1. “Proclaim the word; be ready in season and out of season” (2 Tim. 4:2).
The spirit of the gospel also causes people to preach the gospel in season and out of season without choosing a time or place according to their preference. D. L. Moody was in bed one night when he suddenly realized that he had not preached the gospel to anyone that day. He got up, put on his clothes, and went outside to find someone to whom he could preach the gospel. There was no one on the street because it was late at night. Nevertheless, he looked until he found a night patrolman. He told the patrolman that he must believe in the Lord Jesus and that if he did not believe, he would go to hell. Even though the patrolman was very angry after hearing this, he went to find Moody the next day. Moody then preached the gospel to him in more detail, and he believed. Moody’s willingness to preach the gospel in season and out of season earned him the nickname of “Crazy Moody.”
1. “Suffer evil with the gospel according to the power of God”; “Striving together along with the faith of the gospel, and in nothing being frightened by the opposers” (2 Tim. 1:8; Phil. 1:27-28).
Preaching the gospel will bring in suffering and persecution. However, when we have the spirit of the gospel, the fear of such things will not hinder us from preaching boldly.
1. “There is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he shall receive” (Mark 10:29-30).
Our power in preaching the gospel is based on our ability to leave everything for the Lord and the gospel. We must do this in order to release the gospel with power. This ability is part of the spirit of the gospel, and it comes from the spirit of the gospel.
The most important point in preaching the gospel is not how well we can speak; the most important point is whether we have the spirit of the gospel. When we have the spirit of the gospel, the gospel can be released from us and can enter into others. The spirit of the gospel is the way of the gospel.
1. “Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Phil. 1:27).
In addition to the spirit of the gospel, we must have a life of the gospel. The emphasis of the spirit of the gospel is on power; the emphasis of the life of the gospel is on our living. Some have a great measure of the spirit of the gospel, but their life of the gospel is lacking. Their living is not worthy of the gospel. Our living must be worthy of the gospel that we preach. If it is not, the gospel will not find a proper outlet in us, even if we have a spirit of the gospel. A living that is unworthy of the gospel hinders people from accepting the gospel and from believing in the Lord.
1. “He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit” (John 15:5).
According to the Lord’s word, we must abide in Him if we want to preach the gospel and bear much fruit. To abide in the Lord is simply to fellowship with the Lord. When we fellowship with the Lord, we can bear much fruit and bring many to the Lord. Preaching the gospel does not depend only upon power; it depends also upon life. If we do not fellowship with the Lord and abide in Him, we cannot bear much fruit. Even if we bear a little fruit, it will be the fruit of an inferior life. It will not be rich and bountiful, because different kinds of fruit are produced by different kinds life. If we have a good life that comes from constant fellowship with the Lord, we will bear good fruit.
1. “Every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:2).
If we want to preach the gospel and bear much fruit, we must be pruned. This does not refer merely to being pruned of things related to filthiness and sin; it refers even more to being pruned of everything that is not proper before God. God prunes every branch that bears fruit so that it can bear more fruit. Pruning is not merely a washing but also a cutting. Everything that is not proper, everything that hinders the branch from bearing more fruit, must be cut away. Although we need to thoroughly deal with sin in order to eliminate all filthiness, we must also receive God’s dealing in order to eliminate everything that hinders us from bearing fruit or from bearing much fruit.
Often we cannot bring people to salvation or bring more people to salvation because we have not received enough dealing from the Lord. The Lord desires to deal not only with our errors but also with our being. A person who tends trees must prune the tree’s branches so that the tree can bear fruit or bear more fruit. Once the branches are pruned, the tree can bear fruit or bear more fruit. The fact that we have not brought anyone to salvation for a long time or that we have not brought many to salvation proves that we have not allowed the Lord to do a pruning work upon us. We should beseech the Lord to enlighten us and show us the areas that we need to allow Him to prune. The Lord wants to inwardly enlighten us through the Holy Spirit on the one hand and to outwardly deal with us through our circumstances on the other hand. If we receive the Lord’s enlightenment inwardly and receive His dealing through our circumstances outwardly, we will be able to bring people to salvation or bring more people to salvation. A brother who comes to every meeting, reads the Bible, prays, and is irreproachable in his conduct may still not be able to bring anyone to the Lord. This does not mean that he has committed some sin; it may mean that he has not allowed the Lord to deal with him. Since the Lord wants him to bear fruit or more fruit, He may change the brother’s circumstances. Perhaps He will cause him to lose his job, become sick, or have difficulties at work or at home. The Lord will deal with the brother through his circumstances in order to break him so that he can receive the Lord’s pruning and cutting. After a new beginning he will be able to bring people to salvation. The number of people that we can bring to salvation depends on how much dealing we have received from the Lord. We have fresh power when we receive the Lord’s fresh dealing. If we had power last year but not this year, we must receive fresh dealings in order to have fresh power to bear fresh fruit. We need to let the Lord prune what needs to be pruned and to break what needs to be broken in order to bear fresh fruit. We must receive the Lord’s constant dealing in order to constantly bring people to salvation.