The gospel preaching we refer to is not the preaching commonly referred to by others. Rather, we are referring to fruit-bearing. The preaching that others generally refer to is done by preachers. Fruit-bearing, however, is the responsibility of every believer. The Bible says that every believer is a branch in the true vine, which is the Lord Himself (John 15:1-2). The unique responsibility of a branch is to bear fruit. Since preaching the gospel is fruit-bearing, it is a responsibility. Therefore, gospel preaching is not a special profession carried out by specialists. It is the daily responsibility of every Christian. No one should regard gospel preaching as a profession. Every believer should regard gospel preaching as a responsibility of his daily life.
It is significant that the Bible uses a vine to describe our relationship with the Lord. There are various kinds of trees. Some, such as sweet osmanthus and cherry trees, are appreciated for their blossoms. Others, such as the pine and the juniper, can be used as raw material. Still others are not appreciated for their blossoms and cannot be used as raw material; they are solely for bearing fruit. Among this group of trees, the most obvious is the grapevine. The vine can never be used as raw material, and its branches are not even good for fuel. The flowers of the vine are almost non-existent because they are tiny and they only bloom for a short period. Hence, they are not worthy of any appreciation. Thus, grapevines are solely for fruit-bearing. Other fruit trees, such as the peach tree and the pear tree, have attractive flowers and can also be used for timber. However, the vine is neither good for flowers nor for timber; it is solely for bearing fruit.
The Bible uses numerous kinds of trees as types of the Lord Jesus. For example, in Song of Songs 2:3 the Lord is typified by the apple tree. This indicates that the Lord Himself bears fruit. However, the vine best portrays the relationship between the Lord and us. We are branches of the Lord Jesus who is the vine. The branches of the vine are for bearing fruit. Fruit-bearing is their sole responsibility. Aside from bearing fruit, there is nothing else that they do. Therefore, since we are branches of the Lord as the vine, our responsibility is to preach the gospel, save sinners, and bear fruit.
Gospel preaching is neither a profession nor an outward behavior. Gospel preaching is related to the life within us. Every kind of life has its own ability. Fish can swim in water, and birds can fly in the air. Swimming and flying are abilities of life. The fact that trees can bear fruit is also an ability of life. Trees do not bear fruit because of outward behavior but because of their inner life. Even though bearing fruit is an outward manifestation, it shows the ability of the life within a tree. Since gospel preaching is a kind of fruit-bearing, it is an ability of the divine life. We must see that the regenerated life is within every believer. This life has many abilities, that is, many characteristics and functions. One of these characteristics and functions is to preach the gospel, and not merely to preach the gospel but to preach the gospel under any circumstance. Believers have a special instinct—the urge to preach the gospel. This is not a hobby; rather, it is the life of a believer.
For example, cats cannot be forbidden from catching mice; neither can dogs be prohibited from barking. Catching mice and barking are characteristics of the cat and dog life. Similarly, Christians preach the gospel out of a characteristic of the life within them. This is the reason that the brothers and sisters respond enthusiastically whenever the church preaches the gospel. They willingly spend their energy and money because the life within them is a gospel-preaching life.
The life within us is not merely a holy life, a loving life, and a meek life; it is also a gospel-preaching life. If we try to not preach the gospel, we will feel uneasy and unhappy. On the contrary, when we preach the gospel, we feel joyful and at ease because we are following the nature of our inner life. If we want to grow, we must allow the inner life to develop so that the characteristics and functions of this life can be freely manifested. Once we allow this life to develop and be expressed, we cannot help but preach the gospel.
Therefore, we should not have the concept that since we have “joined” the church, we should encourage others to “join” the church. Neither should we think that since we are members of the church, we should preach the gospel only when the church is encouraging us to preach the gospel. Preaching the gospel under these circumstances is not a spontaneous expression of life. We must understand that gospel preaching is neither a religious activity nor a pious behavior for a believer. It is altogether a matter of life.