Once you enter the home, you must be very living and spontaneous. Instead of sitting on the sofa, you may sit down on the carpet in front of the boy to talk to him. Then after a short talk, you may get up. To act in this way shows you are so normal, so human, and so spontaneous. There would be no sign of religion and no sign that you are a preacher. If you learn to practice in this way, you will already be halfway to a success. The entire household will be prepared to receive your word because they will regard you as a friend. By acting in such a normal way, you can make yourself a friend to them within a short time. They will love you, feeling that you are so easy to contact.

You must also be very rich in the Word and in knowing the hymns and songs. If the mother is upset for some reason, you may feel to sing the chorus:

Then rejoice evermore, rejoice evermore,
It is better to sing than be sighing:
It is better to live than be dying;
So let us rejoice evermore.

(Hymns, #717)

Regardless of the situation or the atmosphere, you must be able to speak the proper word or sing the proper song so that the meeting can begin in a very living way. This kind of home meeting should be neither religious nor formal but very spontaneous.

At this point the small boy may interrupt you to show you that he has a small Bible. This is a good opportunity. By talking to this small boy concerning the Bible, you can present a proper verse to the whole family. You might turn to Acts 16:31-“Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household”-and ask the boy to read it. After his reading you might ask him what this verse says. Based upon this verse, you may check with him: “Have you believed in the Lord? Have you been saved?” This kind of talk will turn his mother from her anxiety or hard feelings to a joy or happiness concerning her son’s salvation. Then you can also turn to the others to help them to know that once they have believed in the Lord Jesus, they are saved. In this way you can cover one definite point with these newly saved ones- the assurance of God’s salvation. This is the way to have a home meeting.

We all must exercise not to be religious or formal in our appearance, our bearing, or our speaking. We must avoid visiting people in the way of a preacher coming to preach to them. Recently a couple from the church went to visit another couple. Both couples had similar situations-the husbands were Japanese, and the wives were Chinese. The couple from the church had been told that this couple was not interested in the gospel, so they decided beforehand that they would not speak to them about the gospel. Although they prayed in the car while they were going, they did not take their Bibles or hymnals into the home with them. Because their marriage situations were similar, they could talk to them quite naturally, asking them when they had been married, when they had come to the United States, and if they had made any friends. The couple from the church told them that, like themselves, they had also recently come to the United States and that if they ever needed any practical help, they would be willing to help them. The couple they were visiting told them that they did not have a car, which made shopping difficult, and the husband said he did not have any friends. The brother told him that when they had the time, they would come to visit them. The husbands spoke Japanese, and the wives spoke Chinese. This kind of talk was very natural and pleasant and caused this couple to open their hearts to this brother and sister and share their needs and anxieties with them. Eventually, the wife opened to the sister and indicated that they had not absolutely rejected the Lord Jesus and that they would allow them to speak concerning the gospel.

They left that couple in a very happy atmosphere, having prepared the way to gain them for the Lord. This is not the way of a religious preacher forcing others to take something. The conversation was spontaneous in every way, and it led to a very positive point concerning the gospel. On her own, the wife opened to say that they had not rejected the Lord Jesus. Now that couple is willing to receive this brother and sister and listen to whatever they would say. I believe that the next time they go to visit them, something will happen because their hearts are already open and their spirits are already prepared. This is the wise way to speak to people for the gospel.

We are often too anxious to gain people and go too far too quickly; so eventually, we offend people and gain nothing. That closes the door, and it will be very hard to go back a second time. Many people do not like preachers, and many educated, thoughtful people do not like religion. We have to be ordinary men and women. Even the way we dress must be very normal so that it will not occupy people’s attention. We must go to visit others as ordinary people, without being special in any outward way.

It was sovereign of the Lord that this brother and sister would visit such a couple-both husbands being Japanese and both wives being Chinese. But we have to know how to utilize such a situation in a spontaneous and normal way. Then we will pave the way by opening people’s hearts and preparing their spirits to receive whatever we might speak the next time. In carrying out the home meetings, we should not expect to do a quick job. Instead, we should do it slowly. This is the wise and effective way.
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