My answer: Along with the specific guidelines for meetings in Scripture, like 1 Cor. 14, there’s also the principles of Scripture, the Kingdom principles or simply the truth which finds organic natural expression in any situation.
If believers ONLY had guidelines they would be mechanical, but when they have principals or precepts, then the truth guides them – God’s order thru God’s love will naturally happen in any situation.
Nearly every question regarding Church practice can be answered in the Person of Jesus Christ and what He is like. Everything concerning the Church is relational, and it’s when Jesus is at the center of those relationships that the Church functions under His Headship.
Ian Vincent 
April 19, 2013 at 4:33 pm
I love this.
And so it follows, that when Jesus is at the center of the lives of those who gather:
the gifts will flow like water
and every difficulty is resolved
I think there is a temptation for saints to want every difference and disagreement resolved immediately.
However, when we continue in love with one another in the simple things of life, reading the word, praying, helping one another in natural things: all of these differences and disagreements dissolve over time; for the love of God destroys self-love.
Early [unnecessary] divisions are what have denominated the body of Christ and divided brothers and sisters.
April 20, 2013 at 1:01 am
Thanks bro, that’s helpful.
I appreciate the brother’s question, like when we have 20 people or more in a meeting how is it that that there is Godly order and not confusion, what guidelines are there to ensure order and edification.
It’s a big subject. How the meeting will go depends a lot on the kind of people who are present – the dynamic is going to change.
You may have half who have experience in relating to one another with equality, love, honor and respect, and then some who have newly come to the meeting who’ve only known tradition, so when they are given freedom they have no idea how to use that freedom and they either dominate or they take it lightly, like it’s a garden party.
And then there may be unbelievers present, there may be new believers present.
But Jesus is present, and it takes a humility and a softness and sensitivity to HIM to know what HE wants to do in the meeting.
If we try to adhere to guidelines then we may not be flexible to change direction, change the message at the drop of a hat to direct it toward the needs of those present.
If we know that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth then we trust Him to bring the specific word of truth to those whom He is calling and teaching.
In consideration of all the above, the only hope of an assembly growing organically and flowing in the Spirit is that there is a core of unity, a few elders who love each other and can function together.
If a few elders have learned to function together as the body, then they influence those who have still not learned this and help them come to maturity in this.
Yes there’s always growing pains cos people are people, and the best of men are still men.
But we take every interpersonal issue which comes up as an opportunity for the love and truth of Jesus to be manifest.