For the vital groups, the first thing is our prayer. Thus, the first matter in this training will be to train the vital group members concerning how to pray in the new way to meet the new need. First, we should not repeat our old prayers. Our way of prayer has become a form; week after week we pray in a habitual way, repeating the same prayers to the Lord. Such prayers are not genuine prayers. When we pray, we should simply tell the Lord directly what we want: “Lord, we want to be revived. We are dead and cold. We want to be burning.” To say this much is good enough. In the Bible we cannot find any example of habitually repetitious prayers. In Luke 18:41 the Lord Jesus asked the blind man, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man answered, “Lord, that I may receive my sight!” The Lord said to him, “Receive your sight,” and instantly the man received his sight (vv. 42-43). In the Lord’s table meeting we can pray, “Lord Jesus, You are so fair. You are the chief among ten thousand; I love You, Lord.” That is good enough. There is no need for us to pray long prayers in which we teach, explain, and expound the Scriptures to the Lord.
We all need to pray. No one should excuse himself by saying that he does not have the burden to pray. How can human beings not have a burden to pray? We all need God. If we need to breathe, we need to pray. We need to pray just as we need to breathe. Nearly everyone eats three meals a day without having any special “burden.” Thus, we should not take the excuse that we do not have the burden to pray.
We need to learn to pray in a new way and to pray new prayers. We need the Lord to come and stir us up that we may pray in a new, refreshing, and living way. In our prayer there is no need for us to tell the Lord what to do. If we desire to be revived by the Lord, we should simply ask Him to revive us. We may pray, “Revive me, Lord. I am pitiful. I need You to revive me.” This is good enough. He does not need us to tell Him what to do. Our telling the Lord what to do is not prayer; it is instruction.
Often the prayers in the church prayer meeting are composed of repetitious words, telling the Lord what to do and explaining the situation to Him. In the four Gospels the Lord Jesus did not pray in this way (Matt. 6:7-13; John 17). In Ephesians the apostle Paul prayed two prayers (1:17-23; 3:14-21). In those prayers he did not give any instructions to God. Rather, he prayed, he begged, and he entreated. Let us learn this way.
In praying for the matter of fruit-bearing, some of the saints have prayed, “Thank You, Lord, You are the vine and we are the branches. You are the fruitful One. We command You to bear fruit in all of us.” We do not need to tell the Lord that He is the vine and we are the branches. There is no need for such explanation. We can simply pray, “Lord, we are so barren. We hate our barrenness. Deliver us from this sin,” or “Lord, forgive me; I do not bear fruit. Lord, have mercy on me. Burden me and even press me to bear fruit.”
We need to relearn how to pray. We have been spoiled by the condition of the church and have picked up many bad habits, yet we think that these are good. However, our habitual way is not good. We have been praying that way for years. What has been the result? In an entire year we might not have borne ten remaining fruit. In his prophecy Haggai, speaking for the Lord, said to God’s people, “Consider your ways” (1:5, 7). We surely need to reconsider our way.
Before we open our mouth to pray, we should consider carefully what we should say. We should not pray anything in the habitual way. When we say, “Lord Jesus, I praise You,” we must mean that we praise Him. Instead of “Lord, I praise You,” the Lord may lead you to say, “Lord, I just worship You.” When you say that you worship the Lord, you should mean it. Often when certain saints begin their prophesying, they say “Praise the Lord” several times. This is a bad habit. It is meaningless and simply wastes time. I beg you to take my word concerning your prayer.
Now we are desperate with the Lord to have a new beginning with a new start by first building up the vital groups. We should fully realize that the church as the Body of Christ is definitely a group of the believers of Christ who have been saved by His dynamic salvation. I believe that from the first day, the salvation that I received was dynamic. I was saved dynamically. At that time I gave up the world. I told the Lord that I did not want anything from the world. I just desired to follow Him, to take a Bible and travel through all the villages to preach Him. From that day until today I have never had any change. A dynamic motivation was in me and has been in me all the time. Even today I am here, burdened and laboring for the Lord’s interest.
The recovery has been damaged. Thus, we need a real revival. We all need to recover the situation in which we came into the recovery. That is to overcome the leaving of the first love, which is actually the best love. To recover the first love, or the best love, is to give the Lord Jesus the preeminence, the first place, in everything (Col. 1:18). If we give the preeminence to the Lord Jesus in everything, surely we will gain Him. He is the best love; He is the super-excellent love. This is all that we need.
Again I would like to say that the church is a group of people who have been dynamically saved by God. We need to be continually under this kind of dynamic motivation. A proper Christian, an overcomer, is one who is constantly under a dynamic motivation. This we must pray to recover.