Different Meetings

THE DAILY WORD
By Jim Seekamp

Tuesday February 12, 2008

The Bible never mentions a "church" meeting. It DOES, however, mention a number of different kinds of meetings:

1. Believers' Meeting

1 Corinthians 14:26-31 (NIV)
26. What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. 27. If anyone speaks in a tongue, two--or at the most three--should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God.
29. Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 30. And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. 31. For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged.

Notice that this meeting is for believers only! It says when YOU (this letter was written to the believers in Corinth) come together! It says that EVERYONE (not just the pastor) should come with either a hymn, a word of instruction, a revelation. a tongue or an interpretation!

I think most Christian churches ignore this type of meeting because they're afraid of what the results may be! (And the most obvious result would probably be REVIVAL!)

2. Evangelistic Meetings:

Acts 5:42 (NIV)
Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.

Notice that they MET in THE TEMPLE COURTS! Remember that temple was a SYNAGOGUE, and the temple attendees were not Christians, they were JEWS! The believers met in the temple courts to win the Jews over to Christianity!
I've heard some people preach that this verse is talking about church meetings and Bible studies, but that couldn't be true, since the temple courts were not the Christians' building, and they did not have "believers meetings" there.

3. Prayer Meetings:

Acts 4:23-31 (NIV)
23. On their release (from jail), Peter and John went back to their OWN PEOPLE and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.
24. When they heard this, they (the believers) raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: "`Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 26. The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One. ' 27. Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.
28. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
31. After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

So the people met together to pray. That was the purpose of that meeting. And the result of their praying was that the whole building was shaken, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly!

PRAYER
Thank You Father for Your Word, which tells me so much about You. Thank You for loving me so much that You sent Jesus Christ, Your only begotten Son, to pay the price for my sin. Thank You Father for being present with us when we meet together as believers.
In Jesus' Name, Amen

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Check out the Daily Word Archives at:
http://www.jimseekamp.com

To subscribe to the Daily Word, send an email with the subject "SUBSCRIBE" to mailto:dailyword@jimseekamp.com

If you wish to unsubscribe, please send an email with the subject "UNSUBSCRIBE" to mailto:dailyword@jimseekamp.com

To have Jim Seekamp speak at your church or group meeting, email him at: jimseekamp@jimseekamp.com