Revive Thy work, O Lord

I attended a bread-breaking meeting in which a sister called the hymn "Revive Thy Work, O Lord" (Hymns, #797). This hymn is not appropriate for the bread-breaking meeting. Perhaps the sister had a feeling for the hymn because the church was promoting the burden of preaching the gospel and gaining people. However, when we come to the bread-breaking meeting to remember the Lord, we should remember the Lord and enjoy Him. As we enjoy Him, He is enjoying us; if we do not enjoy Him, He cannot enjoy us. The more we enjoy Him the more He enjoys us. Hence, we must remember that in the bread-breaking meeting we should not think of anything other than the Lord. This is something we all must learn.

Suppose the elders in a local church are bound, Christ is absent, and the devil has come in. Everyone in that locality will be bound. The elders, deacons, and saints will be bound. Even if they come to the meeting and sing, "Revive Thy work, O Lord" (Hymns, #797), they will not be released. Regardless of how much they sing, the church will not be revived, and there will not be freedom in the meeting. Everyone will feel restrained and bound. Before entering the meeting, a person may feel somewhat released, free, and at ease. But once he sits down and sings "Revive Thy work, O Lord" in such an atmosphere, his whole being will become bound; he will be unable to move. We have experienced such agony. While praying at home, our spirit is free. However, as soon as we enter the meeting, our whole being is bound, and the atmosphere in the meeting is suffocating. When this happens, we should realize that there is a problem in the meeting. The responsible brothers have a problem, and the saints have little or no dealings before the Lord. As a result, the fullness is diminished, and the meetings are bound and lacking in freedom.

I have been speaking God's Word for many years, and I rarely quote the Minor Prophets in the Old Testament. However, for this meeting, there is one sentence that we can use: "O Jehovah, revive Your work / In the midst of the years" (Hab. 3:2). Hymns, #797 is also very appropriate, because the beginning of every stanza and the beginning of the chorus say, "Revive Thy work, O Lord!" However, in considering this matter, we will use hymn #212 in the Chinese hymnal.