The Problem Of 'Meeting' Together

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 Wow!  If we take a sober look at ourselves, wouldn't we have to confess that most of what we do is sin?  We need to constantly confess our sins so the faithful One can forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).   Tragically, so-called Christian meetings may take the lead in leaving the Lord behind or shoe horning Him into the format and/or meaning of the "meeting."  If we stop long enough to consider what we do every Sunday morning, and if you're faithful the prayer "meeting," the small group "meeting," and the "brothers' or sisters' meeting," the young peoples' "meeting," the singles' "meeting," the such and such "meeting," and so forth ... wouldn't we realize how formal things have become.  Can we see that the expectation and anticipation of almost all "meetings" wanes and diminishes to the point where we can predict the format by heart without even attending?  This is a clear sign that the Spirit no longer leads.</div> <bR> <div> Old Wineskins</div> <bR> <div> Saints, I am not trying to attack institutions, but I am advocating that we follow the Head (Jesus Christ) of the church in all our endeavors.  When we become formalized, when we take on convenience, obligation, habit or penance as our driving force for attendance at a meeting, then we have become an "old wineskin."  Let me explain ...</div> <bR> <div> "<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#0000BF" FACE="Times New Roman" >Neither do they put new wine into old  wineskins ; otherwise, the  wineskins  burst, and the wine pours out, and the  wineskins  are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh  wineskins , and both are preserved</FONT>."  (Matthew 9:17)</div> <bR> <div> The Lord spoke these words in response to a question asked by the disciples of John "the baptizer."  Basically they were hoping the Lord would support their new religion with John "the baptizer" being the leader.  John "the Baptizer" had only been on the scene for about two years ministering as a forerunner of the Lord Himself.  John's goal was to prepare for and commend the Lord Jesus' coming ministry.  Yet, in his short tenure as minister, he gained a following.  People were looking to John for answers, for leading, for strength.  Hence, a new religion had sprung up because of man's concept about following God.  Matthew 9:14 shows this, "<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#00BF00" FACE="Times New Roman" >Then the disciples of John came to Him, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but Your disciples do not fast?</FONT> "  John's disciples had established their own "order" or "sect" which is a religious group with their own rules, teachings, traditions and practices.  Instead of seeking Christ, following Christ and manifesting Christ, people were elevated John "the baptizer" and a set of formalized teachings and practices.</div> <bR> <div> The Bridegroom</div> <bR> <div> The Lord responded to John's disciples, "<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#0000BF" FACE="Times New Roman" >And Jesus said to them, The sons of the bride chamber cannot mourn as long as the Bridegroom is with them, can they? But days will come when the Bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.</FONT>" (Matthew 9:15)  Jesus was telling them that while He is present, there is no need for formalities, no need for rituals, no need to fulfill traditions.  Rather, we should enjoy Him as our Bridegroom.  We should enjoy His wonderful presence.  We should enjoy holding Him high as a bride would hold her new bridegroom.  Can we also see that the Lord looks at His people as a corporate bride?  He looks upon individuals believers as part of a whole, not separate islands.  This is solid evidence that believers should gather together as One.</div> <bR> <div> Newness</div> <bR> <div> The Lord also stressed the matter of newness when it comes to seeking God, following God, and gathering together in His name.  "<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#0000BF" FACE="Times New Roman" >No one puts a patch of unfulled cloth on an old garment, for that which fills it up pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear is made.</FONT>" (Matthew 9:16)  The verse implies that oldness causes problems.  The implication is that newness is what Christ desires.  Christ is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25) and in resurrection and eternal life is newness.  Nothing in resurrection is old or dead.  The Lord never commanded us to correct or improve the old things of religion, but rather to seek and pursue God in newness of life:  "<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#00BF00" FACE="Times New Roman" >But now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that in which we were held, so that we serve in newness of spirit and not in oldness of letter</FONT>." (Romans 7:6).  "<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#00BF00" FACE="Times New Roman" >So then if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away; behold, they have become new</FONT>." (2 Corinthians 5:17).</div> <bR> <div> Religion Being The Old Wineskin</div> <bR> <div> So what does all this have to do with wineskins?  A Wineskin was a "container" of the wine.  Consider the following footnote:</div> <bR> <div> <I>The Greek word for new means new in time, recent, newly possessed.  The new wine here signifies Christ as the new life, full of vigor, stirring people to excitement.  The kingly Savior is not only the Bridegroom to the kingdom people for their enjoyment but also their new garment for them to be  equipped outwardly that they may be qualified to attend the wedding.  Furthermore, He is their new life to stir them up inwardly to enjoy Him as their Bridegroom.  He, as the heavenly King, is the Bridegroom for the kingdom people's enjoyment, and His heavenly kingdom is His wedding feast (22:2), at which they will enjoy Him.  To enjoy Him as the Bridegroom in the kingdom feast, they need Him as their new garment outwardly and their new wine inwardly.  </I>(Witness Lee, The New Testament Recovery Version, Footnote 1 of Matthew 9:17)</div> <bR> <div> On the contrary ... <I>The old wineskins signify religious practices, such as the fasting maintained by the Pharisees, who were of the old religion, and by the disciples of John, who were of the new religion.  All religions are old wineskins.  New wine put into old wineskins bursts the wineskins by the power of its fermenting.  To put new wine into old wineskins is to put Christ as the exciting life into any kind of religion.  This is what so [</I><I><U>many Christian organizations and groups</U></I><I>] are practicing today.  They attempt to squeeze Christ into their different modes of religious ritual, formality, and practice.  The kingdom people should never do this.  They must put the new wine into fresh wineskins.</I>  (Witness Lee, The New Testament Recovery Version, Footnote 2 of Matthew 9:17)</div> <bR> <div> I would like to state that the wineskin today can easily be applied to most Christian meetings.  Christian meetings strive to contain something, but unfortunately that "something" is no longer just Christ.  Maybe Christ is in the container to some degree, but most of the container is filled with practices, liturgy, teachings, regulations, formalities and the like.  Saints, when will we wake up to the Lord's goal of having a universal Body to manifest Himself on the earth today.  Can we continue to mislead ourselves by thinking that Sunday morning church meetings are satisfying to the Lord?  Do these meetings draw believers to worship in spirit and truth or to fulfill an obligation, to appease a conscience, to satisfy the order, to contribute to the increase of the congregation, etc.?</div> <bR> <div> One brother makes this statement:<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >  "I believe the Lord uses wineskins, to contain the blessing of the divine life for peoples' enjoyment.  However, because man's tendency is to become religious, the old wineskin becomes full of old wine (past enjoyments of Christ), leaving no room for anything new to enter in.  Church history shows a continual trail of old wineskin after old wineskin.  How do the wineskins forms and become old?  By man's fallen religious nature usurping the move of the Spirit.  The Bible shows a marvelous and progressive move of God from Genesis to Revelation.  God is not the same in His move through man's history.  Possibly the following picture might help explain the old wineskin.  Initially, the Lord will move in a chosen vessel because His children have become dead in their religion.  He breaks the existing old wineskin in order to provide a setting for people to come and "taste" His riches as new wine. The new wine demands fresh wineskins. However, in time, the formerly fresh wineskin becomes "filled" and is no longer flexible to add any new experience, enjoyment, move or activity that the Lord might desire to do. </FONT></div> <bR> <div> The inner life in the believer wants to burst out and any old wineskin cannot contain such freshness. The divine life will not allow itself to be "contained" in some old, worn-out, stiff pattern. What may previously contained such a vital move of the Lord ceases to match what is in the Lord's heart.  No amount of new wine can renew the old container.  At this juncture the Lord must produce some deep, fundamental changes which would burst the established system.  All efforts and activities, even if they are "good" can never renew something that is old and worn.  </div> <bR> <div> Why would believers be so easily captured by such a repeating pattern in church history?  Shouldn't we learn the lesson?  Luke 5:37-39 tragically expresses the progression from newness to old religious patterns.  "<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#0000BF" FACE="Times New Roman" >No one puts new wine into  old   wineskins ; otherwise, the new wine will burst the  wineskins , and it will be poured out and the  wineskins  will be ruined;  38  But new wine must be put into fresh  wineskins .  39  And no one who has drunk the  old  desires the new, for he says, The  old  is better</FONT>."  Those who support the old wineskin even come to the place where they reject the new wine (<I>signifying the fresh enjoyment of Christ</I>) because the 'old' (<I>teachings, practices, ordinances, liturgy</I>) is better.'</div> <bR> <div> The New Wineskin</div> <bR> <div> One final thought is taken from the gospel of John, chapter 4 when the Lord met a Samaritan woman and exposed her immorality and lack of satisfaction in life.  She, then, tried to divert the conversation to religion and away from her fallen condition.   The Lord incited her with divine life and simultaneously unveiled the proper worship of the Father:  in spirit and truth.</div> <bR> <div> "<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#0000BF" FACE="Times New Roman" >The woman said to Him, Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.  20  Our fathers worshipped in this mountain, yet you say that in Jerusalem is the place where men must worship.  21  Jesus said to her, Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.  22  You worship that which you do not know; we worship that which we know, for salvation is of the Jews.  23  But an hour is coming, and it is now, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truthfulness, for the Father also seeks such to worship Him.  24  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truthfulness</FONT>."  (John 4:19-24)</div> <bR> <div> The Lord made it clear that worship is NOT based on an outward physical place, but rather an inward spiritual relationship with the Father.  Gathering together must originate from the spirit and truth.  Gathering together continues in spirit and truth.  The manifestation of gathering together will be spirit and truth.  This will always produce new wine contained in fresh wineskins.  Conversely, meeting together usually is at a particular place, in a particular way, based on particular mannerisms done in a particular fashion.  Meetings usually end as old wineskins containing old wine not allowing the new wine to penetrate the "system."  </div> <bR> <div> See also <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#BF0000" FACE="Times New Roman" >Proper Worship - Deuteronomy 12</FONT></div> </td> </tr></table></body>