This message was given during the fifth and final meeting of a conference on Practicing to Live with the Present Christ, given by Titus Chu in Chicago, IL on the weekend of April 1-3, 1994
The Clear Promise Of The Lord’s Presence On Two Specific Matters In The Word
There are two clear situations in which the Lord promises that He will give us His presence. The first is as we disciple the nations by preaching the gospel (Matt. 28:19-20). The second is as we gather into the Lord’s name (Matt. 18:20).
1. We Easily Exempt Ourselves from Preaching the Gospel
In the church life, we must preach the gospel, whether we desire to or not. We are charged by the Lord to do so. If you are shy, you must preach the gospel. If people don’t respond, you must preach the gospel. If you are young, you must preach the gospel. If you are old, you must preach the gospel. No one is exempted. As long as you are following Christ, His command is to go and disciple the nations. He gives unto us this mission.
2. We Easily Exempt Ourselves from Meeting with the Saints
The Lord also promised to be with us as we meet in His name. What is it that frustrates the healthy meeting life of a church? It is the unconscious development of a status of seniority in our practice of the church life. Just as we exempt ourselves so easily from preaching the gospel, we also find reason to exempt ourselves from upholding the responsibility of the gatherings of the church. As those who have been faithful in the church life through the years, we assume that we have accumulated certain privileges which enable us to be excused from having to be on time to meetings, to function with freshness in the meetings, or even from attending the meetings.
What does the Bible say? The Bible says that, whether you are a junior brother or senior brother, you must make the meetings. As long as you are a brother, you mustn’t forsake the assembling of yourselves together. It doesn’t matter if you have been in the church life twenty years and have attended a thousand prayer meetings or whether you have been in the church life two weeks and have attended two prayer meetings; you are obligated to gather with the other believers to be the Lord’s testimony. You can never say you have fulfilled your obligation to meet. For every meeting you miss, you miss the Lord’s presence, and you miss knowing the present Christ.
The Blessing Of Going To People
1. It is an exercise according to God’s desire and not according to our need.
The preaching of the gospel is primarily for God; it is not primarily for us. We preach the gospel not because we like it, but because God likes it. We meet not merely because we enjoy the practice of meeting, but because God’s testimony requires it.
2. It is an operation based on the Lord and not based on our condition.
Furthermore, to preach the gospel is based on the Lord’s operation and not upon our condition. When the gospel needs to be preached, for instance, you may feel depressed and unqualified. You may have had a big argument with your wife just prior to your scheduled time to go out to preach the gospel. You still must go, and you must be bold, for the preaching of the gospel is not based upon your condition, but upon God’s operation.
3. As we go we have the present Christ with His presence.
As we go, you will have the present Christ with His presence. It doesn’t matter whether you feel it or not; the Lord is with you. Many things you don’t feel, but they are there.
4. It is a secret for us to enjoy the present Christ with His authority and power as His presence.
The preaching of the gospel is a big secret for us to enjoy the present Christ with the authority and power of His presence. As we are in the exercise of the gospel, the power and authority of Christ are with us. This, however, has absolutely nothing to do with your feeling.
The Bible also tells us that another might reap what you have sown. If you preach the gospel, others may actually get that person saved, but the words you spoke also operated to bring that person to receive the gospel.
5. Avoiding the preaching of the gospel becomes the source of our weaknesses and indifference.
If you avoid preaching the gospel, you will not only become weak; you will also become indifferent. To become indifferent is worse than being weak. Weakness means that you feel something. Indifference means that you don’t care. If you are weak, you can still repent. After you have avoided gospel preaching long enough, you will even lose the feeling that you should preach the gospel.
6. To go with the brothers for the disciplining should become our habit and a part of our daily life.
It Is Good to Bring the Present Christ to the Meetings, Yet it is Even Better to Come to the Meetings with Weaknesses and Limitations to Obtain the Present Christ.
To our feeling, we should have a victorious day and then come to the meeting. In actuality, however, we often come to the meetings feeling dead and having suffered defeats. Should this prevent us from coming to the meeting? Not at all; bring all your death, for the Lord said that when we gather with even two or three, He will be there with you.
Obtaining The Lord’s Presence To Operate Properly For The Testimony Of Christ Through Different Kinds Of Meetings
In the church life there are basically three kinds of meetings: the prayer meeting, the neighborhood or small group gatherings, and the Lord’s Day meeting, during which time most churches have the Lord’s table. In addition the church may have other kinds of meetings, such as gospel meetings or new beginners’ meetings, but these first three are the three we will consider.
1. Gathering for Prayer to Execute the Divine Operation Together with the Heavenly Christ Through Means of our Prayer and Fellowship in His Presence
The prayer meeting should be a time for us to execute God’s economy. As we are praying in His presence, we know what He is doing. This kind of prayer is a fellowship, and we pray according to this fellowship. As we pray, more fellowship out of the Lord’s presence comes forth. We then pray accordingly. To pray and fellowship together in this way enables all the saints to carry the burden of the church together. The elders’ fellowship produces a direction for the church, but all the saints are needed to carry it out practically. This is accomplished through the prayer meetings.
2. Gathering in the Neighborhood Groups
The prayer meeting is an executive meeting. The neighborhood meeting, however, is a sweet household gathering for mutual enjoyment and care. In such a gathering the practical and spiritual matters related to each individual are cared for in sweet fellowship. You should know everyone’s situation. You should know what each saint’s condition and history is; you should be able to tell me a lot about each person in your group. If you don’t know who is in your household, you will never be able to build it up.
In such a gathering, you are not only together in a spiritual way; you are also together in practical matters. Whether you are spiritual or practical when you are together depends upon the individual need.
3. Gathering for the Lord’s Testimony
The prayer meeting is for the execution of the Lord’s will, the neighborhood gathering is for the household care, and the Lord’s Day morning meeting is for the Lord’s testimony.
A. When the whole church comes together to remember the Lord and worship the Father through hymns, thanksgivings, praises, testimonies, and even brief fellowship related to experiences and truth.
During this time the whole church comes together to remember the Lord and to worship the Father through hymns, thanksgiving, praise, testimonies, and even short fellowship related to truth and experience.
B. Ministering by those who have ministry, according to their portion.
Furthermore, on the Lord’s Day there should be ministering by those who have ministry, according to their portion.
If I were to tell an experienced brother who had some ministry that he could only share the same length of time as a brother who had very little, would that seem right? Can their measure compare? We must see that the way is for the organic Body, not for the way itself. It is very good for those who have a greater measure to minister a little more, if the Lord so leads.
You need a church life in which the Spirit leads. We should all function and operate according to our portion and measure. On the Lord’s Day morning, the saints should share according to their portion. For some, one minute may be enough. Others might share much longer for the sake of the saints.
C. All prophesying one by one according to our portion and through our daily labor, experiences, and inspirations with proper utterance.
We should honor our portion, and we should also respect the portion of others.
Conclusion
Whether it is gospel preaching as the overflow of life, or prophesying through the meetings, these exercises will grant us the present Christ with His presence. It will also grant us a higher level of satisfaction and enjoyment in His presence with its fullness.
