No. 2
Question: 2. Would it not be helpful to distinguish between the various types of meetings, such as the Breaking of Bread and Prayer Meeting?
Answer: This is an interesting and profitable subject for us to consider. If the distinctive characters of the various meetings were more clearly kept in view, all that is said and done would be more consistent with the mind of the Lord.
The meeting for the Breaking of Bread is undoubtedly of prime importance. The Lord Jesus, both while on earth (Matt. 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20), and from the glory (1 Cor. 11:23-26), made known His desire that His redeemed ones should do this in remembrance of Him. Acts 20:7 is scriptural proof that the early disciples came together regularly for this purpose on the first day of the week. “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread.” It is true that the Apostle Paul took advantage of this occasion to minister to the saints, but it was not for this purpose that they came together. It was to break bread—not even to worship, though that was a natural accompaniment and consequence—but to break bread! There is nothing like this act, recalling so vividly to the heart the boundless love of the Lord Jesus, as expressed in His sufferings and death, to move the soul in worship and praise. Paul himself evidently waited on purpose for a whole week at Troas, so that he could be with the brethren there for the breaking of bread on the Lord’s Day (v. 6).
The disorderliness of the Corinthians at the Lord’s Table called forth a severe rebuke from the Apostle (1 Cor. 11:20-22). But this very rebuke shows clearly that it was the regular custom of the church to come together in one place “to eat the Lord’s Supper.” These scriptures should exercise our hearts as to our motive for coming to the meeting on Lord’s Day morning. If the character of the meeting is remembered, everything that is done—praise, hymns, Scripture-reading—will, under the Spirit’s guidance, be in harmony with the object of the meeting, and all will lead up to, or conform to the remembrance of the Lord in death. Another truth connected with the breaking of bread,—when, as members of the body of Christ, we gather at the Lord’s Table, we give public expression to the truth that “there is one body” (Eph. 4:4), of which the one loaf on the table is the type (1 Cor. 10:16-17). Only at the Lord’s Table, and only in the breaking of bread, can public expression be given to this truth.
The Prayer Meeting is the place “where prayer is wont to be made” (Acts 16:13). We come together to pray, whether as a group of individuals (Acts 1:13-14—a prayer meeting that lasted ten days), or as an assembly (Acts 4:23-31; 12:5-12; 13:1-3). In Matthew 18:15-20, the Lord’s Presence in the midst is vouchsafed as the power both for discipline (v. 18), and prayer (v. 19), even if only two or three should be gathered together on the ground of the assembly (v. 20). Faith might give two or more believers to count on the promise of verse 19, but such could not claim verse 20, unless gathered as the assembly. Verse 20 should not be separated from all that goes before—the whole passage is definitely connected—the assembly, discipline, prayer and the Lord’s Presence in the midst, which is the central point and climax of all. Hence the significance of the introductory word “for” (v. 20) referring to all that goes before. Prayer and thanksgiving are closely connected in Scripture (Phil. 4:6), and both have their place in the prayer meeting. In the prayer meeting we come to make known the desires of our hearts, to receive from the Lord (Heb. 4:16). On Lord’s Day morning we come, not with an empty basket to be filled, but with a full basket, to empty out before Him (Deut. 26:2,10; Heb. 13:15). But He is there on both occasions.
A meeting for Humiliation is an occasion when some of the saints, or the assembly as such, come together to humble themselves before the Lord, either in a general way, or because of some difficulty or sorrow, or perhaps a low state.
Such a meeting cannot be forced—it must be the result of real exercise in order to be genuine and effective. It would partake largely of the nature of confession. Surely there was never a day when such meetings would be more in order, but, unhappily, they are of rare occurrence among us. Should not this in itself be a cause for deep exercise and humiliation? (James 4:9-10; 1 Peter 5:5-6).