Thank you for your response. I would be glad to hear any further thoughts or explanations you have on this matter. I'm curious as to how you prevent meetings from bogging down in discussion and how you determine who is "the most spiritual".
A. B.
Who is "the most spiritual" is not something decided quickly or arbitrarily. If a group of saints have been serving together for some time, it should be readily apparent. If they are just beginning to serve together and it is not so apparent, then they will use the same process of fellowship together. When the fellowship has reached a point where it seems all are satisfied, then one or another may try to summarize the outcome. At this point, it is not a matter of trying to establish who is most spiritual but of seeking the Lord's leading. As time goes on and the group handles the various situations they face in carrying out their service, it will become apparent who should take the lead among them. Even so, a position of leadership is not something permanent and we are very slow to designate some as elders officially. In the book of Acts, Barnabas was always mentioned before Saul. However, when they began to face opposition, Saul was the one who was filled with the Spirit to handle it (Acts 13:8-9). From then on, he was known as Paul and took the lead in their serving together.
Concerning meetings becoming bogged down in discussion, this could happen. The first and most important point is that when we come together we need to touch the Spirit. If we cannot touch the Spirit, the process for making a decision, no matter how good and scriptural, will not help us to find the Lord's leading even though it may expedite getting something done. For us touching the Lord is primary; getting things done is secondary. Of course, this is true even the more when speaking for the Lord in a message or testimony. It is only as the Spirit is flowing in the speaker that He will quicken the word spoken in the hearts of the listeners.
Touching the Spirit is not something abstract or difficult. Today He is dwelling in the spirits of all who have received the Lord Jesus. In fact, he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him (1 Cor. 6:17). A person who has been thoroughly dealt with by the Lord can easily sense the flow of life within him. But for us who are still not that far along in the growth of life, we can exercise our spirit by opening our entire being to the Lord. We often call on His name with our whole being. To some this seems strange, but it is not in vain; we touch Him!
If a discussion about what to do seems to be getting bogged down, we may stop and turn our hearts back to the Lord. The bogging down is often the result of some holding on to their positions to the extent that their selves become involved. Usually it is not an issue of one or the other position being against the truth. The real issue is finding the Lord's leading and following Him. If I insist that it must be my way, then I have likely crossed the line from expressing the feeling of the Lord within my spirit to voicing my opinion and buttressing it with my own arguments. If I know and trust the Lord, even if my feeling is truly of Him but is not accepted by the others, I can let it go. The Lord will work out what He wills; He doesn't need me to fight against my brothers to work it out for Him. Learning when to defer to others and to truly trust the Lord in the process is a big part of having a spiritual coordination rather than a committee meeting where a decree or vote can decide a matter without finding the Lord's leading.
I hope this helps give a sense of how we try to operate. In another response, I share about the main frustrations to having a practical church life.