The Experience Meeting by William Williams
If
you are a small group leader, Sunday school teacher, pastor, or meeting
regularly with Christians in any on-going capacity, I highly encourage you to
read William Williams little book called The
Experience Meeting. This book
gets at the heart of Christian growth as Christians meet in various groups. In a day when Christians want to throw
off the regular meeting of believers, Williams reminds us that “the best
procedure for believers in all conditions…is to maintain regular attendance
at…religious fellowships until the day dawn, and the Lord Himself comes into
the midst” (19). Williams believes
the gathering of believers in any context to be the place the Holy Spirit does
his work. As I shift my roles at
Risen Life Church from being the Youth and College Pastor to being the Pastor
of Discipleship this little book has been a great reminder of the way God uses
the fellowship of believers to lead, guide, sanctify, encourage, teach, and
rebuke His bride through the Spirit that indwells every believer. Particularly, I was highly encouraged
by Williams focus on the collective work among believers by the Holy Spirit, his
reminders of why Christian gatherings are so important, his focus on the grace
of God in Christian meetings, and his profuse thinking on what we should ask of
teachers, new members, and regular members.
I
ran across this little book while reading Timothy Keller’s book Center Church. Keller mentioned it as a “classic guide” on the subject of
small groups, and that it is. The Experience Meeting was written in
the 18th century as a dialogue between Theophilus and Eusebius and
gives us a small peak into the value Christians of the time placed on meeting
together. We would do well in our
day and age to revive our interest in the type of Christian meeting Williams is
describing. To peak your interest
a little more, The Experience Meeting
was translated by none other than Mrs. Lloyd-Jones. That’s right, the wife of
Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. What a
partner in ministry wives can be!
Throughout
Williams book there is a refreshing and radical appeal to the Holy Spirit in
the midst of believers to do something special as they meet. Williams aptly describes the situation
of most believers when they come together as he speaks about the way the Holy
Spirit infused one of his meetings.
Believers had come together feeling lifeless, beat down, tempted on all
sides by Satan, not even wanting to meet together, and well in need of
encouragement from the Lord. It is
here that God by his Spirit, when the group decided to pray, breathed
life. The Spirit poured in love,
faith, hope, a joyful spirit, and a glorious multitude of Graces (8-9). Williams rightly sees the Lord as the
head of all Christian societies, and it is His Spirit that we want to appeal to
in all our meetings (18). Whatever
is done in a meeting Williams wants even the details placed in the hands of the
Holy Spirit so that the group can grow closer to the Lord (21). It is the Holy Spirit that convicts,
rebukes, and teaches the people of God and it is appeal to this person of the
Trinity that must be cultivated in all of our Christian gatherings.
Williams
gives many good reasons for meeting together and supports his reasoning from
scripture, yet he holds these arguments lightly and not dogmatically. For him even without some scriptural
support the benefit of these meetings is self-evident and implicitly seen as a
given in scripture. Here are his
major reasons for on-going Christian gatherings:
1 –
They are a means of keeping up the liveliness of our Christian walk (13).
2 –
They help us unravel the snares of the Satan (14).
3 –
They forestall and prevent problems between brothers and sisters in Christ
(14).
4 –
They help to hold the members accountable to Godly living (14).
5 –
They allow brothers and sisters in Christ to bear one another’s burdens (15).
6 –
They give us a venue to declare the work of God on our souls and to praise His
name for it (15).
7-
They are profitable for strengthening ourselves against spiritual enemies and
praying together as one man (16).
Before
we become too dogmatic about these gatherings and the ways that they should
operate, Williams infuses tons of grace into his formula. This can be seen when he talks about
the general instruction of the group.
He says if the instruction is not going well, then it is probably better
to stop and spend some time singing, praying, or in some other exercise that
will promote conviction, instruction, and comfort (31). How comforting is that! For Williams everything is focused on
the state of the member’s soul and their communion with the Spirit of God
(55). His dependence on the grace
of God allows him the freedom to follow the Spirit. We would do well to consider the same in our meetings. Even in speaking of who should be a
member of a Christian society, Williams again defaults to a graceful
stance. He says, however feeble
the signs of grace in a person, as long as he pursues a new way of life and
behavior he should be allowed to come and learn and taste and drink deeply of
the Gospel until Christ is more formed in Him (37). It is very refreshing to hear someone willing to break or
modify their formula to help others seek the Lord. Take a lesson from Williams and infuse your gatherings with
the Grace of God.
Williams
speaks to many more aspects of the Christian gathering. Particularly he spends a lot of time
focusing on the character traits and aspects of leadership for those that
faithfully steward Christian gatherings in dialogue III and IV (22-38). He also gives very well thought out
questions to be asked of persons seeking membership in Christian groups (34-36),
and questions to be used in the group to get at the heart issues of its members
(39-41).
If
you need to rethink your small group, Bible study, Sunday school class, or even
your church service, take some time to consider Williams little book. Williams will help you reset the
foundation of your group by getting the heart right first. I found his book to be a refreshing
reminder of what God wants to do in His people by His Spirit that indwells all
believers.
Williams,
William. The Experience Meeting: An
Introduction to the Welsh Societies of the Evangelical Awakening.
Vancouver, BC: Regent College Publishing, 2003. 64pp. $9.95 (Originally
published London: Evangelical Press and Evangelical Movement, 1973)
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