[OBW]

Originally Posted by ZNPaaneah

It has nothing to do with the form. When you go to a meeting and some testimony meets your need you are very thankful that that person was able to speak, and you may realize that in other church services you would never have even had a chance to hear that testimony.

2nd, you get to know people by their testimonies. When I met with the LRC I would feel like I knew many more saints than where I meet today. The reality is I don't hear many personal testimonies where I am today, even if we get together for dinner or a barbecue, it still seems you don't hear many testimonies.

However, if the testimonies are dominated by "amateur actors" as mentioned in one post and by 3 yr old Christians running the meeting (as alluded to in another post) the entire experiment can be a disaster. The only way a testimony meeting can succeed is if you have strong leadership, and not from a single brother, but preferably from a core of 20-50 saints. If these saints are committed to it, then it can act as an opportunity for new saints to exercise their gifts, for every member to minister to every other member, and for the Body to be knit together. On the other hand there can easily be the temptation to settle for the appearance of a testimony meeting (which is the way I understand the whole Mel Porter discussion).

And this is probably one of the benefits of going to the Temple for the Apostle's teaching and then breaking bread from house to house. You get the firm foundation from those with a firm foundation and can share among yourselves while breaking bread. It does not appear to be given as combined in one meeting in any place I can read. Neither in Acts nor in 1 Cor 14.

Maybe somewhere else?