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Remarque : les enregistrements au piano peuvent être légèrement désynchronisés avec le surlignage.
1
Father, long before creation, Thou hadst chosen us in love; And that love, so deep, so moving, Draws us close to Christ above, And will keep us, and will keep us, Firmly fixed in Christ alone, Firmly fixed in Christ alone.
DFa
G
ther,
D
long
before
crea
A
tion,
DThou
hadst
G
chosen
A7
us
in
D
love;
And
G
that
D
love,
so deep, so
mov
A
ing,
DDraws
us close
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to
D
Christ
A7a
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bove,
AAnd
will
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keep
us,
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and
will keep us,
Firmly fixed in Christ
a
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lone,
DFirmly
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in
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Christ
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lone.
2
Though the world may change its fashion, Yet our God is e’er the same; His compassion and His cov’nant Through all ages will remain. God’s own children, God’s own children, Must forever praise His name, Must forever praise His name.
Though the world may change its fashion,
Yet our God is e'er the same;
His compassion and His cov'nant
Through all ages will remain.
God's own children, God's own children,
Must forever praise His name,
Must forever praise His name.
DThough
G
the
D
world
may change its
A
fashion,
DYet
our
G
God
is
A7
e'er
the
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same;
His
G D
compassion
and His
A
cov'nant
DThrough
all
G
ages
D
will
A7 D
remain.
AGod's
own
A7
children,
D
God's
own children,
Must forever praise His
A
name,
DMust
G
forever
D
praise
A7
His
D
name.
3
God’s compassion is my story, Is my boasting all the day; Mercy free and never failing Moves my will, directs my way. God so loved us, God so loved us, That His only Son He gave, That His only Son He gave.
God's compassion is my story,
Is my boasting all the day;
Mercy free and never failing
Moves my will, directs my way.
God so loved us, God so loved us,
That His only Son He gave,
That His only Son He gave.
DGod's
G D
compassion
is my
A
story,
DIs
my
G
boasting
A7
all
the
D
day;
GMercy
D
free
and never
A
failing
DMoves
my will,
G D
directs
A7
my
D
way.
AGod
so
A7
loved
us,
D
God
so loved us,
That His only Son He
A
gave,
DThat
His
G
only
D
Son
A7
He
D
gave.
4
Loving Father, now before Thee We will ever praise Thy love; And our song will sound unceasing Till we meet Thy Son above, Giving glory, giving glory, To our God and to the Lamb, To our God and to the Lamb.
God’s compassion is my story,
Is my boasting all the day;
Mercy free and never failing
Moves my will, directs my way.
God so loved us, God so loved us,
That His only Son He gave,
That His only Son He gave.
Lord, thank You for having mercy on us. Thank You for reaching to us where we are, in the lowest condition and the farthest place, to have mercy on us. We are not qualified, but You qualify us by reaching us in Your mercy and bringing us to a place where we can enjoy Your love and mercy. We worship You, God, for Your mercy! We love you Lord Jesus 🙏
In order to have a good meeting, we need to learn how to meet, practice to meet, and know the sections of the meeting. According to our experience, a bread-breaking meeting can include eight sections. The first section is the opening. For the opening of the meeting, we need to seek what hymns to sing and what prayers to offer. The second section is introducing the subject. Every meeting has a purpose and center. The subject and the center need to be introduced at the beginning of the meeting. The third section is the strengthening. Sometimes the subject has been introduced, but the atmosphere is not strong. If the spirit is not high, there needs to be strengthening. The fourth section is uplifting the spirit. The fifth section is maintaining the spirit. The sixth section is filling up the time. The seventh section is the conclusion. The eighth section is the sending off. All these sections can be supported by hymns that reflect the emphasis of each section. For example, when we worship the Father, we might first sing “Father, to Thee a joyful song we raise” ( Hymns, #52) and follow this with several strong prayers. Then we might sing “Father, long before creation” ( Hymns, #33) and have more good prayers. If the feeling continues to linger, we can sing a stanza of this hymn again. If there is still a lingering feeling, we can have more prayer. This is the situation when the meeting is rich. If the meeting is poor, there will not be much prayer.
Prayer and meeting are two important means for a Christian to receive grace. Because we have many opportunities to pray and meet, we may not sense their importance. A Christian who does not pray or meet for about a year may fall into the hands of Satan and drift away. For this reason we have many meetings in the church. It is a pity that most of us do not understand how to meet and thereby become a distraction to the meeting. If we know how to meet, we can strengthen the meeting and bring in God’s blessing. Therefore, we need to practice how to meet.
THE PURPOSE OF THE MEETINGS
In order to learn how to meet, we first need to know the purpose of the meetings. The purpose of the meetings has four aspects: to God, to men, to Satan, and to ourselves.
To God—Worship
The first aspect of the purpose of the meetings is for worshipping God. Worship includes singing, praising, thanksgiving, and musing. We can use hymns or prayers to sing, praise, and give thanks. Musing is to ponder, to listen to others pray, to pray silently while others pray, and to follow the words of their prayer to consider various aspects of God.
To Men—Edifying
Christian meetings are not only for worshipping God but also for edifying men. There are many meetings that are only for worship without mutual edification. The prayers and testimonies of the attendants should mutually nourish each one’s spirit. This is the purpose of the meetings to men.
To Satan—Shaming
The meetings are not only for worshipping God and edifying men but also for shaming Satan. Our prayers, testimonies, and hymns present and display the grace we have received. Such an exhibition shames Satan. Our receiving grace proves that Christ is Victor and testifies of His victory in us. This shames God’s enemy. Ephesians 3:10 says, “In order that now to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenlies the multifarious wisdom of God might be made known through the church. ” Here through the church denotes the meetings of the church, that is, the gatherings of the saints. The meetings should shame the enemy.
To Ourselves—Building Up
The fourth aspect of the purpose of the meetings is for ourselves to be built up. The growth of our spiritual life depends not only on fellowshipping with the Lord, reading the Bible, and praying but also on meeting. Although we do not realize it, we are built up by going to the meetings. Even a weak meeting can build us up. If we do not meet for a year, we will suffer great loss.
Father, long before creation,
Thou hadst chosen us in love;
And that love, so deep, so moving,
Draws us close to Christ above,
And will keep us, and will keep us,
Firmly fixed in Christ alone,
Firmly fixed in Christ alone~
Though the world may change its fashion,
Yet our God is e’er the same;
His compassion and His cov’nant
Through all ages will remain.
God’s own children, God’s own children,
Must forever praise His name,
Must forever praise His name.
Every meeting has an opening, and there are hymns for this purpose. Selecting a hymn for opening the meeting requires careful consideration. We not only need to know the hymns according to their categories, but we also must learn to touch the feeling of the hymns. Hymns are refined utterances, and they convey a feeling. They are expressions of human sentiments. It is hard for a person who is unrefined to sing with much feeling. We must learn to taste the different hymns, because each one has its particular feeling and taste. Hymns, #127, "Hark! Ten thousand voices crying," is majestic and powerful. Hymns, #95, "O Head once full of bruises" and Hymns, #101, "When we survey the wondrous cross," are both on the Lord's suffering, and their feeling is fine. The chorus of Hymns, #513, "All in all forever," written by A. B. Simpson, expresses the feeling in the brothers and sisters in exalting Christ. Hymns, #33, "Father, long before creation"; Hymns, #47, "Father, Thy name our souls would bless"; and Hymns, #52, "Father, to Thee a joyful song we raise," are all superb hymns of praise to the Father from His many sons. After singing these hymns, it is difficult to follow with another one. The best thing to do is turn the hymns into prayer as a conclusion to the meeting. Only by identifying the feeling and flavor of the hymns can we use them at the suitable time.
Sending off is derived from Genesis 18 where Abraham sent Jehovah off. Sending off expresses the lingering riches of a meeting. There is the need of sending off when a rich meeting produces a lingering atmosphere. For example, when we sense such a lingering atmosphere, we can stand up and share a few words, even though a brother has already ended the meeting with prayer. This kind of sending off leaves the saints full of a pleasant taste. Instead of speaking a word, we may offer another prayer. Seemingly this is repetitious, but it is not. This is sending off, which strengthens the lingering air of a meeting.
It is also appropriate to send off with a short hymn. For example, after the bread-breaking meeting has ended, we may still sing the last stanza of Hymns, #33, "Loving Father, now before Thee / We will ever praise Thy love." This is a sending off.
In order to have a good meeting, we need to learn how to meet, practice to meet, and know the sections of the meeting. According to our experience, a bread-breaking meeting can include eight sections. The first section is the opening. For the opening of the meeting, we need to seek what hymns to sing and what prayers to offer. The second section is introducing the subject. Every meeting has a purpose and center. The subject and the center need to be introduced at the beginning of the meeting. The third section is the strengthening. Sometimes the subject has been introduced, but the atmosphere is not strong. If the spirit is not high, there needs to be strengthening. The fourth section is uplifting the spirit. The fifth section is maintaining the spirit. The sixth section is filling up the time. The seventh section is the conclusion. The eighth section is the sending off. All these sections can be supported by hymns that reflect the emphasis of each section. For example, when we worship the Father, we might first sing "Father, to Thee a joyful song we raise" (Hymns, #52) and follow this with several strong prayers. Then we might sing "Father, long before creation" (Hymns, #33) and have more good prayers. If the feeling continues to linger, we can sing a stanza of this hymn again. If there is still a lingering feeling, we can have more prayer. This is the situation when the meeting is rich. If the meeting is poor, there will not be much prayer.
When the praises reach a climax, we can give thanks and bless the bread and cup. After the breaking and partaking of bread, we can begin to worship the Father in the same way and turn our hymns to prayer. We may choose to sing "By Thee, O God, invited, / We look unto the Son" (Hymns, #42). Stanzas 1 through 3 bring our heart to His Son, whereas stanza 4 is the thanksgiving and praise offered by us, the prodigal sons, who have returned home. We may choose to sing "Father, long before creation" (Hymns, #33). We can turn this hymn into prayer, praising the Father for all that He has done in us (stanzas 1 and 2) and worshipping and appreciating Him because of His mercy and lovingkindness (stanzas 3 and 4).
The fifth step is the turning. For example, after the remembrance of the Lord, we need to turn to worship the Father. Sometimes the Lord's table has not reached the point of worshipping the Father, but a brother selects Hymns, #33; sometimes a brother selects Hymns, #101 immediately after the bread and the cup have been passed. Both are inappropriate. Hence, there is the need of a sixth step for correction. Sometimes a meeting may be quite long. For example, when a great number of saints gather together, it may take a longer time for the bread and the cup to be passed. If this is the case, there may be the need to maintain the spirit through a hymn or some prayers. This is the seventh step, maintaining the spirit for the meeting. Even though we use hymns and prayers to maintain the spirit, there may still be the need to fill up the time with more prayers and singing. This is the eighth step. Then toward the end of the meeting comes the ninth step to sing a concluding hymn. Sometimes even though the meeting has ended, there is still a lingering air; thus, we may select another hymn to send the saints off. This is the tenth step. This can be compared to sending off a friend who has visited you by walking a distance with him.