The New Living Way Prepared by Christ

step into the breach, hold Him in His judgments, and thereby obtain the grace of repentance and change of heart for all men.

However, all this should happen in the freedom so dearly acquired by Christ. That whoever among the brethren was driven by the Holy Spirit to prayer, to admonition, to singing, etc., would have complete freedom here. Even if some, especially the weaker ones, were often accustomed to run ahead of God with this freedom, and not wait before the door of God until the inner fire of God's love compelled them, but rather to bring strange fire, or their own, before God; such would be judged in love by those who had a greater measure of the spirit of discernment, and thereby their growth promoted.

Now, where freedom is left to the Spirit of God in a meeting, the most subtle powers of darkness and self-centeredness also reveal themselves in His light. On the contrary, while such are indeed suppressed and restrained by the legal barriers in the churches, they are also not recognized and judged by the Spirit of God. And thus, the listeners can never gain a right distinction between good and evil. Instead, they only learn to be hypocrites, and to approach God with their mouths, while in the heart all the lying powers of Satan secretly keep their work. And although great offenses may appear in such meetings, they cannot remain long, but are immediately punished by the light of God. They must either repent, or they cannot remain and persist in the gathering of the saints. No true child of God should take offense at such scandals so as to leave the meeting; but rather, with the other members, should ask God to give us the spirit of discernment to examine and judge such things, that they might truly repent. Which grace is then implored for them from God. For the Spirit of God has testified clearly enough that offenses must come, so that the upright might be revealed (1 Cor. 11:18-19, Matt. 10:34-35, 18:7, Luke 17:1, 1 John 2:19). In no way, however, must one abolish such private meetings on this account, as Satan