Not only do the elders have to exercise patience to help the brothers and sisters learn, they have to help them to become proper vessels. Do not worry that their function may become greater than yours. You have to hope that among your disciples some will become the laureates. The Chinese have a saying that one only finds laureate students and never laureate teachers. The teacher may not be a laureate, but among his students, some may become laureates. Do not be afraid that among those whom you are leading, some will become more useful or capable than you are. If such a thing indeed happens, it should be your glory. How glorious a thing it would be if among those whom you lead, some would become a Peter, a Paul, or a greatly-used vessel. You have to do your best to perfect and help them to become proper vessels.
I believe the brothers and sisters can realize that except the point about ascertaining life in a person, which is relatively easy to do, all the other points, from the second point on, are difficult to carry out. Not one point is easy to achieve. Let me repeat: this is a matter of laboring.
I do not have the time or the occasion to point out all the details of every point. For many years I have hoped to sit down with a group of elders once a week and fellowship with them about how to help people become proper vessels. Here is a person who loves the Lord. How will you help him become a useful vessel? Many things need to be considered in this matter.
I can never forget those elderly brothers who have rendered me help. I can never forget the way they have perfected me. Without that perfecting, I know that I would be a completely different person today. I can be at least a little useful today because they have perfected me.
I think I can give a little testimony here. From 1930 to 1934, when I was very young and had just entered into the Lord's calling, I went to Shanghai, where the center of the Lord's work for the whole country was located. When I first arrived, the one who was leading me handed over to me the platform of the church. Whether I could do that work or not, I had to do it. I knew that he was giving me an opportunity in order to perfect me. Furthermore, the Gospel Book Room, which has a history of over forty years among us, was the responsibility of Brother Nee alone during 1933 and 1934. Within a very short time, he quickly handed over to me a part of the responsibility for the literature work. I admit that I could not do this work, for I had never done it before. But here was an opportunity. I was thankful to the Lord, and I was also extremely grateful to our brother! To me this was a kind of perfecting. By the Lord's mercy, I can see the result of that perfecting twenty years ago. Today, we can have a book room and the publication of some literature all because of this perfecting.
When I received this commission in Shanghai, I was in fear and trembling. I had never worked with anyone else before that time, and I had never taken any lead in any work. I had only raised up a small meeting in a small place in Chefoo. Now suddenly a big meeting was put on my shoulders. I can never forget that very day, for many times I prayed only one prayer, the prayer of Solomon: "Lord, I am only a young man. You have raised me up to walk in and out among Your people. Lord, give me the wisdom." When I look back now, I can see that many of the lessons were learned during that time; I was pressed into learning those lessons then. That was a perfecting work. It was a rare opportunity, one which could not be purchased with a million dollars.
Hence, brothers, for the sake of the Lord, for the sake of His kingdom, His interest on earth, we have to learn to perfect a group of people and to make them the right vessels. Not only do we need a little perfecting; we need a great perfecting. We must clear the ground for them to have the opportunity to be perfected, so as to prepare them for future use.