In the foregoing chapters, we have seen a clear vision of God’s ordained way to practice the New Testament economy. Upon seeing such a vision, we should be absolute for this vision. We must be absolute for God’s ordained way, living to God for the spreading of His kingdom. The four Gospels are a record of the completion of Christ, and the book of Acts records the propagation of Christ for the spread of the kingdom of God. At the end of Acts, Paul spoke to people in a desperate way concerning the kingdom of God (28:23, 31). The first five books of the New Testament conclude with Paul proclaiming the kingdom of God. If we have believed into God, our goal must be to live to God for the spreading of His kingdom.
First, we need to visit people at their homes for the seeking of God’s chosen sons of peace (Luke 10:1-6). God in eternity chose many people to be sons of peace, yet God’s selection needs our going out to visit people that these chosen ones can be found and brought to God. Then we must also go out to build up home meetings with the believers for the teaching of the truth, the edification of the believers, and the establishment of the local churches in view of the building up of the Body of Christ (Acts 2:46; 5:42).
Throughout the centuries, the Lord has recovered many items which were lost in His economy. In the past two and one half years the Lord has shown us that to visit people, to baptize them into the name of the Triune God, to set up home meetings, to build up these homes, and to establish local churches with a view to building up the Body of Christ is the Lord’s present move. According to our own history and our investigation, there is no other way to practice the New Testament economy that is so high, so prevailing, and so effective.
Today the entire situation of Christianity is worsening and becoming more dead. This situation is not so prevailing, new, or living. But, we must realize that the Lord is coming and our time is very short. We should ask ourselves whether or not we should remain in the old way. If we do, we will surely delay the Lord’s coming. If the Lord does not have His way with us, He may have to go to another people. But if He did go to another people, He would have to repeat what He has done with us over the past sixty years. This would surely hurt the Lord’s heart. We must get into the Lord’s heart and sympathize with Him, rising up to take His new way.
To oppose or criticize the new way of knocking on doors and setting up home meetings in the new believers’ homes is foolish. What is wrong for believers to go out to visit people by knocking on their doors, baptizing them into the processed Triune God? Whether or not this way corresponds with your own idea concerning preaching the gospel, you cannot say that it is wrong. This way is not only right but also very much needed. There is the urgent need for all God’s lovers to rise up to knock on people’s doors to bring the processed Triune God into their homes, to minister and impart the processed Triune God into their being, and to bring them into an organic union with the processed Triune God by baptizing them. No church or leading one should prohibit others from taking this way or tell others to wait until the church is ready to practice this way. This is illogical and is like stopping a person from breathing until he is “ready” to do so. All the leaders of the churches around the globe should say “Amen” to this way, whether or not they agree with it. To stop or criticize this way is not wise. Let the saints have the freedom to go out on their own, team by team, to knock on doors. Even if the saints knock on doors every day, there is nothing wrong with this practice.
Several churches comprising about one thousand saints have been in Orange County, California for thirteen years, yet the total annual rate of increase has been only about two to three percent. There are many saints who love the Lord and His purpose, yet the increase has been pitifully low. However, in a little over a week’s time in the 1987 summer training, more than three thousand seven hundred were baptized in Orange County through the saints going out to knock on doors primarily in the evenings. Even if only one fourth of these remain, there would be close to nine hundred believers who could form ten new churches in ten new localities.
We should be wise and not criticize, condemn, or oppose the new way. Rather, we should take the lead to rise up to go out to visit people in order to set up home meetings, and all the saints will follow. If we do well, the increase could be threefold each year, or at the very least, one hundred percent increase each year. Our practice in the past years was to have many big meetings each week in which message after message was given. We do not need to meet in that way any longer. We need to go out to others’ homes, taking the dear name of Jesus into their homes. If the meetings are scattered, the saints will not die; rather, the saints will go to the homes with Jesus, the Bible, and salvation. There will be a great revival and a strong church life. We all must wake up and be revolutionized by going to the homes to preach and teach. Gradually, in city after city, churches will be raised up.