Today the important biblical truths have been made clear in our publications, but what I fear is that we all may say that we have already heard these things. For instance, we have a set of books called Sixty Topics of Important Truths in the Bible. I spoke the contents of these books in Taipei for the first time thirty-six years ago. At that time many were helped, and I believe that many of you have read these books. But I am afraid that you read them as you would read a newspaper. You may know some of the truths in these books, but you have not gone deeply into them.
The fact that you have read much does not mean that you are thoroughly clear. You are not thoroughly clear until you have spoken a certain matter at least once. Only when you are able to teach them have the contents of a book entered into you. Therefore, I hope that every one of you brothers and sisters would not only know the truth but also be able to teach the truth. To speak the truth you must speak it convincingly, reasonably, attractively, and movingly. All these printed materials are present among us, volume after volume. Not to speak of other books, but just in the Life-studies alone there are over twelve hundred messages comprising more than twelve thousand pages. These messages are all available. In these messages the meanings of all the basic and important truths are made very clear.
At present I have two heavy burdens within me. One of them is to change the system and to not merely have large meetings as before. Eighty to ninety percent of this change of the system is to adopt the modern educational system. The modern educational system consists of six years of elementary school, three years of junior high school, three years of high school, four years of college, and two years of graduate school. This system has resulted from the practices of many nations through six thousand years of human history. Therefore, virtually every nation on earth uses this educational system. This is certain, and this is an established principle.
At the present time we have brought many to salvation, but how will we educate them after they are saved? How will we train them and build them up? This has become a big problem. I received telephone calls and letters from you saying that a few weeks ago you had a gospel week here in Taipei. Everyone went out to preach the gospel, and 1,104 persons were baptized. This is good, but what will you do after they are baptized? Merely to bring them together to meet after their baptism surely will not be adequate. Therefore, we must take the opportunity to educate them.
I feel that we have the materials, but we still need to prepare lessons for teaching, and we still need to write textbooks. There are many riches in the Life-studies, but they are not yet teaching materials. You have been through school, and I believe that some of you have been teachers. Concerning a subject such as mathematics, for example, material may be available, but there is still a need for someone to write textbooks delineating all the important points and methods. Someone must decide what material to cover in the six years of elementary school and what to cover in junior high. Then more material must be added in high school, and still more must be added in college. Additional topics in the field of mathematics must be added continually. Likewise, there is no lack of material among us, but we must still write textbooks, yet we must not write them in a general way.
In the past we were like a family in which all the members ate from one large pot. Those among us who had been saved for fifty-eight years and those who had been saved for only eighteen days all ate from the same pot. We even boasted about this, but after eating in this way, the old ones departed and the young ones did not grow. Before many of you were born our number was greater than it is today. We cannot do this kind of work any longer. No matter what, we must change the system, because we can no longer make progress under the present system. Therefore, this is a heavy burden upon me.
I do not have sufficient time to accomplish the task of preparing lessons for teaching; therefore, I must produce many brothers and sisters to do it. We have all the materials, but we still need to put out instructional materials, that is, to put out textbooks. The Life-studies and the other publications are library books; we may use them as references, and the students may also read them. We must do it this way for the long run.
According to my observation, preaching the gospel is not a problem. At present the problem is how to nurture those who are saved through the preaching of the gospel. We must not only nurture them but also educate them. But how should we educate them? This has become a big problem at present, and this is where we failed in the past. I hope that you all realize that from now on there are no so-called co-workers and elders among us as a separate class of believers. Our hope is that everyone will be a prophet, everyone will be an apostle, everyone will be a gospel preacher, everyone will be a teacher, and everyone will be a shepherd. Everyone must speak. From now on we must have the organic function of all the members.
Frankly speaking, to carry out the spiritual education on different levels is very difficult, because in Taipei there are the church as a whole, the different meeting halls, and the small groups. How, then should we divide into levels? We cannot rigidly follow the secular educational system, beginning from elementary school and dividing clearly into elementary, junior high, high school, and college. To establish a school, one must first build the school with classrooms and offices. Then there is a need for workers and teachers, and also for students and textbooks. Having all these elements, a school can flourish and be successful. In my observation, having enough “students” is not a problem to us, but where and how to educate them constitutes a big problem.
I am a student of the Bible. I have thought about these things all day and have searched through all the Scriptures, but I have not found any hints. In the Bible, there are only a few places which speak of the meetings and of how the saints met in the New Testament. It is right to say that they met in small groups from house to house (Acts 2:46; 5:42), but the spiritual revelation did not continue from that point. How were the three thousand or the five thousand people who were saved in Acts educated? I could not find the answer.
We are all members of a family, and we must face this real situation. This is indeed a great need. In this one year I believe that in the gospel work of the church in Taipei, at least two or three thousand were baptized, but where should we put these two or three thousand? How should we arrange them, and how should we educate them? This has become a great problem. We must enlarge our view.
In summary, the training is laying the ground work in these few days. First, whether you were saved long ago or are newly saved, you brothers and sisters must labor on the word of the Lord. In this modern age we all must learn English, for without learning English it is very difficult to do anything. In the same way, we all must learn the word of the Lord, for without learning the word of the Lord the church has no way to go on. Second, regardless of how we divide into levels or what lessons are used for instruction, we all must learn to speak the word of the Lord. The basic thing is that everyone must seek after the Word of the Lord and learn to speak the word of the Lord. If you continue to practice, in the future you will be useful to the Lord. This will not require a long time. Perhaps after a year, everyone will be occupied in speaking the Lord’s word. Then, when someone is saved, you will be able to speak to him. This is a heavy burden within me.
Today we all must hurry to catch up. We have labored for many years, yet we still do not have this foundation. Hence, it is as if we are beginning from nothing. We must realize this situation and pour out all our effort; then the Lord will have a way.