Regarding establishing a habit of preaching the gospel, we are not saying that every saint has to go door-knocking. For example, even though all the people in a country are responsible for protecting their country, in practicality, those who are old, small, sick, or weak cannot be soldiers. Only those who are young and strong can bear the responsibility to protect the country. It is the same with door-knocking. This kind of gospel preaching is not according to our natural method but according to the leading of the training, which is particular and requires the paying of a price.
When we go out door-knocking, we often encounter many unpleasant faces, and it is a common thing for people to slam their doors in our face. Sometimes we may knock on hundreds of doors without getting anyone saved and baptized. Hence, when we go out door-knocking, we need patience and a meek spirit. Even when people belittle us, we should smile at them. This is the spirit we should have when preaching the gospel. The method in the old way was to invite people to the meeting hall, but the spirit of the new way is to deliver the gospel to people’s homes. This way has a compelling flavor and is also very scriptural.
In Luke 14 the Lord Jesus said, “A certain man was making a great dinner and invited many; and he sent his slave at the dinner hour to say to those who had been invited, Come, for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuses....Then the master of the house became angry and told his slave, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.” Later, there was still room, so the master said to the slave, “Go out into the roads and hedges and compel them to come in” (vv. 16-23). This is the same with door-knocking—we must compel people to come in. If we do not have a spirit to compel people, we cannot go door-knocking. Everyone who goes door-knocking not only has to pay a price but also must learn the lesson that even if someone were to reproach you, you still must gladly receive him. If he still scolds you a few months later when you go to see him again, then you will have to go a third time. In the end he will be saved because there is something in man that is created by God. If we deliver the gospel to a person again and again, eventually he will be touched.
The principle of door-knocking is to begin from “Jerusalem” and then to go to “all Judea and Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8), that is, from near to far, from the center to the circumference. We first have to knock on the doors of our friends and relatives, then the doors of our neighbors, and then those of the community. To do this requires us to pay a price and to have patience. Not everyone who meets in our meetings can do this. I hope that among those who meet regularly in all the churches, at least one-fourth would participate in door-knocking and would build up a habit of preaching the gospel by door-knocking. In each locality, from the beginning of the year to the end, at least one-fourth of the saints should go out door-knocking. This is the secret of the blessing on the church. Those who are aged and are restricted in their movement can support the door-knockers at home by prayer. Prayer is powerful in the activity of door-knocking.
I hope that the churches in the Lord’s recovery will take the way that has been ordained by the Lord—the way of everyone preaching the gospel by door-knocking and everyone speaking for the Lord. There must be some from every church who will go door-knocking every week to deliver the name of the Lord Jesus, the Bible, and grace into every home. Even if people spit at us or kick us, we have to go again a few days later. This is the spirit of the gospel. Brother Nee once said that those who are effective in the gospel are those who have a thick face. Through regeneration our face has been thickened, and we do not care about man’s reproach and opposition. With this kind of spirit, we will be able to spread the gospel to every household and even to the entire earth. At the same time, we should not care only for the present result. A person may reject us today, but after several years the Lord may raise up an environment in which this person will sense his need and will call, “O Lord Jesus.” Therefore, we all have to go out according to the Lord’s word into the “roads and hedges” and compel men to come. An overcoming church in the Lord’s recovery must have some who have the habit of door-knocking. One-fourth of the saints should go door-knocking every week.
Although we all know that everyone should speak in the meetings, in actuality there are some people who by birth truly do not know how to speak. They may be able to write but are unable to speak publicly. We should not force these ones too much. In principle everyone should speak, but practically this may not be easy to do. If in a small group meeting of ten saints, three to four saints speak in a living way, the meeting will be living. If in a meeting of twenty-five saints, six to seven speak in a living way, the meeting will also be very rich.
Moreover, we need to establish the home meetings. We first have to establish the home meetings in our own homes. This will lead us to have an overcoming living. After we wake up in the morning, we should first contact the Lord and then read two verses. This will benefit ourselves and our family as well. If every one of us practices pray-reading two verses every morning, then when we go to the meeting in the evening, we will surely have something to say, and we will spontaneously build up a habit of speaking and listening in mutuality in the meeting. Even though we may not have a set topic, it will be a rich feast because there will not be merely one dish and one flavor. Rather, there will be various items and many different flavors. Someone may speak about patience, someone else may speak about love, and someone may speak about following the spirit. If everyone exhibits Christ, the meeting will definitely be rich.
An enjoyable meeting is built up by the daily exercise of the saints. If we all build up the habit to contact the Lord and His word once we get up in the morning, and to live in the spirit, walk according to the spirit, be burning in spirit, and live Christ throughout the day, then when we come to the meeting, we all will have something to say. In the meetings we not only can share the enlightenment and supply that we have received from the Lord’s word, but we can also pray-read the hymns using our spirit. Ephesians 5:18b-19 says, “But be filled in spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and psalming with your heart to the Lord.” Furthermore, we can also read the footnotes of the Recovery Version of the New Testament. Every footnote contains revelation, light, and supply. There are also many other spiritual publications such as the Life-study of the Bible and Truth Lessons from which we can fellowship and share.
The change of system is not merely a change in outward method but a change in our being that we may be living Christians and overcomers who function in the meetings. Hence, we who have not spoken in the past now need to speak, speaking not our own words but the words of the Bible, the hymns, the life-study messages, and the Life Lessons. If our meetings are rich, the new ones will surely stay, and the number of saints will increase. Eventually, every saint will have a meeting in his home, and every home will be a propagation group. Then we can bring those who meet in the home meetings to the big meetings. In this way we will be building up the local churches, the Body of Christ.