In-house Gospel Meeting

 



 Introduction

Since I became a Christian in September 2001, I’ve learned so much about the bible and the church. One of the more interesting ideas is that of a gospel meeting. A preacher, visiting from another congregation, in another state, comes in (usually for a week) and preaches a lesson every night.

To some, this seems too much. To others, it seems not enough. Overall, it’s the opportunity to hear solid gospel preaching as much as possible.

However, when finances become tight, an in-house gospel meeting will solve both problems quickly.

 

The Purpose of a Gospel Meeting

Back in the early days of the church, a gospel meeting gave members of a local congregation the opportunity to bring non-Christian friends, family members, and co-workers to hear a lesson preached. Oftentimes, they’ll refuse to attend on Sunday due to work or other commitments. With a meeting being nightly, through the week, it is hoped that they would have at least one free night to come hear the gospel truth.

Today, most meetings are attended by the local members and brethren, of other congregations, in the area. That is not to say that it doesn’t have it’s share of visitors, but most find more excuses not to attend. When you have to compete against hundreds of cable channels, streaming services, and social media, it can feel bleak at times.

Hearing a visiting preacher give a lesson on a subject you’ve heard before might be more interesting in that they might offer a different angle or example within the lesson. Sometimes, they might breathe “new life” in a subject as the speaker is unknown to you.

It’s not that your own preacher is dull, but hearing a different voice using the same points, sometimes, makes the lesson seem unique. Recently, our located preacher presented a lesson that I, myself, preached to the congregation in 2005. Although the points were the same, the examples and explanation were a little different. But the truth was still preached. Great minds think alike.

 

What is an In-House Gospel Meeting?


This idea was presented to us back in 2003 when we were struggling financially. We, annually, hold two gospel meetings: Spring and Autumn. At this time, we didn’t have the money to fly someone out, so we decided to have an in-house meeting.

For an in-house, the local brethren would a preach a lesson each night and it’s usually based on a theme. For our 2004 meeting, we chose the book of Romans. Each night, a different man of the congregation would give a lesson on a chapter (or chapters) of that book. Other times, we’ve taken one verse like, John 14:6; broken it down, and each preached a lesson from that one verse. We’ve also done the Heroes of Faith and the Sermon on the Mount.

Overall, each night we had solid gospel preaching and that is what makes a meeting successful. As the apostle Paul wrote, I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6-7).

 

Conclusion

As the writer of Hebrews clearly stated, And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:24-25). In other words, whenever the doors to the church building are open for worship, try to make an effort to attend.

 

If You’re in the Area…

Our In-house Gospel Meeting, here in Mesa, AZ, is from September 25-30, 2022. Our theme, this time around, is Speaker’s Choice. 

The gospel meeting is now available online click here




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