Whenever we preach the gospel, we must always draw the net. To cast the net is one thing, and to draw the net is another. You are not asking the fish to jump into the net; you are drawing the net. When the preaching is over and the one at the podium begins to draw the net by exhorting people to raise their hands to indicate their willingness to receive the gospel, you need to help in this work. It does not matter what method he uses. Some may use one method, and others may use another method. None of these things matter. These things are flexible. As long as he can draw the net, even if he has to jump into the ocean to do it, it will be all right. At this time you need to help him do the work of drawing the net. You also have to help the ones who have been brought. Among those you care for, you will have much to do. On the one hand, you need to pray, and on the other hand, you need to be quite strong to persuade them, saying, “I think you should stand up to receive the Lord due to your sin.” If you have the assurance that pride has hindered them from standing up, you could say, “You should be humble. You should not be proud. You should receive the Lord.” Or if you know that the love of the world is the reason that they will not stand up, you could say, “Is there anything in the world worth your lingering? Why should you wait for another time? If you feel that the time is ripe, do not wait.”
The most important thing in gospel preaching is not to wait for four months. Many people make a common mistake of waiting for four months. But the Lord Jesus told us not to wait for four months. The word of the Lord Jesus was very peculiar. He said, “Do you not say that there are yet four months and then the harvest comes? Behold, I tell you,...they are already white for harvest” (John 4:35). Two or three days may be all right, but four months is too long. The harvest of the gospel goes far beyond man’s concept. Do not be so foolish as to think that you still have to wait four months after the seeds are sown. The Lord Jesus said that if you sow the seeds today, you can harvest today. There is not such a principle of waiting for four months.
As the gospel is being preached while you are sitting next to people, according to your feeling the time may or may not be ripe. However, you should not be limited by the time factor. If the person is ripe, you need to encourage him to believe; if he is not ripe, you still need to encourage him to believe. There is absolutely no such principle of waiting for four months. You may not expect someone to believe, but when he believes, he believes. You may consider another to be ripe, but it turns out that he is absolutely unreliable. Therefore, you must encourage all to believe.
Some people seem to be completely ignorant. But please remember that whether or not someone can understand does not depend upon you; it depends upon whether or not the Holy Spirit shines on him. I know at least several brothers who first believed in a false way but who were eventually saved in a genuine way. They were forced by others to believe, but eventually they genuinely believed. Therefore, as far as encouraging others to believe, you should not decide beforehand how you will do it. Sometimes the opportunity is ripe, so you need to encourage them; at other times the opportunity is not ripe, but you still need to encourage them.
After the meeting is over, you should stay with them to lead them to pray and to talk with them. You should always bring them before the Lord, lead them to pray and receive Him, and then help them record their names. When recording their names, you need to make sure the street address and the house number are correct. In the past many report slips had wrong house numbers, so a great deal of effort was wasted when we tried to visit them later. If possible, add a question such as, “When are you most free?” or “When is the most convenient time for you?” When you record their names, you should write them down quickly so that the new ones will not be annoyed by your slow writing. After the report slips are completed, you have to turn them in to the responsible brothers. Afterward, other brothers can visit them to share more with them.
Some people receive the Lord because they have a need, but they do not have the knowledge of the gospel. Others have the knowledge of the gospel, but they do not have a need. Still others feel that they have a need and also the knowledge, but they cannot make the decision at that very moment. All these are matters that you need to work on. To those who do not have a need, you have to impart the need. To those who do not have the knowledge, you have to impart the knowledge. To those who lack decisiveness, you have to impart decisiveness.
After you have brought them to the point where they are quite clear, you need to immediately tell them about baptism. You have to visit them once, twice, or three times; how many times, we do not know. When you get to the point that they can be baptized, you should then turn them over to the responsible brothers.