Fourth, when we preach the gospel, we need to avoid debating with people. If someone has doubts about Jesus Christ, we do not need to argue about how good Jesus is. We do not need to argue or contradict what people say. We only need to relate to them in a simple way the Christ whom we have gained. Although people may speak many words contrary to what we have said, we simply need to give a testimony concerning ourselves in plain and simple words, presenting to them our condition before we were saved and the change we experienced after we believed in the Lord. We do not need to speak for a long time. Rather, we need to speak the words of faith and authority, which come from our being persons who are consecrated to the Lord and who pray proper prayers. Prior to a gospel meeting, we all need to pray proper prayers and have thorough dealings before God concerning our person. Then, from the beginning of the meeting to its end, we need to exercise to do everything by faith. Particularly, when we contact people after the meeting, we need to exercise to speak to them in faith. If they respond with opposing words or are proud, we should neither be angry nor anxious, and we should not argue with them. Rather, we only need to speak into them some words of faith in a calm way.
D. L. Moody, a great evangelist in the United States, led many people to believe in the Lord. He was not highly educated but was a lowly shoe salesman. Nevertheless, he was full of the burden to preach the gospel. On one occasion, after he preached the gospel, one of his listeners came to him and criticized his grammar. In response to this criticism, Moody said in a polite manner, “Your grammar is correct. So please go up and speak, and see if anyone will be saved.” Moody’s word to this listener indicates that whether people receive the Lord or not does not depend on our grammar. A person who speaks with correct grammar may not be able to lead anyone to be saved. Although Moody was not highly educated, he led almost a million people in Europe and America to believe in the Lord and be saved. He was a person who preached the gospel in power.
On another occasion, after Moody preached the gospel, a person came up to him as he was leaving the meeting. Immediately, Moody said to this person, “My God said that the wicked man does not have peace,” and then he asked him, “Friend, do you have peace?” That person responded angrily and said, “I have peace.” Then Moody said to him again, “My God said that the wicked man does not have peace,” and then he said good-bye. On the following evening, after Moody finished his speaking, that same person came to Moody, held his hand, and said, “Mr. Moody, please forgive me. I lied to you last night. I really do not have peace, and your words last night kept bothering me. I understand that I am a wicked person, and it must be that I do not have peace because I have certain sins from which I have not been delivered.” Moody’s simple words worked inside this sinner. On the one hand, this was due to the power of the Holy Spirit, but on the other hand, it was due to the fact that Moody was full of faith while he spoke.
When we preach the gospel to people, we do not need to speak for a long time. Sometimes, the longer we speak, the more we quench the work of the Holy Spirit, and the weaker others’ faith becomes. This does not mean that we should not say anything. Rather, it means that we need to remain under the ruling of the Holy Spirit when we speak. We need to be persons who are consecrated, who pray in a proper way, and who work together with God. If we are such persons, when we contact people, God will speak in our speaking. When we speak to others, we are not merely passing on knowledge to them about philosophy, science, or biblical doctrines. Those things will only keep people in their mind; they cannot touch peoples’ spirit. Our unique message is the gospel of God, which is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes (Rom. 1:16). Every word that we speak should demonstrate that the gospel is the power of God. This is the faith that we should have.
On one hand, we only need to speak simple words in faith. On the other hand, we should not expect immediate results. We should speak the words of the gospel by faith and believe that the Holy Spirit will operate in people through our words. We may not see the fruit of our speaking immediately after we speak. The time when the fruit will be manifested is entirely in the hands of the Holy Spirit. We only need to be full of faith in speaking the words of the gospel.
Fifth, although we need to have faith, we should not be proud. Sometimes, after being strengthened by faith, we become proud in our speaking. If we are overconfident in our preaching of the gospel, it will be difficult for those who listen to us to believe in the Lord. We should be full of faith and should also be humble. When we preach the gospel, we should never look down on people. We should have no intention to criticize people or judge them. We need to realize that our condition might have been more pitiful than theirs if we had not believed in the Lord. Since our words are not of ourselves but of God, and since our power is not of ourselves but of the Spirit of God and the gospel of God, we should be humble when we contact people. On one hand, we should be confident and not discouraged. On the other hand, we need to be humble before men.
Many times when we preach the gospel, we either become excited when people receive the Lord or become discouraged when they do not receive Him. This should not be the case among us. Another problem is that we sometimes become proud and begin to condemn others in our preaching of the gospel. Some people preach the gospel to others by telling them that God is a severe God, that man cannot escape from His hand, and that He will judge all those who oppose Him. But God is not “severe” in this way. Therefore, we need to be confident yet humble in our preaching of the gospel. We need to have a thorough consecration, we need to pray proper prayers, and we need an appropriate measure of confidence, but we should not be proud.