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Adapted from Witness Lee and incorporating the Life Model.
Meetings to facilitate the effective sharing of all members for the building up of the body of Christ
but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—16. from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causing growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
Ephesians 4:15-16
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NKJV)
Background
The purpose of this document is to outline a liturgy, adapted from Witness Lee and Jim Wilder to facilitate Life-giving Face to Face transformation meetings of the church by which the Body of Christ is built up by joyful mutual sharing so that the whole body, joined and knit together by what every member supplies, according to the effective working by which every member does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
The big focus for the last 400 years on an elevated pulpit model is outlived now. The Reformers insisted on an elevated pulpit (and an elevated pastor called Dominus, which means “Lord”) to highlight the Scriptures’ importance.
This model was useful in the early reformation but has serious drawbacks and profound alternatives are available.
Liturgy Definition
The word “Liturgy” means the weekly and daily program by which we facilitate the working of Christ and the Holy Spirit through all the members of the body of Christ.
New Testament Example
In 1 Corinthians 12-14, we see the longest description of a New Testament church liturgy in the Bible.
It blends very well with Eph 4, Rom 12, and other passages describing how the members are to contribute in worship and fellowship services.
The need for effective sharing of each member for the building up the church as the organic Body of Christ in love is highlighted in Eph 4.
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
” (Ephesians 4:11–16, NKJV)
Each One Shares Christ
We have been created in the Image of God and God speaks all the time. Secondly, we are to become more like Christ day by day, and Christ also speaks. It is therefore quite obvious that we must all “speak”.
For each member to Preach Christ effectively is the best and the most Biblical way to build up the Body. Sadly today, in most Christian meetings, there is a congregation with one speaking while the rest listen every week. The rest of the congregation are effectively spectators or customers. The compound result after a few years is that Christians, particularly the men, grow powerless, unspiritual, bored, cold, and disinterested.
Traditional Stage and Pulpit Ministries usually have home cells where members are encouraged to speak but this is often still controlled by a “leader” and still, effectively one-man ministry, or simply a social.
New Wineskin Practices
15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse. 17 Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
” (Matthew 9:15–17, NKJV)
Living Stones in the House of God
4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
” (1 Peter 2:4–5, NKJV)
To facilitate each one of us working on this practically we need an easy weekly liturgy.
We have a few practices or habits that guide us.
1 Outreach
Each of us must learn how to minister to unbelievers or struggling Christians by bringing Christ to them as Life, Food and Light.
The easiest is simply to pray for the people in your day-to-day environment. Once we have learned the power of eating Jesus and sharing His Zoe Life with one another in Face-to-Face meetings, we can begin to trust the Holy Spirit to share Christ with others. The purpose is not evangelism per se or proselytizing, but simply to share life and joy that we ourselves have in Christ with others.
Offer your friends the Bread of Life. Present Christ as food for them to eat, not doctrine or dogma. Share from the “Tree of Life”, not form the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil”.
2 Twos-and-Threes Discipleship
Once a person begins to eat Christ and sense the life, the light, the Hěsěd(Love-of-God), and the Spirit then set up a weekly formal discipleship meeting with them. Continue with informal meetings such as hikes and braais, tennis and soccer, but also schedule 60 minutes once a week for formal Face-to-Face enjoyment of Christ.
You can simply read the same chapter that the congregation is using that week. Use the normal process of asking them what was the highlight and the lowlight of their week. This will help connection, synchronization, and Face-to-Face joy. Look them in the eye and offer Hěsěd.
Then read a verse, let them read a verse etc. Ask them what aspect of Christ’s Zoe Life they enjoy the most. Focus on points of Spiritual Life that stand out to them. Share your own enjoyment and have fellowship around the scripture just like the Sunday meeting and the Home Meetings.
End the meeting on time after 60 minutes with prayer.
If we keep it short and effective in the Spirit, they will ask for more.
3 Home Meetings (Zoe Meetings)
Invite your friend to a Home Meeting when they are ready. Do not push it too soon. Rather wait till they ask.
4 Sunday Meetings
God’s ways require diligence, patience, and growing skill in sharing, teaching, and ministering Christ by the Spirit.
Practice makes perfect.
Practical Guidelines for Home Meetings (Zoe Meetings)
Facilitator
For practical reasons, we will need a facilitator for each meeting which must be a mature brother. This brother must encourage everybody to speak and encourage those who speak a lot to keep quiet and wait for the others. The facilitator should speak as little as possible. The purpose of the meeting is to facilitate the speaking of the Holy Spirit through each member (Eph 4 :15-17). The more mature the group is the less the facilitator will speak.
Share Highlights and Lowlights of the week
Ask each person in the circle in turn to share the highlight and lowlight of the week. Each person has two minutes. When someone shares his joys and challenges, the others in the meeting can pray for them. In this way, we synchronize, share mutual joy and bear one another’s burdens.
Reading a Chapter
In a typical meeting we all read a chapter of New Testament scripture together.
Effective portions for Zoe Meetings are Ephesians, Colossians, Galatians, Romans 4-8 and the 4 Gospels. Avoid teaching and theological debate. Focus on Christ. Always ask the question: “What do you enjoy the most when eating Christ in this portion?” Our reading, teaching and discipleship must be textual, not topical, so stick to the current chapter. Mutual questions and Mutual answers
House Rules for ZOE Meetings
The purpose of these rules is to facilitate and regulate the ZOE Meetings. ZOE Meetings are meetings where we experience the Spirit ministering through each person, out of the Bible, and not primarily through one man.
Each member must “Turn to the Spirit and Contact God”. That still small voice of God’s Spirit inside your spirit guiding you into all Truth.
This is specifically not the Mind and not the Emotions. We must each learn to quiet the intellect and quiet the emotions and hear the Spirit.
Focus:
- Scripture – Eating Jesus/Word in this chapter in context.
- Spirit (the Holy Spirit wants to speak through each one of us)
- Manifold Ministry (the whole congregation as we see in 1 Cor 12-14) – Each one to share JOY and LIFE from the scripture.
The purpose is for us all to experience and share ZOE Life from the Scripture by the Spirit. This is the essence of prophecy, it is extremely powerful and takes some skill.
- No teaching
- No preaching
- No testimonies
- No sharing of sermons or books
- No questions (questions can be asked afterward)
Effective Working of Every Joint
15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” (Ephesians 4:15–16, NKJV)
Speaking Joyfully
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. ” (Colossians 3:15–17, NKJV
To Gifted People and Preachers (a Tight Ship is a Happy Ship)
- See yourself and a normal Christian sharing and receiving Joy and Life, like everyone else.
- Don’t try to control or steer the meetings.
Refrain from teaching and preaching. - Do not try to impress the congregation with your gift and revelation.
- Do not try to direct what you think the Holy Spirit wants.
- Do not answer questions.
- Allow the Holy Spirit to answer through the less gifted people.
Learn the Truth
For the sake of the group meetings, we must take up the burden to learn the truth.
12 Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 13 Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. 14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. 15 Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. 16 Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
” (1 Timothy 4:12–16, NKJV)
We have many teachings, articles, recommended reading and seminars covering all the critical subjects, such as:
- Christology
- Soteriology
- Basology
- Ecclesiology
- Pneumatology
- etc
Learn how to Avoid Arguments by focusing on the Text and The Cross & The Spirit
Avoid arguments or theoretical theology. The group meetings must focus on LIFE. Focus on the ZOE of Christ which we access by eating Jesus and by being baptized into Jesus. We focus on the Tree of Life not Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The facilitator and the mature brothers must be ready to redirect a new people who might be argumentative or might be soulish back into the Spirit. This must be gentle and clear. Ask the person what he is enjoying the most on the text concerning the Life of Christ. Explain we must please stay in the chapter at hand and not drift into controversial points. Theological debate will subside and Christ will be glorified.
Do not engage in Arguments and Disputes
9 But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. 10 Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.
” (Titus 3:9–11, NKJV)
Memorization Verse:
Rom 6:3-4 are extremely useful in focus all conversations back on Christ and the Cross
3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. ”
(Romans 6:3–4, NKJV)
