On the one hand, we should expect results, but on the other hand, we should not trust too much in the results. We should hope for results, expecting large numbers of people to be saved, even expecting people of fine character to be saved. However, we should not have confidence in results, saying, “It is so wonderful to have more than six hundred people baptized.” We should realize that the best ones probably have not even been baptized and that those who have been baptized may not remain for long. Someone may say that a few of the ones who were baptized are very good but some who were baptized are not so good. However, the ones whom we think are not so good today may be very good five years from now, even becoming elders in the local churches. But those whom we think are very good today may not do so well later, and their condition may deteriorate. Hence, we cannot quickly evaluate the results of the gospel. We should not trust the immediate results. Neither should we comfort ourselves, saying, “Because we do not trust results, we do not care whether people are saved.” On the one hand, we should always expect people to be richly and dynamically saved. But on the other hand, we should not put our confidence in the results.
When we preach the gospel, our eyes should be closed. We should be fervent in heart yet not so discerning in our mind. Our heart should be burning, but our mind should be “foolish” (1 Cor. 1:21, 23). We should speak concerning the Lord with whomever we meet, telling them that they will be saved simply by believing. Once a person believes, we should tell him that according to the Word of God, he is saved. We should never worry whether one has been genuinely saved and thus may be a tare and not wheat. If we think about discerning people in this way, we will be unable to preach the gospel. We should not be afraid of bringing “false ones” into the church. Discernment of this nature is a matter of church administration, not a matter of gospel preaching. Concerning church administration, everyone should have a clear and sober mind, but concerning gospel preaching, the more foolish we are, the better.
In preaching the gospel, our eyes should be closed, and we should have thick skin. Our skin needs to be thick. We should exercise to be totally oblivious to ourselves to the extent that when we are scolded, we would not realize it, and when we are laughed at, we would not feel it. Then we can preach the gospel. If we blush when others stare at us, our skin is thinner than paper, and we will have no way to preach the gospel. People with thin skin cannot preach the gospel. In order to preach the gospel, we should practice being thick-skinned.
About a hundred years ago, there was a preacher named Hunter Corbett who came to northern China from America to preach the gospel. He was thick-skinned and not self-conscious. When he passed through the villages, crowds of children would follow him, throwing dirt at him and mocking him. But he was conscious of nothing and kept walking. After a while, he would turn around and say with a smile, “Enough, enough.” By being oblivious of his self, the gospel was eventually preached.
People who preach the gospel should not be sensitive. Sensitive people cannot preach the gospel. All those who are sensitive need to lose their sensitivity before they can preach the gospel. We are not speaking of being thick-skinned by nature. Only those who become thick-skinned and oblivious to the self for the Lord’s sake are useful. This does not mean that we should not know shame and have a sense of shame. Shamefacedness is a protection for our conduct. Particularly with sisters, shamefacedness is a safeguard. But in the matter of gospel preaching, we should abandon this sense of shame and know no shame for the Lord’s sake. Only then can we preach the gospel.
Finally, we come to the faith for preaching the gospel. When preaching the gospel, regardless of the object, the time, or the place, we must possess faith. We must believe that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes (Rom. 1:16). We should not look at the environment, at the contrary situation, or the existing condition. If we are easily discouraged by the slightest opposition, we cannot preach the gospel. Even if the opposition intensifies, we must still believe and continue to preach. Regardless of the situation, we should always believe that the gospel has the power to save people. We should believe that whomever we are speaking to will eventually be saved. This faith includes being unyielding, bold, and courageous. We should be able to say, “I do not care what kind of person you are, how much you oppose, or how difficult the situation is; I do not care about any of this. I care only for the gospel I preach, which is powerful. This is the reason I preach. Even if people are unsaved after three years of my preaching, I still believe that they will be saved. Even though my relatives have not repented after five years of my preaching, I still believe that one day they will repent.” Faith is persistent. This is the faith for preaching the gospel, which is indispensable and requires exercise.