Church Life 2 – The Open Time #1

[00:00:00] One Corinthians twelve. One Corinthians twelve. [00:00:05] What I'm going to do, if the Lord really helps me, shall I say, as the Lord helps me, is first to say three positive things about the open time. What we call the open time, not a biblical phrase, but what we call the open time, and then make some practical observations. They're intensely practical observations. And then I have a large number of questions. I will seek to answer some of those questions, and if we can't answer them all this evening, we'll kick them over to another time and answer them later. They are very good questions, and I think we shall derive much help from looking at them. Now I'm going to read from one corinthians, chapter twelve, and from verse twelve. [00:01:03] For even as the body is one, and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ, or by one spirit. We were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot should say, because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body, it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body, it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them in the body, just as he desired. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body, and the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you, or again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker, are necessary, and those members of the body which we deem less honorable. On these we bestow more abundant honor, and our unseemly members come to have more abundant seemliness, whereas our seemly members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked that there should be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. If one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it. And then in Ephesians chapter four from verse eleven, and he that is the Lord Jesus gave some as apostles and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints, for the work of service to the building up of the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by ways and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming, but speaking the truth in love. We are to grow up in all aspects into him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. [00:04:21] Well, now, the open time, that is the title we give to those times where we are all open and free to contribute under the government of the Holy Spirit. Now, I said there are three things that we want to say, and here is the first. I want to just say something about the place of the open time, the place of the open time, the law of the body, and therefore the church is mutuality and interdependence. That is the law of my body. Mutuality and interdependence. There are many, many parts of my body. [00:05:12] They are not the same. They are different in shape, different in function, different in position, but they all mutually share the same life, the same intelligence, the same body, the same person. Mutuality. And they are all interdependent. That is, my hand does depend on my arm and many other things. They're interdependent. [00:05:47] They are dependent one on another. [00:05:51] Thousands of muscles have to move in order just to walk, and I'm not absolutely sure, but I think a very large number of muscles have to be used to swim. There is all this interdependence in the very simple things we do. Sitting down, standing up, walking, the whole body moves in action with each other. The law of the body is mutuality and interdependence. Every part, every member, every function is related and necessary to the rest. Now, that is the hallmark of the church. We are many members, but one body, only one Christ. [00:06:38] But we are all members of the one Christ, and therefore we are members one of another. [00:06:48] Therefore, for the growth of the church, and the life of the church and the fullness of the church. [00:06:55] We are all related to one another in Christ and by Christ, and we are all necessary to one another. Scotch this silly idea that we are not necessary to one another. We are necessary to one another because it has pleased God to put us together. And one day that's going to be the glory of the church through eternity that we are all together. Not one single one of us will be able to manifest the whole glory of the Lord Jesus Christ or exhibit all his aspects and characteristics. It needs all the saints who have ever been saved from the whole of time to exhibit and express the glory and character of the Lord Jesus Christ and fully to manifest the glory of God. Now, bringing that all down to the local, it just simply means that you and I, however poor we may appear, however insignificant and unworthy we may be, we are related to one another. The greatest apostle amongst us is related to the most simple believer in the company. We're all related to each other and we're all necessary. That's the harder thing to recognize, that we're all necessary to one another and therefore we have effect on one another. [00:08:20] The church therefore, does not consist of one ministry, or of one man, or of one member, or of a few ministries, or a few men, or a few members. [00:08:35] It consists of all the members. And if you chop off one member, the body is that much or that less able to function. [00:08:48] Now, we have read it in one corinthians twelve, verse twelve. For as the body, I'll read it again to you. One corinthians twelve, verse twelve. As the body is one and yet has many members. And all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. And we've read the other verses as well. The eye can't say to the hand, the foot to the head, and so on and so on. It's all necessary. And then we have the same in romans twelve, verses four and five. You can look that up where we're told that though the body has many members, again, it is yet one body in Christ. And there you've got it even more firmly. Put one body in Christ. [00:09:35] So Christ is the whole. [00:09:38] And this is the thing that so many christians do not see. They think the church is the body. Christ is the head. It says, we are one body in Christ. [00:09:48] He is the whole as well, the wonderful. And then of course, we have it also in one Peter two, verse five and verse nine. Now this is putting it in another way, and we can't stay with it for long, only to mention it. One Peter two, verse five. Ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Now that simply means that every living stone is a priest. [00:10:22] Every single true believer is a priest. There's no special class of priests. There's no clergy and laity. We are all priests by the wonderful work of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is our position and we have this marvellous privilege that we can exercise our priesthood in offering up spiritual sacrifices unto God. And there's not a single one in this room who has to come to God through someone else. [00:10:54] We can all, in this sense, come directly to the Lord because we are all priests. This is the wonderful thing about being a child of God. Now, in verse nine of the same chapter, we're told ye are an electweist, a royal priesthood. Two things are brought together which were not allowed to be together under the old, in the Old Testament. To be a king and a priest, you are a royal priesthood. You are not only a priest, you are a king unto God as well. A royal priesthood. Now, the place of the open time is to give expression to our priesthood on the one hand, and on the other to our membership in the body of Christ. Now that's the point. The place of the open time. It is to give scope, if you like, to give place for the exercise of our gift, of our function in the body of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we might be able to exercise our priesthood when and where the church is restricted or confined to one member or a few members. It always results in serious lack, serious deformity and spiritual poverty. Now, it doesn't matter where you turn. In the whole of church history you will find this, that this pernicious thing, one man ministry, which has gone right through Christianity. It is a totally gentile conception. It's nothing to do with the Bible at all. It belongs to the greek cults and roman cults where you had a special kind of one man ministry and everyone else sort of just sort of sat around and watched. And this thing's gone right through Christianity. The result is that wherever you get the one man ministry, where everything is done by the one man, he takes the meeting, he gives out the hymns, he says the prayer, he reads the word, he gives the word and he gives the benediction. And everyone sits there and listens and meeting after meeting after meetings like that. Now and again, of course, one or two other people are asked in, someone's asked to give notices. [00:13:16] Someone's asked if they will lead in prayer, but that's not the body. That's a charade. [00:13:26] That's not the body. The church was never meant to be the platform for one ministry or the platform for one person to do everything. [00:13:37] Where that happens, there is serious deformity. What you get is good teaching, and sometimes you get very good quality because you can peg it at an artificial level. No one knows the real quality of the people. They're never allowed to express themselves. They can only sit there and take everything in. Now, this is totally anti biblical. It's something that is not even found in the word. And I wish we had the time to go right through the scripture and prove to you the freedom that there was in the early church. The very fact that we had to try the prophets, whether they were of God, was because of this freedom. Otherwise, one man ministry could keep the lot out. [00:14:20] The very fact that you had to try the spirits, whether they be of God, was because so much was allowed when they were told not to despise prophesying and so on and so forth. So many other was simply because of the freedom in the early church that they had to guard against. And one of the reasons why the one man ministry came over was an unbelieving desire, a desire that came out of unbelief to guard the church, instead of doing it in a spiritual way, sought to do it in the other way, put one man who had something to guard everything and so keep things pure. Well, all I can say is this, that whenever you get this kind of thing, you get a serious lack, serious deformity in the church. You get spiritual poverty because people have been made unwittingly spectators. And the problem is so great that when people have become used to being spectators, they don't like an open meeting because it embarrasses them, very afraid of such a thing. And they're so used to sitting there and hiding. [00:15:32] Well, I just mentioned that in ephesians four we have two kinds of building up, existing side by side, as it were. In verses eleven and twelve, we had the building up of the body through the gift of apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists. Now that's one kind of building, the building up of the body through these mainline ministries, if you like. In verse 16, we have another kind of building up the body building itself up in love through that which every joint supplies according to the proper working of each individual part. So here we have, on the one hand, through the mainline ministries, a building up ministry, and on the other, hand, we have the body building itself up in love. Now, both these kinds of building up must be given their place in the life of the church if it is to come to full growth. And you will notice in your revised version that it says in verse 13, till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, so and so to a full grown man. [00:16:50] Full grown man. And there's one growth, and that growth is coming by means of the ministries which are enabling the church to build itself up. [00:17:02] Then in verse 15, you will see, grow up into the head, that we be no longer children, toss to and throw and so on and so forth, but may grow up into him, grow up into him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body is fitly framed and knit together through that which every joint supplieth according to the proper working of each individual part. Increaseth with the well. No, I'm getting it mothered up with Colossians two, where it says increase with the increase of God. But nevertheless, it's the same thought. It builds itself up in love. [00:17:46] Now you've got those two kinds of building up ministry. [00:17:51] The tragedy of Christendom is that it is either taken one line or the other. [00:18:00] You get on the one hand so much. For instance, from my own experience, Baptist denomination, where you have really, on the whole, virtually one man ministry, and you get good teaching if you've got a good pastor who is a good teacher, or you get marvelous evangelism if you have a pastor who's a great evangelist, or you get great pastoring if he happens to be a pastor, and not the other two things, you get that. You get that in many other things, too. Presbyterianism, you've got it in anglicanism. A lot of other things. The other line, you've got the other thing, you've got brethrenism, where the whole thing is just everyone. Well, not everyone, but all the brothers taking part as they are led by the spirit. Now, that's the other side. You see, Quakerism followed the same line. There are many other movements of the spirit of God which have adopted that principle. So much so, I remember some years ago when I was in another country in Europe, we went to an open air, and to my amazement, the basis of this open air was an open meeting. And we all stood there. Well, really ridiculous, really, with people gawping at us from the windows and balconies all around, waiting for the spirit to move, different people to sing a hymn, to give a testimony, to come forward and say something. It was terrible. Long silences while we all sat and everyone sort of looked and I suppose they wonder what on earth we were all doing. Tragic, really, because it was a misunderstanding of a principle. [00:19:39] And if we can just see that these two kinds of building up are both vital and necessary for the growth of the church. Now, the first kind of building up has its place in serious Bible study. If there is a brother with a real teaching ministry, then obviously that ministry is going to be utilized and it's going to be utilized in serious Bible study and in Bible teaching. [00:20:11] If you've got those who've got ministry in other ways, well, it's going to be utilized in times of ministry. [00:20:20] And this first kind of building up comes into operation in this sphere. If you've got someone who's an evangelist, obviously you're going to have evangelistic meetings. These are not going to be just free for all open times. They are to be led in the same way. The aim governs the aim governs the setup, if you like. Sorry, thank you very much. Neofing also, we've got conferences, teachings, all that kind of thing. This all comes in this first category of building up. It's necessary, you see, there are some people who say also necessary to have conferences. We don't want conferences. All we want is to have the local church. Let's get together, let's sort of love each other and care. But no, there is a place for the other. Now, alongside of that, you had the second kind of building up. And this we have in what we call the open time at the Lord's table, for instance, on Saturday evenings, in a smaller measure, I suppose in a slightly modified measure, in every prayer meeting we have it. This is where, as it were, all the members are free to take part as the Holy Spirit leads. So you have the two things moving alongside one another. You have on the one hand the building up of the church through mainline ministries, and you have the other, the body building itself up. Now we must be very careful that we do not imagine that the open time is the only time in which the body can build itself up. That is a great mistake. [00:21:59] The body builds itself up at all times. And there are lots of ministries in the body which never come in to the. How can you exercise hospitality? [00:22:11] You can't do that in the Sunday morning meeting or the Saturday evening meeting that's outside of the meeting that's in your home. But according to Romans, this is one of the gifts, one of these things that has been given, as it were, to different ones. It says so in Romans twelve, and there are many other things, too, which we don't do in an actual meeting. So we must be very careful falling into the trap of thinking that the open time is sort of the time when we have mutuality, an interdependence sort of thing, where we have fellowship. We have fellowship all the time. [00:22:51] We can't be more mutual than we are. We can't be more interdependent than we are. We are the body of Christ at all times. We're not the body of Christ just when we're meeting here. We're the body of Christ at all. We are the church of God at all times. You can never unchurch yourself, can't leave your handbag in church. [00:23:10] You are always the church. But when the church is gathered, we give expression in the open time to this wonderful interdependence and oneness that is ours in Christ. It is an expression of that building up of itself in love, which should go on at all times. We are at all times the members of Christ and of one another. But it is to give expression and opportunity to the exercise of our priesthood publicly that we come together and have the open time. Now, there's one other thing I would like to say. [00:23:56] In the more serious Bible study, you cannot take the temperature of the church. [00:24:03] And in an evangelistic meeting, you cannot take the temperature of the church. You can only take the temperature of the teacher or of the evangelist. [00:24:13] The open time, very much like a prayer time, is the time when you can take the temperature of the church. [00:24:22] You can put the thermometer in the mouth of the church, as it were, and at the end of it, you can read it. [00:24:29] And that's really why so many places in the country you can't tell what's going on, really, because you've only got one person, and often the level is pegged at that level. It's an artificial level. But when you've got it coming right down to all the members, either it's one awful mess or it's chaotic or it's confused or it's hopeless or it's dead or it's stale or it's creaking, or it's glorious, living, vital, moving with God. There's a unity, there's a unity, there's cohesion, there's a harmony. There's a way we can tell the church. We used to always say it's a prayer meeting. Prayer meeting is the way I've often heard pastors say that the prayer meeting is the way you can tell how the church is. Well, they've got the same thing, really, virtually. It's just the question of the open time. That's when you can tell what's really happening in the church. Well, that's the first thing. Second thing, very quickly, the purpose and scope of the open time. Well, now, there are one or two scriptures. One Peter, two five. We've read that to offer up, you are a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices. Hebrews, chapter ten, verse 25. [00:25:53] Not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another. And so much the more as ye see the day draw nigh, exhorting one another. So offering up spiritual sacrifices, exhorting one another. One corinthians 14, verse 26. [00:26:17] One corinthians 14, verse 26. What is it, then, brethren, when ye come together, each one hath a psalm, have a teaching, hath a revelation, hath a tongue, had an interpretation. Let all things be done unto building up. All things done unto building up. [00:26:39] Ephesians five. [00:26:41] Ephesians five, verse 18 to 21. Be not drunken with wine, wherein is a riot, but be filled with the spirit, speaking one to another in psalms and hymn and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ of God, even the Father, subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ. [00:27:16] Now, there's a wonderful description of an open time. Singing, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things in the name of the Lord, subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ. That is a good open time. It's exactly what happened. We are submitting one to another, giving place to one to the other. And we are giving thanks for everything. And we are speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, singing with our heart, making melody with our heart unto the Lord. That's rather lovely. And then Colossians, chapter three and verse 16 and 17. [00:28:10] Of course, we're to do that at all times. Remember what I've said, the open times, only the expression of it in a kind of defined way. Here we've got it. Colossians 316 17. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God. And whatsoever ye do in word or indeed do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. So much for those who feel, oh, all the singing. [00:28:58] Of course, we have to be careful of too much singing if it's empty and just a kind of vain repetition. But the scripture puts a great accent on speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs in not just one place, but two places. This is the way we build one another up. This is the way we express something, the way we worship the Lord. Of course, it can become empty, just as teaching can become empty, evangelism can become empty. Even the prayer time can become empty. Anything can become empty. We don't draw out of things just because they're empty. We look to God to put reality into them. So it's not just vain repetition, but really something from God. Well, that's the purpose and scope of the time. One corinthians twelve, verse seven. [00:29:50] One corinthians twelve, verse seven. [00:29:55] But to each one is given the manifestation of the spirit to profit with all. Now we see, therefore, that the purpose and scope of the open time. The purpose of the open time is one worship, worshipping the Lord together. [00:30:15] Psalms, hymns, spiritual song, opening our mouths, giving thanks unto God, glorifying the Lord, exalting the Lord, exalting in the Lord together, that God may be enthroned upon the praises of his people. Secondly, it is offering up of spiritual sacrifices. This may be just a testimony. It may be some revelation. It may be something that God has given to you, and it's a sacrifice. What a lovely way of putting it. It's a sacrifice. It's something which costs you something to give. It's offering up a spiritual sacrifice and all. May God put more of that into our contribution, that it really comes out of a history with God, and it's a spiritual sacrifice that is being offered. It is exhortation. What a lovely ministry exhortation is. It's not just comforting, it's encouraging. It's more than just comforting. It's encouraging one another. We encourage all. Don't we need it? I'm not so good at this, as you all know. [00:31:21] You have a kind of little battle with everybody. Well, come on, get a move on. But exhortation is such a lovely ministry. It is that sweet, gracious spirit which, as it were, encourages people. Come on, let's praise the Lord. Open your mouth. Now, some people say, oh, why are we always being told to open our mouth? Well, the scripture says we are to exhort one another. If everyone opened their mouths and praised the law, we wouldn't need it. So much. But every time we come together, if the enemy is still alive, every time we come together, we'll have quite a few people who are depressed down underweather sat on. Somehow or other, they feel, oh, and just a right word of exhortation. Some word perhaps comes out of testimony, which is an encouragement. It's exhorting one another. It's not just, look at me, I'm wonderful. I feel marvelous, and I'm praising the Lord. Or you ought to be praising the Lord. That's not the spirit of exhortation. But it is rather. Look here, God has done something in me. Don't you think we should praise the Lord together? He's so wonderful. Let's praise him. He's worth praising. That's exhortation. We feel our hearts lift, you see? Exhortation, a manifestation of the spirit. What a lovely thought that is, that the Holy Spirit can manifest himself through anyone. I'll tell you this. The Holy Spirit can only manifest himself through people who are open to him. [00:32:52] He ought to be able to manifest himself through every single one. I personally do not believe there are only nine ways in which the Holy Spirit can manifest himself. I believe there are many more. [00:33:03] The nine tend to sum up all the different ways in which he can. But the fact of the matter is this, that the manifestation of the spirit is given to all. For the prophet, everyone, manifestation of the spirit. But the Holy Spirit cannot manifest himself where there's a blockage, where we say no, or he can't do it with me, there can't be any manifestation. [00:33:32] Or, again, building up. Here's the purpose of the open type, building up. Let all things be done unto building up. You've got a question about your contribution. Is it to building up? Is it to building up? That will settle many a contribution. Is it really to building up, or is it for myself? Is this just a little word that everyone will say, wasn't that wonderful? So and so gave that word. [00:33:56] Or is it really for the building up of the whole? That's our great concern. And the purpose of the open time is fellowship. We're sharing. We're giving expression to the fact that we are members of one body and we're sharing the fullness of Christ. So each one brings something in one way or another, and in the whole there is a fullness. [00:34:21] The purpose then is to worship God together, allowing the Holy Spirit to take and use the various members as he will. That's the purpose of the open time. I'll repeat it again. The purpose of the open time. Is to worship God together allowing the Holy Spirit to take and use the various members as he will. This will result, in the end in the building up of the whole body of Christ all of us can take part as led by the spirit. What does it say? In one corinthians 14 and verse 26? It says, each one half, when ye come together, each one hath. So it is open to all. There's not some elite group. It is open to every member of the body. Each one hath. Now, there's a point we must make here and it is simply this. It doesn't mean that all must or all should take part in an open time but all can take part in the open time under the government of the Holy Spirit. It is quite obvious that not everyone can take part in an open time. It would be quite impossible. In the early church when there were thousands being saved it was perfectly impossible for everyone to take part. [00:35:47] It had to be under the government of the hospital. Even when they were divided up into all the homes all over Jerusalem. [00:35:54] Still, they must have been sizable companies when you think there were 3000 the first day, 5000 a week or two later and even more a little later than that. So they were sizable companies. So what does it mean? It means this, that everyone can take part under the government of the Holy Spirit. Doesn't mean that everyone's got to take part at any given time. But everyone can take part and should be open to the Holy Spirit to lead in this way. [00:36:26] One other matter about the scope of the open time is that it is wide open for anything the Holy Spirit wants to do. But everything must be done decently and in order. God is not the God of confusion but of order and peace. That is the same chapter, verse 33 and verse 40. Now so clear is the apostle Paul on this matter that he even says about certain gifts. He says, for instance, verse 27, if anyone speaks in a tongue it should be by two or at the most three and each in turn and let one interpret. But if there's no interpreter, let him keep silent in the church. [00:37:13] Now that's a point the apostle Paul is emphasizing. No disorder. No disorder. [00:37:20] This manifestation of the Spirit, whatever it is, it doesn't mean there's disorder in any way or confusion. [00:37:26] The Holy Spirit always brings order and peace. That's a beautiful thing, peace, not unhappiness and a sense of disquiet about something. [00:37:41] Verse 31. You can all prophesy one by one so that all may learn and keep sorry and all may be exhorted and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. Earlier he said that day two should be either two or three. So you see, there is an order in this matter. In other words, these things are not to take over the church completely. They are to be part of the whole and kept in order, because God is the God of peace and order. Now, I think that's all very interesting, especially about the spirit of the prophets being subject to the prophets. You don't have to be excitable. Your spirit can be absolutely under control. There are those who seem to think that you can't exercise anything of God unless you get very sort of vehement or excitable. Now, if you are that kind of person, that's different. But if you're not, don't feel that you've got to be that kind of person. If you're a quiet, phlegmatic person, you can exercise a gift in a quiet, phlegmatic way. Believe me. Your spirit must be under the government of yourself. In other words, you don't just allow anything to happen. You're always in control. That's a very important point. There are two more reasons for the open time, very quickly, that the various gifts might be developed in quality and depth, ending in spiritual increase. Now, there's no doubt about it that where there is no open time, no one gets practically trained or exercised spiritually. [00:39:22] But where there is the open time, however poor, there is the possibility of exercising what you have of the Lord. And in that exercise, there ought to be development in quality and depth. [00:39:39] What is wrong is exposed as wrong. What is artificial is exposed as artificiality. And what is genuine is shown to be genuine and can be developed in depth and quality. I think that's very, very important. No one ever grew by keeping silent. [00:39:56] Remember that. It never, ever grew. Some people think they do, that you never do. You never grow by just sitting back and being a spectator. [00:40:05] You only grow by the use of what you have from God. That's the first thing. The second thing is also quite important. I believe that one of the purposes of the open time is that the church was produced and created to live in times of persecution and difficulty. Now, the one man ministry has always ended in tragedy, and the devil well knows it. For every time you get a Nero, every time you get a Hitler, every time you get a Stalin, all he has to do is to decapitate the church, take away its leader, destroy him, murder him, and you've got the whole thing. The thing goes to pieces. And sometimes it takes months and years for those believers to get back their equilibrium and find each other in the Lord. But where the church was not meant to be like that. The church was meant to be able to cope with emergencies. It should be able to go right underground almost at a moment's notice. You ought to be able to meet in a chicken hut and have a little open time with two or three, know how to build each other up, know how, all of you, to look to the Holy Spirit to lead. You can have a little time of worship and praise. And I do believe that when we hear the full story of what has happened in China, we shall find out that many, many believers were kept alive in this simple way of just meeting together here and there and building up one another. I believe this is a very important point in the matter of the open time. We might be prepared for times of persecution and difficulty, being able to meet anywhere anyhow, in small or large numbers, to build one another up simply as the Holy Spirit leads. So let's get used to it. So that when the night comes and I'm taken away and von is taken away and a few others are taken away, and that's the finish of us, we shall get into glory before you. You lot can sort of go on, whether it's in your kitchen or somewhere quietly, you know just what to do. You're not just going to say, oh, we can't ever have a time of worship now. We can't ever have any time where we can really build one another up. You can go on, you don't have to have, you can be as few as two, can be as many as you like. [00:42:19] Anyway, there we are. Now, the third thing, very simply, is this. The Holy Spirit is the leader of such a time. The key to the open time is the Holy Spirit, the person and the work of the Holy Spirit. No man is head of such a time. It is the headship of Christ, made real to us by the Holy Spirit. Everyone must therefore look to the Holy Spirit, and to him alone for leadership. [00:42:47] Our unity and diversity will thus be expressed as we look to those. On the one hand, we will not try to all say the same thing, and yet we shall be absolutely one. There will be harmony and cohesion, and yet in our harmony and cohesion, in our unity, there will be great diversity. That's exactly as it ought to be, fullness. In other words, everyone is exactly themselves, but together you get the fullness. If the Holy Spirit is leading, then there should be design and theme. That's obvious, isn't it? The Holy Spirit isn't a vacuum. He has a mind. And he makes known to us the mind of Christ. Therefore, if the Holy Spirit is in charge of an open time. It must have a design. It must have a theme giving cohesion and harmony to the whole time. It therefore follows that we need to be sensitive to his leading and design in such a time. I can't emphasize that fact more than is possible. [00:43:49] The sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. Is the greatest need of all on the part of everyone. Sometimes that design will be progressively unfolded. [00:43:59] Starting with one matter developing to another and so on. Other times it will be one subject variously viewed. But the Holy Spirit always has. He's never just haphazard. Just one great confusion of favorite hymns and favorite pieces of the word. And a few bits of praise flung in. [00:44:22] Holy spirit gives theme and design to the time when everyone says it's like a symphony. A good open time. There's nothing like it is like a symphony. You wonder where it all comes from. Vista after Vista is open before you with no one in charge. And it's just glorious. You go away. Even when you can't put your finger on one particular magic. You go away tremendously. Help and built up, you know, inside, I've been lifted up. I've been built up, I'm strengthened. That's how it should be. [00:44:55] It's just here, I think that we need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Just because we have some hymn or word or thought or so on. It does not follow automatically that it should be given publicly at that time. You see, there are people who feel, oh, well, I've got a hymn very much on my heart. So they're going to give it willy nilly. [00:45:17] And then you get that awful sinking feeling. [00:45:22] And the hymn might be an awfully good one, but he's just come at the wrong time. You say, oh, you could see everyone suffering. [00:45:30] And those of us who sort of in charge, we sort of say, now, shall we cancel it? Shall we cancel or shall we not? We know very well if we say we will not sing that hymn. People say, oh, how terrible. [00:45:44] Stopping that like that. [00:45:47] A great problem what to do at such times. But let's just underline this point that just because we've got something from the Lord. Doesn't necessarily mean that it's to be given at that time. [00:46:02] It may be for us, it may be for later. And this is one of the great things we've all got to learn. We've got to allow the Holy Spirit to train us to know when it is the right time to contribute. And so on, come to that in a moment when there's been a spiritual red herring, and there are often plenty of them, when there's been a spiritual red herring, that is something that's been drawn across, which takes everyone, the whole line off and you no longer got the scent of the way. You can't sort of feel the way through again. Or there's been some good but overlong contribution, which means that it began in life and ended in death. And when time you finish what you've got at the beginning, you've lost by the end, or a lifeless contribution, which now and now and again does come, then we need, all of us, to look to the Holy Spirit in faith. [00:47:00] Don't get irritated. This is what happens with psalms. We get irritated. [00:47:07] So and so ought to know better, but don't get we're all prone to this kind of thing. Look to the Holy Spirit in faith. Believe that the Holy Spirit can get us back on the track in spite of some red herring that's gone across. This is just as true of the prayer time, by the way, when we have one of those shopping list prayers that have gone all over the whole area on a great shopping list and we don't know where we are at the end of it, or one of those world tours. Well, I'll come to that. When we talk about prayer. [00:47:37] Began in New York and ended in Tokyo and then finally ended by praying for grandma'sickness. I mean, the thing is, by the time that we don't know where we are, we've lost the scent, we don't know the direction of the law, we don't know where we're going, we don't know what to do, how to take up the thread again. Now, I think here we must learn a very simple lesson. We must be grown up in one sense, in our whole attitude to the thing. Of course we're going to get rid of heaven. You can't have an open time without it. And if people are going to make their first faltering steps in really contributing, there's going to be some mistakes made, and we've got to remember that. And we have just got to look to the Holy Spirit in real faith, genuine faith, to get us back onto the right track, certainly in an inward way. And sometimes we may have to take outward action. It's an overall just sitting there with bowed head. I mean, the point is, maybe the Lord would say, now then, come on back to the point. You're the one come in with a word of praise, or there's a hymn that's there, and we're back again on the right track. [00:48:42] It's very important for us to take inward responsibility, all of us at such a time. And this is the way we all get. You see, what I'm saying is this, that this kind of thing will lead us into much blessing because it's not just the open time. We are beginning to learn how to distinguish the mind of the Lord and when things go wrong, how to trust the Lord for them to come back to the right. [00:49:10] Many lessons we learn in this way. [00:49:12] Learning to know the leading and prompting of the Holy Spirit comes with experience. [00:49:20] No one can just get it suddenly and quickly. We have to have our spiritual senses exercised and trained. We shall never learn by simply sitting back and waiting. Now, this is the problem with so many. We sit back and we say, well, I don't feel I'm at the point where I could contribute anything, really. I must wait for a while. But you never learn that way. [00:49:46] Your only way you learn to walk is by walking. You make some mistakes. The only way you learn to speak is by speaking. And sometimes our parents had many a laugh over us over the things we said when we were learning to speak. You can't learn another language without making mistakes. [00:50:03] You see, you've got everything. You've got to be prepared to make the mistakes. So it's not sitting back, just waiting till some marvelous something happens inside of you which is going to change you altogether and make you perfect. [00:50:17] This will not happen, not in these ways. [00:50:23] You've got to know the leading and prompting of the Holy Spirit by having your spiritual senses exercised and trained. Now, let's go straight away to a few practical observations very swiftly. Here they are. [00:50:39] First observation, be expectant. Not only be expectant that God will be there. I think most people in this company say, yes, the Lord's going to be there. Praise his name. I believe he's going to meet us today. But be expectant that he will use you. [00:50:59] How many come? Sort of saying, oh, the Lord's going to be there. But they would have the shock of their lives if they felt that the Lord was going to use them. [00:51:08] Me open my mouth? I don't think I'd better go find death. [00:51:18] Be expectant. Do you know, it's all unbelief that shuts your mouth? It's unbelief, really, it is. There's not modesty and it's not humility again and again. The trouble is that we often, those sometimes who open their mouths too much haven't got so much to say. And those who keep their mouths shut are burying something for which they will be responsible one day in the presence of the Lord for their stewardship. It's an important thing. Be expectant. Be expectant. Expect the Lord to use you. You're a member of the body. [00:51:54] That's the thing. Don't just wait for others sitting there sort of waiting, waiting, waiting. [00:52:02] Secondly, the importance of pressure, of previous meditation, prayer and reflection. I can't emphasize this over much. Again, too much. The fact of the matter is that we ought. There ought to be previous meditation and reflection. Not that you know what you're going to say. Not at all. But there should at least be some thought and prayer over such a time. Carelessness always produces shoddiness, and the open time very quickly reveals shoddiness. [00:52:42] And it all goes back to the fact that people dash into the time and then sit there. [00:52:48] Tragic. Especially when it's the Lord's table. And that leads me to a third thing. Seek always to be punctual when everyone streams in late. No wonder some people get so upset because we shut the doors two minutes to. I should think we should. I good mind to shut them ten minutes, too, the way people sidle in. And, you know, we completely excuse people who come from a great distance. But they're not the people who are late. It's the people who all live within a little distance that come pouring in late. And then they sit there and say, what's wrong with this meeting? [00:53:25] You can't expect the Lord to bless if there's that kind of spirit. Seek always to be punctual. If possible, be early and sit there and really wait on the Lord. And this way, again, in punctuality is offensive to the Lord because it reveals a spirit, a spirit of carelessness. [00:53:46] We're just thinking of it as a human meeting. We're not thinking of it as really meeting with the Lord. If you were meeting with the queen, you wouldn't walk in late. [00:53:54] You'd be there in good time. Just because we meet with the Lord all the time, we take it all so easily. I know we've got a lot to do, especially the mothers, with the children and so on. It's not easy, but, you know, I think we owe it to the Lord to so order our homes and everything that we can be. Not there just in time, but just before time. And if not sometime before then we can really wait on the Lord. Never chatter before the meeting. [00:54:24] I know it's good to be friendly, but we have plenty of opportunity to be friendly afterwards, but before, just wait on the Lord. And it brings a whole atmosphere, not just an artificial atmosphere, but it's something which is precious to the Lord. [00:54:39] Well, these are just observations. Center your thoughts on the Lord from the very beginning. [00:54:44] Look to no one but the Holy Spirit as he leads us in worship and service. [00:54:50] Give what you have of Christ and you will be given more. [00:54:55] If in no other way, praise him. If you don't know of any other way, praise the Lord. Open your mouth and just say, thank you, Lord, for saving me. [00:55:04] I sometimes think that someone who opens their mouth and says, lord, I love you means more to the Lord than one great long five minute contribution. Because the Lord says, well, that's lovely. [00:55:16] That's really satisfied me, that contribution. That person just telling me that they loved me, gone right to my heart. And there's that old boar going on for seven minutes. [00:55:28] Not something I know all about anyway. [00:55:33] But I mean, you know, I know it's very wrong to say that, I suppose the Lord never feels like that, but I've often felt so sorry for the Lord. [00:55:41] He gets so preached at sometimes. [00:55:44] The fact is, try and be. [00:55:49] Give what you've got simply. If you're young in the Lord, give what you've got just simply. If he saved you, thank him for saving you. Tell him you love him. Don't be afraid of the others. Don't say, everyone's going to say, oh, so and so sentimental. It's the Lord, it's the Lord. Forget all the others. The Lord in that sense. [00:56:08] Well, now, just a few practical points to speak up clearly. [00:56:18] Here's a problem, a real problem. You find people who speak into their book, or sometimes you hear people who literally take part. This is what they do. [00:56:32] You can't possibly hear. Someone's got their head between their knees. [00:56:40] Of course, you can't possibly hear if you've got that kind of thing. Don't do it. And then again, voice like a whisper. Now, we forgive everyone who's got a soft voice. Of course, you can't help it, but some people who speak in a whisper in the gathering have got voices like toggle. [00:57:00] The amazing thing is, as soon as they come into the presence of the Lord, they adopt this gentle whisper and you can't hear a word that they say. Of course, we get a bit irritated sometimes when we know that the person's got a marvelous voice. [00:57:17] You see, these are the things we do. Speak up, speak up. It's so important just to stand up and speak up and so on and then another little point, stand up if it's a major contribution. In other words, if it's something a little more than just simply praising the Lord or you're going to read something from the word stand up, because again, it does help us. It's just practical. It's not trying to be formal or pompous. It's a question of everybody hearing. And you see, when you stand up psychologically, you start to speak out. It's a psychological thing. You stand up, you speak out, you see? And so when you've got more than just praise, do stand up. Now, someone will say, well, what happens when you've just got a little portion of the word on your heart? For instance, in a time of prayer or in time when we're praising the Lord. That's all right, just read that. [00:58:18] But I'm just saying about the really major contribution when perhaps you're making a comment on it or it's a reading part. Well, I think you should stand up. When you suggest a hymn, give the book number and first line and not as on Sunday, our beloved brother with the children. [00:58:40] Book number, first line. Now this is again an important point because it does help everyone to check and counter check. That's now and again. It's okay, someone's got a softer voice. One of us brothers will repeat the number, but where you can give the first verse. Now, when you're reading scripture, give the book chapter and verse and give just a few moments for people to get to it. Book, chapter and verse. And it's always nice to hear what version you're reading from. This is when, again, it's a major contribution. It's not just when something's being contributed in prayer and so on. We don't to be so formal there, but I think the Holy Spirit will train us in these things. [00:59:27] But again, it's important in this. Now, when you give a chorus, people have brought up this question, why should we say the whole, can we sing chorus, the chorus so and so? Or is it better to start straight off in song? Now, may I just have a word? Say a word of caution here. [00:59:49] There are many of us that have got lovely voices, and that's true. And also we are able to start right on the right key. That's okay. Now, when you can do that, there's nothing more lovely than just a start and the whole company just take it up. There's something rather lovely about that, but if you haven't, don't try. There's nothing more terrible than everyone croaking around here about praising the Lord, and they can hardly get it out. [01:00:23] It really does bring a bit of a dampener on things. So it's better then to say, could we sing chorus on? Can I make one other thing, which is just a personal thing, when we have so many beautiful scriptures that we sing. I personally don't like them being called choruses. I think it's much lovelier to say, could we sing psalm 34, verse one or so? And this helps those who don't know their bibles. Even if it's another version, it does give them some idea of what's being said. You see, it's all a matter of fellowship. Our whole point is to bring everyone in. So when we've got the scriptural ones, I think it's much lovelier to say, could we sing hebrews two, verse nine? Behold. [01:01:07] Can't think of it now how it goes, but you know what I mean? Or psalm 27, verse one. And I can't think of that either. [01:01:17] You know what I mean? [01:01:20] I think it's much lovely, if they are scriptural things, to say that, yes, do not try to do more than one thing at a time. Now, here is something to be resisted. Now, for many of you who find it a great problem to even open your mouth, you will never have this problem. But there are others who have very definitely got this problem, and that is they try to have a little meeting within the meeting. What they do is we have a reading, prayer and hymn. Now, that's extreme, but you know the kind of thing, you get a reading and then you get the hymn given by the same person. Resist it. I have noticed, without exception, that always the succeeding contribution is dead. [01:02:10] The reason for this is simply that a person is doing this in unbelief. They cannot trust the Holy Spirit to bring in something else which will confirm what God has given them. So don't ever resist this thing. [01:02:25] The whole point of an open time is fellowship. If God has given you a reading, give it and it'll be confirmed. And it's so wonderful when it's confirmed, when there's something that you've given and someone comes in with a hymn which confirms it, it's absolutely wonderful. And everyone knows it says, isn't that Wonderful? The Lord's spoken to us. So do resist this thing, even if it's there. Sometimes you may have to choose between whatever it is read with feeling. [01:02:53] Don't feel that you've got to be English, especially those of you who aren't. [01:03:00] No reason for the bible to be into know some people sort of get the idea that you must take out every bit of feeling or emotion in your reading altogether. Now, don't do that. [01:03:13] Let there be feeling in your reading. Read it normally and do be yourself. [01:03:18] Don't be ostentatious or artificial, and don't use an unnatural voice in prayer or praise. It was Wp Nicholson who said, why do people always use unnatural voices in prayer? [01:03:35] I don't say to my wife, I would like some porridge, and upon it I would like milk. [01:03:45] You say, could I have some porridge? And I'd like a little milk. [01:03:49] Now, why in evangelical circles is prayer always so unnatural? This has done great disservice to the cause of the law. Prayer is only conversation with God. Now, I must say this, that when we are publicly speaking, obviously it's not exactly the same as speaking in your lounge or drawing room or bedroom with somebody. I mean, you've gone to speak out, but you are still yourself. [01:04:21] Some people go complete character, undergo complete character changes, personality changes. It's weird. It's not God. [01:04:31] Now, be careful of that. Be yourself. Don't be artificial. Don't be unnatural. Be absolute yourself in prayer or praise or any other contribution. Now, those of us who are by nature more emotional, more excited, more volatile, be more volatile. [01:04:50] Why should you come under some kind of condemnation everyone else and feel, oh, I must try to be level and so become artificial. [01:04:59] If you're a vehement type of person, be a vehement type of person. [01:05:04] If you're a sort of placid kind of person, be a placid kind of person. Let the Lord express himself through you. Be yourself. Be sensitive and obedient to the spirit of God and what he is saying. Be careful of barging in willy nilly, especially when God has said something. [01:05:24] This is particularly so, for instance, when God may have said something in way of prophecy. Now, we are not to swallow anything that God says in prophecy. We're to try the spirits, whether they be of God, but we're not to despise prophesying. Therefore, when God speaks in this way, we should at least listen. And if there is something God has said, it may need to be taken up in praise or in prayer. This is the same. If we should have a tongue, we should at least wait for a moment for an interpretation. [01:05:55] Now, someone will say, well, what happens if there isn't an interpretation? Well, the answer is the tongue, in many cases, shouldn't have been given. [01:06:04] So it's as simple as that. [01:06:08] We'll say more about that another time about these questions. They're so good. [01:06:17] I've listed down them here, all the ones that have been given to me before. [01:06:22] Sometime before the meeting. [01:06:26] Am I really fit to participate? [01:06:29] What a question. Am I really fit to participate? Good question. [01:06:35] If there is unconfessed sin in your life. No. [01:06:40] And that is why once or twice we've had to stop people and make them sit down. Only that is not known by some people. And it comes to the why did he do so? So one case of a brother seen by another, hit a traffic jam after a Sunday morning. Wind down his window and swear at another car driver the next Sunday morning, stands up in the meeting and contributes. We had to stop it. It's not right. [01:07:06] The person's not conscious of sin. How can we allow such a thing? But if there is no unconfessed sin. Of course you're fit to participate. Whoever is fit to participate, may I ask, I'm not only through the righteousness of Christ. [01:07:27] This message given by Lartz Lambert is concluded in the following tape with the same title. Life in the local church. Part two. Banana.