The Meetings and Spiritual Exercise of the Local Church

Additional Quotes about the Local Church by Watchman Nee and Witness Lee

Concerning the conduct of the local church meetings, Watchman Nee states:

When God blesses our efforts in any place to the salvation of souls, we must see to it that the saved ones understand, from the outset, that the meetings which resulted in their salvation belong to the work and not to the church, and that they are the church and must therefore have their own church meetings. They must meet in their homes or in other places to pray, study the Word, break bread, and exercise their spiritual gifts; and in such meetings their object must be mutual helpfulness and mutual edification. Each individual must bear his share of responsibility and pass on to the others what he himself has received from the Lord. The conduct of the meetings should be the burden of no one individual, but all the members should bear the burden together, and they should seek to help one another depending upon the teaching and leading of the Spirit, and depending upon His empowering too. As soon as believers are saved, they should begin to assemble themselves regularly. Such gatherings of local believers are true church meetings.

(Watchman Nee, Collected Works, Set 2, Vol. 30, 177)

Watchman Nee speaks concerning the types of local church meetings:

We saw quite clearly that there was no need for a local church to maintain the Lord’s Day message meeting, because this kind of meeting is not a church meeting. The messages recorded in The Normal Christian Church Life speak concerning this in a very detailed way. The prayer meeting is a meeting of the church. The supplying by the ministers of the word in 1 Corinthians 14 is a meeting of the church. The table meeting is a meeting of the church.

(Watchman Nee, Collected Works, Set 3, Vol. 51, 61)

Similarly, Witness Lee comments on the various kinds of meetings needed for the local churches:

Regardless of how large a local church becomes, there is still the need for the whole church to come together periodically. Such a gathering will be a great stirring up and encouragement to the saints.

In the Lord’s new move in the churches, we need the home meetings, the truth lessons, the Lord’s table, the prayer meeting, and we also need big meetings periodically to gather all the new ones together. We need periodic conferences with all the new converts. For the new ones just to meet in homes to receive nourishment and to learn the truth in the group meetings will not be fully adequate to make them so living and equipped to bear more burden for the Lord. For the long run, they also need to be gathered together for a conference with all of the saints. This kind of gathering stirs up and encourages the saints. This opens the eyes of the seeking ones to see something further.

(Witness Lee, Eldership (1), 12-13)

Watchman Nee speaks concerning the purpose for which the local church meets:

There are several purposes for which the church meets, as recorded in Scripture. First, for prayer (Acts 2:42; 4:24, 31; 12:5); second, for reading (Col. 4:16; 1 Thes. 5:27; Acts 2:42; 15:21, 30-31); third, for the breaking of bread—which are not meetings presided over by a single individual who bears all responsibility, since reference is made to “the cup of blessing which we bless…the bread which we break” (1 Cor. 10:16-17; Acts 2:42; 20:7); and fourth, for the exercise of spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 14). The last type of meeting is a church meeting, for the phrase “in the church” is used repeatedly in the passage which describes it (vv. 28, 34-35). Of this meeting it is said that all may prophesy.

(Watchman Nee, Collected Works, Set 2, Vol. 30, 175)

Watchman Nee observes concerning the local church meetings:

According to the Bible, there are generally five different kinds of meetings—the gospel meeting, the bread-breaking meeting, the prayer meeting, the meeting for the exercise of the gifts, and the meeting for the preaching of the Word. The Bible shows us these five kinds of meetings during the apostles’ time. Today, if the church is to be strong, it must have these five kinds of meetings. We must know how to meet in a proper way in each kind of meeting. If we do, we will receive the profit from these meetings.

(Watchman Nee, Collected Works, Set 3, Vol. 48, 193)

Regarding the kinds of the local church meetings, Watchman Nee states:

The church should have the following kinds of meetings: gospel meetings, new beginners’ meetings, prayer meetings, the Lord’s table meeting, the meeting referred to in 1 Corinthians 14, sisters’ meetings, and children’s meetings. The local church need not maintain a message meeting on the Lord’s Day.

(Witness Lee, Seer of the Divine Revelation, 220)

Main

Meetings

Lord’s Table

Prayer

Prophesying

Small Group

Gospel

Children’s

OT Type

Spiritual Exercise

Reading

Praying

Singing

Speaking

Thanksgiving

Praising

Serving

Calling

Pray-Reading

Bibliography

Links