle way, bring the meeting
back to His direction. Often a simple word or prayer, not
necessarily directed at the offender, might be sufficient.
Of course, we will never have perfect meetings. We
will always make mistakes. No one is perfectly mature and
attuned to the Holy Spirit. But this is not fatal. This does
not need to be a huge problem. We do not need to be
extremely worried about this.
Our goal is to allow our Head to have as much leadership
as is possible, given our particular spiritual growth
and situation. If and when we make mistakes, our Lord
understands this. He is aware of our weaknesses. The next
time we are together with other believers, we will have
another wonderful opportunity to seek His face again.
Another fact of which we should be aware is that often
meetings will be different from each other. Probably no
two will be the same. Since our Leader is a living person,
His will is always new. Perhaps in one gathering we might
spend our time praying. Another time, we might use most
of our time in worship. In another instance, perhaps the
ministry of God’s word would be emphasized. The next
time, possibly all three of these things or even something
else would be in evidence. Any meeting which falls constantly
into one pattern should be a warning to us. Those
believers need to seek God for more of His leadership
among them.
You cannot limit or predict God. He will never fit into
our little box. It is impossible to know what He will do
next. The more we are able to open up to Him and allow
Him to be our source and guide, the richer and more satisfying
our meetings and times with other believers will be.
Each time we are gathered in His name, He will be there in
our midst to guide us into what He has for us at that
moment.
By the way, to meet in Jesus’ name, does not mean that
we have His name written on the door. It does not signify
that we merely add the phrase “in Jesus’ name” after our
prayers etc. To be in Jesus’ name means that we are actually
in Him, and to be in Him means that we are in the Spirit.
If we take His name without the reality of His presence,
this is empty and vain. There is no special magic in
some words. We should never use Jesus’ name as if it were
some kind of incantation or magic spell. The power of the
gospel is the fact that Jesus rose from the dead and therefore
is present in this world today. He is the one who is
powerful and real. To be in Jesus’ name is to be in Him. It
is in Him that the true power lies.

LAMB-SIZED MEETINGS

We have spoken about the importance for every member
of the body to be able to share their portion when they
are together. Obviously, this is only possible when the
number of persons is limited. In a large crowd, it is impossible
for everyone to participate. Due to this limitation, one
brother has suggested “lamb-sized” meetings. The thought
behind this is that in the Old Testament, the Israelites were
instructed to kill a passover lamb. If their family was too
small to eat a whole lamb, they were to join together with
someone else. That way they got enough people to consume
the whole lamb.
If and when a group of believers grows to a size where
the participation of everyone is no longer possible, they
can then split up. There is no necessity for all believers to
meet together every week. In the New Testament it seems
that the Christians utilized homes for many of their meetings
since these locations were available and convenient. A
good sized home can contain any “lamb-sized” meeting.
Some may inquire about when believers should meet.
This too should be subjected to the leading of the Holy
Spirit. If and when Christians are walking in intimacy with
Jesus, they will have a constant desire to gather with others.
They will have a spontaneous urge to be with brothers
and sisters who too love God. They will be desiring to
share what God has been doing in their lives and what He
is revealing to them. They will have a hunger to know how
the Spirit is working in the lives of the others.
If such an urgency is not in evidence, this shows that
the believers’ relationship with the Lord is also needing
attention. Simply organizing meeting dates and places will
not solve this fundamental deficiency.
When several, or even many believers are seeking this,
meetings will happen frequently. One brother might telephone
a few others, inviting them to his home. Others may
simply feel an urge to go to the house of another brother
some evening after work. Perhaps they will be surprised to
encounter others there who also sensed the same leading.
Such meetings may occur at any hour or in any place. As
we are following Jesus, He will orchestrate all of this.
In the book of Acts, we read that the converts met
daily, from house to house (Acts 2:46). These people were
enthusiastic. They had come to know the God of the universe
in a personal way. This really impacted and changed
their lives. It was important to them. It had glorious, eternal
consequences. Therefore, their desire to be with others,
receive ministry and share with the rest was insatiable.
No one was organizing these meetings. They were not
being programmed, monitored and controlled by the apostles.
These believers did not need to be urged, cajoled or
commanded to meet. Their hearts and minds were captured
by their experience with Jesus and so they met
together as often as they could. They were constantly seeking
this opportunity. Christians today must have the same
motivation.
If believers do not have this desire to be with others
frequently, this is a sign of spiritual problems. When fellowship
with others is not something for which their heart
yearns, this is evidence that their communion with Jesus is
also faulty. If being with and serving the body of Christ is
not a priority in the lives of Christians, this is proof that
their heart has been captured by other things besides the
will of God. When the cares of daily living, work, family,
entertainments, etc. overwhelm the spiritual impulse to be
together with other believers, then the “thorns,” about
which Jesus warned us, have choked His word (Lk 8:7).

LARGER GROUP MEETINGS

When and if believers feel the leading of God to meet
in larger groups, this can be a blessing. But it also brings
with it some challenges. By necessity, when a greater number
of believers meet together, only a few will be able to
directly minister. This is simply a logical fact. Yet such
meetings are not prohibited by any scripture.
However, the basic principle of everything being led
by Jesus the Head is still the same. Those who are anointed
by God to minister in worship, teaching, preaching, etc.
in such situations must still be held to this same standard.
Anyone who senses that they are led by the Spirit to use
their gifts in such a circumstance, must be careful that it is
the Lord leading them and not their own ambition and
desire to be seen and heard. Their true aim must be to serve
others and not to gain emotionally, psychologically or
financially themselves.
One example of how such things might occur is the
meetings of a Welch brother named Arthur Burt.
Periodically he holds Christian conferences around the
world. However, in his conferences, there are no invited
speakers. Anyone present who feels that they have a word
from God is allowed to speak. However, he imposes one
restriction. He says something like this to the people gathered:
“When you step up front, you have five minutes to
pump. If you don’t hit water within that time, sit down.”
Larger gatherings of believers where only a few minister
pose some tremendous, extremely serious challenges.
One of these is that there is a very strong tendency among
many believers to be passive and let others do the work.
Such meetings can easily reinforce this tendency. Many
Christians quickly come to rely upon others to take care of
everything.
Another is that some more gifted members soon
become a kind of hierarchy or clergy. Since they find it easy
to lead and enjoy the opportunity to do so, they naturally
begin to dominate the assembly. This very easily results in
a situation which resembles the “clergy/laity” arrangement
which is so rampant today which stifles the functioning
of the body.
Another peril is that such meetings easily fall into patterns
and with the passage of time the headship of Christ
over ALL things fades away. Consequently, anyone
involved in organizing any such gatherings should be constantly
and acutely aware that they should avoid anything
which becomes repetitious. They must flee at all costs
everything which substitutes for the leadership of the
Head.
Such larger assemblies of believers should only occur
when Jesus mandates them, not on a regular, preprogrammed
basis. The smaller groups, where everyone can
participate must be the normal, frequent experience of
believers. Larger meetings, when and if they occur, should
merely be supplemental.

“MINISTRY MEETINGS”

In the scriptures, we also encounter another sort of
meeting which might be called “ministry meetings.” For
example, while the believers were meeting daily “from
house to house” in Acts, the apostles were also teaching
“daily in the temple” (Acts 5:42). These were not meetings
where everyone participated but where the apostles exercised
their ministries, teaching and preaching to larger
audiences.
Elsewhere in the book of Acts, we are told about Paul
preaching all night to a group of believers. Also, we learn
that at one point Paul used a school building as a location
to exercise his teaching gift (Acts 19:9). In still another situation,
he rented his own house for this purpose (Acts
28:30).
These gatherings of believers were not “body” meetings.
They were not situations where every member functioned,
contributing their portion. Instead, they were circumstances
where a man or men with special, anointed
ministries were serving the others in a unique way.
Perhaps this is what most “church” meetings of our time
imitate.
But, instead of being an exhibition of the body, this is
simply the ministry of one or more gifted men. We might
refer to them as “ministry meetings.” This kind of gathering
is both scriptural and important. If and when someone
has a ministry which is so anointed, and therefore necessary
for the body, he or she is free to do so. Again, this must
be done according the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Such meetings should never become a substitute for
the meetings of the body. The “house to house” smaller
meetings of believers in which everyone has an opportunity
to participate are an essential, integral part of the one
true church experience. These gatherings should be the
main part of our church practice. The stronger, more talented
members must never become dominant in a way that
supplants the functioning of the rest in these meetings.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

When the ministry of one anointed member is exercised,
it must be done at the expense of that person. Since
it is their ministry, they are responsible before God for sustaining
it financially. I do not mean to say that others cannot
contribute. What I mean is that the church or body as a
whole is not accountable for this expense. This is the
responsibility of the person conducting the ministry. This
person must have a genuine calling from God to do that
particular work and therefore have faith that God will sustain
it. If not, then they should not be doing it.
In no circumstance should this person put pressure of
any kind on other believers to help them financially. No
hints, subtle inferences or outright pleas for money are
allowed. They should never be taking up “offerings”
before or after they minister. If an individual does not have
the faith to conduct a particular work for God, then they
should stop doing it. The body of Christ may certainly contribute
to God’s work, but only as they are moved by Him
to do so, not coerced by man.
It is actually scriptural for people receiving ministry to
help financially those from whom they receive a blessing.
We read: “Let him who is taught the word share in all good
things with him who teaches” (Gal 6:6). This “sharing”
could certainly include financial help.
But biblically, this help should never be in the form of
a salary. While occasional gifts are allowed, the idea of
salaries moves beyond what is healthy and scriptural. If
and when someone receives a “salary” – that is a fixed, regular,
dependable sum of money – then they no longer need
to depend upon God. Little by little, they begin to trust in
man. Their vision inevitably turns from the Lord to those
who are paying their salary.
It is virtually impossible for this not to occur. The person
or persons who are supplying us with our daily necessities
are the ones who control us. When God is in this position,
all is well and good. But when men are the ones who
hold the purse strings, then they are the ones in a position
of power over us.
In such situations, the motives of the person ministering
become compromised. They become a “hireling” (Jn
10:13) who must keep in the good graces of those upon
whose money they depend. Instead of the necessity to
maintain a good, intimate, obedient relationship with
Jesus, they merely need to keep on the good side of those
from whom they receive a salary.
They therefore are no longer free to say only what
Jesus gives them to say. They become reticent to speak any-
thing which might offend someone who might then stop
supporting them. They are gradually transformed into
“men-pleasers” (Eph 6:6). If and when someone is genuinely
“living by faith,” it must be faith in God and not
faith in the ability and good will of others to continue to
support them.

DOMINATING MEMBERS

It is a great mistake for someone who has a powerful
gift or ministry to organize “a church” around it. Although
it is a very common practice for such a person to become
the leader of a group in which most activities revolve
around their ministry, this is not biblical. While the calling
and gifts of this person may be genuine and valid, they
were not given so that this person could become the sole
source of ministry for any special group.
This practice fails the scriptural pattern in several
points. Number one: it limits the “members” to one particular
ministry. To be healthy, these people need the portion
of the entire body. Number two: it exalts a man to an
unbiblical position, taking the place in the assembly for
which only Christ is worthy. Unconsciously then, many
will begin to look to and depend upon this leader instead
of Jesus. Number three: it stifles the ministry of anyone else
in the group whose gifts are also valid but not exceptional
enough to compete for attention with the leader.
Commonly, such persons become frustrated and seek fulfillment
in other areas, or they set out to establish their
own “church” where they can use their gift, sometimes
dividing the first group in the process.

THE NICOLAITANS

As far as I know, in the New Testament there is only
one thing which Jesus Christ says that He hates. This thing
is mentioned in Revelation in the letters to the seven
churches. It is the deeds and the doctrine of the
Nicolaitans, mentioned in Revelation 2:6,15. Since church
history does not record any group of people called “the
Nicolaitans” specifically, there has been much speculation
about them. I believe the answer to their identity lies in the
meaning of the word “Nicolaitan.” Please bear with me as
we investigate this possibility.
It is my understanding that the word NIKAO in the
original Greek language means “to conquer, to subdue or
to rise above,” while the word LAOS (from which we
derive the word “laity”) means the “people at large” or the
“people assembled.” Therefore, the word "Nicolaitan,"
which is composed of these two words, would refer to
those who rise above and subdue the laity or the common
people. This seems to describe just the situation which we
have been examining.
From our previous discussions, it is easy to understand
why Jesus Christ would not want this kind of
arrangement. Such a situation stifles the functioning of His
body, which is His expression on the earth. The immediate
effect of it is that most members of the church are kept
largely inactive and a man or a select group of men is elevated
to a position of doing almost everything. So we have
a few men trying to live the church life for the many.
Obviously this is not possible; and it greatly hinders God's
work.

JACOB'S DREAM

While Jacob was fleeing from his brother Esau, he
spent a night in the wilderness. There he used a stone for a
pillow. While he slept, he dreamed a wonderful dream. In
the dream he saw “...a ladder set up on the earth, and its
top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were
ascending and descending on it” (Gen 28:12). When he
woke up, he realized that this was a special place. He
named it “Bethel” which means “the house of God.”
You see, when we are truly being God’s house, when
we are fulfilling the requirements of being in the Spirit and
led by our Head, in that place and at that time the heavens
are opened. The presence of God becomes real to us. We
actually experience being the “house” or habitation of God
in a corporate way – the “Bethel” of today.
At these times there is truly an open heaven. The presence
of God is very real. His authority or “throne” is
known to us. Revelation, enlightenment and spiritual
understanding is occurring. Further, the ministering spirits,
the angels, are coming and going – “ascending and
descending” – bringing messages from the throne and perhaps
“carrying” the praises and petitions of the members
back with them.
Of course we are describing something spiritual here
with earthly words. Perhaps exact details of this angelic
traffic cannot be known exactly. Yet, in such heavenly situations,
the proximity of ministering angels is very real.
Perhaps we are not very aware of it, but it is occurring.
We, God’s people have the wonderful privilege of
entering into His presence together. When we meet, we can
enjoy an “open heaven” where the invisible things of His
kingdom become real to us. As we enter into the Spirit
together, the unimaginable wonders of Jesus and His will
for us are available for us to possess. We, insignificant
human beings, can enjoy the reality of being the habitation
of the Most High God. May we never be satisfied with anything
less!
Here I am including the testimony of a man, Nick
Jensen who has come into contact with us. Although the
following cannot be thought of as an exact example of
what God would do everywhere in every situation, it certainly
is a powerful testimony of what He actually did do
in one place. Since our Lord can and did do this for these
people, He can do it all over the earth in many different situations.
I am including his letter, as he wrote it, with very
little editing.
March 2nd, 1987
Dear Brethren, Greetings in Jesus Name.

GOD’S PILOT PLANT

Several decades ago a small group of Full Gospelers
was congregating – as far as general touring maps are concerned
– in absolute nowhere. Yet they were in the middle
of the lush fields of Somerset in England, not far from the
well known estate of Horlicks. The place: South Chard.
Their pastor had a call from the Lord to fast so that He
could get through to his spiritual ears. At the end of several
weeks of total abstention from any nourishment other
than the bread from heaven, the Lord did speak to His servant.
The outcome of that communication made South
Chard known to believers from the four corners of the
earth. What was that heavenly message? As with most
orders from Headquarters this one was likewise short and
sweet and read like this: “Leave your meetings to me.”
So the next thing the South Charders knew, their pastor
was striding in through the main entrance of their little
hall on a Sunday morning at 10 o’ clock carrying on his
shoulder not a cross but a saw. He proceeded slowly to the
front, to the free standing pulpit from where he had always
directed the service and without much ado he proceeded
to saw through it until the upper part fell to the floor with
a bang. Satisfied with his work he sat down in one of the
pews, never again to emerge as a conductor of a church
meeting.
To say that the congregation was stunned was probably
a bit of an understatement. Question marks were to be
seen on all faces. Some even feared that the prolonged
absence from food had disturbed some of the natural
reflexes of their poor pastor. But there he sat. And there
they sat, for quite a while, so they reckon, till one charitable
old soul started to discreetly hum “Silently now I wait
for Thee.” With that a handful of God’s people on earth
had made their first faltering steps towards a true church
meeting!
Reverend Sidoby Puree had abdicated in favor of the
heavenly Conductor. Did it ever work?
Well let an outsider [Nick Jensen] describe what he
experienced on an ordinary Sunday morning in South
Chard.
The hall was packed with hugging, chuckling, laughing,
shining, happy people. You would never have thought
that this noisy place was the setting for a “church” meeting.
Some stood, others sat and still others seemed to be all
over the place telling jokes or something.
I was looking for the pastor or the choir leader to calm
down the revelers and announce the opening hymn but no
one ever seemed to be bothered with the general disorder,
and no one ever came around to announcing anything. All
of a sudden every one seemed to have fully taken in the
presence of the others when a holy hush followed the
happy throng and a remarkable unprovoked silence
became the sequence to the sounds of a market place.
Presently we heard the feeble voice of an elderly sister
who on her own embarked upon the song: “Break forth
into joy oh my soul, break forth into joy oh my soul; in the
presence of the Lord there is joy forever more, break forth,
break forth into joy oh my soul”. And please notice this: no
one joined her in her overture – not even the organist! Only
when she started her second round did the others join in,
and only then did we hear the organ for the first time, as if
to say: “I never initiate, I always follow”, and it religiously
kept to that statement throughout the service.
Now, the chorus that had started so faintly quickly
turned into an ever mounting crescendo stimulated by
rhythmic, sustained clapping. No one in there seemed to
have any respect at all for the universally accepted
Pentecostal allowance for repeating of choruses, which is
once or at the most twice. They just carried on enjoying the
presence of the Lord and “broke forth” so repeatedly that I
totally lost count of the encores. They all seemed to be
heedless of the presence of the other worshippers for their
singing was visibly directed solely by the Lord.
How they ever arrived at bringing an end to that
opening chorus I really don’t know, but stop they eventually
did. Barely had they done so when a prophetic word
came from Heaven – loud and powerful – with the Lord
inviting His people to enjoy His presence to the fullest, and
wow, what a fullness!
They sang both hymns and choruses all by heart, for
there were no hymnbooks, chorus-sheets or overhead projectors
of any kind. For learning they simply used the
primeval means of repetition. In their opinion (I later
learned) song books and projectors keep you from true
freedom in praise and worship. Why? Because with the
constant use of crutches you never learn to walk, and in
this case dependence on texts represents a sure obstacle for
complete release and abandonment to the Spirit.
They were seated in round-table fashion with quite a
big open space in the middle, the reason for which I soon
had to discover – with my eyes as big as the Round Tower
in Copenhagen – for presently a quite corpulent young
man seemed to float to the center and began dancing as if
he barely weighed a hundred pounds. Many others joined
in, but this time around the chorus must have been repeated
some 37 times at least and Heaven became more real
than Earth. Repetition wasn’t the correct word to use,
rather it was a continued buildup for joy expressed in song
and dance.
After this jubilee a period of silence “broke out,” the
length of which I was unable to determine, for it was only
after a good while that I realized that we had - children and
all - moved into something akin to eternity. Apropos children,
they were sitting by themselves in the only reserved
seats of the hall from where they had a better view of the
proceedings. They were otherwise totally one with the
grownups and quite a few contributions came from their
quarters and they were never ushered out for special children’s
sessions, probably because prepared speeches, commonly
known as sermons, were anathema at Chard’s
Church meetings.
Prophecies were in abundance. Scripture readings also
occurred and short testimonies or exhortations were
thrown in here and there in quite a varied but orderly fashion.
The meeting was dismissed just as mysteriously as it
had once been opened, for when a certain brother had
shared something from the prophets and gotten himself
seated again, they – one and all – stood to their feet as we
do when the chancellor’s retinue is leaving the hall, and
that was it. The meeting was over. For the Heavenly
Conductor had delivered His celestial manna and left, so
why stick around for mere terrestrial morsels? And here
again, please notice carefully, that no one was invited to
say a closing prayer.
While the meeting was still in its progress I repeatedly
asked myself the question: “Where are the leaders of this
group of people?” “Where are those in charge?” For such
men were genuinely conspicuous in their absence and that
feature was quite a disturbing fact for an ex-Lutheran
turned Baptist, active member of the thoroughbred, charismatic
FGBMFI.
I battled with this phenomenon for quite a while till it
eventually dawned upon me that the whole thing had been
meticulously “tele-guided” from Heaven all through. I, a
spirit-baptized, Bible studied believer of 26 years’ standing
had to concede defeat to a full blooded pagan who would
immediately have proclaimed: “No human heads in there
– God is amongst them for a truth!”
I left the South Chard assembly visibly shaken to the
core of my being, for if this was what God wanted – and
there could be no doubt in my mind about that – then we
were all, to a man, guilty of manipulation [of the church].
“Father”, I said, “please give me a word for comfort”,
and here is – of all Scripture in the Holy Writ – what I got:
“HOW IS IT THEN, BRETHREN WHEN YOU GET
TOGETHER, EVERY ONE OF YOU HAS....”, and I couldn’t
but proclaim: “God’s Pilot Plant has been established
and is to be found at least in one place on Earth, not on the
map for sure, but gloriously real anyhow”.
The only question still hovering in my mind was:
WHEN ARE WE GOING TO FIND THAT NEW PLANT
IN THE PLURAL? [By this he means: “When are we going
to find this happening all over the earth?”]