If we want to be successful, we must learn to answer people in a proper way. The way we answer means a lot. If we answer properly, this man will be saved. If we do not answer properly, this man may perish. It is a matter of life or death. For this matter we have to pray very much, “Lord, help us in answering people.” If we pray much and trust the Lord, the Holy Spirit will surely give us the best words at the right time. It depends upon how the Lord would lead us. Sometimes the Spirit may lead us to say, “We are not Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses,” because at that moment, they were considering that we might be Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses. They were tired of that kind of person. We must learn not to speak in a common way. By following the leading of the Spirit, we can answer people properly. Then our speaking will not offend them, but it will stir up some interest within them.
After we go into someone’s home, we should not be shy or fearful. We do not need to be afraid. If they will not ask us to sit down, maybe one on the team would say: “Let us sit down. We would like to read this little booklet with you, The Mystery of Human Life.” When we get into their home, we should not leave the situation under their control. We must learn to take control of the situation in a pleasant way. Then it will be easy for us to speak. We can go directly to the booklet The Mystery of Human Life. To use this booklet, we must become very familiar with its contents, and we should not follow it legally or read every word. In a living way, in a striking way, in an attracting way, we should present the points to them from this booklet. Then when they are ready, we can lead them to call upon the name of the Lord. We should not speak too much, and we should not waste any time.
While we are talking to a person, we also have to discern what kind of person he is. About thirty years ago in Taipei, I classified human beings into more than thirty classifications. Some people were born stubborn, and some were born humble. Some people will agree with anything. From their talk, you can realize that they are loose persons. To them, whether they go to heaven or hell, whether they are baptized or not, whether they believe Buddha or Jesus, it is all about the same. We should not put any trust in such a person. Even if he is willing to be baptized, perhaps we should not do it. We may waste our time on such a one. We have to exercise much discernment in this matter.
In our going, we should not be anxious to get many people baptized. We should not bring forth too many children. If we baptize twenty-one, these twenty-one will exhaust us. We will not be able to raise one properly. If each of us baptize only three, we can spend all our energy to raise up these three children in a proper way.
When we talk to people, we should exercise to realize what kind of persons they are. Then the Spirit will lead us to know what to do. We should not be so anxious to get them baptized. If no one is baptized tonight, we still have tomorrow. If no one is baptized this week, we still have next week. If no one is baptized this month, we have next month. Even if we cannot baptize one this year, we have next year. We all must have this kind of attitude. Our goal is first, to get people saved, and second, to get the saved ones into the church life for the building up of the Body of Christ as a living testimony. Through our experiences we have learned that to bring people to Christ is not as hard as to bring the saved ones into the church life. If we brought one out of twenty baptized ones into the church life, that would be marvelous. If we went out about once a week, maybe for only forty-five weeks in one year, we could easily baptize twenty to thirty. Then if we could get one out of these twenty to thirty into the church life, that would be wonderful. This is a word of experience. We should not be anxious but learn how to exercise our discernment.
If we practice earnestly, after three or four weeks of going out, we can surely get two or three baptized. Although our discernment is not always accurate, in principle, we have to exercise our discernment regarding these two or three. If we realize that none of these are that promising, we should go on to get more baptized until we can get two or three that we consider to be quite promising. Then we should stop getting people saved for a while and use our time to take care of these newly baptized ones. Because it is difficult to bring someone into the church life, we must do this in a selective way. Of course, we have to realize that our selection might not be so accurate. While we are selecting, we must trust in the Lord that He will lead us. Then we can concentrate our labor and our time to feed and to raise up these few just like our own children, and we can be quite hopeful that they will be brought into the church life. If we can bring only two out of thirty baptized ones into the church life within a year, that will really be marvelous.
If we take this fellowship and put it into practice by teams, each team can baptize about thirty people within one year. I believe that two to four of these can be brought into the church life. I do not expect all the church members to go out to preach the gospel in this way. Some are not so healthy or have other reasons. After much study I feel that as long as one-third of our members practice visiting people for the preaching of the gospel, we will have good success. Out of one hundred fifty meeting together, fifty must be burdened and charged to go out in this way.
Visiting people in this way is not easy. We cannot do it according to our natural way. It is something we must learn. In order to do anything skillfully, we must be trained. If we desire to play basketball, we cannot play it in a natural way. We must be coached. If we want to play the piano, we need instruction and training. In like manner, to preach the gospel successfully, we must be trained. In Philippians 4 Paul says, “The things which you have also learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things” (v. 9). Because Paul was a person absolutely for God, he not only received the vision, but he also practiced what he saw. Then he trained Timothy, saying, “I write to you...that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the house of God” (1 Tim. 3:14-15). Timothy did not know how to walk, how to behave, in the church of God, so Paul instructed him. Every chapter in 1 Timothy is full of instruction. Paul instructed Timothy in a detailed way. Surely Timothy had to exercise. When he spoke to a young sister, he had to practice the proper way (5:2). When he spoke to a young brother, he had to speak in a different way (5:1). Today we desire to learn of the Lord so that we can be useful in His hand. Eventually, the Lord will gain a people through whom He will be able to fulfill His New Testament economy to build up His own Body. Then He will come back.
After we baptize someone, we should stay to talk to him. If time allows, we should talk to him for two hours. We should not go away quickly. After a mother delivers a child, she should nourish this little babe with milk right away. We have to stay as long as possible to give the new ones their first feeding. Then we should go back at least within three days. If we do this, we will surely raise up some of these new believers. In raising them up, we must try to bring them into the church life. If we carry out the proper feeding, nourishing, and cherishing of the new ones, there will be a good possibility that they will be brought into the church life.
This is the way for us to carry out a successful contact with the sinners. When I say successful, I mean that we would not only bring them to Christ and baptize them but also raise them up as genuine believers growing in life and bring them into the church life. I hope we would all try to take this way and practice what we have fellowshipped in this message.
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