DISCIPLE

Going to the meeting? by Michael Penfold, Bicester, England It’s meeting time.‘Let’s see . . . keys, mobile phone, Bible. Let’s go’. If that’s all the ‘getting ready’ you do before the opening hymn, this article is for you! Though most believers know that assembly fellowship involves more than merely ‘turning up’ on time and filling a seat for an hour, truly ‘getting ready’ for the meeting is fast becoming a lost art. Yet the Bible outlines three obligatory pre-meeting activities. Three words will help the memory:     1. Preparation     2. Examination     3. Reconciliation      For preparation , consider the Lord’s words in Exodus 23:15, “None shall appear before me empty.” Worshippers at the annual ‘callings together’ of Israel had to come with an offering. None could simply arrive and feel they had done their duty.        Are there long gaps in the breaking of bread meeting where you gather? Do the brothers who take part repeat more or less the same words