These dear brothers and sisters are not only reluctant to speak; they simply cannot understand what this Brother Lee has been doing. Since the end of last year when he came back to us, he has changed around our perfectly good big meetings. It is so comfortable to sit in a big meeting to listen to a message. But now he has divided us up and has put eight or nine of us into a home. At the same time he repeatedly exhorts us and forces us to speak. I am not interested in the home meetings. I just wish that we could go back to the big meetings. Are these not words that are in your hearts? I am very sympathetic towards all of you. I know that you are all either very busy with your jobs, pressed by obligations, or entangled in household affairs. You are tied up from Monday until Saturday. Finally the long awaited Sunday is here, and all you want to do is relax a little bit in the meetings. You like to listen leisurely to others singing, praying, and reading the Bible to you followed by having a good message delivered to you. How comfortable this is!
But now, Brother Lee has changed our meetings around. Now we have to go to the home meetings. There is no one there who can pray. There is no one there who can give a message. When we read, we have to pray-read, repeat-read, explain-read, and a lot of other things. On top of that we still have to speak. I am not a professional preacher. I have never been to a seminary. This is killing me! Although such words have not come out of your mouth yet, I am not a dumb man; I have been a doctor in this line for fifty-nine years. I have much bedside experience. When I look at your faces and check around a little bit, I know immediately where your sickness lies. I do not believe too many of you would say, “We agree wholeheartedly with the way of the home meetings. We are for speaking in the home meetings. Even if I cannot speak, I will still learn to speak and to sing.”
Dear brothers and sisters, let me say this to you: The age has changed. The Lord is going on. Today this is the way that the Lord has taken. The Bible shows us clearly that at Pentecost, immediately after the Holy Spirit was poured out, when men were saved and the church was established, the home meetings were there. Every one of them preached Jesus, spoke about Jesus, and taught others concerning Jesus. The book of Acts tells us that the word of the Lord grew and was victorious. The situation then was different from what we have today. We have been preaching the word in Taiwan for thirty-six years. But the word of the Lord is still not prospering here in Taiwan. This is because there are few who speak; there is not much speaking. Now we all have to rise up to speak. Everyone must come to speak the word of the Lord. This is the characteristic of the home meeting.
In Numbers 11:29 Moses said, “Oh that all Jehovah’s people were prophets.” Not only did Moses say this in the Old Testament; in the New Testament Paul gave a clearer word: “For you can all prophesy one by one” (1 Cor. 14:31). To the Corinthians Paul said, “Pursue love, and desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy” (v. 1). Here it says we have to pursue love and to desire earnestly spiritual gifts. But more than that, we have to desire to prophesy. Do you realize that you must speak? It is a big loss not to be able to speak. The home meeting is to afford you an opportunity to speak.
All the mothers know that no child is born with the ability to give a long speech. A child learns to speak by practicing every day. After a few years he will speak properly and will be able to express himself adequately. Speaking is just like writing; if you do not practice it, you will forget it as time goes by. Do not think that because you cannot speak, you should not speak. Even if we cannot speak, we should still keep on talking. The more we speak, the more we will be able to speak. You have to realize that there is a big difference between speaking and not speaking in the meetings. If you are under a powerful speaking ministry which ministers the Lord’s word to you, and you are being moved and edified, your experience tells you that even to say a small Amen from your heart will make a big difference.
Some brothers and sisters may have been meeting with us for ten, fifteen, or even twenty years. Not only do they refuse to speak; they would not even say an Amen. Once these perpetually silent ones open their mouths and say an Amen, they will be nourished and edified; they will sense something special. If they would go further to stand up in the meeting to speak a few words, their speaking will give them immediate comfort, joy, nourishment, and strength. This will be much better than listening to a few messages. I believe many of you here have this experience. This proves that to speak in the meetings is a way of blessing.