1 Cor. 14:24 But if all prophesy and some unbeliever or unlearned person enters, he is convicted by all, he is examined by all; (25) The secrets of his heart become manifest; and so falling on his face, he will worship God, declaring that indeed God is among you. (26) What then, brothers? Whenever you come together, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.
First Corinthians 14 teaches us how we should meet. Verse 26 means that when we meet, some will have a hymn, some will have a teaching, some will have a revelation, some will speak in tongues, and some will have interpretation of tongues. Everyone builds up the church with what they have. The question of supply at the meeting is not settled at the time of the meeting but in our own house. What we have at home will be what we have at the meeting. What we do not have at home we will not have at the meeting. The "has" in this verse is not the result of personal preference, personal thought, or sudden emotional impulse. What a person receives as he exercises daily before God is what he "has"; they are the things that are constituted in the spirit. This spiritual accumulation is what we have, and it is what we can use to supply the need of the church in accordance with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Hence, those who have a hymn should supply the church with a hymn. Those who have a revelation should supply the church with a revelation. Those with a teaching should supply the church with a teaching. Every one supplies the need in the church with what he has, not with what he does not have. Whatever you have is what you can minister to the church. For instance, you may have a hymn that you want to sing; it keeps coming to you, and you cannot help it. This means there is music in your heart; there is a hymn in your heart. This is your hymn. You do not come to the meeting and look for a hymn. Rather, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you supply the hymn you "have" for the edification of the church. There may be a few words which have become very precious to you during the past few days. These are your words. Similarly, you may have a revelation or a teaching; you just supply the church with what you have. Brothers and sisters, what has the Lord done or said to you these days?
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Watchman Nee, General Messages, Vol. 37, in The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, pp. 67-68. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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